Monday, September 15, 2008

****new release list no.184

THIS FRIDAY, SEPT 19th: come watch the classic 70’s film CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND starring Richard Dreyfuss and Teri Garr at 8pm in our backyard screening patio. Doors open at 7:45pm. Soda/Candy $1. Suggested donation $5. Popcorn is free!

In SPEED RACER, Emile Hirsch plays the title role in this adaptation of the cult animation classic. I wonder when they will make a feature of MARINE BOY. I loved that show… Al Pacino plays a forensic psychiatrist trying to avoid his own murder in less than ninety minutes, in fact in 88 MINUTES. Mike Myers is THE LOVE GURU in another goofy comedy written by him. Also notable this week is Tim Robbins in NOISE, Sam Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale in SNOW ANGELS, Matthew Broderick as an addict in denial in FINDING AMANDA and some kooky indie flick about a guy who takes a job as a giant blue corporate mascot in KABLUEY. Also, you musn’t miss Diane Lane and a 15-year-old Laura Dern in LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: THE FABULOUS STAINS.

There is also a trio of Criterion releases directed by Max Ophuls (EARRING OF MADAME DE, LE PLAISIR, LA RONDE), as well as some long awaited documentaries (YOUNG @ HEART and GET THRASHED).

I also have a big bunch of new Blu-ray titles, scan down to check them out. If you are unsure what the heck this whole Blu-ray thing is about, please email me and I will tell you what I know…

Alrighty then, see you at the store.

Love and kisses,
Ken

............//NEW RELEASES//............

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS: SPECIAL EDITION.
Musical/Romance.
Gene Kelly.
Directed by Vincente Minneli (as in Liza’s daddy).
* Special edition release of the wonderful Gene Kelly musical that won 6 Oscars including BEST PICTURE .

EARRINGS OF MADAME DE.
Drama/Criterion/Foreign (French).
Charles Boyer/Danielle Darrieux.
Directed by Max Ophuls.
* The first of three Criterion releases by Ophuls, this one is about a wealthy couple in Paris and the trials their marriage is taken on by the sale and subsequent multiple purchases of a pair of earrings given to the Madame by her General husband. Deceit, adultery and betrayal are all on full display in this 1953 film.

88 MINUTES.
Al Pacino/Alicia Witt/Leelee Sobieski.
Directed by Jon Avnet.
* Dude (Pacino)’s a forensic psychiatrist and he’s got 88 minutes to solve his own murder. Or at least so says the mysterious killer on the line. Will he save himself? Will you watch this movie?

FINDING AMANDA.
Comedy/Drama.
Matthew Broderick/Brittany Snow.
Directed by Peter Tolan.
* Dark comedy about a messed up TV producer (Broderick) going to Vegas to help out his hooker niece (Snow, acted superbly) who her family thinks is in need of a nice rehab visit. Hey who isn’t?

FRANK CALIENDO: ALL OVER THE PLACE.
Stand-up Comedy.
* Dude is funny. He does a great John Madden and a pretty awesome George Bush, too.

KABLUEY.
Comedy.
Scott Prendergast/Lisa Kudrow/Teri Garr.
Directed by Scott Prendergast.
* Salman (Pendergast) a kind of inept putz, takes a job as a giant blue corporate mascot to help his brother’s family while he is off fighting in Iraq.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THE FABULOUS STAINS.
Comedy/Drama/Music.
Diane Lane/Ray Winstone/Laura Dern.
Directed by Lou Adler.
* This is one of those cult favorites that never made it to DVD. It is about a teenage girl who delves deeply into her band, The Fabulous Stains, to help her deal with the death of her mother. The band totally blows up giving her many new problems to deal with.

LA RONDE.
Drama/Criterion/Foreign (French).
Anton Walbrook/Simone Signoret.
Directed by Max Ophuls.
* The second Ophuls film to receive the Criterion treatment this week, this one is a drama about multiple affairs occurring in Vienna around the turn of the last century.

LE PLAISIR.
Comedy/DramaRomance/Criterion/Foreign (French).
Claude Dauphin/Gaby Morlay.
Directed by Max Ophuls.
* The third Criterion Ophuls film, this one has three tales it tells of youth, purity and death, with a good measure of earthly pleasure thrown in.

THE LOVE GURU.
Comedy.
Jessica Alba/Mike Myers/Justin Timberlake.
Directed by Marco Schnabel.
* Written by and starring Mike Myers, he plays an expatriate who is coming back to the states to bust into the self-help industry. Believe me when I tell you that the fact Justin Timberlake is in this movie almost alone will make it worth watching. Seriously! Timberlake is a good actor, and may become a great actor someday.

MADE OF HONOR.
Romance.
Patrick Dempsey/Michelle Monaghan.
Directed by Paul Weiland.
* Like, he’s her “Maid of Honor”, but he’s “Made” of honor. Get it? Do you get it? He’s her friend, and she’s asked him to be her “Maid of Honor” for some gender bending reason. But he, like, loves her. But he’s honorable. He’s freaking “made” of honor. Should I spell it out some more? So, she and he, they’ve been friends, for years, exceptin he’s hot for her and…

NOISE.
Comedy/Drama.
Tim Robbins/Bridget Moynahan/William Hurt.
Directed by Henry Bean.
* A film in the tradition of FALLING DOWN, Robbins plays David Owens, a man in NYC who is being driven absolutely crazy by the noise. The character is based on the director’s real life. He used to break into cars to deactivate their alarms, and was eventually caught and jailed for it! Activism!

