Tuesday, January 20, 2009

****new release list no.203


Woody Allen has produced another wonderful film in VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA about a couple of young woman (Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson) on vacation in Spain and in different states of attraction to an artist (Javier Bardem) who is dealing with his own troubled amorous situation.

Guy Ritchie hits you hard with another totally hard to follow shoot-em-up crime tale called ROCKNROLLA. In another nod to rock we have Rainn Wilson (THE OFFICE USA) as a washed up rock drummer trying hard to reach for the golden ring in THE ROCKER.

PRIDE AND GLORY features Edward Norton and Colin Farrell as cop relatives on opposite sides of a police scandal in NY. And LAKEVIEW TERRACE is the tale of a cop (Samuel L. Jackson) in LA whose attempts to force an interracial couple out of his neighborhood go way overboard.

There is also a nice batch of docs this week, and a 10 film Bruce Lee collection! Scan down and check them out. Happy viewing!

Love and Kisses,
Ken

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

A HERO AIN’T NOTHING BUT A SANDWICH.
Drama.
Cicely Tyson.
Directed by Ralph Nelson.
* I bought this because I LOVED the book when I was about 10 years old. It is a heavy but still family appropriate story about a family dealing with drugs and addiction in the 1970’s.

BRUCE LEE: DRAGON IMMORTAL.
Martial Arts.
Bruce Lee.
* This is a 3 disc, 10 film collection featuring POWER FORCE, BRUCE’S WAYS OF KUNG FU, CHINESE GODS, BRUCE’S FISTS OF VENGEANCE, BRUCE LEE’S DEADLY KUNG FU, BRUCE AGAINST SUPERMAN, CLONES OF BRUCE LEE, FIST OF DEATH, THEY CALL ME BRUCE LEE, and BRUCE VS. SNAKE IN EAGLES SHADOW. Whoop whoop.

COLLEGE.
Comedy.
Drake Bell/Andrew Caldwell/.
Directed by Deb Hagan.
* Three high school seniors visit a college campus and party party party! This is a great one for parents with high school children.

DEEP WINTER.
Action/Adventure.
Eric Lively/Michael Madsen/Kellan Lutz/Luke Goss.
Directed by Mikey Hilb.
* A couple extreme athletes attempt to climb a super dangerous peak in Alaska and film the whole experience.

LAKEVIEW TERRACE.****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****
Suspense.
Samuel L. Jackson/Patrick Wilson/Kerry Washington.
Directed by Neil Labute.
* A nice twist on the standard LAPD racist cop story; in this the cop (Jackson) hates the new interracial couple that moves in next door and will stop at nearly nothing to force them out of the neighborhood.

MERCURY MAN.
Action/Horror/Foreign (Thai).
Directed by Bhandit Thongdee.
* Strange Thai superhero flick.

OPEN SEASON 2.
Animation.
Mike Epps/Crispin Glover.
Directed by Matthew O’Callaghan and Todd Wilderman.
* Part two in the humorous tale of Elliot the bear.

PRIDE AND GLORY.****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****
Drama/Criterion.
Colin Farrell/Edward Norton/Nick Nolte.
Directed by Gavin O’Connor.
* Hard-boiled New York City cop tale about a cop (Norton) who discovers his brother-in-law (Farrell) is involved in a giant police scandal.

THE ROCKER: BORN TO ROCK.****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****
Comedy.
Rainn Wilson/Christina Applegate.
Directed by Peter Cattaneo.
* Rainn Wilson (Dwight, from THE OFFICE USA) is pretty funny as Robert “Fish” Fishman, a 40ish drummer who’s claim to fame is that he was the drummer (and visionary) behind the band Vesuvius before they kicked him out of the band right on the cusp of stardom. He has spent 20 years in one dead end job after the next while trying unsuccessfully to reconcile his life. Now, he is given the opportunity to rock out with a young band with a lot of potential and, if he can overcome his own self-destructive tendencies, he will try to bring them to the top!

ROCKNROLLA.
Action/Crime/Videogame.
Gerard Butler/Tom Wilkinson/Thandie Newton.
Directed by Guy Ritchie.
* Another crazy complicated action flick from Guy Ritchie, this one revolved around a crooked real estate deal between English and Russian Mafioso that doesn’t work out nearly the way it was intended. Much backstabbing (and other stabbing, kind of in the back) occurs along the way to a joy-ride ending.

RUSSELL PETERS: RED WHITE AND BROWN.
Stand-up Comedy.
Russell Peters.

THE SECRET POLICEMAN’S BALL.
Comedy/Performance.
Rowan Atkinson/John Cleese/Michael Palin/Billy Connolly/Pete Townsend.
Directed by Roger Graef.
* This was the first of a series of comedy and music performances that were raising money for Amnesty International.

SHARKS IN VENICE: SHARK ATTACK 4.
Sci-Fi/Horror/Comedy (kinda).
Alec Baldwin/Bashar Rahal.
Directed by Danny Lerner.
* Over the top tale of sharks and Mafioso’s controlling the land and water of Venezia.

