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