****new release list no.193

Happy wintertime to you! I already have that “curl up with some hot apple cider” feeling inside. Except for Friday, when I had that “I am so lucky to live somewhere where it is amazingly warm sometimes in the middle of winter” feeling. Yeah.

Better keep the earth clean and beware of the messages we give our computers according to the somewhat dark moralistic tale that is WALL E. The animation is pretty spectacular, and this is coming from someone who used to hate computer animation. WALL E is a cleanup robot left on an unpopulated earth thousands of years after we abandoned the place to the toxic garbage we left behind. He is a quirky little fellow, with an amazing home full of trippy stuff, kinda reminded me of Maude in HAROLD AND MAUDE a little bit. His lonely existence is rocked when Eve, a little reconnaissance robot, shows up. She mesmerizes him with her lovely blue eyes, and he becomes so attached that he follows her into space so as not to be alone anymore.

In TROPIC THUNDER, we get a somewhat hilarious insider Hollywood take on the business as seen through a tragically run film set on location in some dangerous Southeast Asian country where the local heroin trade is run by a blood-thirsty 12-year old. Add Robert Downey, Jr, as an Oscar-Award winning Australian actor playing an African American soldier and Tom Cruise as a bald, curse-spewing film executive and you have a mind-bending adventure into filmmaking. Don’t try this at home! These are professionals.

Also of interest this week will be SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2! Me, I can’t wait for 3, when they all go thrifting together. Moving on.

We have a large stack of documentaries this week, a bunch of them music related (WORKING CLASS ROCK STAR, STARS AND THEIR ELECTRIC GUITARS, NEW YORK CITY BALLET, THE LAST KLEZMER, PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC: THE MOTHERSHIP CONNECTION LIVE IN 1976) as well as a couple of film powerhouse releases, such as from Werner Herzog ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD and Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney (NO END IN SIGHT, WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR, TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE) brings his new one out, the much awaited GONZO: LIFE AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON.

There’s more, there’s more. Scroll on down.

Love and Kisses,
Ken

P.S. Skip this part if you don’t wanna hear any pontificating…

Recently, I heard that Noe Valley Video, a video store on 24th street that had long been an institution in Noe has closed their doors. Wow, how many does that make? I never feel that bad when a Blockbuster or Hollywood Video goes down, but when a family-owned independent video store closes its doors it scares me! Then I heard that Streetlight Records was closing its Noe Valley store as well. Wow, that place has been there for 30 years!

All this got me thinking about the concept of local economy as compared to the global village, which got me thinking about my own spending habits. As I have mentioned in this space before, I enjoy purchasing stuff on the internet. It’s fun, and it’s easy. And it’s really simple not to consider the consequences. However, when I think about Bernal Heights, and I hear myself tell people about it who don’t live here, I always hear myself use terms like “village” and “neighborly” and I find myself speaking about Cortland Avenue and how people smile at each other as they stroll down the street, and how so many people know each other’s names, and how unusual that sometimes seems to me.

So, as this holiday season rolls into our lives, and as we are confronted with our individual financial challenges, let’s spend locally. Let’s support our neighbors. Let’s keep our businesses in operation. Let’s keep our community strong. If yer still with me thanks for reading…

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

ARIZONA SKY.
Drama/Romance/LGBT.
Eric Dean/Jayme McCabe.
Directed by Jeff London.
* Two men, twenty years removed from an unmanageable high school crush, find out that it is never too late to find love.

BACHELORMAN.
Comedy/Romance.
David Deluise/Missy Pyle.
Directed by John Putch.
* A serial bachelor scammer dude finds his powers to charm are diminished when he briefly finds real love.

BUTCH JAMIE.
Comedy/LGBT.
Michelle Ehlen.
Directed by Michelle Ehlen.
* Jamie is an out of work actress struggling to get a job. When she decides to audition as herself, she accidently scores a job as a man. This leads to many TOOTSIE-like complications that send her life into a tailspin.

THE CLIQUE.
Comedy.
Elizabeth McLaughlin/Ellen Marlow.
Directed by Michael Lembeck.
* Mean girls probably not named Heathers bring it on while Massie (McLaughlin) struggles to stay pretty in pink.

THE DEVIL’S CURSE.
Horror.
Colin Salmon/MyAnna Buring.
Directed by Alex Wakeford.
* A group of theology students attempt to prove believe enough to go to hell.

FANFAN LA TULIPE.
Action/Adventure/Criterion/Foreign (French).
Gerard Philipe.
Directed by Christiane-Jacque.
* 1952 comedy about a young handsome French peasant tricked into joining the army to chase after accolades and royal love.

GAMERS DORKNESS RISING.
Action/Adventure/Family/Comedy.
Nathan Rice/Brian Lewis.
Directed by Matt Vancil.
* Kind of a goofy slapsticky take on the whole gaming reality.

GARDEN PARTY.
Drama.
Vinessa Shaw/Willa Holland.
Directed by Jason Freeland.
* Teenagers being teenagers in one bad situation after another.

PARK.
Indie/Comedy/Drama.
Dagney Kerr/Vincent Riverside.
Directed by Kurt Voelker.
* Produced by a Bernal Heights neighbor’s sister, this film follows a dozen offbeat characters as they spend a day in the life in a park in Los Angeles. From nudism to infidelity to suicide, many topics are covered here.

PRICELESS.
Comedy/Romance/Foreign (French).
Audrey Tautou/Gad Elmaleh.
Directed by Pierre Salvadori.
* Tautou plays a gold-digger who normally just dates the rich dudes, but eventually finds someone who is not wealthy, but has a real heart proving the axiom that emotional honesty will ruin you.

SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2.
Comedy/Drama.
Amber Tamblyn/America Ferrera/Blake Lively/Alexis Bledel.
Directed by Sanaa Hamri.
* Movie two about a quartet of young women on the road to adulthood, sharing one pair of pants.

TROPIC THUNDER. ****ALSO ON BLU-RAY****
Comedy
Ben Stiller/Jack Black/Robert Downey Jr./Nick Nolte/Steve Coogan/Bill Hader/Tom Cruise.
Directed by Ben Stiller.
* Nolte plays a war vet who has written a book about his experiences in Vietnam. Stiller, Black, and Downey, Jr. play some of the guys who are on location shooting the film that has been adapted from the book. Unfortunately, things are not going so well on the shoot, and soon the director aims for a little improvisational acting by dropping them off in the middle of the jungle and having them just act out the scenes without a bunch of obvious cameras around them. Too bad the local heroin production gang is in the same woods and is not so psyched at the perceived DEA infiltration. Soon, the actors are involved in a much more real battle then they realize, but there is no way out, except to fight! This band of brothers that emerge are tougher, and wiser than when they went in. Cruise gives a terrific performance as a tough Hollywood Producer that is prepared to sacrifice the whole bunch of them and cash in on the insurance. Robert Downey Jr.’s character is an Australian so deep into his role as an African American that he has had a skin treatment rendering him black. His character is so weirdly captivating; it helps smooth over the rough patches.

WALL-E. ****ALSO ON BLU-RAY****
Sci-Fi/Animation/Family.
Fred Willard/Jeff Garlin/Sigourney Weaver.
Directed by Andrew Stanton.
* A truly amazing film, it manages to be a beautiful children’s story and a dark environmental omen at the same time. Very little dialog marks this latest Pixar release; in fact the two main character’s do not even have mouths (let alone gastro-intestinal systems). Early silent films were studies for the making of this film as they prepared to have so much communicated without the use of words. The film is quite entertaining, it steers clear of the usual scary imagery that many kids and adult movies thrive on, and introduces a melancholy longing to the genre. In essence, WALL E is a lonely robot who finds love in the form of a beautiful probe (not the one Cartmen deals with) named Eve. Dig especially the terrific credits animation sequence at the end where we are treated to a whole array of animation styles.

WINKY’S HORSE.
Family/Foreign (Dutch).
Ebbie Tam.
Directed by Mischa Kamp.
* Winky wants a horse. And, really, who doesn’t?

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

DR. WHO: COMPLETE 4TH SERIES.
Sci-Fi Television.

DR. WHO: THE INFINITE QUEST.
Sci-Fi/Animation.
Directed by Gary Russell.
* Animated Dr. Who feature following the doc as he races through the universe trying to find the legendary spaceship Infinite before bad guy Balthazar does.

