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HARRY's DVD PICKS AND PEEKS Does The Final 2 Weeks of February 2007 - Even More Great Titles!
Hey Folks, Harry here, with the final two Tuesdays of the month of February, an incredibly busy month of releases. As always by clicking on the box art or the titles you’ll find yourself at Amazon looking at their page for purchases. You can do that, or read their further information. There’s some great discs yet to be released this month, here they are…
Tuesday, February 20th, 2007
BABEL
It has been wonderful to watch Alejandro González Iñárritu ‘s career continue so wonderfully on target. He’s one of the best filmmakers in the world at telling human stories realistically, emotionally and with a hint of that beautiful sadness that he has captured in all of his films. For me, the real discovery in the film is Rinko Kikuchi, she’s so incredibly tragic and alone in this film. The scenes in Japan just making all that light and sound mean nothing but a separation between her and everyone else that she cares about. It’s great. At every level – the film is amazing… The only real problem I have is with the three leads who we are familiar with. It isn’t that Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett or Gael Garcia Bernal are lacking. They’re wonderful, it’s just that they are familiar, they feel distracting in all these other stories. Each part was so rich that I wanted it to be the whole. Which is what makes having it on DVD so enriching. You get to explore it, over and over again.
THE PRESTIGE
PRESTIGE is such a wonderfully fun movie. From the production design to the wonderful David Bowie to Wolverine and Batman – to Scarlett (pant pant) Johansson. I loved watching this film play out. There were very few cooler films last year and it just keeps making Nolan look like the guy to watch. What he does next with BATMAN is exciting, what he does without Batman next is even more thrilling, don’t you think? Well this DVD is pretty nice. The Director’s Notebook is really nice and I loved checking out the behind the scenes art for the film. They could have gone more out there on this disc, sadly they didn’t go nuts on the DVD.
FLUSHED AWAY
Now this is a packed DVD. I know not many saw this film, but if you love AARDMAN animation – that this is CG, isn’t a reason to avoid it. Sure, I prefer the claymation that they do, but AARDMAN isn’t clay… it’s their humor, their quirks, their play. And I for one love what it is they do. Well on this DVD – you’re getting an insane amount of extras. Commentary, extra animated Slug Songs, the clay to CG documentary and more and more and more. This isn’t a potty humor film – in a lot of ways I think it was a mistake to sell the film that way. In reality – this film has hardly nothing to do with the potty – but rather a world we never see. Ian McKellen’s character is genius. Fantastic. You won’t believe how awesomely funny he is. A very surprising film.
GANDHI (25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition)
I’ve been waiting for years for the sequel, GANDHI 2, he’s back and he’s pissed. But barring that, I am excited about a really great edition of Attenborough’s wonderful film. This fantastic film absolutely deserves the amazing treatment it has here. Over 90 Minutes of Bonus Material – plus just a wonderful transfer of this gorgeous film. Ben Kingsley is just astonishing in this film – and for everyone that just thinks of him from SEXY BEAST or SCHINDLER’S LIST – this is his most amazing role ever. Definitely worth picking up!
VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA (Season 2, Volume 2)
I love VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA. Why can’t we have subs as cool looking as the fucking SEAVIEW? They had the coolest looking equipment – and getting 672 minutes more of this show… just makes me a very happy boy. However – I do wish they had just released the seasons as WHOLE seasons instead of dividing them up. But doesn’t matter -
49th PARALLEL – Criterion Collection
One of the great Powell & Pressburger films… if you don’t know who Powell & Pressburger are… there’s no shame in that, but this is a good way to start off. They’re one of the great filmmaking teams in history. I have the one sheet for this movie, under its U.S. title of THE INVADERS. It’s about a Nazi sub crew that ends up stuck in Canada. And is about the Nazi true trying to make its way to the U.S. because they weren’t in the war yet and being hunted down in Canada. It’s an interesting variant in the illegal immigrant problem, heh, while also being a really great Nazi story. This is a Criterion DVD and is awesome. They’ve got an incredibly rare short that P&P did called THE VOLUNTEER and a great BBC documentary on the pair. Very nice DVD.
The Alice Faye Collection ( THAT NIGHT IN RIO / LILLIAN RUSSELL / ON THE AVENUE / THE GANG’S ALL HERE )
OH MAN! I’m so damn gay. You’ve no idea how excited I am about this box set. I don’t have a review copy of it, because it’s FOX and they never send me anything, but dammit… this set is incredibly exciting. First off, it has THE GANG’S ALL HERE – which is directed by Busby Berkeley – and THE GANG’S ALL HERE is one of the sheerest most insane pinnacle’s of Technicolor madness that has ever been seen. For one… Carmen Miranda’s astonishing cavalcade of phallic monkey attractants is something to be beheld. Then you just have the other wonderful films of Alice Faye, a too oft forgotten siren of the classic era. Fox really produced these films the way you’d love them to be produced. If you were gay like me. In addition to the films – you’ve got Carmen Miranda on the Ed Sullivan show, Johnny Carson’s Bananas Musical Number, Chiquita Commercials and much more. This is an incredibly delightful set for musical fans. Wonderful!
WHEN A WOMAN ASCENDS THE STAIRS – Criterion Collection
If you liked MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA – you really owe it to yourself to see this amazing film. This is the vastly superior film. Takamine Hideko is just one of the saddest creatures you’ve ever seen. She plays a Geisha that must find a husband that won’t consider her past or see past it… OR she must get her own bar and be Madame to the next generation of Geishas all while her money grubbing family torment her. The film is filled with heartache and sadness. If you want a good cry, this is a very good cry.