SONGS IN ORDINARY TIME.
Drama.
Sissy Spacek/Beau Bridges.
Directed by Rod Holcomb.
* From Oprah’s bookclub to your television set comes this tale of a single mother who takes in a mysterious stranger who transforms everyone’s life.

THE STEWARDESSES: 3D.
Softcore/Nostalgia/Comedy.
Christina Hart/Paula Erikson.
Directed by Al Silliman, Jr.
* Trampy early softcore film that was edited multiple times while in the theatres...eventually there were four different versions being screened at once. Also, the technology for the 3D (camera) was used to shoot many 80’s 3D classics, such as Jaws 3 and others… Is this a “good” movie”? We’ll let you be the judge of that.

VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA.
Comedy/Drama/Romance.
Rebecca Hall/Scarlett Johansson/Penelope Cruz/Javier Bardem/Patricia Clarkson.
Directed by Woody Allen.
* Woody has a hit with his latest treatise on sex and love in and out of order. Vicky (Hall) and Cristina (Johansson) are young Americans on holiday in Spain. There, they meet Juan Antonio Ganzalo (Bardem) and each deal with resisting or not resisting his amorous affections – and who could blame them! Unfortunately, Juan has baggage, namely, his passionate and tempestuous ex-wife Maria Elena (Cruz). When she re-enters the picture, things get messy.

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

BLACK IS…BLACK AIN’T.
Documentary.
Directed by Marlon Riggs.
* A documentary examining the Black experience.

FANTASTIC FLESH.
Documentary.
Directed by Kevin VanHook.
* This movie delves into the mysterious world of film make-up and effects.

GIRLS ROCK: THE MOVIE.
Rock-Doc.
Directed by Arne Johnson and Shane King.
* Well, you could send your kid to Arts camp, or you could send you kid to Silvertree…then there’s Lego Camp - - orrrr, you could try Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls. This film follows four girls from 8 to 18 as they experience the amazingly wonderful transformative power of Rock and Roll.

LISTEN UP: THE LIVES OF QUINCY JONES.
Rock -Doc.
Directed by Ellen Weissbrod.
* Just about everyone who’s anyone in the music world (Sheila E, Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Flavor Flav, Herbie Hancock, Ice-T, Bobby McFerrin) appear in this 1990 documentary about one of the musical visionaries of the 20th Century.

ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED.
Documentary.
Directed by Marina Zenovich.
* Between 1977 and 1978, Roman Polanski was on trial for giving drugs to and having sex with a 13-year-old that he was photographing for Vogue magazine…at the climax of this period, he fled the country and has lived in Europe ever since continuing to make the strange, demented and rather beautiful films he was already famous for (such as CHINATOWN). This documentary chronicles that year of trial and tries to give perspective on the principals and the principles involved.

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

MARY POPPINS: 45th ANNIVERSARY EDITION.
* One of the greatest films ever!

PEANUTS: YOU’RE A GOOD SPORT CHARLIE BROWN.

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: SPONGICUS.

SECRET OF THE MAGIC GOURD.

SCOOBY DOO: WHERE ARE YOU? VOL 1: A MONSTER CATCH.

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

U TURN.
* Good creepy Oliver Stone flick with Sean Penn, Billy Bob, Powers Boothe, J-Lo, Claire Danes and others…

............// REPLACEMENT DISCS//............

THE GREAT ESCAPE: 2-DISC COLLECTOR’S EDITION.

****

****new release list no.202


Ah, what a day it was today! The day after Martin Luther King Day and Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America! I sat with Amy and the kids watching the show this morning, and I realized it was the first inauguration I’ve cared to watch since President Carter’s back in 1977. I was also struck with excitement knowing that my kids are growing up in a world where truly anyone can get elected president.

I walked up to Cortland afterwards, and I found the street bubbling with excitement. I ran into friends and we were literally gushing with respect for our new President. I kept feeling almost embarrassed to be so full of passion about him. I don’t think I have ever looked at a politician as a role model. But I am struck all the time by President Obama’s calmness, his sense of integrity, his patience and his intelligence.

And Mr. Bush? Well, we’ll see what history holds for him. I will keep my thoughts (mostly) to myself on this blog regarding him. Suffice to say, I won’t miss that moron.

Happy MLK Day everyone! Happy Inauguration Day! Did you hear the President say he would extend a hand to those who hate us if they are willing to unclench their fist to accept it? Words to live by…

Scroll on down to read about the movies.

Love and Kisses,
Ken

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

AMERICAN EAST.
Drama.
Erick Avari/Sayed Badreya.
Directed by Hesham Issawi.
* A cultural crossroads occurs when a Middle Eastern man and a Jewish man open a restaurant.

CHARLIE & ME.
Drama/Family.
Tom Bosley/Jordy Benattar.
Directed by David Weaver.
* A 12-year old girl (Benattar) gets involved with helping her very ill grandfather.

