Newsletter - FOR THE WEEK

OF March 15th, 2010

This Week's Highlights

Aw'walikum! - 7 days before, debatably, the biggest week ever for releases we have another diverse collection of 21 new reviews this newsletter. Pialat, Wes Anderson, Rivette, Agnes Varda, Wong Kar-Wai, John Huston, George Romero - WOW! We've got more than 30 calendar updates - a new contest, sales and much more.... Have a great 'March Break'!!

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LATEST ADDITIONS to the Calendar: (PRE-ORDER & save!):

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Rebellion BD - Rebellion is set over a single night, as five gang bosses - Jimmy, Sand, Jupiter, Coffee and Man Ching - break their uneasy alliance and a vicious turf war threatens to engulf the city. Over the past few years, these five big brothers have remained peaceful and amicable with each other, agreeing to separate territories and keeping violence to a minimum. Blu-ray Release date: December 10th, 2009

À nos amours - In one of the astonishing film debuts, Sandrine Bonnaire plays Suzanne, a free spirit and the vessel for an almost Brontëan choler. She’s 16, and men exist — diverse lovers, an overbearing brother, and the father portrayed by Pialat himself in an unforgettable turn that displays the full magnitude of the cinema giant’s tenderness, force-of-will, and presence of being. MoC DVD Release Date: March 22nd, 2010

Day of the Dead BD - Tense rather than terrifying, and with a strong black comic undercurrent, it rests on the mordant observation that zombies or no zombies, chances are the living will tear each other apart. A fitting conclusion to a remarkably astute series, a landmark in the horror genre. Blu-ray Release Date: March 29th, 2010

Histoire de Marie et Julien - "In August 1975, after having wrapped shooting on the fantasy film 'Duelle,' number two [of his projected four-film series, 'Scenes of the Parallel Life,' of which 'Marie and Julien' would be the first of the series, though the third one shot], then on number three -- 'Noroît,' the "western" -- Jacques Rivette commenced... Artificial Eye DVD Release Date: February 28th, 2005

Wonderful World BD - The tag line for Wonderful World is "Happiness is a state of mind." It's not the cliché that concerns me, but that Josh Goldin's script tells a different story: more like "You reap what you sow." Raining fish notwithstanding, it's only when Ben starts to treat people with some degree of courtesy and listens to their story instead of his own garbage that he can see opportunity instead of exploitation. Ibu is every bit as open as his sister, but evidently he doesn't have sufficient sex appeal to motivate Ben to get off his high horse and treat others with the respect Ibu treats him. So, let's hear it for hormones! That would be my tag line, in any case. Blu-ray Release date: March 16th, 2010

Backwoods Bloodbath - After the unexpected suicide of a college buddy, a group of childhood friends take off to the Black Forest in the Wisconsin wilderness. There's douchebag Brent - known as "The Brent" - (Josh Mijal), unconvincing jock Cooper (Travis Ruhland) and bi-curious ex-soldier Paul (Dwight McMillan), nice girl Jessica (Angela Lowe), slut Becky (Amy Quinn), and arty social reject Mark (Jesse L. Cyr). Not deterred by stories of recent disappearances in the area, nor the discovery of ripped-apart bodies, the group rent a remote cabin for the weekend. DVD Release Date: April 26th, 2010

Fantastic Mr. Fox BD - Based on the beloved best-selling book by Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Fantastic Mr. Fox is family fun at its finest. Anderson employs a colorful supporting cast to bring his eccentric characters to life including Bill Murray (Lost In Translation), Owen Wilson (Marley & Me) and Willem Dafoe (Spiderman triology). Blu-ray Release date: March 23rd, 2010

Hachi - A Dog's Tale BD - The movie is based on the story of a real dog, enshrined by a statue in front of the railway station in Shibuya, Japan. That dog, also named Hachi (or, more affectionately, "Hachiko"), was two years old when adopted by Hidesaburo Ueno back in the 1920s. Two years later Ueno dies, but Hachi returned every day to the train station where he used to greet his master on his return home from work. And so it is here. Richard Gere is a music professor at a college to which he must commute by train every day. One evening, he finds an Akita puppy staring up at him with a nametag and no owner to be found. He takes him home to a delighted college age daughter, Andy (Sarah Roemer), and wife, Cate (Joan Allen), who is not the least bit happy about sharing her husband with a dog. Blu-ray Release date: March 9th, 2010

Breaking Bad - Seasons 1 + 2 BD - Breaking Bad follows protagonist Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a chemistry teacher who lives in New Mexico with his wife (Anna Gunn) and teenage son (RJ Mitte) who has cerebral palsy. White is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of two years left to live. With a new sense of fearlessness based on his medical prognosis, and a desire to secure his family's financial security, White chooses to enter a dangerous world of drugs and crime and ascends to power in this world. The series explores how a fatal diagnosis such as White's releases a typical man from the daily concerns and constraints of normal society and follows his transformation from mild family man to a kingpin of the drug trade. Blu-ray Release date: March 16th, 2010

The Beaches of Agnes - A reflection on art, life and the movies, The Beaches of Agnes is a magnificent film from the great Agnes Varda, director of The Gleaners and I and Cleo from 5 to 7, a richly cinematic self portrait that touches on everything from the feminist movement and the Black Panthers to the films of husband Jacques Demy (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) and the birth of the French New Wave. DVD Release Date: March 2nd, 2010

Life on Mars (Complete Series) BD - As Series One opens we find DCI (Detective Chief Inspector) Sam Tyler (John Simm) foiled in his attempts to nail a killer. Much to his chagrin, evidence comes to light that places the prime suspect elsewhere at the time of the murder. (The DCI, by the way is a senior investigative officer, the one who heads up major investigations.) Tyler's girlfriend, Maya, is junior to him and her hunches and feelings are becoming increasingly difficult for him to accommodate to. In this case, it's not a gender thing, but a procedural matter, something that has major consequences presently, so to speak, and for the duration of the series. Blu-ray Release date: October 27th, 2008

