Hey folks, Harry here with the last two weeks of JULY 2005. Frankly not the best run of stuff this time out. There’s a few that stick out though. You’ll see them when I get to them. Well – let’s get started we don’t have many titles to get through… July 19th, 2005

CONSTANTINE (2-Disc Deluxe Edition)

While not quite great – Francis Lawrence’s debut is a visual feast that just sort of loses itself a bit on the way, but damn if it isn’t fun to watch. This 2-Disc set has a really great set of deleted scenes, but more than that all the making of stuff on the 2nd Disc really gives us a glimpse at a filmmaker that I think we’ll be seeing a lot more from, I just hope he goes on to better and better material. Also with this edition you get a reprint of issue of Issue #41 of Hellblazer with Dangerous Habits and a short story. We keep hearing that Francis is set to do I AM LEGEND, visually when looking at this film, you can tell he has the chops to do it right, but I’m not sure about his story sense. The real surprise here is how good Keanu is. I really really like him in the film – he isn’t playing Constantine from the book visually or via his accent – but in attitude and body language. It is with this performance that I’m really looking forward to seeing what Linklater got out of Keanu for A SCANNER DARKLY!

THE CROW – WICKED PRAYER

Here’s a film that I wanted to just go gaga in love with and instead it pelted me in the face everytime I thought I was about to like it. I love Lance Mungia’s first film, SIX STRING SAMURAI – I think he’s a very talented filmmaker – but this is a text book case of a troubled production hurting the film. The film was made on a far smaller budget than it should have been. And unfortunately it shows. But then there’s just a hesitance to reel in performances that are just grotesquely over the top like Dennis Hopper’s. Which, frankly, can’t be described – it can only be witnessed. I saw this before LAND OF THE DEAD and was terrified of his role in that film. Tara Reid is just painful to watch. And I’m not a fan of David Boreanaz – and this went a long ways towards reaffirming my dislike for him as an actor. Oddly – I loved Edward Furlong and Marcus Chong in the film. But other than a bit of production design and some lovely cinematography from time to time… there isn’t a whole lot I can recommend. Why then is it here? Well, I’m going to pick it up on DVD even though I feel this way – mainly to watch the extras and to give the film another chance. I know Moriarty HATED it, and I can understand that – it is an unfortunate mess. I dearly wish Lance Mungia better luck – and hope he ends up with better execs, producing partners and what not. He can and has done better than this.

DEAD LIKE ME – 2nd Season

I love this show. This is the second season that I’ve compulsively watched in a single chain-playing sleepless night. It isn’t just because Laura Harris is the most lovely being to grace the Earth… And that I absolutely am entranced by her character arc – and that she died during the great burning of Atlanta scene from GONE WITH THE WIND – possibly dying from falling Kong wall debris. It also isn’t because every cast member of this show is perfectly cast and exceptional. Actually – it’s the mythology of the show. I absolutely love this take on the afterlife. No, I don’t believe it – I’m not gonna form a cult out there somewhere, rather – Instead – I just like the idea of gravlings, the assigning of these death guides – that make it easier for the deceased. I’m curious as hell about where the information comes from and the whole chain of command in the afterlife and how apparently everything is on a need to know basis. Great show.

SLIM SUSIE

This is the best film released on this day. SLIM SUSIE is the fucking bomb! Ya know – it’s weird sometimes you put on a goofy looking dvd – it’s from Sweden – has a hot chick on the cover… ya figure well, at least I’ll see her naked a lot. And so you put it on. But ya know what? From the very beginning of this film – you’ll find that the movie has won you over. It’s advertised as a gangster comedy – and I suppose that’s accurate – but this is a comedy in the way that films like TRAINSPOTTING’s a comedy. There’s plenty to laugh at, but ultimately there’s a missing sister and a brother looking for her. It isn’t all laughs and like a good crime comedy – there’s a point where it ceases to be funny, and becomes emotional. This is an outstanding film. Really really surprised the hell out of me!

July 26th, 2005

The Errol Morris DVD Collection (GATES OF HEAVEN / THE THIN BLUE LINE / VERNON, FLORIDA)

With all the limelight in the documentary world going on these exploitation documentaries – where you have filmmakers setting out with a pre-set agenda… It’s nice to shine the light on a documentarian like Errol Morris, one of the finest documentarians still working today. These 3 documentaries are just absolutely fantastic. GATES OF HEAVEN is an exploration of “Pet Cemeteries” and not the type that bring your pets back to life. Rather – this doc is very funny – yet at the same time - there’s such a degree of earnestness and sincerity that comes out of Morris’ straight into camera style. His next film, VERNON, FLORIDA is another great Doc – only this time it’s focused on the absolute wacko citizens of Vernon, Florida. However – as fun and light hearted as these first two documentaries are… THE THIN BLUE LINE is an amazing film. One of the great crime documentaries – if not THE great crime doc. While all three docs are radically different from one another – there is one consistency – the quality.

