DVDBeaver Newsletter - June 23rd, 2005
Hi !
Two things: Check out of Director of the Week (changed
every Sundays) AND How about YOUR choice for
Feature DVD of the Month (July) Tell me (Gary@DVDBeaver.com)!
Listomania! :
OUR LISTSERV's
COMPOSITE FAVORITE 100 FILMS OF ALL-TIME (63 members top 20 choices) AVAILABLE
FOR VIEWING HERE (I know, I know...its
just another list... but curiosity gets the better is us all...)
Some Updates from our Calendar
HERE.
Tomorrow We Move (Demain on d??age) (Chantal Akerman, 2004) Kino,
Nada (Claude Chabrol, 1974) Arrow Film [R2-UK],
Que la b?e meure (This Man Must Die) (Claude Chabrol, 1969) Arrow Film
[R2-UK],
Tarnation (Jonathan Caouette, 2003) Optimum Releasing [R2-UK],
Three Men and a Cradle (French original) (Coline Serreau, 1985) Home
Vision,
Bottom of the Sea (Damian Szifron, 2003) Home Vision,
Bonjour Tristesse (Otto Preminger, 1958) Sony [R2-UK],
People Will Talk (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1951) Fox [R2-UK],
The Brown Bunny (Vincent Gallo, 2004) Sony,
Notre musique (Jean-Luc Godard, 2004), Optimum Releasing [R2-UK],
Boudu Saved from Drowning
(Jean Renoir, 1932) Criterion,
Flowers of St. Francis
(Roberto Rossellini, 1950) Criterion,
Harakiri (Masaki Kobayashi,
1962) Criterion,
Landscape in the Mist (Theo
Angelopoulos, 1988) New Yorker,
Oldboy (Chan-wook Park,
2003) TLA Releasing,
Preston Sturges Collection:
Sullivan's Travels/The Lady Eve/Hail the Conquering Hero/The Great McGinty/Christmas
in July/The Palm Beach Story) (Sturges) Universal [R2-UK],
A World Apart (Chris Menges,
1988) MGM,
The Holy Girl (La Ni? Santa) (Lucretia Martel, 2004) HBO
We have even more
Malata 393a Region Free Players at bargain-basement price! So far - 85
sold! - 1 return! Best selling Region-Free player ever made! If you haven't made
the plunge yet see
HERE and
then start shopping
HERE and
HERE!
Most Recent Reviews (let's start with 4 Boxsets!):
Jo? C?ar Monteiro :
The Complete Collection - our mammoth review of the essential 11 DVD
Boxset
Ozu Boxset #2 - Record of a
Tenement Gentleman / Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice - Tartan is weak but
Ozu's Tenement Gent is a must have!
Lars von Trier: Europe
Trilogy Boxset - for some one of the most awaited DVD releases of 2005!
The Yakuza Papers - Battles Without Honor & Humanity - Brutal 6 disc
Kinji Fukasaku set is part Godfather / part Seijun Suzuki..
The Browning
Version - A heartbreaking story of remorse and atonement done to
Criterion perfection!
Crazed Fruit
- portrayal of the postwar sexual revolution among Japans young and privileged!
The Naked Island - a
'cinematic poem' to try and capture the life of human beings struggling like
ants against the forces of nature!
Toute Une Vie -
Lelouch - Possibly one of the most ambitious films of all time?
Geoffrey Jones: the Rhythm
of Film - 9 little transcendent gems - a great way to start a film night
before a feature of Ozu, Bresson or Tarkovsky.
Humphrey
Jennings Collection - described by Lindsay Anderson as 'the only true
poet of the English cinema'!
Hustle - post-noir foray
with Reynolds and Deneuve - better than you might think...
Hukkle -
mesmerizing symphony of sight and sound that chronicles a series of mysterious
interconnected events both idyllic and sinister!
Les Rendez-vous de
Paris - Rohmer - only English subbed DVD of this film I have ever
seen...
Kick'n Rush - stylized
teenage soccer drama from Denmark
Signs of Life -
Herzog's debut feature of psychotic imbalance...
Land of
Silence and Darkness - Herzog's powerhouse documentary - highly
recommended!
Le Notti Bianche -
Cristaldi Film - PAL edition of Dostoyevsky's engaging, uplifting, and
compelling short story!.
49th Parallel -
surprise DVD of another Powell and Pressburger masterpiece! Folks this
propaganda film is fantastic!
Sympathy for the
Underdog - pivotal early crime drama in the celebrated career of the
director who changed the face of Japanese action cinema!
The City (La Ciudad) - near
masterpiece - leaves us with an enlightened view of a determined group of
struggling contemporary Americans!
Shogun's Shadow -
Sonny Chiba, Samurai genre - fans know what to expect...
Street Mobster -
story of a violent killer who will stop at nothing to satisfy his lust for
blood. Hmmmm...
La Strada - Optimum
addition of poetic fable of love and cruelty, evoking brilliant performances and
winning the hearts of audiences and critics worldwide
Graveyard of Honor
- Kinji Fukasaku's unusual and highly stylized yakuza films !
NEW Comparisons:
Nouveaux Picture -
Region 2 - PAL "The Tree of Wooden Clogs"
vs. Italian Instituto Luce (2-disc) - Region 2 - PAL vs. Koch Lorber - Region 0
- NTSC
MC ONE- Region 2 - PAL "Walkabout"
vs. Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Madman Entertainment - Region 0 - PAL
- the MC One is the definitive image of this masterpiece film!
Warner Home Video (2 Disc SE) -
Region 1 - NTSC "Bullitt"
vs. Warner Home Video (1st Release) - Region 2 - PAL
Take care,
Gary