****new release list no.169

Somehow we have 45 titles we are writing about this week! It is the beginning of June, which means a new month of Highlighted New Additions, which this month is brought to you by me (Ken) and consists of all music dvd’s. Some docs (DAVID BOWIE AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS ROCK REVIEW, NIRVANA UNTOLD STORIES, TOM PETTY: RUNNING DOWN A DREAM) some concerts (VAN MORRISON: LIVE AT MONTREUX 1974 AND 1980, TOM PETTY, WEEN: LIVE IN CHICAGO, LED ZEPPELIN: THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME) and bunches of videos (THE SUGARCUBES: THE DVD, PUNK GENERATION, BEST OF RADIOHEAD). As a musician myself, I am very proud of our music collection, but I am also always interested in giving it a boost. Please let me know about other things you would like to see in this section.

The list of other new films we’ve brought to the table is so long that you will need to just scroll down and check it out in its entirety. I will mention the wonderful Joy Division film CONTROL as well as a bunch of comedy that we have this week, such as SEMI-PRO, MEET THE SPARTANS and THE ONION MOVIE. There is also a bunch of gay/lesbian romance films (BACK SOON, FUN IN GIRLS SHORTS, A LOVE TO KEEP, S IS FOR SEXY), some great television (WEEDS SEASON 3, THE BROTHERHOOD SEASON 2, RESCUE ME: 4th SEASON) and some terrific documentaries (INTO GREAT SILENCE, BIG RIG, BEYOND HATRED).

Besides that, welcome to June! Enjoy the beauty! Smell the flowers!

Love and kisses,

Ken

p.s. KenFlix exists! Try saying that ten times fast. Ask us at the store…

............//NEW TITLES//............

BACK SOON.
Drama/Romance/Gay.
Windham Beacham/Matthew Montgomery.
Directed by Rob Williams.
* Two very different guys, one an actor, and one a reformed drug dealer, both who consider themselves “straight” are drawn together.

THE BEST OF RADIOHEAD. WILL BE IN STORE ON WED OR THUR.
Music.
Radiohead.
Directed by many.
* Twenty-one videos are on this collection directed by many of the biggest names in video production including Michel Gondry and Jonathan Glazer. Nine of these videos are being debuted on this collection.

BOARDING GATE.
Suspense.
Asia Argento/Michael Madsen
Directed by Olivier Assayas.
* Backstabbing, double-crossing and intrigue conducted by Argento stripped down to her underwear. Just wrong!

CONTROL.
Rock/Drama/Foreign (British).
Sam Riley/Samantha Morton.
Directed by Anton Corbijn.
* Ian Curtis, the enigmatic singer of the amazing and dark 1970’s band Joy Division, killed himself at the young age of 23 right before their first American tour. This profile takes him through his early trials and tries to explain the problems he had that drove him to this desperate act.

THE EYE.
Horror/Suspense.
Jessica Alba.
Directed by David Moreau and Xavier Palud.
* A remake of a very success Hong Kong film about a blind woman whose eye transplant lets her see more than she bargained for.

FLAWLESS.
Drama/Crime.
Demi Moore/Michael Caine.
Directed by Michael Radford
* Set in the 1960’s in London, it’s a diamond heist film.

FUN IN GIRLS SHORTS.
Drama/Comedy/Lesbian.
Directed by many.
* A collection of shorts about chicks loving chicks (is that cool to say, Mom?).

THE FUTURE OF EMILY
Drama/Foreign (German).
Brigitte Fossey/Camille Raymond/Hildegard Knef.
Directed by Helma Sanders-Brahms.
* Intense 1985 German movie just getting to DVD about three generations of women.

THE LAWRENCE JORDAN ALBUM. WILL BE IN STORE ON WED OR THUR.
Shorts/Animation/Experimental.
Directed by Lawrence Jordan.
* This is a four disc collection of live-action shorts and cut-out animations spanning five decades of filmmaking. This is a truly exciting work from a very influential artist.

LE GAI SAVOIR.
Drama/Foreign (French).
Juliet Berto/Jean-Pierre Leaud.
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard.
* 1969 philosophical tale about a couple young adults talking it through. Why is it that we spend so much time talking it through in our 20’s and then just deal with it for the rest of our lives? I don’t want to be in my 20’s again, but I wouldn’t mind capturing some of the wonder and curiosity from that period and doling it out slowly for the next 100 years of my life.

A LOVE TO KEEP.
Romance/Lesbian.
Carmen Elias/Susi Sanchez/Julieta Serrano.
Directed by Juan Carlos Claver.
* The box says “gripping and poignant”, I can’t find much else about it. Looks like a sweet story, though.

MEET THE SPARTANS.
Horror/Thriller.
Sean Maguire/The brilliance of Carmen Electra.
Directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer.
* One of them make-fun-of-all-the-hit-movies type films. Made by the guys who saw “300”. Humorously enough, there is another one coming out just like it called 305, which is, after all, 5 more then 300.