THE CHILDREN OF HUANG SHI.
Drama.
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers/Radha Mitchell/Chow Yun-Fat/Michelle Yeoh.
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode.
* A British journalist (Rhys-Meyers) and an Australian nurse rescue a group of orphaned children in China during the Japanese occupation of the late 1930’s .

CHRIS ROCK: KILL THE MESSENGER.
Stand-up Comedy.
Chris Rock.

CITY OF EMBER.
Drama/Indie.
David Ryall/Bill Murray/Tim Robbins/Martin Landau.
Directed by Gil Kenan.
* From the popular book comes this film about a couple children trying to unwrap the mystery of their bizarre and beautiful underground city before their generator fails and plunges their existence into darkness.

CONFESSIONS OF AN ACTION STAR.
Comedy.
David Leitch/Angelina Jolie/Carrie-Anne Moss/Sean Young.
Directed by Brad Martin.
* A mockumentary about a former exotic dancer named Frank Sledge (Leitch) who becomes a super successful Hollywood stunt man.

DEAL.
Comedy.
William H. Macy/Meg Ryan/LL Cool J/Jason Ritter/Elliot Gould.
Directed by Steven Schacter.
* Strange comedy about a Hollywood producer on the downside who agrees to make his nephew’s film only to have one thing go wrong after the next.

EL NORTE.
Drama/Criterion.
Zaide Guttierez/David Villalpando.
Directed by Gregory Nava.
* Powerful 1983 film about a couple of Mayan Indian siblings from Guatemala who escape a massacre on their village and head north to the USA to try to start a new life.

THE EXPRESS: THE ERNIE DAVIS STORY.
Action/Sports.
Dennis Quaid/Robert Brown.
Directed by Gary Fleder.
* The story of Ernie Davis, the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy (College Football Athlete of the Year).

HENRY POOLE IS HERE.
Comedy/Drama.
Luke Wilson/Radha Mitchell/Adriana Barraza.
Directed by Mark Bellington.
* A story about hope and potential about a man who tries to run away from life and instead runs directly into its arms.

IGOR.****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****
Animation/Comedy.
John Cusack/Steve Buscemi/Jeremy Priven/Molly Shannon/Christian Slater/Arsenio Hall/John Cleese.
Directed by Anthony Leondis.
* The story of a hunchbacked evil scientists assistant who wishes he could be the evil scientist that wins the big, uh, evil scientist contest.

KATT WILLIAMS PRESENTS: KATTHOUSE COMEDY.
Stand-up Comedy.
Katt Williams.

LA LEON.
Drama/LBGT/Foreign (Spanish).
Jorge Roman/Daniel Valenzuela.
Directed by Santiago Otheguy.
*Slow and burning Argentinean film about a gay man living a closeted life working in the river jungle of his country.

MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION.
Drama/Criterion.
Jane Wyman/Rock Hudson.
Directed by Douglas Sirk.
* A man survives an accident, but as he is saved another man dies as a direct result. The survivor finds himself examining his existence and trying to become like the deceased man.

MAX PAYNE.
Action/Crime/Videogame.
Mark Wahlberg/Mila Kunis/Beau Bridges/Chris O’Donnell.
Directed by John Moore.
* Max Payne (Wahlberg) is a DEA agent whose family has been brutally murdered and is out for revenge .

OPIE GETS LAID.
Comedy/Indie.
James Ricardo/April Wade.
Directed by James Ricardo.
* Dude has never gotten any action at all, and suddenly is dating three very different women at once .

PALO PINTO GOLD.
Western.
Trent Willmon.
Directed by Anthony Henslee.
* A Texas Ranger turns bad and murders for gold! Is this the Alex Rodriguez story or what?.

SAW V.
Horror/Crime.
Costas Mandylor/Meagan Goode.
Directed by David Hackl.

SPY SCHOOL.
Family/Adventure.
Forrest Landis/AnnaSophia Robb.
Directed by Mark Blutman.
* Thomas (Landis) is a kid who can’t tell the truth, so of course no one believes him when he hears about a plot to kidnap the President’s daughter…So it is up to him to save her himself!

VACANCY 2.
Horror/Suspense.
Agnes Bruckner/Trevor Wright.
Directed by Eric Bross.
* Rooms are still available.

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

IT’S A VINYL WORLD AFTERALL.
Documentary.
* Are you a vinyl guy? I know there are many out there. This film will teach you everything you need to know about cleaning, storing, handling and collecting your amazing vinyl music collection .

MGM: WHEN THE LION ROARS.
Documentary.
Directed by Frank Martin.
Narrated by Patrick Stewart.
* The history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios including amazing archival footage featuring many famous movie stars, producers and directors.

PATTI SMITH: DREAM OF LIFE.
Rock-Doc.
Directed by Steven Sebring.
* If you are a fan, you must see this film about the wonderful recording artist, performance artist and poet. If you are not a fan, perhaps watching this film will convert you.

SPUTNIK MANIA.
Documentary.
Directed by David Hoffman.
Narrated by Liev Schreiber
* The inside tale of the launch of Sputnik and how close the world came to nuclear disaster fifty years ago.