HANNAH MONTANA: 1st SEASON.
Television/Shila.
Miley Cyrus.
* She’s got the best of both worlds, whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean.

PROJECT RUNWAY: SEASON FOUR.
Catwalk.
Heidi Klum.
* Right Said Fred said it best:

I'm too sexy for my car too sexy for my car,
Too sexy by far
And I'm too sexy for my hat
Too sexy for my hat what do you think about that.

I'm a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk
Yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk yeah
I shake my little tush on the catwalk.

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

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD.
Documentary.
Directed by Werner Herzog.
* Here, Herzog takes his camera to Antarctica to meet the men and women who have left society to devote themselves to the sciences that are being studied in this hard and treacherous environment.

GONZO: LIFE AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON.
Documentary.
Directed by Alex Gibney.
* Home movies, audiotapes, unpublished manuscripts – Alex Gibney mines it all to get to the essence of the man who changed journalism forever and brought mainstream America inside the dark and musty corners of life.

THE LAST KLEZMER.
Documentary/Music/Foreign (English/Polish/Yiddish/Russian).
Directed by Yale Strom.
*A search for a great Klezmer musician living in Poland uncovers truths about the Holocaust while celebrating the spirit of humanity and the amazing place music plays in our lives.

NEW YORK CITY BALLET: BRINGING BALANCHINE BACK.
Documentary/Music/Performing Arts.
* Great in-depth look at the NYC Ballet as it travels to St. Petersburg, where one of its founders, George Ballachine, first learned to dance.

102 MINUTES THAT CHANGED AMERICA.
Documentary.
* History Channel doc on the terrible events of September 11, 2001.

PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC: THE MOTHERSHIP CONNECTION LIVE 1976 .
Documentary/Music.
George Clinton/Bootsy Collins/Bernie Worrell.
Directed by Brian Blum.
* Tear the roof off the muthasucka! Tear the roof off the mutha! Put on your funkiest duds, do your hair up right, pop this DVD in and prepare to be transported to another planet.

STARS AND THEIR GUITARS: HISTORY OF THE ELECTRIC GUITAR.
Documentary/Music.

WORKING CLASS ROCK STAR.
Documentary/Music.
Directed by Justin McConnell.
* The painful tale of touring rock bands these days. This doc follows three bands around and takes an intimate look at an industry that does very little to support its hard working artists.

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

BEAR SNORES ON AND MORE BEARY TALES.

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

HEATHERS.
* One of the finest films in the teen genre of all time.

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

KILL YOUR IDOLS.
* Awesome doc about the New York rock scene featuring Sonic Youth among others.

****

****new release list no.192

We Win!

And enough for this week about politics.

HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY arrives this week, with its crazy array of monsters and evil elves stirring up the universe as only Guillermo del Toro can. Also, this week we have the first of a bunch of huge animated blockbusters coming this holiday season. This week it is KUNG FU PANDA. Little Po must learn how to fight if he is to save the Valley of Peace from the bad bad Snow Leopard. Grrrrr! Follow the further adventures of the animated Anakin Skywalker in STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS a film that takes place between the second and third Star Wars tales and fills in some blanks on the mighty Clone Wars!

On the quirky side is WESTERN, a movie about a Spaniard and a Russian walking the streets of France and WHATEVER YOU SAY, another French film about a television producer who gets in over his head with his boss and his sexy wife.

Voyeurism plays a big role in the films CRUEL BUT NECESSARY, where a jilted housewife decides to film her entire life and MISTER FOE about a teenager who spies on people from the roofs of Edinburgh ostensibly with the hopes of solving the mystery of his mother’s death.

Also released this week are a bunch of newly released (and in some cases re-released) older films such as APPRENTICE (starring a young Susan Sarandon), THE BOYS IN THE BAND, SABRINA and ROMAN HOLIDAY.

Scroll on down to check out the new editions and the new Blu-ray titles we have added this week as well.

Don’t forget about Four Star Video while you are contemplating your holiday shopping. We have awesome Four Star Shirts and Wristbands as well as our usual Gift-Certificates on sale now.

Love and Kisses,
Ken

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

APPRENTICE.
Drama/Romance/Foreign (French).
Susan Sarandon/Steve Fiset.
Directed by Larry Kent.
* 1971 Sarandon film just hitting DVD. This French-Canadian love triangle tale concerns a young criminal who falls for Sarandon, but who’s involved with the girlfriend of his crime partner.

THE BOYS IN THE BAND.
Drama.
Kenneth Nelson/Leonard Frey.
Directed by William Friedkin.
* Tempers fly in this 1970 film just getting to DVD at a party mostly populated by homosexual men when a het is accidently invited.

CRUEL BUT NECESSARY.
Drama.
Kate Albrecht/Fred Goss.
Directed by Saul Rubinek.
* Voyeurism takes a strange twist as Betty (Albrecht) videotapes every aspect of her life after discovering on tape that her husband is cheating on her. The camera, which is the entire viewpoint of the film, captures the disintegration of Betty’s life.

GAMER.
Drama/Foreign (French).
Said Taghmoui.
Directed by Patrick Levy.

HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY.****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****
Action/Suspense.
Ron Perlman/Selma Blair/.
Directed by Guillermo del Toro and Brian Steele.
* The Golden Army is a vicious group of fighting machines intent on destroying the human race (before global warming). It is up to Hellboy to stop the evil elf intent on setting them loose. I love me an evil elf.

KATT WILLIAMS: IT’S PIMPIN PIMPIN.
Stand-up Comedy.
* Four Star favorite Katt Williams delivers snarky humor while giving you deep insight to the big pimpin’ culture.

KUNG FU PANDA.****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****
Drama.
Jack Black/Jackie Chan/Dustin Hoffman/Lucy Liu/Seth Rogen/Angelina Jolie.
Directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne.
* More CG animation! This time it is Po, a lazy pandude living in the Valley of Peace who must learn Kung Fu to from an evil and treacherous (but gorgeous!) snow leopard named Tai Lung. Voiced by many of Hollywood’s faves!

MISTER FOE.
Suspense/Indie.
Jamie Bell/Sophia Myles.
Directed by David Mackenzie.
* Tweaky Scottish film about a young man searching for the truth behind his mother’s suicide. His search leads him on a dangerous and voyeuristic exploration of the cities rooftops and the lives he can spy on from above. This dark and erotic thriller features good music, by Franz Ferdinand, among others.

OPIUM: DIARY OF A MADWOMAN.
Drama/Foreign (Hungarian/English).
Ulrich Thomsen/Kirsti Stubo.
Directed by Janos Szasz.
* Thomsen (Adam’s Apples, The Celebration, Kingdom of Heaven) plays a drug-addicted doctor working in an asylum.

ROMAN HOLIDAY: CENTENNIAL EDITION.
Comedy/Romance/Classic.
Gregory Peck/Audrey Hepburn.
Directed by William Wyler.
* Princess Anne (Hepburn – hot!) is a sheltered young princess who sneaks away from her handlers and hooks up with Joe the American News Reporter (Peck) stationed in Rome. Hijinks follow. Won three Oscars including Best Actress for Audrey in 1953.

SABRINA: CENTENNIAL EDITION.
Comedy/Drama/Romance/Classic.
Humphrey Bogart/Audrey Hepburn/William Holden.
Directed by Billy Wilder.
* Sabrina (Hepburn again) is the young hottie daughter of the chauffeur (see Monica Lewinsky) who becomes the amorous focus of attention for two very brothers who employ her dad. Ms. Hepburn almost won the Oscar again for this film in 1954. She lost (to Grace Kelley in The Country Girl), but the film did take home the hardware for Best Costume Design.

SHRED.
Comedy.
Tom Green.
Directed by David Mitchell.
* Washed up snow-boarders attempt to regain some glory when they start a snow-boarding camp.

STAR WARS: CLONE WARS.****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****
Sci-Fi/Action/Animation.
Matt Lanter/Ashley Eckstein.
Directed by Dave Filoni.
* Set between the 2nd and 3rd movies, this animated story fills in more plot about the Clone Wars and follows Anakin on a secret mission with far-reaching consequences!

THE STILL LIFE.
Drama.
Rachel Miner/Jason Berry.
Directed by Joel Miller.
* Little indie film exploring the artist’s life as seen through their intake of sex and drugs.

SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO.
Action/Western/Foreign ().
Hideaki Ito/Koichi Sato/Quentin Tarantino.
Directed by Takashi Miike.
* Have you seen Miike’s movies? They are range from the uber-violent to the almost ridiculous. They generally contain fantastical plots and a lot of weaponry. This is no different. A mysterious gunslinger stumbles upon two warring factions and pimps himself to the highest bidder.

WESTERN.
Comedy/Foreign (French).
Sergi Lopez/Sacha Bourdo.
Directed by Manuel Poirier.
* Paco (Lopez) is a Spanish shoe salesman; Nino (Bourdo) is a Russian drifter. Their paths diverge on the highways of France and soon they are hitchhiking together and discovering the (drum roll, please) true meaning of friendship. Or at least that’s how Hallmark would put it. This looks really good to me!

WHATEVER YOU SAY.
Comedy/Crime/Drama/Thriller/Foreign (French).
Francois Berleand/Diane Kruger/Guillaume Canet.
Directed by Guillaume Canet.
* A young man (Canet) new to television gets involved with a powerful producer (Berleand) who submits him to strange and dangerous demands involving his beautiful wife (Kruger).

YO-YO SEXY GIRL COP.
Action /Foreign (Japanese).
Mihiro.
Directed by Daigo Udagawa.
* She’s a high school beauty working underground for the Japanese Government armed with a deadly yo-yo.

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

THE COMMANDER: SET ONE.
Television/Cops and Robbers/British TV.
Directed by.
* From the creator of PRIME SUSPECT comes this police story of Clare Blake (Amanda Burton) who is Scotland Yard’s highest ranking female cop. She heads the Serious Crime Group and the Murder Review Team. The crimes are gnarly, but Blake will do anything to solve them.

STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO: SEASON TWO VOLUME TWO.
Television/Cops and Robbers.
Karl Malden/Michael Douglas.
* The streets are tough. And steep. But not snowy.

TRACY ULLMAN’S STATE OF THE UNION.
Comedy.
Tracy.
* Hysterical mad-cap comic Tracy Ullman delivers a glimpse into her concept of American life today. Remember the original Tracy Ullman show? THE SIMPSONS got it start on that show back in 1987.

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

FLYING: CONFESSIONS OF A FREE WOMAN.
Documentary.
Directed by Jennifer Fox.
* Six hour mini-series about female life and sexuality filmed around the globe.

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

I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUSE.
* Ain’t no particular sign she’s more compatible with, she just wanted his extra time and his – kiss.

IMPY’S ISLAND.

MIRACLE ON 34TH ST (1994 Version).
* Three copies of this for the season…

PINGU: SOUTH POLE ADVENTURES.

SHAUN THE SHEEP: OFF THE BAA.
* From the folks who brought us Wallace and Gromit comes this tale of Shaun, who is no flock follower.

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

BLACK CHRISTMAS.
* Just got this Olivia Hussey and Margo Kidder horror film on DVD a few months ago. Now you can watch it in high definition.

STORY OF O.
* Cue up the chicka-bow. Super explicit 70’s tale of sexual deviancy, bondage and perversion. File this under the “movies we don’t have on regular DVD but do have on Blu-ray.”

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

SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET.
* Brad Pitt becomes friends with the Dalai Lama years before he meets Angelina and sees God.

WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE.
* Cassavetes film starring Peter Falk and Gena Rowlands as a couple dealing with madness.

****

****new release list no.191

Well, as I write this, it is Monday morning, November 3rd and America is perched on the edge of Election Day 2008. Wow! I can barely believe that W had 8 full years in office. How tragic.

I have found myself, as I am sure so many of you can relate, endlessly thinking about this election and what it means to me and my community and the country and the world, and I cannot shake the feeling that this election is the most important one of my lifetime. In a sense, we are perched on the edge of a group evolutionary moment. How cool is that? Yesterday someone told me that we could become the first white majority country to elect a black president. I am not sure if that is true or not, but I think the message that America could send to the rest of the world by electing Barack Obama President is tremendous.

I am not under any illusion that this will make the economy better immediately, or improve interpersonal relations, or even help create peace. I don’t think any of us can predict that. However, I do think that what it does say is that we are no longer willing to accept what we KNOW is wrong. We are no longer willing to go with the status quo JUST BECAUSE.

Does Joe the Plummer (or for that matter, Ken the Video Store Owner) understand exactly how the economy is affected by presidential policy? Of course not. Does Ken the Video Store Owner have a deep sense of how to conduct Foreign Policy? Not really. Does Ken the Video Store Owner even really understand how the Electoral College works? No, I don’t. But I think what most of the Ken the Video Store Owners DO understand is that something is deeply wrong with the way we are currently running our government.

Something is wrong with our health-care systems, and our insurance systems.

Something is wrong with our environmental policies and our ability to adapt to scientific data.

Something is wrong with our corporate structures and the ability for CEO’s to get impossibly rich while people are losing their savings.

Something is wrong with our international policies and our inability to be honest about why we are doing what we are doing.

This is not deep analysis, just basic concerns clear to anyone who reads the news.

I am not going to urge anyone to vote any certain way in this blog. I know that mostly I am preaching to the choir. To that end, I am tremendously proud of the community I live in, both on the micro level (Bernal Heights) and the macro (The San Francisco Bay Area). Just vote, vote your conscience and that’s all you can be expected to do.

I look forward to tomorrow, because I think that by the time I am ready to go to sleep, we will be looking forward to a tremendous new time in our history, a time that will likely be written about in school books in years to come. As we face the economic fears that will likely not go away right away, let’s remember that we are still living and breathing and we still have a responsibility to ourselves to be positive and spread positivity! As a community, we can get through tough times. Isn’t that one of the basic reasons we have a government?

Today, in light of the election, I have written most of the film encapsulations highlighting the special archetypes that one of the parties likes to see us as. I think it is likely you will find yourself somewhere in these capsules.

In the event that the other party wins tomorrow, all I can say is thank god for movies.

Alrighty, then. See you at the store. We’ll have snacks and drinks all evening, come by and whoop it up with us.

Love and Kisses,
Ken

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

BIRDS OF AMERICA.
Comedy/Drama.
Matthew Perry/Ben Foster/Hilary Swank.
Directed by Craig Lucas.
* Morrie the Regular Guy (Perry) struggles with his weird-ass normal life and his freaky abnormal siblings while trying to make sense of it all.

FLASHBACKS OF A FOOL.
Drama.
Daniel Craig/James D’Arcy/Claire Forlani/Keeley Hawes.
Directed by Baillie Walsh.
* Joe the Aging Hedonistic Hollywood Star (Craig) looks back on his childhood after the death of his friend and confronts the pain that he has been hiding from his whole life.

FUTURAMA: BENDER’S GAME.
Animation.
John DiMaggio/Billy West.
Directed by Dwayne Carie-Hill.
*Bender Bending Rodríguez, the “Alcoholic, Whore-Mongering, Chain-Smoking Gambler” Robot (DiMaggio) gets involved in a deep and lethal game of Dungeons and Dragons in this the third (of four) planned Futurama films.

GET SMART.****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****
Comedy/Action.
Steve Carell/Anne Hathaway/Dwayne Johnson/Alan Arkin/James Caan.
Directed by Peter Segal.
* Maxwell Smart the Secret Agent Man (Carell) helps thwart KAOS from world domination with super hottie Agent 99 (Hathaway) at his side.

THE GOOD LIFE.
Comedy/Drama/Suspense.
Mark Webber/Zooey Deschanel/Chris Klein/Bill Paxton/Drea de Matteo/Patrick Fugit/Harry Dean Stanton.
Directed by Stephen Berra.
* Jason the Almost Normal Guy Who Has Problems Fitting In (Webber) kinda fits in with Frances (Deschanel) but not really. This character driven film about isolation features great performances from its character actor cast.

KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN: COLLECTOR’S EDITION.
Drama.
Raul Julia/William Hurt/Sonia Braga.
Directed by Hector Babenco.
* Valentin Arregui the Imprisoned South American Revolutionary (Julia) shares a jail cell with Luis Molina, the Wrongfully Charged Yet Correctly Characterized Transvestite Homosexual (Hurt) and through the beautiful and charged fantasy of films come to an understanding and respect for each other. This movie is so wonderful!