WALKING TALL – THE PAYBACK
OK – first off… where the fuck did this come from? Kevin Sorbo in the second WALKING TALL movie of the ‘aughts? First impression – this has got to be a disaster, but can it really be that much worse than The Rock’s terrible WALKING TALL movie? And isn’t there something bizarre about the fact that Buford Pusser – or characters based upon Buford Pusser – have the first film played by one actor: Joe Don Baker and The Rock… and then the sequels played by Bo Svenson and now Kevin Sorbo. Well Bo Svenson is Buford Pusser as far as I’m concerned, with Joe Don running a close second. And I’m morbidly curious to see just how horrible this is. Ain’t you?
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DORKS
This is an awesome film. The title is awful. The idea of a German Zombie Comedy just doesn’t sound all that wonderful. When this got programmed at FANTASTIC FEST 1, I rolled my eyes. I just kinda felt like it had to be desperate filler. I don’t remember who programmed it, but I kinda thought it’d be lame. THEN – I saw it, fell in love with it and have been craving to show it to friends that didn’t attend Fantastic Fest 1 – and it’s been far far too long – and now the wait is over. I’ve had the DVD for the last two weeks and oddly – none of my friends’ schedules have overlapped properly so we can unleash this film – the way it needs unleashing. This is a blast!
The Cuban Masterworks Collection ( THE TWELVE CHAIRS / THE ADVENTURES OF JUAN QUIN QUIN / A SUCCESSFUL MAN / CELIA / AMADA )
This is one of the great curiosities of this month for me. I haven’t seen or heard of any of these films, but what I have read upon the films in this collection – they sound like something to discover. I don’t know much about Cuban cinema and they are a passionate artistic peoples and discovering this collection sounds like a good time. Honestly, this one’s for me.
THE WANDERING SWORDSMAN
This is the Shaw Brother telling of ROBIN HOOD – as if Robin Hood had been in China and had martial arts prowess. What I love is this is David Chiang doing ROBIN HOOD – and that’s just awesome. Not only that, but it’s brought to us by the brilliant Chang Cheh. I’m a Robin Hood geek, I’m a Kung Fu geek… two great tastes that taste great together.
DREAM FOLLIES / DREAMLAND CAPERS
Exploitive fun and a rare early early… hell, it’s his first film appearance… of Lenny Bruce in a sleazy club. This isn’t something great. It’s a curiosity. An collection of exploitive sub-film film. Worth picking up for the too brief Lenny Bruce performance. Check it out.
THEE FILMS 1950s-1960s
oooooOOooOOooh, I can’t wait to see what the hell is on this DVD. THEE FILMS – as I know them are the series of films that William Burroughs collaborated on with Brion Gysin and Anthony Balch. Amazon hasn’t stated what’s on this DVD, but the films that should be included in this set – the films that they made were WILLIAM BUYS A PARROT, TOWERS OPEN FIRE, THE CUT UPS, BILL AND TONY and GHOSTS AT NO. 9. These were the short films that I know of that they made in that period – totaling about 90 minutes. But again – there’s no details on this DVD, so that’s just my best guess, given what they should have on the DVD. If you love experimental film, this is for you.
Tuesday, February 27th, 2007
TENACIOUS D IN THE PICK OF DESTINY
Naysayers be fucked, TENACIOUS D IN THE PICK OF DESTINY owns your ass! And this DVD – is the greatest DVD of all Time. Why? Because Jack Black and Kyle Gass have a commentary. Because there’s 14 Deleted and Extended scenes. Because there’s a jump to the songs feature – and tons of making of stuff. This is the DVD to make Satan shit a steamer! AWESOME!
Bob Dylan – DON’T LOOK BACK (1965 Tour Deluxe Edition)
D.A. Pennebaker is a brilliant documentarian. Bob Dylan is just plain brilliant. Together – they made one of the great documentaries of a blisteringly intense artist as he was soaring. This is what you get in this amazing edition. Here ya go:
0. Disc 1: Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back
0. Commentary by director D.A. Pennebaker and tour road manager Bob Neuwirth
0. Five additional uncut audio tracks
0. Alternate version of the "Subterranean Homesick Blues" cue-card sequence
0. Original theatrical trailer
0. D.A. Pennebaker filmography
0. Bob Dylan discography
0. Cast and crew biographies
0. Disc 2: Bob Dylan 65 Revisited
0. A new work compiled by D.A. Pennebaker from over 20 hours of never-before-seen footage
0. Commentary by director D.A. Pennebaker and tour road manager Bob Neuwirth
0. Also includes:
0. 168-page companion book including a complete transcription of the film, over 200 photos, and a new forward by D.A. Pennebaker
Collectible "Subterranean Homesick Blues" flipbook
This is a jewel.
ALEXANDER – THE FINAL CUT (2-Disc Collector’s Edition)
Wow. I watched this version on my 9’ by 12’ screen with the volume up and holy shit is this a ride. I don’t believe this will win any detractors over. But for me, I loved this film’s original Theatrical cut. The film is essentially – completely restructured. Far more intense. The battle scenes are insane. The intensity is off the chart. And frankly – I really do feel the restructuring of the film helps intensely in building the strength of Alexander. By starting with perhaps his greatest moment as Alexander – then bringing in how he came to that point, then showing how it fell apart and came to an end… I feel the film grabs you faster. The added scenes with Roxanne help to flesh out Dawson’s character and performance so that it isn’t so out of the blue. I don’t expect those that hate this film to give this film another chance, but for those of you that saw the brilliance in this movie, this is an even stronger version. Absolutely unrestrained. It gets more insane, but that makes those scenes feel more real. The butchery of bladed warfare has never been so ginsu, if you get my meaning. This is 45 minutes longer – and to me, didn’t feel a minute longer. A truly great job.
