Hey folks, Harry here with the 2nd week of 2010’s DVD PICKS & PEEKS. Working to catch up from my little vacation – and this is the first really and truly great week of releases. There’s a lot of really good stuff here. As always the images and titles link over to AMAZON – and this week, there’s quite a few Amazon Exclusives from Universal’s vaults – which you should definitely take to considering. IF you happen to get the itch to purchase any of these titles through the Amazon links, this column will get a small portion of that purchase price which keeps it cranking along. Now excuse me, I have to continue writing. Here ya go…

THE HURT LOCKER

I loved this movie upon first viewing. But when I put on the Blu Ray – and watched the film for a second time, I realized… that there was a point where I completely check out of the film. When he goes off base at night to search for the missing kid – it all rang completely bullshit to me. There’s a good chance that this sort of thing happens often in Iraq, honestly – I’ve no idea of what it is really like for service men over there, but I don’t imagine there’s a lot of non-uniform wandering out at night through unsecured neighborhoods and areas of Iraq. That said – the tension, emotion and psychological tautness that this film unleashes is amongst the very best work of 2009. If you haven’t seen it, do so soon.

MOON

Easily one of my favorite films of 2009. Not only is this a smart work of science fiction. Not only does it have one of the great performances of 2009 in Sam Rockwell’s Sam Bell. But it was also mostly accomplished via old fashioned methods of visual effects which just make it look so friggin good. Especially on this BluRay! In addition to the film, you get Duncan Jones’ wonderful short film, WHISTLE, a pair of commentaries, a visual effects doc and two Q&As… one at a Science Center and the other at MOON’s SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL debut. All geeks must own this!

Michael Jackson - MOONWALKER

Region 1/NTSC… that’s right, it’ll work in your US systems – where you can enjoy the crazy awesome that is MOONWALKER. When will this hit Blu-Ray? I’ve no clue, but it can’t come soon enough. Till then, this is as good as it gets.

THE SIMPSONS: The Complete Twentieth Season

No commentaries or anything special. Just the episodes from the season. FOX can do better, and has done better. Fuck this release.

IN THE LOOP

The Smartest Comedy of 2009 easily goes to IN THE LOOP, which has been described as a Political OFFICE, and that’s not a bad shorthand for what this film is. The film also has the best creative cursing I’ve seen in a film in quite a long time. Hysterical. If you love sharp British biting satire, it really doesn’t get much better than this.

FAME (worthless remake)

I recently got this – and the original (coming soon) on Blu Ray – and I have to say… The remake of FAME is depressing on many levels. For one, when you go back and revisit Alan Parker’s original film, you’ll notice that it seems like a real school, with real youngsters of varying amazing talents. Here… these kids just depress me. And the school? Doesn’t at all seem like a school for learning. I really disliked this.

HALLOWEEN II

I’ve always liked the original HALLOWEEN 2, even though it was… in no way… nearly as cool as Carpenter’s original classic. With Rob’s HALLOWEEN remake, he managed to make a film that at times really gave me hope, but then became boring as hell as it tried to puppet the original. The theatrical cut of this film is an improvement in a manner of speaking on his first remake. But the Extended Cut is actually worthy of contemplation. The first thing you have to do is completely give up on everything we know about Michael Myers and just let Rob take you. You still won’t find a great film or even necessarily a very good one, but it is a tolerable experience. Now you just have to weigh your investment to receive a tolerable experience.

DEPARTURES

Last year’s Best Foreign Film Oscar winner was this – an incredibly bittersweet film about death and those that profit from its cold grasp. Brilliant little film that is both sad & funny with 7 scoops of real sentimentality that makes you care about every moment, performance and story element. Great film.

