Hey folks, Harry here – I told you that I’d get this done today – and I stayed up all night banging it out. Here it is. As usual – click on the boxes or the titles and you’ll have the chance to go to Amazon where you can learn more on the title, buy the title and kick back a little something to this column. Glad to be back and as up to date as I can. I’ll have next week’s before the weekend – SUPER BOWL could easily distract me. Here ya go…

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

EL CID – 2-Disc Limited Collector’s Edition

ABOUT TIME! This might very well be the best release of 2008. This film is in my top 5 films of all time. When I was a child, a friend of my parents had a 16mm Scope Print of EL CID – and it is also why I have loved going to Spain so much in my life. It’s also why I love big breasted exotic women. BUT more than that… It’s just brilliant. This isn’t just an EPIC, this is THE EPIC. Directed by genius, Anthony Mann – he crafted an intimate tale about a patriot, who believed in a country, that truly did not yet exist. A man of impossible ego and humility. A man that believed that Muslim and Christian could, should and would have to co-exist through mutual respect and honoring of each other’s cultural and religious differences. My entire life, I have loved this film. It is one of the greatest films ever made – and my personal favorite Epic. My entire life I have loved stories of Knights, here is arguably the greatest Knight’s tale of all time. And love has never been more clearly defined than the barn scene with Sophia and Charlton… and that shot of the door opening is one of my favorite reveals of all time.

About the edition: The film, like most epics, is split over two discs. The result is a film that up-reses quite nicely. However – the Weinstein Company should be ashamed for not releasing this in either HD DVD or BLU-RAY. This is the very first time this title has been released, in the United States on DVD. And I’m so happy to replace my Japanese Import with this edition. Also – as an EL CID nut – I love this box set with the reproduction of the EL CID comic book, the original roadshow program, the American Lobby Card set. The making of is AWESOME – as stories about Sophia and Heston’s egos are hysterical… especially when Heston comments after each story about his memory of the time. If you love film… discover this title. It is one of Martin Scorsese’s most favorite films – and he personally oversaw the restoration of this film for a theatrical re-release around a decade ago.

This is a must own – and so incredibly applicable to the current world situation that we find ourselves in. If only we had an El Cid today.

THE KING OF KONG: A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS

Did you grow up in the 80s? Did you ever drop every quarter into a stand-up arcade game to just be the best of anyone you knew at one particular game? Do you love ROCKY, THE KARATE KID, VICTORY or even frigging the original STAR WARS. This is a film about a man that begins a terrifyingly whimsical quest to become the greatest DONKEY KONG player in the world. With no clue what he was going up against. In the gamer world – the film is hotly controversial – but to us regular folk – it’s just about the most entertaining Documentary you’ll ever see.

THE INVASION

I don’t recommend this to everyone – I’m glad I have it, simply to put next to all my other editions of this INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS tale. I love the classic Kevin McCarthy version – but my actual favorite version of the tale is the one by Philip Kaufman – this one isn’t great, but it is passable and worth adding to your collection… if you love Jack Finney’s original story. It just doesn’t quite work. At most a rental – unless you’re a completist like me.

GROUNDHOG DAY – 15th Anniversary Edition

Some feel this is the best Bill Murray film ever – but ya know… As much as I love this film… I do love it, but it’s not my favorite. I love CADDYSHACK, GHOSTBUSTERS, STRIPES and so many other of his movies – that picking one as a fave… just doesn’t feel right. But if Moriarty asks you, tell him I said I don’t really like any of his films… ok? Cool. This edition has some newly discovered deleted scenes, as well as some new Harold Ramis content.

MONTY PYTHON’S LIFE OF BRIAN – 2-disc Collector’s Edition BLU-RAY

Here’s a must buy for the Hi-Def junkies. This is actually my favorite Monty Python film. Sure – I love the others – but LIFE OF BRIAN… “Always look on the bright side of life… de dum, de dumdedumdedummm” It’s just bliss. But then I’ve always loved alternate takes on the Christ tale… from this to JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR to BEN HUR to LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST to just all the other basic normal traditional tellings. It’s a damn fine story – and this is, without a doubt – the funniest telling ever – even if it isn’t quite the Christ tale.

THE NINES

I like this film… I think. I need to see this film a few more times to see if I really like it. I haven’t quite decided yet. Will it grow on me, or will I shed it? I’m not sure. We’ll see. Great thing about having a film is you can give it that sort of treatment.

ROCKET SCIENCE

One of the great little films of 2007 released by Picturehouse and HBO films. It’s fine work from the documentarian behind the brilliant SPELLBOUND – only here – he’s captured and directed wonderful performances from a great young cast. Quint’s been telling me about it since Sundance last year – I’m just now discovering it, thanks to this DVD column.