TIDELAND
My fiancée hates this film. And I absolutely love it. This is a film about a survivor that has never been raised with the capacity to understand or survive the real world. Everything is room for fantasy in her world. It’s haunting, scary, tragic and terrible. This is a brilliant film with a performance by Jodelle Ferland that is the best performance by a little girl that I believe I’ve ever seen. It’s just stunning. And the imagination on display is pure Terry Gilliam. What a wonderful film.
SUPER FUZZ
From director Sergio Corbucci comes… SUPER FUZZ. Ok – so HOT FUZZ is coming, but long before there was a Simon Pegg and Nick Frost – there was a whacked out Italian team of Terrence Hill and Bud Spencer. They made the TRINITY movies… and sadly – Bud isn’t in this film, but TRINITY aka Terrence Hill is and he’s hilarious as a super powered copper. This is a hilariously low budget terribly done special effect yuck fest – and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love SUPER FUZZ. I love FUZZ. And I can’t wait to see HOT FUZZ. Btw, I need to shave too.
INFERNO
Some people call this a sequel to SUSPIRIA and I suppose it could be. It’s even more of a self-indulgent mess than SUSPIRIA, but I’m told that’s a good thing. And that my passion for his more straight forward Giallos like DEEP RED and THE BIRD WITH A CRYSTAL PLUMMAGE is delusional. I can’t deny loving the lurid look of this and SUSPIRIA – and indeed I am buying this because I do so endeavor to better understand the more nonsensical descents into madness of Dario Argento… I’ve been told I need to get stoned and be tripping on shrooms to better understand these films. At least that’s what a well known man once said to me, and who am I to argue with that. Now, where do I get those movie snacks and at what theater. Hmmmm…. This DVD has a great interview with Dario – and it’s about frigging time a great disc on this film hit.
LAURA’S TOYS
I love 70’s Sexploitation. Here you have a classic Joseph Sarno crotch tickler. It’s a helluva seductive tale, never going full on x-rated – rather it’s softcore, but good softcore. You see – Laura is married to this archaeologist – who has a hot assistant. Now Laura has a nymphomaniacal lesbian past that she’s trying to escape. She can’t get enough, except that her husband gives her all she wants, till well – things get sexually complicated – with all sorts of desires and situations. The film isn’t pornographic, it’s erotic, that’s a different thing. And this is a pretty damn good one.
CRIME BUSTERS
Now this is what I was talking about. Terrence Hill and Bud Spencer comedy. Directed by the great Enzo Barboni. Motorcycle cops. And fun fun. The tagline was, “Hill and Spencer! They're a pair of car-crashing, womanizing, rough-housing loudmouths... and they're the good guys!”
And that’s exactly what we get! It’s wonderfully hilarious. You should definitely pick this and SUPER FUZZ up if you’re looking forward to HOT FUZZ. It’ll get you oh so in the mood.
ALICE IN CARTOONLAND: 35mm Collection
Before there was Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney had his first star… ALICE. She was a real girl unleashed into the realm of animation in a whole series of animated shorts in the 1920s. It was a reaction to what Max Fleischer had done with the KoKo the clown animated delights, where KoKo tended to react to the real world and interact with the physical in a toon-y way. Well, Alice is a dramatic foreshadow to the joys he’d bring in films like MARY POPPINS… long before. This was when the animation giants worked with Walt – like UB Iwerks, Rudolf Ising and Hugh Harman. These are classic animated films from an era where very little has survived. If you’re a lover of animation, this is a must.
DON’T TORTURE A DUCKLING
Fulci… Giallo… Oh Yeah Baby! Did I mention Barbara Bouchet? You may not have heard of her, but the mere mention of her name made your loins twitch – she’s that yummy. Getting this early work of Fulci’s is a delight. He’s known for being one of the foremost practitioners of stunning gore. Here you have a serial killer killing young boys. No, it’s not the king of pop, but there’s a host of colorful suspects. Can’t wait to add this classic to my collection.
Studio Classics Collection Boxed Set
This is a terrific deal that AMAZON is offering on this final week of February. They’re all titles that have been out there, but if you have the extra cash – it’s an excellent opportunity to pick up the best of 20th Century Fox’s past. Getting all of these titles would normally run right at about $600, but they’ve got them on sale for a collective $240 – saving about 60%. That’s a helluva savings. Now what do you get? Here ya go:
The Day the Earth Stood Still
All About Eve
The Grapes of Wrath
An Affair to Remember
The Diary of Anne Frank
How Green Was My Valley
The Ox-Bow Incident
Peyton Place
Return to Peyton Place
How to Steal a Million
Zorba the Greek
My Darling Clementine
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Gentleman's Agreement
Two for the Road
Anastasia
Titanic
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte
A Letter to Three Wives
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
The Three Faces of Eve
The Song of Bernadette
The Black Swan
The Razor's Edge
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
Three Coins in the Fountain
Desk Set
The Mark of Zorro
Leave Her to Heaven
The Snake Pit
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
Alexander's Ragtime Band
The Keys of the Kingdom
Anna and the King of Siam
The Best of Everything
In Old Chicago
The River's Edge
The Rains Came
Orchestra Wives
These are, without exception some of the finest films in the entire history of FOX films and an excellent addition to anybody’s collection. Just wanted to let you good folks know about this opportunity.