The Men Who Stare at Goats BD - In this comedic look at real life events that are almost too bizarre to believe, reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) discovers an experimental top-secret wing of the U.S. military called The New Earth Army, trained to change the ways wars are fought through New Age psychic power. In search of his next big story, Wilton tracks down Lyn Cassady (Academy Award® winner George Clooney), a shadowy figure who claims to be a member of this legion of “Warrior Monks” with unparalleled psychic powers who can read the enemy’s thoughts, pass through walls, and even kill a goat simply by staring at it... Blu-ray Release date: March 23rd, 2010

Toy Story 2 BD - In "Toy Story 2," the fun and adventure continues when Andy goes off to summer camp and the toys are left to their own devices. Things shift into high gear when an obsessive toy collector kidnaps Woody who unbeknownst to himself is a highly valued collectable. It's now up to Buzz Lightyear and the gang from Andy's room - Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, Rex and Hamm - to spring into action and save their pal from winding up as a museum piece. There's plenty of excitement and fun as the toys get into one predicament after another in their daring race to get home before Andy does. Blu-ray Release Date: March 23rd, 2010

Gigante - Jara is a shy and lonely 35-year-old security guard at a supermarket on the outskirts of Montevideo. He works the night shift, monitoring the surveillance cameras of the entire building. One night Jara discovers Julia, a 25-year-old cleaning woman, through one of the cameras and is immediately attracted to her. Night after night, he watches her on the cameras while she works. Soon he starts following her after work: to the cinema, the beach and even to a date with another man. Jara's life becomes a series of routines and rituals around Julia, but eventually he finds himself at a crossroad and must decide whether to give up his obsession or confront it. DVD Release Date: March 9th, 2010

Pray - Mitsuru (Tetsuji Tamayama) and Maki (Asumi Mizukawa) decide to abduct a little girl Ai and hold her for ransom at an abandoned school once attended by Mitsuru. Things don't go quite as planned when they call the parents and learn that the girl died a year ago. Have they abducted a ghost? Since this all happens before the opening credits, it's really not a spoiler and it's only a matter of a few minutes of actually suspenseful wandering around the halls of the school in search of the little girl (who should have conked out on the sleeping pills they gave her but is now pulling that creepy-kid stuff familiar from recent Asian horror films) before we're thrown another twist and yet another. DVD Release Date: April 11th, 2006

Here Comes Mr. Jordan - Here Comes Mr. Jordan is one of those rare Hollywood classics that hasn't dated and never fails to raise one's spirits. It's one of the first and best of the Films Blanc, the splinter genre of light comedy-dramas that imagine the universe to be governed by a fanciful Hereafter. Screenwriters Sidney Buchman and Seton I. Miller put Robert Montgomery into a no man's land between heaven and earth, while sympathetic angels work to correct a cosmic error. Nominated for seven Oscars, the film won two, for Original Story and Screenplay. DVD Release Date: February 6th, 2007

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths BD - There’s something about this new animated feature from the DC Universe Animated Original Movie line that feels like slipping on a familiar pair comfortable shoes. There’s a sense of warmth that comes from it. To see the Justice League back in action, in a great world-hopping thriller, is exhilarating. We get the big ones, too. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and so on. In addition, we get to see their twisted counterparts from an alternate earth, criminal overlords who use fear to dominate the populace. Blu-ray Release date: February 23rd, 2010

Peter Whitehead and the Sixties - Legendary filmmaker Peter Whitehead was at the heart of Swinging London, chronicling the youth explosion, the burgeoning popular music scene and the counterculture of the 1960s. In March the NFT hosted a comprehensive retrospective of his work. Now the BFI releases two of his films for the first time; Wholly Communion (1965) and Benefit of the Doubt (1967), coupled with a new interview with Peter and additional rare footage. With over three hours of material, Peter Whitehead and the Sixties is a fascinating document of the radical, experimental, literary and theatrical scenes of 60s London. DVD Release Date: October 29th, 2007

R.W. Paul the Collected Films - Robert W Paul is justly celebrated as the leading pioneer of British film and one of the founders of world cinema. Concentrating first on actuality films, he soon branched out, pioneering almost every kind of film from documentary to fiction and fantasy. This unique DVD collection of 62 films, many preserved by the BFI National Archive, represents an attempt to bring together for the first time the collected output of R W Paul and his studio. DVD Release Date: November 27th, 2006

Fallen Angels BD - Acknowledged throughout the world as one of the most important directors working today, Wong Kar-Wai (Happy Together, Ashes Of Time) has developed a signature style that employs bold, experimental use of photography, music, and editing to capture the tension of the approaching millennium. Originally intended to be a third story in his now classic Chungking Express, Fallen Angels has emerged as what some critics have come to consider his "quintessential work." Blu-ray Release Date: March 16th, 2010

The African Queen BD - In his only Oscar-winning performance, Bogart stars as Charlie Allnut, a reprobate who uses his little battered steamer, The African Queen, to run supplies to small villages in East Africa at the onset of WWI. At one stop he meets Rose (Katharine Hepburn), the devoted spinster sister of Rev. Samuel Sayer (Robert Morley). When Charlie returns to the village later, he finds that German troops have invaded and Sayer is dead, and he offers to take the distraught Rose back to civilization. Thus begins a perilous and unforgettable journey as Charlie and Rose decide to do their part in the war effort against the Germans. Blu-ray Release Date: March 23rd, 2010
 

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