We always feel a little panicky when asked to recommend "a good comedy." It's not that we don't like sharing our opinions, it's just that "funny" is so subjective. This week's two big releases should appease two different comedy audiences... Jim Jarmusch's newest, BROKEN FLOWERS, is a very understated affair which may appeal to fans of SIDEWAYS and GHOST WORLD. Then there's WEDDING CRASHERS, a not understated kind of comedy for those of us who are still chuckling over MEET THE FOCKERS and THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN. Take your pick. Or watch both, according to your mood.
Not funny at all is how much we'll miss our darling Sara as she treks to Turkey for a few months of spiritual retreat and family bonding. Bernal Heights will be just a little less smiley without its favorite Muslim-in-a-Kangol cap. Hurry back, Sara.
Oh, hey, Happy New Year. Here's hoping that 2006 is healthier, more stable and less disastrous. Let's face it, 2005 kind of sucked.
Staying optimistic,
your team four star.
p.s. If you haven't already, skip down two entries to check out our list of 2005 DVD NOTABLES.
............**//RELEASE OF THE WEEK//**............
BROKEN FLOWERS. (pictured)
Comedy.
Bill Murray, Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton, Julie Delpy, Chloe Sevigny, Mark Webber.
Directed by Jim Jarmusch.
* Bill Murray's career revival — playing charmingly impassive sad sacks in delicate little indie comedies — seems perfectly matched with the wry minimalism of director Jim Jarmusch. As aging lothario Don Johnston, Murray is just as charmingly impassive as he was in RUSHMORE or LOST IN TRANSLATION. And, after all these years since DOWN BY LAW and MYSTERY TRAIN, Jim Jarmusch remains, well, Jarmuschesque: The pared-down graphic sensibility, establishing shots that look like they belong to Americana photographer Stephen Shore, dialogue as dry as chapped lips. Murray's Don Johnston is on a road trip with the intention of finding old flames, and uncovering which one may have mothered his son. It is, of course, a sparse and melancholic journey (in an unsuave rental sedan). It is also filled with very funny moments, for those who prefer their comedy subtly observed. BROKEN FLOWERS may lack the sparks that Murray ignited with younger directors Sofia Coppola and Wes Anderson. In fact, more impressive — and certainly more diversified — are the spot-on performances by the four great actresses (who seem delighted to be in a Jim Jarmusch movie). Likewise, Jarmusch fans will feel at home in this familiar territory of bitter irony, black coffee and anomie. In the end, it's a minor work, but not a bad little movie.
see also: LOST IN TRANSLATION, RUSHMORE, ABOUT SCHMIDT, THE FILMS OF JIM JARMUSCH.
............//NEW RELEASES//............
BROKEN FLOWERS.
see above: "release of the week."
THE GOSPEL.
Drama/Music.
Boris Kodjoe, Idris Elba, Clifton Powell, Nona Gaye, Omar Gooding.
Directed by Rob Hardy.
JESUS, YOU KNOW.
Documentary. Austria.
Directed by Ulrich Seidl.
* The world's weirdest documentary director — he did that one ANIMAL LOVE chronicling people's inappropriate relationships with their pets — Ulrich Seidl now slips into an empty church to record the confessions of six Catholics.
see also: THE FILMS OF ULRICH SEIDL.
OR (MY TREASURE).
Drama. Israel.
Directed by Keren Yedaya.
* New Israeli director Keren Yedaya picked up the prestigious Camera D'Or prize at Cannes for this intimate study of the daughter of a Tel Aviv prostitute.
see also: MAMMA ROMA, RATCATCHER, WALK ON WATER.
SECUESTRO EXPRESS.
Action. Venezuela.
Mia Maestro, Jean Paul Leroux, Ruben Blades.
Directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz.
WEDDING CRASHERS.
Comedy.
Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn.
Directed by David Dobkin.
............//FAMILY//............
THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR.
............//NEW TO DVD//............
THE VALACHI PAPERS.
Crime Drama. 1972.
Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, Joseph Wiseman.
Directed by Terence Young.
****
****new release list no. 45
The romance of going out to the movies is not lost on us... Think of the rowdy villagers coming together in CINEMA PARADISO, or Woody Allen arguing in line in ANNIE HALL. There's nothing like sitting there in the dark — alone or with a date — and seeing something great on the big screen. And you don't have to end up in a megaplex watching a holiday blockbuster, either. One suggestion: Don't miss the ambitious two-part, six-hour Italian feature THE BEST OF YOUTH, now playing a limited second run at the Balboa Theater. Consistently ranked as the best reviewed film of the year, THE BEST OF YOUTH follows two brothers from the floods in Florence of 1966 through the anti-mafia crusades of the present day. The film's run at the Balboa this year was a cinematic event — one that too many of us unfortunately missed. Here's your second chance.
As for home entertainment, this is a great week for new releases. And if you skip to the next post, you'll get our zippy little list of video notables from 2005.
............**//RELEASE OF THE WEEK//**............
GRIZZLY MAN.
Documentary.
Directed by Werner Herzog.
THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL.
Documentary.
Directed by Judy Irving.
* The iconoclastic director Werner Herzog has always combined the poetic and the machismo, the gritty and the mystic, the intellectual and the feral. It seems he's found an ideal subject in Timothy Treadwill — an amatuer naturalist and preservationist who lived amongst Alaskan grizzly bears for 13 summers. Treadwill's violent death betrays the unknowing hubris of his quest. With beauty and compassion, Herzog uses Treadwill's own video footage to study this eccentric variation on the tension between man and nature. On a more delicate note, THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL depicts San Francisco's amazing uncaged flock and their unofficial caretaker, a bohemian "dharma bum" named Mark Bittner. In what could be seen as a contrast with GRIZZLY MAN, this film — as the Seattle Post-Intelligencer put it — is "a special, strangely soothing movie experience that wonderfully celebrates the intricate diversity of life on Earth and the profound emotional bond that can exist between man and beast."
............//NEW RELEASES//............
AMERICAN PIE PRESENTS: BAND CAMP.
Teen Comedy.
Tad Hilgenbrink, Arielle Kebbel, Jason Earles, Eugene Levy, Tara Killian.
Directed by Steve Rash.
BALZAC AND THE LITTLE CHINESE SEAMSTRESS.
Romance. France/China.
Directed by Sijie Dai.
DARK WATER.
Thriller.
Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly, Tim Roth.
Directed by Walter Salles.
EMPIRE OF THE WOLVES.
Action. France.
Jean Reno, Arly Jover.
Directed by Chris Nahon.
GRIZZLY MAN.
see above: "release of the week."
INTO THE BLUE.
Action/Adventure.
Paul Walker, Jessica Alba.
Directed by John Stockwell.
2046.
Romantic Drama/Sci-Fi. China.
Tony Leung, Ziyi Zhang, Li Gong, Takuya Kimura, Faye Wong, Maggie Cheung.
Directed by Wong Kar Wai.
* Director Wong Kar Wai fashioned himself into an underground hero through a slew of films about obsessive, hopelessly romantic characters who meet each other in flashy, mysterious cities that feel very current-day. Fueled by the dazzling cinematography of Christopher Doyle, the films revel in an urbane poetry reminiscent of Godard. With his 2000 film IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, Kar Wai kept the hopelessly romantic characters — but transplanted them into the restrained, mannered world of 1960s Hong Kong. It stands as his most accomplished, exquisitely beautiful film to date. For the film's follow-up, Kar Wai opted to make a quasi-sequel, with which he has taken a leap into the future: the year 2046, to be exact. It is obstensibly a sci-fi movie, but really only in style, not plot. For this remains very much a Wong Kar Wai movie, yet another intoxicating search for true love. Add to that the metaphysical aspects of time travel, and you have an unusual production that should very much please fans of DONNIE DARKO and the novelist Haruki Murakami.
see also: THE FILMS OF WONG KAR-WAI.
UNDISCOVERED.
Comedy/Drama.
Pell James, Steven Strait, Shannyn Sossamon, Ashlee Simpson, Kip Pardue, Carrie Fisher.
Directed by Meiert Avis.
THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL.
see above: "release of the week."
............//SERIES//............
THE SHIELD, SERIES 4.
............//NEW TO DVD//............
A TIME FOR BURNING.
Documentary.1967.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS.
Documentary.1986.
Directed by Steven Okazaki.
****
****new release list no. 44
Well, this has been a HECTIC year, both in business and in our personal lives. Opening the second shop was a thrill ride... A lot of fun, but bumpy. Through it all, the energy has been high and the creativity contagious. You guys have been fantastic. Thank you for the friendly smiles and the favorable word-of-mouth. We hope that in return we've offered you special care, and helped you discover some worthwhile movies. We are looking forward to the holidays as a time to unwind and get ready for a fresh new year. We have some exciting plans for 2006... We'll keep you posted.
Segue fron sentimetal crap to shameless plug...
One more reminder about the new Four Star t-shirt, designed by artist Simon Evans. We think it makes an especially great gift for friends who have moved out of town (and lament that they don't have a good video store in their new neighborhood). Certain colors are fast becoming collector's items... snatch 'em up.
And while we're at it, another good holiday idea is a Four Star gift certificate. It's a totally usable, consumable gift that doesn't just sit gathering dust and interrupting the chi flow.
OK, we promise that was our final sales pitch for the whole of 2005!
Now, on with the list...
It's a super geeky sci-fi/fantasy week — with new releases including Joss Whedon's SERENITY, Terry Gilliam's BROTHERS GRIMM and a new season of BATTLESTAR GALATICA. Add those to recent favorites like BATMAN BEGINS and WAR OF THE WORLDS, and of course KING KONG in the theaters, and this just ain't a Norman Rockwell Christmas. It's like vroom.