MOSCOW ZERO.
Action/Suspense/Drama/Mystery/Thriller.
Vincent Gallo/Val Kilmer.
Directed by Maria Lidon.
* Owen the Priest (Gallo) hires some people to look for his friend Sergei the Demon-Researcher and Looker For The Entrance To Hell who has disappeared under ground in Moscow where they encounter Andrey the Head of The Underground People (Kilmer). While there, they search for both Gallo and Kilmer’s missing careers.

7 VIRGINS.
Crime/Drama/Foreign (Spanish).
Juan Jose Ballesta.
Directed by Alberto Rodriguez.
* Tano the Fucked-Up Teenager In Juvenile Hall gets a 48 hour leave and tries to accomplish everything he is prevented from doing while in jail. In the meantime, he experiences a collapse of his community causing his ride of recklessness to turn into a journey into adulthood.

SHREK THE HALLS.
Animation/Holiday.
Mike Meyers/Eddie Murphy/Cameron Diaz/Antonio Banderas.
Directed by Gary Trousdale.
* Shrek the Big Green Ogre Dude (Meyers) stars in a thirty minute holiday Shrektastic Shrektacular Shrektacle.

TRANSSIBERIAN.
Suspense/Crime.
Woody Harrelson/Emily Mortimer/Ben Kingsley.
Directed by Brad Anderson.
* Roy and Emily the American Couple Who Travel All Over the World In Exotic Places Foreign-Relations Be Damned, get caught up in a dark world of drug dealing and international smuggling in this take on the classic train suspense film.

WHAT WE DO IS SECRET.
Drama/Rock and Roll.
Shane West/Bijou Phillips.
Directed by Rodger Grossman.
* The true life story of Darby Crash the Punk Rock Icon Who Died Early (West) ex-frontman for the L.A. band, The Germs who lived fast and died young. Produced by Pat Smear, the guitar player for The Germs.

WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER.
Drama.
Colin Firth/Jim Broadbent.
Directed by Anand Tucker.
* When Blake the Somewhat Alienated Adult Son (Firth) finds out his father Arthur the Pinched Older Guy Who Opens Up a Bit During the Dying Process, is near the end, he travels to visit him and the time they spend together helps them understand and process their lives. Based on the book by the real-life Blake Morrison.

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

DJ SPOOKY’S: REBIRTH OF A NATION.
Music Remix.
Directed by DJ Spooky.
* Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky the Trippy Hyper-Intellectual Supersonic Music Collagist DJ Guy remixes D.W. Griffith's infamous inflammatory film BIRTH OF A NATION.

GUNNIN FOR THAT #1 SPOT.
Documentary/Sports.
Directed by Adam Yauch.
* Adam Yauch, the Documentary Filmmaker brings us this snapshot in time of eight high-school basketball players competing in 2006 at an elite tournament who all have hopes of being drafted first in a future NBA draft.

TOO TOUCH TO DIE: JOHNNY RAMONE.
Roc-Doc.
Deborah Harry/Nicholas Cage/Eddie Vader (I think he is Darth’s son) – fine Vedder.
Directed by Mandy Stein.
* A rockumentary following a benefit concert celebrating the Ramones 30th anniversary right before the death of Johnny Ramone the Long-Haired Heroin-Addicted Punk Rock Legend.

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

BARBIE: A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

CHRISTMAS IS HERE AGAIN.

THE CHRISTMAS TOY.

EMMET OTTER’S JUG-BAND CHRISTMAS.

HIT FAVORITES: SNOW DAYS.

MIFFY & FRIENDS: MIFFY’S CHRISTMAS TREE.

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

A CHRISTMAS STORY.
* Ken the Video Store Owner’s favorite Christmas movie of all time.
-
............// HALLOWEEN NEW ADDITIONS//............

CASPER.
* First DVD of this, er, spooky film.

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

DEATH BECOMES HER.
* First DVD of the Meryl Streep comedy co-starring Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis and Isabella Rossellini.

MY FATHER’S GLORY.
* First DVD.

MY MOTHER’S CASTLE.
* First DVD.

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

CASTLE IN THE SKY.
* Masterful Hayao Miyazaki animated film.

PRINCESS MONONOKE.
* Another super amazing Miyazaki film. Have you seen any of these? You must.

****

****new release list no.190

THIS FRIDAY, Oct 31th: we are having one final movie screening of our season. It will be a kiddy Halloween special night, so if you are up on Cortland and want to take a 30 minute break from the Trick or Treating crush, bring your kiddo over to Four Star Video and watch CHARLIE BROWN: IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN with a special short video from the SIPPY CUPS to start the show and assorted other specials if people are digging it. The movie will be shown at the early time of 7pm and the doors will be open at 6:45pm. Come on by!

Now that our outdoor screening season is coming to an end, I am going to spend a little time reflecting on what was fun, what worked, what didn’t work so well and what we can do better next year. If anyone has any input, please send it my way. All in all, my initial thought is that I had a great time doing it, and watching fantastic films bundled up outside with a group of people is really awesome.

The latest season of THE L WORD is here this week, as is Brendan Fraser’s new action film JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE WORLD: 3D. There is also an amazing looking pair of documentary’s about the indigenous people of New Guinea called THEM AND ME and THE SKY IN THE GARDEN. We’ve also got a bunch of Halloween new additions this week, thanks to Shila, also a nice little stack of new Blu-Ray titles, including A CLOCKWORK ORANGE.

Me? I’ve been totally bingeing on books and movies this week. I have become totally addicted to the American version of THE OFFICE. It hurts, it is painful, it’s crass, it’s so wrong. I love it! Wow, it will definitely affect your interactions at work. I highly recommend this show. I’ve also been reading for the first time the Harry Potter books. I am a huge reader, but not generally into magic tales, but after getting sucked into HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE at the store recently, decided to take the plunge. I am hooked. It is a total soap-opera, but I have to know what happens! I have only watched the first movie in totality, but I am very much looking forward to the rest. Wow, those actors were so young in that first one.

Alrighty, then. See you at the store.

Love and Kisses,
Ken

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

CHRISTMAS CAPER.
Comedy/Holiday.
Shannon Doherty.
Directed by David Winkler.
* A thief (Doherty) goes back to her home in Connecticut to lay for the holidays after a con goes badly. Freaking Connecticut! Get a baseball team!

ELITE SQUAD.
Action/Crime/Foreign (Portuguese).
Wagner Moura/Caio Junqueira.
Directed by Jose Padilha.
* Cops and bad guys on the streets of Rio de Janeiro before an important visit by the Pope.

HANK AND MIKE.
Indie/Comedy.
Thomas Michael/Paolo Mancini/Chris Klein/Joe Mantegna.
Directed by Matthiew Klinck.
* Strange and potentially beautiful tale of Hank and Mike, two corporate Easter Bunnies dealing with downsizing and loss of employment. Kind of fitting in today’s world.

I LOVE BEIJING.
Drama/Foreign (Mandarin).
Yu Lei.
Directed by Ying Ning.
* Well respected Chinese film about urbanization and construction and migration to Beijing told through the eyes of a taxi driver.

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH: 3D.****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****
Action/Adventure.
Brendan Fraser.
Directed by Eric Brevig.
* A scientist goes missing and his brother and his nephew go questing for him. While in Iceland, they discover a deep cave. A really deeeeeeep cave. That goes. To the center. Of the earth. There, they discover the world is in 3D, much like it is back up on earth. Also they discover many strange and phantasmagorical creatures, which isn’t surprising considering Bjork is from Iceland and she is kinda phantasmagorical as well, right?

KIT KITTREDGE: AN AMERICAN GIRL.
Family/Comedy.
Abigail Breslin.
Directed by Patricia Rozema.
* Based on a popular doll collection, this is the tale of Kit (Breslin – remember her from LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE and DEFINITELY, MAYBE and NIM’S ISLAND) a young girl living in Cincinnati during the depression and dreaming big dreams of being famous someday.

THE STONE ANGEL.
Family/Drama/Comedy.
Ellen Burstyn/Christine Horne/Ellen Page.
Directed by Kari Skogland.
* A story in the vein of AWAY FROM HER and THE BUCKET LIST about an aging woman fighting a battle to remember her life and to put her memories in order. Based on a book by Margaret Laurence.

