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Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
dir. Rob Marshall
Product Decsription:
Can anything keep Captain Jack Sparrow down? Well, as long as Johnny Depp plays the offbeat pirate of the high seas, as he does in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the answer is "Not bloody likely, mate!" This fourth installment of the Pirates franchise is jolly good fun--nearly as good as the first one, in fact. The writing is crisp, the action amazing--and there's the addition of a foe finally the match of Captain Jack: Ian McShane as the dreaded, and dreadful, Blackbeard. McShane seems to be having as much fun as Depp, and that's saying something--channeling his dastardly character on Deadwood but keeping his epithets rated PG-13. Adding to the festivities is the winsome Penélope Cruz, as Angelica, a woman with a past entwined with Jack Sparrow's. Angelica now might be a fearsome pirate herself--or maybe just a cunning con artist tugging at Sparrow's heartstrings. The action in On Stranger Tides centers on the quest to find the legendary Fountain of Youth in the Americas. But the plot, of course, is incidental in the Pirates films. From the earliest scenes, it's clear the action, and Depp's winking at the camera, are the stars. Captain Jack stages a giant food fight in front of the King of England, culminating in a chandelier scene worthy of The Phantom of the Opera, and he's off at a gallop. Along for the ride are previous cast members Geoffrey Rush (who's sold out and is now an unctuous representative of His Majesty's Navy); loyal sidekick Kevin McNally, who narrowly escapes a death sentence, and then celebrates by leaping on board Captain Jack's fraught mission; and Keith Richards as Jacky's dad, who speaks few words, but wise ones. There are even zombie pirates, and a mysterious mermaid. Pirates of the Caribbean isn't suitable for viewers under 8 or so, because it's dark and intense in spots, but otherwise, it's a rollicking good popcorn film. --A.T. Hurley
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Red State (2011)
dir. Kevin Smith
I thought this was actually decent until the lame ending. I wish Kevin Smith would've had the balls to follow through on that and take it to one extreme or the other, not just some lame, fake resolution. Anyway, this movie should be watched for Michael Parks' performance alone. Why the hell is he not in more things.
Product Decsription:
Three teenaged boys are lured to the town of Cooper’s Dell with the promise of a party. But instead of enjoying the night of their dreams, the teens are plunged into the nightmarish world of Pastor Abin Cooper and the Five Points Trinity, a fundamentalist group with a stockpile of weaponry and a deadly moral agenda. When word of the teens’ disappearance reaches the authorities, a military task force is mobiliz ed. With Cooper’s Dell teetering between salvation and damnation, the ATF braces for a furious gun battle with Cooper and his heavily armed followers in this fever-pitched action thriller from writer-director Kevin Smith.
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Willy Wonka & Chocolate Factory (Three-Disc 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition) (1971)
dir. Mel Stuart
This is one of those movies that I love and I've seen a TON, but I'd never own it because I can't think of a time when I would want to put it in and watch it. Just one of those movies that I will watch randomly if it's on TV. Still a fucking great movie, and one of Gene Wilder's best performances.
Product Decsription:
Having proven itself as a favorite film of children around the world, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is every bit as entertaining now as it was when originally released in 1971. There's a timeless appeal to Roald Dahl's classic children's novel, which was playfully preserved in this charming musical, from the colorful carnival-like splendor of its production design to the infectious melody of the "Oompah-Loompah" songs that punctuate the story. Who can forget those diminutive Oompah-Loompah workers who recite rhyming parental warnings ("Oompah-Loompah, doopity do...") whenever some mischievous child has disobeyed Willy Wonka's orders to remain orderly? Oh, but we're getting ahead of ourselves ... it's really the story of the impoverished Charlie Bucket, who, along with four other kids and their parental guests, wins a coveted golden ticket to enter the fantastic realm of Wonka's mysterious confectionery. After the other kids have proven themselves to be irresponsible brats, it's Charlie who impresses Wonka and wins a reward beyond his wildest dreams. But before that, the tour of Wonka's factory provides a dazzling parade of delights, and with Gene Wilder giving a brilliant performance as the eccentric candyman, Wonka gains an edge of menace and madness that nicely counterbalances the movie's sentimental sweetness. It's that willingness to risk a darker tone--to show that even a wonderland like Wonka's can be a weird and dangerous place if you're a bad kid--that makes this an enduring family classic. --Jeff Shannon
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Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (2011)
dir. Michael Rapaport
Really good documentary, but I didn't think Q-tip/Phife beef was nearly as hateful as people were making it out to be. Not really much else to say about it.....it was good.
