Hey folks, Harry here - Here's last week and this week's column. Last week's got swallowed up by the monster known as BNAT - but luckily - due to an exploded wisdom tooth, I've had nothing but time to catch and watch and write. As usual, the titles and images link to AMAZON - where if you order instantly with next day delivery - can get you these items before X-mas. Allegedly. So if you see something awesome, you still have time - and you don't have to tromp through the snow or navigate icy roads to get em. Click and stay warm!

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

THE HANGOVER

I’d probably award the, Most Successful Hollywood Film of the Year Award to THE HANGOVER. This film made gigantic heaping gobs money. Just hand over fist canyon filling loads of dough. And it is that fucking good. Just hugely entertaining film expertly created. It is a very very funny movie. I do have a warning though. While watching this Blu Ray – one of my Wisdom Teeth erupted – I’m saying this because… well you should know that this film is so funny, your teeth could possibly crack up. This will get a lot of play time.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

One of the best films of 2009 is also one of its most fun. Quentin Tarantino’s INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS is one helluva film. In particular, we have to thank Mr Tarantino for introducing the larger world to the wonders of Christoph Waltz, who plays Hans Landa to utter perfection as the Nazi Sherlock Holmes. Now, the film is just stunningly beautiful on Blu Ray – where you’ll also get an unedited edition of NATION’S PRIDE, the film within the film – directed by Eli Roth. When you play it, if you press the ENTER button on your remote as the Swastika is carved – you’ll restart NATION’S PRIDE, but with the original soundtrack that Herr Roth intended. The extras don’t reveal a terrible lot about the film – and the larger missing scenes apparently will not see Blu Ray’s eyes. Quentin would rather they stay a mystery – and I get that. My fave special feature are the interview pieces with Rod Taylor. Such a great actor!

G-FORCE

Ya know… no adult need ever watch this without a child. And so long as the child is under 12, it won’t be considered abuse if the kid watches it with you. But ages 13 & up…. Beware. Without the 3D, a big hunk of what made this cool in theaters went the way of the Dodo.

STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES – Season 3 (Blu Ray)

It is the 3rd Season. I wasn’t sent this season. That said, the two previous Blu Ray editions were fantastic. I’m betting this is well worth it to. Right now over at AMAZON it’s selling for 60% off the suggested retail price, which is a bit bonkers. But if you have seasons 1 & 2, this is a must have!

ROBOT CHICKEN: Season Four

Two hundred & twenty minutes of awesome.

TAKING WOODSTOCK

This is a really good movie, and the perfect film to lead into GIMME SHELTER. So get your Criterion copy of that title ready. Demetri Martin and Emile Hirsch are great in this. I love how Demetri’s character has an amazing experience at Woodstock, while never actually attending the concert, well… not exactly. The trip sequence in the film is pretty jaw-dropping. That was some good acid. Seriously. The film is funny, erotic, nostalgic and has some damn fine music ta boot. If you want to see the music, get Warners’ amazing WOODSTOCK Blu Ray, but if you want a damn fine story about some of the people behind the most legendary concert that I know of. Well, here ya go!

THE MEL BROOKS COLLECTION (Blu Ray) ( BLAZING SADDLES, SPACEBALLS, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, HIGH ANXIETY, HISTORY OF THE WORLD PART 1, ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS, SILENT MOVIE, TO BE OR NOT TO BE, TWELVE CHAIRS )

This set is missing THE PRODUCERS, but otherwise – you have hours of entertainment. Now, for my money – I love all of these, with the exception of ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS. With my favorites being BLAZING SADDLES & YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN…. Though I have to admit that the first Blu Ray out of the set that went into my player was SILENT MOVIE, but that’s due to my Marty Feldman fetish – and my nostalgic love for SILENT MOVIE. Each title has A LOT of extras. Here you go:

Blu-Ray Disc Bonus Features:
Disc One:
_ Blazing Saddles - feature film
_ Additional Scenes
_ Scene-Specific Commentary by Mel Brooks
_ 2 Documentaries
_ Back in the Saddle
_ Intimate Portrait: Madeline Kahn (Excerpt)
_ Black Bart: 1975 Pilot Episode Of The Proposed TV Series Spinoff
_ Theatrical Trailer

Disc Two:
_ Spaceballs - feature film
_ Commentary by Mel Brooks
_ Spaceballs: The Documentary
_ In Conversation: Mel Brooks & Thomas Meehan
_ John Candy: Comic Spirit
_ Watch the movie in Ludicrous Speed
_ Still Galleries
_ Film Flubs
_ Storyboards-to-Film Comparison

