****new release list no.269

The weather: such a funny conversation, right? We use it to gloss over the uncomfortable moments, standing with an acquaintance, searching for something to say. We consider it, or don’t in the mornings as we’re preparing for our days. It has become a hot topic of conversation in the political arena, as we discuss globally the human affect on the atmosphere. Is it gonna be a nice day? Will it rain? Sweater or no? Hat? Are you an East Coaster? Still wear the shorts when it’s freezing? Lost all your chutzpah after an extended stay on the West Coast? Does your roof leak? Gutters clogged? Drain overflowing? Wind giving you a headache? Are you concerned about the water levels in the reservoirs? Are you hoping for sunshine on that camping trip? Do you have little kids? Are you old and creaky? Does the cold make your arthritis act up? Are you just into complaining and the weather is kind of your best topic? Looks like a beautiful day. Man, I’m freaking cold. It’s so hot. Kinda chilly today. Perfect beach weather. Great movie weather. Awesome hiking weather. Hot chocolate weather. Earthquake weather. Ah, the weather. Ah shit, the weather. Ho hum. Well…

THE ROAD starring Viggo Mortenson and Charlize Theron, is on, while I am typing this. Chris is watching it behind the counter. It appears to be a quiet movie with short periods of what sounds like large trees becoming uprooted, and lingering screams. Kinda creepy, but in a very serene way. It is an adaptation of a Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men) novel, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize. The quietness of the sound of this film is attracting my attention, but I haven’t watched it yet. DEAR JOHN is also out this week. It is a war romance starring Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried. I would make silly jokes about it, but Channing is buddies with my brother-in-law, who reads this blog, and he’s a big guy (Channing), so I don’t want to get on his bad side. Besides, I hear he’s a pretty cool feller. DEAR JOHN was an adaptation also from a novel by Nicholas Sparks who has had some pretty good success with adaptations lately (NIGHTS IN RODANTHE, THE NOTEBOOK).

Probably the biggest rush this week will be for TRUE BLOOD: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON. We got this one on BD as well, for you hi-def fans (I know you’re def, even if you don’t have a hi-def tv. Word.).

We also have a couple new Criterion releases this week (STAGECOACH and BY BRAKHAGE: AN ANTHOLOGY) and a very interesting looking indie film called ALL MY FRIENDS ARE FUNERAL SINGERS by Tim Rutili, the frontman and guitar player of the band Califone (who simultaneously released an album of this same name). The film is about a fortune teller living in a house full of ghosts. Spooky!

I finally got around to seeing SHERLOCK HOLMES this weekend. I really liked it. The cinematography was interesting, very dark and cold. The violence was highly stylized, but mostly not very present. The relationship between Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr) and Watson (Jude Law) was probably the funnest part of the film, as you really got the feeling that they were frat brothers, for whom jobs and relationships would just get in the way of their boyish play. Of course Watson has found himself a lady friend, and this really saddens Holmes, who’d rather have Watson all to himself. As I suspect a lot of people feel, not the least of all Sienna Miller.

Do you like rock? Me, too! And I play it in a band called The Dont’s. We are just now releasing THOSE DELICATE CHEMICALS, our third full-length album, and we’re getting ready to play some shows in support of the new record. We’re actually heading out this week to Idaho to play at a very awesome looking outdoor festival called Ranchfest, which is organized by our good pals FINN RIGGINS. Then, we are having an official CD release party on Saturday, June 5th at The Bottom of the Hill. The album is for sale here at Four Star Video, and you can buy tix for the June 5th show here.

Continuing in the self-promotion vein, Succulence, our still relatively new plant, art and life inspirations store behind Four Star Video has been receiving some very exciting press this week. First, we were lucky enough to be featured on Daily Candy, an email list and website that highlights cool things going on. Then, as a result of that feature (thanks, Daily Candy!) we were written about on the ultra-hip design blog Apartment Therapy. Wow, we can’t thank both of them enough. A lot of people told us that they knew about us hiding back behind the video store for quite some time, but hadn’t ever checked us out until they read one of these reviews. We are hoping to shake the “Bernal’s best-kept secret” moniker soon! If you haven’t come by, now is a fine time. Here is a link to our facebook page, where you can see many photos of our store, and here is a link to our website. Thanks for the support!

Here is another reminder to get your film submissions in to the Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema festival. If you are a film maker, editor, writer or are otherwise involved with a film, please enter it in the festival. Find information here.

Lastly, one last reminder about our new store hours: Tuesday – Sunday 11am – 9pm and Monday 2pm-9pm.

Love and Kisses,
Ken

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

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

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

ALL MY FRIENDS ARE FUNERAL SINGERS.
Comedy/Indie/Experimental/Drama.
Angela Bettis.
Directed by Tim Rutili.
* This is the feature film debut of Rutili, who is better known as the frontman for the band Califone. This film features his band’s music, and was an official entry to the Sundance film festival this year. The story is about a fortune teller (Bettis) who lives in a house filled with ghosts.

BY BRAKHAGE: AN ANTHOLOGY (VOL 1 AND 2) .****BD****
Criterion/Experimental/Art.
Directed by Stan Brakhage.
* FROM CRITERION: “In Criterion's first volume of the anthology By Brakhage, we brought twenty-six astonishing works by the avant-garde film pioneer Stan Brakhage to home video for the first time. Now, in this second installment, we are proud to present thirty more of Brakhage's innovative creations, from 1950s films to his final work, from 2003. Highlights of this collection include the antiwar film 23rd Psalm Branch; hand-painted films from the Persian Series; The Wonder Ring, made for a commission by Joseph Cornell; the autobiographical Scenes from Under Childhood, Section One; his only found-footage film, Murder Psalm; and much more. (Films date from 1954-2003)”.

DEAR JOHN.****BD****
Drama/Romance.
Channing Tatum/Amanda Seyfried/Richard Jenkins/Henry Thomas.
Directed by Lasse Hallstrom.
* John (Tatum) and Savannah (Seyfried, MAMMA MIA, BIG LOVE) are youngsters in love whose commitment is tested by his military serving during and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

GOTH.
Horror/Foreign (Japanese).
Directed by Gen Takahashi.
* It says it is one of the most intriguing and original horror movies in years on the cover.

THE ROAD.****BD****
Drama/Suspense/Sci-Fi/Apocalypse.
Viggo Mortenson/Kodi Smit-McPhee/Charlize Theron/Robert Duvall/Guy Pearce/Molly Parker.
Directed by John Hillcoat.
* The man (Mortenson) is on the road with his young son, trying to avoid getting eaten by cannibals and trying to teach his son about humanity, while struggling to maintain his own sense of it, in this adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name. The basic story tells of a future where something has killed most all of the animals (including humans) on earth and all that is left are small groups of wanderers, and some very uncivilized groups of cannibals also trying to survive.

STAGECOACH.
Criterion/Western.
John Wayne/Claire Trevor/John Carradine.
Directed by John Ford.
* This hard 1939 Western was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won two of them. It is the story of a group of people on a stagecoach journey in tense fear of the dangers that lie along the path.