Keep giving us your feedback. And thanks again....
Dana, Avi, Sara, Eli, Brent, Blas, Erin, Shila & Matt, shop assistants.
Bobby, shop manager.
Jamie, Jeremy & Dave, shopkeepers.
P.S. Holiday hours are: December 24, close at 7pm. December 25, closed. Regular hours on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
.............**//RELEASE OF THE WEEK//**............
SERENITY.
Sci-Fi.
Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau.
Directed by Joss Whedon.
* If you were disappointed by the Star Wars prequels (and who wasn't?), we recommend SERENITY for a worthy new science fiction. Disregard the cheesey DVD packaging (which makes the movie look like a tawdry action flick). This movie, faithfully adapted from the short-lived TV series FIREFLY, contains real science fiction writing — smart speculation with an earnest regard for ethical decisions and political manuevers. Not to mention righteous battles and hot sexual tension. Furthermore, SERENITY contains the stylistic hallmark of quality sci-fi: In costumes, sets and language, we find ourselves immersed in a new world that is actually a plausible rendering of the future. Add in a "space cowboy" element, like a futuristic riff on the wild west... And it all combines to make SERENITY totally engaging. Plus the action doesn't stop! Fans of Joss Whedon's FIREFLY series will be impressed with his seamless move from TV show to feature film. Others, who are starting here, should be sure to rent the full set of FIREFLY episodes to catch up on the history that leads up to the film. Recommended!
see also: FIREFLY.
.............//NEW RELEASES//............
THE BROTHERS GRIMM.
Action/Comedy.
Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Jonathan Pryce, Monica Bellucci.
Directed by Terry Gilliam.
* Cutting his teeth on Monty Python and then giving us such wonders as BRAZIL and TIME BANDITS, Terry Gilliam is alternately considered a eccentric genius and a frantic madman. What will you think of his latest — a hypothetical adventure in the lives of the legendary fairytle scribes? Some were overly generous. The Christian Science Montior: "Gilliam has rarely been more inventive, energetic, or just plain funny." Others were diplomatic. Rolling Stone: "If you're a Gilliam junkie, as I am, you go with it, even when the script loses its shakey hold on coherence." The Washington Post broke it down with a bit more ire... "Gilliam does two things well: mud and trees."
see also: LOST IN LA MANCHA.
CRY_WOLF.
Horror.
Julian Morris, Lindy Booth, Jared Padalecki, Jon Bon Jovi.
Directed by Jeff Wadlow.
THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE.
Horror.
Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Campbell Scott, Jennifer Carpenter.
Directed by Scott Derrickson.
FOUR BROTHERS.
Drama/Thriller.
Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin, Garrett Hedlund.
Directed by John Singleton.
* We wish that we could report a sweep of great reviews for FOUR BROTHERS in keeping with the enthusiasm voiced for Singleton's debut, BOYZ IN THE HOOD. Unfortunately, the most positive responses generally regard the film as a weakly constructed revenge story with some pretty good entertainment value. "Preposterous yet solidly entertaining," said USA Today. "Even if it wobbles off track, it has some juice to it," chimed in Salon.com. In the end, it'll most likely satiate fans of action flicks. For those looking for a more fiercly intelligent urban drama, we recommend the HBO series THE WIRE instead.
see also: CARLITO'S WAY: RISE TO POWER, CRASH.
see instead: THE WIRE.
FRANKIE & JOHNNY ARE MARRIED.
Romantic Comedy/Independent.
Lisa Chess, Michael Pressman.
Directed by Michael Pressman.
* An indie film cliché: A self-reflexive study of a romantic relationship in the midst of creative collaboration. It harkens to the films of Henry Jaglom, or Woody Allen at his most mundane. The New York Daily News called it "funny, tender and satisfying," while others were less impressed. The Boston Globe: "A nauseating flight of Hollywood navel-gazing."
see also: VENICE/VENICE, LIVING IN OBLIVION, SEARCH AND DESTROY, HOLLYWOOD ENDING, MY WIFE IS AN ACTRESS.
THE GREAT RAID.
War Drama.
Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Fiennes.
Directed by John Dahl.
MUST LOVE DOGS.
Romantic Comedy.
Diane Lane, John Cusack, Elizabeth Perkins, Christopher Plummer, Dermot Mulroney, Stockard Channing.
Directed by Gary David Goldberg.
NOVEMBER.
Thriller.
Courtney Cox, James LeGros.
Directed by Greg Harrison.
REBOUND.
Comedy.
Martin Lawrence, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Breckin Meyer.
Directed by Steve Carr.
VODKA LEMON.
Comedy/Drama. Armenia.
Directed by Hiner Saleem.
* The Iraqi-Kurdish director Heiner Saleem presents a quirky portrait of an abandoned community in post-Soviet Armenia. The Village Voice: "Saleem displays the visual confidence and subtle screwball rhythms of a master." Variety: "A little gem that takes a potentially grim subject and mines it for maximum humor and insight. "
see also: TURTLES CAN FLY, HEAD-ON, DISTANT, UNDERGROUND.
WORLD TRAVELLER ADVENTURES.
Documentary Shorts.
* A unique entry, this DVD compiles a series of short films, each following the migration of New Age Travellers — a sect of young bohemians who responded to Britain's oppressive laws against music gatherings by moving their dance parties to South America, Africa, Eastern Erurope, the US, Australia and Asia. Recommended for Burning Man attendees and those who fondly remember the era of the "rave."
see also: IT'S ALL GONE PETE TONG, MODULATIONS, 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE.
............//SERIES//............
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, SERIES 2.
* In our shops, this has slowly been gaining recognition amongst part-time Trekkies, Stanford grads, former Dungeons and Dragons champions and recovering BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER addicts. While it may lack the wit and wamth of BUFFY, it does contain intriguing plotlines, and is envlivened by complex human characters portrayed by good actors. For space age entertainment, it's worth a go. Also, the cast is really hot! Those who are already hooked, be sure to tune in to this second season for surprising new developments, and the introduction of even more cute space cadets.
THE WEST WING, SERIES 5.
............//FAMILY//............
ELMO VISITS THE DOCTOR.
.............//NEW TO DVD//............
CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH: GEORGE HARRISON AND FRIENDS.
Music. 1972/2005.
George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Ravi Shankar, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton.
Directed by Saul Swimmer.
****
****SPECIAL EDITION****
............2005 NOTABLES............
Most Poorly Packaged DVD.
HAPPY ENDINGS.
* A comedy-drama full of gays, guns and Maggie Gyllenhaal (pictured) — let alone Lisa Kudrow, Jesse Bradford, Steve Coogan, Tom Arnold, John Ritter's son Jason (in his film debut) and Laura Dern (playing a lesbian). How could this NOT be renting off-the-hook in our shops? We blame the packaging, which features a rather sexless image of a rear end covered by a white terrycloth towel, as if to suggest it might be ripped off to uncover hot flesh ripe for a massage. Rather unappealing. The "happy endings" metaphor (one of the central characters is a masseuse) is one of the movie's most trite elements. So we're at a loss as to why the distributors chose to bank on that rather than the film's quick pace, fun sense of intrigue and appealing cast.
Most Hard-To-Get Title.
DEAR FRANKIE.
* We probably should've guessed that the sweet English romance DEAR FRANKIE would be popular with our customers, but we were totally unprepared and totally understocked on this quiet (or so we thought) little (or so we thought) movie. Just the other day, a woman triumphantly brought it up to the counter to rent, and her kid said to her, "Oh, mom, you FINALLY got DEAR FRANKIE!"
runners-up: OFF THE MAP, DIRTY FILTHY LOVE, DOWNFALL, UNLEASHED, LOST (SERIES), OLDBOY.
Most Mixed Reviews.
CRASH.
* A haunting "message movie" full of great performances and edgy racial tensions, or a manipulative piece full of easy answers? Opinions were sharply divided on this one, although almost everyone agreed that David Cronenberg's unrelated 1996 film of the same name was superior.
Most Overlooked Foreign Film.
NOBODY KNOWS.
TURTLES CAN FLY.
* A tie betweeen two films — both about the worlds created by abandoned children. a) NOBODY KNOWS is a sparse and poetic retelling of four siblings living an isolated life in a Tokyo apartment, where they have been left behind by their young mother. At once delicate and creepingly harrowing, this is yet another beautifully composed piece from the director Hirokazu Koreeda, who also made AFTER LIFE and MARIBOSI. b) Set on the border of Iraq at the onset of war, TURTLES CAN FLY is both a comedic and tragic tale of a group of orphaned children who forge an alternate civilization based on necessity and innocence.
runners-up: HEAD-ON, THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED, THE EDUKATORS, HUKKLE.
Best Series.
THE WIRE.
* You could say that it is edgier and more envelope-pushing than THE SOPRANOS or SIX FEET UNDER, but comparisons to its HBO bretheren are besides the point. On its own, THE WIRE is an intoxicating study of cops and robbers (and lawyers and politicians and so on). It is based in a destitute Baltimore, filled with hermetic language codes that keep viewers on their toes, and boasts a huge (and hugely diverse) cast of characters. The cool surveillance technologies that give the series its name actually comprise the most gimicky element of the show. Sure, a little spying with hi-tech gadgets is fun in a 007 kind of way, but this is no trick and pony show. It is gritty, raw nerved, surprisingly emotional stuff. This year's Series 2 DVD release found almost all the first season's cast, plus a whole new range of characters, uncovering some extremely unpleasant mysteries down at the docks.
Most Scandalous Release.
9 SONGS.
* There was a lot of competition this year, with releases including A DIRTY SHAME, SLUTTY SUMMER and INSIDE DEEP THROAT. The young French actor Louis Garrel got a little too cosy with both his sister (in THE DREAMERS) and his mom (in MA MERE). But we suspect that nothing raised eyebrows more than the straight-up everything depicted in Michael Winterbottom's "feature film porno," 9 SONGS. Blush.