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

MI-5: VOLUME 6.
Television/Action.
Peter Firth.
* British tv series about the intelligence organization called MI-5. Interestingly enough, the same show is called SPOOKS in England.

MOONLIGHT: COMPLETE 1ST SEASON.
Television/Drama/Fantasy/Vampire.
* The story of a vampire working as a private investigator who is in love with a non-vampire woman.

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

BACK AT THE BARNYARD: COWMAN UDDERED AVENGER.

BERENSTAIN BEARS: KINDNESS CARING AND SHARING.

THE GREAT POLAR BEAR ADVENTURE.

****

Monday, January 12, 2009

****new release list no.202


Wow, the whole world is falling apart! I hear the porn industry is seeking government relief!

Iconic retail businesses are closing daily.

Gas; is it expensive or cheap? Do I buy everything organic? Local? Even if it means paying premium bucks?

How to negotiate the decisions of modern life?

Well, you don’t really need to worry too much. Worry makes you age faster. Gives your heartburn. Swells your feet. Enduces headaches. Makes it hard to eat. I know these things are true, because I worried a lot in December. It was a fun month to worry. Ask anyone who owned a retail establishment.

However, I am over it now. Done worrying. I have decided just this week that I will begin to worry again in March. So I’ve bought myself some time you see. I am uncertain as to whether or not this can be considered procrastination, but check in with me in March and I’ll let you know what I’ve learned. In the meantime, may as well take a walk. Have a jog. Take a bath. Go to the beach. Read a book. Or watch a movie.

This week we have an enormous batch of movies and series for you. In the television department we have a gigantic batch of BBC (SECRET DIARY OF A CALL GIRL: SEASON ONE, SAXONDALE: COMPLETE SEASONS ONE AND TWO, SKINS: VOL. 1, TESS OF THE D’URBERVILLES) goofy sketch comedy shows (HUMAN GIANT: SEASON ONE, LITTLE BRITAIN USA) tense drama (DAMAGES: SEASON ONE) and more.

Documentaries aplenty as well this week (ORGASMIC BIRTH, BLINDSIGHT, BUSTIN’ DOWN THE DOOR, THE ORDER OF MYTHS, IMAGINARY WITNESS: HOLLYWOOD AND THE HOLOCAUST).

There is also an abundance of Independent releases, both sweet and savory (BRICK LANE, CHOOSE CONNOR, ENTRY LEVEL, HUMBOLDT COUNTY, RUNNING FUNNY, INTERCEPTION). Batches of foreign films (I DO, FATHER OF THE KAMIKAZE, TAXI BLUES), big budget Hollywood (MIRRORS, SWING VOTE, APPALOOSA) and much much more.

This is one of those weeks where the full value of Four Star Video is on display. You can probably get all these films on Netflix or online…but how would you even hear about some of the stranger docs and foreign films and indie flix? We do that work for you. We are your external search engine, bringing you quality cinema and television from around the world.

Particularly fantastic is our release of the week, the ultra indulgent MURNAU BORZAGE AND FOX BOX SET. Filled with 12 features, 1 documentary and several beautiful books, this is an incredible addition to our library. Please do enjoy these amazing silent and less silent films made between the late 1920’s and the early 1930’s by F.W. Murnau and Frank Borzage, two of the more influential filmmakers of all time.

Love and Kisses,
Ken
............//RELEASE OF THE WEEK//............

MURNAU, BORZAGE AND FOX BOX SET.
Drama/Expressionist/Silent/Early Sound/Black and White.
Spencer Tracy/Will Rogers/Maureen O’Sullivan/Janet Gaynor/Charles Farrell.
Directed by F.W. Murnau and Frank Borzage.
* This incredible set has twelve feature films and a documentary on the men who made them from 1927 - 1933.

F.W. Murnau was a very influential German Expressionist director whose career was tragically cut short when he died in a traffic accident at the age of 42. Some of his films from the silent era have been lost, and others have not been previously available on DVD. When he died, only a handful of people showed up for his funeral, but among them were Greta Garbo and Fritz Lang. His films represented in this set are:

SUNRISE, a 1927 release about a farmer who is ready to throw away his wife and life for a woman who is vacationing in his town. This film won an Oscar for Best Artistic film.

CITY GIRL, a 1930 film about the harsh realities of a farmer’s life starring Charles Farrell.

Frank Borzage was an Academy Award winning director who was known for his mystical romanticism style. He and Murnau worked for William Fox and he was heavily influenced by Murnau’s films. He made a bunch of films and eventually was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He died in 1962 at the age of 68. His films in this set are:

LAZYBONES, a 1925 silent film about a man who takes in and raises a homeless girl, only to fall in love with her when she becomes a woman.

SEVENTH HEAVEN, a 1928 silent film about a romance during wartime of a couple dealing with life’s seriously hard knocks. Starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell.

STREET ANGEL, a 1928 silent film about a young woman (Gaynor) hiding from the police by joining a traveling circus. There she meets and falls in love with a vagabond (Farrell).