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

AMERICAN SERENGETI.****BD****
Documentary/Nature/Series.
Directed by National Geographic.
* From Amazon: America’s Great Plains were once a vibrant grassland ecosystem, akin to the great savannahs of Africa. Here, a mere 200 years ago, Lewis and Clark stepped onto this fertile landscape and were awestruck by what they saw herds of bison, packs of wolves, grizzly bears, prairie dogs and more. Since Lewis and Clark s time, many of these iconic prairie creatures have all but disappeared. Now, one of the most ambitious conservation projects in American history is underway to create a thriving three million acre wildlife reserve that will restore America s Serengeti. Filmed over 2 years in stunning high-definition, American Serengeti chronicles the massive restoration project and through CGI, will fast forward to the future when vast herds of American wildlife will roam the plains once again.

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

TRUE BLOOD: THE COMPLETE 2nd SEASON.****BD****
Vampire/TV.
Anna Paquin/Stephen Moyer.
Directed by.
* The Sookie Stackhouse saga continues! Sookie (Paquin) is a barmaid in Louisiana who has the challenging power of being able to read people’s minds. How frustrating that must be! Some peeps, yeah, I’d like to know what they are thinking (you know who you are), but most people, I’d rather be in the dark! Alas, Sookie reads the minds, like it or not. You know, you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life, right? Anyway, Sookie is involved with Vampire Bill, who drinks synthetic blood so he doesn’t have to eat people to survive. He’s kind of like a methadone addict in this way. In Season two, the two of them are caught up in the mysterious disappearance of a very old vampire from Dallas…I am not sure if it is Jerry Jones or not.

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

WALKABOUT.
* Gorgeous Australian film from 1971 about two children trying to survive in the Outback after their father has a breakdown.

............//REPLACEMENT DVD’S/............

FREAKS AND GEEKS: THE COMPLETE SERIES.
* Just another copy, cuz I loved it so much. And the ending? My god, the ending is just superb.

****

****new release list no.268

National Small Business Week is coming up next week, and in related news, I am still waiting for the results of my IRS audit. Well, when they say that small business is the building block of society, I think they actually mean that, all in all we’re just another brick in the wall. Snap!

THE MESSENGER, starring Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster and Samantha Morton is out this week. Beautifully acted and poignantly written, it is the story of a Casualty Notification unit, and a relationship that develops with an injured war hero and the widow of an officer. This film was nominated for two Academy Awards. Also nominated for a couple Oscars is INVICTUS, the story of an unlikely partnership between Nelson Mandela and Francois Pienaar, the captain of the mostly-white National Rugby team. Starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.

Harrison Ford, Brendan Fraser and Keri Russell star in EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES about a couple with two very sick children who turn to a researcher to help them find a cure for their kid’s rare disease. In THE NEW DAUGHTER, Kevin Costner continues his descent into irrelevance.

Do you like Judd Apatow? He has become super famous writing and producing films like KNOCKED UP, THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, FUNNY PEOPLE and being involved with many other big hitters over the last 5 years. His career began years ago in television, where he produced THE BEN STILLER SHOW and THE LARRY SANDERS show in the 90’s. In 1999, he was part of a team that produced/wrote/directed one of the most amazing TV shows of all time, FREAKS AND GEEKS. Have you seen this show? Wow, I cannot recommend it high enough. It is amazing. On my list of things to watch for many years, I finally took it home a week or two ago, and Amy and I have plowed through 16 of its 18 episodes thus far, and I am so sad that it is ending. Yes, it only lasted one season, like so many other brilliant, realistic, funny and painful shows about High School students (SQUARE PEGS, MY SO-CALLED LIFE). FREAKS AND GEEKS is well-named, and is somewhat centered on a brother and sister, one of which is a geek (the brother), and the other a former “mathlete” who finds herself a new-fangled freak. Watching these kids try to locate themselves in the vicious social reality of High School is funny and sad and very realistic. The scene in the first episode when Sam (the young brother) convinces himself to ask his crush, Cindy, to the dance is just amazing, as you know just as well as he does that she is gonna say no, but his gutsy invitation is so applaudable, and you can’t help but root for the guy. Launching the careers of James Franco, Jason Segal and Seth Rogen (Freaks), the show is a brilliant combination of disaffected, lonely ruminations on popularity, and heartfelt, passionate struggles for clarity and finding one’s place in the brutal, unapologetic world of high school. We sat preparing to watch the 16th episode last night, looking at a static picture of the eight or so main characters and discussing our favorites, and we realized we loved them all. It is odd on mainstream network television that you can learn so much about this many characters in just one season; I guess the thoroughness of the character development, combined with the show’s emotional honesty were just ahead of its time in 1999 when the show aired. It takes place in 1980, though, and the soundtrack, filled with classic rock of the period, is almost always perfect. If you’ve watched this show, then I’m preaching to the choir, but if you have not, give it a shot, it will be worth it.

Hey, we are deep into the entry period for the Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema festival. Have you attended in the past? This festival embodies so much of what is wonderful about our neighborhood. If you are a film maker, editor, writer or are otherwise involved with a film, please enter it in the festival. Find information here.

Once again, here is a reminder about our change of hours:

Our new operation hours are: Tuesday – Sunday 11am – 9pm and Monday 2pm-9pm.

Love and Kisses,
Ken

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

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

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

AND THEN CAME LOLA.
Comedy/Drama/Romance/LGBT.
Ashleigh Summer/Jill Bennett.
Directed by Megan Seidler and Megan Siler.
* This is kind of (or exactly) a lesbian remake of RUN LOLA RUN.

CONFESSIONS OF A PORN ADDICT.
Comedy/Mockumentary.
Spencer Rice.
Directed by Duncan Christie.
* This dark comedy follows Mark Tobias (Rice) a porn addict who is trying to recover by facing his, ahem, demons.

EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES.
Drama.
Harrison Ford/Brendan Fraser/Keri Russell/Courtney Vance.
Directed by Tom Vaughan.
* Based on a true story, Fraser and Russell play John and Aileen Crowley, parents of two young children with a rare medical disorder , who seek help from an anti-establishment researcher (Harrison Ford) who may be able to save their children.

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN.
Drama/Foreign (French).
Emilie Duquenne/Michel Blanc/Catherine Deneuve/Mathieu Demy.
Directed by Andre Techine.
* The girl in question claims to have been the object of an anti-Semetic and becomes the center of a media expose into the truth. With the brilliant Deneuve as the girl’s mother.

INVICTUS.****BD****
Drama/Biography/History.
Matt Damon/Morgan Freeman.
Directed by Clint Eastwood.
* When I first saw the posters of this film, and heard it was about Nelson Mandela, I thought -Damn, Clint Eastwood is a magic man, casting Matt Damon as Nelson Mandela? Wow! I mean Matt was awesome in GOOD WILL HUNTING, and totally believable in THE BOURNE HYPOCRISY (was that the name? anyway, you know what I mean) but to play the black President of South Africa? I mean seriously, I cannot believe he didn’t win the Academy Award. Then I saw that Morgan Freeman was nominated for an Academy for his work in this film, too. So, is he not the rugby guy? But, I am so confused, cuz I barely saw Freeman on the poster for this film. Anyway, one of them is Nelson, and one is a rugby guy, and they were both nominated for the Oscar, and neither won, and I haven’t yet seen the movie, but I heard it was really good. And Clint turns 80 in two weeks, and that’s crazy too, right?!