Product Decsription:
When a Tribe Called Quest emerged from Queens in the 1980s, there wasn't another hip-hop outfit that sounded exactly like them. Their unique mix of jazz, funk, and creatively conscious lyrics struck a chord, but 10 years later, they called it a day. In his first feature, actor/filmmaker Michael Rapaport, a native New Yorker, charts their history, celebrates their success, and tries to figure out what went wrong. He starts with their origins "on the boulevard of Linden" before turning to Phife Dawg's move to Atlanta and the Rock the Bells Tour, for which they reunited, only to fall apart again. The group members, including Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jabroni White, tell the story in their own words, while admirers, like De La Soul and the Roots, testify to their impact. With editorial assistance from director A.J. Schnack (Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns), Rapaport focuses on the relationship between Phife and Q-Tip, who share the same sort of yin and yang chemistry that has fueled legendary acts from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin. A "funky diabetic" in casual garb, Phife enjoys sports as much as music, while the dapper Q-Tip can't imagine doing anything else. The two have even differed over the film; while Phife has helped to promote it, Q-Tip has been publicly dismissive, but Rapaport is about as fair as a dispirited fan can be, and he concludes with an engagement in Japan where the two put their egos aside--at least for a few hours. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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Bad Teacher (2011)
dir. Jason Segel
Shitty movie, but still way better than Bridesmaids.
Product Decsription:
As any kid who's ever forcibly shot milk through their nasal passages can testify, the key to a great gross joke isn't so much the content as it is the delivery. The proudly crass Bad Teacher certainly has great big gobs of greasy, grimy potential, chief among them its central performance by an exceedingly game Cameron Diaz, but it occasionally fails to nail the dismount. This film from director Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story) is exactly what the title says: after getting dumped by her rich boyfriend, a lying, cheating, and perpetually boozing middle-school teacher (Diaz) hatches a scheme to con her school out of enough money to pay for cosmetic surgery, while squaring off against the aggressively cheerful teacher across the hall (a very funny Lucy Punch). Lessons are not learned, thankfully. Although the title and attitude recall the effortlessly filthy Bad Santa, Bad Teacher feels more like a spiritual sequel to Diaz's earlier Sweetest Thing, a women-can-be-gross-too comedy that spent more time congratulating itself on how far it was willing to go instead of actually going there. While Bad Teacher certainly has its number of belly laughs and worthy outrages (particularly during a hilariously awkward love scene between Diaz and a nerded-up Justin Timberlake), it's hard not to end up with a general feeling of missed opportunities. Too often, it toes the bad-taste line, when it should be jumping over it with a rocket cycle. --Andrew Wright
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Kuroneko (The Criterion Collection) (1968)
dir. Kaneto Shindo
Product Decsription:
In this poetic and atmospheric horror fable, set in a village in war-torn medieval Japan, a malevolent spirit has been ripping out the throats of itinerant samurai. When a military hero is sent to dispatch the unseen force, he finds that he must struggle with his own personal demons as well. From Kaneto Shindo, director of the terror classic Onibaba, Kuroneko (Black Cat) is a spectacularly eerie twilight tale with a shocking feminist angle, evoked through ghostly special effects and exquisite cinematography.
