|
Forrest Gump
BR
- The screenplay by Eric Roth has the complexity of modern
fiction, not the formulas of modern movies. Its hero, played by
Tom Hanks, is a thoroughly decent man with an IQ of 75, who
manages between the 1950s and the 1980s to become involved in
every major event in American history. And he survives them all
with only honesty and niceness as his shields.
Blu-ray
Release date: November 3rd, 2009
The Taking of Pelham 123
BR
- Collaborating here with stars Denzel Washington and John
Travolta, Scott puts those talents to use in this crisp,
effective New York subway hostage drama. It's not the kind of
film that dominates at the Oscars, but "Pelham" is so
professionally done you rarely have the luxury of taking your
eyes off the screen.
Blu-ray
Release date: November 3rd, 2009
Up
BR
- "Up" is a wonderful film, with characters who are as
believable as any characters can be who spend much of their time
floating above the rain forests of Venezuela. They have tempers,
problems and obsessions. They are cute and goofy, but they
aren't cute in the treacly way of little cartoon animals.
They're cute in the human way of the animation master Hayao
Miyazaki. Two of the three central characters are cranky old
men, which is a wonder in this youth-obsessed era. "Up" doesn't
think all heroes must be young or sweet, although the third
important character is a nervy kid. This is another masterwork
from Pixar, which is leading the charge in modern animation.
Blu-ray
Release date: November 10th, 2009
La Ville Est Tranquille -
Like ''Nashville,'' the film is a sprawling mosaic of
interlocking stories whose characters run the social gamut, from
right-wing upper-class politicians to young North African
immigrants to blue-collar dock workers. As much as the director
grasps the anxieties of the city's well-heeled establishment,
his sympathies lie with the sufferings of its underdogs, the
struggles of its working class and the dreams of newcomers
pouring into the city through its teeming harbor. If his
identification with the common people recalls Frank Capra, the
go-for-broke passion with which he expresses that vision is
closer to Pier Paolo Pasolini. DVD Release Date: April 22nd,
2002
Messiah of Evil -
MESSIAH OF EVIL is an underrated horror film with a
laid-back 70's semi-arthouse atmosphere. Huyck and Katz cite
Antonioni's L'AVVENTURA as an influence which is
believable as they claim not to have seen horror films similar
to MESSIAH like CARNIVAL OF SOULS, NIGHT OF THE
LIVING DEAD, and LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH but
cite shot references to PIERROT LE FOU and the heroine
being named after a character from Pagnol's CHILDREN OF
PARADISE. The film's horror themes draw less from horror
films than from literature, specifically Lovecraft with
references to "the old gods." DVD Release Date: October 27,
2009
The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue
BR
- Pre-dating DAWN OF THE DEAD by four years, this gory,
color-filled variation on NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD has a
marvelous setting (exteriors in England, interiors in Rome) and
a chilly atmosphere which builds up nicely from gothic horror to
all-out gorefest. Director Jorge Grau originally wanted to
direct a film about Elizabeth Bathroy but producer Edmondo Amati
asked him to do NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD in color.
Blu-ray
Release Date: October 27th, 2009
Scarlet Street - A major
box office hit in its day, despite being banned in three
American states, Scarlet Street is seen by many as on of Fritz
Lang s finest films during his American period. Its film-noire
setting sees Edward G. Robinson in one of his most emphatic
performances as a middle-aged cashier, Chris Cross, who has a
chance meeting with the wayward Kitty (Joan Bennett). Trapped in
an unfulfilling marriage and desperate to be a painter, Chris
falls in love with Kitty. Kitty, however, is already under the
spell of her conman boyfriend Johnny (Dan Duryea) and as Chris
becomes obsessed with the irresistibly vulgar Kitty, Johnny
senses an opportunity to extort money from the love struck
cashier. DVD Release Date: September 22nd, 2008
Ghost Story - Described by
Cinema Today as being like "a vintage P.G. Wodehouse story as it
might have been ghosted by Edgar Allen Poe" GHOST STORY
resembles not so much its Hammer, Tigon, Tyburn, and Amicus
horror contemporaries so much as the shot-on-film BBC TV M.R.
James "Ghost Story for Christmas" adaptation. Peter
Hurst's stately cinematography creates a believable portrait of
rural England in the thirties (even though the film was shot in
India) and Ron Geesin's experimental score adds to the
off-kilter atmosphere. Although the film's cult appeal is due to
the presence of Marianne Faithful, the performances are
excellent all around; specifically the lead trio (including
Mackerrell who was the inspiration for the Withnail character in
Bruce Robinson's WITHNAIL AND I). Deliberately paced and
understated, GHOST STORY will prove rewarding to patient and
attentive viewers. DVD Release Date: November 9th, 2009
Bones - Season 4 -
BR
- The leading scientist at the Forensic Division at the
Jeffersonian Institute in Washington D.C. is the celebrated Dr.