Until next month, this is Harry hoping that this DVD Picks & Peeks has been the slightest bit helpful in navigating the complex labyrinth of releases.
BABEL
It has been wonderful to watch Alejandro González Iñárritu ‘s career continue so wonderfully on target. He’s one of the best filmmakers in the world at telling human stories realistically, emotionally and with a hint of that beautiful sadness that he has captured in all of his films. For me, the real discovery in the film is Rinko Kikuchi, she’s so incredibly tragic and alone in this film. The scenes in Japan just making all that light and sound mean nothing but a separation between her and everyone else that she cares about. It’s great. At every level – the film is amazing… The only real problem I have is with the three leads who we are familiar with. It isn’t that Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett or Gael Garcia Bernal are lacking. They’re wonderful, it’s just that they are familiar, they feel distracting in all these other stories. Each part was so rich that I wanted it to be the whole. Which is what makes having it on DVD so enriching. You get to explore it, over and over again.
THE PRESTIGE
PRESTIGE is such a wonderfully fun movie. From the production design to the wonderful David Bowie to Wolverine and Batman – to Scarlett (pant pant) Johansson. I loved watching this film play out. There were very few cooler films last year and it just keeps making Nolan look like the guy to watch. What he does next with BATMAN is exciting, what he does without Batman next is even more thrilling, don’t you think? Well this DVD is pretty nice. The Director’s Notebook is really nice and I loved checking out the behind the scenes art for the film. They could have gone more out there on this disc, sadly they didn’t go nuts on the DVD.
FLUSHED AWAY
Now this is a packed DVD. I know not many saw this film, but if you love AARDMAN animation – that this is CG, isn’t a reason to avoid it. Sure, I prefer the claymation that they do, but AARDMAN isn’t clay… it’s their humor, their quirks, their play. And I for one love what it is they do. Well on this DVD – you’re getting an insane amount of extras. Commentary, extra animated Slug Songs, the clay to CG documentary and more and more and more. This isn’t a potty humor film – in a lot of ways I think it was a mistake to sell the film that way. In reality – this film has hardly nothing to do with the potty – but rather a world we never see. Ian McKellen’s character is genius. Fantastic. You won’t believe how awesomely funny he is. A very surprising film.
GANDHI (25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition)
I’ve been waiting for years for the sequel, GANDHI 2, he’s back and he’s pissed. But barring that, I am excited about a really great edition of Attenborough’s wonderful film. This fantastic film absolutely deserves the amazing treatment it has here. Over 90 Minutes of Bonus Material – plus just a wonderful transfer of this gorgeous film. Ben Kingsley is just astonishing in this film – and for everyone that just thinks of him from SEXY BEAST or SCHINDLER’S LIST – this is his most amazing role ever. Definitely worth picking up!
VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA (Season 2, Volume 2)
I love VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA. Why can’t we have subs as cool looking as the fucking SEAVIEW? They had the coolest looking equipment – and getting 672 minutes more of this show… just makes me a very happy boy. However – I do wish they had just released the seasons as WHOLE seasons instead of dividing them up. But doesn’t matter -
49th PARALLEL – Criterion Collection
One of the great Powell & Pressburger films… if you don’t know who Powell & Pressburger are… there’s no shame in that, but this is a good way to start off. They’re one of the great filmmaking teams in history. I have the one sheet for this movie, under its U.S. title of THE INVADERS. It’s about a Nazi sub crew that ends up stuck in Canada. And is about the Nazi true trying to make its way to the U.S. because they weren’t in the war yet and being hunted down in Canada. It’s an interesting variant in the illegal immigrant problem, heh, while also being a really great Nazi story. This is a Criterion DVD and is awesome. They’ve got an incredibly rare short that P&P did called THE VOLUNTEER and a great BBC documentary on the pair. Very nice DVD.
The Alice Faye Collection ( THAT NIGHT IN RIO / LILLIAN RUSSELL / ON THE AVENUE / THE GANG’S ALL HERE )
OH MAN! I’m so damn gay. You’ve no idea how excited I am about this box set. I don’t have a review copy of it, because it’s FOX and they never send me anything, but dammit… this set is incredibly exciting. First off, it has THE GANG’S ALL HERE – which is directed by Busby Berkeley – and THE GANG’S ALL HERE is one of the sheerest most insane pinnacle’s of Technicolor madness that has ever been seen. For one… Carmen Miranda’s astonishing cavalcade of phallic monkey attractants is something to be beheld. Then you just have the other wonderful films of Alice Faye, a too oft forgotten siren of the classic era. Fox really produced these films the way you’d love them to be produced. If you were gay like me. In addition to the films – you’ve got Carmen Miranda on the Ed Sullivan show, Johnny Carson’s Bananas Musical Number, Chiquita Commercials and much more. This is an incredibly delightful set for musical fans. Wonderful!
WHEN A WOMAN ASCENDS THE STAIRS – Criterion Collection
If you liked MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA – you really owe it to yourself to see this amazing film. This is the vastly superior film. Takamine Hideko is just one of the saddest creatures you’ve ever seen. She plays a Geisha that must find a husband that won’t consider her past or see past it… OR she must get her own bar and be Madame to the next generation of Geishas all while her money grubbing family torment her. The film is filled with heartache and sadness. If you want a good cry, this is a very good cry.