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Eclipse Series 29: Aki Kaurismaki's Leningrad Cowboys
dir. Aki Kaurismäki
Product Decsription:
In the late eighties and early nineties, Aki Kaurismäki (The Match Factory Girl), the master of the deadpan, fashioned a waggish fish-out-of-water tale about a U.S. tour by “the worst rock-and-roll band in the world.” Leningrad Cowboys Go America’s posse of fur-coated, outrageously pompadoured hipsters struck such a chord with international audiences that the fictional band became a genuine attraction, touring the world. Later, Kaurismäki created a sequel, Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses, and filmed a gigantic stadium show the band put on in Helsinki for the rollicking documentary Total Balalaika Show. With this Eclipse series, we present these crackpot musical and comic odysseys, along with five Leningrad Cowboys music videos directed by Kaurismäki.
Set Includes: Leningrad Cowboys Go America
A struggling Siberian rock band leaves the lonely tundra to tour the United States because, as they are told, “they put up with anything there.” Aki Kaurismäki’s winningly aloof farce follows the men as they bravely make their way across the New World, carrying a coffin full of beer and sporting hairdos like unicorn horns. Leningrad Cowboys Go America was such a sensation that the band gained a real-life cult following.
1989
79 Minutes
Color
Stereo
1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses:
Living in Mexico with a top-ten hit under their belts, the Leningrad Cowboys have fallen on hard times. When they move north to rejoin their manager (Kaurismäki mainstay Matti Pellonpää) for a gig in Coney Island, he seems to have turned into a delusional self-proclaimed prophet who wishes to lead them back to the promised land of Siberia. Like the first installment, Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses is a road movie, but this time the humorous hardships come from the rocky terrain of the new Europe. 1994
94 Minutes
Color
Stereo
1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
Total Balalaika Show:
Kaurismäki’s documentary of the Leningrad Cowboys’ massive Helsinki Square concert, on Finland’s largest stage, is a loving tribute to the rock band he made famous. Seventy thousand people from Finland and Russia turned out for this megaspectacle, with musical selections, from Sibelius to Bob Dylan, that crossed genre and national divides. And the band was joined onstage by the 150-member Russian Red Army Choir; Variety called it “the most incongruous—and inspired—cross-cultural pairing since Nureyev danced with Miss Piggy.”
Also Featuring the following Leningrad Cowboys music videos: Rocky VI, Thru the Wire, L.A. Woman, These Boots, and Those Were the Days
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Batman: Year One (2011)
dir. Sam Liu, Lauren Montgomery
Product Decsription:
A wealthy playboy (batman) and a chicago cop (james gordon) both return to gotham city where their lives will intersect in unexpected ways. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 10/18/2011 Starring: Bryan Cranston Katee Sackhoff Director: Sam Liu Lauren Montgomery
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Page One: Inside The New York Times (2011)
dir. Andrew Rossi
Product Decsription:
PAGE ONE: INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES deftly gains unprecedented access to The New York Times newsroom and the inner workings of the Media Desk. With the Internet surpassing print as the main news source and newspapers all over the country going bankrupt, PAGE ONE chronicles the transformation of the media industry at its time of greatest turmoil. It gives us an up-close look at the vibrant cross-cubicle debates and collaborations, tenacious jockeying for on-the-record quotes, and skillful page-one pitching that produce the daily miracle of a great news organization. What emerges is a nuanced portrait of journalists continuing to produce extraordinary work under increasingly difficult circumstances. At the heart of the film is the burning question on the minds of everyone who cares about a rigorous American press, Times lover or not: what will happen if the fast-moving future of media leaves behind the fact-based, original reporting that helps to define our society?