LUCKY STAR, a 1929 silent film about a man dealing with being in a wheelchair post WWI starring Farrell and Gaynor.

THEY HAD TO SEE PARIS, a 1929 film starring Will Rogers in his first talkie film about a newly rich couple who heads to Europe to get some culture.

LILIOM, a 1930 film which was the first completed film version of the play which eventually was made super famous by the musical version called CAROUSEL.

SONG O’ MY HEART, a 1930 film of love and pain told through the story of an Irish singer (John McCormack) coming out of retirement for a tour of America.

BAD GIRL, a 1931 film that won 2 Oscars about a couple struggling with life.

AFTER TOMORROW, a 1932 tearjerker drama based in New York.

YOUNG AMERICA, a 1932 film starring Spencer Tracy as a pharmacist who is contemplating adopting a troubled kid who has stolen from his pharmacy.

In this set is a feature documentary called MURNAU BORZAGE AND FOX by the directors John Cork and Lisa Van Eyysen exploring the relationships between these men and the gigantic cinematic legacy they left behind. Also, there are two amazing coffee table books of photos and art that are available for free rent in our book section. Check them out as well. Enjoy!

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

ALPHABET KILLER.
Drama/Thriller.
Eliza Dushku/Timothy Hutton.
Directed by Rob Schmidt.
* Megan Paige (Dushku) is a young police officer whose life comes apart during the investigation of a terrible murder. After she gets her life back together, another murder investigation gives her the opportunity to redeem her career. Based on true events.

APPALOOSA.
Drama/Western.
Ed Harris/Viggo Mortenson/Renee Zellweger/Jeremy Irons.
Directed by Ed Harris.
* Ah, the Wilde West! It was a simpler time, disputes resolved quicker and more completely. In this adaptation of a 2005 novel by Robert B. Parker, a town hires a couple of lawmen, Virgil Cole (Harris) and his duh-duh-deputy Everett (Mortenson) to protect its residents from an evil rancher (Irons). A beautiful young widow (Zellweger)’s arrival complicates the fragile relationships.

BALLS OUT: GARY THE TENNIS COACH.
Comedy.
Seann William Scott/Randy Quaid.
Directed by Danny Leiner.
* Goofy sophomoric comedy.

BRICK LANE.
Drama/Indie.
Tannishtha Chatterjee/Christopher Simpson.
Directed by Sarah Gavron.
* Based on the novel this tale follows a young woman from Bangladesh who moves to London in the 1980’s for an arranged marriage and follows her struggles to find herself, her freedom and her happiness.

BRIDESHEAD REVISITED.
Drama.
Emma Thompson/Michael Gambon/Greta Scacchi/Matthew Goode.
Directed by Julian Jarrold.
* Based on the terrific novel by Evelyn Waugh, this remake of the 1980’s miniseries tells the story of Captain Charles Ryder (Goode) and his memories of wartime spent at the Brideshead estate.

CHOOSE CONNOR.
Drama/Indie.
Steven Weber/Alex D. Linz.
Directed by Luke Eberl.
* A view into the vicious world of politics and elections as experienced through Owen (Linz) a 15-year-old who becomes a youth spokesman for a US Senate candidate named Lawrence Connor (Weber). This creepy flick takes several strange turns and ends up looking into a far murkier and yuckier world than just politics.

ENTRY LEVEL.
Comedy/Drama.
D.B. Sweeney.
Directed by Douglas Horn.
* A sweet tale about the desperate reality of a job search. Characters in this film are overqualified for the jobs they are looking for, but for one reason or another they are beginning their careers over at the bottom rung of the corporate ladder.

FATHER OF THE KAMIKAZE.
War/Foreign (Japanese).
Koji Tsuruta.
Directed by Kosaku Yamashita.
* Tragic tale of the end of WWII with the Americans preparing to invade Japan and the Japanese creating new ways to fight back.

HIT AND RUN.
Drama/Thriller.
Laura Breckenridge/Kevin Corrigan.
Directed by Enda McCallion.
* Don’t drive drunk! This is another version of the old “I thought I hit a cat but when I got home I discovered a nearly dead man attached to my car” story. Crazy how that keeps happening.

HUMBOLDT COUNTY.
Comedy/Drama.
Fairuza Balk/Peter Bogdanovich/Jeremy Strong.
Directed by Darren Grodsky and Danny Jacobs.
* Peter (Strong) is a disillusioned med student who hooks up with this flighty chick, Bogart (Balk) and ends up hanging with her pot farming family in the lovely county of Humboldt. There, he is thrust into the tripped out world of people growing weed on the perimeter.

I DO.
Comedy/Foreign (French).
Alain Chabat/Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Directed by Eric Lartigau.
* A French comedy of errors about a talented perfume designer whose overbearing family is determined to get him married. He hatches a scheme where he will hire someone to jilt him at the altar to get him family off his back. Ah, but the best laid plans…

INTERCEPTION.
Action.
John Will Clay/Ashley Morgan.
Directed by John Will Clay and Turner Clay.
* Indie action flick about a prototype weapon stolen from the government and a renegade software engineer working with an FBI agent to save, well what the hell, to save the world…ostensibly.