WALKING TALL – THE PAYBACK
OK – first off… where the fuck did this come from? Kevin Sorbo in the second WALKING TALL movie of the ‘aughts? First impression – this has got to be a disaster, but can it really be that much worse than The Rock’s terrible WALKING TALL movie? And isn’t there something bizarre about the fact that Buford Pusser – or characters based upon Buford Pusser – have the first film played by one actor: Joe Don Baker and The Rock… and then the sequels played by Bo Svenson and now Kevin Sorbo. Well Bo Svenson is Buford Pusser as far as I’m concerned, with Joe Don running a close second. And I’m morbidly curious to see just how horrible this is. Ain’t you?
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DORKS
This is an awesome film. The title is awful. The idea of a German Zombie Comedy just doesn’t sound all that wonderful. When this got programmed at FANTASTIC FEST 1, I rolled my eyes. I just kinda felt like it had to be desperate filler. I don’t remember who programmed it, but I kinda thought it’d be lame. THEN – I saw it, fell in love with it and have been craving to show it to friends that didn’t attend Fantastic Fest 1 – and it’s been far far too long – and now the wait is over. I’ve had the DVD for the last two weeks and oddly – none of my friends’ schedules have overlapped properly so we can unleash this film – the way it needs unleashing. This is a blast!
The Cuban Masterworks Collection ( THE TWELVE CHAIRS / THE ADVENTURES OF JUAN QUIN QUIN / A SUCCESSFUL MAN / CELIA / AMADA )
THE WANDERING SWORDSMAN
This is the Shaw Brother telling of ROBIN HOOD – as if Robin Hood had been in China and had martial arts prowess. What I love is this is David Chiang doing ROBIN HOOD – and that’s just awesome. Not only that, but it’s brought to us by the brilliant Chang Cheh. I’m a Robin Hood geek, I’m a Kung Fu geek… two great tastes that taste great together.
DREAM FOLLIES / DREAMLAND CAPERS
Exploitive fun and a rare early early… hell, it’s his first film appearance… of Lenny Bruce in a sleazy club. This isn’t something great. It’s a curiosity. An collection of exploitive sub-film film. Worth picking up for the too brief Lenny Bruce performance. Check it out.
THEE FILMS 1950s-1960s
TENACIOUS D IN THE PICK OF DESTINY
Naysayers be fucked, TENACIOUS D IN THE PICK OF DESTINY owns your ass! And this DVD – is the greatest DVD of all Time. Why? Because Jack Black and Kyle Gass have a commentary. Because there’s 14 Deleted and Extended scenes. Because there’s a jump to the songs feature – and tons of making of stuff. This is the DVD to make Satan shit a steamer! AWESOME!
Bob Dylan – DON’T LOOK BACK (1965 Tour Deluxe Edition)
D.A. Pennebaker is a brilliant documentarian. Bob Dylan is just plain brilliant. Together – they made one of the great documentaries of a blisteringly intense artist as he was soaring. This is what you get in this amazing edition. Here ya go:
0. Disc 1: Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back
0. Commentary by director D.A. Pennebaker and tour road manager Bob Neuwirth
0. Five additional uncut audio tracks
0. Alternate version of the "Subterranean Homesick Blues" cue-card sequence
0. Original theatrical trailer
0. D.A. Pennebaker filmography
0. Bob Dylan discography
0. Cast and crew biographies
0. Disc 2: Bob Dylan 65 Revisited
0. A new work compiled by D.A. Pennebaker from over 20 hours of never-before-seen footage
0. Commentary by director D.A. Pennebaker and tour road manager Bob Neuwirth
0. Also includes:
0. 168-page companion book including a complete transcription of the film, over 200 photos, and a new forward by D.A. Pennebaker
Collectible "Subterranean Homesick Blues" flipbook
This is a jewel.
ALEXANDER – THE FINAL CUT (2-Disc Collector’s Edition)
Wow. I watched this version on my 9’ by 12’ screen with the volume up and holy shit is this a ride. I don’t believe this will win any detractors over. But for me, I loved this film’s original Theatrical cut. The film is essentially – completely restructured. Far more intense. The battle scenes are insane. The intensity is off the chart. And frankly – I really do feel the restructuring of the film helps intensely in building the strength of Alexander. By starting with perhaps his greatest moment as Alexander – then bringing in how he came to that point, then showing how it fell apart and came to an end… I feel the film grabs you faster. The added scenes with Roxanne help to flesh out Dawson’s character and performance so that it isn’t so out of the blue. I don’t expect those that hate this film to give this film another chance, but for those of you that saw the brilliance in this movie, this is an even stronger version. Absolutely unrestrained. It gets more insane, but that makes those scenes feel more real. The butchery of bladed warfare has never been so ginsu, if you get my meaning. This is 45 minutes longer – and to me, didn’t feel a minute longer. A truly great job.
TIDELAND
My fiancée hates this film. And I absolutely love it. This is a film about a survivor that has never been raised with the capacity to understand or survive the real world. Everything is room for fantasy in her world. It’s haunting, scary, tragic and terrible. This is a brilliant film with a performance by Jodelle Ferland that is the best performance by a little girl that I believe I’ve ever seen. It’s just stunning. And the imagination on display is pure Terry Gilliam. What a wonderful film.
