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Harry's DVD PICKS AND PEEKS Does The Third Week of April 2007 - Anime Live Action -- Film Noir -- Cate Blanchett Teacher Sex!!!
Hey folks, Harry here…. Sorry about the DVD column being missing for the past two weeks – However – I’ve been moving to a new home and haven’t had my Screen and Projector and Sound System set up – and for the past two weeks, I’ve been reduced to listening to my iPod and reading books in my DVD watching time. In fact – most recently I’ve been listening to the double album William Shatner 70s LIVE – where he takes you through the entire history of Science Fiction and Science Fact while talking about floppy Spock ears on Nimoy in London. Really is fascinating material. Sigh. That said – I’m finally up and running and will pick up with yesterday’s DVD releases. I’m going to try to do a Highlights of the first 2 weeks of April between now and next Tuesday’s releases. So – let’s get on with it…
April 17th, 2007
THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
The greatest moment of this past Oscars finally hits on DVD today. For long term fans of Forest Whitaker – this film and the love shown the performance by the Academy Awards – just went to an actor that wasn’t only brilliant in THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND about General Idi Amin Dada, one of the most evil people to walk the Earth – but to a career that is consistently brilliant. From FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH to his work in THE CRYING GAME and GHOST DOG… Whitaker has always been dead on in his roles. Never moreso than here though. This frighteningly humanizing look at the inhuman is stunning. The disc is loaded with extras – like director Kevin MacDonald’s commentary, the deleted scenes, a documentary on how they formed Whitaker’s performance and much more. Really Great Film!
NOTES ON A SCANDAL
As frightening as Forest Whitaker was as General Idi Amin Dada… Judi Dench is the quiet evil that could very well lurk in every neighborhood. That quiet mean older lonely school teacher. Be fucking afraid. I instantly thought about one particular Freshman History Teacher I had in High School while watching this film. This is the Judi Dench that I marvel at… not so much the James Bond – Dench. And Cate Blanchett? Well, I really wish she had been my Art Teacher that took an interest in me. DAMN, what a teacher! This is a film about bug nuts crazy people – and then there’s normal Bill Nighy, who is just caught in the midst of it all. BRILLIANT little film. The disc is loaded with extras – from the Commentary – to – multiple docs – to – Webisodes and trailers. If you missed this film at the theater during the crowded Oscar race – check it out here. Superior film work.
SMOKIN’ ACES
Joe Carnahan is fucking awesome. And SMOKIN’ ACES is his latest piece of asskickery. Now admittedly, the film is bug nuts crazy, but it’s supposed to be bug nuts crazy. Here on the dvd, he’s loaded up with Extras like the alternate ending, various crazed bits – and sadly… no Carnahan singing Happy Birthday BNAT extra. Sigh. Well, you can’t expect perfection out of the gate… heh. But if you didn’t see it when it was released earlier this year, here’s your chance to set things right. I know gun crazed violence isn’t necessarily a popular form of entertainment given the acts of the last few days, but dammit, this film is just fucking fun. Enjoy it as it is.
SPIDER-MAN 2.1
Ok – so you’re going into tweaks, because SPIDER-MAN 3 is almost here and you just have to see additional Spider-Man footage… well, this DVD kicks a whole bunch of ass. First of all… as great as the additional battle elevated train stuff is… it was the little tweaks that made me go, “AWESOME.” Like… you know when his landlord takes the $20 that Aunt May gave him… there’s this subtle little moment where Peter goes in his room and sits on his bed. Well in this edition, he turns on the police scanner and just listens. It’s a subtle little thing, but it adds so much to the masochism that Peter puts himself through. SO fucking good. Like the scene between Peter and Harry at his Surprise Birthday party. It completes Harry’s character so much. Very good stuff. The sneak peek at SPIDER-MAN 3 isn’t really much more than you’ve already seen. But the extras are nice. The commentary with Laura Ziskin and Kirsten Dunst is… well interesting isn’t quite the word… but it’s hard to shut off. You love SPIDER-MAN… you’ll definitely pick up this puppy!