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

BODY OF WAR.
Documentary/War.
Directed by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro.
* An anti-war documentary following the parallel stories of Tomas Young, an Iraqi war vet, home from the Gulf with a paralyzed body and new thoughts on the conflict, and the American Congress, struggling to come to consensus on what to do with the conflict that we are so deeply involved with.

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE.
Documentary/Sports.
Fred Fred Lebow.
Directed by Judd Ehrlich.
* A tribute to Fred Lebow, whose determination and love for running helped create the New York City Marathon.

THEM AND ME w/ THE SKY IN THE GARDEN.
Documentary/Anthropology.
Directed by Stephane Breton.
* From IMDB: Anthropologist and filmmaker Stephane Breton lived among the Wodoni of Papua, New Guinea, and produced two unique documentaries based on his remarkable adventures. Unlike other ethnographic filmmakers, Breton is more interested in how the Wodoni see him than he is in documenting their way of life, which provides the premise for THEM AND ME. Eventually, he builds a close bond with his neighbors, illustrating that certain parts of life are universal whether you are a French filmmaker or a Wodoni villager. In THE SKY IN THE GARDEN, Breton returns to the village after several years, knowing that future trips will be impossible and that this is his last visit. In this nostalgic account, he explores the poetry and beauty of the little things, sharing his perspective on a people he has grown to admire

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

AFFAIRS OF THE HEART: SERIES 1.
Television/Drama/Fictobiopic.
*1974 series about romance and pain based on the work of Henry James.

THE L WORD: THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON.
Television/Drama.
Jennifer Beals/Mia Kirschner/Leisha Hailey/Pam Grier
* Same-Sex and The City, in Los Angeles.

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

PUCCA: SECRET SAMARAI SANTA.

TINKER BELL.
* Oh Nelly, the little girls are going CRAZY for this one. My daughter cried when I brought it back to the store this morning…

TURBO: A POWER RANGERS MOVIE.
* Customer request to get this one on DVD. Got it!

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

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE.
* Classic Stanley Kubrick at his most creepiest.

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD.
* Terrific work by Casey Affleck here in this Brad Pitt flick.

ELF.
* Will Ferrell lights it up in this Jon Favreau comedy also starring Ed Asner, James Kaan, Bob Newhart, Zooey Deschanel and Mary Steenburgen.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY.
* Another 007 on Blu-Ray, this time starring Roger Moore.

MARCH OF THE PENGUINS.
* They march and they march.

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

ADDAMS FAMILY/ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES.
* A comic double feature about America’s favorite family of weirdoes.

HALLOWEEN.
* Our first DVD of the Jamie Lee Curtis spookfest.

HALLOWEENTOWN AND HALLOWEENTOWN.
* For the kids out there, it is a double-feature Disney Halloween tale.

HALLOWEENTOWN HIGH.
* And another story about this place.

HOCUS POCUS.
* First DVD of this film starring Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker as resurrected witches wreaking havoc on Salem 300 years after they were hung.

RETURN TO HALLOWEENTOWN.
* Just when you thought you couldn’t get any more Halloweened out.

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: ULTIMATE EDITION.
* First DVD of the 1974 iconic horror slasher flick.

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

THE FIRM.
* First DVD of this Sydney Pollack film starring Tom Cruise about a sinister law firm.

****

****new release list no.189

THIS FRIDAY, Oct 24th: come watch THE KARATE KID in our backyard screening patio. We are going to show this earlier than usual as it is getting darker earlier now. The movie will start at 7pm and doors will open at 6:45. As usual: Soda/Candy $1, suggested donation $5 and Popcorn is free! One note about the screenings, when the weather looks yucky, we cancel, so give us a buzz down here around 7pm if you aren’t sure but are hoping to come. P.S. We have canceled the late night show this week which was going to be MEET THE FEEBLES. If you haven’t watched it, rent it, it is hysterical.

As you may know, we now have two T-Shirt designs and some amazing wristbands! The photo you see here is of my gorgeous son Huck modeling the brown shirt. There is also a yellow shirt that has a cool swirly starry design. Both shirts come in adult sizes for $20 and kids sizes for $15. Right now the sizes we have are Adult Women’s (XL, L, M and S) and Kids (L, M and S). The Adult Male shirts will be here in 2 weeks. We also have amazing wrist-bands with our cool starry design. We have White on Black and Black on White. They are $5/each. Our very own Jeff designed both the shirts and the bands, and for that we are grateful! Thanks, Jeff!

Wow, Fiesta on the Hill was cold! But it was also a blast. Sadly, I missed Shila in the dunk tank because she was there for a shorter time than was expected. However I heard she spent most of her time getting repeatedly dunked in the water to the ecstatic joy of the chanting audience. Good times. All in all, the Fiesta was well attended and we had a great time. Thanks everyone, for making this neighborhood such a special place to be! I feel so lucky to have a business here.

I was thinking this week about the things that make Four Star Video so special, and a nice little list popped into my mind that I thought I would share with you:

* Attentive and friendly staff (who have almost all worked here over a year)
* Large amounts of copies of newly purchased movies
* Three night rental on new releases (Thanks J&J)
* Renewal charge for the same price and same rental period as the original rental (ask around at the competitors – this is a major bonus) (Thanks again J&J)
* Large and growing library of Blu-Ray titles available for the SAME price as regular DVD’s!
* Pre-purchased blocks make rentals only $2.50 a pop with renewals the same price (meaning a library film that was rented and kept out for 15 days would only cost $7.50 on the block – I believe it would be about $50 at Le Competition)
* KenFlix – the only independent monthly subscription service in town
* Hi-def TV and Blu-ray player on site so you can check out the fuss for yourself
* Used DVD’s for only $8 plus tax and regular sales for even less
* A Disc-Go-Tech hi-end DVD repair machine onsite
* Movie screenings and other events in our outdoor patio
* A community based newsletter
* Pretty red carpet??!!!?

Alright, so I am stretching it with the carpet, but you get the point. Four Star Video rocks and will continue rocking for the foreseeable future. We will never leave you, so please continue to patronize us.

Please let me know how we can improve and we will earnestly consider all suggestions.

Love and Kisses,
Ken

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

THE INCREDIBLE HULK.****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****
Action/Sci-Fi/Comic Book.
Edward Norton/Liv Tyler/William Hurt/Tim Roth/Robert “Iron Man” Downey, Jr.
Directed by Louis Leterrier.
* It’s Norton’s turn to play the big green angry alter ego of Dr. Bruce Banner. Kudos to the makers for cameos by the Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr) and Lou Ferrigno, television’s original Hulk.

THE LAZARUS PROJECT.
Drama/Crime.
Paul Walker/Piper Perabo.
Directed by John Glenn.
* He is an ex-criminal who turns again to crime when things aren’t working out on the straight road. Unfortunately, he is totally busted and sentenced to die. What happens then is the crux of the story in this tale of redemption and government manipulation.

THE STRANGERS.
Horror/Suspense.
Liv Tyler/Scott Speedman.
Directed by Bryan Bertino.
* Wow! What a career shift! The Olympic gold-medalist ice skater, Bryan Bertino, (elevated to even higher status in the hysterical SOUTH PARK movie) made a horror movie about a couple terrorized at an isolated home and…hold it…what? Brian Boitano?, Not Bertino? Oh…uh. Nevermind.

VICE.
Action.
Michael Madsen/Daryl Hannah.
Directed by Raul Inglis.
* I’m not sure which is more interesting, contemplating the mystery in this low-budget crime tale of a heroin deal gone bad and the cops dying a result, or contemplating the long slow dive of the careers of Daryl Hannah and Michael Madsen.

WITNESS TO THE MOB.
Crime/Drama.
Tom Sizemore.
Directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan.
* 1998 film about Sammy the Bull Gravano, a successful Mafioso who went to the other side and was instrumental in convicting John Gotti. Tom Sizemore plays Gotti, and you know, when he gets angry – look out!

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

BLOOD +: VOLUME 3.
Animation.
Created by Junichi Fujisaku.
* The continual adventures of the demon-fighting child, Saya.

FAMILY GUY: VOLUME 6.
Television/Animation.
Seth MacFarlane/Mila Kunis/Seth Green.
Created by Seth MacFarlane.
* Animated dysfunction.

UNIVERSE: SEASON 2.
Nature.

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

GO DIEGO GO: IT’S A BUG’S WORLD.