Disc Three:
_ Young Frankenstein - feature film
_ Commentary by Mel Brooks
_ Inside The Lab: Secret Formulas in the Making of Young Frankenstein
_ Deleted Scenes
_ It's Alive! Creating A Monster Classic
_ Making FrankenSense of Young Frankenstein
_ Transylvanian Lullaby: The Music of John Morris
_ The Franken-Track: A Monstrous Conglomeration of Trivia - Trivia Track
_ Blucher Button
_ Outtakes
_ Isolated Score Track (DTS MA)
Disc Four:
_ High Anxiety - feature film
_ Hitchcock and Mel: Spoofing the Master of Suspense
_ The "Am I Very, Very Nervous?" Test
_ Dr. Thorndyke's Ink Blot Test
_ How Anxious Am I?
_ Don't Get Anxious! The Trivia of Hitchcock - Trivia Track
_ Isolated Score Track (DTS MA)

Disc Five:
_ History of the World Part 1 - feature film
_ Musical Mel: Inventing "The Inquisition"
_ Making History: Mel Brooks on Creating the World
_ The Real History of the World - Trivia Track
_ Isolated Score Track (DTS MA)

Disc Six:
_ Robin Hood: Men In Tights - feature film
Funny Men In Tights: Three Generations of Comedy
_ HBO Special: Robin Hood: Men In Tights - "The Legend Had It Coming"
_ LaserDisc Commentary by Mel Brooks
_ Isolated Score Track (DTS MA)

Disc Seven:
_ Silent Movie - feature film
_ Silent Laughter: The Reel Inspirations of Silent Movie
_ Speak Up! Historical Hollywood - Trivia Track

Disc Eight:
_ To Be Or Not To Be - feature film
_ Brooks and Bancroft: A Perfect Pair
_ How Serious Can Mel Brooks Really Get?
_ Profiles of Mel Brooks, Anne Bancroft and Charles Durning
_ To Be Or Not To Be: That Is The Trivia! - Trivia Track
_ Isolated Score Track (DTS MA)

And then on TWELVE CHAIRS – you just get the film.

THE SHERLOCK HOLMES COLLECTION

Here you have the BBC Sherlock Holmes series with Peter Cushing as Holmes and Nigel Stock as Dr Watson. I’d never seen these, but when the set arrived, I instantly put on HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES – and was struck by an incredibly faithful adaptation told in two parts. Absolutely riveting. Nigel Stock in particular makes for an amazing Watson, and Cushing, of course, kicks ass as Holmes. You’ll see the pair as they take us through THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, THE SIGN OF THE FOUR, THE BLUE CARBUNCLE, A STUDY IN SCARLET & THE BOSCOMBE VALLEY MYSTERY! This BBC produced series is incredibly well done and exquisitely faithful. If you love Sherlock Holmes or Peter Cushing – this is a real treat!

THE PAPER CHASE: Season Two

One of the greatest Television Series ever produced. THE PAPER CHASE was a ritual in my household as a kid, and was in particular… responsible for a childhood obsession with becoming a lawyer. I knew Houseman from THE PAPER CHASE, before I knew he was the evil son of a bitch from ROLLERBALL, and then years later – he was that scary bastard telling ghost stories on that beach in THE FOG. But here in THE PAPER CHASE – he was at his absolute best. Too young for the nostalgic factor? Well, check these out on Netflix and you’ll really discover a brilliant series.

MURDER BY DECREE

Now I know… a lifetime of film watching and film review reading has taught me to never trust Rex Reed, but you know what? Even I’m right sometimes – and in this case, you can make a very strong argument to support Reed’s assertion that this is the best Sherlock Holmes film ever made. I’ve always loved this as a double feature with TIME AFTER TIME – both of them are great alternate versions of the Jack The Ripper story. Here, you have Sherlock trying to chase down Jack. NOW – what makes this film so fucking good? Well, you have a great script, the best direction of Bob Clark’s entire career, and then a cast that has Christopher Plummer as Sherlock, James Mason as Dr. Watson. We have Donald Sutherland as a psychic, David Hemmings as an inspector, Genevieve Bujold as… you’ll see – and then as the Prime Minister… Sir John Gielgud. This is still amongst the very best, if not the best. It is tremendous!