HAPPY DAYS – THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON
Goodbye gray skies, hello blue… I love HAPPY DAYS. I’ve been lucky enough to get to spend some decent time with Ron Howard – and I have to say… Every moment that I talk to him – I just can’t fucking shake how cool it is to be talking to what I considered a big brother when I was a little kid watching HAPPY DAYS. I got this set about a week ago, along with the LAVERNE & SHIRLEY season 2 that also hits this day, but I’m more of a HAPPY DAYS kinda guy. The episode where Fonz sells Richie a stolen car is kinda awesome, but the one where Richie moves out of the house to his big brother’s college place… well, it’s just amusing as hell. This disc also has a great Halloween episode… along with the rest of the second season. Remember… these are our Happy Days!
BRUTE FORCE (Criterion Collection)
Jules Dassin’s BRUTE FORCE is hands down – one of my all time favorite Film Noirs ever made. Everyone pops to life in this one, from Burt Lancaster’s granite solid performance – to the rest of the cast like the luscious Yvonne De Carlo, Ann Blythe… and my single favorite Hume Cronyn role. I recommended THE NAKED CITY last month and if you took me up on that offer – RUN TO GET THIS! It’s that much cooler. An essential for all lovers of Noir!
LA HAINE (Criterion Collection)
Sometimes there are films so raw, it feels like an ice pick in the brain… just a quick sensory overload that makes you just go limp from exhaustion… immediately afterwards. To me, that LA HAINE. It is an angry, visceral, pissed off work of film that just does not quit. Again you have another fantabulous title from Criterion and again they give it the best of treatment. What happened to this Mathieu Kassovitz – and as much as I love Vincent Cassel in everything he does – this is just fucking amazing. Another essential.
OVERLORD (Criterion Collection)
OVERLORD is a brilliant, mainly forgotten film that was rediscovered through the wondrous documentary on the fabled Z CHANNEL – a film that also introduced me to the brilliant LE MAGNIFIQUE. However, I have to honestly say…. I’ve never seen a film like OVERLORD by Stuart Cooper. It is a brilliant dream of war. A 20 year old’s impressions of boot camp to landing upon D-Day – flawlessly edited with stock footage from the war – into this mesmerizing film that shows you just how small it is to be a pawn in a global chess game. Criterion should get some sort of award for making this title available. It will soon become a fave in every fan of cinema’s collection.
PULP
Do you love 70’s Michael Caine? I do. Here, he’s teamed up with Mike Hodge (GET CARTER) and they’re sort of making the exact opposite tonal film to that. Caine is in his cheeky campy bastard mode, and it’s awesome. He plays a pulp writer investigating a murder for use in his fiction- only to find himself caught up to his ears in “pulp” set-ups. It is a very very very fun movie. Co-stars Mickey Rooney – who is awesome in the film. Doesn’t have much of anything in terms of extras, but I’m betting you’ve never even seen it, so – see it, then gripe. Heh. PULP is having fun with Pulp.
ATTACK FORCE Z
This is a micro budget early eighties action film with Mel Gibson, Sam Neill and John Phillip Law that is all about an Australian Special Ops team going in to rescue some folks that got shot down in enemy territory – aka the Japanese. First off – while the budget is tiny, the film is fun as hell. I love John Phillip Law, Mel Gibson and Sam Neill – and love the Aussie John Waters (no, not that one, the one from Australia.) If you’re a B-action fan – this is right up your alley. If not, you’ll hate it, because you can’t have fun, you fucking asshole! Heh. Just kidding, but I have a blast with this.
SHADOW WARRIORS – THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
Want over 1200 minutes of Sonny Chiba as Hattori Hanzo on the classic Japanese Television show, SHADOW WARRIORS? If not, what’s wrong with you? This is a legendary series from Japan, that has just now become available here in the U.S. and in this awesome box set. Learn the backstory of Hattori Hanzo as only Sonny Chiba could play it!
