Newsletter - FOR THE WEEK

OF January 31st, 2011
  This Week's Highlights
Cha uvkra!  - Criterion Fellini and Kore-eda on Blu-ray, Disney offers both Alice + a speedy colt, Hilary Swank in top form, Blake Edwards and Zhang Yimou - all in 1080P. DVD offers a wonderful Swedish festival favorite, a superior Eric Rohmer edition, a cute 70's caper thriller and two enjoyable Warner Archive discs. Another Contest with another Criterion Blu-ray as prize!

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LATEST ADDITIONS TO THE RELEASE CALENDAR:

Taxi Driver [Blu-ray] (Martin Scorsese, 1976) Columbia Tristar

Papillon [Blu-ray] (Franklin J. Schaffner, 1973) Warner Home Video

Black Swan [Blu-ray] (Darren Aronofsky, 2010) Fox Searchlight Pictures

127 Hours [Blu-ray] (Danny Boyle, 2010) Fox Searchlight Pictures

Dogtooth [Blu-ray] (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2010) Kino

Deep Red [Blu-ray] (Dario Argento, 1975) Entertainment One

Conviction [Blu-ray] (Tony Goldwyn, 2010) 20th Century Fox

Giulia Doesn't Date at Night (Giuseppe Piccioni, 2009) Entertainment One

Le Amiche [Blu-ray] (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1955) RB UK Masters of Cinema

La Signora Senza Camelie [Blu-ray] (Michelangelo Antonioni 1953) RB UK Masters of Cinema

Le Cercle Rouge [Blu-ray] (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1970) Criterion

Blow Out (Brian De Palma, 1981) Criterion
Blow Out [Blu-ray] (Brian De Palma, 1981) Criterion

Sweetie [Blu-ray] (Jane Campion, 1989) Criterion

Kes (Ken Loach, 1969) Criterion
Kes [Blu-ray] (Ken Loach, 1969) Criterion

White Material (Claire Denis, 2009) Criterion

White Material [Blu-ray] (Claire Denis, 2009) Criterion

Ok-hui-ui yeonghwa (Sang-soo Hong, 2010) R3 DS Media (KR)

The King's Speech [Blu-ray] (Tom Hooper, 2010) Weinstein /Anchor Bay

The Terror [Blu-ray] (Roger Corman, Francis Ford Coppola, Monte Hellman, Jack Hill + Jack Nicholson, 1963) HD Cinema Classics

Witchfinder General [Blu-ray] (Michael Reeves, 1968) RB UK Odeon Ent.

Poor Pretty Eddie [Blu-ray] (Chris Robinson, David Worth, 1975) Cultra

Column South (Frederick De Cordova, 1953) Sidonis

Walk the Proud Land (Jesse Hibbs, 1956) Sidonis

 

 

ONE VOICE (not Ellsworth Monkton Toohey): An easy choice for my favorite film on Blu-ray this week - Criterion's 1080P package of Kore-eda's Still Walking offers a modern Ozu-like experience. Of course, Federico Fellini's Amarcord in its best audio/video representation is also essential for fans of the director. Disney's 1951 animated classic Alice in Wonderland looks amazing on Blu-ray - absolutely recommended! I admit to enjoying Secretariat - also by Blu-ray and looking very impressive. Zhang Yimou's A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop has merit - a story of shifting tones - that ends up working well - supported by a solid transfer. Hilary Swank shows her deserved actress accolades in Conviction - a better film than many might expect. Perhaps I wasn't in the mood but I didn't get much out of Blake Edwards' 10 in hi-def. DVD offers a must-see in The Girl - masterfully crafted and beautifully realized, by first-time director, Fredrik Edfeldt. Rohmer's Rendez-vous in Paris via AE not only offers the best digital representation of the film but also at a give-away price. Still haunting after all these years is Mark Harmon's portrayal of serial killer Ted Bundy in The Deliberate Stranger. With some unqiue parody infusion 11 Harrowhouse still makes for a remarkable caper flic. While Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze wasn't a great movie by any stretch - I still wish they had made more - creating a series of films filled with these eclectic + heroic protagonists.

