Public Enemies, the latest film from director Michael Mann (TVs Miami Vice, Manhunter, Heat, Collateral), hit DVD shelves this week, and if you were a fan of the film in the theater, you’ll want to pick it up on DVD or Blu-Ray. In the film, Johnny Depp plays Depression-era Robin Hood John Dillinger who rose to fame as a notorious bank robber and the F.B.I.’s first public enemy #1.

The film is a loose interpretation of many events such as Dillinger’s empathy for sharecroppers and out on their luck everyday individuals, his famous escape from an Indiana jail, and his eventual demise at Chicago’s Biograph Theater at the hands of F.B.I. agent Melvin Purvis and his band of intrepid G-Men.

Some exciting features on the Blu-Ray and DVD include a documentary about both Dillinger and Purvis who became media adversaries as both rose to both fame and infamy. The second involves a behind-the-scenes featurette with director Michael Mann and how he brought “Public Enemies” to the big screen.

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All week long, we’ve been bringing you daily exclusive interviews with some of the folks behind the scenes for DC’s newest animated venture, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, which gets a release next Tuesday. Monday, we had a chat with the screenwriter of the feature, Stan Berkowitz, then yesterday executive producer Michael Goguen on adapting the comic to the animated screen.

In continuing with that fashion, we got a chance to speak with legendary casting director Andrea Romano out at Comic-Con, and she was more than elated to discuss getting the “dream team” back together in Tim Daley, Kevin Conroy, and Clancy Brown as Superman, Batman, and Lex Luthor respectively.

Check out the video after the jump, as we discuss the team coming back together, some of the cameos we may or may not see, and what Clancy Brown’s original idea was for Superman: The Animated Series. Keep it here all week for more interviews before the release of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies on September 29th.

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As a huge Johnny Depp and Christian Bale fan, I was curious when reviews started pouring in and friends kept talking to me about Public Enemies, since most of them felt mixed. I didn’t get it. How could a movie with Michael Mann directing, starring these two plus Marion Cotilliard, possibly be bad?

Let’s set the record straight here- this is not a bad movie. It’s very strong. But like any movie, it’s got some problems.
The film revolves around John Dillinger (Depp), a real-life bank robber in the 1930s, and his heists, robberies, escapes from jail, and love life. Along the way we get to know about his gang and the police hell bent on capturing him.

First and foremost, this movie is slow. While the bank robberies and car chases are action packed, loud, and fast paced, they are often few and far between. Most scenes with dialogue sort of quietly slug their way along. These scenes, although slow, give use chance to learn about and fall in love with John Dillinger.

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With DC’s animated division releasing Green Lantern: First Flight later this year, the marketing for the next direct-to-DVD film is already starting up. This time, the focus will shift on the world’s finest, as Superman and Batman take on Lex Luthor in an adaptation of Jeph Loeb’s Public Enemies story arc. From a Warner Home Video Press Release:

The movie reunites the lead voices of Superman, Batman and Lex Luthor from the landmark “Superman: The Animated Series” and “Batman: The Animated Series”. Tim Daly (Private Practice), Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League) and Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption) reprise their roles as Superman, Batman and Lex Luthor, respectively.

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July 4th weekend is said to be the best weekend of the year. It gives studios a whole 5 days of potential profit, as most adults are off work, and kids are usually out of school by then. This is usually a great time to release kid-friendly films, which is exactly what Fox did this year with Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

Last year, Hancock and Will Smith took over the weekend, grossing $66 million, and the first Transformers film had 2007 with$70 million. This year, Transformers 2 didn’t get the coveted weekend, but it still made top of the list in this years box office, grossing $239 million since last Wednesday. With poor reviews probably having something to do with it, Ice Age has already moved to this week’s number 1 spot, and grossed $14 million yesterday, where Transformers 2 only came in with $10 million.

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From the original Miami Vice TV series through films like Thief, Heat and Collateral, director/writer/producer Michael Mann often explores the darker side of the street and highlights the lives and evil deeds of criminals. In his movies, the crooks are often just as symapthetic as the cops who try to catch them and the line between good and evil and right and wrong is, at best, blurred. Another film from the director that promises to explore the same territory is his upcoming John Dillinger biopic Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp as Dillinger.

Over at the San Francisco Chronicle website they’ve got a very interesting interview with Mann about his upcoming film. In the article, several bits of information are revealed including the fact that the film’s star Johnny Depp has wanted to play the role of John Dillinger for twenty years, that director Mann thinks the film’s stance against banks is very timely given today’s economy but insists it’s just a coincidence, that Mann encourages his actors to heavily research their roles and that the film may glorify criminals.

Mann also defends Depp’s co-star in Public Enemies, actor Christian Bale, for his outburst on the set of Terminator: Salvation, insisting that nothing of the kind happened during his shoot. According to Mann: ”Christian is a sweetheart to work with. This is a guy who doesn’t even travel with assistants. I can only surmise, if something like that happened, the provocation to Christian must have been extreme and going on for a long, long time.”

Mann also had glowing things to say about his star Johnny Depp and revealed that Depp has some close ties with the infamous character he plays in the film. “A lot of what goes on inside Johnny Depp could be used and revealed,” Mann said in the article. “I know there are dark currents within Johnny and also from his past life, and I know he has a lot of John Dillinger inside of him. He has a deep understanding of a troubled past and a troubled life, but is someone who is a very passionate man. He could understand those currents in unique ways.”

Be sure to check out the full article right here. Public Enemies hits theaters on July 1st.