Most Talked About Re-Release.
PUNISHMENT PARK.
* A lot of cool older movies found their way onto DVD this year, including SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER, THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH and THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVED DOWN THE LANE. But probably garnering the biggest buzz was this 1971 verité piece about an America gone so paranoid that it dismantles all civil rights and considers protesting international policy an act to be punished by torture in a brutal desert. Scarily, it is because adjectives like "prescient" and "prophetic" were attached to the title that this became the underground hit that everyone wanted to see.
Most Hard-To-Explain Release.
ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW.
* Fueled by a slew of positive reviews and glowing word-of-mouth, this one's got customers constantly asking us to let them in on what it's all about. And we're like, um, okay. ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW is a quirky and romantic story — largely built around a devotion to everyday whimsy that reminds us of Yoko Ono's instructional art pieces or Frank O'Hara's beat poems. Many of us found this movie a delight. Others just won't dig it.
Best Nature Movie For Grown-Ups.
THE WHITE DIAMOND.
* Sure, those marching penguins are cute and biologically impressive and everything, but if you're looking for a nature documentary that's a bit more artistically challenging, you may want to check out the work of Werner Herzog. His more high-profile piece GRIZZLY MAN will be released on video soon, but in the mean time, customers are loving Herzog's other recent work — a reverie about exploring the rainforest canopy in a strange flying contraption.
Best Film For The Whole Family
MILLIONS.
* Maybe not what you'd expect from the director of TRAINSPOTTING, but this is a sweet adventure story that reminds us a little of children's classics like THE RED BALLOON. Imaginative and just a little too precious — as a good family film should be — with an ethical message to boot, plus a cool design and soundtrack to keep hip parents happy, too.
Most Likely To Become The New France of Filmmaking.
Denmark.
* Great stuff has been emerging from Turkey, Hungary, South Korea and other places all over the map. But we hand this award to Denmark — namely for two intense new dramas that received immensely positive responses: THE INHERITANCE and BROTHERS, both starring the dashing actor Ulrich Thomsen. It hasn't come out of nowhere: Denmark previously birthed the provocative director Lars Von Trier and his dogmatic theory of raw, unadorned cinema.
Best Girl-On-Girl Action.
MY SUMMER OF LOVE.
* This British film — about the obsessive relationship between two teenage girls — has been criticized for equating homosexuality with psychosis. But the fact remains that it contains the highest level of craftsmanship in a lesbian subject film since Lukas Moodyssons's 1998 charmer SHOW ME LOVE.
Biggest Bomb.
* This would be a hard category to quantify. But these titles are certainly in the running: BE COOL, DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN, THE DUKES OF HAZZARD, THE POLAR EXPRESS, CHRISTMAS WITH THE CRANKS, DEUCE BIGALOW: EUROPEAN GIGOLO, THE SKELETON KEY, STEALTH, YES.
****
****new release list no. 43
We mentioned BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, the groundbreaking "gay cowboy movie" starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, a couple months back. Well, it has now arrived in theaters. Barely. So far, distributors have timidly opened it in only one cinema in the enitre city (the Embarcadero). Rather ridiculous for the big new Ang Lee movie! But it is rather satisfying to note that every screening sold out in advance all weekend long. Take that!
Also in cinemas... Our customers are talking up the Johnny Cash biopic WALK THE LINE. And we can't wait for BE HERE TO LOVE ME, the upcoming documentary about the amazing songwriter Townes Van Zandt. Also coming soon to San Francisco is the latest from director Neil Jordan, BREAKFAST ON PLUTO. Our smug friends from New York City, where they get their movies early, are like, "you gotta see it!"
The new temporary exhibit in THE ATTIC at the Potrero shop highlights recent graphic design by Jamie Atherton, one of the shop's three owners. His designs are whimsical, sometimes funny, joyously movie-lovin', and frequently influenced by the French New Wave. Shown together, they depict the sensibility of an enthusiastic cinephile.
Bobby's bi-weekly movie and music event, DONKEY BABY, happens this Thursday the 15th, at El Rio. At 9pm, Bobby is showing the pilot episode of TWIN PEAKS, including the strange tacked-on alternative ending. Afterwards he and Jenny (Erase Errata) will be DJing some twitchy tunes so you can shake it off.
This holiday season, we will be donating a collection of children's movies to the UCSF emergency room for use by young people who are requiring a stay in urgent care. Televisions will be donated by Lucasfilm.
Due to popular demand, more FOUR STAR T-SHIRTS have arrived in women's sizes! More men's larger sizes will come later this week. Represent!
..................4star.
............**//RELEASE OF THE WEEK//**............
THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN.
Comedy.
Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd.
Directed by Judd Apatow.
* There are gags about Magnum condoms, gays, DVD players and Jew fro's. There's erectile dysfunction and telephone operators from Bombay, in the same gag. Likewise, hairy chests and Kelly Clarkson. There's a romance between the eponymous overripe virgin — who works in a Best Buy-type store and rides a bicycle — and the charming Catherine Keener, playing a precocious grandma who drives a Volvo and sells things on ebay for a living. It may not be the Marx Brothers or even NAPOLEAN DYMAMITE, but it's a pretty solid middle-of-the-road "dude" comedy. The creative team got their education on projects including FREAKS AND GEEKS and THE DAILY SHOW. Kudos have arrived from most of the big papers, including places like The New Yorker, so this one will probably even rent to film snobs. It's ribald, politially incorrect, barely a step up from the Farrelly Brothers. It is overlong — and the DVD includes an unwarranted extra 17 minutes. But none of that will stop this from being the comedy hit of the season. It's basically like a teen movie for grown ups, something we suspect many have been secretly craving all along.
see also: FREAKS AND GEEKS, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, ROMY AND MICHELE'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION, WALKING AND TALKING.
............//NEW TITLES//...........
BAD NEWS BEARS.
Comedy.
Billy Bob Thorton, Greg Kinnear, Marcia Gay Harden.
Directed by Richard Linklater.
THE BAXTER.
Comedy/Independent.
Michael Showalter, Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Williams, Justin Theroux.
Directed by MIchael Showalter.
CATERINA IN THE CITY.
Comedy/Drama. Italy.
Directed by Paolo Virzi.
GENESIS.
Documentary.
Directed by Calude Nuridsany and Marie Perennou.
* Another populist science doc, this one tackling the origins of life, from the directors of the beloved insect movie MICROCOSMOS.
see also: MICROCOSMOS, THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE, WINGED MIGRATION.
THE ISLAND.
Action/Sci-Fi.
Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johannson, Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean, Steve Buscemi.
Directed by Michael Bay.
PARTNER(S).
Comedy. Gay Interest.
Directed by Dave Diamond.
PRETTY PERSUASION.
Comedy/Drama. Independent.
Evan Rachel Wood, Ron Livingston, James Woods, Selma Blair.
Directed by Marcos Siega.
* Feeling very much in the lineage of edgy independent films of the '90s, this is the story of a manipulative high school sophomore who creates a media hoopla when she brings sexual assault charges against her English teacher. It has been largely regarded as inferior to its precedents, though some critics liked it — including Ella Taylor at LA Weekly, who insists, "this is a very funny film about a creepy, excruciatingly lonely world."
see also: ELECTION, TO DIE FOR, THIRTEEN, MEAN GIRLS, AMERICAN BEAUTY, THE OPPOSITE OF SEX.
ROLL BOUNCE.
Teen Comedy.
Bow Wow, Nick Cannon.
Directed by Malcolm D. Lee.
SAINT RALPH.
Comedy/Drama. Canada.
Campbell Scott, Jennifer Tilly, Adam Butcher.
............//SERIES//............
THE SIMPSONS, SERIES 7.
...........//FAMILY//............
FROSTY THE SNOWMAN.
Animation.1969.
IT'S A VERY MERRY MUPPET CHRISTMAS MOVIE.
Animation. 2002.
RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER.
Animation.1964.
VALIANT.
Animation. 2005.
Voices by Ewan McGregor, Ricky Gervais, Tim Curry, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Laurie, John Cleese, John Hurt, Olivia Williams.
Directed by Gary Chapman.
...........//NEW TO DVD//...........
AIRPLANE!
Comedy. 1980.
Leslie Nielsen.
Directed by JIm Abrahams, Jerry Zucker, David Zucker.
COOL RUNNINGS.
Comedy. 1993.
Directed by John Turteltaub.
FEAR CHAMBER.
Fantasy/Horror. 1972.
Boris Karloff.
Directed by Jack Hill and Juan Ibanez.
FUNNY FACE.
Comedy/Musical. 1957.
Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Kay Thomspon.
Directed by Stanley Donen.
GALLIPOLI.
Drama. 1981. Australia.
Mel Gibson.
Directed by Peter Weir.
* These days, Mel Gibson would probably be all up in arms about us recommending BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN and urging us instead to go see the Bible bashin' CHRONICLES OF NARNIA. But before he went all self-righteous, he was a hot young dude from Australia who tried his hand at artful films like this one from Peter Weir. It follows two Australian sprinters, recruited to fight alongside the ANZACs in World War I, as they train in brutal Turkish terrain.
see also: THE FILMS OF PETER WEIR.
GREMLINS.
Comedy/Horror. 1984.
Directed by Joe Dante.
JOHN CLEESE'S WINE FOR THE CONFUSED.
Documentary. 2004.
Directed by David Kennard.
LANDSCAPE IN THE MIST.
Drama. 1988. Greece.
Directed by Theo Angelopoulos.