JERMAL.
Drama/Foreign (Indonesian).
Iqbal S. Manurung/Didi Petet.
Directed by Ravi L. Bharwani and Rayya Makarim.and Orlow Seunke
* This beautiful Indonesian film is about a 12-year-old boy, Jaya, who is sent to live with his father after his mother’s death. The father works on a jermal, a fishing platform in the middle of the sea, and, not knowing he had a son, rejects the kid and is mean and brutal to him. The son, shocked into survivor mode, gets tough and learns how to survive on the jermal, and eventually wins his father’s respect, and acknowledgment.

THE MESSENGER.****BD****
Drama/War/Romance.
Ben Foster/Woody Harrelson/Samantha Morton.
Directed by Oren Moverman.
* Although I am not a big fan of war movies, I recognized that HURT LOCKER was one I just had to see. And although this isn’t quite the same, in that most of the action takes place domestically, this film should be somewhat in that same category. Focusing on the devastation that takes place far away from the battleground, this film follows a recently injured war hero, Will Montgomery (Ben Foster, SIX FEET UNDER) who is finishing his enrollment period by joining a older Casualty Notification specialist (Harrelson, brilliant as usual, and nominated for an Academy Award for this role) ringing doorbells to notify families of their losses. When Montgomery breaks the unwritten rule by getting involved with the widow of a fallen officer, he faces a moral dilemma that his training is unable to help him with.

THE NEW DAUGHTER.
Suspense/Thriller.
Kevin Costner/Samantha Mathis/Ivan Baquero.
Directed by Luiso Berdejo.
* A dad moves with his kids to rural South Carolina where thing get weirder than usual. There may be some sort of monsters involved.

THE SPY NEXT DOOR.
Action/Comedy/Family.
Jackie Chan/George Lopez/Billy Ray Cyrus/Amber Valletta.
Directed by Brian Levant.
* Jackie and George, together at last! In this goofy family comedy, Chan plays a retired CIA agent, trying to keep his girlfriends kids safe from his Russian nemesis who is out to “neutralize” him.

VALENTINE’S DAY.****BD****
Comedy/Romance.
Julia Roberts/Patrick Dempsey/Jessica Alba/Kathy Bates/Jamie Foxx/Anne Hathaway/Jennifer Garner/Jessica Biel/Ashton Kutcher/Queen Latifah/Shirley Maclaine/Taylor Swift/Emma Roberts.
Directed by Garry Marshall.
* Ah, the pain of Valentine’s Day; ah the love and passion of Valentine’s Day. Which is it? Are you single? The horror! Are you with someone? Are you filled with the pressure of making the day…just…perfect?! This film follows lots of people, couples and singles, as they plan and succumb to the perfect storm of the holiday named after a Christian marty, and consecrated by a pope, 1500 years ago. Chickabow!

WATERCOLORS.
Drama/LGBT.
Tye Olson/Kyle Clare/Greg Louganis/Karen Black.
Directed by David Oliveras.
* An artist’s current relationship is haunted by his high school era lover, who is long gone, but whose memory continues to be very present in his life.

THE WORLD UNSEEN.
Drama/Romance/LGBT.
Lisa Ray/Sheetal Sheth.
Directed by Shamim Sarif.
* This movie about forbidden love and breaking boundaries takes place in South Africa during the Apartheid period. Centered on two people who operate a café, the story follows both as they trepidatiously pursue relationships with people who are about as unavailable as can be, yet they are not stopped by the challenges the relationships present, but are willing to risk everything to satisfy their hearts.

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

POLIWOOD.
Documentary/Politics.
Directed by Barry Levinson.
* This film crawls into the 2008 Democratic and Republican conventions during the presidential race, and gets up close with the Hollywood celebs that backed either side.

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

FARZZLE’S WORLDS: BREAKFAST AT FARZZLE’S.

MR. BUMP: PLANES, TRAINS AND DILLYMOBILES.

****

****new release list no.267

Last week’s blog was an especially hard one to write. I was super low and somewhat having escapist fantasies! I worded the Four Star survey that I sent out as negatively as possible, feeling like if people wanted me to know it was time to make a big change, it would help them communicate that to me. I had become depressed based on the accounting numbers, and I was super stressed about our options.

How do I feel this week?

Well, it is still pretty stressful, but the information that came across from those who took the survey was amazingly supportive and this support has completely reinvigorated me!

Thanks must go out to the 138 people who have thus far filled out the survey. I am concerned that some people didn’t fill it out because of the lack of anonymity, so I will have a survey, (slightly different from the online one) set up at the store in the next several days, and if you pop in, you can fill it out and slip it into a box here. We’d appreciate it, because feedback, both positive and negative, is crucial to any small business.

I have lots more I want to share about the future of Four Star, but I also have had about 4 great days in a row, and I’d like to keep that streak going, so we’ll save the hard talk for another day. In the meantime, on to the movies!

This week, it seems like most of the films are action/suspense/thriller/disaster types. Led by EDGE OF DARKNESS, a feature film starring Mel Gibson, which is actually a remake of a 6-part miniseries of the same name from 1985 (made by the same director!). Mel plays Thomas Craven, a crusty Boston cop who must investigate his own daughter’s death after she is shot down at the front door. Death is not a fear of Craven’s, as he never falters in his dogmatic single-minded approach to the truth.

In LEGION, apocalyptic battles are fought by angels and earthlings in a fight for survival by humanity. In TIDAL WAVE, a big bunch of water comes down on a beach town in Korea rendering everyone’s problems less meaningful while they struggle against nature’s hand. In DAYBREAKERS, vampires are faced with a dwindling supply of human blood. Seriously!

There are also two miniseries from the LONESOME DOVE series, STREETS OF LAREDO and DEAD MAN’S WALK. I haven’t seen them, but I loved those books, so hard and lethal and full of a desperate need for focus and good decision-making. These 1995 and 1996 television adaptations are full of stars of both the present and the past.

Here is a reminder about our change of hours:

Our new operation hours are: Tuesday – Sunday 11am – 9pm and Monday 2pm-9pm.

Please know, I take my stewardship of Four Star Video very seriously, and I will continue to do as much as I can to provide this important business to the community. All you have to do is utilize us to help keep the doors open.