  THIS WEEK's REVIEWS / COMPARISONS
 

Still Walking BD - The lyrical, profoundly moving Still Walking (Aruitemo aruitemo) is contemporary Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda’s most personal work to date. Created as a tribute to his late mother, the film depicts one day in the life of the Yokoyamas, gathered together for a commemorative ritual whose nature only gradually becomes clear. Rather than focus on big dramatic moments, Kore-eda relies on simple gestures and domestic routines (especially cooking) to evoke a family’s entire life, its deep regrets and its daily joys. Featuring vivid, heartrending performances and a gentle naturalism that harks back to the director’s earlier, documentary work, Still Walking is an extraordinary portrayal of the ties that bind us. Blu-ray Release date: February 8th, 2011

Amarcord BD - In this carnivalesque portrait of provincial Italy during the Fascist period, Federico Fellini's most personal film satirizes his youth and turns daily life into a circus of social rituals, adolescent desires, male fantasies, and political subterfuge, all set to Nina Rota’s classic, nostalgia-tinged score. The Academy Award-winning Amarcord remains one of cinema's enduring treasures. Blu-ray Release Date: February 8th, 2011

Conviction BD - Hilary Swank plays Betty Anne Waters, a young woman whose world is shattered when her beloved brother Kenny (Rockwell) is convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Steadfastly convinced of his innocence, Betty Anne embarks on an 18-year journey to set Kenny free, using state-of-the-art forensic technology. The unshakable bond between a brother and sister, at the heart of this real-life drama, will stir your emotions and inspire you. Blu-ray Release date: February 1st, 2011

10 BD - One of the best comedies of the 1970s, Blake Edwards' ode to midlife crisis and the hazards of infidelity now plays like a valentine to that self-indulgent decade, and it's still as funny as it ever was. In the signature role of his career (along with Arthur), Dudley Moore plays a songwriter with a severe case of marital restlessness, and all it takes is a chance encounter with Bo Derek (in her screen debut) to jump-start his libido. Julie Andrews plays Moore's wife, who will only tolerate so much of her husband's desperate need to reaffirm his sexual vitality, while Moore pursues Derek to a tropical rendezvous. Blu-ray Release Date: February 8th, 2011

Alice in Wonderland BD - “Alice in Wonderland” was at that time Disney’s most expensive production, a budget of $3 million, and his most problematic production. Disney’s major problem was how to translate the books somewhat disconnected stories, its poems and its charm to the screen. An incredible amount of scenes were story boarded and over thirty songs were written. At one point, the project was so huge, that a joke at the studio suggested the final version would have a length of two weeks. Blu-ray Release Date: February 1st, 2011

11 Harrowhouse - With the help of a wealthy widow (Candice Bergen), an eccentric oil baron (Trevor Howard), an angry employee (James Mason), and, of course, a cockroach, a talented burglar (Charles Grodin) attempts a daring robbery of the world’s largest clearinghouse for gems. Based on the novel by Gerald A. Browne and adapted by Charles Grodin, 11 Harrowhouse delivers precise wit and comedy through its talented ensemble cast, resulting in a wild-ride spoof on suspense thrillers. DVD Release Date: February 1st, 2011

Rendez-vous in Paris - Two street musicians alert us that a rendezvous can be surprising. In the first of the triptych, Esther learns her boyfriend may be cheating on her, so she arranges to meet a flirtatious stranger at a cafe. When she goes, surprises abound. In "The Benches of Paris," a couple meets in parks to stroll, kiss and talk. She already has a boyfriend, so while he's away, they plan to spend two days in a hotel, pretending to be tourists. Surprises alter their plans. In part three, a painter arranges to meet a Swedish tourist at a cafe. Then he sees a passing stranger, pursues her, and forgets the Swede. Alas, she's married, but advises him about his love life. Her advice gets mixed results. DVD Release Date: May 10th, 2010

The Girl - In the summer of 1981 a 10-year old girl is left behind with an aunt when the rest of her family goes to Africa as aid workers. The aunt, soon courted by a man, leaves the girl with the promise to return “in just a few days”. The girl doesn’t tell anyone that she is now completely abandoned and the summer passes by. With sharpening senses she gradually discovers the often absurd and careless adult world. DVD Release Date: February 8th, 2011

Secretariat BD - Based on the Novel "Secretariat: The Making of a Champion" By William Nack, "Secretariat" chronicles the spectacular... journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner. Housewife and mother Penny Chenery agrees to take over her ailing father’s Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge. Against all odds, Chenery -- with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin -- manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and what may be the greatest racehorse of all time. Blu-ray Release date: January 25th, 2011