THE ONION MOVIE.
Comedy/Schtick/Dissonance.
Directed by Tom Kuntz and Mike Maguire.
* Did you see KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE? This is kind of like that, in the sense that it is sketch comedy that drifts from thing to thing in a non-sequitur type of way. The Onion, for those of you who may not know, is a brilliant satire newspaper that you can pick for free all over the city. This movie takes their sense of humor to the big screen. Though some of it was flat and silly, I also laughed quite a bit.

NORIKO’S DINNER TABLE.
Drama/Horror/Foreign (Japanese).
Kazue Fikiishi/Tsugumi.
Directed by Sion Sono.
* Pretty sad but poignant social commentary about a girl who joins a suicide cult in Japan.

S IS FOR SEXY.
Comedy/Drama/Gay/Foreign (Dutch, English, French, German).
Many.
Directed by many.
* Sexy award-winning short films.

SEMI-PRO. ****BLU-RAY, TOO****
Comedy/Sports.
Will Ferrell/Woody Harrelson/Andre Benjamin/DeRay Davis.
Directed by Kent Alterman.
* The latest in Farrell’s attempt to play every type of sports star ever. In this, he is Jackie Moon, the owner-coach-player of an ABA basketball team facing the end of its existence if it can’t place in the top four by the end of the season. The problem? They stink.

............//DOCUMENTARY//............

BEYOND HATRED.
Documentary/Foreign (French).
Jean-Paul Chenu/Marie-Cecile Chenu.
Directed by Olivier Meyrou.
* The story of the parents of Francios Chenu, a young gay man who was brutally beaten and killed by three French skinheads in 2002 and their incredible ability to forgive.

BIG RIG.
Documentary.
Dale Sprouse/Loretta Anderson.
Directed by Doug Pray.
* Powerful doc about the USA as seen through the eyes of a long-haul truck driver.

INTO GREAT SILENCE.
Documentary/Foreign (English, French, Latin).
Directed by Philip Groning.
* From the imdb website: “Nestled deep in the postcard-perfect French Alps, the Grande Chartreuse is considered one of the world's most ascetic monasteries. In 1984, German filmmaker Philip Groning wrote to seek permission from the Carthusian order to make a documentary about them. Sixteen years later they were ready for him, and sans crew or artificial lighting, Groning lived in the monks' quarters for six months filming their daily prayers, tasks, rituals and rare outdoor excursions”.

............//TELEVISION//............

BROTHERHOOD: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON. WILL BE IN STORE ON WED OR THUR
Television/Crime.
Jason Isaacs/Jason Clarke.
* Season two in the series about two brothers on the opposite sides of the law set in an Irish neighborhood in Providence.

MANNIX: THE FIRST SEASON. WILL BE IN STORE ON WED OR THUR
Television/Drama.
Mike Connors.
* Violent detective series from the 1960’s about private eye Joe Mannix. Full of car chases, fist fights, kidnappings, the works.

RESCUE ME: 4th SEASON.
Television/Drama.
Denis Leary/Tatum O’Neal.
* Season four in the show following a group of firefighters dealing with their lives. I love firefighters. Think about it: they rush in to our burning houses to get us out. How counter-intuitive is that? Make them the highest paid public servants, just above teachers.

WEEDS: SEASON THREE.
Television/Dramedy.
Mary Louise-Parker/Elizabeth Perkins.
* Nancy Botwin (Louise-Parker) is back, still struggling, still selling weed.

............//KIDS//............

GO DIEGO GO: GREAT GORILLA!
Kids.
Diego.

KENNY THE SHARK: VOL 3 CATCH A WAVE!
Kids/TV.
Kenny.

MAGGIE AND THE FEROCIOUS BEAST: BEACH PARTY!
Kids/TV.
Maggie/The Ferocious Beast.

............//HIGHLIGHTED NEW ADDITIONS//............

DAVID BOWIE AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS: ROCK REVIEW.
Documentary.
Angela Bowie/Woody Woodmansey/Trevor Bolder.
* This super low-budget doc features wonderful crazy David Bowie footage including an amazing short clip of him and Marianne Faithful dressed as a nun singing the Sonny and Cher hit “I’ve Got You, Babe” as well as weird interviews with ex-wife Angela and several of the Spiders From Mars.

LED ZEPPELIN: THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME.
Live Concert/Documentary/Rock!
John/John/Jimmy/Robert.
Directed by Peter Clifton and Joe Massot.
* Our first DVD copy of this incredible rock monument revolving around a Zep show in Madison Garden (New York City) in 1973. They just rocked so fucking hard at this stage of their careers. You don’t have to be a tripping hippy to appreciate it, but it probably helps (witness the opening fantasy sequence of the movie).

NIRVANA: NEVERMIND.
Documentary.
Krist Novoselic/Dave Grohl/Butch Vig/Garry Gersh.
* Part of the Classic Albums series, this doc explores the making of Nevermind, one of the most genre-defining albums of all time, and the album I personally think described and destroyed alternative rock in one swell foop. This doc is so full of amazing footage and stories; it made me sad once again at the loss of Kurt Cobain and his incredible ability to put it all on the table. I especially loved the interviews with Butch Vig, who produced this album, and his breakdowns of the recording experience of the individual songs. Even if you don’t like loud dissonant music, this documentary explores the creative brilliance behind this amazing band.