* A filmmaker's filmmaker, along the lines of Robert Bresson or Wim Wenders, Theo Angelopoulos crafted this dream-like road movie about two children searching for their father, about whom all they know is that "he lives in Germany."
see also: THE FILMS OF THEO ANGELOPOULOS.
WINDHORSE.
Drama. 1988.
Directed by Paul Wagner.
* Created with the aid of exiled Tibetans, this film follows the separate fates of three village children who were dispersed after witnessing the murder of their grandfather.
see also: TIBET: CRY OF THE SNOW LION, KUNDUN, HIMALAYA.
****
****new release list no. 42
Just in time for holiday shopping, our very first FOUR STAR T-SHIRT has arrived! It features a VHS tape drawn by Simon Evans. We've been planning a t-shirt with artwork by Simon for a long time now. But then he moved to London, and we were doing a poor job coordinating with him, and as the holiday season loomed — and we had ordered our t-shirts and scheduled a print date — it looked like we'd have to go with an alternative design. Then one rainy morning last week, Simon literally showed up on our doorstep in a peacoat and umbrella, looking very English, in town for just a few days. He happily obliged to sit with us and do the drawing. Simon is an awesome artist whose work appears internationally in fancy museums and magazines, so we feel very lucky that he blew our way (like Mary Poppins!) and got the drawing done in the nick of time. Each shirt is hand-printed locally on American Apparel cotton, designed with a "vintage" look in mind — as if they are from 1986, the year our shop opened in Bernal Heights. The t-shirt is meant to be cozy, lived-in, your new favorite t-shirt! Available in various sizes and colors.
Wear it with pride.
......................4star.
............**//RELEASE OF THE WEEK//**............
CINDERELLA MAN.
Drama.
Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti.
Directed by Ron Howard.
* A heavyweight piece of populist filmmaking. It's about a boxer during the Great Depression who would become a great sports star. USA Today: "A premier boxing movie and a forceful Depression remembrance for the socially conscious, CINDERELLA MAN also ices it for stargazers that Russell Crowe is the dominant screen actor working today." San Francisco Chronicle: "An unflinching and historically rich rendering of an amazing story. He has made what is easily the best American film so far this year." Rolling Stone: "It's the classic American tale of the family man triumphant, and Howard makes sure that it hits you right in the heart." But at what cost? Salon.com called it "canned and phony," and others designated it as a manipulative mediocrity. Or, as Sara put it, "you know, one of those movies where you can tell exactly what the lighting is going to be like."
see also: THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, THE ROAD TO PERDITION, MILLION DOLLAR BABY, A BEAUTIFUL MIND.
............//NEW RELEASES//.............
CINDERELLA MAN.
see above: "release of the week."
DIAS DE SANTIAGO.
Drama. Peru.
Directed by Josue Mendez.
THE DUKES OF HAZZARD.
Comedy.
Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, Jessica Simpson, Burt Reynolds.
Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar.
FANTASTIC FOUR.
Adventure/Fantasy.
Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis.
Directed by Tim Story.
NINTH DAY.
Drama. Germany.
Directed by Volker Schlondorff.
LADIES IN LAVENDER.
Drama. England.
Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Daniel Bruhl.
Directed by Charles Dance.
* It's Judi versus Maggie in a grande dame beach party sand kickin' contest. Just teasing. We like these soft-hearted British movies, too. So: two elderly sisters are living a dull life on the coast of Cornwall, just like we all want to one day. And then a shipwrecked Polish sailor arrives, a-ha!, to rekindle old sibling rivalries and conjure up unfulfilled dreams. The New Republic: "No one, to use an ever-dubious line, makes films like this anymore." The Los Angeles Times: "It's a pleasure from start to finish."
see also: SAVING GRACE, CALENDAR GIRLS, DANCING AT LUGHNASA.
WATERMARKS.
Documentary.
Directed by Yaron Zilberman.
* Yet another way in which Hitler was wrong. This is the story of the female swimmers of the Hokah Vienna — which was established in response to the ban on Jewish atheletes from Austrian sports clubs. Well, some Jewish gals make for mighty good swimmers, and these wonderful ladies proved it by going on to win all sorts of championships. Now in their elegant 80s, and still swimming daily, they narrate their tale for us.
see also: THE CHILDREN OF CHABANNES, TREMBLING BEFORE G-D.
............//SERIES//............
24, SERIES 4.
............//NEW TO DVD//............
THE DARK CORNER.
Noir. 1946.
Lucille Ball, Clifton Webb.
Directed by Henry Hathaway.
FORBIDDEN GAMES. (Criterion Collection DVD.)
Drama. France. 1952.
Directed by Rene Clement.
FUN WITH DICK AND JANE.
Comedy. 1977.
George Segal, Jane Fonda.
Directed by Ted Kotcheff.
IMAGINE.
Music Documentary. 1973.
Directed by Steve Gebhardt, John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
KISS OF DEATH.
Noir. 1947.
Victor Mature, Brian Donlevy, Coleen Gray.
Directed by Henry Hathaway.
SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER. (Criterion Collection edition.)
* It's both a comic send-up of the American gangster genre and a tragic fable — and meanwhile, a poignant rumination on an artist's anxiety. Now Truffaut's little masterpiece SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER is finally on DVD. Time has served it well: Initially released to tepid reviews, the film has gone on to influence films from BONNIE AND CLYDE to JACKIE BROWN.
see also: THE STREET WITH NO NAME, ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS, BAND OF OUTSIDERS.
WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS.
Noir. 1950.
Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney.
Directed by Otto Preminger.
****
****new release list no. 41
Documentaries definitely comprise a big portion of the good stuff coming out these days. The mainstream movies just seem to have reached an all-time low in terms of quality. The Time Out Film Guide recently proposed that Hollywood is becoming too focused on speaking to the gut, rather than the mind or the heart. Sometimes you just want 120 minutes of adventure "escapism," but you can't escape from the fact that the writing is crap, the acting wooden, and there's no style. It's another reason why the HBO and British television series have become such popular rentals. And then there are the documentaries: No longer stigmatized as boring or didactic, they make for some of the most riveting entertainment. These days, documentaries have peppy music, unbelievable personalities, stunning revelations, and so on.
This week sees the release of popular favorites MURDERBALL and MARCH OF THE PENGUINS. There's a documentary about geishas, and SLAM NATION, which follows the competitive spoken word circuit. (It's like SPELLBOUND for grown-ups.) There is THE EXECUTION OF WANDA JEAN, a movie released at a time when the death penalty appears to be a hot button issue once again. Then there is the unconventional film WALL, (pictured) which examines the border between Israel and Palestine with a haunting sense of poetry. Okay, that one looks like it could be kind of boring. But to everything there is a season.
Artsy, cutesy, totally intense and traumatizing, whatever, documentaries do not represent one particular thing anymore. They are all over the map.
............ yours, four star.
............**//RELEASE OF THE WEEK//**............
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS.
Documentary.
Narrated by Morgan Freeman.
Directed by Luc Jacquet.
* Cute! If you don't like cute movies full of cute emperor penguins wadling around (sorry, marching), don't rent this movie. A populist nature film in line with WINGED MIGRATION, but one that may be even more popular... For just as those special flying birds are all ethereal and high in the sky, the penguins walk on the ground, and just may be easier to relate to. MARCH OF THE PENGUINS has been championed by reviewers for its cinematic grace, and beloved by the masses for its amazing ability to construct characters and plot from wildlife footage. It becomes a drama about parents and children, and an adventure story about migration and survival.
see also: WINGED MIGRATION, CANE TOADS, RIVERS AND TIDES, THE BLUE PLANET SERIES.
............//NEW RELEASES//............
DEUCE BIGALOW: EUROPEAN GIGOLO.
Comedy.
Rob Schneider, Eddie Griffin.
Directed by Mike Bigelow.
THE EXECUTION OF WANDA JEAN.
Documentary.
Directed by Liz Garbus.
* A study of the life and death of Wanda Jean Allen, the first black woman to be put to death by the United States in 50 years.
see also: THE THIN BLUE LINE.
LILA SAYS.
Drama/Romance/Suspense. France.
Directed by Ziad Doueriri.
MR. AND MRS. SMITH.
Action.
Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Adam Brody, Kerry Washington.
Directed by Doug Liman.
MURDERBALL.
Documentary.
Directed by Henry Alex Rubin & Dana Adam Shapiro.
* A fierce and suspensful documentary about quadriplegic rugby players. They play in wheelchairs, without helmets, from the gyms of middle America to the Olympic arena in Athens, Greece. This movie about their intense personal and athletic lives has been called "an inspirational crowd pleaser" by The New York Times and "one of the most powerful films of the year" by The Washington Post.
see also: HOOP DREAMS, HANDS ON A HARDBODY, ON ANY SUNDAY.
THE SECRET LIFE OF GEISHA.
Documentary.
SEXUAL LIFE.
Comedy.
Anne Heche, James LeGros, Kerry Washington, Elizabeth Banks.
Directed by Ken Kwapis.
SLAM NATION.
Documentary/Performance.
Directed by Paul Devlin.
WALL. (pictured)
Documentary.
Directed by Simone Bitton.
* WALL is an artful documentary that borders on abstraction. It is a poetic rumination on the wall that separates Israeli and Palestinian territories, a picture of the landscape it divides and a portrait of the people whose daily lives are affected. Considered to be remarkably restrained and even-handed, it has been called "disturbingly beautiful... a serious and moving work of filmmaking" by The Nation.
see also: THE GLEANERS AND I, ROBINSON IN SPACE, HEARTS AND MINDS.
............//SERIES//............
CSI, SERIES 5.
............//FAMILY//............
THE MUPPET MOVIE.
THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER.
THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL.
MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND.
SKY HIGH.