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A Better Life (2011)
dir. Chris Weitz
Product Decsription:
Chris Weitz has come a long way since he unofficially codirected American Pie with his brother Paul in 1999. Having pulled out of the raunchy teen comedy genre in pretty short order, he's been a reliable craftsman of interesting work that includes About a Boy, The Golden Compass, and New Moon. With A Better Life, Weitz makes another shift of gears to the indie front. Here he tells the heartbreaking yet gently observed story of a Mexican man living illegally in Los Angeles with his teenage son while trying to scrape out a literal embodiment of the movie's title for them both. A Better Life uses a quiet and methodical narrative structure to portray a few days in the life of Carlos, a man who truly believes in the opportunity he can create by working hard and following the moral character running deep within him--if not for himself, then certainly for his son Luis. He's hooked up with a friend who owns a pickup truck, a few lawnmowers, and basic landscaping tools, and the two of them spend long days manicuring the manses of greater Los Angeles. Carlos lives in a tiny house, barely scraping by and with his head always bowed against the threat of his illegal status. Sixteen-year-old Luis is a good kid, but on the at-risk side of falling in with a gang unless Carlos can instill the kind of principled existence he believes in, no matter how downtrodden they feel. When his boss offers to sell Carlos the truck and "the business," he agonizes over the risk, but gets a loan from his sister and beams at the prospect of finally making a move that may one day lead to the kind of success in America he envisions. But bad luck strikes early and often for Carlos. A large chunk of the film is devoted to his search to retrieve the stolen truck with the help of Luis, a sequence that captures all the despair, doggedness, and nuance of character that Carlos and Luis bring to bear on their struggle in life and their relationship with each other. The precise and tidy formal style of Carlos's journey and all the things and people he encounters become both expository and revelatory in bringing him to life as a dedicated man who won't give up no matter how difficult or even hopeless the effort may seem. Demián Bichir's performance as Carlos anchors this humble, melancholy, yet huge-hearted film about faith, optimism, and the promise of making life better for the most genuine of reasons. --Ted Fry
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Captain America / Captain America II: Death Too Soon (1979)
dir. Rod Holcomb
Comedy classics.
Product Decsription:
Captain America - When former Marine Steve Rogers is in an accident, his only hope for recovery is an injection of the FLAG super-serum created years ago by his own father which enhances each of his senses, as well as gives him great strength and fast reflexes. And to help him bring his attackers to justice, a government agency outfits him with a motorcycle and powerful shield, then turns the newly formed Captain America loose on the nation s enemies.
Captain America II: Death Too Soon - Captain America returns to carry on the legacy of his father and defend the country this time, however, he faces off against the terrorist known only as Miguel and the threat of a chemical agent that rapidly ages those who come in contact with it.
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DVD Picks for October 25th, 2011
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Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
dir. Joe Johnston
Cap has always been boring as hell to me, but I really enjoyed this movie.
Product Decsription:
The Marvel Comics superhero Captain America was born of World War II, so if you're going to do the origin story in a movie you'd better set it in the 1940s. But how, then, to reconcile that hero with the 21st-century mega-blockbuster The Avengers, a 2012 summit meeting of the Marvel giants, where Captain America joins Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk and other super pals? Stick around, and we'll get to that. In 1943, a sawed-off (but gung-ho) military reject named Steve Rogers is enlisted in a super-secret experiment masterminded by adorable scientist Stanley Tucci and skeptical military bigwig Tommy Lee Jones. Rogers emerges, taller and sporting greatly expanded pectoral muscles, along with a keen ability to bounce back from injury. In both sections Rogers is played by Chris Evans, whose sly humor makes him a good choice for the otherwise stalwart Cap. (Benjamin Button-esque effects create the shrinky Rogers, with Evans's head attached.) The film comes up with a viable explanation for the red-white-and-blue suit 'n' shield--Rogers is initially trotted out as a war bonds fundraiser, in costume--and a rousing first combat mission for our hero, who finally gets fed up with being a poster boy. Director Joe Johnston (The Wolfman) makes a lot of pretty pictures along the way, although the war action goes generic for a while and the climax feels a little rushed. Kudos to Hugo Weaving, who makes his Nazi villain a grand adversary (with, if the ear doesn't lie, an imitation of Werner Herzog's accent). If most of the movie is enjoyable, the final 15 minutes or so reveals a curious weakness in the overall design: because Captain America needs to pop up in The Avengers, the resolution of the 1943 story line must include a bridge to the 21st century, which makes for some tortured (and unsatisfying) plot developments. Nevertheless: that shield is really cool. --Robert Horton
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Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy (1993-2001)
Man I wish I could just get the first one....I might have to bite the bullet and get this, and part III isn't that bad anyway.