THE LEGEND OF SASQUATCH.
William Hurt/John Rhys-Davies.

MY LITTLE PONY: A VERY MINTY CHRISTMAS.

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

DIE ANOTHER DAY.
*A nice stack of 007 films on Blu-ray have just arrived. This one stars Pierce Brosnan.

DR. NO.
* Ah…this one however stars most peeps favorite 007: Sean Connery.

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE.
* So does this one.

****

****new release list no.188

THIS FRIDAY, Oct 18th: come watch LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE at 8pm in our backyard screening patio. Doors open at 7:45pm. Soda/Candy $1. Suggested donation $5. Popcorn is free!

Some great films this week include MONGOL, an Oscar-nominated look at the early life of Ghengis Khan, 4 MONTHS 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS, about 2 young women in Romania in the 80's trying to get one of them an illegal abortion, WAR, INC - featuring John Cusack as an assassin and a fictional Vice-President basically running a war-torn country for profit (woohoo) and then there is INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, featuring Harrison Ford and the very popular Shia LaBeouf. There is also a good batch of other stuff, including some early Christmas kids stuff. Let the holidays begin!

Hey, guess what? We have shirts! Two different kinds of Four Star Video shirts are now available in adult and kids sizes. They are hanging over the cash register. Tell us what you think!

A couple neighborhood announcements. First, FIESTA ON THE HILL is happening this Sunday, October 19th between 11AM and 6pm. There will be music, games, prizes, locally made arts and crafts, food and much more. This is a great community event that I look forward to each year. This year, a couple added bonuses are that Shila, the wonderful manager of Four Star Video, will be in the dunk tank, so bring cash and knock her in the water; also we will be selling used DVD's for $6/each outside the store. So you can start gathering your stocking stuffers early this year.

Also on Sunday, are two other events of note. The first is a free electronic waste drop off at Fairmount Elementary School at 65 Chenery St. They will take computers, tv's, monitors, hubs, routers, microwaves, stereo equipment etc. Please bring your unwanted electronic waste to Fairmount and help them raise funds for the school. This event is happening between 9AM and 2PM. The second event will be happening right here on Cortland during the Fiesta On The Hill. It is the fundraiser for Valentina Picasso, the owner of Valentina's who has been very ill. There will be an auction with good local prizes. You can read information about it here.

Okay, have a great week, hope to see you at the store.

Love and Kisses,
Ken

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

THE EDGE OF HEAVEN.
Drama/Foreign (German/Turkish/English).
Nurgul Yesilcay/Baki Davrak/Tuncel Kurtiz.
Directed by Fatih Akin.
* A tragic tale about the Turkish-German community involving three families loosely connected and the pain and triumphs they must deal with to obtain a sense of peace and happiness in the world.

4 MONTHS 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS.
Drama/Foreign (Romanian).
Anamaria Marinca/Laura Vasiliu/Vlad Ivanov.
Directed by Cristian Mungiu.
* Highly decorated festival circuit film about a couple of college roommates in 1980’s Romania seeking an illegal abortion for one of them. We should watch this with extra careful concern considering our current political situation, and the stated and unstated agenda of one of the sides.

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL.
****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****.
Action/Adventure.
Harrison Ford/Sean Connery/Shia LaBeouf/Karen Allen/Cate Blanchett/Ray Winstone/John Hurt/Kate Capshaw/John Rhys-Davies/Jim Broadbent.
Directed by Steven Spielberg.
* He’s back! And still swinging from vines and fighting on moving vehicles. In the latest installment, it is 1957 and the Cold War is in full swing. When Indy is wrongfully placed under government suspicion of being devastatingly handsome he leaves the college he works and heads to Peru with Mutt (LaBeouf) a young turk he’s met who has a secret agenda in their search for the dreaded and spectacular Crystal Skull of Akator! Along the way, they must compete and battle with the evil Russian beauty, Irina Spalko (Blanchett) who’s team is also looking for the Skull. I know it sounds simplistic, but maybe instead of fighting of the Crystal, they should get a room, and some Cristal and just have a lovely evening drinking and listening to Louis Armstrong? We’d pay to watch that film, right?

LUDWIG.
Biography/Drama/Foreign (Italian).
Helmet Berger.
Directed by Luchino Visconti.
* 1972 film about the King of Bavaria and his descent into madness.

MONGOL. ****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****
Drama/War/Biography/Foreign (Mongolian)
Asano Tadanobu/Sun Lei/Khulan Chuluun.
Directed by Sergie Bodrov.
* The story of the early days of Ghengis Khan is turned upside down and examined in this Oscar-nominated fictobiopic of the man who eventually conquered half the world back in the 13th century.

THE NIGHT OF THE WHITE PANTS.
Comedy.
Tom Wilkinson/Selma Blair/Nick Stahl.
Directed by Amy Talkington.
* He (Wilkinson) is a business guy who’s been booted out of the house by his angry wife and ends up spending ONE UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT WITH HIS DAUGHTER’S PUNK-ROCK BOYFRIEND (played by me) (just kidding, by Nick Stahl). It’s a really wacky night! And he has white pants!

POLTERGEIST: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition.
Thriller.
Craig T. Nelson/JoBeth Williams.
Directed by Tobe Hooper.
Story and Production by Mr. Spielberg.
* “They’re here”. Creepy! Did you know the little girl who delivered that line died in 1988 from Crohn’s disease? Sad!

REBECCA.
Suspense.
Laurence Olivier/Joan Fontaine.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
* Premiere Collection release of this Hitchcock classic that won the BEST PICTURE Oscar in 1941.

SALT: A FATAL ATTRACTION.
Thriller/LGBT.
Stacy Haiduk/Alexandra Wilson.
Directed by Bradford Tatum.
* It’s a tale of revenge involving table salt and a woman doing her abusive husband’s sister. And salt. Table salt.

STUCK.
Horror/Suspense.
Mena Suvari/Stephen Rea.
Directed by Stuart Gordon.
* Based on a real story (remember when this happened a couple years ago??!!) about a young woman who hits a pedestrian leaving him stuck in her car’s windshield dying and, instead of seeking help for him, drives home and leaves him bleeding in her garage. Some press on this film suggests it is darkly comedic. Ha ha ha!

TEN NIGHTS OF DREAMS.
Sci-Fi/Anthology/Foreign (Japanese).
Many.
Directed by Many.
* Very strange and trippy bunch of short films based on stories written by a Japanese author named Natsume Sōseki back in 1908.

WAR, INC.
Comedy.
John Cusack/Joan Cusack/Hilary Duff/Marisa Tomei/Ben Kingsley.
Directed by Joshua Seftel.
* Well, it says it’s a political satire about an imaginary country occupied by a US Corporation and run by a ruthless (former) Vice-President who hires Cusack’s hitman character to kill a Middle East oil minister…I cannot confirm that this is not a documentary, but I can say that Tomei’s appearance suggests that the film is rated R.

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

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE.
Documentary/War.
Directed by Errol Morris.
* From the guy who made FOG OF WAR comes this disturbing expose of the Abu Ghraib photos of military occupation run amuck. This film examines the questions these pictures brought up about whether this was aberrant behavior by a few criminals or par for the course set by the high command.

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

CSI: 8th SEASON.
Television/Crime.
William Peterson/Marg Helgenberger.
* Season 8 of the popular investigative show.

THE SARAH SILVERMAN PROGRAM: SEASON 2.
Television/Comedy.
Sarah Silverman.
* She’s hot, she’s crude, she’s outrageous and she’s pretty funny. Take “The Great Schlep” over to the video store and check her out.

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

ELMO’S CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN.
* Clearly, the countdown has begun.

LITTLE EINSTEIN’S CHRISTMAS WISH.

SPONGEBOB: WHO BOB WHAT PANTS?

VEGGIE TALES: THE PIRATES WHO DON’T DO ANYTHING.

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

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT: ALL I WANT.
Music.
Directed by George Scott.
* A frank portrait of the singer detailing his drug-use, family background, friendships with Elton John and Sting (to name a few) and his delicious blend of terrific song-writing and piano playing.

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

IMAX SPACE STATION/MISSION TO MIR.
Documentary.
Directed by Toni Myers.
* Narrated for some reason by Tom Cruise, these two docs are filled with unbelievable space shots and should be watched by anyone with a fascination of space and a curiosity of the unknown.

