Hey folks, Harry here with the latest DVD Picks & Peeks. It’s a pretty strong week for wonderful releases! So let’s hop to it. As usual all the titles and box art is linked to Amazon where you can learn more – or purchase if you’re feeling the need. That’d be appreciated as every little bit helps the column to keep kicking. Thanks a lot and enjoy…

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

TIMECRIMES

A truly great Time Travel film. A brilliantly written tale of just how complicated Time Travel can get – and why you should never ever sit in your backyard with binoculars and then obsess over a pretty lady. If you didn’t learn enough from your nights watching BODY DOUBLE – this film will also cut down on the peeping! This is an amazing independent film. With minimal budget, tiny resources and a perfect understanding of how to use what he had, Nacho Vigalondo created a TIME TRAVEL story without any time lapse photography, no computer effects and fancy smancy gadgetry. This is a film that is all about understanding the physics of Time Travel and the danger inherent to it. A beloved FANTASTIC FEST film!

IP MAN (Blu Ray)

Ever wonder who taught Bruce Lee kung fu? Well, now you can know! IP MAN is the martial arts film out of Hong Kong this year thus far! Starring Donnie Yen and Simon Yam – this film is tremendous. The Blu Ray is playable throughout the North, Central and South America areas – also in Korea, Japan and South East Asia. The language is Mandarin and Cantonese with subtitles which include thankfully, English! You also get non-English friendly extras out the wazoo. If you love martial arts films – this is one of THE buys of the year!

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

The Best Picture of 2008 according to the Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences. And it is on most people’s top ten lists, if not their top pick. Danny Boyle and his team knocked this movie out of the park – creating a suspense filled romance quiz show bit of mild brutality that is absolutely riveting. This was not an 800 LB Gorilla, but a Praying Mantis that knocked out the competition. If you didn’t see the film, don’t you’re your chance now. This is an outstanding film!

MARLEY AND ME

Not the film that the DVD box conjured in my head! This film isn’t a cute, stupid shit and piss puppy flick that leaves you aching for your missing life back. Instead, this is a film about a couple’s life over the life of their dog Marley. The result is honest and not the hack work I was expecting. Aniston and Owen Wilson deliver wonderful performances – and some of the Dog work is absolutely amazing. This film really did surprise me. NOT a family film really – I’d say this is a little adult for the young ones.

THE MATRIX 10th Anniversary Edition Blu-Ray Book

If you have that big MATRIX Blu Ray Box set – weigh buying this carefully. I’ve got the extras listed below – but if you didn’t want the 2nd and 3rd films because you hate them – then this is absolutely the way to enjoy the original MATRIX. Me – I’ll stick to the Box Set!

Bonus Features:_In Movie Experience_Commentaries_Written Introduction by The Wachowski brothers (20 cnt.)_Philosophers Commentary by Dr. Cornel West, Ken Wilber_Critics Commentary by Todd McCarthy, John Powers, David Thomson_Cast and Crew Commentary by Carrie-Anne Moss, Zach Staenberg and John Gaeta_Composer Commentary by Don Davis with Music Only Track_The Matrix Revisited_Behind The Matrix_Making The Matrix_The Dance of the Master: Yuen Wo Ping's Blocking Tapes_The Bathroom Fight and Wet Wall_The Code of the Red Dress_The Old Exit: Wabash and Lake_Agent Down_But Wait- There's More_Take the Red Pills [2 selections]_Follow the White Rabbit [9 selections_Audio_The Music Revisited [41 audio tracks]_Marilyn Manson Music Video Rock is Dead_Trailers_The Matrix Teaser_The Matrix Trailer_The Matrix TV Spots

THE FUGITIVE: Season 2, Vol 2.

For everyone that hated the replacement music on the VOL 1 of this set goto FugitiveDVDReplacement.Com to get your discs replaced with the correct awesome music – which is correct on this outing! This is a brilliant series, one of the best we’ve ever had, if you’re a fan – this is for you!