SUPER FUZZ
From director Sergio Corbucci comes… SUPER FUZZ. Ok – so HOT FUZZ is coming, but long before there was a Simon Pegg and Nick Frost – there was a whacked out Italian team of Terrence Hill and Bud Spencer. They made the TRINITY movies… and sadly – Bud isn’t in this film, but TRINITY aka Terrence Hill is and he’s hilarious as a super powered copper. This is a hilariously low budget terribly done special effect yuck fest – and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love SUPER FUZZ. I love FUZZ. And I can’t wait to see HOT FUZZ. Btw, I need to shave too.
INFERNO
Some people call this a sequel to SUSPIRIA and I suppose it could be. It’s even more of a self-indulgent mess than SUSPIRIA, but I’m told that’s a good thing. And that my passion for his more straight forward Giallos like DEEP RED and THE BIRD WITH A CRYSTAL PLUMMAGE is delusional. I can’t deny loving the lurid look of this and SUSPIRIA – and indeed I am buying this because I do so endeavor to better understand the more nonsensical descents into madness of Dario Argento… I’ve been told I need to get stoned and be tripping on shrooms to better understand these films. At least that’s what a well known man once said to me, and who am I to argue with that. Now, where do I get those movie snacks and at what theater. Hmmmm…. This DVD has a great interview with Dario – and it’s about frigging time a great disc on this film hit.
LAURA’S TOYS
CRIME BUSTERS
And that’s exactly what we get! It’s wonderfully hilarious. You should definitely pick this and SUPER FUZZ up if you’re looking forward to HOT FUZZ. It’ll get you oh so in the mood.
ALICE IN CARTOONLAND: 35mm Collection
Before there was Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney had his first star… ALICE. She was a real girl unleashed into the realm of animation in a whole series of animated shorts in the 1920s. It was a reaction to what Max Fleischer had done with the KoKo the clown animated delights, where KoKo tended to react to the real world and interact with the physical in a toon-y way. Well, Alice is a dramatic foreshadow to the joys he’d bring in films like MARY POPPINS… long before. This was when the animation giants worked with Walt – like UB Iwerks, Rudolf Ising and Hugh Harman. These are classic animated films from an era where very little has survived. If you’re a lover of animation, this is a must.
DON’T TORTURE A DUCKLING
Fulci… Giallo… Oh Yeah Baby! Did I mention Barbara Bouchet? You may not have heard of her, but the mere mention of her name made your loins twitch – she’s that yummy. Getting this early work of Fulci’s is a delight. He’s known for being one of the foremost practitioners of stunning gore. Here you have a serial killer killing young boys. No, it’s not the king of pop, but there’s a host of colorful suspects. Can’t wait to add this classic to my collection.
Studio Classics Collection Boxed Set
This is a terrific deal that AMAZON is offering on this final week of February. They’re all titles that have been out there, but if you have the extra cash – it’s an excellent opportunity to pick up the best of 20th Century Fox’s past. Getting all of these titles would normally run right at about $600, but they’ve got them on sale for a collective $240 – saving about 60%. That’s a helluva savings. Now what do you get? Here ya go:
The Day the Earth Stood Still
All About Eve
The Grapes of Wrath
An Affair to Remember
The Diary of Anne Frank
How Green Was My Valley
The Ox-Bow Incident
Peyton Place
Return to Peyton Place
How to Steal a Million
Zorba the Greek
My Darling Clementine
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Gentleman's Agreement
Two for the Road
Anastasia
Titanic
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte
A Letter to Three Wives
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
The Three Faces of Eve
The Song of Bernadette
The Black Swan
The Razor's Edge
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
Three Coins in the Fountain
Desk Set
The Mark of Zorro
Leave Her to Heaven
The Snake Pit
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
Alexander's Ragtime Band
The Keys of the Kingdom
Anna and the King of Siam
The Best of Everything
In Old Chicago
The River's Edge
The Rains Came
Orchestra Wives
These are, without exception some of the finest films in the entire history of FOX films and an excellent addition to anybody’s collection. Just wanted to let you good folks know about this opportunity.
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+ Expand All
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Tenacious D is going to be my first rental.
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"Don't Torture a Duckling" and "Inferno" have both been released before. Anyone know if these discs offer anything new? Also, "Deep Red" is being re-issued, as well as Fulci's "Perversion Story" (aka "One on Top of the Other") which has never been on DVD.
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i have been up since 5am, now am reading about DVDs i NEEEEED. better find a better job soon! damn i need the prestige. fabbo!
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While not Guest's best film, I thought it had some hysterical moments and was a noble effort to break out of the form of his last few films. So what? No shout out, Harry? I mean you have Tideland up there. Oh yeah. I keep forgetting. You liked it.
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Whether or not you liked or saw promise in this film, why do they keep trying? Is there a big enough audience to spend money on a new DVD? I mean, I didn't hate the movie, but I sure didn't like it enough to go buy ANY of the DVD's. How is it that a movie that was so critically panned get 3 different DVD's, yet some great movies get only a single disc crap version? Does Oliver Stone have that much power? I had no idea...
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The Prestige is almost as awesome as Ghandi baked.I would gladly murder any one of you in cold blood for that Bob Dylan set. That is a joke, of course.Seriously, though, holy shit.
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Alexander was a giant flaming turd of a film.
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Hell yes. Hilarious movie. Too bad it bombed at the box office. Here's to a new life on DVD!
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This guy is great!
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From what I've heard the only thing different about Inferno & "Duckling" from the old Anchor Bay releases is that they will be in anamorphic widescreen rather than regular widescreen.The extras will be the same.And with that having been said...
