THIS FRIDAY, Oct 3rd: come watch the classic 80’s film BACK TO THE FUTURE starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Crispin Glover at 8pm in our backyard screening patio. This is another great one for a family date! Doors open at 7:45pm. Soda/Candy $1. Suggested donation $5. Popcorn is free!
IRON MAN starring Robert Downey Jr. is here! This superfun romp is really quite awesome. I think the winter blockbuster season is officially kicked off. Jason Segel is Peter Bretter, a loserish soundtrack composer on a crime television series who is trying to get over his breakup with the show’s star, Sarah Marshall in FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. This is another Judd Apatow production and I think there is something deep about this team. They make goofy little comedies (KNOCKED UP, SUPERBAD, 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN), but they seem to have an agenda that they are slowly pushing a bit more each film. This one was written by the star, Segel, and it made me laugh a bunch.
Also out this week is BEAUFORT, which was another Oscar-nominated foreign-language film in 2007. There are bunches of other good looking foreign films (FAR NORTH, THE GOOD BOY, I DREAMT UNDER WATER, JELLYFISH, KENNY) as well as some important documentaries (TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, BIGGER STRONGER FASTER) this week. And lots of new additions, Blu-ray and otherwise. Thanks to David W. who brought six films to our attention recently, three of which are new additions this week (ROUND MIDNIGHT, EL ULTIMO TREN, A PLACE IN THE WORLD).
Some of you may know that last month Valentina Picasso of the restaurant Valentina’s on Cortland Avenue was suddenly stricken with serious illness. There will be a fundraiser at the restaurant for her on October 19th between 2 and 6pm. There is information about it here. http://www.valentinaristorantesf.com/community.php
Best,
Ken
............//NEW RELEASES//............
AKI KAURISMAKI’S PROLETARIAT TRILOGY.
THE MATCH FACTORY GIRL, SHADOWS IN PARADISE and ARIEL.
Drama/Comedy/Foreign (Finnish).
Directed by Aki Kaurismaki.
* These three films from 1986-1990 are depressingly sad comedies about hard living, lawlessness and the whimsical forces of fate.
AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON.
Drama/Criterion/Foreign (Japanese).
Chishu Ryu.
Directed by Yasujiro Ozu.
* Another Ozu Criterion release, this one follows a widower who arranges a marriage for his 24 year old daughter.
BEAUFORT.
Action/Drama/War/Foreign (Hebrew).
Oshri Cohen.
Directed by Joseph Cedar.
* Nominated for the 2007 Best Foreign Film award (which went to THE COUNTERFEITERS) this film is about an Israeli soldier in a troop stationed in Lebanon in 2000. It is a film about retreat and safety and the futility of war.
FAR NORTH.
Drama.
Michelle Yeoh/Michelle Krusiec/Sean Bean.
Directed by Asif Kapadia.
* Character study about two outcast women living in the, uh, ahem, far north whose existence is thrown into turmoil by the arrival of a soldier.
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL.****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****
Comedy.
Jason Segel/Kristen Bell/Mila Kunis/Bill Hader/Jonah Hill/Russell Brand.
Directed by Nick Stoller.
* From the Apatow gang comes this comedy that I keep wanting to call FORGETTING SARAH SILVERMAN. Why? I don’t know. Oh, well, that’s neither what it’s called nor what it’s about. It is about a guy named Peter (Segel) who is still a little boy regardless of the fact that he has grown up. It takes the loss of his hottie actress girlfriend (Bell) to alert him to his emotional immaturity and as part of the healing process he takes a Hawaiian vacation. Unfortunately, Sarah is taking a Hawaiian vacation with her new rock star boyfriend (Brand, in a show-stealing performance) to the same resort.
THE GOOD BOY.
Drama/Foreign (Spanish).
Alex Gonzalez/Dario Grandinetti.
Directed by Daniel Cebrian.
* Indie film that won some awards on the circuit about a young boxer whose life is a shambles and is trying to resist the temptation to turn to crime.
I DREAMT UNDER THE WATER.
Drama/LGBT/Foreign (French).
Hubert Benhamdine/Caroline Ducey.
Directed by Hormoz.
* I can not find much info about this film from France, but the director originally made it as a short in 2005 and just finished it as a feature, so kudos to him, right?
IRON MAN.****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****
Comic Book/Adventure/Sci-Fi.
Robert Downey Jr./Gwyneth Paltrow/Jeff Bridges/Terrence Howard.
Directed by Jon Favreau.
