Hey folks, Harry here with a new feature that I hope to cap each month off with as I continue my love affair with the world of Home Video - and share that love with each of y'all.
Now one of the things I love about the DVD column and the Amazon click throughs is I can see what several hundreds of you are purchasing. And I know there's a lot of you. And I really do wish to have the column out each Tuesday - sometimes though life conspires to the contrary. But what I love is when I organize my sell chart by what sold most - I see a fairly radical shift from the MAINSTREAM in terms of what the best sellers are.
Obviously - the top selling titles nationwide doesn't really apply as most of us pick those titles up at our local stores. That said - what are the top selling for the AICN crowd - what is it that you folks value in the largest amounts. I hope this feature becomes something that helps to push what it is that you good folks get excited about. Here we go:
#10 ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Just placing outside of the Top ten was CLASH OF THE TITANS, but the start of our first top ten was Director Norman Z McLeod's incredibly bizarre and weird, ALICE IN WONDERLAND from 1933. I'm hoping if you happen to be amongst the many of you that caught this amazingly bizarre classic - if you'd share your experience in the talkback below. Here's my original write up:
And the winner for Version of ALICE IN WONDERLAND least friendly to drug use… it is this one. The film is a brilliant nightmare. Everybit as surreal as Tim Burton’s latest incarnation, but far more subversive and in the manner that they achieved their effects… fucking scary. The stuff of nightmares. Shit scared me as a kid, when I saw this on MATINEE AT THE BIJOU, which is where my dad recorded it from. Gave me nightmares. That said, it is a piece of magic from the year of KING KONG. Kinda must be seen just so you can attempt to try to describe it to others.
#9 ICHI THE KILLER (Blu Ray)
Heh! Ok - proving that AICN has some perversely awesome badasses - Miike cracks the top ten with my favorite Ichii flick! That jizzy opening has never looked so good! Here's what I said originally....
At long last, a film… that is amongst my most desired on Blu Ray is available. And it isn’t crazy pricey!!! $17! I am very pleased! For me, this is Miike’s FIGHT CLUB and I love it appropriately. Watching this film, I can’t help but think the world is melting outside. It still just kinda blows my mind. ICHI THE KILLER is one of my top picks of the 2000s.
#8 THE AFRICAN QUEEN (Commemorative Box Set Blu Ray)
Back to High Class... with Bogie and Katherine Hepburn! This really is one of the great releases of last month. In particular I imagine this'll be in the running for best restoration release of 2010... probably opposite the future release of METROPOLIS with all the missing footage in play. Right? Let's hope KINO gets that out soon!
When people say, “They don’t make em like they used to,” films like THE AFRICAN QUEEN are what they’re talking about. Now – why get the big set above. In addition to the stuff you get on the standard Blu Ray – you get a repro of Katharine Hepburn’s out of print memoir, “THE MAKING OF THE AFRICAN QUEEN or HOW I WENT TO AFRICA WITH BOGART, BACALL AND HUSTON AND ALMOST LOST MY MIND” – and brothers and sisters… YOU MUST READ THAT! You also get some other fun stuff, but really – you’ll want to read that memoir. The disc extras are fantastic – as is the radio version of AFRICAN QUEEN which featured the voices of Bogart, but instead of Hepburn – Greer Garson played the role… very differently – but in a fascinating way. I love that as well.
But the real reason to buy this version is the restoration that went into this. In addition to just the standard cleaning up of the negative and digital color work – they fixed some of the matte line problems that the film has ALWAYS suffered when you see. Now those annoying halos around Bogie and Kate are gone – and it looks absolutely without flaw. The making of is outstanding. And Lauren Bacall comes off looking like the best girl friend/wife one could ever have. What a lady!
#7 FANTASTIC MR. FOX (Blu Ray)
Certainly the most mainstream title thus far... but it is Wes Anderson, Roald Dahl and Stop Motion Animation! So that's great. Not nearly enough of you saw this in theaters. Now hopefully y'all are making up for lost time. Here's the original write-up...