Love and Kisses,
Ken

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

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

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

DAYBREAKERS.****BD****
Action/Sci-Fi/Horror.
Ethan Hawke/Willem Dafoe/Sam Neill.
Directed by Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig.
* Visually gorgeous futuristic vampire movie about a plague that has turned us all into bloodsuckers dealing with a dwindling fuel source…

EDGE OF DARKNESS.****BD****
Crime/Suspense.
Mel Gibson/Ray Winstone/Danny Huston.
Directed by Martin Campbell.
* Originally made as a six-part miniseries by the same director in 1985 (and starring Joanne Whalley), this version is quite pared. The basic tale is of a long-time Boston cop (probably a Red Sox fan) whose daughter is shot literally on his doorstep. Although it first seems like an accidental death with the real intended victim being the cop, soon it becomes clear that she has become embroiled in an international conspiracy involving the company she is working for making secret nuclear weapons to be used around the world. Soon, the ever-dogmatic Gibson (as Thomas Craven, the father) becomes steadfastly focused on finding the killers and making them pay. With Winstone as a government agent charged with “fixing” the controversy in a way that it will never be discovered.

LEGION (2010).****BD****
Action/Fantasy/Thriller.
Paul Bettany/Lucas Black/Tyrese Gibson/Dennis Quaid.
* Pretty sure God is super pissed off in this apocalyptic tale. See, he think humans are maybe not worth the effort and so he sends some nasty “angels” to demoralize, demolish, and demi glace earth. Ah, but Archangel Michael (Bettany) and a bunch of random earthlings who are trapped in diner provide the righteousness needed to fight back.

TIDAL WAVE.
Action/Disaster/Foreign (Korean).
Ji-won Ha/Joong-Hoon Park.
Directed by Je-gyun Yun.
* A beach in Southern Korea is hit with a giant Tsunami.

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

DEAD MAN’S WALK.
* This and the next are mini-series from the LONESOME DOVE stories of Larry McMurtry…they are hard hitting Westerns and these were made in the mid-90’s.

STREETS OF LAREDO.
* As with DEAD MAN’S WALK, this is a mini-series from the LONESOME DOVE stories of Larry McMurtry…

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

ELLIOT MOOSE: TREASURE.

KUNG FU MAGOO.

MR. MAGOO IN SHERWOOD FOREST.

****

****new release list no.266

Ever wonder, how long will Four Star Video keep its doors open? I know I sure have.

Do you have thoughts on this matter? At the end of this post, I have included a link to our survey which we are asking you to take. This will help us decide how to proceed. We are very committed to this store, but the truth is we are analyzing every part of the business with the hopes that we can make some basic changes that will allow us to remain open.

When Amy and I bought this amazing store, after being customers for nearly 10 years, we asked ourselves this question pretty regularly. And it was hard to answer. After all, how could a video store compete in this day and age with Neflix, downloadable movies, Red Box, On-Demand home viewing, the public Library, etc. Doesn’t it seem that technology (or evolution) will cause this business to go under? And yet…the store is in a walking neighborhood, on a busy block, next door to a café, and with the grocery store at the end of the block. Bernal Heights is filled with civic minded people who love to support its businesses and Four Star Video has served as a bit of a community center, where people run into their friends and neighbors and chat about cinematic art, for 26 years!

Would the business shrink? Most definitely. Would it dry up completely? It’s been hard to say.

Ah, but we are proactive people. As many of you know, we’ve made a lot of changes over these three years in order to stay afloat. People complained a lot about late fees, so we offered the least expensive video store rental option ever – Kenflix. And a few hundred people signed up. People expressed interest in the new Hi-def formats, and we have grown one of the largest libraries of Blu-ray format films in the city. People begged us not to get rid of Dollar Wednesday – and we kept it! People told us the floor smelled, and we bought new carpet (and painted and re-thought the interior of the store). We opened a free book library of books that were made into great movies. We invested in hundreds of DVD’s that we formerly only had on VHS.

And yet…the challenges continue. Most recently, we have discovered we are no longer sustainable at our current budget, and we are trying some big changes to stem the flow. Some of these changes you’ll notice and some you will not. Our hope is that we can continue to provide service to our fair city. We are worried (properly so) but we are optimistic (cautiously, curiously). The important thing for you to know is that Four Star is being greatly challenged and we are examining every aspect of the business, and all sorts of ideas, realistic and otherwise, in order to stay open and keep fulfilling our role in the community, if that is what the community wants.

Here are the critical operation changes you need to know about:

Our new operation hours are: Tuesday – Sunday 11am – 9pm and Monday 2pm-9pm.

The change here is that we are now closed at 9 instead of 10pm every day. This means movies are due at 9pm. Also, we are opening three hours later on Monday. Included in this change, but less visible, are different employment shifts. Hopefully this won’t affect you very much; let me know if it does.

If you care about Four Star Video, and even if you don’t and just read this because it provides you with a small bit of amusement and some factual movie information each week, please take this survey that is linked here and let us know your thoughts. We are very curious to hear what our community thinks about this, because in the end, it is to serve you that we are open, not the other way around. If we can do that, and still exist within the realm of a normal business, then we most certainly will! Thanks in advance for filling out the survey!

Love and Kisses,
Ken

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

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

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

HAMLET (2009).
Drama.
David Tennant/Patrick Stewart.
Directed by Gregory Doran.

LEAP YEAR.
Comedy/Romance.
Amy Adams/Matthew Goode/Bill Nighy/John Lithgow.
Directed by Anand Tucker.

NINE.****BD****
Drama/Musical.
Daniel Day-Lewis/Nicole Kidman/Judi Dench/Kate Hudson/Marion Cotillard/Sophia Loren/Penelope Cruz/.
Directed by Rob Marshall.

NO TIME FOR SARGENTS.
Comedy/Classics.
Andy Griffith/Myron McCormick.
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy.
* First time on DVD.

ROCK N ROLL HIGH SCHOOL.
Musical/Punk Classic.
P.J. Soles/Vincent Patten/Clint Howard.
Produced by Roger Corman.
Directed by Allan Arkush.
* Do you remember this classic? High school anarchy to the tunes of The Ramones. Highly recommend!

TETRO.****BD****
Drama.
Vincent Gallo.
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

TOKYO SONATA.
Drama/Foreign (Japanese).
Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

THE TOOTH FAIRY.
Comedy/Family.
Dwayne Johnson/Ashley Judd/Billy Crystal/Julie Andrews.
Directed by Michael Lembeck.

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

END OF POVERTY.

FREUD.

MILTON GLASER: TO INFORM AND DELIGHT.

9 TO 5: DAYS IN PORN.
Doc/Porn.

VELVET UNDERGROUND: VANISHING POINT.
Music.

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

THE HONEYMOONERS: SECOND HONEYMOON.

THE HONEYMOONERS: VALENTINE’S SPECIAL.

ON THE ROAD WITH CHARLES KURALT: SET 1.
* This is super awesome..

TRACEY ULLMAN’S STATE OF THE UNION: SEASON TWO.

XENA WARRIOR PRINCESS: SEASON ONE.

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

FLICKA 2.
* Electric boogaloo.

GO DIEGO GO: GREAT PANDA ADVENTURE.

MARVEL’S IRON MAN: THE COMPLETE 1994 ANIMATED SERIES.

SESAME STREET: BEST OF ELMO 2.

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

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.

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

BIG NIGHT.
* Yummy food.