Product Decsription:
Jurassic Park
Steven Spielberg's 1993 mega-hit rivals Jaws as the most intense and frightening film he'd ever made prior to Schindler's List, but it was also among his weakest stories. Based on Michael Crichton's novel about an island amusement park populated by cloned dinosaurs, the film works best as a thrill ride with none of the interesting human dynamics of Spielberg's Jaws. That lapse proves unfortunate, but there's no shortage of raw terror as a rampaging T-rex and nasty raptors try to make fast food out of the cast. The effects are still astonishing (despite the fact that the computer-generated technology has since been improved upon) and at times primeval, such as the sight of a herd of whatever-they-are scampering through a valley. --Tom Keogh
The Lost World - Jurassic Park
In the low tradition of knockoff horror flicks best seen (or not seen) on a drive-in movie screen, Steven Spielberg's sequel to Jurassic Park is a poorly conceived, ill-organized film that lacks story and logic. Screenwriter David Koepp strings along a number of loose ideas while Jeff Goldblum returns as Ian Malcolm, the quirky chaos theoretician who now reluctantly agrees to go to another island where cloned dinosaurs are roaming freely. Along with his girlfriend (Julianne Moore) and daughter, Malcolm has to deal with hunters, environmentalists, and corporate swine who stupidly bring back a big dino to Southern California, where it runs amok, of course. Spielberg doesn't seem to care that the pieces of this project don't add up to a real movie, so he hams it up with big, scary moments (with none of the artfulness of those in Jurassic Park) and smart-aleck visual gags (a yapping dog in a suburb mysteriously disappears when a hungry T-rex stomps by). A complete bust.--Tom Keogh
Jurassic Park III
Surpassing expectations to qualify as an above-average sequel, Jurassic Park III is nothing more or less than a satisfying popcorn adventure. A little cheesier than the first two Jurassic blockbusters, it's a big B movie with big B-list stars (including Laura Dern, briefly reprising her Jurassic Park role), and eight years of advancing computer-generated-image technology give it a sharp edge over its predecessors. While adopting the jungle spirit of King Kong, the movie refines Michael Crichton's original premise, and its dinosaurs are even more realistic, their behavior more detailed, and their variety--including flying pteranodons and a new villain, the spinosaurus--more dazzling and threatening than ever. These advancements justify the sequel, and its contrived plot is just clever enough to span 90 minutes without wearing out its welcome.
Posing as wealthy tourists, an adventurous couple (William H. Macy, Téa Leoni) convince paleontologist Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and his protégé (Allesandro Nivola) to act as tour guides on a flyover trip to Isla Sorna, the ill-fated "Site B" where all hell broke loose in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. In truth, they're on a search-and-rescue mission to find their missing son (Trevor Morgan), and their plane crash is just the first of several enjoyably suspenseful sequences. Director Joe Johnston (October Sky) embraces the formulaic plot as a series of atmospheric set pieces, placing new and familiar dinosaurs in misty rainforests, fiery lakes, and mysterious valleys, turning JP3 into a thrill ride with impressive highlights (including a T. rex versus spinosaurus smack-down), adequate doses of wry humor (from the cowriters of Election), and an upbeat ending that's corny but appropriate, proving that the symptoms of sequelitis needn't be fatal. --Jeff Shannon
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Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)
dir. Jalmari Helander
Really great movie. Ebert was spot-on when he said that this movie is like if The Thing had Santa Claus instead of the thing. It's genuinely creepy, too. Just talking about it makes me want to watch it again.
Product Decsription:
In the depths of the Korvatunturi mountains, 486 metres deep, lies the closest ever guarded secret of Christmas. The time has come to dig it up! This Christmas everyone will believe in Santa Claus.