............//NEW TO DVD//............
THE LAST OF ENGLAND.
Experimental. England. 1987.
Tilda Swinton.
Directed by Derek Jarman.
PUNISHMENT PARK.
Drama. 1971.
Directed by Peter Watkins.
* It's 1970, the war in Vietnam is escalating, and massive public protest incites Nixon to declare a state of emergency, in which civil liberties are nulled in order to prevent "risks to internal security." In California, a civilian tribunal condemns groups of dissidents, and gives them the option of participating in a law enforcement training excercise in the Bear Mountain National Punishment Park. In an atmosphere of aggression and intimidation and in scorching temperatures, the prisoners fight for their lives as law forces hunt them down. The re-release of this underground film has been accompanied by words like "prescient." Scary. Rolling Stone calls it, "one of the finest films about dissent in America."
****
****new release list no. 40
Though we're not exactly charmed by all the deeds of those early Anglo-Americans, we will honor the tradition of Thanksgiving by taking this opportunity to give a few thanks...
To the folks in Potrero Hill who have given us a chance, given in to our wiley charms, and told their friends about us.
To the folks in Bernal Heights who have been patient with us when we've run in and out of the store, "on the way to Potrero!," and have selflessly wished us well in our second location.
To the good people of Dr. Video, which is now sadly defunct but fondly remembered, for their 20 years of service to the filmwatching public, and for referring their former customers to our care.
To Lost Weekend, Le Video, Faye's, Film Yard, Leather Tongue, Naked Eye and all the other independent video stores in the city for hanging in there and proving that a neighborhood film library remains a valuable asset to the community.
To all you readers of the Four Star Gazer, our humble little newsletter, for putting up with our opinions and forgiving us all our accidental neologisms.
Here's to you and yours.
......................4star.
............**//RELEASE OF THE WEEK//**............
WAR OF THE WORLDS.
Sci-Fi/Action/Drama.
Tom Cruise, Justin Chatwin, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Miranda Otto.
Directed by Steven Spielberg.
THE POLAR EXPRESS.
Holiday/Fantasy/Family/Animation.
Tom Hanks.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis.
* There are two really BIG releases this week. Both are from directors we still associate with the '80s: Steven (E.T.) Spielberg and Robert (BACK TO THE FUTURE) Zemeckis. Both have produced new blockbuster movies that have critics split right down the middle. Some reviewers were over-the-moon about WAR OF THE WORLDS. (The Miami Herald: "Delirious excitement that reminds you why people started going to the movies in the first place.") Similarly, many critics jumped right aboard THE POLAR EXPRESS. (The Hollywood Reporter: "This train ride is both majestic and edge-of-your-seat.") Others resisted. Roger Ebert called WAR OF THE WORLDS "a big, clunky movie containing some sensational sights but lacking the zest and joyous energy we expect from Steven Spielberg." And The Wall Street Journal called THE POLAR EXPRESS "a train wreck of mind-numbing proportions." Whew. Either way, these are the biggies, and plenty of copies are in stock so you can form your own opinions.
...........//NEW RELEASES//............
THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED.
Crime/Drama. France.
Romain Duris.
Directed by Jacques Audiard.
CONEY ISLAND BABY.
Romantic Comedy/Independent.
Karl Geary, Laura Fraser.
Directed by Amy Hobby.
THE GRAND ROLE.
Romantic Comedy. France.
Stephane Freiss, Berenice Bejo, Peter Coyote.
Directed by Steve Suissa.
THE HONEYMOONERS.
Comedy.
Cedric The Entertainer, Mike Epps, Gabrielle Union, Regina Hall.
Directed by John Schultz.
9 SONGS. (pictured)
Drama/Romance/Erotic/Music. England.
Kieran O'Brien, Margo Stilley.
Directed by Michael Winterbottom.
* Yet another relationship drama told in flashbacks. It's also the latest to proclaim "the most explicit sex you've seen in a mainstream movie." We've always been rather fond of the director Michael Winterbottom. His films — including BUTTERFLY KISS, 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE, WONDERLAND, THE CLAIM and CODE 46 — often fall just short of greatness, but provide special and unique moments that keep us interested. 9 SONGS is the recollection of one year in the life of a hot young couple who meet at a rock concert, wind up in bed — and basically continue to go to rock concerts and back to bed until their passion runs dry. The film has been widely criticized as a cheap provocation — Winterbottom testing how far he can push a sex scene before it becomes pornography — as well as a chance to show off his "hip" musical connections (live footage features from bands like Franz Ferdinand, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Dandy Warhols and Primal Scream). With its attractive cast and London stylings, its graphic design and graphic sex, it all sounds kind of tempting... But then, responses have generally been less than ecstatic. One user on the Internet Movie Data Base wrote: "Who ever knew sex could be so boring?"
see also: ROMANCE, INTIMACY, MA MERE, 5X2.
NOVO.
Romantic Comedy. Switzerland.
Eduardo Noriega, Anna Mouglalis.
Directed by Jean-Pierre Limoson.
THE POLAR EXPRESS
see above: "release of the week."
SLUTTY SUMMER.
Romantic Comedy/Independent/Gay Interest.
Casper Andreas.
Directed by Casper Andreas.
STEVE + SKY.
Romantic Comedy. Belgium.
Directed by Felix Van Groeningen.
WAR OF THE WORLDS.
see above: "release of the week."
...........//SERIES//...........
SEINFELD, SERIES 5.
SEINFELD, SERIES 6.
SPACED, SERIES 1. (IMPORT DVD. Requires 'All Region' DVD player.)
* The nucleus of the comedy/horror hit SHAUN OF THE DEAD can be found in this inventive British sitcom from writer/actor Simon Pegg and writer/director Edgar Wright. If the characters on American shows like FRIENDS are peppy and upwardly mobile, these guys are sarcastic and stoned. Already in their late 20s, Daisy and Tim are having trouble dragging themselves out of the slacker mould that basically centers around a spliff smoked on a bean bag in front of some bad sci-fi TV show. The all-out zombie horror of SHAUN OF THE DEAD remains latent: Daisy and Tim are slightly paranoid from the pot, and prone towards horror movie aesthetics, and the writing frequently hints that something sinister and supernatural is lurking beneath the calm British facade — as if the show might turn into BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER at any minute. But the creators saved that kind of stake-through-the-heart action for their feature film. What SPACED concentrates on is more everday laughs, and a gentle commentary on sweet, sloppy young people with a massive case of inertia. Its cross-over appeal will work on British comedy geeks and Kevin Smith fans (but only ones who have the appropriate equipment to watch IMPORT DVDs). SPACED is now stocked along with our other IMPORT selections in The Attic at our Potrero Hill shop.
...........//NEW TO DVD//...........
ALIEN VS. PREDATOR, UNRATED EDITION.
Sci-Fi/Action. 2005.
Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. (Criterion Collection DVD.)
Drama/Fantasy. France. 1946.
Jean Marais, Josette Day.
Directed by Jean Cocteau.
BRONCO BULLFROG. (IMPORT DVD. Requires 'All Region' DVD player.)
Drama. England. 1969.
Directed by Barney Platts-Mills.
* A rare find. It's the tale of street teens — including skinheads, or suedeheads — in London's East End, cast with non-professional actors and concentrating as much on gritty mood as it does on story. A lesser known piece of British social realism, thought to have influenced directors like Ken Loach and bands like The Who.
see also: KES, QUADROPHENIA, A TASTE OF HONEY, SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING, THE LEATHER BOYS, THIS SPORTING LIFE.
CARNIVAL OF SOULS. (Criterion Collection DVD.)
Thriller/Horror. 1962.
Directed by Herk Harvey.
CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT.
Romantic Comedy. 1945.
Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet.
Directed by Peter Godfrey.
COUP DE TORCHON. (Crtierion Collection DVD.)
Crime Drama/Satire. France. 1981.
Philippe Noiret, Isabelle Huppert.
Directed by Bertrand Tavernier.
* Both a creeping crime drama and an outrageously bleak satire, COUP DE TORCHON follows a washout cop stationed in a French African village as he finally loses his temper and turns into a machiavellian exterminating angel. Featuring the oafish but captivating Philippe Noiret and the one-and-only Isabelle Huppert — who exhibits here, at the age of 28, just what would make her into a French screen legend. And we're talking true acting chops — watch her do jittery and impassive simultaneously — not just that screaming siren of a bod. It's a pulp movie but more, both morally difficult and entertaining, a beguiling little piece, an unusual viewing experience: A film lover's film.
see also: LIFE AND NOTHING BUT, THE CLOCKMAKER, THE TIN DRUM, HOPSCOTCH, BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA, POINT BLANK.
THE FIREMEN'S BALL. (Criterion Collection DVD.)
Satire. Czechoslovakia. 1967.
Directed by Milos Forman.
* One way to watch this early Milos Forman film: As a part of a Czech New Wave marathon. THE FIREMEN'S BALL — beloved for its sutble wit, minimalist style and overriding sense of compassion — appeared at the apex of a true moment in Czech cinema. Between 1965 and 1968, one Czech film per year was nominated for an Oscar. THE SHOP ON MAIN STREET and CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS both went on to win, while Forman's two bids — LOVES OF A BLONDE and THE FIREMEN'S BALL — did not. Still, all four are totally worthwhile viewing. So pick the right week, skip the new releases, start early, put the kids to bed, and complete this smart and charming "Czech check list."
see also: THE SHOP ON MAIN STREET,CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS, LOVES OF A BLONDE.
HOUSE BY THE RIVER.
Mystery. 1949.
Louis Hayward, Lee Bowman, Jane Wyatt.
Directed by Fritz Lang.
KING KONG.
Adventure/Sci-Fi. 1933.
Directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack.
