Newsletter - FOR THE WEEK

OF April 11th, 2011

  This Week's Highlights
Utzim putzikal  - This week we have Blu-ray reviews of three Criterions, last year's Best Picture Oscar as well as films by De Sica, Ken Loach, Claire Denis, Peter Weir, Jane Campion and more, plus an Antonioni DVD comparison. Latest additions to the calendar have forthcoming Blu-rays of films by Andrei Tarkovsky, Terry Gilliam, Martin Scorsese, Milos Forman, Joseph Losey, Manoel de Oliveira, Wolfgang Petersen, Robert Aldrich, John Huston, Anthony Mann, Oliver Stone and more Plus a new Masters of Cinema Antonioni Blu-ray prize for this week's contest clip. Stay golden!

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April 11th CONTEST - identify the clip on the CONTEST PAGE to win a Masters of Cinema Blu-ray of Antonioni's Le Amiche

 

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LATEST ADDITIONS TO THE RELEASE CALENDAR:

 

The Sacrifice [Blu-ray] (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1986) Kino

Brazil [Blu-ray] (Terry Gilliam, 1985) Universal

New York, New York [Blu-ray] (Martin Scorsese, 1977) MGM

Hair [Blu-ray] (Milos Forman, 1979) MGM

The Romantic Englishwoman [Blu-ray] (Joseph Losey, 1975) Kino

Crack in the World [Blu-ray] (Andrew Marton, 1965) Olive Films

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert [Blu-ray] (Stephan Elliott, 1994) MGM

Original Sin [Blu-ray] (Michael Cristofer, 2001) MGM

Priest of Love [BBlu-ray] (Christopher Miles, 1981) Kino

Death at a Funeral [Blu-ray] (Frank Oz, 2007) MGM

The Island [Blu-ray] (Michael Bay, 2005) Dreamworks Video

Salt of This Sea (Annemarie Jacir, 2008) Lorber Films

Korkoro (Tony Gatlif, 2009) Lorber Films

The Strange Case of Angelica [Blu-ray] (Manoel de Oliveira, 2010) - Cinema Guild

Das Boot (Director's Cut) [Blu-ray] (Wolfgang Petersen, 1981) Sony Pictures

Vera Cruz [Blu-ray] (Robert Aldrich, 1954) MGM

The Misfits [Blu-ray] (John Huston, 1961) MGM

El Cid [Blu-ray] (Anthony Mann, 1961) RB UK Anchor Bay Entertainment

The Fall Of The Roman Empire [Blu-ray] (Anthony Mann, 1964) RB UK Anchor Bay Entertainment

Breaking Bad: The Complete Third Season [Blu-ray] Sony Pictures

Platoon [Blu-ray] (Oliver Stone, 1986) MGM

The Long Riders [Blu-ray] (Walter Hill, 1980) MGM

Anger aka La rabbia (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1963) Raro Video

Live Like a Cop Die Like a Man (Ruggero Deodato, 1976) Raro Video

In The Land of The Deaf (Nicolas Philibert, 1992) MGM

Louvre City (Nicolas Philibert, 1990) Kino

Every Little Thing (Nicolas Philibert, 1997) Kino

The Nesting [Blu-ray] (Armand Weston, 1981) Blue Underground

 

 

ONE VOICE (not Ellsworth Monkton Toohey): It's hard to identify one Blu-ray this week but for Region 'B' I was most impressed with De Sica's Bicycle Thieves from the Arrow Academy. The more I watch it - the more I appreciate the transfer. Criterion's Blu-ray of Loach's Kes was like a revelation as compared to the old MGM PAL DVD and The King's Speech was brilliant in 1080P. Probably my favorite animated film of all-time is The Incredibles and the Blu-ray rendering doesn't disappoint - WOW is appropriate. Peter Weir's The Way Back is a film that resonates days after viewing - another 'thumbs skyward'. Marwencol is one of the most impacting documentaries I've seen in the past year - also worthy of a spin or two. How can we forget 2 Criterions? - Jane Campion's Sweetie offers pristine a/v quality and White Material is tense and draining in its humanist qualities. So that's everything in Blu-ray - yeah - I liked... everything. Eric added comparison caps for Raro's DVD of Antonioni's I Vinti and a cool avant-garde entry in the SD format is The Paranoids - another film worthy of an audience. Go for it!