A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop BD - Wang is a gloomy and cunning noodle shop owner in a desert town in China. Feeling neglected Wang s wife secretly goes out with Li one of his employees. A timid man Li reluctantly keeps the gun the landlady bought for killing her husband later. Every single move they make however does not escape the boss notice. Wang decides to bribe patrol officer Zhang to kill the illicit couple. It looks like a perfect plan: the affair will come to a cruel but satisfying end or so he thinks but the equally wicked Zhang has an agenda of his own that will lead to even more violence. Blu-ray Release date: February 1st, 2011

The Deliberate Stranger - No one really knew him. Not local politicians awed by his “Kennedy-like” presence. Not the coeds he charmed. And when the nation found out who Ted Bundy was, it was too late to save the lives of innocent young women nationwide. Mark Harmon (NCIS) portrays serial killer Bundy in a movie that’s harrowing as only true-life crime sagas can be. Seattle reporter Richard W. Larsen’s book Bundy: The Deliberate Stranger provides the basis for this startling portrait of an elusive killer, who was finally tried and executed in 1989. Nerve-frayed investigators (Frederic Forrest, M. Emmet Walsh and others) detect a pattern in the victims’ deaths and ultimately arrest Bundy – who escapes twice! He resurfaces in Florida. And before the modern era’s most desperate manhunt closes in, he strikes again. DVD Release Date: October 6th, 2009

Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze - Based on the first of Kenneth Robeson’s 181 adventure-packed Doc Savage books, Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze hits the screen with all its gee-whiz, gung-ho spirit intact. And its bold protagonist, who along with having a herculean body is also a surgeon, linguist and inventor, remains determined to do right to all and wrong to no one. Ron Ely (TV’s Tarzan) plays the strapping Savage in this high-camp, big-heroics tale of his trek into the Valley of the Vanished to confront the power-hungry Captain Seas (Paul Wexler). And behind the camera are pros who know how to get the most out of this entertainment bronze mine: veteran fantasy film producer George Pal (The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine) and director Michael Anderson (Around the World in 80 Days, Logan’s Run). DVD Release Date: March 23rd, 2009
 

 Next 4 weeks on the Calendar

January 31st, 2011

 

10 [Blu-ray] (Blake Edwards, 1979) Warner (BEAVER REVIEW)

11 Harrowhouse (Aram Avakian, 1974) Shout! Factory (BEAVER REVIEW)

22 Bullets [Blu-ray] (Richard Berry, 2010) RB UK Anchor Bay

Alice in Wonderland [Blu-ray] (Clyde Geronimi, 1951) Disney (BEAVER REVIEW)

All About Eve [Blu-ray] (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950) 20th Century Fox (BEAVER REVIEW)

Amer [Blu-ray] (Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani, 2009) RB UK Anchor Bay Entertainment

An Affair to Remember [Blu-ray] (Leo McCarey, 1957) 20th Century Fox (BEAVER REVIEW)

Bad Boys [Blu-ray] (Rick Rosenthal, 1983) Lions Gate

Boys Don't Cry [Blu-ray] (Kimberly Peirce, 1999) 20th Century Fox

Conviction [Blu-ray] (Tony Goldwyn, 2010) 20th Century Fox (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Double Life of Véronique [Blu-ray] (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1991) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Elena Undone (Nicole Conn, 2010) Wolfe Video

Giulia Doesn't Date at Night (Giuseppe Piccioni, 2009) Entertainment One

Let Me In [Blu-ray] (Matt Reeves, 2010) Anchor Bay

Never Let Me Go [Blu-ray] (Mark Romanek, 2010) 20th Century Fox

Monsters [Blu-ray] (Gareth Edwards, 2010) - Magnolia

Panic in the Streets (Elia Kazan, 1950) R2 UK Optimum

Pleasantville [Blu-ray] (Gary Ross, 1998) - Warner

The Prowler (Joseph Losey, 1951) VCI

Precode Hollywood Double Feature: Hell Harbor & Jungle Bride - VCI

Ray [Blu-ray] (Taylor Hackford, 2004) Universal Studios

TCM Greatest Classic Film Collection: Legends - Jean Harlow (Dinner at Eight / Libeled Lady / China Seas / Wife vs. Secretary) - TCM