MIRRORS.****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****
Horror/Suspense.
Kiefer Sutherland/Amy Smart.
Directed by Alexandre Aja.
* There is an evil force in the mirror! Have you ever noticed that? Like after a hard night of partying you get home and everything’s cool until you get into the bathroom and accidently look into the mirror? It’s amazing what you see in there…in the mirror!

MR. MIKE’S MONDO VIDEO.
Weird.
Directed by.
*1979.

MURNAU, BORZAGE AND FOX BOX SET.
* See Release of the Week.

MY BEST FRIENDS’S GIRL.
Comedy.
Dane Cook/Kate Hudson/Jason Briggs/Alec Baldwin.
Directed by Howard Deutch.
* Never, I repeat, never hire your friend to do ANYTHING related to your partner or ex-partner! In this case Briggs character hires Cooks character to be a bad date the ex-girlfriend (Hudson) in order to make her see how good she had it before…Do you think that works out?

RUNNING FUNNY.
Comedy.
Gene Gallerano/Maximilian Osinski.
Directed by Anthony Grippa.
* A couple of recently graduated college kids move into an apartment rented out by a war veteran and discover that they have different desires as they are transitioning into adulthood.

SHUT UP AND SHOOT.
Comedy/Crime.
Joe Cortese/Tom Sizemore/Daniel Baldwin/Gary Busey/John Savage.
Directed by Silvio Pollio.
* Hollywood tale about the come-uppance of a crooked Producer who gets his after trying to kill off all his associates.

SUPERCOP: 2 DISC ULTIMATE EDITION.
Action/Thriller/Comedy/Foreign (Cantonese/Mandarin/English)
Jackie Chan/Michelle Yeoh.
Directed by Stanley Tong.
* Re-release of the 1996 heartstopper about a couple of cops trying to stop a Chinese drug lord.

SWING VOTE. ****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****
Comedy/Drama.
Kevin Kostner/Madeline Carroll/Kelsey Grammer/Dennis Hopper.
Directed by Joshua Michael Stern.
* In a strange, and barely believable turn of events, shmucky borderline loser Bud Johnson (Kostner) holds the single vote to determine the American Presidency and his life is turned upside down as the candidates vie for his support.

THE TAKING OF POWER BY LOUIS THE XIV.
Drama/Criterion/Foreign (French).
Jean-Marie Patte/Raymond Jourdan/Katharina Renn.
Directed by Roberto Rossellini.
* 1970 film about the rise to power of Louis the XIV who was actually on the throne without power until the death of Cardinal Mazarin in 1661. Eventually, Louis the XIV was King of France for over seventy years, the longest rule of any European monarch.

TAXI BLUES.
Comedy/Drama/Foreign (Russian).
Pyotr Mamonov/Pyotr Zaychenko.
Directed by Pavel Lungin.
* Two Russians, one a taxi driver and the other an aspiring Jazz musician, encounter each other in a post-Communism Russia where everything feels as though it is spinning out of control.

TYLER PERRY’S: THE FAMILY THAT PREYS.
Drama.
Tyler Perry/Sanaa Lathan/Kathy Bates/Alfre Woodward.
Directed by uh, Tyler Perry?
* Two families, torn apart by scandal, seek balance and harmony in a crazy world.

WITHOUT A PADDLE: NATURE’S CALLING.
Comedy.
Kristopher Turner.
Directed by Ellory Elkayem.
* Two old friends who’ve had a bit of a falling out reunite to search the woods for a woman one of them used to have a crush on.

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

BLINDSIGHT.
Documentary/Adventure.
Directed by Lucy Walker.
* The true mind-boggling tale of six blind teenagers ascent of Lhakpa Ri, a 23,000 foot Himalayan mountain on the north side of Mount Everest.

BUSTIN’ DOWN THE DOOR.
Documentary/Sports.
Directed by Jeremy Gosch.
Narrated by Ed Norton.
* The story of a group of Australian and South African surfers who revolutionized surfing in the mid-1970’s.

IMAGINERY WITNESS: HOLLYWOOD AND THE HOLOCAUST.
Documentary/History.
Directed by Daniel Anker.
Narrated by Gene Hackman.
* Though this film deals heavily in the Holocaust and its repercussions, it also is a tale about Hollywood and the way it handles current politics and the effect it can have on how things are portrayed, discussed and dealt with.

THE ORDER OF MYTHS.
Documentary.
Directed by Margaret Brown.
* A history lesson of Mobile, Alabama, this film tracks the lives of former slave families and slave owners and the evolution of their interactions and complicated current relationships with the focus also on the celebration of Mardi Gras. Mobile actually has the oldest celebration of this holiday, with a traceable history back to 1703.

ORGASMIC BIRTH.
Documentary.
Directed by Debra Pascali-Bonaro.
* A beautiful exploration of birth from a unique and empowering perspective.