The Val Lewton Horror Collection with Martin Scorsese Presents Val Lewton Documentary ( CAT PEOPLE / THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE / I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE / THE SEVENTH VICTIM / SHADOWS IN THE DARK )

All the same films from the previous VAL LEWTON set – only – this time – you have an excellent documentary by Martin Scorsese on producer Val Lewton. And that doc is fantastic. You can get the documentary separate from the set – if you already have the set… but you know what if you’ve never picked up this set – now’s the time. These are the greatest atmospheric horror films ever made – it’s the building blocks of the X-FILES style horror. It’s light and shadow – and cinema as only Val Lewton produced. It’s brilliant.

42nd STREET FOREVER Vol 3: Exploitation Explosion

If you love Exploitation trailers – you know how awesome these 42nd Street collections are. These aren’t the XXX rated variety – but the great stuff like THE ONE ARMED EXECUTIONER, BEYOND THE DOOR, DEVIL TIMES FIVE, KILLER FISH and so much more. It’s great.

RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR

This is a pretty great little film. It never got the release that I hoped for… and if it had – would the audience had been there? I don’t know. I wish. It’s a great little horror, fear fest – everything you need to know is right there on the cover of the DVD. Nowhere near as great as that BBC film about the dirty bomb in London. What was that called? Can’t remember right now. That was outstanding. Paul Greengrass loved it though, I remember that.

MR. UNTOUCHABLE

I kinda wished this and THE KING OF KONG had gotten the noms for BEST DOCUMENTARY – because they were my two favorites of 2007. This is infinitely better than AMERICAN GANGSTER – because this is the true story – and the documentary filmmakers did a better job of telling this story than Denzel and crew did. Frank Lucas is a fucked up amazing story. Magnolia really did good picking this title up!

CECILIA

My favorite Jess Franco films are his more erotic tales, not his violent stuff. The reason is – I thought he had a real eye for what I love about real women, that are real fun to love on. And his adult stories are the equivalent level of eroticism as all our girls read in those tawdry sweaty romance novels. Only shot for us guys to share with our ladies. This one is about a sexual awakening (woo-hoo) of a Desperate Housewife (like Herc’s fave show!)

EUGENIE DE SADE

This is nowhere near as good as the orignal EUGENIE, but it is perverted fun. And thank god Blue Underground is around to give us our healthy portion of that perversion. Soledad Miranda is fucking hot. She just is. If you know it, stroke it!

SEXUAL PARASITE

YES! ANOTHER PUSSY MONSTER MOVIE! AWESOME, TOTALLY AWESOME. Only this one isn’t nearly as wonderful as TEETH.

DELINQUENT GIRL BOSS: BLOSSOMING NIGHT DREAMS

Another solid Pinky Violence film – starring the originl Delinquent Girl Boss, Reiko Oshida, as the bad girl trying to go straight… but wouldn’t ya know it, just when she thought she got out, they pull her back in. Ain’t it always the way of things? Reiko’s Rika is way kickass. And I love these PINKY films, you might too.

DEATH OF A PRESIDENT

A true story about the assassination of the first President of the Polish Republic – and it’s brilliant. NO – this isn’t the film about killing Bush that made the headlines a while back. It’s directed by the great director Jerzy Kawalerowicz – if you love real quality films from world cultures other than your own.

DEATH OF A CHEERLEADER / DEADLY PURSUITS

Most likely – not a brilliant film… either of them. However, if you invite friends over for a SHIT NIGHT of film – this double feature could make you laugh non-stop or fall asleep – or hate me forever. But I haven’t seen either – I put it on here, because this dvd was coming out the same day as DEATH OF A PRESIDENT and in my tired mind, I thought it’d be funny… or ironic. And well… I know there’s some of you sick fucks that would rather watch this – than watch the Brilliant film.

HI-DE-HO (1947)

I love HI-DE-HO! It’s a Cab Calloway vintage musical with a rough Film Noir framework… but man… it’s Cab and his orchestra that make this a jewel. There’s 11 Cab Calloway musical numbers – and this isn’t old man Cab Calloway from THE BLUES BROTHERS (which I loved) – but the hep-cat of hepcats!

Alright – caught up, fired up and ready to go! Next Tuesday we’ll be looking at ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD, ELIZABETH – THE GOLDEN AGE, THE ARISTOCATS, the final season of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE BRAVE ONE, A TAMMY trilogy, PORTRAIT IN BLACK / MADAME X, MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 COLLECTION, CRIMSON TIDE in BLU RAY, WALL STREET (BLU RAY), TOOTSIE, LEGION OF SUPER HEROES Vol 2, The Films of Sergei Paradjanov, THE APARTMENT, TUROK: SON OF STONE, MIDNIGHT EXPRESS and so much more!