8 ½ Criterion Blu Ray

I received this Blu-Ray shortly after watching the Weinstein’s NINE, which greatest claim to fame is that it made me deeply want to watch the original source material… Fellini’s great 8 ½. Here, Criterion has truly done a great job on the transfer. Beautiful. This is a film where one of the great masters of cinema, sat down and created a film that is all about the inadequacies of the creative process. The fears, doubts, joys and contemplative moments. Marcello Mastroianni’s Guido Anselmi is brilliant – and oddly, with NINE, I found myself actually wishing for a straight remake, rather than a musical, because the only interesting aspect of that film was Daniel Day Lewis’ take on Guido, which was very much worth checking out. It comes up short of Mastroianni’s, but really only because annoying musical numbers that didn’t really work, kept interrupting Daniel’s performance. Here’s what you get in this great edition:

High-definition digital transfer of restored film elements
Introduction by filmmaker Terry Gilliam
Audio commentary w/ Gideon Bachmann and NYU film professor Antonio Monda
"A Director's Notebook", a 52-minute film by Federico Fellini
"The Last Sequence", 52-minute documentary on an alternate ending for 8 1/2
"Nino Rota: Between Cinema and Concert", a compelling 48-minute documentary
Interviews with actress Sandra Milo, Lina Wertmuller & Vittorio Storaro
Rare photographs from Bachmann?s collection
Gallery of behind-the-scenes and production photos
U.S. theatrical trailer
New and improved English subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring writings by Fellini and essays by critics

THE BROTHERS BLOOM

One of my wife and mine’s favorite films we’ve seen since our four years together. A wonderfully story about a pair of con men/brothers. This isn’t a film set in the real world, it is a film that takes place in a created world, with characters that know they all have parts to play in the scheme of the day. The result is acting in a created reality that has been ever so delicately manipulated by Mark Ruffalo. The result is something that is so perfectly attuned to my sensibilities that it reminded me of some of my other favorite complicated scheme movies like TOPKAPI, GAMBIT (released this week) and THE STING. A great film that will grow with age.

CLIFFHANGER (Blu)

One of Renny Harlin’s best movies, though he still had no idea how to direct the villain side of the story. This was the movie that introduced my brain to DIGITAL WIRE REMOVAL – the shots of Stallone in impossibly dangerous settings were and always will look incredible, no where more so than on Blu Ray. This is a beautiful looking disc. You’ll probably love the Renny Harlin/Sylvester Stallone commentary – because… well, it is those two talking – which is quite something to witness. There’s deleted scenes, a Stallone making of doc, special effects and storyboards. So it’s not a lame disc. They did a good job on this.

LAST ACTION HERO (Blu)

Sadly, this is just the film. Honestly, I would have loved a modern day look back at what happened on this film. How the script lost everything that it was setting out to do, leaving a film that, while still handsome & entertaining, is actually missing everything that was cool about the original concept. It is just the film – so weigh that.

BIG FAN

If you don’t love Patton Oswalt, you can go choke on a giant crust-covered dildo. Seriously, Patton is awesome, and BIG FAN is an illustration in why he’s awesome. He’s fantastic in this film about a sports fan that has to deal everything he loves sort of shitting on him. This is a small tiny little film that will win you over. In many ways it is Patton’s very best work to date… other than when he landed in the top of that tree in MAGNOLIA.

HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW

A really fun 80’s slasher flick. Not painfully original, but rather good. I think it’s the revenge aspect that I dig about this… that or all the lovely scream queens that make up the Sorority. The extras are pretty solid, with a commentary, storyboard comparisons and more. Nice little disc.

ACTING SHAKESPEARE

Of all the actors that I’ve shared laughs and stories with, Ian McKellen is my very favorite. He’s the very definition of delightful, a soul that makes one happy to be alive. But at the same time, I’m such an Ian McKellen unapologetic geek. He’s one of those actors that I’d watch read a telephone book, so when I spotted this release… Of Sir Ian performing assorted great Shakespearean monologues… well, that’s just flat out porn. It is truly intellectual masturbation of my favorite level. He’s so fucking good. But even more than that, Ian comments on Shakespeare, the plays, roles and his relationship to them. This is bliss. My favorite thing of this particular week.

BILLY JACK (Blu)

I find it next to impossible to describe with any degree of accuracy the crazy joy that is BILLY JACK. It is awkwardly bizarre like some crazed SNL joke of a movie, that just happens to be pretty damn badass all at once. It is a ridiculously fun film – this disc is a beautiful transfer, accompanied by a pair of commentaries, a featurette and TV spots that are amazing too. Wasn’t Keanu working on a remake of this? What happened to that?

RESURRECTION

This is a wonderful movie for Ellen Burstyn and for a young Sam Shepard. After she dies, then miraculously returns to life, Ellen has the ability to heal people. Dan Petrie directed a helluva good film here. This is actually an Amazon Exclusive – and a damn fine one at that.