C.S.I: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON.

DARK PASSAGE.

FRIDA.

HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG.

THE O.C: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON.

THE 25th HOUR.

****

****new release list no.265

The “Release of the Week” is a part of this blog that I have gotten away from for the most part. Certain weeks it is a challenge to strongly suggest you watch anything but the pretty blue sky. However, I am going to highlight certain films a bit that I think you’ll all enjoy in one way or another. This week I am going with THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS, the film that will always be known as Heath Ledger’s final movie.

Thinking of Heath made me contemplate other great talents that left us early in the film world, and so I present to you, my top seventeen movie stars that died young.

Adrienne Shelly – The writer, and actor who made THE WAITRESS, was tragically murdered right after that film was made.
River Phoenix –Man, I still can’t believe this one…
Marilyn Monroe – She was only 36 when she died of an overdose.
John Candy – Died at 43 of a heart attack.
James Dean – My gosh; he was 24 when he died in a car accident.
Leslie Howard – He was 50 when he was shot down from the sky during WWII
Judy Garland – 47, drugs.
Carol Lombarde – 33, airplane crash.
Natalie Wood – She was 43 and just finishing the film BRAINSTORM when she drowned in very suspicious circumstances while sailing with Robert Wagner and Christopher Walken. Alcohol definitely played a role.
Bruce Lee – 32, accidental OD. And we really must remember his son Brandon who died young, too.
John Belushi – He was 33 when he OD’d. Thanks drugs!
Andy Kaufman – This super kook was 35 when a rare form of lung cancer took him.
Chris Penn – Drugs were involved, but they say Sean’s little brother died of an enlarged heart.
Jayne Mansfield – She died in a car accident at 34
Gilda Radner – Ovarian cancer took this brilliant comic actor at 42.
Sal Mineo – James Dean’s co-star in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE and GIANT died of a stabbing wound in a robbery at 37.
Heath Ledger- On the verge of superstardom died of an apparently accidental overdose.

I am sure I missed many important ones…please comment here, on the blog any important actors whose early deaths were especially tragic to you.

Hey, on a positive and evolutionary note. It just occurred to me that Assembly Bill 2254, the taxation of Marijuana bill, introduced by our very own Tom Ammiano and on the California State ballot in November, has a great chance of passing. Because most people either smoke pot casually, or recognize that it is less harmful then alcohol, or just want it to be taxed to help bring our state and country out of debt. So, I have decided to bring it up here and there. And here!

So remember to vote YES in November. Moderation is the key to life, people. With all things.

Love and Kisses,
Ken

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

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

............//RELEASE OF THE WEEK//............

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS.****BD****
Fantasy/Drama/Sci-fi.
Christopher Plummer/Heath Ledger/Johnny Depp/Colin Farrell/Jude Law/Lily Cole/Tom Waits.
Directed by Terry Gilliam.
* The “Imaginarium” is a device the good doctor has that enables people to enter their imagination and make certain dreams come true…ah, but it is dangerous in the imagination, as we all know, and things don’t always go as planned. Actually, the Imaginarium itself isn’t really focused on much in this fantastical film, thought the images we see while inside are extraordinary, and remind us of other visually stimulating images from Gilliam’s wild films. Actually, the film mostly revolves around Dr. Parnassus’s really bad judgment, especially regarding his dealings with the Devil (played wonderfully as usual by Tom Waits). He, like so many others before him, has made a deal with the devil that has gone poorly, and continues to go poorly. Currently, it sees Parnassus contemplating the loss of his beautiful daughter (Lily Cole) to give the Devil his due, and what a lucky devil he is! In truth, we will never know what this film was supposed to be, because Heath Ledger, fresh off his enormous success in THE DARK KNIGHT, died tragically during the making of this film. His character is a sort of wrench in everyone’s plans, which represents the chaotic element of life and he generally does what he pleases, annoying everyone involved. After his real-life death, Colin Farrell, Jude Law and Johnny Depp were hired to play him in separate scenes inside the Imaginarium. The effect is fine, if not perfect, but it leads to more questions about the original intention, and gives the film a slightly maudlin vibe making it a sort of homage to the actor instead of a stand alone piece of art. In any case, it is worth seeing just to marvel a bit at all the skilled acting, and to give huge props to Christopher Plummer (THE SOUND OF MUSIC!) for continuing his magical career.

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

DISGRACE.
Drama.
John Malkovich/Jessica Haines.
Directed by Steve Jacobs.
* Adapted from the novel by J.M. Coetzee (“Waiting for the Barbarians”), this film concerns the politics of life in South Africa, as a teacher (Malkovich) attempts to rehabilitate his life and reputation by moving away from Cape Town where he got into trouble for having an affair with a student.

DISTRIC 13: ULTIMATUM.****BD****
Action/Sci-Fi/Foreign (French).
David Belle.
Directed by Patrick Allesandrin.
* More super action filled cops and robbers in French (Ou est la bibliotheque?) in this blood pumping sequel to 2004’s DISTRICT 13. In that one, no ultimatum. This time, they are a bit more definitive.

FIVE MINUTES OF HEAVEN.****BD****
Drama/Crime.
Liam Neeson/James Nesbitt.
Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel.
* Well-acted film about former UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force; a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland) member Alistair Little (Neeson) who served 12 years for the murder of Jimmy Griffin who he shot in front of Jimmy’s little brother Joe. Now it is another 25 years later, and a media program has arranged a meeting between Joe and Alistair ostensibly to see them make up and move on. However, Joe has other revenge-oriented plans. This film won awards on the circuit, including the Best Director award at Sundance last year.

44 INCH CHEST.****BD****
Crime/Drama.
Ray Winstone/Ian McShane/Tom Wilkinson/John Hurt/Stephen Dillane/Joanne Whalley.
Directed by Michael Venville.
* It’s kind of a buddy film, if your buddies thought that killing someone they’ve kidnapped would help you get over some problem you’re having…like say you’re partner is cheating on you with the bloke they want you to kill.

LA FRANCE.
Drama/Musical/Romance/War/Foreign (French).
Sylvie Testud.
Directed by Serge Bozon.
* A woman who receives a letter from her soldier husband during the first World War telling her that he is leaving her packs up and heads to the front lines to find and confront him.

THE FUGUTIVE KIND.
Criterion/Drama.
Marlon Brando/Anna Magnani/Joanne Woodward/Maureen Stapleton.
Directed by Sidney Lumet.
* Sidney Lumet, whose long and illustrious career includes 2007’s BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOUR DEAD made this film in 1959. Based on Tennessee Williams' play "Orpheus Descending” the film is about a drifter who gets involved with two lonely ladies in a small town in Mississippi.

GEORGIA O’KEEFE.
Fictobiopic.
Joan Allen/Jeremy Irons/Tyne Daly.
Directed by Bob Balaban.
* This historical film focuses on the relationship between the famous painter and her hubby, photographer Alfred Stieglitz.

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS.****BD****
* See Release of the Week above.

