Hey folks, Harry Here… Nice group of titles this week, really love the various Japanese selections this week! I’d suggest buying some of these titles rather than seeing the movie coming out this week. But you’ll read more on that Wednesday night. Wow. Brutal. Anyway – as with every week – the images and the titles are linked over to Amazon where you can learn more, browse or purchase – which would give a small portion of that purchase price to help support this column. Enjoy…

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

TRUE BLOOD: 1st Season

Watched this last week – and the weirdest thing about the series is seeing Anna Paquin having sex. She’s hot, but the notion of her being hot is like some sort of sign of a great deal of time passing. That said, I loved TRUE BLOOD – and there’s a lot more going for it than Anna Paquin nudity. There’s actually a lot of nudity and sexuality – to go with the vampire soaked weird reality of this wonderful HBO series. I devoured season one quickly – and yes, please… I’d like some more!

VALKYRIE

Didn’t get sent this disc in advance of the column, but I am very much looking forward to checking it out. The film was one I liked quite a bit. And I haven’t seen it since my trip to Berlin and my INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS set visit, so I’m sure all the Nazi uniforms will now bring back fond memories of that trip. Hehe. Just kidding. Singer sure did put one helluva great cast together for this didn’t he? We all know they don’t kill Hitler. What I love about the film is how close they got – and how far they got after that point. It is a helluva yarn!

PAUL BLART: MALL COP

I found the experience of watching this on Blu Ray excruciating. Not because of the disc quality. Everything is fine as far as that goes. No, I just found the comedy to be of the lowest caliber and that personally – Kevin James just isn’t for me – at least in this film. I’m well aware of just how popular this film is and how Kevin has a big career ahead of him now. I just hope he picks better material and matures as a comedian beyond this sort of thing.

TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (Skynet Edition) Blu-Ray

I got sent this. The disc won’t play. I weep. Friends that have it tell me it’s fantastic. Sadly, all I have is my awesome HD DVD from Europe. I’ll be getting another copy of this shortly. But of the below variety…

Limited Edition T2 Complete Collector’s Set Endoskull (Blu Ray)

Basically an overpriced version of the new Blu Ray with spectacular packaging and it comes with the ULTIMATE EDITION DVD and the EXTREME EDITION DVD set – and there’s all sorts of features that are not repeated from edition to edition to blu ray – so it iis the most complete assembly of T2 materials. But if you’re like me – I have those previous editions of T2, and in addition a Foreign HD DVD that I love. But the packaging is too cool and even if the new film sucks one’s will to live, I still love this and the first film and love the imagery of the Terminator universe. But wow the new film is an epic heap of suck.

FANBOYS

This film has had an epic journey to DVD – and a rather successful micro-independent run in theaters, but it will be on home video and cable where this film will find its greater audience. I anticipate a lot of folks really enjoying this film – and officially – NO – that’s not me in the movie. It’s a wonderful actor playing me in the movie. The commentary is kinda priceless.

A BUG’S LIFE (Blu Ray)

You know how this film relates to FANBOYS? Kevin Spacey Produced that one and he’s the evil Grasshopper in A BUG’S LIFE! That’s your theater trivia of the day. I’ve warmed to A BUG’S LIFE, I watched this disc last week and a lot of my problems with the film softened. I’m still a little annoyed that they aped Seven Samurai, that the ants are al non-ant colors, but those are small problems – and the jokes still make me laugh, and even though it is 11 years old in CG – it is still beautiful, no more so than in Blu Ray. Lots of extras, my favorite being this animated version of the ORIGINAL STORY IDEA. Funny thing is – the ending in the real film is actually much more fucked up than it was originally. There’s lots of great extras and Lasseter and Stanton are there to introduce everything including THE GRASSHOPPER AND THE ANTS. This is one for all the Pixar lovers – which is all of us, right?

MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D

This is a wonderful slasher flick – and watching the anaglyph 3D in my living room was a lot of fun – though I wouldn’t recommend that option on smaller sets. The key to 3D anaglyph enjoyment is to sit close enough to the screen that the 3D does what it needs to. This disc has lots of extras – but you should be aware of something. I suspect that around the time that the sequel to this comes out – there will be another release of this with an unrated cut – as Patrick Lussier told me the cut a lot of the sex scene down – and other gore moments. But that stuff isn’t here. So I suspect they’re holding that back. Of course, I could be wrong. Lionsgate would never double dip would they?

