****new release list no.256

My gosh, I missed the blog last week! I am sorry about that. It was two of those weekends all crammed into one. There were great films that came in, highlighted by BLACK DYNAMITE which is a brilliant homage to the blaxsploitation films of yesteryear. Two other films from last week that got a lot of buzz were HUNGER by Steve McQueen about the final weeks of the life of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, and GOOD HAIR, a documentary narrated by Chris Rock about African-American hairstyles.

This week we have a myriad of indie films, some big Hollywood films and a nice batch of documentaries as well. The indie films (ALEXANDER (THE LAST), SWEDISH AUTO, LOVE CONQUERS PAUL) tend to be about loner types trying to bridge the gap between desiring love and sharing it. They tend also to be hit or miss, but I watch so many of them looking for that big hit. The jury is out on these.

Matt Damon stars in THE INFORMANT! a new film by Steven Soderbergh. Dark and richly comedic, Damon plays a man cooperating with the FBI on a price-fixing investigation. In MOTHERHOOD, Uma Thurman gives us an example of a challenging parental day. If you are a parent, you may either relate to this as so many days you’ve experienced, or not want to watch someone else’s misery. If you are not a parent – this movie may serve as good birth control! In EVERYBODY’S FINE, everybody is NOT fine. That may be the point, as Robert De Niro finds out.

BLOOD ON THE FLAT TRACKS picks up where WHIP IT left off. This film is a documentary about the renaissance that roller derby is enjoying and tracks its history and the super women who are involved. THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE is a doc about the 2007 September issue of Vogue magazine, and the crazy amount of work that went into it. There are several other fashion related things out this week, such as ELEVEN MINUTES, a doc about a French designer’s first runway show, and PROJECT RUNWAY, the popular television show.

Speaking of television, NURSE JACKIE is here! This is Edie Falco’s (The Soprano’s) new show about a drug addicted nurse in a rundown hospital in New York. Falco is as charismatic as ever. Also out from the small screen is INSPECTOR LEWIS, a new crime series from the UK, as well as SET 14 of THE MIDSOMER MURDERS, and a super freaky weird animated show called SUPERJAIL! that looks like it is only for those of you with very odd taste.

Out in the world, I feel the spring trying to break in, and I am excited! Let your passion for life overwhelm you today! Take a surprising walk for ten minutes, smile at a stranger. All we have is this moment, how weird is that?

Oh, by the way, NOISEPOP 2010 is here, and I am going to see my wife, Amy, play with her choir CONSPIRACY OF VENUS at the Swedish American Music Hall above Café DuNord as the opening act for John Vanderslice this very Friday night. Won’t some of you join me? Buy tix here.

Alrighty then, see you down at the store.

Love and Kisses,
Ken

******************************************************************************
KenFlix - the only Independent Monthly Subscription Film Renting Service in SF
If you are going to make a monthly commitment, make it a local one.
No due dates. No late fees.

ESUB -One Movie at a time – Three movies total – $9.99 + Tax/Month
1SUB - One Movie at a time – Unlimited exchange – $18.99 + Tax/Month
3SUB - Three Movies at a time – Unlimited exchange – $24.99 + Tax/Month
4SUB - Four Movies at a time – Unlimited exchange – $32.99 + Tax/Month
******************************************************************************

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

ALEXANDER (THE LAST).
Drama/Romance/Mumblecore.
Jess Weixler/Justin Rice/Josh Hamilton.
Directed by Joe Swanberg.
* This indie explores the relationship between a married stage actor and her co-star as they struggle to maintain the line between their imaginary relationship and their real one.

THE BOX (2009).****BD****
Sci-Fi/Suspense.
Cameron Diaz/James Marsden/Frank Langella.
Directed by Richard Kelly.
* Thriller about a couple who receive a box with the knowledge that if they open it a stranger will die and they will receive a million dollars. What…will…they…do!

BREAKFAST WITH SCOT.
Drama/Family/Music/Romance/LGBT.
Noah Bernett/Thomas Cavanagh.
Directed by Laurie Lynd.
* Heartwarming film about a gay couple who become the guardian’s for an eleven-year-old boy whose mother has died of an overdose. The guys never wanted kids but fall in love with this little charmer.