  THIS WEEK's REVIEWS / COMPARISONS
 

The King's Speech BD - The gift of "The King's Speech" is that it allows us to look on as a pair of masterful actors re-create a monumental test of wills between an imperturbable layman and a king who insists with royal certitude, "I stammer. No one can fix it." Their dilemma never feels anything less than real, and when they reach the end of their journey together, we share more fully in their emotions and accomplishments than we would have thought possible. Blu-ray Release date: April 19th, 2011

 

I Vinti - Commonly and to some extent unjustly written off as a failure, in part because of alterations imposed by censorship pressures that marred the first two episodes, Michelangelo Antonioni's daring second feature (1952), originally released in England as Youth and Perversion, consists of three separate sketches chronicling senseless murders committed by young men in France, Italy, and England--a contemporary existentialist document that could almost have been co-scripted by Albert Camus. What's most striking in all three parts of the film is the integration of incident with landscape without psychologizing--something of an Antonioni staple--and the last and best segment strikingly anticipates Blowup by offering not only a corpse found in a park but a tennis match glimpsed in the final shot. Jean-Pierre Mocky, later a New Wave director, plays one of the French youths in the first section, and Fay Compton plays the murder victim in the last. Raro DVD Release Date: March 29th, 2011

Kes BD - Named one of the ten best British films of the century by the British Film Institute, Ken Loach’s Kes, is cinema’s quintessential portrait of working-class Northern England. Billy (an astonishingly naturalistic David Bradley) is a fifteen-year-old miner’s son whose close bond with a wild kestrel provides him with a spiritual escape from his dead-end life. Kes brought to the big screen the sociopolitical engagement Loach had established in his work for the BBC, and pushed the British “angry young man” film of the sixties into a new realm of authenticity, using real locations and nonprofessional actors. Loach’s poignant coming-of-age drama remains the now legendary director’s most beloved and influential film. Blu-ray Release Date: April 19th, 2011

Sweetie BD - Though she went on to create a string of brilliant films, Jane Campion will always be remembered for her stunning debut feature, Sweetie, which focuses on the hazardous relationship between the buttoned-down, superstitious Kay and her rampaging, devil-may-care sister, "Sweetie"--and by extension, their entire family's profoundly rotten roots. A feast of colorful photography and captivating, idiosyncratic characters, Sweetie heralded the emergence of this gifted director as well as the breakthrough of Australian cinema, which would take international film by storm in the nineties. Blu-ray Release Date: April 19th, 2011

The Way Back BD - He has crafted a riveting tale that clings bravely to the integrity of its storytelling, even at the risk of emotional remoteness. It's the journey that counts, and Weir makes you feel it in your bones. His refusal to pander to the heartstrings may cost the movie at the box office. But it shouldn't deter you from watching a master at work. Resonantly shot by Russell Boyd, this artful tale of survival against the elements — radiating terror and beauty — continues Weir's fascination with characters trapped by worlds they didn't make. Blu-ray Release date: April 22nd, 2011

Marwencol BD - Outside a small bar in Kingston, NY, Mark Hogancamp was beaten nearly to death, his memories wiped away. Seeking recovery, he builds Marwencol, a miniature World War II-era town filled with doll versions of his friends, fantasies, and even his attackers. As he documents the town's dramas with his camera, the dolls become living characters in an epic tale of love, adventure, resurrection and revenge. When his photos are discovered by the art world, Mark is suddenly forced to choose between the safety of his imaginary world and the real world he's avoided since the attack. Blu-ray Release date: April 12th, 2011

White Material BD - In White Material, the great contemporary French filmmaker Claire Denis, known for her restless, intimate dramas, introduces an unforgettably crazed character. Played by a ferocious Isabelle Huppert, Maria is an entitled white woman living in Africa, desperately unwilling to give up her family’s crumbling coffee plantation despite the civil war closing in on her. Created with Denis’ signature full-throttle visual style, which places the viewer at the center of the maelstrom, White Material is a gripping evocation of the death throes of European colonialism and a fascinating look at a woman lost in her own mind. Criterion Blu-ray Release April 12th, 2011