CUTIE HONEY
Do you love buxom cute asian girls? Love HELLO KITTY? Yet would love to see an erotically charged Japanese girl fighting evil with love instead? Well, HONEY FLASH!!!!!!!
Yeah… you don’t have a clue do you? This is just nudity shy of being an absolutely awesome fetish video. Instead, it is merely an awesome fetish film. From the anime director of Neon Genisis Evangelion – you have a live action cute as hell anime translation to live action that is just non-stop glee. It is awesome, and I swear – you don’t have to be marrying Asian to love it. But that adds all sorts of fun to one’s enjoyment of it. HONEY FLASH!!!!!!!
Sorry for the lateness of the columns – Moving is a real nightmare when it comes to a regular column. Never fear, I’m back on track!
Yeah… you don’t have a clue do you? This is just nudity shy of being an absolutely awesome fetish video. Instead, it is merely an awesome fetish film. From the anime director of Neon Genisis Evangelion – you have a live action cute as hell anime translation to live action that is just non-stop glee. It is awesome, and I swear – you don’t have to be marrying Asian to love it. But that adds all sorts of fun to one’s enjoyment of it. HONEY FLASH!!!!!!!
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ill see last king out of that list.
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It didn't take 15 years. This came out 6 years ago but has been out of print for a while. And the Best Of comes out today, and while it double dips some episodes, and with the re-release of Season 1 the rest might finally get released, but the Best Of has some great, amazing extras that it is certainly worth laying down the cash. Ah. I love me some Larry.
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Great film but the ending just about ruined it for me. Spoiler Warning: I'm so sick of the coda scene of the audience seeing that the bad person is still out there and it's going to happen again! Dench might as well have been feeding brains to a kid on an airplane. (That's from Hannibal) It's just as ridiculous.
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what happenened to Mathieu Kassovitz? well....for instance he directed that piece of shit called "Gothica" with Halle Berry.
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Had not seen it in years and watched it last week. One of the best films ever made.
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Missed this one on the list. Not a great film but a great story, well acted. was a broadway hit, but no american playhouse can touch what this production, now on film, can do. team on madness of king george
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i loved last king of Scotland and the cover art that accompanied it and now we get this piece of shit dvd art( 3 lame pictures , 2 almost identical, of Whitaker
.. wow!..) It's like they don't want the dvds to sell or what is it? they're almost as horrible as the star wars photoshop edition dvds -
He also directed the fun/daft French religious conspiracy police thing CRIMSON RIVERS with Jean Reno and Vincent Cassell. He's being laying low recently working on his acting (MUNICH). Next he's doing some Vin Diesel action thing called BABYLON A.D. that sounds a lot like CHILDREN OF MEN in concept. BTW anyone see CRIMSON RIVERS 2: ANGELS OF THE APOCALYPSE? The movie DA VINCI CODE should have been...!
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i want to live in japan.
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was in Bloodsport. That's the one he should've won an oscar for. I believe the film did win oscar for 'Best Choreography where the fighters are quite obviously a good foot away from hitting other'. Classic movie though, better than the rest of the crap on this list.
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The DVD column is the main reason I come to this site. Thanks for doing it justice, Harry.
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That girl who plays her is the finest hottie out of Japan in years.
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Harry man! How can you have a list like this and not have Most Extreme Elimination Challenge season 2 on it?
You disappoint me! -
Check your local Walmart for these great deals (found in Rosemead, CA):
* Spiderman 2.1 - includes Walmart exclusive Bonus Disc - The Villains of Spiderman 3 (with a look ahead to the new villains being introduced in Spiderman 3: Sandman, Venom and the new Goblin) - $12.88 + tax
Check your local Target for these great deals (found in Rosemead, CA):
* Spiderman 2.1 - includes an exclusive limited edition Spiderman comic book (on specially marked packages only, while supplies last) - $12.99 + tax -
Dear God how I love that movie.