THE DAMNED UNITED.****BD****
Drama/Sports.
Michael Sheen/Jim Broadbent/Timothy Spall.
Directed by Tom Hooper.
* This film follows Brian Clough through his 44-day tenure as manager of the Leeds United football team (that’s soccer to you Americans). His time there was marked by one battle after another between Clough and the players and Clough and the management. He came into the job with a chip on his shoulder and a strong feeling of disrespect for the dirty style of play the previous manager had condoned. His hope was to change things up and teach a more technical style of play…

EVERYBODY’S FINE.
Drama/Comedy.
Robert De Niro/Drew Barrymore/Kate Beckinsale/Sam Rockwell/Melissa Leo.
Directed by Kirk Jones.
*When Frank Goode (De Niro) realizes that his wife was the conduit for his relationships with all his children, he sets out on a cross country journey to visit the adult kids and try to connect with them.

HOWARD’S END.
Criterion/Drama.
Anthony Hopkins/Emma Thompson/Vanessa Redgrave/Helena Bonham Carter.
Directed by James Ivory.
* This 1992 film won 3 Oscars (and was nominated for 6 others). It concerns class relations in England at the turn of the last century. Shot and acted beautifully, this film is one of the classics.

THE INFORMANT!
Comedy/Crime.
Matt Damon/Scott Bakula/Patten Oswalt.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh.
*A dark comedy about one of the first big whistle-blowing cases in American history It is the tale of Mark Whitacre (Damon, who evidently gained 30+ pounds to play this role), a super educated executive working for a agri-business company who alerts the FBI (at the strong bequest of his wife) about a price –fixing arrangement that his company was taking part in. Whitacre, who was later found to have bi-polar disease, gets very into his job as an informant, and goes way beyond the call of duty, which is a large part of the tragicomedy appeal of this tale.

LO.
Comedy/Horror/Romance.
Directed by Travis Betz.
* Very strange and well-received indie horror film about a couple who are dealing with demon kidnappings, among other challenges.

LOVE CONQUERS PAUL.
Comedy/Drama/Romance.
Brendan Bradley/Peter Riegert/Elizabeth Wood.
Directed by Colin Bannon.
* Sweet and odd indie about a loner who films people to learn about them and then have an edge when he meets them.

MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW.
Criterion/Drama.
Victor Moore/Beulah Bondi.
Directed by Leo McCarey.
* 1937 film about an elderly couple who loses their house and must move in with their adult children’s families. Unfortunately, they must move into separate houses, as none of their 5 children will take them both.

MOTHERHOOD.
Comedy.
Uma Thurman/Minnie Driver/Anthony Edwards.
Directed by Katherine Dieckmann.
* A day in the hellish life of an upwardly mobile mother of two in Manhattan on the day of her child’s 6th birthday party. Ha ha!

PARIS.
Comedy/Drama/Foreign (French).
Juliette Binoche/Romain Duris/Melanie Durant.
Directed by Cedric Klapisch.
* Paris is the link between the lonely people in this tale. Pierre, the main character, is suffering from a heart condition that may kill him. While waiting for his transplant, he spends his time looking out over his beautiful city and watching its beautiful people.

ROAD OF NO RETURN.
Action/Drama/Comedy.
Michael Madsen/David Carradine.
Directed by Parviz Saghizadeh.
* Four hitmen are brought together for an operation involving drug trafficking. Will any of them survive? You tell me.

SWEDISH AUTO.
Drama.
Lukas Haas/January Jones.
Directed by Derek Sieg.
* Another indie out this week about a voyeuristic young man barely taking part in his own life.

THREE BLIND MICE.
Comedy/Drama.
Ewen Leslie/Toby Schmitz.
Directed by Matthew Newton.
* Three Australian naval officers have one final night of partying in Sydney before being shipped off to war in the Gulf.

TRAILER PARK BOYS 2: COUNTDOWN TO LIQUOR DAY.
Comedy.
Directed by Mike Clattenburg.
* Breaking the law, breaking the law.

THE VAMPIRE’S ASSISTANT: CIRQUE DU FREAK.****BD****
Comedy/Horror/Adventure.
John C. Reilly/Salma Hayek/Josh Hutcherson/Willem Dafoe.
Directed by Paul Weitz.
* Based on a popular series of kids books by Darren Shan (also the main character’s name) about a teenager who meets a vampire and gets sucked into his reality (yeah, I guess the pun is intended).

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

BLOOD ON THE FLAT TRACK.
Doc/Action/Sports.
Directed by Lainy Bagwell and Lacey Leavitt.
* Dudes, did you see WHIP IT? I am telling you, the roller derby thing is for real! There are now over 30 leagues around the country, including the Bay Area. This doc gets inside the comeback of roller derby and its broad appeal.