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FUCK YEAH!
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Is there maybe a better international cut? Because the original German version sucks! It fails to be good zom com and it fails as teenie comedy either. Nobody here in Germany liked it!
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Is the falling off a cliff bit, which is in both Duckling and Seven Notes in Black (The Psychic). But yes, Duckling is rockin'.
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I consider that a major wrinkle in Harry's uber-geek status. And of course it's a sequel to SUSPIRIA. It's my favorite Argento film is one of the most perfect horror movies of all time. The kids, the uninitiated, and those sucking up modern horror will all hate it, but if you've got the pedigree so does INFERNO. Here's to MOTHER OF TEARS rocking some serious casbah this year!
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Hee hee. It's awesome some one went through the trouble to put out a 16:9 version of that film. Hee hee. Truly awesome.
To hear that opening song in 5.1 will make me pee my pants. Almost as much as that final scene with Borgnine jumping off the balloon. Borgnine's body getting replaced with a dummy is hilarious. Seeing that dummy flying through the air on a 60" TV is worth the 10 bucks. You got to love low budge, pre cgi films. You gotta love that super cheese 80's disco, synth pop, Village People style, what have you crappola. The producers of that film should thank the gods for HBO. -
Well SUPERCOPS had less cheese and more funk than the others listed. Didn't we have a TALKBACK on Sorbo as Pusser? I remember some shit talking here about that movie WTP. INFERNO while very high , Done that. Good flick, love the lost car keys scene. And I loved all those Terrence Hill and Bud Spencer crazy movies as a kid. Not sure what I would think of them today as it's been over 30 years since I've seen them. Even as a kid I noticed when Bud Spencer was missing from aTerrence Hill flick.
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Ok I was sure I saw SUPERFUZZ in the 70's but just checked IMDB and see that CRIME BUSTERS was called TWO SUPERCOPS (Due superpiedi quasi piatti, I (1976) .... Matt Kirby
... aka Crime Busters (USA)
... aka Trinity: In Trouble Again (USA)
... aka Two Supercops ) this also explains why when I ordered a 16 mm print of SUPERCOPS off Ebay it was not the FUNNY movie I remembered as a kid... so I must of seen SUPERFUZZ in '81 and TWO SUPERCOPS in '76? Damn drugs must of wiped my mind of the event. -
it gave me a link for "The Night of the Comet" Holy fuck...two of my fav movies when I was like, 10. I am afrid to watch them now cause I might see how bad they really are.
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And he achieved excellence at it too. Oh and that PRESTIGE artwork cover is ugly as shit. Come on people put some effort on it. Don't save the awesome cover for the special edition.
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...I don't care what AICNer gets namechecked on the front cover. It's every bit as crap as it's title makes it sound.Ghandi on the other hand is a damned masterpiece that every film fan should check out, while The Prestige was one of my favourite films of last year, despite it's predictable twists. 49th Parallel is a must, too. And as a Stone fan, I must admit that Alexander Revisited has me intrigued, probably wait until it hits the cheap shelves though. There's some other fun flicks there, but nothing that's really crying out for me to buy.
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Why didn't Harry get these films when Anchor Bay released them a few years ago? About time Inferno got on DVD? Dude it's been out for at least three years.
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The double disk dvd of the Passion came out, but I missed the AICN review, does someone have a link?
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Feb 19, 2007 6:25:32 AM CST
If you grew up in Germany in the 80's and early 90's,,,
by derlanghaarige
...you grew up with Spencer/Hill. Every sunday afternoon at least one of their films on TV and on holidays maybe two or three. Even now they are still on! The German dubbing is BRILLANT by the way !
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Erm....I don't recall any geishas at all in When a Woman Ascends the Staris. It's the story of the sad life of a bar madam. I guess the kimono had you confused...
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Is he Cuban?
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My favorite fav. Harry it's a bad dream of a film. With dream logic. A techinicolor nightmare. I love it! I hope it sneaks it's way into your affections
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Feb 19, 2007 8:17:08 AM CST
If you grew up in Germany in the 90's and early 00's,,,
by spandau belly
Then you've seen a show called "The Clown" in which a freelance karate expert puts on a rubber clown mask to fight terrorists. Even though he is an average looking man who kills everybody he fights, he still feels the need to hide his identity with a vision-inhibiting and silly mask.I'm still waiting for a DVD collection and an apology.
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I think it was released on 9/11. Good thing I had it pre-orded from Amazon and didn't have to trek into Manhattan to get it.
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It must have been Opera and another Argento title that came out on 9/11/01.
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Rich white people will always come out ok, no matter how dangerous a situation they're in. Also, deaf Japanese girls can't get laid.
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Could someone explain the hatred from this movie as compared to the love for Pan's Labyrinth? Because to me they're essentially the same movie, and both very good.
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THAT is the coolest news I've heard in a LONG TIME....DrWorm2002 thank you so much for getting the wrong link. ;^)
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yet knobody blinks an eye at Kingsly's Ghandi? I'm not saying it wasn't a good performace, it really was fantastic. It's just the idea of Ghandi of all people being played by a white guy. It's not too big of a deal to me (just a little annoying), but I think it's strange that I haven't heard anybody complain.
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has no extras, and WHY is that the case for such an amazing movie? Also, the best thing about For Your Consideration was John Michael Higgins; he stole the show. Also, the cover for the Prestige DVD should either be that wonderful shot of all the top hats outside, or the shot of the woman hanging amidst the bird cage.