The Tillman Story [Blu-ray] (Amir Bar-Lev, 2010) Sony Pictures

Winters Bone [Blu-ray] (Debra Granik, 2010) RB UK Artificial Eye

A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop [Blu-ray] (Zhang Yimou, 2010) Sony (BEAVER REVIEW)

 

 

 

February 7th, 2011

 

A Private Function [Blu-ray] (Malcolm Mowbray, 1984) Image Entertainment

A River Runs Through It [Blu-ray] (Robert Redford, 1992) Sony Pictures (BEAVER REVIEW)

Amarcord [Blu-ray] (Federico Fellini, 1973) - Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

America America (Elia Kazan, 1963) Warner

Bad Day to Go Fishing (Álvaro Brechner, 2009) Film Movement

The Boy with Green Hair (Joseph Losey, 1948) R2 UK Odeon

Chicken Little [Blu-ray] (Mark Dindal, 2005) Walt Disney Video (BEAVER REVIEW)

Columbo: Mystery Movie Collection 1991-1993 - Universal

Column South (Frederick De Cordova, 1953) Sidonis

Dinosaur [Blu-ray] (Eric Leighton + Ralph Zondag, 2000) Walt Disney Video (BEAVER REVIEW)

Embodiment of Evil [Blu-ray] (José Mojica Marins, 2008) Synapse Films

Enchanted [Blu-ray] (Kevin Lima, 2007) Walt Disney Video (BEAVER REVIEW)

Five Corners [Blu-ray] (Tony Bill, 1987) Image Entertainment

The Girl (Fredrik Edfeldt, 2009) Olive Films (BEAVER REVIEW)

Hideaway (Le Refuge) (Francois Ozon, 2009) - Strand Releasing

The Locket (John Brahm, 1946) R2 UK Odeon

Meet the Robinsons [Blu-ray] (Stephen J. Anderson, 2007) Disney (BEAVER REVIEW)

Message in a Bottle [Blu-ray] (Luis Mandoki, 1999) RB DE Universum Film

My Time Will Come (Víctor Arregui, 2008) Global Film Initiative

National Treasure [Blu-ray] (Jon Turteltaub, 2004) Walt Disney Video (BEAVER REVIEW)

National Treasure : Book of Secrets [Blu-ray] (Jon Turteltaub, 2007) Walt Disney Video (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Princess and the Frog [Blu-ray] (Ron Clements & John Musker, 2009) Disney (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Racket (John Cromwell, 1951) R2 UK Odeon

Riot (Buzz Kulik, 1969) Olive Films  (BEAVER REVIEW)

The River Wild [Blu-ray] (Curtis Hanson, 1994) Universal Studios

SAFE... NOT SORRY (Classic Educational Shorts Volume 3) - Kino

Still Walking (Hirokazu Koreeda, 2008) Criterion Collection

Still Walking [Blu-ray] (Hirokazu Koreeda, 2008) Criterion Collection (BEAVER REVIEW)

Tesis (Alejandro Amenábar, 1996) Bayview

Thelma & Louise [Blu-ray] (Ridley Scott, 1991) MGM

Those Three (Naghi Nemati, 2007) Global Film Initiative

Vamp (Richard Wenk, 1986) [Blu-ray] RB UK Arrow Films

Walk the Proud Land (Jesse Hibbs, 1956) Sidonis

The Wild [Blu-ray] (Steve 'Spaz' Williams, 2006) Walt Disney Video (BEAVER REVIEW)

WUSA (Stuart Rosenberg, 1970) Olive Films (BEAVER REVIEW)

Year of the Fish (David Kaplan, 2007) Gigantic Pictures

 

 

February 14th, 2011

 

All the President's Men [Blu-ray] (Alan J. Pakula, 1976) Warner

Arsenal (Aleksandr Dovzhenko, 1929) R2 UK Mr Bongo

The Beyond [Blu-ray] (Lucio Fulci, 1981) RB UK Arrow Video

Blue Velvet [Blu-ray] (David Lynch, 1986) RB FR Fox Pathe Europa
The Brute (Luis Buñuel, 1953) R2 UK Mr Bongo Films