ELEVEN MINUTES.
Documentary/Fashion.
Directed by Michael Selditch and Robert Tate.
* This high-fashion doc follows designer Jay McCarroll as he prepares for his first runway show.

THE END OF THE LINE.
Documentary/Nature.
Directed by Rupert Murray.
Narrated by Ted Danson.
* This story examines how overfishing is destroying the ecosystems of our oceans and seas.

EXAMINED LIFE.
Documentary/Philosophy.
Directed by Astra Taylor.
* Engaging doc attempting to make the discussion of philosophy less academic and more about real-life scenarios.

THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE (SPECIAL EDITION).
Documentary/Fashion.
Directed by R.J. Cutler.
* From the imdb: The September 2007 issue of Vogue magazine weighed nearly five pounds, and was the single largest issue of a magazine ever published. With unprecedented access, this film tells the story of legendary Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and her larger-than-life team of editors creating the issue and ruling the world of fashion.

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

INSPECTOR LEWIS: COMPLETE SET PILOT, SERIES 1 & 2.
Mystery/Crime.
* Another British crime mystery series. They seem to make these shows so well somehow.

MIDSOMER MURDERS (SET 14).
Mystery/Crime.
* More murderous malcontent manslaughtering mayhem in marvelous Midsomer County .

NURSE JACKIE: SEASON ONE.
Comedy.
Edie Falco.
* Is it me, or does Showtime just poach their favorite stars of HBO shows and set them up with their own thing? In this, Falco (Carmela, from THE SOPRANOS) is Nurse Jackie, a solid nurse in a St. Luke’s style run-down hospital in the NYC. Jackie is best buds with the hottie doctor and the gay nurse and is always there to lend a helpful hand to the sad people who end up visiting the hospital on what she thinks of as “the worst day of their lives”. She is also a pill-popping junkie who takes off her wedding ring every morning to continue to fool the administrator who she sleeps with at the hospital into thinking they are a couple so that he will continue to supply her with drugs. Meanwhile, she has two lovable daughters and a cute husband who is working hard to make his bar a success. The real question is what’s wrong with Nurse Jackie? Why is she such a total liar? Not sure yet, as I’ve seen only the first three episodes, but I’m hooked, just like Jacks.

PROJECT RUNWAY: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON.
Someone’s Reality.
Heidi Klum.
* Oooooh, fashion. Heidi ain’t got nothing on David Bowie.

SUPERJAIL! SEASON ONE.
Animation/Comedy/Crime.
Directed by Christy Karacas.
* Crazy, gory, violent, demented, desensitized, wacked out animation about a psychotic jail filled with thousands of people and a uber freak warden who runs the show.

TAGGART: SET 2.
Crime.
* Set in Glasgow, I think this is the longest running cop show ever.

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

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS.

LEGO: ADVENTURES OF CLUTCH POWERS.

............//NEW ON BLU/............

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND: 30th ANNIVERSARY ULTIMATE EDITION.
* Steven Spielbergs’s classic starring Richard Dreyfuss and Teri Garr. I watched this again recently and was totally hypnotized by the story.

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

KUSH.
Directed by York Shackleton..

LA BAMBA.
* First DVD of the story of Ritchie Valen's life and death starring Lou Diamond Phillips.

............//REPLACEMENT COPIES/............

DEATH TO SMOOCHY.
* Pretty weird and funny dark comedy starring Robin Williams, Edward Norton, Catherine Keener and Jon Stewart and directed by Danny DeVito .


SIGNS (VISTA EDITION).
* Mel Gibson was the star of this M. Night Shyamalan film.

****

And here is a very large and long list of movies from last week, in alphabetical order with few, if any comments.

****Feature films, domestic, foreign, documentary, etc****

20th CENTURY BOYS 2: THE LAST HOPE.
BLACK DYNAMITE (ALSO ON BD). – Brilliant!!!!
COCO BEFORE CHANEL (ALSO ON BD).
CONTEMPT (BD).
GOOD HAIR (Doc).
GOODFELLAS (BD).
HUNGER (Criterion - Doc).
LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (ALSO ON BD).
LOLA MONTES (Criterion).
PROFUMO DI DONNA (Italian).
RAN (BD, Japanese).
REVANCHE (Criterion, German & Russian).
SPLINTERHEADS.
THE SECRET POLICEMAN’S PRIVATE PARTY.
WOMEN IN TROUBLE.