THE POINT.
Animation. 1971.
Narrated by Ringo Starr. Music by Harry Nilsson.
Directed by Fred Wolf.
RAN. (Criterion Collection DVD.)
Epic Drama. 1985.
Directed by Akira Kurosawa.
LA RONDE.
Drama. France. 1964.
Jane Fonda, Anna Karina.
Directed by Roger Vadim.
SAY ANYTHING...
Romantic Comedy. 1989.
John Cusack, Ione Skye.
Directed by Cameron Crowe.
SCARLET STREET.
Mystery. 1945.
Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea.
Directed by Fritz Lang.
THE TALES OF HOFFMANN. (Criterion Collection DVD.)
Fantasy Opera. England. 1951.
Directed by Powell and Pressburger.
(Note: Certain NEW TO DVD titles are only stocked at one location. We will happily transfer DVDs betweens stores on request.)
****
****new release list no. 39
If you've noticed a couple of new faces behind our counters, here are their stories...
Avi is the tall dude who now boasts the biggest beard of all Four Star staff, especially now that Jeremy and Jamie shaved down to moustaches in order to dress as Magnum P.I. and Higgins (respectively) for Halloween. Avi was raised in lower Manhattan and has previously worked as a tutor and teacher. He plays guitar, likes the Marx Brothers and has finished ULYSSES by James Joyce, which is always impressive.
Erin, stationed over in Potrero Hill, does not have a beard. Rather, she could compete with the other ladies on staff in the Most Unique Blouses and Shoes category. Erin formerly served as the director of pop music at WOBC in Oberlin, Ohio. She likes Hitchcock movies and recently finished reading OH THE GLORY OF IT ALL, Sean Wilsey's memoir about growing up rich in San Francisco. Erin also works with preschool-aged children in the East Bay.
Our shop manager Bobby (has a beard) is set to launch DONKEY BABY — his new biweekly movie & music night at El Rio (3158 Mission Street). There's a free film at 8pm, followed by explosive DJ stylings by Jenny Hoyston and Bobby. The event will be hosted every 1st and 3rd Thursday. It starts this week on November 17, with a showing of the fantastical Robert Altman movie BREWSTER MCCLOUD, featuring the very special stars Bud Cort and Shelley Duvall.
One of our shop owners, Jamie, has designed a pretty amazing collage advertisement that's now appearing in the Potrero Hill View. Get one and save it; total collector's item! He's also the man behind our new information cards, which double as note cards on which to jot down recommendations, due dates, or your phone number for a favorite single staff member.
......................... xo, 4star.
............**//RELEASE OF THE WEEK//**............
HAPPY ENDINGS.
Comedy/Drama/Independent.
Tom Arnold, Jesse Bradford, Steve Coogan, Laura Dern, Lisa Kudrow, Jason Ritter, Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Directed by Don Roos.
* The "puzzle piece" formula has become a staple of the Sundance set. It's that sprawling new take on the soap opera, wherein a multitude of characters find their lives intertwined through a cat-and-mouse game of cause-and-effect. Typical elements include: A fancy house with a big pool, some gay characters, a devious femme fatale and a blackmail scenario or two. This movie features all that and then some, but it is not amongst the very finest in this "puzzle" genre. (Tod Solondz's HAPPINESS is a superior example.) Director Don Roos — who crafted the funny black comedy THE OPPOSITE OF SEX and the mediocre romance BOUNCE — can't seem to decide whether this should be an arch satire or a sentimental drama. Furthermore, his plot devices and character motivations often fall flat, meaning that we arrive at some interesting places, but we have to majorly suspend disbelief on the journey there. However, HAPPY ENDINGS is zippy and watchable — a not-too-dumb popcorn movie, the kind which you can watch with friends and deconstruct afterwards. It benefits immeasurably from its actors: Maggie Gyllenhaal is so much more complex than the cute starlet she pretends to be. Lisa Kudrow has surprisingly carved a delicate niche for herself in roles of women who are put-upon, but resist victimization. British TV fans will marvel that Steve Coogan (alias Alan Partridge) could possibly be this understated. And American TV fans will marvel at how much Jason Ritter looks like his dad, John!
see also: HAPPINESS, MAGNOLIA, 13 CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING, HEIGHTS, THE OPPOSITE OF SEX.
............//NEW TITLES//............
ALMOST NORMAL.
Comedy. Gay Interest.
Directed by Marc Moody.
CET AMOUR-LA.
Drama. France.
Jeanne Moreau, Aymeric Demarigny.
Directed by Josee Dayan.
THE EDUKATORS. (pictured)
Comedy/Crime Drama. Germany.
Daniel Bruhl, Julia Jentsch, Stipe Ergeg, Burghart Kaubner.
Directed by Hans Weingartner.
* A trio of petty terrorists (who flaunt the severe attractiveness of the Baader-Meinhoff Gang) break into the homes of the rich, where they rearrange the furniture and tag the walls: "Your days of plenty are numbered." Their relatively soft critique of modern capitalism escalates after they take a hostage — their arsenal of aerosal cans now joined by handguns. Entertainment Weekly: "It has the design of a thriller and the mood of a spontaneous, whirling-camera character study." Salon.com: "An engaging entertainment that packages its thought-provoking ideas in a combination of political thriller, comic adventure and romantic triangle." Chicago Tribune: "For a film that points out so much wrong with German society and shows such dubious, dangerous behavior, it leaves the audience with high spirits and a sense of crazy exhiliration." THE EDUAKTORS features the adorable Daniel Bruhl of GOOD BYE LENIN! and won festival awards for the talented Julia Jentsch, who previously appeared in DOWNFALL.
see also: GOOD BYE LENIN!, KONTROLL, THE WEATHER UNDERGOUND, THE DREAMERS.
MADAGASCAR.
Animation.
Voices by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath.
* We're always watching kids' stuff like PEANUTS and THE POINT and BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS in the shop, and the general consensus is: They don't make 'em like they used to. Let's face it, so much of the new stuff is obviously pre-fabricated for Happy Meals, in a vicious cycle of promotions. MADAGASCAR is the latest. Like an episode of LOST cast with animated animals, MADAGASCAR follows the comic travails of a group of animals from New York City's Central Park Zoo who have washed ashore on an exotic island — where they must learn to survive by their primal instincts. Entertainment Weekly: "Dishes up some very corny jokes, but the images have a brighter-than-life vivacity." The Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "It could be more invovlving, but it's funny enough that you won't care." The Washington Post: "Despite MADAGASCAR's formulaic tendencies, it's a formula that works, so parents are urged to sit back, relax and enjoy — the kids surely will." That's a lot of film critics begging you to lower your standards and "just deal." Call us purists, but we still long for quality animation full of originality, magic and wonder.
see also: SHREK, SHARK TALE, FINDING NEMO.
see instead: SPIRITED AWAY, THE WALLACE & GROMIT MOVIES, THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON, CHARLOTTE'S WEB.
THE SKELETON KEY.
Supernatural Thriller.
Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard, John Hurt.
Directed by Ian Softley.
STEALTH.
Action.
Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx.
Directed by Rob Cohen.
WAL MART: THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICE.
Documentary.
Directed by Robert Greenwald.
* Robert Greenwald has carved himself a niche in liberal bias. His exposés of the Bush administration and the Fox network have become popular with the moveon.org crowd, which has developed a tradition of screening the videos in small house gatherings. His latest target is Wal Mart, and Greenwald sets out to depict the company as polluting the environment, squashing small businesses and undervaluing its employees. Here's hoping that his next subject is the dirty deeds going on at Netflix!
see also: UNCOVERED, OUTFOXED.
............//FAMILY//............
A BEAR NAMED WINNIE.
Family. Canada.
MIchael Fassbender, Gil Bellows, David Suchet, Stephen Fry.
Directed by John Kent Harrison.
* A Canadian production in which the Canadians take a bit of credit for the inspiration behind WINNIE THE POOH. Seems that during WWI, a Canadian soldier adopted an orphaned bear cub, named her Winnie after his hometown of Winnipeg, and traveled with her all the way to England — where she eventually found a home at the London Zoo, and there charmed the author A.A. Milne.
see also: FINDING NEVERLAND, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES.
OLD YELLER.
Family/Disney. 1957,
Directed by Robert Stevenson.
THE YOGI BEAR SHOW, COMPLETE SERIES.
Family/Animation/Hanna-Barbera.
............//NEW TO DVD//.............
THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN.
Fantasy Adventure/Comedy. 1989.
John Neville, Uma Thurman, Eric Idle.
Directed by Terry Gilliam.
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
Comedy. 1971.
Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin.
* Some of the most memorable sketches from the first two seasons of MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS were re-filmed and released as a feature film in 1971, Here is "The Lumberjack Song," "Hell's Grannies," "The Dead Parrot" routine... A crib sheet for those without the time or patience to wade through our 16-disc set of FLYING CIRCUS episodes.
DUTCH GIRLS.
Comedy. England. 1985.
Colin Firth.
Directed by Giles Foster.
MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL.
Fantasty Adventure/Comedy. 1974.
Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin.
Directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones.
RIKKY & PETE.
Comedy. Australia. 1988.
Stephen Kearney, Nina Landis.
Directed by Nadia Tass.
****
****new release list no. 38
In the Kikuyu culture of Kenya, a goat is sacrificed beneath a fig tree in order to summon the rain in times of drought. We're not telling what our own secret is, but the wet skies are definitely good for business. Aren't you feeling glad that you live near us — one of the oldest independent video stores in the world? We're cooking up narrative comfort food, whether it be in the form of your favorite HBO series, an indulgent comedy or a cozy children's movie. And we, in return, are grateful to you, our dear customers... But it's not Thanksgiving yet. So we'll curb the giving thanks. It's just rainy weather, and here are 40 new additions to our inventory, ripe to heighten your electricity bill as you cuddle up with a space heater and your TV set.
yours, 4star.