IT’S COMPLICATED.****BD****
Comedy/Romance.
Meryl Streep/Alec Baldwin/Steve Martin/John Krasinski/Zoe Kazan.
Directed by Nancy Meyers.
* I kind of doubt that it is. He loves her, but she loves him. And he loves somebody else, you just can’t win. And so it goes, and on and on, as J. Geils sang it back in the 80’s. However, since all of these actors are awesome, this is probably a funny little romantic comedy.

PEACOCK.
Suspense.
Ellen Page/Susan Sarandon/Cillian Murphy.
Directed by Michael Lander.
* An accident exposes a quiet man and his community to his secret personality, the woman who cooks and cleans for him.

RIDE WITH THE DEVIL.
Criterion/Drama/War.
Skeet Ulrich/Tobey Maguire/Jewel Kilcher/Jeffrey Wright/Jonathan Rhys-Meyers/Jim Caviezel.
Directed by Ang Lee.
* Ang Lee, who has successfully made films in nearly every genre out there, made this Western in 1999 that is now being given the Criterion treatment. It’s about a couple southern young men who get caught up in the Civil War. They join a guerrilla-type battle force that spends its time picking off Yankees.

THREE KINGDOMS.
Action/Drama/History/Foreign (Mandarin).
Maggie Q/Andy Lau.
Directed by Daniel Lee.
* The story of a modest man who joins the military during a time of civil war and rises to become a great commander and leader.

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

FIVE YEARS ON MARS.
Science/Nature.
Directed by National Geographic.
* This documentary about the two NASA rovers Spirit and Opportunity that lasted on Mars gathering data from 2004 to 2009, (far longer then they were expected to last) was nominated for an Emmy last year when it premiered.

THE UNQUIET DEATH OF JULIUS AND ETHEL ROSENBERG.
Intrigue.
Directed by.Alvin Goldstein
* This is the first DVD release of the 1975 film about the trial and execution of these two so-called “Atomic Spies”.

WHY WE LAUGH: BLACK COMEDIANS ON BLACK COMEDY.
Comedy Doc.
Angela Bassett/Bill Cosby/Bill Bellamy/Many Wayans/Katt Williams.
Directed by Robert Townsend.
* There is much standup comedy, as well as lively discussion in this documentary about black comedy, and what it means to be a black comedian.

WILLIAM KUNSTLER: DISTURBING THE UNIVERSE.
Documentary.
Directed by Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler.
* From the imdb: William Kunstler was one of the most famous lawyers of the 20th century. The New York Times called him "the most hated and most loved lawyer in America." His clients included Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Phillip and Daniel Berrigan, Abbie Hoffman, H. Rap Brown, Stokely Carmichael, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and Leonard Peltier. In Disturbing the Universe: Radical Lawyer William Kunstler, filmmakers Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler explore their father's life, from middle-class family man, to movement lawyer, to "the most hated lawyer in America."

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

AZUR & AZMAR: THE PRINCES’ QUEST.
* More amazing animation from Michel Ocelot (PRINCES AND PRINCESSES, KIRIKOU AND THE WILD BEAST) from a modern master of this genre.

MISTY SHEEPDOG TALE: HELPING PAW.

ROBIN HOOD.

THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN: V08.

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

ARMAGEDDON.
* Boom boom.

DUNE.
* I love Sting in this movie. “I will kill him!” Dude rocked. Like: here and here.

TOMBSTONE.
* Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliot, Bill Paxton, Charles Heston, Powers Booth!

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

AMERICAN MOVIE.
* Poor guy.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (PLATINUM SERIES SPECIAL EXTENDED EDITION).
* Jet Li taking off.

30 ROCK: SEASON ONE.
* Just another copy, thank you.

****

****new release llist no.264

This week, the biggest money making film of all time, and some really great films have arrived at Four Star Video!

First off, so you don’t get too too confused. AVATAR is coming out on Thursday, April 22nd, which is Earth Day, and I guess Mr. Cameron feels like this is a patriotic film, and releasing it on Earth Day will send a message to all the other planets in the solar system, and the greater universe. That’s right, Martians! If you have a fuel source, we will come and take it from you. Right from your dying green hands. So, don’t mess with Texas!

Okay, then. So Avatar comes out Thursday, is the point of this early ramble.

The usual release day, Tuesday, will see Jeff Bridges in his Academy Award winning performance as Bad Blake, the country singing, hard drinking has-been in CRAZY HEART. Co-starring the very compelling Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Robert Duvall and Colin Farrell.

THE LOVELY BONES stars Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz as parents of a murdered teenager who narrates the film from the afterworld. With Stanley Tucci as the killer and Michael Imperioli as an investigative detective.

In THE YOUNG VICTORIA, the future Queen Victoria (Emily Blunt) generally looks really good, dresses really good, and comes into an awful lot of power at a very young age. With Rupert Friend as her cousin/friend/husband.

There are also a trio of new releases on Blu-ray, MINORITY REPORT, THE BASKETBALL DIARIES, and FIST OF LEGEND.

There are a bunch of interesting films you’ve never heard of this week. Try CLOUD 9 for a love story involving passionate sex for the over-60 crowd. Or THE HORSE BOY for an inspiring documentary about a family dealing with a child with autism. How about BIG HEART CITY, my friend Ben’s film about a young man trying to find his missing girlfriend. Or MAMMOTH, starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Michelle Williams, or SECRET SHORTS, featuring short films from around the world, or maybe THE WEATHERED UNDERGROUND, in which you the viewer make decisions for how the plot will unfold, or PROM WARS, which will take you right back to that confusing awkward age as a rich beauty at an all-girls school in the Hamptons. There’s more, scroll down to read, including a batch of kids releases as well.

Alrighty then, see you down at the store.

Love and Kisses,
Ken

PS.

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

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

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

AVATAR.NOT IN STORE UNTIL THURSDAY ****BD****
Sci-fi/Action.
Sam Worthington/Zoe Saldana/Sigourney Weaver/Giovanni Ribisi/Michelle Rodriguez/Stephen Lang.
Directed by James Cameron.
* Did you see Pocahontas? Well, imagine her painted blue on a planet where the animals and vegetation can communicate through nerve endings in their hair follicles and there is a lovely and most incredibly wonderful fuel source buried beneath their feet. Okay, now, stick with me, people. John Smith (from Pocahontas) is a paraplegic, but…but, he has a very vivid imagination and excellent face paint and can pass as an Indian, I mean Native American, I mean Na’vi, (ahem) and can help the military, I mean miners, I mean settlers, I mean Americans, I mean earth people, become friendly with the natives and smoke the peace pipe, I mean make friends, I mean lie and manipulate the kind blue hippies into saying, Yo, it’s cool, dig up the big life-giving tree that our peoples have worshiped for ever and ever and enables us to communicate with our dead ancestors so you can dig up that awesome fuel source and bring it back to earth, no problem! But wait, there’s more! John and Pocahontas fall in love, remember? So John is not on the side of the imperialists anymore, see? He’s drank the Kool-Aid and applied for a life time pass from the Blue People. Which they are liable to grant, if only his mean, angry, armed, violent, American boss won’t come in like a lactose intolerant sugar hound in a vegan bakery and just go completely crazy messing up all his plans to learn how to play the conga and mind meld with the local fauna. And that, in a nutshell, is what this movie is about!