****Kids Stuff****

6 TEEN SNOW JOB.
BUGS BUNNY’S EASTER FUNNIES.
THE FIRST EASTER RABBIT.
HALO LEGENDS.
HOT WHEELS BATTLE FORCE 5.
SCOOBY-DOO! ABRACADABRA – DOO! .
THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER MAN – VOLUME 6.
THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER MAN – VOLUME 7.
WOW WOW WUBBZY – GO FOR GOLD.
ZORRO AND SCARLET WHIP REVEALED!

****new release list no. 255

Oy gevalt, so many movies this week – I feel like a meshuggina, because I’ve seen so few, yet it is only because I wanted to be a mensch, and spend time with my family, what with Trudy’s 5th birthday and all – and also, how would I forget, the Schuper Bowl! Seems like a big schlep to Florida for a lot of chullabaloo, if you ask me. And all the kvetching about the penalties? Then again, my team? Not there, so there you go.

Ah, but the film I saw? A SERIOUS MAN, from the fabulous Coen Brothers, Ethan and that other one. A polarizing movie, I had heard. Might need to be Jewish to enjoy, I read. The most depressing movie of 2009, I had been informed. For me? Meh. Now, the truth it should be told, Jewish I am, and quite a serious man myself (as anyone who knows me knows with certainty). So perhaps my opinion cholds little water, (for this I spend so much time writing this blog?), but I don’t recall needing to be black to understand BOYZ N THE HOOD, I didn’t need to be German to be awestruck by THE LIVES OF OTHERS…did I need to be Canadian to get THE ADVENTURES OF BOB AND DOUG MCKENZIE? Okay, maybe I did. And maybe I wasn’t. And maybe I didn’t get it. Still and all, for all you serious people out there, trying to understand not that “shit happens” but more “why does this shit always happen to me?”, I think, perhaps, you will find that A SERIOUS MAN is quite a funny movie, similar in fact to the dark genius of BARTON FINK, but perhaps more like BARTON FINKELMAN, or some such like that. Is it depressing? Bissel, bissela… It’s not total bobbemyseh, but to call it that would perhaps be missing the artists fercockt point. Anyway, the talent of the Coen Brothers (ahf mir gezogt! Right?) is on full display in this serious film, with deep and nearly hidden comedic undertones.

Fershtay?

Last call on this blog to invite you to the Grand Opening party for Succulence. This coming Saturday, Feb 13th, from 4pm to 8pm, snacks (including some sneak previews of Succulence products coming soon), music (Ralph Carney, of course) and revelry into the evening. Please come. Also, all weekend, from Friday through Monday we will be having a Grand Opening sale with 10% off everything in the store. Would you like to be on the Succulence email list? Send an email to thesucculence@gmail.com.

Alrighty then, see you down at the store.

Love and Kisses,
Ken

******************************************************************************
KenFlix - the only Independent Monthly Subscription Film Renting Service in SF
If you are going to make a monthly commitment, make it a local one.
No due dates. No late fees.

ESUB -One Movie at a time – Three movies total – $9.99 + Tax/Month
1SUB - One Movie at a time – Unlimited exchange – $18.99 + Tax/Month
3SUB - Three Movies at a time – Unlimited exchange – $24.99 + Tax/Month
4SUB - Four Movies at a time – Unlimited exchange – $32.99 + Tax/Month
******************************************************************************

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

BAD GIRLS OF FILM NOIR: VOLUMES 1 and 2.
Film Noir.
Lizabeth Scott/Gloria Grahame/ Evelyn Keyes/ Cleo Moore/Audrey Totter/Jan Sterling/Ida Lupino/Janis Carter.
* There are four film apiece in these collections…on Volume 1 are THE KILLER THAT STALKED NEW YORK, TWO OF A KIND, BAD FOR EACH OTHER and THE GLASS WALL. Number 2 features NIGHT EDITOR, ONE GIRL’S CONFESSION, WOMEN’S PRISON and OVER-EXPOSED.

BRONSON.****ALSO ON BD****
Action.
Tom Hardy/Matt King/Amanda Burton.
Directed by Nicolas Refn.
* This fascination independent film from Britain was nominated for the Grand Jury award at Sundance, among other accolades. It is the ultra-violent story of a young man whose desire to become the most violent criminal in Britain was only barely supplanted by his desire to become a real life Charles Bronson. This very strange story is based on the real life tale of this guy who has spent something like 34 years in jail at this point, with about 30 of them being in solitary confinement!