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

CAPTAINS AND THE KINGS.
Television/Mini-Series.
Directed by Douglas Heyes and Allen Reisner.
* 1970’s mini-series about a young Irish immigrant (Richard Jordan) who comes to America in the 19th century and works his way up the ladder to become one of the most wealthy and powerful men in the country.

DAMAGES: SEASON ONE.
Television/Crime/Drama/Mystery/Thriller.
Glenn Close/Rose Bynre/Ted Danson.
* Riveting legal drama that many customers requested! Hope you dig it.

HUMAN GIANT: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON.
Sketch Comedy.
Paul Scheer/Aziz Ansari.
* Edgy short film style sketch comedy in the vein of THE KIDS IN THE HALL.

LITTLE BRITAIN USA.
Television/Comedy/HBO.
* Slightly watered down version of the British sketch comedy show.

LOONEY TUNES: GOLDEN COLLECTION: VOLUME SIX.
* Over sixty re-mastered and restored cartoons featuring Bugs, Daffy and so many more. FANTASTIC for the kids and the adults.

SAXONDALE: COMPLETE SEASONS ONE AND TWO.
Television/Comedy/BBC.
Steve Coogan.
* Much loved British comedy about Tommy Saxondale, a once wild man, now seeking calm (i.e. anger management) while making his living as a pest exterminator.

SECRET DIARY OF A CALL GIRL: SEASON ONE.
Television/BBC/Drama.
Billy Piper.
* Based on the novel, this show claims to be a real-to-life portrayal of a young British woman who makes her living as an high-end escort in London.

SKINS: VOLUME ONE.
Television/Drama/Comedy/BBC.
* A depiction of the lives of a group of British teens dealing with the things teens deal with, love, sex, drugs, betrayal and growing up.

TESS OF THE D’URBERVILLES.
Drama/BBC/Mini-series.
Gemma Arterton.
* Originally written by Thomas Hardy by in 1913, this is the story of a young country girl whose family discovers they have connections to a much wealthier family.

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

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE CHIPETTES.

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: A CHIPMUNK VALENTINE.

DORA AND THE THREE LITTLE PIGS.

****

Monday, January 5, 2009

****new release list no.201


Happy New Year! Here’s look to an interesting and eventful 2009!

Lots of new flicks in the store this week featuring some of the bigger names in the business…Seth Rogen and James Franco star in the stoner adventure movie PINEAPPLE EXPRESS. Nicolas Cage packs many loaded weapons in BANGKOK DANGEROUS. In RIGHTEOUS KILL, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino try again to make a wonderful film together. Ben Kingley plays a quirky therapist in the indie movie THE WACKNESS. Vin Diesel and Michelle Yeoh travel across futuristic Russia in BABYLON A.D. Kevin Kline and Jennifer Garner garner accolades on stage in CYRANO DE BERGERAC.

On television we have the latest seasons of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (SEASON 4.0) and THE TUDORS (THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON). And we have a nice stack of new additions including the Antonioni film IDENTIFICATION OF A WOMAN and the Ken Russell story THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM.

Speaking of new additions, we have a huge thank you to say to a customer who has donated maybe 11 or 12 brand-new factory sealed DVD’s to us in the last few weeks, but we don’t know who it is! Who are you, oh generous friend? You come into the shop and find classic films that we do not have on DVD and you buy them and slip them gently through our mail slot as we sleep. You are kind and wonderful and we tip our caps to you.

Have any suggestions for Four Star Video in 2009? I have some ideas gestating in my brain, but as of now they are simply distracting sub-thoughts, without specificity (like so much of what goes on in my brain). Maybe you have the perfect idea? Please let me know, send me an email, drop me a note, or just corral me in the store sometime. Thanks for your support.

Love and Kisses,
Ken

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

ANOTHER CINDERELLA STORY.
Comedy/Musical/Romance.
Selena Gomez/Andrew Seeley.
Directed by Damon Santostefano.
* For the tiny bopper set, a version of the Cinder story with a boy searching for the girl he danced with at a costume party with just a few clues to base his search on.

BABYLON A.D.****ALSO ON BLU-RAY****
Sci-Fi/Action.
Vin Diesel/Michelle Yeoh/Gerard Depardieu/Charlotte Rampling.
Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz.
* From the maker of GOTHIKA comes this futuristic tale of a mercenary (Diesel) who agrees to escort a strange young woman from Russia to the US.

BANGKOK DANGEROUS.****ALSO ON BLU-RAY****
Suspense/Action.
Nicolas Cage.
Directed by Oxide Pang Chun and Danny Pang.
* This is a remake of a movie with the same name made by the same directors! The current version is about a hitman (Cage) in Bangkok to make a handful of hits who becomes more emotionally involved with his go-between helper than he intended to.

BLIND MOUNTAIN.
Drama/Foreign (Mandarin).
Lu Huang.
Directed by Yang Li.
* Intense social commentary about a young woman who is kidnapped and sold into marriage in a small village in China.

THE BOOK OF REVELATION.
Mystery/Romance/Thriller.
Tom Long/Greta Scacchi/Colin Friels.
Directed by Anna Kokkinos.
* Weird looking erotic thriller from Australia.