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You don't have to be marrying Asian?? I didn't have to marry Italian to enjoy The Godfather either, or marry African to enjoy me some House Party. WTF is wrong with people?? Ugh.
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Is there a film where Christian Bale makes out with a fifteen-year-old? Or were you just comparing their acting abilities?
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That movie was disgustingly bad. I've seen fun shoot up movies, this was not anywhere near one. The only scene worth watching was (SPOILER) the scene where the crazy brothers pull up next to Ben Affleck and his friends and shoot them until they are mostly dead. Basically I only like that scene cause Ben stole Jennifer Garner from me. Bottom line, bad movies breed like rabbits, thus explaining Ice Cube's career as an actor.
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...Blanchett paled in comparison to that Brit PIECE OF AYCE!!! If only the script had called for her to slowly rise from that tub, clinging bubbles slowly sliding down the smooth marble crevASSes of her hide, lingering gently, tentatively, on her hooch, then continuing their descent down those delectable thighs...Cate WHO???
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I agree, that "LKOS" cover has just got to go, ugh, what a terrible shitty waste. That would actually put me off buying the movie, even if I really wanted it. I hate duff promotional artwork; they spend gazillions on the film then commission a blind chimp to throw the movie poster/dvd cover together..
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Narc was way better. Was Carnahan on coke when he made it?
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The best acted Lifetime movie you'll ever see. Too melodramatic by half to be a compelling drama and takes itself too seriously to be a fun melodrama.
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Saw this at the Philly Film Fest a tear or two ago and LOVED IT!!! Pure adrenaline covered popcorn fun.
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They should have given these so-called extras out in the original DVD release; the one that everbody should have by now. What a ripoff.
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When are we going to find out who won this damn thing???
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A lot, really. The acting was superb. Those two women slowly going to hell were truly touching. Cate Blanchett made me think of that time I had a crush on my art teacher. Me being a chubby little fuck did not help to get me some, though. Oh and that big grandilocuent score by Glass really helped, in my opinion. Oh and it was written by that CLOSER guy, whose writing skills I do find quite compelling. You know what? I'm buying this damn disc, thanks a lot jerks.
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People don't talk about how robbed Forrest was in 2000. Where's the Oscar for "Battlefield Earth"? Seriously, did someone have compromising photos of him, or something. Every scene in the movie he looks like he's thinking "how the fuck did I get into this?" Saw "Overlord" in NY last year when it played in theaters. Definitely unique. Not perfect, but unlike anything you've seen. The cinematographer was the innovative guy who shot "Barry Lyndon" a year or so later.
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I thought the Glass score was needlessly insistent. Its like the score kept reminding us that the film was a Very Important Drama.
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Aces kicked ace .As did scotland
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IS BUG NUTS!
Harry that's the dumbest catch phrase ever. -
too, but there's no way around 2.1 being a double-dip, and they shoulda just had that stuff as extras in the first release.
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Smoking aces was great! Just because you lot didn't get where it was coming from doesn't mean it is a bad movie. Can't wait for your next one Joe! My only gripe is that I feel that making the tremor brothers nazi's makes them less mad max bad ass mother fuckers.
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Thems fighting words where I comes from...
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There was a recent film about a homeless guy that helps a women and her kid. Lotsa action and better than Smokin Aces? My mind is like a steel colander lately...
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Smokin' Aces sucked. Sorry, but it's true. All style, no substance. Admit it, Joe. You fucked up.
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stoned first. Maybe then .... Finnally watched Blood Diamond. Not bad at all.
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Just fast forward to the scene with Jason Bateman and the bountry hunters. Watch it a few times. Chuckle. Then, eject the DVD and return it to netflix. Trust me on this.
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The Shield!? Wow, talk about totally missing the train, my friend.
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It's every bit a poser movie. Great ideas that went nowhere. The best thing about this movie was the trailer....it was much more satisfying than the hokey, contrived,'trying to hard to be cool' feature film. Complete letdown.