COUPLES RETREAT.****ALSO ON BD****
Comedy.
Vince Vaughn/Jason Bateman/Jon Favreau/Malik Akerman/Kristen Bell/Kristin Davis.
Directed by Peter Billingsley.
* Goofy box office hit about four couples who end up at a tropical paradise vacation which is actually a couple counseling retreat. Whoop whoop! Stir up the Pina Colada’s or would we rather get lost in Margaritaville? I know…it’s my own damn fault.

EMMA (2009).
Drama/Comedy/Romance.
Romola Garai/Jonny Lee Miller.
* Another Austen adaptation, and from the reviews online, it looks like they did a great job.

ENDGAME.
Drama /Suspense/History.
Chewitol Ejiofor/Jonny Lee Miller/William Hurt.
Directed by Pete Travis.
* Golden-Globe nominated film about the secret and tense negotiations that brought the end of Apartheid in South Africa.

FREESTYLE.
Drama/Family.
Corbin Bleu/Madison Pettis/Penelope Miller.
Directed by William Dear.
* The Disney star with the tasty name gets out from his HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL trappings and stars in a film! Yes, Mr Bleu plays Cale Bryant (mmm, Kale and blue cheese – where the hell did that come from?) an aspiring motorcycle racer who is hoping to win a spot on the national team.

HARDWARE WARS.
Sci-Fi/Comedy/Indie.
Directed by Ernie Fosselius.
* Brilliant 70’s era Star Wars parody. Did anyone see THUMB WARS?

I CAN’T THINK STRAIGHT.
Drama/Romance/LGBT.
Lisa Ray/Sheetal Sheth
Directed by Shamim Sarif.
* A young Muslim woman getting prepared to marry discovers she is gay.

I HATE VALENTINE’S DAY.
Comedy/Romance.
Nia Vadalos/John Corbett.
Directed by.
* A woman who is basically anti-relationship discovers she’s falling in love and doesn’t know what to do. So she kills him – psyche! Nah, she doesn't kill him, I think probably she marries him...but you'll have to watch to know for certain.

MY ONE AND ONLY.
Comedy/Drama.
Renee Zellwegger/Chris Noth/Kevin Bacon.
Directed by Richard Loncraine.
* Unusually yet mainstream road film about a wealthy woman in the 30’s who walks out on her cheating husband and hits the highways with her two sons traveling across the country in search of another rich man capable of taking care of them.

PETER AND VANDY.
Romance.
Jess Weixler/Jason Ritter.
Directed by Jay DiPietro.
* This romantic film tries to show how a couple’s relationship has become tired and boring by flipping around through time and showing them during different times and challenges.

THE PLEASURE OF BEING ROBBED.
Comedy/Drama.
Eleonore Hendricks.
Directed by Joshua Safdie.
* Slow and awkward comedy about a petty thief and the relationships she gets into, and out of.

A SERIOUS MAN.****ALSO ON BD****
Drama/Perhaps Comedy (to some).
Michael Stuhlbarg/Richard Kind/Sari Lennick.
Directed by Ethan Coen and his brother.
* This dark Jobian comedy centers around Larry Gopnik, a Jewish professor in Minnesota in the late 1960’s whose life is falling apart, one page of the Torah at a time. This movie is pretty awesome, even if you're not Jewish.

SERIOUS MOONLIGHT.****ALSO ON BD****
Comedy/Crime.
Meg Ryan/Timothy Hutton/Kristen Bell/Justin Long.
Directed by Cheryl Hines.
* Actress Cheryl Hines makes her feature film directorial debut with this loving comedy about an attorney who, in a fit of rage, duct tapes her philandering husband to a toilet right before their house is invaded by crooks.

THE SONG OF SPARROWS.
Drama/Foreign (Persian).
Mohammad Amir Naji.
Directed by Magid Magidi.
* From the director of THE WILLOW TREE comes this story of an ostrich farmer who leaves his farm in rural Iran to go to the big city to find a replacement hearing aid for his daughter. In Tehran, he is a fish out of water, and must struggle to maintain his equilibrium.