BEGINNING OF THE END.
Sci-Fi.
Peter Graves.
Directed by Bert Gordon.
* Classic 1957 Sci-fi horror movie.

BIG HEART CITY.
Drama/Indie.
Shawn Andrews/Seymour Cassel.
Directed by Ben Rodkin.
* Ben Rodkin’s directorial debut has great significance for me. Ben was the Production Manager on my feature film, HUMANS BEING, and went to Los Angeles to make movies. Lo and behold, he made one and here it is. I saw this film, it is really awesome, slow and weird and emotional in a quiet and intimate way. In Ben’s own words: “A recidivist horse better in search of his missing girlfriend discovers that though circumstances seem to indicate that something horrible has occurred, something entirely beyond his control, the reasons for her puzzling disappearance could lie squarely with himself.”

CHEECH & CHONG: HEY WATCH THIS.
Comedy.
Cheech Marin/Tommy Chong.
Directed by Christian Charles.
* I guess this is technically a documentary following the 2009 Cheech and Chong “Light Up America” (okay) tour.

CLOUD 9.
Drama/Romanc (German).
Ursula Werner/Horst Rehberg.
Directed by Andreas Dresen.
* Very moving and tasteful story about an older couple falling in love and having a passionate sexual relationship.

CRAZY HEART.****BD****
Drama.
Jeff Bridges/Maggie Gyllenhaal/Robert Duvall/Colin Farrell.
Directed by Scott Cooper.
* Bridges won Best Actor this year for his portray of Bad Blake, a down on his luck country music singer, driving from one beaten gig to the next barely gripping his whiskey in one hand and his guitar in the other. Blake meets Jean (Gyllenhaal, nominated for Best Supporting Actress) who is a small town journalist and agrees to an interview with her. Jean is a single mom, with a 4-year-old son and a stated desire to not keep making the same mistakes. Unfortunately, she can’t help herself and falls for Bad, keeping Bad company for a little while (but not til the day she dies – she doesn’t actually die, I’m just quoting rock lyrics here, guys). This film is a character study about an older drunk barely keeping it together. It’s not necessarily a great film, but it is very believable, everyone in it is terrific, and the story moves along at a nice even pace. Duvall plays a bar owner and old friend of Blake’s who want to help him get his shit together, and Farrell plays a big-time country star who got his start with Blake and is now his somewhat rival.

EX DRUMMER.
Comedy/Crime/Drama.
Dries Van Hegen.
Directed by Koen Mortier.
* Dries (Dries) is a famous writer who is asked to join a struggling band to help them achieve their dream of rock stardom. He leads them on a demented journey into rock hedonism and punk rock desolation.

THE KOREAN.
Action/Foreign (Korean).
Josiah D. Lee.
Directed by Thomas Dixon.
* The Korean is a professional killer, called in to erase four associates of a crime boss who have betrayed him and arranged his imminent arrest.

THE LOVELY BONES.****BD****
Drama/Suspense.
Saoirse Ronan/Stanley Tucci/Mark Wahlberg/Rachel Weisz/Susan Sarandon/Michael Imperioli.
Directed by Peter Jackson.
* From the very popular book comes this film about a 14-year old that has been killed and is watching over her family from heaven. Marky Mark and Weisz play the girl’s parents, who are increasingly distant following the murder. Imperioli (Christopher, from THE SOPRANOS) plays the detective and Tucci was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of George Harvey, the killer.

MAMMOTH.****BD****
Drama.
Gael Garcia Bernal/Michelle Williams.
Directed by Lukas Moodysson.
* This film is about globalization, in a way, and how has affected the modern family. Leo and Ellen (Bernal and Williams) are a married couple living in New York. They have a Filipino maid who is closer to their daughter then they are. Meanwhile, she has children back in the Philippines who miss their mother as they are living with their grandmother. Eventually, Leo goes abroad for work and struggles with competing desires for the global business life of luxury, and his need to get home to his family.

PROM WARS.
Comedy.
Ricky Ullman/Rachelle Lefevre/Chad Connell.
Directed by Phil Price.
* This teen comedy is about an all girls school filled with beautiful young women who challenge the boys at multiple prep schools to competitions to see who will get to take them to the prom.

SECRET SHORTS.
Short Films
Melissa Leo.
* This is a collection of short English language films from the USA, UK and Australia....

SUMMER HOURS.
Criterion/Drama.
Juliette Binoche.
Directed by Olivier Assayas.
* This recent film (getting the Criterion treatment!) is about three adult siblings dealing with their families belongings after their mother’s death. It is kind of a story about possessions and how they do or do not define us in the context of legacy.

UNCERTAINTY.
Drama/Suspense.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt/Lynn Collins/Assumpta Serna/Olvia Thirlby.
Directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel.
* This experimental tale (in the vein of RUN LOLA RUN) is about the different choices we make and the potential lives we could live as a result.

VIVRE SA VIE.
Drama/Criterion/Foreign (French).
Anna Karina/Sady Rebbot/Monique Messine.
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard.
* This B&W 1962 French film follows Nana, a Parisian woman who becomes a prostitute. The story is told with 12 separate mostly unconnected shorts.

THE WEATHERED UNDERGROUND.
Action/Drama/Fantasy/Thriller.
Michael Ciriaco/Brea Grant.
Directed by David Donihue.
* This is a movie that is like those “choose your own adventure” books where you make choices between things which affect the plot of the film. It looks pretty awesome.

THE YOUNG VICTORIA.****BD****
Biography/Drama/History/Romance.
Emily Blunt/Rupert Friend/Miranda Richardson.
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee.
* From the director of one of my favorite films (C.R.A.Z.Y. – So good!) comes this costume drama about the early days of the eventual Queen Victoria. Nominated for a few Oscars (and winning one) this film focuses on the romance between Victoria and her first cousin and future husband Albert.

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

THE HORSE BOY.
Doc/Medical.
Directed by Michael O. Scott.
* This beautiful story of a family and their autistic son focuses on relationships between humans and other animals in an attempt to find relief from the issues related to autism. The Isaacson family travels to and through Mongolia in an attempt to find a mysterious shaman to help them heal their son.

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

BERT AND ERNIE’S GREAT ADVENTURE.

HANDY MANNY: MANNY’S BIG RACE.

JACK & THE BEANSTALK.

K-20: THE FIEND WITH TWENTY FACES.

MY DAD THE ROCKSTAR: CALL OF THE WILD.

WHERE’S SPOT AND OTHER STORIES: 30th ANNIVERSARY EDITION.

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

THE BASKETBALL DIARIES.
* One of Leonardo DiCaprio’s first big roles came as Jim Carroll in this adaptation of Carroll’s famous book chronicling his drug addiction.

FIST OF LEGEND.
* Jet Li taking off.