MAN HUNT

Looking at that cover, you should buy it simply because the words, “Directed by Fritz Lang” are contained. And if you don’t know why you should give two shits – goto IMDB, look him up. NetFlix M and Metropolis and that’ll get you hooked. His career is amazing – and in 1941, he made this stunning film. The cast is fantastic – leading off with Walter Pidgeon, George Sanders, John Carradine, Roddy McDowall and the lovely Joan Bennett. The films is all about a man out hunting, and he draws a bead on Hitler, but is caught before he fires, if that was ever his attention. This then becomes a man on the lam from Nazi Germany and through many other locales. Even back home. It’s a twisty fuck of a flick that never quite gives you what you expect, but is much better than you think.

THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE – Criterion Collection

Such a great fucking Mitchum movie! This is the type of awesome film that got made in the Seventies that just never ceases to amaze me. Back when character, story and what could be done with a camera, a crew and an actor was all that was considered or needed. This is a gritty and fantastic Boston underworld flick – that some have called the greatest Boston movie ever made. Criterion does a wonderful thing here by giving this the “treatment”. Yates supervised the transfer and did a commentary for the film. You’ll really love this movie.

OUTLANDER

This is an outstanding science fiction historical flick. From one of the key producers of LORD OF THE RINGS and starring Jesus and Hellboy! This should have gotten wide theatrical distribution. Sadly, it was never given a fair hand shake at any point along the way – except by the few audiences and critics that were blessed to have seen it. If you love fantasy/sci-fi you’re probably going to be really surprised by how much you love this movie. OUTLANDER has fantastic production design, creature design, action and drama. It really reminds me of how much I loved PITCH BLACK, but I think in some ways I like this film even more!

THE GUILD – Season One (Amazon Exclusive)

For those of you that know of “The Guild” you love it – like SPACED it’s a very particular celebration of their MMO lifestyle. If you know what that means – you know what that means – and this is very funny. You can only score this and the second season through AMAZON and if you’ve been following The Guild, this is how you can begin to share it with others!

THE GUILD – Season Two (Amazon Exclusive)

Most love Season Two even more than season one. This is so incredibly geeky a series that it is pretty impossible not to love, and there will probably never be another show about this particular univese nearly as fresh and fun as this!

ENEMY AT THE GATES (Blu)

I’m fond of this film – moreso I’m a big fan of Jean-Jacques Annaud – as he’s the type of director that is meticulous with his details – and this one just works really well. My god – its two snipers facing each other down for the pride of Mother Russia and those filthy Nazi bastards! Actually – as I’ve been raised – neither side is good – so it is an interesting fim to follow. The sex scene between Rachel Weisz and Jude Law is such an intimate and not overtly erotic sex scene, but it’s so intimate that none of that matters. It isn’t about the bodies, but the feeling between them. It’s very very sweet. I love the propaganda angle in this film – and how this situation grew beyond Jude’s anticipation. So gorgeous on Blu!

3 DAYS OF THE CONDOR (Blu)

One of my very favorite Sydney Pollack films and one of my very favorite Robert Redford movies. I’ve never been lucky enough, within memory to have seen 3 DAYS OF THE CONDOR on the big screen, but I’ve had it on VHS and DVD – and it is one of those perfect films to share with a lady. Because. Dude. Robert Redford is one of the greatest aphrodisiacs a cineaste has at his disposal. And here – he’s at his Cary Grant best – as a man on a lam that picks a girl to help him, against her will. He plays the lone survivor of a CIA literary group that reads everything printed in the world – to feed the pertinent info into the computer, to see if messages and orders and plots are happening. When he tries to come in, it goes real bad and suddenly he’s being hunted by everyone – and the film that follows is so smart, so emotional, so great that it’s simply a perfect film, now in BluRay – and it looks great. Very happy addition!

BATMAN (Blu Ray)

If you didn’t pick up that big BATMAN Blu-Ray set that had all of that 80s and 90s era Batman flicks – and you just want the original deeply flawed film. This is a very nice package – but you are not getting anything more than on the big set, other than the book casing which is nice. Just not a deal breaker.

THE MACHINIST (Blu Ray)

Unlike the film opening Wednesday at midnight – this is a great performance from Christian Bale… and Jennifer Jason Leigh! Here you have a director who cares first and foremost about character, story and atmosphere. Bale’s transformation is pretty incredible – and the idea this was what he looked like shortly before becoming Batman in BATMAN BEGINS is incredible. Here… on Blu Ray – you can count every rib – and it’s fucking frightening.