............**//RELEASE OF THE WEEK//**............
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.
Fantasy/Comedy.
Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter.
Directed by Tim Burton.
* Many of us were outraged to hear that anyone would attempt to remake the droll, stylish 1971 classic WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCALTE FACTORY. But once the hostility abated, we were left with curiosity over what Tim Burton would do to revamp the original Roald Dahl story. Reviews have been mixed. Naysayers are saying: The children characters (Veruca Salt, Mike TV, et al) are never fully fleshed out, leaving the story with less personality. The concept of having all of the Oompa Loompas played by one actor, who is then digitally cloned, winds up feeling like a cheap trick. The ommission of the villanous Mr. Slugworth removes intrigue from the plot line. And what's with Johnny Depp's freakish resemblance to Michael Jackson? On the other hand, those who took to the new production have marveled at its rich design and Burton-style sense of magic. The Chicago Tribune: "Lushly realized." The Philadelphia Inquirer: "Mischieviously inventive." Entertainment Weekly: "A madhouse kiddie musical with a sweet-and-sour heart." Either way, it's definitely one of the holiday season's "must sees," if for anything else so that you can form your own opinion as to whether this remake is worth its weight in golden tickets.
............//NEW TITLES//............
AMERICAN BROWN.
Drama/Independent.
Ryan kwanten, Hill Harper, Natasha Lyonne, Elodie Bouchez, Karen Black, Michael Rappaport.
Directed by Paul Black.
* A coming-of-age drama in which a high school football hero leaves his Texan hometown and heads for New York City. There he seeks something new. He meets up with his school's last superstar, who is now a priest. He encounters a rowdy young lady played by Natasha Lyonne. But he remains haunted by his tragic past. The debut film from a new American independent. With crazy-eyed Karen Black as mom.
see also: RAISING VICTOR VARGAS, VARSITY BLUES, THE ADVENTURES OF SEBASTIAN COLE, SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS.
APRES VOUS.
Comedy. France.
Daniel Auteuil, Jose Garcia, Sandrine Kiberlain.
Directed by Pierre Salvadori.
see also: THE CLOSET, THE DINNER GAME, HAPPILY EVER AFTER.
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.
see above: "release of the week."
CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS.
Comedy.
Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Akroyd, Cheech Martin.
Directed by Joe Roth.
CRONICAS.
Drama. Ecuador.
John Leguizamo.
Directed by Sebastian Cordero.
* A "two thumbs up" thriller from Ecuador about media sensationalism and murder.
see also: RATAS RATONES RATEROS, MARIA FULL OF GRACE, THE LOST HONOR OF KATHARINA BLUM.
THE DEVIL'S REJECTS.
Horror.
Directed by Rob Zombie.
see also: HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES.
MARGARET CHO: ASSASSIN.
Stand-Up.
PUNK: ATTITUDE.
Documentary/Music.
Directed by Don Letts.
see also: END OF THE CENTURY, NO DIRECTION HOME, MADE IN SHEFFIELD, MOOG.
REEFER MADNESS: THE MOVIE MUSICAL.
Comedy/Musical.
Kristen Bell, Christian Campbell, Neve Campbell, Alan Cumming, Ana Gasteyer, Steven Weber.
Directed by Andy Fickman.
see also: YES NURSE NO NURSE.
ROUND TRIP.
Drama. Israel. Lesbian Interest.
Directed by Shahar Rozen.
see also: WALK ON WATER, FIRE, SAVING FACE, MY SUMMER OF LOVE.
TRAVELLERS & MAGICIANS.
Adventure/Drama. Bhutan.
Directed by Khyentse Norbu.
see also: THE CUP, THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL, TIBET: CRY OF THE SNOW LION, SPRING SUMMER FALL WINTER AND SPRING.
YES (pictured).
Drama/Romance. England.
Joan Allen, Simon Abkarian, Sam Neill, Shirley Henderson.
Directed by Sally Potter.
* This one is set to be a big renter. Actress Joan Allen is a woman of maturity and grace. Her face is as open and waxen as her vowel-heavy name. She has long been a stately presence onscreen, and here she unravels her sensual side. She plays opposite the swarthy Simon Abkarian in a story of cross-cultural passion. The director Sally Potter originally trained as a dancer and has become known for lyrical films THE TANGO LESSON, ORLANDO and THE MAN WHO CRIED. Here she has given audiences a luminous and sensual piece, but one not altogether beloved by critics. The Boston Globe called it "a Harlequin romance masquerading as a dissertation." A.O. Scott at the New York Times wrote, "YES is not just a movie, it's a poem. A bad poem." Ouch. But surely these skeptics won't deter lovers of sweeping romance films.
see also: OFF THE MAP, THE UPSIDE OF ANGER, THE FILMS OF SALLY POTTER.
............//SERIES//............
COUPLING, SERIES 1-4.
(already stocked in Bernal Heights; now available in Potrero Hill.)
THE KINGDOM, SERIES 1.
* This creepy Danish TV show, created by visionary director Lars Von Trier and set in an otherworldly hospital, spawned a cult following on wobbly VHS and spurred an American remake (Stephen King's KINGDOM HOSPITAL). Now, finally on DVD!
see also: TWIN PEAKS.
THE KUMARS AT NO. 45
* In the grand British tradition of mock talk shows come the Kumars — a fictional immigrant family who've built a television studio for their son Sanjeev in their backyard. There he interviews the likes of Stephen Fry, Minnie Driver and Ray Winstone, with overbearing family always in tow. The show combines the formulas of sitcom and chat show to some success. American audiences may not be familiar with all of Sanjeev's British celebrity guests, but the hilarity of his family — horny grandma, overprotective mom and a money-minded, anecdotal dad — is universal. Called "exuberantly funny" by TV Guide.
see also: KNOWING ME KNOWING YOU, SO GRAHAM NORTON, DA ALI G SHOW.
ROSEANNE, SERIES 1.
............//FAMILY//............
FIVE CHILDREN & IT.
THE RETURN OF IT.
* These are the BBC originals that preceded the recent remake starring Freddie Highmore of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. The originals are all that you've come to expect of vintage British children's television: Long, theatrical, deeply charming. Based on the classic novel by E. Nesbit — who is often compared with Lewis Carroll, C.S. Lewis and Tolkien — this is the story of the Psammead, an ancient and grumpy sand fairy who transforms an ordinary summer holiday into an extraordinary adventure for five siblings. The films are filled with sweet girls in pinafore frocks and ruddy boys in waistcoasts, looking terribly surprised at the appearance of mangey creatures, but acting with as much politeness as they can muster. The release of the originals is advantageously timed to coincide with the remake, as well as the hype over the new CHRONICLES OF NARNIA films. Regardless, this is the kind of stuff we love stocking for gentle kids on rainy days.
see also: BBC CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, BBC THE SECRET GARDEN, THE WITCHES, PETE'S DRAGON.
...........//NEW TO DVD//............
ALBERT SCHWEITZER.
Documentary. 1957.
Directed by Jerome Hill.
ALL'ONOREVOLE PIACCIONO LE DONNE.
Political Satire/Erotica. Italy. 1972.
Directed by Lucio Fulci.
BLOOD SIMPLE.
Drama/Thriller. 1984.
Frances McDormand, John Getz, Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh.
Directed by The Coen Brothers.
DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN.
Comedy/Caper. 1985.
Rosanna Arquette, Madonna, Aidan Quinn, Laurie Metcalf.
Directed by Susan Seidelman.
* This was and still is known as "The Madonna Movie," but we insist that it's so much more. It's a comic caper involving stolen jewels, a feminist excercise from the independent director Susan Seidelman, and a showcase not just for Madonna, but the likeable Rosanna Arquette, humpy Aidan Quinn and sardonic Laurie Metcalf. It's also a good document of the final vestiges of the '80s downtown new wave scene — featuring rocker thrift shops, divey nightclubs and downtrodden Lower East Side loft apartments. Madonna's personal style is gloriously messy and, well, desperate, in contrast to the polished-up image she'd soon market to the masses. Those of you familiar with the DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN posters proudly framed in our Bernal Heights store will know that, while we won't try to convince you that this is high art, we've always viewed this as a valuable cultural artifact.
see also: SMITHEREENS, TIMES SQUARE, DOWNTOWN 81.
FAG HAG.
Satire/Gay Interest. 1998.
Directed by Damion Dietz.
THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI.
Noir/Mystery. 1947.
Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles.
Directed by Orson Welles.
LADY SINGS THE BLUES.
Music Biography. 1972.
Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor.
Directed by Sidney J. Furie.
LENNY BRUCE: PERFORMANCE FILM.
Comedy/Documentary. 1967.
Directed by John Magnuson.
MARX BROTHERS: A DAY AT THE RACES.
Comedy. 1937.
Directed by Sam Wood.
MARX BROTHERS: A NIGHT IN CASABLANCA.
Comedy. 1946.
Directed by Archie Mayo.
PICKPOCKET. (Criterion Collection DVD.)
Drama/Mystery. France. 1959.
Directed by Robert Bresson.
REAR WINDOW.
Mystery. 1954.
James Stewart, Grace Kelly.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
* A customer pointed out that we did not have this DVD in stock in Potrero Hill. So the next day, Jeremy marched over to Tower Records in the Castro to pick one up. When he asked for REAR WINDOW, the guy behind the counter asked if the category was porno! Get it? Sorry, this is actually the atmospheric Hitchock classic (no, that's not "hitch cock") — with one of the coolest movie sets ever, comprised completely of the windows of a New York apartment building.
see also: STREET SCENE, VERTIGO, THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH.