Gate of Flesh (Criterion Collection)

God! I love getting these Seijun Suzuki films – In the last 3 years, his name has come to mean one thing to me. A new purchase, because without fail – each and every time I see one of these. This one is a seedy violent tales of prostitutes in a colorful pop-art story that just kicks all sorts of ass. Great Criterion extras including a interview with Seijun and his art director. Plus much much more!

GILLIGAN’S ISLAND – The Complete First Three Seasons

Fuck NAPOLEON DYNAMITE – this is the real geek savant. Gilligan is the shit. And then there’s MaryAnn… pitter patter sigh. Here you get 3 seasons of Gilligan – and can you imagine the damage that could do to your psyche. Changing it up every 10 episodes with a showing of CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST should do just the thing. They need to make a Gilligan Coconut Radio Set! That’d be the pigeon’s toes!

I DRINK YOUR BLOOD

David Durston’s Legendary Hippie Horror Classic! How can you say know when the box says that? Part of that whole Manson fear craze – I DRINK YOUR BLOOD is all about hippie acid cults gone wrong. And god dammit – isn’t that what any good hippie acid cult should do? It’s a fast paced trippy bloody ride. The great thing about this film is… ultimately – it ain’t the hippie acid cult’s fault -- in reality it comes down to a psycho kid a dead rabid dog and MEAT PIES that drive them all fucking insane. OUTSTANDING INSANITY! Love this flick.

THE JERK (26th Anniversary Edition)

I can’t imagine not knowing what to do with a young Bernadette Peters – but then that’s one of the several hilarious sequences to this – one of Martin’s most hilarious comedies. At least to me. This edition comes with a couple of extras like How to play “Tonight you belong to me” and the Lost Filmstrips of Father Carlos. But we still don’t have a proper making of. Someday we’ll get a really great version of this.

JOHN WAYNE BOX SET – AMAZON EXCLUSIVE ( EL DORADO, HATARI!, IN HARM’S WAY, RIO LOBO, THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER, THE SHOOTIST, DONOVAN’S REEF, BIG JAKE, THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, TRUE GRIT )

Ya get to save over $40 with this exclusive AMAZON set. No new editions – so if you already have these – there’s no need to spill – but if you don’t have Wayne’s Paramount work… your missing some outstanding films. The best in the set is THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE – with Stewart and Lee Marvin. One of the great westerns of all time. There isn’t a clunker here. I already own all these films in these editions – just figured I’d point this out for those of you waiting for a deal.

STEAMBOY – DIRECTOR’S CUT

Oh yeah! With this edition you get:

_ Available subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese

_ Available Audio Tracks: Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0), Portuguese (Dolby Digital 2.0)

_ Director's Cut of the feature film

_ "Re-Voicing Steamboy" Featurette

_ Interview with Katsuhiro Otomo

_ Multi-screen Landscape study

_ Ending Montage

_ Production Drawings

_ Animation Onion Skins

_ 10 Steamboy Collectible Postcards

_ 22 Page Manga

_ 166 Page Booklet containing character designs, mecha designs, and selected storyboard sequences

I love Otomo’s latest film. Just the premise of… what if the world had pursued steam as the power source for the new century… it’s just a complete and spectacular universe created. And this Deluxe Edition is the must have for any real Otomo geeks out there. I hate that this film didn’t hit with fans the way AKIRA did, cuz I love this film as much as I love AKIRA – in fact – a little more. Simply cuz I would rather believe and live in the universe of this film, than that of Akira. But that’s probably just me.

STORY OF A PROSTITUTE (Criterion Collection)

If you’re looking forward to Chan Wook Park’s SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE – then this is a great warm up film. Hell – it might be the film to follow SYMPATHY depending on how good that film is, cuz Seijun Suzuki was firing on all cylinders on this film. This followed GATE OF FLESH in his career and this one – and this film is brutally stunning, yet consistently beautiful film. Very different from his BASTARD series. Must see.

As I said – there wasn’t a ton in the second half of this month – but August is turning out to be a great month of DVDs as you’ll see shortly. Take care and remember… be adventurous with your tastes. There’s a lot more out there than films from the last 3 years.