PITCH BLACK / CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK Blu Ray 2 pack

I vastly prefer the original, smaller PITCH BLACK to CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK, but I do enjoy them both and hope to see Twohy and Diesel to finish out the Trilogy in style! I’ve only watched the PITCH BLACK disc, as it is my preferred film – and it was outstanding. I just wish we had video appearance of Vin from BNAT 1 to stick on this disc. At that point, the film wasn’t even set for theatrical release. It was a helluva Q&A! Alas… Lost to the ravages of memory. Amazon has this packaged at $36 for the pair btw!

BEDTIME STORIES

I expected to absolutely despise this film. But as I watched it, it really is the title. It’s a Bedtime Story. It is meant for young elementary school ages. And as an adult that has a host of fun little kid movies that I still love, I can see this work on that level. This is MASS MARKET Adam Sandler – not the Adam Sandler that we’ll see in FUNNY PEOPLE later this year. This is Adam in his Mrs Doubtfire mode. Safe funny – with a bit of aping the ol CROSBY & HOPE type of thing. Not quite that good mind you. And if you have kids, know kids or you’re a munchkin your own self… you could very well like this. HOWEVER, if you hate pandering soft ball kid entertainment…. Hold out for WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE!

TELL NO ONE

Now there’s a whole host of people that feel this is the little film that was actually preferred to all the Best Picture nominees and DARK KNIGHT to boot. I love it, but not that much. But of films in 2008 – it was one of the very very best. This is a thriller, mystery, romance, suspense film that is just curious as hell. It is amazingingly involving. If you haven’t seen it – just trust me. See it and you’ll tell everyone!

SOUTH PACIFIC (Blu Ray)

Unbelievably beautiful film – a Blu Ray show off. The film had its 65mm negative completely restored and it is stunning scope Technicolor of Hawaii staring at you. And it is just perfect. This has never been one of my favorite musicals – but I’m very glad to have this film. This is a disc I’ll put on a lot. The music is fine and the visuals are stunning. Filled with extras including a nearly 100 minute documentary that’s fantastic!

GIGI (Blu Ray)

Arguably the best Vincente Minnelli Musical ever. Also the most innocently filthy film made. But dear lord is Leslie Caron just not amazing! And Maurice Chevalier is captivating throughout. Watching this is such a treat – musicals are all about being able to read the details and this is so much sharper than I’ve ever seen before. Again they’ve loaded on the extras. Love these vintage releases!

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (Blu Ray)

WOW! Just WOW! This is BEAUTIFUL! It goes without saying that the extras on this are legion. Warners respects this title greatly. But more than that – you buy this to have the most amazing print of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS that I can imagine seeing. Another great High Def release this week. Can’t wait to re-watch this disc with Yoko – she loves her Gene Kelly and he’s never looked better.

SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK: EARTH

It’s sad that this was kinda halfassed. They still have it – but they really cheaped out on the animation – giving it a really shitty look that just pales badly in comparison to the classically animated toons. This is a very important subject – and one that’s great to tackle in this manner. I just wish they had budgeted a better animation process & animators. Especially with the amount of classic animators that Disney put out of work when they dropped 2D animation. Any 3 of those animators could have knocked this out wonderfully. Get it for the songs and the message – and just realize that aesthetically speaking… it is lacking.

DANTON – Criterion Collection

Fantastic film about key figures instrumental to the French Revolution – brought to life by Andrzej Wajda and starring Gerard Depardieu and Wojciech Pszoniak. Really great film done right by Criterion! Here’s what you get…

SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET FEATURES:
New high-definition digital transfer
Video interviews with director Andrzej Wajda, screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière, and Polish film critic Jerzy Plazewski
Wajda s Danton, a 42-minute behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the film
Original theatrical trailer
New and improved English subtitle translation
PLUS: A new essay by film scholar Leonard Quart

ICHI THE KILLER (Blu Ray)

The Shit You Need In 1080p! ICHI THE KILLER at max resolution is hypnotic. This film is about as bizarre and fucked up in a wonderful way as the most fucked up shit that one could think up – and it does it naturally and at the service of the story that is being told. GREAT MOVIE!