THE HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES

Getting your Hawthorne rubbed out with the wonderous performances from Vincent Price and George Sanders… well, it is pretty much a wonderful telling of this classic piece of literature. I just love that George Sanders is the more evil brother, and the better brother is Vincent Price. ONLY IN HOLLYWOOD! Heh. Nice to finally be able to get this!

THE BLACK SHIELD OF FALWORTH

This is an Amazon exclusive of a really tremendously fun little flick. Now, there is a Blu Ray that exists here, but it’d cost you $57.98 – and there’s only one copy available. Now – why is it so cool to get this? First off, Tony Curtis is a Knight – and the holy fuck hot, Janet Leigh is his Lady. But by far the greatest reason is to add another Torin Thatcher performance to your DVD library. Who? Blasphemy! Torin Thatcher is the amazing evil sorceror from 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD!!! Here he plays the master of Knights. Great job. Universal’s first cinemascope film btw!

ONIMASA

Often referred to as the Japanese GODFATHER – ONIMASA is an incredibly great Yakuza film. It is a contemplative film, that holds its violence like a cocked fist waiting to be unleashed. Very much a melodrama, but an enthralling one. Wonderful film.

KITTEN WITH A WHIP

You either have clicked and purchased this instantly – or you’re probably pretty hopeless. This is prime time Ann-Margret at her hottest, youngest, yummiest va-va-voom teenage wiggily best! This is a CULT CLASSIC that purrs and snaps its way into any cult movie lover’s heart! Wait till you see what Ann has in store for John Forsythe. Wonderful fucking movie. LOVES IT!

GOLIATH

A very funny independent film, which won a lot of people over at SXSW last year. This comedy features a fella that loses everything in life he cherished, but nothing moreso than his cat Goliath, who he searchers for. If you’re one of those fucking freaks with cats instead of the infinitely superior canines… you’ll probably love this. Me, I just look at a man with a cat and shake my head. Is that really his substitute for pussy?

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WOMAN

One of my fave Joel Schumacher films – mainly because as an Altman fan, I came to love Lily Tomlin – and there are not nearly enough Movies that STAR and FEATURE the great and powerfully hilarious Lily Tomlin! However, this is one of them. And I love that silly monkey suit character! Really dated, but in a hilarious way. This too is an Amazon Exclusive.

GAMBIT

Hey there! How great is this movie? Well, it is hands down the best film ever shown by Quentin Tarantino at his QT FESTS. It is also so great, that the Coen Brothers flirted with remaking it. And – if you really want the best double feature off this particular PICKS & PEEKS – this and THE BROTHERS BLOOM will play beautifully together. Although, put this as the second film in that double, because no insult to Rian Johnson, but GAMBIT is 20,000 leagues better… but only because of how amazingly beautiful everything is in this film. It is a dream – and has one of the best narrative tricks that I’ve ever seen in a film. GREATNESS! An unappreciated jewel of cinema. DISCOVER IT and then SHARE IT with EVERYONE you know! Once again, you can only get this from Amazon!

DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY

Brad Pitt gave this film a whirl a while back, but try as he must, he couldn’t beat Fredric March on all cylinders. This film came out before the Production Code came out, so it is a bit racy – but mostly, this is just a great production from the height of Hollywood’s Golden Age. You’ll see Clarence from IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE. You’ll love this movie. There is simply no other option. And again, it is an Amazon Exclusive.

Well, that brings me caught up to this week’s offerings, which I’m working on. Here’s the titles: Season 5 of WEEDS, PANDORUM, THE INVENTION OF LYING, WHITEOUT, GAMER, MAGNOLIA (Blu), CHE Criterion Blu, SMOKIN ACE 2: ASSASSINS BALL, KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS, THE KEEPER, OUTRAGE, BLOOD CREEK, ACROSS THE HALL, RED CARTOONS: ANIMATED FILMS FROM EAST GERMANY, NUNSPLOITATION COLLECTION, PENTHOUSE, EVERYBODY SING, COMRADE X, ROSALIE, MAN FROM ATLANTIS Pilot, THE BRIBE, EARTH II and more!