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OR WILL I???
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It Finally came out today! One of the most astonishingly beautiful films of the last 30 years. It's got amazing performances and perhaps the best soundtrack ever programmed for a film. Plus, a keith gordon commentary!
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Harry, for such a purist, I'm amazed that you didn't say anything about the fact that MOST OF THE MUSIC HAS BEEN REPLACED - INCLUDING THE THEME SONG. Buddies with Ron Howard or not, this is not the way a show like Happy Days should be released, and you know it... Man.
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and chinese bootleggers I guess.. glad to see it's getting the Criterion treatment. Other films that need to be released on DVD: Girls in Uniform, The Murderers Are Among Us, Alice in the Cities..
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I was done buying these 'extra super special editions' after the Alien movies were released for the tenth time. If the footage was that cool, it should've been in the original movie. It's not like Sam Raimi had the studio recutting his movie for him at the last minute or something...
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and I know a thing or two about smokin'.
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What wank! Stop ripping us off, studios. Why should I buy "Spiderman 3" on dvd this Christmas if you're just gonna release a more complete "3.1" next summer? Put them all on the Special Edition and stop butt-fucking us fans, you greedy sods...
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That guy was so cool!
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Thieves Like Us finally came out this week. Rejoice in the splendor of this little Altman gem. RIP Bob
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SMOKIN' ACES: What a disappointment after NARC. I love crazy action movies as much as the next person, but why is it that the more action, the less character development? It's practically become an unwritten law of action screen-writing. It happens so rarely that people actually forget that it't possible to have action and character development unfold concurrently. But it seems as though the prevailing attitude is that one has to be sacrificed for the other. Every character in SMOKIN' ACES was an onion-skin thin parody of the least interesting character in the most derivative Tarantino-lite movie ever made. The action was cool, but the rest was so undernourished the movie died of acute anemia before the end of the first act. (And rambling, bullshit dialog about what a character likes or dislikes about some irrelevant tidbit of pop-culture is not the same as character development--and that's one thing you can thank [or curse] Tarantino for.)
CRIMSON RIVERS 2 - ANGELS OF THE APOCALYPSE: I hadn't thought of the comparison before, Palimpsest, and I haven't seen THE DA VINCI CODE (I don't get the impression that it was so good that my having missed it is a form of cinematic heresy), but your contrasting the two has piqued my interest in it. I really like both CRIMSON RIVERS movies. The hooded monks in the second one were bat-shit crazy! -
That case art for Last King of Scotland is disgusting; Forest is the box 10 times (11 if you count the DVD ). How many times is the main character? Once, a little picture on the back... awful...
And Notes on a Scandal looks like Talk to Her. http://tinyurl.com/23rwok
Studios are getting lazy. -
are masterpieces! absoulutely fucking amazing films! LKOS was good but what REALLY lifts this film up is Forest Whitakers performance. The man is a genius! Kind of arrogant and unlikeable in real life tho. didnt care too much for the interviews he gave at the time of its release. NOAS is just great from start to finish. Old Denchi really gives it her all and gives you the creeps. Blanchet looks hot surprisingly- i dont normally fancy it, but it looks good in this. its the massive face and massive nose that dont do it for me. shes a great actress tho.
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Smokin' Aces is a mess but has some good moments. I just watched it last night and I didn't hate it but it's not very good. The action scenes are all good, but the plot is ridiculously complicated. Even worse, at times it seems to take things seriously. What was with the maudlin score? None of these guys were good except the feds. What do I care if Aces is torn up about giving over his crew to cut a deal? It reminded me of a Guy Ritchie movie but nowhere near as good. More like a Tarantino rip off like "3 Days in the Valley" or "Killing Zoe". High praise I know. Plus the "kung fu kid" gave me unpleasant flashbacks to the "pancakes!" kid in the terrible Cabin Fever so it drops several notches for that alone.
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