****

****new release list no.187

THIS FRIDAY, Oct 10th: come watch the classic bicycling coming-of-age film BREAKING AWAY at 8pm in our backyard screening patio. Yet another great family date flick! I saw this movie with a group of kids in 1979 for my 10th birthday – a banner memory. Doors open at 7:45pm. Soda/Candy $1. Suggested donation $5. Popcorn is free! One note about the screenings, when the weather looks yucky, we cancel, so give us a buzz down here around 7pm if you aren’t sure but are hoping to come.

Each week as I contemplate writing this blog I keep a little mental list of things I want to touch on. Usually the list is intermingled with a million other tasks of the week and generally, as my “mental” strength has weakened considerably since I became a parent, I forget at least a few of the details I wanted to impart. Sometimes, such as this week, I type them into my template during the week so as not to forget. This week, as I am overwhelmed by the 62 films that I am writing a bit about, I was tempted to just post this preamble as is:

Paul Newman.

WSUB.

Retail movies for KenFlix subscription members.

Jeff’s new additions.

Chela’s friend’s movie.

Lots of new fucking movies.

But, perhaps a bit of blahblahblahing will be justified and even enjoyed by you the tremendous and supportive movie renting customers of Four Star Video.

So…Paul Newman died! And can you believe he was 83? Wow, that guy looked amazing! He was really an incredible looking guy. And a pretty terrific actor. And a hard worker - he made so many movies. The ones that pop into my mind as stand-outs are HUD, where he plays a no-good low-down greedy fellow so irascible and unapologetic. Then there is THE HUSTER, again in an unsympathetic role, he woos us into his crappy world so that we are rooting for him even as we cringe at his behavior. Then there is the incredible performance as Brick in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, one of the best films of a Tennessee Williams play (of which there are a bunch of great ones). He seems to have thrived in those emotionally crippled roles that we can all relate to in some private secret place (perhaps where we relate to the idiocy of Palin, too). You will see in this week’s New Additions section seven new Paul Newman DVD’s. (HUD, THE HUSTER, THE VERDICT, THE HUDSUCKER PROXY, SLAP SHOT, EMPIRE FALLS, and THE COLOR OF MONEY).

What is a WSUB? This is the newest and fifth type of KenFlix subscription. As you know, we offer subscription service where you can pay one flat monthly fee and have out movies on your account with no renewal fees or additional rental fees! Yeah! The four services we rolled out were the 1SUB – 1 movie checked out at any one time, unlimited exchanges for $19.99/month, the 2SUB – 2 movies checked out at any one time, unlimited exchanges for $29.99/month, the 3SUB – 3 movies checked out at any one time, unlimited exchanges for $39.99/month, and the 4SUB – 4 movies checked out at any one time, unlimited exchanges for $49.99/month. Now we are rolling out the WSUB, which stands for Weekly Subscription. Here is how it works:

With the WSUB, you get 3 (three) movies out on your account at any one time, with an exchange of the movies each week for a maximum of the 12 movies rented a month. As with the other subscriptions, there are no renewal fees at all. This subscription is available today and costs $24.99/month.

My note about movies available for KenFlix subscription members goes like this: If you are a KenFlix subscriber, you get a $2 discount on all our used movies. So they are $6 dollars instead of $8. There are about 300 titles available right now. That discount starts today and will continue through the Winter Holiday season. Get your stocking stuffers now!

Next we get to Jeff’s new additions. It is October, and therefore time for a new Highlighted New Additions. In the past we have changed these each month, but starting now they will be every two months. Jeff’s new additions are tremendous. There are a ton of great stuff, including docs ( HELVETICA, I LIKE KILLING FLIES, BURN TO SHINE, VOL.3) television (THE PRISONER: COMPLETE SERIES), experimental (LA JETEE/SANS SOLEIL, MAYA DEREN EXPERIMENTAL FILMS) and much more! Scroll way down to see.

Big new movies this week are YOU DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN (Adam Sandler, Middle-eastern fare), THE HAPPENING (new spooky M. Night Shamalamadingdong movie) and THE VISITOR (from the guy who made THE STATION AGENT). There are also about a billion on films, but the blahblahblahing stops here, so scroll on down to the movies for the details.

One final somber note, please find time to come to the fundraiser for Valentina Picasso at Valentina’s Some of you may know that last month she was suddenly stricken with serious illness. The fundraiser will be on October 19th between 2 and 6pm. There will be an auction with all sorts of stuff, including a gift certificate from Four Star Video. There is information about it here.

Best,
Ken

p.s. If you are a KenFlix subscriber, email me if you would like to be on an email list alerting you to special discounts available to you.

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

BLACK SHEEP.
Comedy/Horror.
Matt Chamberlain.
Directed by Jonathan King.
* “Violence of the Lambs.”

DOG GONE.
Family/Comedy.
Maggy Bashaw/Kenda Benward.
Directed by Mark Stouffer.
* Goofy funny kids flick about some diamond thieves and their doggy.

FOUR MINUTES.
Drama/Foreign (German).
Monica Bleibtreu/Hannah Herzsprung.
Directed by Chris Kraus.
* An 80-year old piano teacher sees the musical talent in a young convicted murderer and helps her to learn to play.

THE HAPPENING.****ALSO IN BLU-RAY****
Horror?
Mark Wahlberg/Zooey Deschanel/John Leguizamo.
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
* The bad news for Elliot, is that besides Colony Collapse Disorder (the tragic reality of honey bees dying in historic proportion) the entire world seems to be going to hell with somewhat reasonable people killing themselves in great numbers. The good news for Elliot is that he is married to Alma, and Alma is played by Zooey Deschanel. So what’s he complaining about?

NORMAL.
Drama.
Carrie-Anne Moss/Kevin Zegers.
Directed by Carl Bessai.
* Kind of an indie film about a group of unrelated people tied together by a deadly car accident.

REAR WINDOW: SPECIAL EDITION.
Suspense.
James Stewart/Grace Kelly.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
* One of a group of special edition Hitchcock movies this week, in this a photographer, who is stuck in a wheelchair, spies on his neighbors and becomes increasingly convinced one is a murdered.

SHELTER ME.
Drama/LGBT/Foreign (Italian).
Maria de Medeiros/Antonia Liskova.
Directed by Marco S. Puccioni.
* Sex and life in a factory town in Northern Italy.

SPELLBOUND: SPECIAL EDITION.
Suspense.
Ingrid Bergman/Gregory Peck.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
* She (Bergman) is a psychiatrist; he (Peck) is an amnesiac accused of murder. Did he do it?

TOUCH OF EVIL: 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION.
Drama.
Charleton Heston/Orson Welles/Janet Leigh.
Directed by Orson Welles.
* Special release of this intense murder/kidnapping/corruption tale based in a border town between the US and Mexico.

VERTIGO: SPECIAL EDITION.
Suspense.
James Stewart/Kim Novak.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
* Another brilliant Hitchcock, based in San Francisco with amazing cinematography and an intense script and cast. Must see!

THE VISITOR.
Indie.
Richard Jenkins/Haaz Sleiman/Hiam Abbass.
Directed by Thomas McCarthy.
* From the writer/director of THE STATION AGENT, comes this new film about loss, identity and independence. Jenkins plays a college professor who is not engaged in his life anymore. When he discovers a couple living in his NY apartment, it opens him to a world of illegal immigrants that he has never been exposed to. When one of them is unexpectedly incarcerated, he finds a purpose which helps his true character to develop. And on top of all that, there are hand drums! This is a sweet tale of longing with a moral fortitude and an awesome soundtrack of African jazz.

YOU DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN.
Comedy.
Adam Sandler/John Turturro/Rob Schneider.
Directed by Dennis Dugan.
* Judging by the way the guy moves his groin, maybe you should mess with the Zohan? Sandler (Zohan) or Zohan (Sandler) (not sure which is more appropriate) is a counter-terrorist agent in Israel who smothers everything in hummus (no baba ganoush?) while exposing truisms about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that you may not find elsewhere. However he no longer wants to fight terrorism, he wants to be a hairdresser in the NYC. Let the games begin.

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

BROTHERHOOD: THE SECOND SEASON.
Television/Drama.
Jason Isaacs/Jason Clarke.
* Long-awaited follow up to the first season of the tale of two brothers on the opposite sides of the law in Providence, Rhode Island.