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Attack the Block (2011)
dir. Joe Cornish
I really wanted to like this movie, and I'm genuinely sad that I really hated it. Like I said before: it's well made. Really good cinematography. Great direction. Awesome creatures. Excellent soundtrack. Fucking hated it. Ugh
Product Decsription:
A high-concept, micro-pocketed mash note to John Carpenter and Walter Hill, this Cockney vs. Aliens saga generates an enormous amount of likability out of some very limited means. Executive produced by the folks behind Shaun of the Dead, writer-director Joe Cornish's feature debut mixes gore and gags in a ratio that should drive genre fans bonkers. Unlike many recent Comic-Con-friendly movies, however, Attack the Block admirably concentrates on actually telling a story first, with the in-jokes and pop-culture references treated as tinsel. Kicking off with a literal bang, Cornish's script follows a group of British teenage punks on the downward slide to outright thugdom. Once a horde of neon-toothed aliens starts falling from the sky, however, the kids find themselves appointed the unlikely protectors of their grotty South London housing complex. Cue the bottle rockets, dirt bikes, and ninja weapons. There's not much to the story beyond that, really, but any narrative sparseness is leavened by some healthy doses of low-budget ingenuity, chief among them the design of the negative-image aliens themselves, which suggest ticked-off wild boars after a serious Rogaine overdose. On the character front, the film also scores, quickly sketching out its team of likable (but not cuddly) bad seeds with distinct personalities. (That said, American viewers should be prepared to have at least a quarter of the slang fly over their heads.) Clocking in at a just-right 88 minutes, Attack the Block may ultimately never rise above the level of clever homage, but there's copious evidence that the filmmaker already has a firm understanding of what makes B movies tick. While his first film doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel, check out all the neat stuff in the spokes. --Andrew Wright
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Island of Lost Souls (Criterion Collection) (1932)
dir. Erle C. Kenton
Product Decsription:
A twisted treasure from Hollywood’s pre-Code horror heyday, Island of Lost Souls is a cautionary tale of science run amok adapted from H. G. Wells’s novel The Island of Dr. Moreau. In one of his first major movie roles, Charles Laughton (The Private Life of Henry VIII) is a mad doctor conducting ghastly genetic experiments on a remote island in the South Seas, much to the fear and disgust of the shipwrecked sailor (Richard Arlen) who finds himself trapped there. This touchstone of movie terror, directed by Erle C. Kenton (House of Frankenstein), is elegantly shot by Karl Struss (The Great Dictator), features groundbreaking makeup effects that inspired generations of monster-movie artists, and costars Bela Lugosi (Dracula) in one his most gruesome roles.
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Identification of a Woman (The Criterion Collection) (1982)
dir. Michelangelo Antonioni
Product Decsription:
Identification of a Woman, directed by Michelangelo Antonioni (Red Desert), is a body-and soul-baring voyage into one man’s artistic and erotic consciousness. After his wife leaves him, a film director finds himself drawn into affairs with two enigmatic women, while at the same time searching for the right subject (and actress) for his next film. This spellbinding anti-romance was a late-career coup for the legendary Italian filmmaker, and is renowned for its sexual explicitness and an extended scene on a fog-enshrouded highway that stands with the director’s greatest set pieces.