The Incredibles BD - Bird had for a long time had the idea of making an animated superhero film. In fact, the very first drawings for Mr. Incredible were over ten years old. Drawing heavy inspiration from both Marvel’s “Fantastic Four” and Alan Moore’s “Watchmen”, “The Incredibles” is a blast of a film. It may lack the heart of Woody, the charm of Buzz and the magic of Nemo, but it has so much energy and love, that it not only can match them all, it surpasses them. "The Incredibles" is the best film by Pixar yet. Blu-ray Release Date: April 12th, 2011

Bicycle Thieves BD - Hailed around the world as one of the greatest movies ever made, Vittorio De Sica's Academy Award-winning Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di biciclette) defined an era in cinema. In postwar, poverty-stricken Rome, a man, hoping to support his desperate family with a new job, loses his bicycle, his main means of transportation for work. With his wide-eyed young son in tow, he sets off to track down the thief. Simple in construction and dazzlingly rich in human insight, Bicycle Thieves embodied all the greatest strengths of the neorealist film movement in Italy: emotional clarity, social righteousness, and brutal honesty. Blu-ray Release Date: April 18th, 2011

The Paranoids - Thirty-something Luciano Gauna is odd. A failing screenwriter in Buenos Aires, Luciano lives in an almost intense state... of paranoia, afraid of everything from STDs to even his doorman. When his childhood friend Manuel, a very successful TV producer, returns from Madrid with his stunning new girlfriend Sofia, his world is thrown into a near desperate funk. He discovers that Manuel has unflatteringly modeled him as the lead character on a successful Spanish TV show called THE PARANOIDS, which Manuel is now bringing to Argentina. When Manuel leaves on a business trip to Chile, Lucian's remaining grip on reality unravels when he's left alone with Sofia and her alluring charm. DVD Release Date: April 12th, 2011
 

 Next 4 weeks on the Calendar

April 11th, 2011

 

Adua & Her Friends Adua (Antonio Pietrangeli, 1960) Raro Video

The Bob Hope Collection: Volume Two (The Great Lover / Paris Holiday / The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell / How to Commit Marriage / Son of Paleface / Cancel My Reservation) - Shout! Factory

Cars [Blu-ray] (John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, 2006) Disney*Pixar (BEAVER REVIEW)

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

Dirty Mary Crazy Larry / Race With The Devil - Shout! Factory

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 [Blu-ray] (David Yates, 2010) Warner Home Video

I'm Dangerous with Love (Michel Negroponte, 2009) First Run Features

The Incredibles [Blu-ray] (Brad Bird, 2004) Walt Disney Video (BEAVER REVIEW)

Marwencol [Blu-ray] (Jeff Malmberg, 2010) Cinema Guild (BEAVER REVIEW)

Of Gods and Men [Blu-ray] (Xavier Beauvois, 2010) Region FREE UK - Artificial Eye (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Paranoids (Gabriel Medina, 2008) Oscilloscope Laboratories (BEAVER REVIEW)

Plastic Planet (Werner Boote, 2009) First Run Features

Rubber [Blu-ray] (Quentin Dupieux, 2010) RB UK Elevation Sales

Secret of Dorian Gray (Massimo Dallamano, 1970) Raro Video

A Summer in Genoa (Michael Winterbottom, 2008) Entertainment One

Tracy & Hepburn the Definitive Collection (Woman of the Year; Keeper of the Flame; Without Love; The Sea of Grass; State of the Union; Adam's Rib; Desk Set; and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner) Warner Home Video

Two in the Wave (Emmanuel Laurent, 2010) R2 UK New Wave Films

White Material (Claire Denis, 2009) Criterion

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

 

April 18th, 2011

 

The Bicycle Thieves [Blu-ray] (Vittorio De Sica, 1948) RB UK Arrow Films (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Ernie Kovacs Collection - Shout! Factory

The Fantastic Factory Collection (Beyond Re-Animator, Faust, Arachnid, Romasanta) R2 UK Arrow

Der Tiger von Eschnapur / Das indische Grabmal (Fritz Lang's Indian Epic) - Masters of Cinema

Les diaboliques [Blu-ray] (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955) RB UK Arrow Academy

Gaumont Treasures Vol. 2: 1908-1916 - Kino

Ingrid Bergman: 3-Film Collection [Intermezzo, A Womans Face, June Night] - Kino

Junebug [Blu-ray] (Phil Morrison, 2005) Eureka (BEAVER REVIEW)