Temperance “Bones” Brennan (Emily Deschanel), forensic
anthropologist and writer of crime novels. What she has in
smarts she makes up for in her lack of social skills. Of the
concept of nuance, she doesn’t know from. On the other hand, or
perhaps the same hand, the rules she operates by in her personal
life strike Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) as
specious and promiscuous. Seeley is a straight arrow guy and
lives by the Ten Commandments. He knows his way around a
conversation and makes his points with a certain snappy flair.
Blu-ray
Release date: October 6, 2009
Hallelujah - Hallelujah is
a cinematic milestone: the first all-black feature from a major
studio and famed director King Vidor's (The Champ, The
Big Parade) first talkie. But the film surpasses its
historical significance, telling a story of such profound
dignity and understanding that it as fresh and moving as the day
it premiered. Featuring a largely unknown cast and infused with
spirituals, folk songs, blues and jazz (Irving Berlin provided
two songs for the production), Hallelujah follows the fortunes
of Zeke (Daniel L. Haynes), a poor cotton farmer. He succumbs to
the temptations of Chick (Nina Mae McKinney), a mercenary
honky-tonk girl, finds salvation in religion, and falls again
when his obsession for Chick overpowers his better self. Love,
loss, passion, redemption and brilliant moviemaking: Hallelujah
has it all. DVD Release Date: January 10th, 2006
Miracle on 34th Street
(1994)
BR
- I had thought the matter of Santa's true identity was laid to
rest in 1947 when not only the United States Postal Service, but
the Academy of Arts & Sciences, assured us it was Edmund Glenn.
But it was not only Sir Richard Attenborough who had his work
cut out for him: John Hughes, the man who gave us Matthew
Broderick, Molly Ringwald and Macauley Culkin – you see the
trend - may have figured that he was about ready to tackle a
script with a real child. Hmmm.
Blu-ray
Release date: October 6th, 2009
The Men - Marlon Brando set
the mark for a brilliant career in Stanley Kramer's THE MEN,
his motion picture debut. As a war veteran paralyzed in combat,
he returns home to face the torturous ordeal of rehabilitation.
The courage and strength of the soldier are betrayed by the fear
and insecurity of the man when he learns he will never walk
again. Embittered by his condition, he refuses to see his
fiancee and sinks into a solitary world of hatred and hostility.
Fighting the wishes of her parents, the coldness of a
guilt-ridden society and her own self-doubts, it is she who must
force him to confront the reality of his condition and break his
physical and emotional confinement. When feeling starts to
return to his legs, it could be his last hope...or his final
downfall. DVD Release Date: November 3rd, 2009
Wings of Desire
BR
- Part romance, part comedy, part meditation on matters
political and philosophical, Wenders' remarkable movie posits a
world haunted by invisible angels listening in to our thoughts.
Such plot as there is concerns two kindly spirits (Ganz and
Sander), posted to contemporary Berlin, who encounter a myriad
of mortals, including an ageing writer blighted by memories of a
devastated Germany; actor Peter Falk, on location shooting a
film about the Nazi era; and a lonely trapeze artist, with whom
Ganz falls in love, thus prompting his desire to become mortal
at last. A film about the Fall and the Wall, it's full of
astonishingly hypnotic images (courtesy veteran Henri Alékan),
and manages effortlessly to turn Wenders' and Peter Handke's
poetic, literary script into pure cinematic expression.
Masterpiece? Maybe not, but few films are so rich, so
intriguing, or so ambitious.
Blu-ray
Release Date: November 3rd, 2009
The 39 Steps
BR
- A classic British spy mystery, and one of Hitchcock's best,
THE 39 STEPS is the story of an innocent man who struggles
to prove his innocence. Robert Donat gets more than he bargained
for when he brings home a mysterious woman who confesses to be a
British agent on the hot trail of a dangerous spy ring. The
woman is killed in Donat's apartment and he immediately finds
himself on the run, burdened with the charge for her murder and
the dangerous knowledge of her mission. The film is
distinguished by its pioneering use of contrapuntal sound
effects, as well as the dynamism between Robert Donat and
Madeleine Carroll.
Blu-ray
Release Date: October 19th, 2009
Summer Storm - Sirk's first
feature in the USA, apart from the 1942 Hitler's Madman, was
made four years after he was invited there by Warners. Summer
Storm is an adaptation of Chekhov's only novel, The Shooting
Party. Sirk moves the story much closer to the Russian
Revolution and keeps the original flashback construction. In a
delicate evocation of a crumbling world, he highlights the
social tensions and despair of Zsarist Russia - with some
excellent performances by Everett Horton, Darnell and Sanders.