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Winnie the Pooh (2011)
dir. Don Hall, Stephen J. Anderson
Product Decsription:
Author A.A. Milne's beloved bear, Winnie the Pooh, joins forces with his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood to help two of their own in Disney's hand-drawn charmer. Though he describes himself as a "bear of very little brain," Pooh (Jim Cummings) proves he's all heart when sad-sack Eeyore's tail goes missing and a terrible creature called the "Backson" abducts Christopher Robin (Jack Boulter), their human protector (the schoolboy actually leaves a note saying he will be "back soon"). Granted, our hero spends the entire journey dreaming about glorious pots of "hunny," but when push comes to shove, he prioritizes his pals over his tummy, which rumbles and expands as his hunger pangs increase. Wisely, co-directors Don Hall and Stephen J. Anderson avoid the distraction of instantly recognizable actors in favor of animation veterans, like Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants), who voices the resourceful Rabbit. While Sebastian Cabot narrated the Winnie featurettes of yore, comedian John Cleese, who sometimes speaks directly to Pooh, ably steps into his shoes, and talk-show host Craig Ferguson also makes a mark as the know-it-all Owl. At 68 minutes, not including short film "The Ballad of Nessie," this John Lasseter-produced feature should captivate most young viewers, even those accustomed to faster-paced, computer-animated features, like Lasseter's directorial efforts for Pixar. Musician M. Ward and singer/actress Zooey Deschanel of the band She & Him add to the old-fashioned charm with their retro-sounding songs. And be sure to stay through the closing credits for the funny surprise at the end. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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Tom & Jerry Golden Collection: Volume One (1940)
Product Decsription:
During the '40s, MGM's Tom and Jerry series was animation's gold standard, challenging Disney in the Animated Short Film Oscar category. The lavishly produced shorts featured polished animation, brash slapstick gags, and lush watercolor backgrounds. The series, which began in 1940 with "Puss Gets the Boot," ran for 15 years and won seven Oscars. Many of these cartoons follow the pattern set in "Puss Gets the Boot": housekeeper Mammy Two-Shoes (voiced by Lillian Randolph) warns Tom that if he makes a mess or fails to catch the mice, he's out on his ear ("O-W-T, out!"). Jerry overhears the threat and makes trouble. In cartoons where Mammy doesn't appear, Jerry finds other reasons (or excuses) to cause problems for Tom. But the stories are only fast-paced vehicles for the animated gags, like Tom's exaggerated jitterbug in "Zoot Cat" or his jaw-dropping, bug-eyed "takes" in "Mouse Cleaning." The Golden Collection features cartoons from 1940 to 1948, and includes the Oscar winners "The Yankee Doodle Mouse," "Mouse Trouble," "Quiet Please!" and "The Cat Concerto." The transfers were made from excellent prints and look terrific. Unlike previous re-dubbed video releases, Mammy Two-Shoes' dialogue is presented intact, although the subtitles offer the cleaned-up versions from the previous Spotlight Collection. In "Old Rockin' Chair Tom," she declares, "If you is a mouser, I is Lana Turner, which I ain't"; the subtitles read, "If you're a mouser… I'm Lana Turner, which I'm not." An introductory statement proclaims that the ethnic stereotypes "were wrong then and are wrong today," which misses the point. The stereotypical African-American maid and blackface gags were considered good fun and good taste in the era of Amos and Andy; that they are no longer acceptable reflects the social progress of the intervening decades. (Unrated, suitable for ages 7 and older: cartoon violence, ethnic stereotypes) --Charles Solomon
(1. Puss Gets the Boot, 2. The Midnight Snack, 3. The Night Before Christmas, 4. Fraidy Cat, 5. Dog Trouble, 6. Puss 'n' Toots, 7. The Bowling-Alley Cat, 8. Fine Feathered Friend, 9. Sufferin' Cats! 10. The Lonesome Mouse, 11. The Yankee Doodle Mouse, 12. Baby Puss, 13. Zoot Cat, 14. The Million Dollar Cat, 15. The Body Guard, 16. Puttin' on the Dog, 17. Mouse Trouble, 18. The Mouse Comes to Dinner, 19. Mouse in Manhattan, 20. Tee for Two, 21. Flirty Birdy, 22. Quiet Please! 23. Springtime for Thomas, 24. The Milky Waif, 25. Trap Happy, 26. Solid Serenade, 27. Cat Fishin', 28. Part Time Pal, 29. The Cat Concerto, 30. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse, 31. Salt Water Tabby, 32. A Mouse in the House, 33. The Invisible Mouse, 34. Kitty Foiled, 35. The Truce Hurts, 36. Old Rockin' Chair Tom, 37. Professor Tom)