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

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

Knock on Any Door (Nicholas Ray, 1949) RB DE Sony

Monamour [Blu-ray] (Tinto Brass, 2006) Cult Epics

Rabbit Hole [Blu-ray] (John Cameron Mitchell, 2010) Lionsgate

Ricky (François Ozon, 2009) R2 UK - Artificial Eye

Somewhere [Blu-ray] (Sofia Coppola, 2010) Focus Features

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

Tokyo Gore Police [Blu-ray] (Yoshihiro Nishimura, 2008) Tokyo Shock

The Way Back [Blu-ray] (Peter Weir, 2010) Image Entertainment (BEAVER REVIEW)

 

 

April 25th, 2011

 

Abel (Diego Luna, 2010) R2 UK Artificial Eye

Betty Blue [Blu-ray] (Jean-Jacques Beineix, 1986) Cinema Libre

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

Confessions [Blu-ray] (Tetsuya Nakashima, 2010) RB UK Third Window Films

Les diaboliques [Blu-ray Dual Format] (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955) RB UK Arrow Academy

Don't Look Back [Blu-ray] (D.A. Pennebaker, 1967) Docudrama

El Topo [Blu-ray] (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1970) Anchor Bay

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas [Blu-ray] (Terry Gilliam, 1998) Criterion

Fly Away (Janet Grillo, 2011) Docurama

The Enforcer [Blu-ray] (Corey Yuen, 1995) Vivendi Entertainment

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time [Blu-ray] (Mamoru Hosoda, 2006) Bandai Visual

The Grim Reaper (La Commare Secca) (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1962) R2 UK Mr Bongo

Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno [Blu-ray] (Serge Bromberg, Ruxandra Medrea, 2009) Flicker Alley

The Holy Mountain [Blu-ray] (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1973) Anchor Bay

In Our Name (Brian Welsh, 2010) R2 UK Artificial Eye

Joanna [Blu-ray] (Michael Sarne, 1968) BFI Video

Jolene [Blu-ray] (Dan Ireland, 2008) Entertainment One

Lunch Hour [Blu-ray] (James Hill, 1961) UK BFI Video

The Machine Girl [Blu-ray] (Noboru Iguchi, 2008) Tokyo Shock

Mamma Roma (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1962) R2 UK Mr Bongo

The New York Ripper - Fan High Res Edition [Blu-ray] (Lucio Fulci, 1982) RB UK Shameless

On Tour (Mathieu Amalric, 2010) R2 UK Artificial Eye

The Tourist [Blu-ray] (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2010) RB Optimum

Il Posto (Ermanno Olmi, 1961) R2 UK Mr Bongo

Prostitute (Tony Garnett. 1980) R2 UK BFI

Romeo and Juliet [Blu-ray] (Renato Castellani, 1954) VCI

The Scent of Green Papaya [Blu-ray] (Anh Hung Tran, 1993) Lorber Films

 

May 2nd, 2011

 

All the Right Moves [Blu-ray] (Michael Chapman, 1983) 20th Century Fox

Bird With A Crystal Plumage [Blu-ray] (Dario Argento, 1970) RB UK Arrow Video

Fat Girl [Blu-ray] (Catherine Breillat, 2001) Criterion

The Green Hornet (Three-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD) (Michel Gondry, 2011) Sony Pictures

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (Damien Chazelle, 2009) Cinema Guild

I Come with the Rain [Blu-ray] (Anh Hung Tran, 2008) RB UK Trinity

Laila (George Schnéevoigt, 1929) Flicker Alley

M (further restoration) [Blu-ray] (Fritz Lang, 1931) RB DE Universum

Midnight Cowboy [Blu-ray] (John Schlesinger, 1969) RB UK 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Once Upon a Time in the West [Blu-ray] (Sergio Leone, 1968) Paramount

Smiles of a Summer Night [Blu-ray] (Ingmar Bergman, 1955) Criterion

A Somewhat Gentle Man (Hans Petter Moland, 2010) Strand Releasing

Taps [Blu-ray] (Harold Becker 1981) 20th Century Fox

Twelve O'Clock High [Blu-ray] (Henry King, 1949) 20th Century Fox

What Dreams May Come [Blu-ray] (Vincent Ward, 1998) Universal

 

 

     
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