GENERALE DELLA ROVERE – Criterion

Roberto Rossellini directs Vittorio De Sica to greatness as a right awesome scoundrel in this fantastic film. Criterion again does the right thing in finding, restoring and releasing this wonderful film. This is what comes on this release. SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:
New, restored high-definition digital transfer
New video interviews with Isabella, Renzo, and Ingrid Rossellini, as well as film scholar Adriano Aprà
New visual essay by Tag Gallagher, author of The Adventures of Roberto Rossellini
Original theatrical trailer
New and improved English subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic James Monaco and an excerpt from a 2000 interview with Indro Montanelli, author of the story that inspired the film

GHOSTS OF MARS (Blu Ray)

One of the toughest to spot Harry cameos in the history of Harry cameos. This film was meant to be so much better than it wound up being. Financing fell through, casting pressures were made and the final film shows a bit of its cheapness. I don’t hate the film, but I’m not a big fan. I loved the script and what I had heard of production prior to this film losing a great deal of its budget for no sensible reason at all.

TWO EVIL EYES (Blu Ray)

Beautiful transfer, two great directors – George Romero and Dario Argento – and a films with the likes of Adrienne Barbeau and Harvey Keitel. This is a wonderful release on Blu Ray. These are two wonderful horror tales atmospherically and creatively told by these two filmmakers at their peak of powers. If I had to pick a favorite sequence, it’s the Adrienne Barbeau /Argento story. Its just very creepy. Very! Blue Underground does a great job with this release and all I can say is KEEP EM COMING!

THE SINFUL DWARF

In the film THE SINFUL DWARF, he isn’t obsessed with TEEN WOLF, but many of us in the know are working on a remake of this with… well, I’m so nervous about jinxing it all – so I can only give you his initials… J.M. He’s even scarier than Torben Bille – and instead of being obsessed with the weird toys you see him playing with… it is his obsession with Teen Wolf and Michael J Fox – that causes him to go crazy. Suddenly consuming mass amounts of Pop Tarts, Iced Coffees and going to the little people gym. But his seemingly innocent exterior hides a secret horror that . well you can only be hinted at by watching this harrowingly bizarre, terrible, funny and awesome movie. Watch the SINFUL DWARF and beware… his progeny!!!

AFTER DARK HORRORFEST, VOL 3

Personally I’d avoid this particular set like the plague. There’s nothing here that I found even mildly amusing, scary or interesting. A large waste of time.

BOLLYWOOD Horror Collection Vol 2

Freaky weird bizarre unsettlingly unintentionally funny at times – and a never-ending source of “What the fucks!?” Instead of the After Dark set – if you want something terrifying, disturbing and weird… watch this and THE SINFUL DWARF. If you’re not disturbed, your name is probably Kevin.

That’s it for this week, I’ll see you next week with DOUBT, THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STALE, 2010 (Blu), Pre-Code Hollywood Collection, AMERICAN HISTORY X (Blu), YES MAN (Blu), A SONG IS BORN, Doris Day Collection, WEDDING SINGER (Blu), Mickey and the Beanstalk, Fleischer SUPERMAN set, TANGO & CASH, 3 Little Pigs, ABOVE THE LAW (Blu), CLEOPATRA 75th Anniversary, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Blu), IT’S A PLEASURE, THE GOLDWYN FOLLIES, DONKEY PUNCH, SHAW BROTHERS Collection, BOYS FROM BRAZIL, FLESH GORDON MEETS THE COSMIC CHEERLEADERS, EROTIC DIARY OF A LUMBERJACK & likely more!