CYRANO DE BERGERAC 2007.
Stage.
Kevin Kline/Jennifer Garner.
Directed by Matthew Diamond.
* A stage performance of the classic tale.

DISASTER MOVIE.
Comedy.
Directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer.
* The next in a long line of spoof films.

FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON.****IN STORE ON WED****
Drama/Family/Foreign (French/Mandarin).
Juliette Binoche.
Directed by Hsiao-hsien Hou.
* Dreamy and hypnotic film based on the epic kids movie THE RED BALLOON.

THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE.
Comedy.
Directed by Todd Rohal.
* Indie film about a strange community and the mysterious disappearance of one of its residents.

THE LIZARD.
Martial Arts/Foreign (Cantonese).
Directed by Yuen Chor.
* I quote directly “At first end, he is only portly seller of plum, no fight, father too so sick”. Then again, said reviewer also says “8 out of 10, Tom Cruise is so good! I wish for his husbandry.” Me, too, grasshopper. Me, too.

THE PINEAPPLE EXPRESS****ALSO ON BLU-RAY****
Action/Comedy.
Seth Rogen/James Franco/Danny R. McBride/Bill Hader/Amber Heard/Rosie Perez.
Directed by David Green.
* Dude, like, if you are super into the kindest of the kind (knowing, of course, I am referring to the crystal kind {again, making assumptions that in your life it is 420 [trusting your trustworthiness] right now and always} green bud) green bud, like the kind that is fully traceable and totally small batch micro mcmonkable, then be as fully cognizant of your stash as possible on the off chance you become accidently witness to a murder, cuz if you leave your fully traceable stash there, as evidence, as evidenced by the story of this movie, possibly, potentially, in all senses of actuality there could maybe be murderers coming to look for you based on the knowledge of your possession of this weed which clearly placed you at the scene of the crime.

You know?

PING PONG PLAYA.
Comedy.
Jimmy Tsai/Roger Fan.
Directed by Jessica Yu.
* Sweet comedy about an Asian American who wishes he was a basketball star, but instead lives a suburban life helping his mother run ping pong classes.

RIGHTEOUS KILL. ****ALSO ON BLU-RAY****
Drama/Crime.
Robert De Niro/Al Pacino/.50 Cent/Carla Gugino/John Leguizamo/Donnie Wahlberg.
Directed by Jon Avnet.
* Two veteran Hollywood actors work to identify the possible connection between a recent bad script and a terrible movie they made years ago; is a stinker on the loose and are they perhaps making the same bad movie twice?*

* This entire movie treatment is untrue. But you knew that already, right?

THE WACKNESS. ****ALSO ON BLU-RAY****
Comedy.
Josh Peck/Ben Kingsley/Olivia Thirlby/Famke Janssen/Method Man.
Directed by Jonathan Levine.
* A movie about a kid in the mid 90’s who is selling weed in his last summer before college. Full of pervasive pot smoking and a truly pumping soundtrack, this one may not be for you.

WOMAN ON THE BEACH.
Comedy/Drama/Foreign (Korean).
Seung-woo Kim/Hyun-jung Go.
Directed by Sang-soo Hong.
* From the director of WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN, comes this latest comedy about an out-of-control movie director with writers block.

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

HAIR: LET THE SUN SHINE IN.
Documentary.
Keith Carradine/Tim Curry/Johnny Carson.
Directed by Wolfgang Held and Pola Rapaport.
* Tremendous archive footage and interviews combine to show the deep effect this musical has had over the years.

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

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: SEASON 4.0.
Television/Sci-Fi.
* The highly anticipated next season in the series about young people wearing tight clothing in space.

DUCKMAN: SEASONS 3 & 4.

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED: SECOND SEASON.

THE TUDORS: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON.
Television/Drama.
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
* Season two in the sexy historical tale of the King and his conquests.

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

THE TRUMAN SHOW.
* The disturbing and beautiful Jim Carrey film about a man whose entire life is a television show unbeknownst to him.

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

NI HAO KAI-LAN: CELEBRATE WITH KAI-LAN!

SESAME STREET: ELMO LOVES YOU!

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

BYE BYE BRAZIL.
* First DVD of the 1979 Carlos Diegues movie. Aaron suggested we buy this after watching last week’s DVD release of DONA FLOR AND HER TWO HUSBANDS.

CHUCK BERRY – HAIL! HAIL! ROCK –N-ROLL.
* First DVD of the epic Berry documentary featuring just about everyone.

HIGH ART.
* First DVD of the lesbian love story starring Ally Sheedy and Rhada Mitchell.

HOOK.
* First DVD of the Spielberg film starring Dustin, Robin and Julia.

IDENTIFICATION OF A WOMAN.
* First DVD of the Michaelangelo Antonioni film.

THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM.
* First DVD of the Ken Russell film starring Hugh Grant. Hugh Grant!

SHALLOW GRAVE.
* First DVD of the excellent and creepy film that launched Ewan McGregor’s career.

****