* It just seems like Robert Downey Jr. is entering his Godfather period. Much like Bill Murray, he is settling into himself and that is being heavily reflected in his films. IRON MAN is one of the better Comic book movies ever made. It is about Tony Stark an arms dealer (and genius engineer) who, after sustaining bad wounds in an abduction by terrorists who want him to build them a missile, builds a suit of armor to escape their clutches. The story is relatively simple and the characters are familiar; there is the misguided employee, the cute secretary, and varying government stooges. However, the film is held together by the extreme cool of Mr. Stark as portrayed by the seemingly extremely cool Robert Downey Jr. And on top of all that, Black Sabbath’s raucously over the top tune Iron Man is brilliantly utilized. How bout that?
JELLYFISH.
Drama/Foreign (Hebrew).
Sarah Adler/Nikol Leidman/Gera Sandler.
Directed by Shira Geffen and Etgar Keret.
* Lovely film about three women and life’s gentle sways that cause their trials and tribulations.
KENNY.
Comedy/Mockumentary/Foreign (Australia).
Shane Jacobsen/Jesse Jacobsen/Ronald Jacobsen.
Directed by Clayton Jacobsen.
* He’s the porta-potty guy. Seriously. No matter how much of a struggle life is, he shows up and deals with the portable toilets of the world. Kenny rocks.
LEWIS BLACK’S ROOT OF ALL EVIL.
Comedy/Stand-up.
REST STOP: DON’T LOOK BACK.
Horror.
Diane Salinger/Gary Entin/Richard Tillman.
Directed by Shawn Papazian.
............//DOCUMENTARY//............
BIGGER STRONGER FASTER.
Documentary.
Directed by Christopher Bell.
* Informative and entertaining education about steroid use in our society. Director Bell follows his two brothers deeply into the world of steroid enhanced body building.
CSNY: DEJA VU.
Rock-Doc.
Directed by Neil Young.
TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE.
Documentary.
Directed by Alex Gibney.
* Doc exploring the policies of the US military in relation to the Afghanistan (and Iraq) conflicts focusing on a young taxi driver that was tortured and killed in captivity.
WHEN WE LEFT EARTH.****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****
Nature Doc.
Narrated by Gary Sinise.
* Visual and intellectual view of the US Space program.
............//TELEVISION//............
CLICK & CLACKS: AS THE WRENCH TURNS.
Television/Comedy.
Ray Magliozzi/Tom Magliozzi.
*Animated version of the awesome talk-radio show featuring Ray and Tom, two rascally Bostonians giving auto repair advice and sharing these hysterical sense of humor.
EDWARD THE KING.
Biopic.
Annette Crosbie/Timothy West.
* 1975 Emmy-winning television mini-series.
............//FAMILY//............
HARRY THE DIRTY DOG: AND MORE PLAYFUL PUPPY STORIES.
* Six doggy tales.
SESAME STREET: ABBY IN WONDERLAND.
............// NEW ADDITIONS//............
A PLACE IN THE WORLD.
* Very highly regarded Argentinean film about a family living in voluntary exile from Buenos Aires in a remote valley whose peaceful existence is threatened by the possibility of a hydro-electric dam that would render the valley uninhabitable.
ROUND MIDNIGHT.
Drama/Music/Foreign (French and English).
Directed by Bertrand Tavernier.
* A fictional portrait of an aging Jazz musician.
EL ULTIMO TREN.
Adventure/Comedy/Action/Drama/Foreign (Spanish).
Directed by Diego Arsuaga
* Some older fans of a local steam train go out on a major limb to save it from being sold to Hollywood.
THE WOMEN.
* Original 1939 movie (remake is in the theatres now) starring Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer.
............//BLU-RAY NEW ADDITIONS//............
BULLITT.
* The quintessential car chase movie, and I believe the chase starts in Bernal Heights!
ENTER THE DRAGON.
* Terrific Bruce Lee fare.
FEARLESS PLANET.
* Discovery Channel show about the wonders of our fine Earth.
40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN.
* Perhaps Steve Carell’s finest role?
KILL BILL: VOL 1 AND 2.
* Gore-fest from Tarantino.
KNOCKED UP.
* Seth Rogen at his goofiest.
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL.
* So good.
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS.
* Tim Burton’s freaky animation classic.
THE OMEGA MAN.
* 1971 Charlton Heston version of the I AM LEGEND tale.
PAN’S LABYRINTH.
* Guillermo del Toro’s masterpiece.
THE PRESTIGE.
* Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Christiane Bale...
............//REPLACMENT DISCS//............
GODFATHER 3.
****
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