RISKY BUSINESS: DELUXE EDITION.
Comedy.
Tom Cruise/Rebecca De Mornay/Bronson Pinchot/Joe Pantoliano/Curtis Armstrong.
Directed by Paul Brickman.
* The 1983 movie that brought Tom Cruise into superstardom! I am sure you know the story. This is a newly released deluxe edition. Did you know that TANGERINE DREAM, the psychedelic rock band did the soundtrack?

SNOW ANGELS.
Drama.
Kate Beckinsale/Sam Rockwell/Griffin Dunne/Amy Sedaris/Olivia Thirlby.
Directed by David Gordon Green.
* Well-received indie film about love and pain and disintegration.

SPEED RACER.
Action/Family/Adventure/Nostalgia/.
Emile Hirsch/Nicholas Elia/Christina Ricci/John Goodman/Susan Sarandon/.
Directed by Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski.
* This revamped take on the animated classic is done in truly wild style. It is a version of the philosophy which brought us WHO KILLED ROGER RABBIT? In that feature, animation characters and live humans interacted. In this, the characters are all (I think) live humans, but the background, the sets and the landscapes are fantastical animations full of color and splendor. It is a visual masterpiece, so even if the story is weak (and it does appear to be very, very FAMILY oriented), it is still worth seeing.

WOMAN TIMES SEVEN.
Comedy/Drama.
Shirley MacLaine/Peter Sellers/.
Directed by Vittorio De Sica.
* From the director of THE BICYCLE THIEF comes this exploration of adultery from 1967.
............//DOCUMENTARY//............

GET THRASHED: THE STORY OF THRASH METAL.
Music Documentary.
Everyone in Metal.
Directed by Rick Ernst.
* Very detailed and informative doc about the rise of Metal music in the 1980’s through its near mainstream peak in the late 1990’s.

INSIDE THE ACTOR’S STUDIO: ROBIN WILLIAMS.
Documentary/Television Series.
* Robin on the popular series which explores acting methodology.

LYNCH (ONE).
Documentary.
* A look into the mind of the man who brought us ERASERHEAD, BLUE VELVET, WILD AT HEART and many more really tweaked out films.

ORANGUTAN ISLAND: SEASON ONE.
Documentary.
* This look at the largest primate rescue project in the world is located in Borneo. This is a fascinating look into the lives of Orangutans as they redevelop their society.

YOUNG @ HEART.
Music Documentary.
Directed Stephen Walker.
* The very heartwarming story of a choir out of Massachusetts whose average age is 81 and who sing a wide variety of contemporary and oldies tunes including such diverse artists as James Brown and Sonic Youth.

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

DUCKMAN: SEASONS ONE AND TWO.
Animation/Television.
Jason Alexander/Dweezil Zappa.
* Super cult animation show about a foul-mouthed, sex crazed, duck turned private eye.

PUSHING DAISIES: COMPLETE 1st SEASON.
Television/Drama/Comedy/Fantasy.
Lee Pace/Anna Friel/Swoosie Kurtz.
Created by Bryan Fuller.
* This quirky show is about a guy named Ned (Pace) who has the interesting power of bringing people back to life from the dead. Unfortunately, if they stick around for more than one minute, someone else has to die. Ned helps a PI solve cases, and runs a pie shop, made ever-convenient by the fact he can make rotten fruit fresh again (of course, when he does this, somewhere a blackberry must die).

TORCHWOOD: COMPLETE 2nd SEASON.
Television/Sci-Fi/Fantasy.
John Barrowman.
Created by Russell T. Davies.
* Season two in the Doctor Who spinoff. .

............//FAMILY//............

HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR.
* Bob the Builder, Thomas the Train, Barney and Fireman Sam help celebrate the spooky holiday.

MY LITTLE PONY: LIVE THE WORLD’S BIGGEST TEA PARTY.
* You’re my pretty pony.

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

ARIA.
* First DVD of the 1987 movie directed by ten talented directors featuring vignettes set to opera music.

THE COLOR PURPLE.
* First DVD of the Spielberg adaptation of the Alice Walker book (which was amazing also) starring Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg and featuring the terrific acting debut of Oprah Winfrey.

............//BLU-RAY NEW ADDITIONS//............

BASIC INSTINCT.
* Sexy Sharon Stone film, on hi-def!

CJ7.
* Freaky family sci-fi film in the vein of GREMLINS.

COOL HAND LUKE.
* Awesome Paul Newman fim.

DIRTY DANCING.
* Patrick Swayze boogieing down with Jennifer Grey.

EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE.
* Did, like, every tough actor in the 70’s make a movie with a monkey? This is Clint Eastwood’s turn, and to be fair, it is actually an orangutan. Maybe this would be a great companion piece with ORANGUTAN ISLAND?

JERRY MAGUIRE.
* Tom Cruise, as the money grabbing sports agent.

KING OF NEW YORK.
* Intense Christopher Walken film also starring Laurence Fishburne and what the hell, Wesley Snipes, too.

RESEVOIR DOGS.
* The first, and perhaps best, of Quentin Tarantino’s feature films.

ROBOTECH: SHADOW CHRONICLES.
* Freaky animated sci-fi that I got just to beef up the Blu-ray anime collection.

STARSHIP TROOPERS.
* The original space war satire. “Service Guarantee’s Citizenship!”

............//REPLACMENT DISCS//............

KILL YOUR IDOLS.
* Replacement disc of the terrific documentary on the NYC alternative rock scene.

****

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