ROMAN HOLIDAY.
Romance. 1953.
Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck.
Directed by William Wyler.
ROMEO & JULIET.
Shakespearean Romance. 1968.
Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, Michael York.
Directed by Franco Zeffirelli.
SID & NANCY.
Drama/Music Biography. England. 1986.
Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb.
Directed by Alex Cox.
SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS.
Comedy. 1998.
Natasha Lyonne, Alan Arkin, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Corrigan.
Directed by Tamara Jenkins.
* An intimate, breezy, easy-to-watch comedy — the type of which they don't make enough. Natasha Lyonne plays a pubescent misfit obsessed with her substantial new boobs. Alan Arkin plays her father: Single, clumsy and aspirational, he shuffles his kids between cheap motels, always staying within the Beverly Hills zip code so that they can attend better public schools. Marisa Tomei enters the picture as the influential older cousin — worldly, liberated, and a mess. An endearingly flawed family unit is formed. It may make you grin more than roar with laughter, but who are we to snub a grin?
see also: THE DAYTRIPPERS, CLUELESS, L.A. STORY, FLIRTING WITH DISASTER.
SUNSET BOULEVARD.
Drama. 1950.
William Holden, Gloria Swanson.
Directed by Billy Wilder.
SUSPIRIA.
Horror. Italy. 1977.
Directed by Dario Argento.
THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY?
Drama. 1969.
Jane Fonda.
Directed by Sydney Pollack.
UGETSU. (Criterion Collection DVD.)
Drama/Thriller. Japan. 1953.
Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi.
THE VIRGIN SUICIDES.
Drama. 1999.
James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett.
Directed by Sophia Coppola.
WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE?
Drama. 1993.
Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette Lewis, Mary Steenburgen.
Directed by Lasse Hallstrom.
(Note: Certain NEW TO DVD titles are stocked in only one location. We can transfer between stores upon request.)
****
****new release list no. 37
November in San Francisco is brisk and bright. It makes us feel all cozy and tingly, all Wallace and Gromit. Have you seen their new movie yet? We've been watching the Charlie Brown holiday movies and listening to wistful music by Vashti Bunyan and Young Marble Giants. When our friends from the East Coast send us photos of red and yellow leaves, we can almost feel them crunch beneath our feet. We're drinking tea and pretending we're in England. We've got cute sweaters on.
One gentle soul who suits this senitmental, autumnal feeling is Miranda July — director of the wonderful ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW and whimsical multi-media artist (check out her site LEARNING TO LOVE YOU MORE). She will be speaking at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on November 10 and 12. You can get tickets here.
Forgive us all the warm fuzzies. And, hey, the less sappy amongst you can contend with a couple of good new crime thrillers out this week, not to mention the sci-fi bonanza that is the final installment of STAR WARS. Grrrrarrr.
take good care...
team four star.
............**//RELEASE OF THE WEEK//**............
MILLIONS.
Comedy/Drama/Mystery/Family. England.
Directed by Danny Boyle.
* We couldn't resist highlighting this lesser-known family film rather than this week's other big family release. While the new STAR WARS movie concentrates on extra-galactic special effects, MILLIONS is an unusually stylish PG piece that heightens the design and color of everyday suburban life. This crisp visual style frames a gentle fable of ethics and spirituality. It centers on the dilemma of a 5-year-old boy who, as if by magic, comes upon a bag of Pounds. He's only got a few days to spend it all before the currency is switched to Euros. And there are a lot of other, bigger people who would be happy to take the burden off his hands. Has director Danny Boyle ditched the druggies (TRAINSPOTTING) and zombies (28 DAYS LATER) of his earlier work just to bag the next HARRY POTTER movie? Many have felt it is so much more than that. Boyle successfully combines the preciousness of a more traditional children's tale with the thumping "thriller" feel of his R-rated movies. It results in a very contemporary-feeling sense of wonder — kids will consider it to be relatively cool, parents will find it relievingly tasteful. Called "utterly enchanting" by the San Francisco Chronicle, "delightful" by the Chicago Tribune, "witty, sweet and charming" by the Washington Post, "sincere, delicate and instrinsically religious" by Entertainment Weekly. Critic Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal states: "The near-miracle worked by Mr. Boyle, whose exuberant style brings several saints to scruffy life, is a movie that's joyously funny and hugely inventive — occasionally to the point of preciousness — yet true to the spirit of the saintly little kid at its center."
see also: DEAR FRANKIE, FINDING NEVERLAND, ABOUT A BOY, 5 CHILDREN AND IT.
............//NEW TITLES//............
CONVICTED.
Drama/Thriller. Denmark. (English language.)
Connie Nielsen, Kelly Preston, Aidan Quinn.
Directed by Bille August.
HEIGHTS.
Drama.
Glenn Close, Elizabeth Banks, James Marsden, Jesse Bradford.
Directed by Chris Terrio.
MILLIONS.
see above: "release of the week."
THE PERFECT MAN.
Romantic Comedy.
Heather Locklear, Hilary Duff, Chris Noth.
Directed by Mark Rosman.
SCUMROCK.
Comedy/Independent.
Amy Davis, Kyp Malone, James Duval, Victor of Aquitaine, Emily Ryan.
Directed by Jon Moritsugu.
* Jon Moritsugu's work reminds us of Paul Morrissey's films for Andy Warhol — the way they're all droll and unpolished and stagey. They seem like junk, but then there will pop up a really funny line or beautiful image to make you realize there's actually something thoughtful going on. Moritsugu retains his petulant punk rock attitude in his latest, SCUMROCK. It was made while he still lived in the East Bay, so it's full of familiar locations from San Francisco and Oakland. Like his other works, it's totally low budget and totally immature. But Moritsugu has also honed his craft a bit: It feels like there's a structure here, a point, and it even wound up being listed as one of the "Best of 2003" in the Village Voice Film Critics Poll. SCUMROCK is all about pretentious indie filmmakers and mediocre indie bands, and it winds up having a surprising charm and even poetry, kind of like a lowbrow HENRY FOOL. Features performances by Kyp Malone of the band TV On The Radio, and our dear friend Emily Ryan (check out her amazing website) in the role of a tragic teen who can only consume fluids through a straw.
see also: THE FILMS OF JON MORITSUGU.
STAR WARS: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH.
Sci-Fi/Adventure.
Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson.
Directed by George Lucas.
* So this is it, supposedly. The last in the series of "prequels" that tell the back-story of the original STAR WARS films. The "prequels" have been generally derided as inferior to the original trilogy. (Why have the creatures and vehicles lost their charm? How can Hayden Christensen as the young Darth Vader appear more wooden than a heavy breathing black plastic mask?) Yet, these movies are still considered "must-see" by many, and are cumultively regarded as the modern myth of our times. The Chicago Tribune: "All of the STAR WARS movies will continue to entertain us for many years to come. They were grand fun, and this last one's a corker."
WHEEL OF TIME.
Documentary. Germany.
Directed by Werner Herzog.
THE WHITE DIAMOND.
Documentary. Germany.
Directed by Werner Herzog.
WHOOPI: BACK TO BROADWAY.
Stand-Up Comedy.
WILD SIDE.
Drama. France. Gay Interest.
Directed by Sebastien Lifshitz.
............//SERIES//...........
THE ADVENTURES OF PETE & PETE, SERIES 2.
* If you are going through withdrawl after the all-too-short series FREAKS AND GEEKS, or you're looking for a TV series you can watch with your kids without losing your marbles, give this little-known Nickelodeon show a shot. A secret favorite since it originally aired in the mid-'90s, it features cast members like Steve Buscemi and Iggy Pop, appearances by LL Cool J and Janeane Garofalo, and music by The Magnetic Fields. It's hipper than you were expecting, and maybe smarter, too. Often described as "delighfully quirky," it centers on two red-headed brothers, both named Pete, who have a tendency to make adventures out of their everday lives. (Like Miranda July for pre-teens.) We're always happy to stock kid-suitable stuff that focuses on imagination rather than violence. Watch it with the tykes, or by yourself — and wax nostalgic for the special gleam of your own younger days.
see also: DEGRASSI JUNIOR HIGH, WONDERFALLS, THE MUPPET SHOW, FREAKS AND GEEKS.
............//NEW TO DVD//............
THE FORGETTING: A PORTRAIT OF ALZHEIMER'S.
Documentary/PBS. 2004.
Directed by Elizabeth Arledge.
HAMMETT.
Mystery. 1982.
Directed by Wim Wenders.
* A relatively unnoticed film in which the poetic German director Wim Wenders tries a hand at the noir genre. Applying his trademark postmodernism, Wenders ponders: What if the famous crime novelist Dashiell Hammett got caught up in a murder mystery, the type he himself would write? The goal is a detective story with a literary conceit not unlike MURDER SHE WROTE, as well as a stylized homage to San Franisco noir classics like THE MALTESE FALCON. The results? Well, the studio backing the film was so dissatisfied by Wenders' work that they actually ordered him to re-shoot 80% of his original footage. But we think that the final cut is intellectually engaging, and not bad for a bit of atmospheric fun — conjured through its shadowy footage of San Francisco's back alleys. It may remind viewers of another noirish film set in the city, Blake Edwards' EXPERIMENT IN TERROR. Why not make it a part of a pulp crime movie series?
see also: THE MALTESE FALCON, EXPERIMENT IN TERROR, THE THIN MAN, THE AMERICAN FRIEND.
TWO FOR THE ROAD.
Drama/Comedy/Romance. 1967.
Audrey Hepburn, Albert Finney.
Directed by Stanley Donan.
WAR OF THE WORLDS.
Sci-Fi/Thriller. 1953.
Directed by Byron Haskin.
****
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