DVD Release Date: October 20th, 2009
Black Rain - Mr. and Mrs.
Shizuma and their niece Yasuko make their way through the ruins
of Hiroshima, devastated by the atomic bomb. Five years later,
Yasuko is living with her aunt and uncle, and her senile
grandmother, in a village containing many survivors of the
bombing. Yasuko does not appear to be affected, but the Shizumas
are worried about her marriage prospects, fearing that she might
succumb to radiation sickness at any time. DVD Release Date:
October 20th, 2009
North By Northwest
BR
- “North by Northwest” became Hitchcock’s greatest box
office success, only beaten by Wyler's “Ben Hur”, and today it
is the most seen and most celebrated of his films. It is a film
made by one of the greatest masters of cinema at the height of
his career, it is a declaration of love to everything his art
was about and thus the definitive Hitchcock film. A timeless
masterpiece.
Blu-ray
Release Date: November 3rd, 2009
The Collector's Choice: The Sam Fuller
Film Collection - In a career spanning more than
60 years, Samuel Fuller never stopped looking for truth and
never shied away from controversy. His films were as rough and
gritty as the stories he told, combining incisive, intelligent
storytelling, with passionate, two-fisted, direction, creating a
singularly unique body of work. Now Sony Pictures and the Film
Foundation have gathered together all 7 Columbia Pictures
features in which he participated as writer or director into an
electrifying set - all restored, remastered and new to DVD.
DVD Release Date: October 27th, 2009
The Pianist
BR
- The title is an understatement, and so is the film. Roman
Polanski's "The Pianist" tells the story of a Polish Jew, a
classical musician, who survived the Holocaust through stoicism
and good luck. This is not a thriller, and avoids any temptation
to crank up suspense or sentiment; it is the pianist's witness
to what he saw and what happened to him. That he survived was
not a victory when all whom he loved died; Polanski, in talking
about his own experiences, has said that the death of his mother
in the gas chambers remains so hurtful that only his own death
will bring closure.
Blu-ray
Release Date July 20th, 2009
Once Upon a Time in China
BR
- Winner of a Hong Kong Film Award for Best Picture, Once Upon a
Time in China is a kung-fu epic that's wildly entertaining and
historically relevant. It is the late 1800s and China is in
turmoil. Western influence is threatening the pride and
sovereignty of the Chinese people, who are being enslaved for
foreign labor, or becoming addicted to opium. It falls upon Wong
Fei Hung (Jet Li), a renowned doctor, healer, patriot, and
kung-fu artist to stand up and be counted. Charged with
protecting the region with his militia, Fei Hung becomes
embroiled in political intrigue and martial arts rivalries as
corrupt foreigners and corrupt Chinese attempt to gain control
of the region.
Blu-rayRelease
date: September 18th, 2009
Harsh Times
BR
- As Jim, Christian Bale is, well, he's just amazing. After
American Psycho, The Machinist, and Batman Begins, I'm fully
convinced that Christian Bale can do just about anything, and in
Harsh Times he creates a character who's as resoundingly
hate-worthy as he is entirely fascinating. One of the finest
actors working today, Bale creates a character who's both
hateful and despicable -- but you won't be able to take your
eyes off the guy.
Blu-ray
Release date: September 1st, 2009
Rogue
BR
- McLean initially takes the slow-burn, less-is-more approach,
fleshing out the characters while treating us to all manner of
seductive scenery; ever hinting at the hostility of nature and
the potential dangers that lurk just beneath the surface of that
all-too-tranquil, picture-postcard water. The cinematography,
courtesy of Will Gibson, negates the sleazy abattoir grime of
Wolf Creek to offer us stunning sun-dappled vistas and
shimmering, snaking waterways as far as the eye can see. In
capturing the untainted majestic beauty and timelessness of the
Northern Territory, Gibson has probably done more for the
Australian Outback Tourist Board than any of their own
advertising campaigns.
Blu-ray
Release date: October 6th, 2009
Black Cat White Cat - A
hilarious comedy from the director of ‘Life is a Miracle’,
Emir Kusturica’s BLACK CAT WHITE CAT is a riotous mix of
farce, romance and crime. Set within a community of gypsies, it
tells a story of dodgy deals, family ties, young love and
magical occurences. Zare is a young man in love with the
beautiful Ida, but his crooked father, having botched up a black
market deal, intends to marry him off to the sister of a
powerful gangster - a woman so tiny that her nickname is
Ladybird. Set on the banks of the Danube, this colourful comedy
is crammed with spectacle, incident and the music of Emir
Kusturica’s famous travelling gypsy band. DVD Release Date:
May 22nd, 2006
|