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Is this restored like the restored Region 3 Celestial Releases?
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is my favorite film. When pressed to deliver a "greatest" title, it's the one I always give. It will help if you're a Japfilm buff, but then again, it is a perfect film with such strong human performances that you just may cry. I was lucky enough to of seen this in 35mm and it really was one of the great film-going experiences of my life. Im very happy its on dvd; too bad Im poor and cant afford it. Oh well. See it!
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films back in undergrad. Very...hmm, I think "interesting" is the word. Just don't do drugs to that stuff, or your mind will implode. Oh, and no matter how many times you work the word "intense" into your Alexander review, it's not going to make the movie any better.
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With a plug like that, who could resist?
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Although not his best film,Inferno shows Argento in top form during his peak years.To me,nobody captures the essence of a nightmare on film better.Don't expect logic.In an Argento film it only gets in the way.His (classic era1970-1987)movies are pure emotion,imagery,and atmosphere.Fever dreams on celluloid.
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I'm definately picking up the new Ghandi and Tideland. Fucking amazing movies... although Tideland is the single most polarizing movie ever made. You will either think it's brilliant, or you will think it's the worst movie ever made. I'm not exagerating, here. As for Alexander, the original theatrical cut was absolute shit. Steaming, runny, corn-speckled shit. Never saw the recut version, but I may just give this one another chance. We'll see if it shows up on Netflix - because I'm not buying any more Oliver Stone movies. Period.
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see it Harry. It's got Robert Downey Jr.
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Just my two cents...
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ok alot of good films but i gotsa get my hands on the Dylan one!!
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in UHF, biatch!
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And I'm still willing to try, but man I just didnt find it that entertaining. I most likely fall into the "they just don't get it" group. But I have seen much better films get totally bashed on this site, yet this one gets the seal of approval. Can someone explain what I am missing here.
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who finds a friend finds a treasure and go for it were my favorites growing up. great great stuff..
I love superfuzz...he blows that giant fucking bubble gum bubble....good shit. -
For a movie that completely flopped they sure do insist on spending money on yet another new edition of that turd. I guess they are trying like hell to at least recover enough money to make it 1/4 of the way to perhaps making it halfway to breaking even. I forgot all about Super Fuzz. I haven't seen that since high school. Gonna have to take a trip down memory lane and check that out again.
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could they please post if it has any special features or some "Special Edition 2-Disc Edition" is also available. All my looking online has come up with no special features at all, and you'd think a film up for numerous Academy Awards would at least have the trailer on the disc.
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Was god awful. I would have no problem with a gay angle. I would have had no problem with a angle on just his tatics and his empire. But there was no clear angle in the film. They could not decide what story they wanted to tell which just made it a hugh mess. Let's just throw in a little homosexuality here, a little battle here, some flashbacks, ok the films done, let's distribute it now.
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Am I the only one who picked up Flushed Away today, only to find that the documentary "From Clay to CG" is nowhere to be found. Every website I check lists that as a feature, but alas it is gone.
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Two words for that movie: Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucked up. I am really enjoying the Blue Underground releases. They seem to care a hell of a lot more than Anchor "bad transfer quadruple dip" Bay
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Bill Lustig, who was the man at Anchor Bay back when they rocked, is the guy behind Blue Underground. Anchor Bay is a shadow of its former coolness.
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I Netflix what I want and then copy them all.
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have any gymkata stomp-fu in it?
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Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill, my and my brother's Kindergarten heroes... (man, i was so innocent and stupid). I think that all of Babels forced connections get more bearable after repeated viewings, so...a dvd would be just fine. No matter how confused and angry one may be after experiencing TIDELAND - there's no doubt about the greatness of Jodelle Ferland!
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WTF? Some people -like Dario Argento- call it the sequel to Suspiria because IT IS THE SEQUEL TO SUSPIRIA! It is part of a trilogy and the third movie is due out this year. Or am I mistaken when interviewed recently Dario said "All that we need to promote this movie is a poster with the words "sequel to Suspiria and Inferno and starring Asia Argento""....
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"Amazon hasn’t stated what’s on this DVD, but the films that should be included in this set – the films that they made were WILLIAM BUYS A PARROT, TOWERS OPEN FIRE, THE CUT UPS, BILL AND TONY and GHOSTS AT NO. 9. These were the short films that I know of that they made in that period – totaling about 90 minutes. But again – there’s no details on this DVD, so that’s just my best guess, given what they should have on the DVD."
I don't know what will be on this new DVD either, but Synapse released Antony Balch's film Bizarre (aka Secrets of Sex) in 2005 with The Cut Ups and Towers Open Fire included as extra features.
Perhaps this means that the three films in this new DVD will be the three other films and not those already on the disc Synapse released. -
is the only necessary movie that came out this week. Best documentary of the year, in my opinion.
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"...this guy is a one man wrecking crew." [Ghandi in fancy restaurant]:"I'll have a steak; medium rare."
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This will be a day long remembered
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AWESOME!!! I loved this movie as a kid!! I'm so glad it finally made it to DVD. Took only 20+ years. Well worth the wait. A piece of my childhood to go next to my copy of Condorman!!
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Right there it warrants watching!
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It jumps too much in time. Back and forth. Alexander the boy, back to a man, back to boy. teen alexander, back to man, back to boy. a big battle. his final battle. his first battle. his death, but lets back again after that. It's such a long film too. It feels like it's never gonna end. I think the film is full of itself, like Oliver Stone.
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I want to relive being 7.
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