THE STEPFATHER (2009.
Horror.
Penn Badgley/Dylan Walsh.
Directed by Nelson McCormick.
* A bit of a twist on the old “my stepfather is so mean” storyline – this guy is beyond mean, he’s a killer! The nightmarish tale this remake is based on actually happened in my hometown at a house that I later delivered newspapers to.

THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE.****ALSO ON BD****
Drama/Romance/Sci-Fi.
Eric Bana/Rachel McAdams.
Directed by Robert Schwentke.
* It’s hard to be in a relationship. Making decisions together, scheduling events, getting along…it can be a challenge. And even more so when your partner’s rare genetic disorder sends him hurtling through time and space randomly and without warning. Based on the very popular novel by Audrey Niffenegger, this is a different kind of romance story than the standard fare.

XIII.****ALSO ON BD****
Action/Crime/Mystery/Thriller.
Val Kilmer/Stephen Dorff/Jessalyn Gilsig.
Directed by Duane Clark.
* Based on a graphic novel, this originally aired as a tv mini-series. The story follows a mysterious appearance of a wounded man in a tree who cannot remember who he is, or what he is doing there. He is marked with a tattoo that says “XIII” and that is his only clue. Unfortunately for him, secret security forces think he may be the person who assassinated the first female president several months earlier, and quite soon he must fight to escape and then try to discover the truth in his identity while on the run from seemingly everyone.

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

BIZARRE DINOSAURS.
Nature Documentary.
National Geographic.
Directed by Jenny Kubo.

CLIMBING REDWOOD GIANTS.
Nature Documentary.
National Geographic.
* Are you as fascinated by Redwoods as I am? They are so amazing, beautiful and enormous. The tops are said to be things of wonder, worlds unto themselves, and the articles I’ve read of the people who climb them have described something out of a fantasy movie.

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

ANTHONY BOURDAIN: NO RESERVATIONS.
Food/Hilarity.
* Emmy-award winning food show about maverick Anthony Bourdain, traveling around the world and eating a bit here and there.

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF TIM: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON.
Animation/Comedy.
Steve Dildarian/M.J. Otto.
* Droll and situational comedy series that we’ve been hearing about for over a year. Season two is just getting started and finally the first season comes to DVD – tell me if you like it!

THE SARAH SILVERMAN PROGRAM: VOLUME 2.
Comedy.
* Potty-mouthed comedy shtick.

SECOND SIGHT: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION.
Drama/Television.
Clive Owen/Claire Skinner.
* British detective series about an investigator who is losing his sight during a challenging murder case.

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

CURIOUS GEORGE MAKES NEW FRIENDS.

LITTLE EINSTEINS: ANIMAL EXPEDITION.

MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE: MINNIE’S BOW-TIQUE.

THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR – OPERATION: DVD PREMIER.

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

PINK FLOYD’S THE WALL: 25th ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION.
Rock/Animation/Psychedlia.
Bob Geldof.
* I remember the first time I watched this, I was in a friend’s house, we were teenagers, and, ahem, experimenting with things, and as I watched I became quite worried that it was overwhelming obvious to his parents just how, ahem, experimental we had been. I think my mind expanded that day; later, it contracted.

****

*****new release no.254

Some very interesting movies out this week, such as ZOMBIELAND, a comedy about a few people struggling to survive the zombie’s that have taken over the earth – can you relate!!?? Starring Woody Harrelson, Jessie Eisenberg and Abigail Breslin.

Also out this week is AMELIA, the fictobiopic about the iconic pilot, Amelia Earhart starring Hilary Swank, Richard Gere and Ewan McGregor.

COLD SOULS is the story of Paul Giamatti (played by Paul Giamatti) an actor who decides to have his soul extracted to deal with the anxiety of opening a new play. His plans to re-install the thing are thrown into turmoil when his soul is hijacked and sent to Russia to be put in a crummy soap opera actress.

A couple foreign films of note this week are AS IT IS IN HEAVEN a Swedish film about a conductor retiring to his hometown, VANISHED EMPIRE – a tale of 70’s era Moscow and ONG BAK 2, a Thai martial arts film featuring Tony Jaa. Jaa, I said Jaa.

In the back at SUCCULENCE we are planning a big Grand Opening party on Saturday, Feb 13th from 4pm until we are ready to call it quits. That whole weekend from Friday-Monday will be a 10% Opening weekend sale on everything from plants to planters and household supplies including solar lighting and gorgeous metal art, so come and get a jump on your spring garden at Bernal’s newest arthouse nursery. We will have food and music and beverages and best of all, it will all be free to you! Hope to see you there!