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Shaolin (2011)
dir. Benny Chan
Product Decsription:
Based loosely on the 1982 martial arts epic Shaolin Temple, which helped to mint Jet Li as a star, this Hong Kong blockbuster from Benny Chan stars Andy Lau as a battle-weary warlord who finds refuge and then solace among the monks of a Shaolin temple. Set during the tumult of early Republican China, the story unfolds as Lau's warlord usurps his rivals, but at the cost of his daughter's life and his wife's loyalty. His spirit crushed, he decides to atone for his violent past by joining a Shaolin order (which counts Jackie Chan, in a glorified cameo, as its cook). Lau's path to enlightenment is cast into doubt when he discovers that his former second-in-command (Nicholas Tse, in an enjoyably overripe performance) has enslaved the local population and forced them to unearth relics in order to pay for greater weapons. Things naturally come to a head between Lau and Tse, but the film is less concerned with sprawling martial arts battles than the emotional conflicts between and within its major players. Honor, familial loyalty, remorse, and pursuit of spiritual wholeness are cornerstones of Hong Kong action films, but the depth of the performances and screenplay (by Alan Yuen) lends rich nuances to the subjects, often at the expense of adding an extra fight scene to the picture. That's perhaps a good thing, as martial arts choreographer Corey Yuen's usual pyrotechnics are hobbled somewhat by his leads, who are fine actors but only modest fighters, leaving the firepower to wushu champion Wu Jing as a Shaolin elder. Chan's formidable talents are used to underscore his comic contributions to the film, and as such, are only mildly entertaining. That's also how most martial arts fans will view Shaolin, though those who value theme as well as action may find it a frequently thoughtful diversion. The Blu-ray collector's edition features a gallery of deleted scenes (mostly extended versions of scenes in the theatrical cut) and trailers, as well as a pair of by-the-books featurettes on the film's production. Slightly more interesting are a handful of interviews with the principals, which touch on the picture's historical basis and the '82 Li film, among other subjects. --Paul Gaita
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Laurel & Hardy: The Essential Collection (1920s-1930s)
Product Decsription:
Laurel & Hardy were one of the most critically acclaimed comedy teams of early American cinema. Their films produced by Hal Roach during the 20s and 30s defined their legacy, and are now available for the first time in a one comprehensive 10-DISC COLLECTION! This set contains films from Hal Roach library such as The Music Box (Academy Award® Best Short Subject), Brats, Hog Wild, Chickens Come Home, Sons of the Desert and Way out West to name a few. A special bonus disc features entertaining never before seen interviews from Dick Van Dyke, Jerry Lewis and Tim Conway, insightful commentaries, additional films and original trailers.
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A Serbian Film (2010)
dir. Srdjan Spasojevic
Thought this movie sucked. Not because it's shocking (it's not really that shocking at all anyway) but it's just a shitty movie.
Product Decsription:
Milos, a retired adult film star, leads a normal family life with his wife Maria and six-year old son Petar in tumultuous Serbia, trying to make ends meet. A sudden call from his former colleague Layla will change everything. Aware of his financial problems, Layla introduces Milos to Vukmir - a mysterious, menacing and politically powerful figure in the adult film business. A leading role in Vukmir's production will provide financial support to Milos and his family for the rest of their lives. A contract insists on his absolute unawareness of a script they will shoot. From then on, Milos is drawn into a maelstrom of unbelievable cruelty and mayhem devised by his employer, "the director" of his destiny. Vukmir and his cohorts will stop at nothing to complete his vision. In order to escape the living cinematic hell he's put into, and save his family's life, Milos will have to sacrifice everything - his pride, his morality, his sanity, and maybe even his own life.
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Movies getting re-released on blu-ray:
The Crow
Goonies
Guns of the Navarone
Cape Fear
The Conversation
Dazed and Confused (Criterion)