TRAPEZE

From the director of THE THIRD MAN comes an amazing film of Circus intrigue starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis and the Va Va Vroom girl, Gina Lollobrigida. Personally, this is my very favorite Circus film of all time. Now… this is a film that is very hard to come by, and for some odd reason – MGM has put it out on a DVD-R which isn’t my personal wish. This would be served so much better by a higher quality DVD release… or… dare I dream… a Blu Ray? Perhaps one day.

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

DISTRICT 9

The best film of 2009 according to Harry Knowles. Yup, when my top ten list comes out later this week, you’ll find DISTRICT 9 as my top film. Why? First off – it is absolutely a riveting film, set outside the confines of the safe world of Hollywood filmmaking – where Blomkamp gives us a South African flavored Science Fiction story – that by that mere choice of setting… well, it gave us a weight to the film that I don’t think anyone expected. The gore and action beats may keep most critics from naming this the top film, but the filmmaking, the writing, the performance by Sharlto Copley is personally the best acting performance of the year. And it came from a first timer. Many will point to AVATAR as being THE science fiction film of the year – and even THE film of the year – and I can see that. But for me, AVATAR is the giant studio film… it is DUEL IN THE SUN or DUEL IN THE ALPHA CENTAURI A, if you will. But to me… DISTRICT 9 is a science fiction WAGES OF FEAR. It is that stunning foreign film that delivers so much – upon so many levels that I continue to marvel with every viewing. The Blu Ray has some amazing special features – and for once, the deleted scenes, while very interesting – I think we’ll all agree that we’re glad they’re not IN the movie. The making of is brilliant. This is the best film of the year – I’ll go further into it when my list is completed and published this week.

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER

I think we all have a crush on Zooey Deschanel… and then there’s all of the gals we’re with and their crushes on Joseph Gordon-Levitt. This is a wonderful story that is about the time in which Joseph’s character goes from infatuation to love to being over Summer, who is, of course, Zooey. The story isn’t told linearly, instead it is very much a back and forth tale – where depending on which day in the relationship we’re watching, we see the romance blossom, bloom, wither and die. And that’s wonderful. Also watch for the greatest Star Wars cameo yet. Seriously, I love it! Very romantic and very not romantic… If you’ve ever found the perfect girl or guy, and then it was so not perfect anymore. This is the movie to help you get over it.

FAMILY GUY PRESENTS: SOMETHING SOMETHING SOMETHING DARK SIDE

FAMILY GUY does EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Wow, you’ve already clicked. Amazing!

EXTRACT

Ben Affleck rules in Mike Judge’s EXTRACT – which is all about a hapless owner of an Extract plant, that’s trying to strike it rich and justify an affair with the holy fuck hot Mila Kunis. But when Clifton Collins Jr loses a testicle and sues the Extract Plant, when Ben talks Jason Bateman’s character in perhaps the stupidest married decision I’ve seen yet. Mike Judge delivers the most intimate of his films thus far, and it is very funny throughout. The Blu Ray has some very funny extended and deleted scenes – and well – if you like OFFICE SPACE – this reminds me of that, though completely different. Give it a shot.

TAXI: THE FINAL SEASON

FINALLY! This was one of those shows that I can never get enough of – and now, I can’t get any more. This is it. The end of it all. I’ve come to grips with the notion that this is it. I really have. But I do think this was a pretty great end to it all!

ICHI

Don’t think Miike’s ICHI THE KILLER, think ZATOICHI… yes, the blind samurai legendary series – but with this version, he is a she – and she is a badass. This came out last year, but is just now making its way stateside – but we’re lucky enough to get this beautifully shot film on Blu Ray! Funimation has done a great job in putting this out! Enjoy it, it is very very good!

THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT

Do you love THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT? Because I do. It has some cheese element, but dammit – Nancy Allen just makes me a happy camper. All based on a mysterious true story. Whatever that true story may be. Heh.

Well, we’ve almost finished another year of DVD releases – all we have is one last week of release, which will bring us: 9, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, JENNIFER’S BODY, A PERFECT GETAWAY, CARRIERS, FACING ALI, WEATHER GIRL, PRINCESS OF MARS, VAMPIRE KILLERS and NUNS OF SAINT ARCHANGEL. I know – not a ton of stuff, but what do you expect on the last release day of the year? I hope all of you have the very merriest of Christmases, Kwanzas and 9th day of Dagon. I’ll see y’all one more column before the end of the year. Which will also have my top 10 releases of the year.