Alrighty then, see you down at the store.

Love and Kisses,
Ken

******************************************************************************
KenFlix - the only Independent Monthly Subscription Film Renting Service in SF
If you are going to make a monthly commitment, make it a local one.
No due dates. No late fees.

ESUB -One Movie at a time – Three movies total – $9.99 + Tax/Month
1SUB - One Movie at a time – Unlimited exchange – $18.99 + Tax/Month
3SUB - Three Movies at a time – Unlimited exchange – $24.99 + Tax/Month
4SUB - Four Movies at a time – Unlimited exchange – $32.99 + Tax/Month
******************************************************************************

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

AMELIA.****ALSO ON BD****
Drama/Suspense.
Hilary Swank/Richard Gere/Ewan McGregor.
Directed by Mira Nair.
* Hilary never looks quite as good as Amy Adams did while playing Amelia in NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2, and her blond hair never really sat right with me, yet I did believe the story of this woman, this eventual icon, who was driven by her own deep desires to fly high, up in the clouds, amongst the birds and the thunderstorms, over mountains, and ravines and eventually oceans, with few passengers or none. This telling of her story focuses a bit on her marriage to George Putnam (Gere, a little challenging to look at in his later years), her financing sugar daddy, and her affair with Gene Vidal (McGregor – do you realize how much like Jason Bateman he can look?), and it shows how she became one of the preeminent pitch people in the 30’s, hawking product after product in a rush to gather money to finance her flights. The tale is slow, but the air scenes are excellent and the drive of this pilot is visceral. Would she have become as iconic if she had lived? Maybe not, but it’s hard to say, after all, if she had lived, her star would have shined brighter than ever.

AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.
Drama/Music/Romance/Foreign (Swedish/English/Italian).
Michael Nyqvist/Frida Hallgren/Helen Sjoholm.
Directed by Kay Pollack.
* An internationally acclaimed musical conductor retires abruptly back to his hometown in Sweden, where his childhood was miserable and isolated. There, he is asked to become the church choir director, and his musical genius causes the choir to bloom. Nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 2005.

COLD SOULS.
Comedy/Drama.
Paul Giamatti/Emily Watson/Lauren Ambrose.
Directed by Sophie Barthes.
* The somewhat true story of Paul Giamatti (Paul Giamatti) follows the actor through an anxious and neurotic period preparing for the opening of a play. Being Paul Giamatti proves challenging, so challenging in fact, that when Paul (Paul) here’s about a new procedure of extracting and storing souls, he signs up, thinking that he will reinstall the thing after the performance. Oh, but Paul doesn’t know yet that his soul has been stolen and soon he has delved into the seedy world of soul-trafficking as he tracks his very soul to Russia, St. Petersburg to be exact, where his soul is ticketed for a soap opera actress. This dark and moody comedy was nominated for the Grand Jury prize at Sundance in 2009.

THE EVELYN WAUGH COLLECTION.
Drama/Romance/Comedy/Disintegration.
Kristin Scott Thomas/Angelica Huston/Judi Dench.
Directed by Charles Sturridge and Gavin Millar.
* This collection features two films made from Evelyn Waugh books, A HANDFUL OF DUST and SCOOP. Waugh’s particularly desolate brand of humor and cynicism is bleak and hysterical, and his stories often show a few minor mishaps become full blown disasters.

LOVE HAPPENS.
Drama/Romance.
Jennifer Aniston/Aaron Eckhart/Dan Fogler/Judy Greer.
Directed by Brandon Camp.
* This sentimental film is about grief, and coming to terms with loss. Eckhart plays a man who has become somewhat famous after writing a book about getting over his wife’s death. When Eloise (Aniston) comes into his life, though he feels the attraction, he also realizes that now he must face the true pain at the root of his heart.

MR. RIGHT.
Comedy/Romance.
James Lance/Luke de Woolfson
Directed by David Morris and Jacqui Morris.
* A glance at a community of men looking to find love and companionship and something more than Mr. Right Now.

NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU.****ALSO ON BD****
Comedy/Drama/Romance.
Natalie Portman/Shia LaBeouf/Bradley Cooper/Orlando Bloom/Christina Ricci/Robin Wright Penn/Hayden Christensen/Anton Yelchin/John Hurt/James Caan/Ethan Hawke/Drea de Matteo/Chris Cooper/Andy Garcia/Julie Christie/You/Olivia Thirlby/Cloris Leachman.
Directed by Fatih Akin/Wen Jiang/Brett Ratner/Mira Nair/Allen Hughes/Natalie Portman/Etc.
* This anthology film next in line after PARIS, JE T’AIME features a bunch of vignettes filmed by different directors set in the gorgeous and love-inspiring city of New York.

ONG BAK 2.****ALSO ON BD****
Action/Martial Arts/Foreign (Thai).
Tony Jaa.
Directed by Tony Jaa and Panna Rittikrai.
* This follow up to the popular 2003 film ONG BAK, is not really a sequel, but it is a Thai martial arts film in the vein of Conan the Barbarian, you know, boy loses parents in vicious attack by King, grows up super tough with serious street cred, eventually risks his life to get revenge on big daddy. If period piece stylized martial arts fighting is your thing, then you will love this film.

PLANET HULK.
Animation/Action/Sci-Fi.
Directed by Sam Liu.
* How many Hulks does it take to screw in a light bulb?

UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: REGENERATION.****ALSO ON BD*****
Action.
JCVD/Dolph Lundgren.
Directed by John Hyams.
* I think this is like Universal Soldier 5, but it might be 6, either way, some serious explosives are detonated during this film.

VANISHED EMPIRE.
Drama/Foreign (Russian).
Aleksandr Lyapin/Other Russians.
Directed by Karen Shakhnazarov.
* The scope of this film is large, but the tale is provincial…It is Moscow in the 1970’s, and the final decade of the Soviet Union, and the dissolution of the empire is experienced through the eyes of three people as they grow up and face their own personal successes and failures .

ZOMBIELAND.****ALSO ON BD****
Comedy/Horror/Gorefest/Zombedy.
Woody Harrelson/Jessie Eisenberg/Abigail Breslin/Bill Murray.
Directed by Ruben Fleischer.
* Some families you are born into, and some you find while fighting zombies together. That’s just nature’s way. I think at the core of this zombedy is the notion that sometimes if you stop searching for what you are after, you’ll find what you need has been there the whole time. In fact, if it weren’t for the uber gorefest, the outrageous scenarios, Bill Murray disguised as a zombie, and assorted other wild and supernatural setups, this might have been an after school special; the funniest, sickest and most demented after school special ever!

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

MAYBE GOD IS ILL.
Documentary/Foreign (Italian).
Directed by Franco Brogi Taviani.
* From Amazon: Award winning writer, Walter Veltroni takes us on a stirring, unforgettable journey across the vast continent of Africa to witness controversial stories of tragedy, turmoil and hope. Everyone knows Africa is going through a very difficult transition, but who really understands the depths of the wars, hunger and diseases that make up its everyday catastrophes? Are these problems close to being resolved or are they just the beginning of a spiraling pandemic of worldwide crises? Find out as Veltroni takes us on a very personal tour and never-before-seen look at the people of Mozambique, Angola, Senegal, Cameroon, Uganda and South Africa.

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

DR. WHO: THE COMPLETE SPECIALS.
Sci-Fi.
* Pretty self explanatory, but here is much more info from Amazon: This stunning collection of Doctor Who specials – The Next Doctor, Planet of the Dead, The Waters of Mars and The End of Time, Part One & Two – is a must own for all Doctor Who fans. The four imaginative, action-packed specials are the farewell to star David Tennant, and Russell T Davies, the mastermind behind the rebirth of the modern Doctor Who. The specials culminate in the dramatic regeneration of the Doctor, giving fans their first glimpse of the Doctor as played by Matt Smith. The specials are packed with a terrific lineup of guest stars including Michelle Ryan (Bionic Woman), David Morrissey (State of Play, Sense and Sensibility), Lindsay Duncan (Alice in Wonderland (2010), Rome, Under the Tuscan Sun) and many more that we can’t reveal just yet!

A MIND TO KILL: SERIES ONE.
Detective.
* Tense and taut detective series about DCI Noel Bain (Philip Madoc) who is based in Wales.

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

AIR BUD: GOLDEN RETRIEVER.

ELMO’S WORLD: LET’S PLAY MUSIC.

SCRUFF: A BRAND NEW SEASON.

............//NEW ON BLU//............

MYSTIC RIVER.
* Clint Eastwood’s classic starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon and Laurence Fishburne

****