PIGS, PIMPS & PROSTITUTES: 3 Films by Shohei Imamura

Though this could be the greatest title ever for a seventies Blaxploitation film… it is not. Instead, it is 3 wonderful films by Shohei Imamura gathered and treated with love and care by Criterion! The films are PIGS AND BATTLESHIPS, THE INSECT WOMAN and INTENSIONS OF MURDER. These were very different films made in the sixties in Japan. And Imamura was a very powerful and precise filmmaker. Taking a completely unique perspective on his stories. Here’s the extras on this set:

Introductions on all three films by critic Tony Rayns • Conversations between Shohei Imamura and critic Tadao Sato about The Insect Woman and Intentions of Murder • “Imamura, the Free Thinker,” a 1995 episode from the French television series Cinéastes de notre temps • New and improved English subtitle translations • PLUS: Booklets featuring essays by film critics Audie Bock, Dennis Lim, and James Quandt

GIRL ON A MOTORCYCLE aka NAKED UNDER LEATHER

The last time I saw this movie was at a cinematheque screening – with John Williams sitting in the seat in front of me. This is a film, that I had known about my entire life. Seriously. My dad had the trailer for the film under the title, NAKED UNDER LEATHER – and the trailer was so trippy to me as a kid – that it has always been with me. Specifically the image of Marianne Faithfull standing on the back of a galloping horse as a man with a whip whips her leather off of her… as the image goes solarized or something. This is an art film, but a very good art film. It was directed by the great cinematographer/director Jack Cardiff and stars the amazingly attractive duo of Alan Delon and Marianne Faithfull. It is a very strange film about sensation, fantasy, erotica and desire. It isn’t a porn, but a serious film – and it’s finally in my possession.

FAST COMPANY (Blu Ray)

I was so excited when this disc arrived, I rushed it to my player – but unfortunately – like that T2 disc – it would not play. Everything else does – so I can only assume I got a bad disc. But this is one I really want. First off any film that stars William Smith, Claudia Jennings and John Saxon is a great thing to have. But you add to that, the peculiar reality that this film is directed by a seventies era David Cronenberg – and you have a winner. The film has more going on than just fast cars, as you’d expect from David. I can’t comment on the quality of this disc, but Blue Underground usually has the finest of transfers and a good deal of extras.

DETECTIVE BUREAU 2-3 GO TO HELL BASTARDS!

A new film (to me) from Seijun Suzuki? A thousand blessings KINO! I haven’t seen this film, but I have seen BRANDED TO KILL, A COLT IS MY PASSPORT and TOKYO DRIFTER by Seijun Suzuki – and he has an amazing sense of style. His films sometimes play with very pop-art style imagery and yet are violent, cool, sexy thriller film noir types of things – but done his way. This is part of the Bastard series and everything I’ve read has it as a great one! Ordered and awaiting!

WANDERING GINZA BUTTERFLY

Sigh. Meiko Kaji is so fucking awesome – she’s a wet dream of cinema. The badass awesome Japanese girl of the era. Imagine if Bruce Lee was a hot beaten down Japanese chick that suddenly snaps and wreaked bloody havoc. It’s awesome, lewd and amazing. But wait… for… the sequel too!!! Extras: Japanese language with newly-translated, removable English subtitles
Audio commentary by Japanese film expert Chris D.
New, exclusive video interview with director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
Original Japanese theatrical trailers for both films

WANDERING GINZA BUTTERFLY 2: She-Cat Gambler

Here we find the lovely Meiko Kaji back in the role – this time avenging the death of her father whilst working a Ginza club – but she finds someone to help her on her bloody revenge. NONE OTHER THAN FUCKING SONNY CHIBA! And he kills better than anyone! Goregous wide screen, crazy film and with lots of extras:
New video interview with director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi,
New video interview with Pinky Violence film expert J-Taro Sugisaku,
Original Japanese theatrical trailers for both films

Coming next week, we’ll have a look at KILLSHOT, POWDER BLUE, CHILDREN OF MEN (Blu), SKY CRAWLERS, TRUE ROMANCE (Blu), ROBIN HOOD PRINCE OF THEIVES (Blu), Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960s, LAND OF THE LOST Complete Series, FIELD OF DREAMS (Blu), Saturday Morning Cartoons 1970s, SEABISCUIT (Blu), ZABRISKIE POINT, SPY GAME (Blu), MOD SQUAD Season 2, CINDERELLA MAN (Blu), INSIDE MAN (Blu), FALLING DOWN (Blu), HARLAN ELLISON: DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH, M. BUTTERFLY and more…