NIRVANA: UNTOLD STORIES.
Documentary.
No one interesting.
* This is a mostly sucky doc that barely scrapes the bottom of the Nirvana story. It’s more of an exploration of some of their peers than anything else. I would probably sell it to anyone who is interested. No actual Nirvana band members were interviewed and no Nirvana music appears in the thing. It may not even stick around on the Highlight New Addition section for the whole month. It might not even be there when you stop by later today.

PUNK GENERATION.
Music Videos.
The Stranglers/XTC/Iggy Pop/Rich Kids/PIL/Bow Wow Wow.
* This brilliant collection of low-budget videos starts off a little rocky, with a video-ish Trainspotting commercial of Iggy’s brilliant “Lust for Life”, but it is also filled with amazing gems, such as XTC’s “Making Plans For Nigel” and The Stranglers “Something Better Change”. I was also blown away by both Bow Wow Wow tunes on here, which really opened my eyes to the incredible raw percussive power of this band best known for its early MTV pop anthem “I Want Candy”.

SUGARCUBES: THE DVD.
Music Videos.
Bjork/The Other Cubes.
* Bjork became famous as one of the vocalists of this 80’s era Icelandic band. Their biggest hit (presented here in both Icelandic and English) was “Birthday” which combines a rolling bass line, a staggered drum beat and some synthesized sounds with a chorus melody that goes straight to the heart. Turn it up loud and sing along with it, it is cheap therapy and guaranteed to put you in good spirits. Other videos of note on here are “Eat the Menu”, “Regina” and “Vitamin”.

TOM PETTY: RUNNING DOWN A DREAM.
Documentary/Live Concert.
Tom and Friends.
Directed by Peter Bogdanovich.
* This is a three DVD offering. The first two (rented as one) are the 4 hour doc made by Bogdanovich about the band and how they chased their dream of stardom and caught the damn thing. The movie features interviews with Stevie Nicks, Rick Rubin, Dave Grohl, Jackson Browne, George Harrison and more. The doc is pretty dry, with a lot of sit down talking heads, but it is filled with a lot of interesting stories and if you are a fan, you will be psyched to check it out. The third disc is a 30th Anniversary concert that is pretty awesome filled with all the hits over the last four decades. I have some early memories of listening to the top 5 at 10 (pm) on Q107 in Reston, VA in the late 70’s and first hearing “Refugee” and loving that southern rock sound! I’m not a huge Tom Petty fan, but I think longevity is underrated and he has managed to hold onto his place in the rock and roll lexicon for over thirty years, which is a pretty respectable feat.

VAN MORRISON: LIVE AT MONTREUX 1980 AND 1974.
Live Concert.
Van Morrison.
* These are just two terrific shows. Filled with Van Morrison’s brand of bluesy rock and roll, spiritualized and raw, the two shows taken together show the evolution of performance and song-writing from one of the true rock journeymen, and taken separately they are just great concert movies. Dig especially how crazy young he is in that 1974 show.

WEEN: LIVE IN CHICAGO.
Live Concert/Some Video.
Gene/Dean/Mean Ween.
* Ween is a band that has somehow escaped detection by most of the masses. That is probably a good thing. Their lyrics are a combination of brilliant off-beat poetry, demented social commentary and abrasive name-calling, while their music sometimes is as gentle as a lullaby and sometimes so painful dissonant that you must turn it off before your head explodes. Their first album, back in 1989, is called GODWEENSATAN: THE ONENESS, and really that says it all. I highly recommend this concert video featuring the band from 2003 that features the wonderful songs Ocean Man, Voodoo Lady, Big Jilm, You Fucked Up, and one of my favorites of all time Don’t Laugh (I Love You). Don’t forget to watch the animated video for Transdermal Celebration – wow!

............//NEW ADDITIONS//............

AGENT CODY BANKS 2.
Kids.
* Replacement DVD’s.

CITY OF GOD.
* More replacement DVDs of this powerful Brazilian film.

CONSTANTINE.
* Replacement DVD of this Keanu flick.

FRIENDS: FIRST SEASON.
Television/Comedy.
Jennifer Aniston/Courtney Cox/Lisa Kudrow/Matthew Perry.
* We are trying this out to see if you guys want us to get many seasons of this very popular show from the 1990’s.

SHE’S ALL THAT.
* I’m not sure she is, but this is a replacement DVD of this film. God forbid, it might even be the first time on DVD for us…

STUDENT BODIES. WILL BE IN STORE ON WED OR THUR
Comedy/Horror.
Kristen Riter.
Directed by Mickey Rose.
* This is one of those, Why did Ken buy this? movie. I dunno. It’s a parody movie, in the vein of SCARY MOVIE, but from 1981. It looked fun, and I hope it is…

TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU.
* Early Heath Ledger film, our first DVD copy.

THE THIN MAN GOES HOME.
* Replacement DVD.

VIDEODROME.
* Replacement DVD of the Criterion release of this crazy David Cronenberg film starring James Woods and Deborah Harry.

THE X-FILES: FIGHT THE FUTURE.
* First DVD copies of this 2001 film.

****