MINORITY REPORT.
* One thing extra interesting in this Tom Cruise film is the cool futuristic way that advertising is aimed at individuals on the billboards as they go by…isn’t that basically how it works on the internet? Philip K. Dick is prescient once again.

****

****new release list no.263

Hey, Happy Colette Day! What’s that you say? Colette Day? What’s that? Oh it’s just a little choose your own reality holiday my family celebrates. We’ve been celebrating it each April 12th for 14 years now! The holiday is about assessing your surroundings, and being happy for what you have. It is celebrated any way you want to, but basically it is a sort of metaphysical Thanksgiving. And so I give thanks!

I give thanks for the great luck of having a brilliant wife who still likes me 17 years later, and for having two gifted and loving kids. I give thanks to my parents and sisters for their friendship and love and bravery in the face of life. I give thanks for friends that have helped support me through the more challenging times. I give thanks for the members of my band who help me express myself without the cumbersome weight of spoken language. I give thanks for my neighborhood, and the nearly indescribable beauty of living the small town dream in one of the most cultural cities in the world. I give thanks for my health, for the ability to continue walking (limping) and seeing (squinting) and smelling and tasting and hearing the world around me. I give thanks to the blades of grass that push their way through the concrete, to tadpoles that become frogs. I give thanks to the countless who died trying to eat artichokes before someone finally steamed it and pulled off the yucky leaves and dipped the bottoms of the yummy leaves in melted butter. I give thanks to poets, and story tellers and dreamers of dreams! I give thanks to the improbable, the insignificant, the lonely, obscure, the feeble, the meek, the quiet and unrecognized. I give thanks to the ripe mango, the stinky cheese, the cows, chickens and pigs that don’t make the decision to become my food. I thank my 5th grade teacher, the 8th grade bully, and my 3rd grade self. I thank the store staff, the customers, the blog readers, the grateful, the ungrateful, those full of love and joy and the willingness to share them both. And lastly, I thank my friend Colette, for without her amazing, delicate and decisive will to live I might not have lasted through my teens. Thank you Colette, wherever you are.

Shucks, the Wild Flower walk was rained out on Sunday. However, we have rescheduled it for this Saturday, April 17th at 11am. Again, meet at the Southern Gate up on top of Bernal Hill. Rachel Kesel will walk us around and point out the pretty flowers up there. Afterward, we’ll serve refreshments at Succulence. More details can be seen here or here.

PIRATE RADIO is one of a small batch of new release DVD’s this week. It is a comedy starring Philip Seymour Hoffman about a group of DJ’s living on a boat off the UK and broadcasting rock illegally in 1966. Rock! Also, some beautiful nature docs out this week are DISCOVER PLANET OCEAN featuring 13 hours of underwater photography, and AFRICA’S LOST EDEN about the restoration being done on Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park. Scroll down to read more about the movies.

Last week one day I started chatting with Jennifer Joseph, a Bernal Heights resident and local business owner. She told me a bit about her publishing company that she has been running for 26 years, Manic D Press. I was pretty fascinated about her experience, being a huge book person myself, and when she left I was curious to hear more. Imagine, then, my surprise in stumbling into this article about her on SF Gate on Saturday. Congratulations Jennifer, and thanks for exposing the world to some great poets and storytellers.

Alrighty then, see you down at the store.

Love and Kisses,
Ken

PS.

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

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

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

CRAZY ON THE OUTSIDE.
Comedy.
Tim Allen/Ray Liotta/Carrie-Anne Moss/Sigourney Weaver/Kelsey Grammer/Jeanne Trippelhorn/J.K. Simmons.
Directed by Tim Allen.
* Goofy comedy about an ex-con (Allen, in his feature film directorial debut) dealing with life out of jail, and the challenges it presents.

DEFENDOR.
Comedy/Action.
Woody Harrelson/Sandra Oh/Kat Dennings/Elias Koteas.
Directed by Peter Stebbings.
* This tragicomedy is about a normal guy (Harrelson) who comes to believe he is a superhero (such a challenging distinction). Man, this reminds me of that character on Hill Street Blues in the 80’s who thinks he is a superhero. Remember that guy? I think he came to an unhappy end. Anyway, Harrelson is supposed to be terrific in this film.

KAPO.
Drama/History/War/Criterion/Foreign (Italian and German).
Susan Strasberg/Laurent Terzieff.
Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo.
* This is part of the Essential Art House collection from Criterion. It is a 1959 film about a young girl in a concentration camp who becomes a “kapo” a prisoner in the camp who gets a job to basically spy on the other prisoners in their section in return for food and clothing and a slightly better chance of survival. The film is harsh and realistic and was nominated for Best Foreign Language film at the Oscars in 1961.

PIRATE RADIO.****BD****
Comedy.
Philip Seymour Hoffman/Tom Sturridge/Bill Nighy.
Directed by Richard Curtis.
* This fictitious tale has some roots buried in truth, but is best taken as just a rollicking good time. It is the story of a ship in 1966 fighting the union broadcast rules against playing rock and roll on the radio by anchoring in international waters and broadcasting rock 24/7 to the adoring British public. This movie kind of proved to me that some movies, even if they are formulaic, somewhat trite, and utilize over-used plot devices are still fun! This film is a pretty fluffy comedy, but made me laugh quite hard for much of the tale. And the music is right on.

THE SLAMMIN’ SALMON.
Comedy.
Michael Clarke Duncan/Kevin Heffernan/Jay Chandrasekhar/Steve Lemme.
Directed by Kevin Heffernan.
* This movie is from the acting troupe Broken Lizard (SUPERTROOPERS, BEERFEST). This one is about a restaurant owner who is a retired boxing champ who is now deep in trouble with the mob (the Japanese Yakuza). He challenges the wait staff to sell as much food as possible in one night with the winner promised 10,000 cash and the loser a beating at the hands of the boss.

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

THE LOVERS AND FRIENDS SHOW: SEASONS ONE AND TWO.
Drama/LGBT.
* This show is like a cross between NOAH’S ARC and THE L WORD, basically following the lives and loves of six African-American lesbians and has become a bit of a cult sensation.

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

AFRICA’S LOST EDEN.****BD****
Nature.
Produced by National Geographic.
* Have you noticed that the National Geographic documentaries have really been strong lately? Nature is awesome. This doc is about Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park and the restoration that has been done there after a long civil war decimated much of the area.

DISCOVER PLANET OCEAN: THE WORLD BENEATH.
Nature.
* This four disc set is filled with 780 minutes of underwater footage.

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

BAKUGAN: BATTLE BRAWLERS CHAPTER ONE.
* My 8-year-old LOVES this…

THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE: MYSTERY IN THE MIST EDITION.
* This reminds me of my friend, the well-known superhero Mister Mystery.

THE MADELINE MOVIE: LOST IN PARIS.
* As opposed to my friend Joe, who’s “lost in autumn.”

SESAME STREET: LOVE THE EARTH.

TOM & JERRY TALES: SEASON ONE.

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

NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET.
* I never saw this. I think it is about a street ordinance involving parking in a business district and a very angry store owner who takes on the city.

****