LUCKY LOUIE: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON.
Television/Comedy.
Louis C.K./Pamela Adlon/Mike Hagerty.
* Totally obscene family sitcom that one customer has challenged couples to watch together!

MIDSOMER MURDERS: SET 11.
Television/Mystery/Suspense.
* They’re still getting killed in Midsomer County. Property values are plummeting.

THE SIMPSONS: SEASON 11.
Television/Animation/Comedy.
* Have you heard of this show? It is about a little nuclear family of five and their struggles to survive in the modern world.

SOUTH PARK: CULT OF CARTMAN.
Irreverent Humor/Animation.
Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
* I think Eric Cartman is one of the five most psychologically complex characters ever to exist on television. This is a paean to his brilliance/idiocy.

30 ROCK: SEASON 2.
Television/Comedy.
Tina Fey/Alec Baldwin/Tracy Morgan
Created by Tina Fey.
* Tina Fey (you may know her as Sarah Palin?) is really funny in this behind the scenes glimpse at a fictional Saturday Night Live style comedy sketch program. And Alec Baldwin is good, too.

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

THE BACKYARDIGANS: ESCAPE FROM FAIRYTALE VILLAGE.

THE CARE BEARS: FLURRIES OF FUN.

MAX AND RUBY: A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS COLLECTION.

SLEEPING BEAUTY: PLATINUM EDITION.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: HOLIDAY DREAMS COLLECTION.

WONDER PETS: SAVE THE NUTCRACKER.

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

Reviews for the most part in Jeff’s words:

BURN TO SHINE, VOL 3.
* The third in a series of one-off concerts around the country featuring notable indie bands. What makes these concerts unique? They were all shot in houses that were soon slated to be demolished. Not only is the film a document of all these great musicians coming together for this one night, it also becomes a testament to the house itself. Highlights from Portland include QUASI, MIRAH, THE SHINS and THE GOSSIP.

CEMETARY MAN.
* Ennui, irony and the undead collide in this film by Argento protégé Michele Soavi. This darkly comic tale is not your average zombie flick. Sure, its chock-full of the requisite sex and gore, but the film has an existentialist bent that will hopefully leave you thinking.

THE COMPANY OF WOLVES.
* A GRIMMer version of Little Red Riding Hood, and one of Neil Jordan’s (CRYING GAME, BUTCHER BOY) earliest films.

HELVETICA.
Documentary.
Directed by Gary Hustwit.
* What do American Apparel, American Airlines and the US Postal Service all have in common? They all use the typeface Helvetica. I was surprised at how entertaining a documentary about a font could be! A who’s who of designers frankly discuss their love/hate relationships with the ubiquitous type.

I LIKE KILLING FLIES.
Documentary.
Directed by Mayy Mahurin.
* A documentary about the crazy genius-of-a-chef Kenny Shopsin, whose foul mouth and strict rules are offset by brilliant, unique food. You better think twice about visiting his New York restaurant if you have a party of five though...

JESUS’ SON.
Indie/Drama.
Billy Crudup.
Directed by Alison Maclean.
* Billy Crudup plays Fuckhead in a fucking great film. Watch this, PLEASE.

LA JETEE/SANS SOLEIL (1962/1983).
Experimental/Criterion.
Directed by Chris Marker
* Most of you already know about Chris Marker’s time-travel short La Jetee, which inspired 12 MONKEYS. Finally out on DVD is Sans Soleil, a film essay Marker made in the 80s that documents the musings of a world traveler. Topics include East-West cultural differences, television and the issues of time and memory. It’s kinda slow and meandering at times, but strangely hypnotic.

LAST NIGHT.
Indie/Drama.
Directed by Don McKellar.
* It’s the last night on Earth and Don McKellar just wants to be alone. Of course, there are family obligations – his delusional mom is intent on recreating memories of yore by staging a phoney Christmas dinner. Meanwhile, Sandra Oh with her mysterious box needs to get home before midnight. Also features the always-cute Sarah Polley and a cameo by director David Cronenberg as a gas man (WTF?!).

MAYA DEREN EXPERIMENTAL FILMS.
Experimental.
Directed by Maya Deren.
* A pioneering experimental filmmaker of the 40’s and 50’s. Her films are mysterious dream poems.

MR. VAMPIRE.
Drama/Foreign ()
Directed by Ricky Lau.
* DUDE. Chinese vampires are freak central! They’re more like zombies…and they hop around!! I have fond memories of watching this on TV with my mother. A good mix of comedy, horror and plain ‘ol ass-kicking kung fu.

THE PRISONER: COMPLETE SERIES.
* I Am not a number – I am a free man! This show is a so great. Think 1984 meets Kafka in a swingin’ mod 60s environment. One of the all-time great cult shows. Recommended for fans of TWILIGHT ZONE and LOST.

THEY LIVE.
Horror.
Directed by John Carpenter.
* “I am here to chew bubblegum and kick some ass…and I’m ALL out of bubblegum!” This action adventure with a political sci-fi bent stars pro wrestling’s Rod Piper and is ROWDY fun.

ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS.
Rock-Doc.
David Bowie/Spiders From Mars.
* Freak out…far out! Bowie is some kind of god, and so far the only living thing to successfully implement the mullet. This is the last show of the Ziggy Stardust tour and it features costume ch-ch-changes to the max and a blistering performance from Mick Ronson. Also has THE definitive version of Moonage Daydream.

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

THE COLOR OF MONEY.
* First DVD of this sequel to THE HUSTLER starring Tom Cruise and Paul Newman.

CURLY LOU.
* First any copy of this John Hughes flick from 1991 starring James Belushi and Kelly Lynch.

DEADLY DUO.
* First any copy of this Shaw Brothers 1970’s era Kung Fu flick.

ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ.
* First DVD of the Clint Eastwood movie about an, uh, escape…from...

HUD.
* First DVD of this awesome Paul Newman film about a ruthless young man out in the west. Won 3 Oscars and nominated for a bunch more.

THE HUDSUCKER PROXY.
* First DVD of this Coen Brothers film starring Tim Robbins and Paul Newman.

THE HUSTLER.
* First DVD of another of Paul Newman’s masterpieces about a pool shark going for the big score. This is a Four Star movie!

MARTIN (HACHE).
* First any copy of this Adolpho Aristarain film from Spain about a teenager who goes to Madrid to live with his dad after surviving a near-fatal drug overdose.

MIRACLE ON 34th STREET.
* In preparation of the holiday season, two copies.

MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN.
Family.
* One of my favorite books growing up! This is the tale of Sam, a kid who runs away from his family to live alone in the Catskill Mountains.

THE SANTA CLAUSE.
* First DVD of this whoop-whoop.

SLAP SHOT: 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION.
* First DVD. Paul Newman stars in this hockey film about a sucky team that resorts to good old fashioned violence to entertain the crowd. Sound like regular hockey?

TOPPER.
* First DVD of this classic Cary Grant comedy, and don’t forget, eventually he returns.

THE VERDICT: TWO DISC COLLECTOR’S EDITION.
* Terrific lawyer film made by Sydney Lumet starring Paul Newman as a washed up drunk seeking to revive his legal career. Also starring a simmering Charlotte Rampling. First DVD.

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

BEETLEJUICE: DELUXE EDITION.
* The Tim Burton fairytale starring Michael Keaton that launched Winona Ryder’s career.

BODY HEAT.
* Damn sexy thriller starring Kathleen Turner and William Hurt.

THE LORD OF WAR.
* Nicholas Cage as a international weapons salesman.

THE SIXTH SENSE.
* M. Night Shyamalan movie that propelled him to fame starring Bruce Willis.

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

DARK PASSAGE.
* Can’t seem to keep this 1947 Noir in stock.

EMPIRE FALLS.
Drama/Romance.
* Replacement of the last feature film that Paul Newman made (other than a few where he lent his voice). Also starring Ed Harris and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

THE HOT CHICK.
* Thank god we got a new copy of this.

THE KIDS IN THE HALL: COMPLETE 4th SEASON.
* Replacement.

THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS.
* Two more copies in anticipation of the traveling pantsuit.

THE TRIALS OF HENRY KISSINGER.
* I don’t think they were talking about his having to hang out with Sarah Palin last month; maybe they will make a new movie about that!

VINCE VAUGH’S WILD WEST COMEDY SHOW.
* Replacement.

****