Buried [Blu-ray] (Rodrigo Cortés, 2010) RB UK - Icon Home Entertainment

Chaplin [Blu-ray] (Richard Attenborough, 1992) Lions Gate

Easier with Practice (Kyle Patrick Alvarez, 2009) R2 UK Axiom

Fugitive: Fourth & Final Season Vol. 2 - Paramount

Glorious 39 [Blu-ray] (Stephen Poliakoff, 2009) Ent. 1

High Hopes [Blu-ray] (Mike Leigh, 1988) RB UK Fabulous Films

Kansas City Confidential [Blu-ray] (Phil Karlson, 1952) - Arts Alliance America

Kites [Blu-ray] (Anurag Basu, 2010) Image Entertainment

The Lady Hermit (Meng Hua Ho, 1971) Funimation

Last Tango in Paris [Blu-ray] (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1972) MGM

Memories of Matsuko [Blu-ray] (Tetsuya Nakashima, 2006) RB UK Third Window Films

Moonstruck [Blu-ray] (Norman Jewison, 1987) MGM

Network [Blu-ray] (Sidney Lumet, 1977) Warner

Police, Adjective (Corneliu Porumboiu, 2009) R2 UK Artificial Eye

Red [Blu-ray] (Robert Schwentke, 2010) - RB UK Entertainment One

The Social Network [Blu-ray] (David Fincher, 2010) RB UK Sony Pictures

The Stranger [Blu-ray] (Orson Welles, 1946) - Arts Alliance America

Susan Sontag's Promised Lands (Susan Sontag, 1974) Zeitgeist

Susana (Luis Buñuel, 1951) R2 UK Mr Bongo Films

Sword Masters: The Web of Death [Blu-ray] (Yuen Chor, 1976) Well Go USA

Time For Drunken Horses (Bahman Ghobadi, 2000) Lorber Films

The Twilight Zone: Season 3 [Blu-ray] - Image Entertainment

The Valley [Blu-ray] (Barbet Schroeder, 1972) RB UK BFI

William S Burroughs: A Man Within (Yony Leyser, 2010) Oscilloscope

Women Without Men (Shirin Neshat + Shoja Azari, 2009) IndiePix Films

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger [Blu-ray] (Woody Allen, 2010) Sony Pictures Classics

Zvenigora (Aleksandr Dovzhenko, 1928) R2 UK Mr Bongo

 

 

February 21st, 2011

 

The Buddy Holly Story [Blu-ray] (Steve Rash, 1978) RB UK Fabulous Films

Daughters of Darkness [Blu-ray] (Harry Kümel, 1971) Blue Underground

Faccia a faccia (Sergio Sollima, 1967) R2 UK Eureka Entertainment
 Faccia a faccia [Blu-ray] (Sergio Sollima, 1967) RB UK Eureka Entertainment

Fernando Di Leo Crime Collection - Raro Video

Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, 2009) Criterion Collection
 Fish Tank [Blu-ray] (Andrea Arnold, 2009) Criterion Collection

Get Low [Blu-ray] (Aaron Schneider, 2010) Sony

I Clowns (Federico Fellini, 1970) Raro Video

Last Train Home (Lixin Fan, 2009) Zeitgeist Films

Leap Year (Michael Rowe, 2010) R2 UK Axiom

Megamind [Blu-ray] (Tom McGrath, 2010) Paramount Pictures

Memento [Blu-ray] (10th Anniversary Edition) (Christopher Nolan, 2000) - Lions Gate

Meserine: Killer Instinct: Part 1 [Blu-ray] (Jean-François Richet, 2008) Music Box Films

Rain Man [Blu-ray] (Barry Levinson, 1988) RB UK 20th Century Fox

Rififi [Blu-ray] (Jules Dassin, 1955) RB FR Paramount

Room in Rome (Julio Medem, 2010) MPI

Senso (Luchino Visconti, 1954) Criterion Collection
 Senso [Blu-ray] (Luchino Visconti, 1954) Criterion Collection

The Stieg Larsson Trilogy Box Set [Blu-ray] - Music Box Films

Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957) Criterion Collection
 Sweet Smell of Success [Blu-ray] (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957) Criterion Collection

Sympathy For The Devil [Blu-ray] (Jean-Luc Godard,1968) RB UK Fabulous Films

The Temptation of St. Tony (Veiko Ounpuu, 2009) Olive Films

Two In The Wave (Emmanuel Laurent , 2010) Lorber Films

 
     
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