One of the funniest films of all time, Blazing Saddles, is awarded an excellent 30th anniversary DVD release by Warner Bros., a company that has often shown great care to the important titles in its vault. The film itself is presented in a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio. The English soundtrack has been remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1, which makes it seem like one is hearing the infamous farting scene for the very first time. There is a healthy amount of quality extra materials, including a commentary by director Mel Brooks. Although it seems as if he was simply recorded while talking about the film (he never once refers to what is happening onscreen, and the commentary ends only an hour into the film), he recollections are amusing and enlightening. He discusses in detail how the various behind-the-scenes people as well as the cast came together. The other five-star nugget included on this disc is the pilot for the television spin-off Black Bart. Starring Louis Gossett Jr., the show is as amazingly unfunny as the movie is uproarious, but one may be struck by the crudity of the comedy that would have been telecast in the mid-'70s. A making-of documentary and a section from a special on the late great Madeline Kahn help make this DVD a must-own for comedy enthusiasts.

Set in the South two years before the Civil War, DJANGO UNCHAINED stars Academy Award -winner Jamie Foxx as Django, a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with a German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Academy Award-winner Christolph Waltz). Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. The unorthodox Schultz acquires Django with a promise to free him upon the capture of the Brittles dead or alive. Success leads Schultz to free Django, though the two men choose not to go their separate ways. Instead, Schultz seeks out the Souths most wanted criminals with Django by his side. Honing vital hunting skills, Django remains focused on one goal finding and rescuing Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), the wife he lost to the slave trade long ago. Django and Schultz's search ultimately leads them to Calvin Candie (Academy Award-nominee Leonardo DiCaprio), the proprietor of InchCandyland,Inch an infamous plantation. Exploring the compound under false pretenses, Django and Schultz rouse the suspicion of Stephen (Academy Award-nominee Samuel L. Jackson), Candies trusted house slave. Their moves are marked, and a treacherous organization closes in on them. If Django and Schultz are to escape with Broomhilda, they must choose between independence and solidarity, between sacrifice and survival.