Sigh. My happy spot. I love FANTASTIC MR FOX. I love how different the stop-motion is from the Selick / Burton films. I love the way the hair ruffles with the touch of the animator’s hands. But most of all – I just love how Wes Anderson adapted Dahl. The look is metaphysically perfect. The disc has making of stuff that is just never long enough to sate my love of this form. However, it is quite nice. Wonderful film and Blu Ray!
#6. SHERLOCK HOLMES (Limited Edition Blu-Ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)
Even more mainstreamer... Surprised this sold as much as it did. Especially since the link only went up this past Tuesday. But I get it - it is a damn fine film.
I really really love the Maximum Movie Mode style special feature on the Blu. Watching Guy Ritchie go through his film, his thought process and frankly his love of London – well it was just really enlightening regarding Guy himself. I met him once, back before the release of his second film, SNATCH – and I liked him, but SHERLOCK HOLMES, the character is one of my favorites. I love a whole bunch of Sherlock Holmes movies and adaptations. This version is no different. I felt Guy’s style of visually conveying thought – was perfectly matched with Sherlock Holmes as a character. And man – I just love it. An excellent Blu Ray!
#5 RED CLIFF International Version - Part I & Part II (Blu Ray)
This title is selling very quickly - an additional 35 copies got shipped yesterday alone. I have a feeling this could possibly show up again this coming month if this continues. Here's what I wrote:
Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES buy the U.S. Theatrical version of this film. It is a nearly unwatchable. Whereas this is masterful. I love the 2 film version of this movie. The nuance and the elegance to the story-telling is wonderful. The best John Woo film in ages. Be sure if you purchase RED CLIFF that you get this version. In my opinion the other version is unreleasable. I put it on out of curiousity and watched it all. And I’m telling you. STEER CLEAR – get this one!
#4. PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (Ultimate Edition Blu Ray)
A left over from February - that continues to move. That this cracked the top 5, a month after release makes me happy. That this is an import... well, it shows me that a lot of you don't care where something is released - so long as it is quality cool. And it doesn't get much better than this masterpiece from DePalma. Here's my original write up...
One of my very favoritest movies ever made. Two lobby cards adorn my living room wall, one of which signed by Paul Williams. This is my very favorite telling of the Faust tale. My absolute favorite work of Brian DePalma – and most likely the reason we all really hate Tom Rothman. At least we know that you can’t directly kill Tom Rothman, you’d have to like burn his contract and get Murdock as well. Cuz that’s how these Faustian bargains work. Always some trick to dying with loopholes and fine print on it all. This is one of those films that you have to love for me to like ya. One night Guillermo Del Toro and I agreed that nobody that didn’t like PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE could be cool. And then we spent many hours as he told me why he wanted to remake it as I spent hours convincing him that it would never be as brilliant as the original. Then Guillermo cried in my arms and suckled upon my thumb. At least. That’s how I remember the conversation. I’ll never forget BNAT 1. Guillermo screened his 35mm print of this as we sat together, annoyingly singing out loud every lyric from memory. Paul Williams is a god and PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE is his Bible by way of St. Brian. This is an expensive import. But it is the kind of film that you get the expensive import for. Because it’s the sort of film that is accessible in France because… they really do appreciate the best of America.
#3. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (Blu Ray)
I love this film. A great BluRay. From the letters I'm getting from some of you - I'm very happy it hit y'all as hard as it did me.
The very best Blu Ray of the week in my estimation. Transfer, extras and content all make this my pick of the week. Those of you that read my reviews know how much I loved this film, and on Blu Ray… nothing has lost its luster. For one, an amazingly creepy, disturbing and awesome short called HIGGLETY PIGGLETY POP! OR THERE MUST BE MORE TO LIFE, based upon Maurice Sendak’s book. It is nightmare inducing in aesthetic, but beautiful in all the best of ways that Sendak’s work implies. Watching the behind the scenes magic making this movie is captivating – as are the crazy shorts that also fill this wonderful disc. Much applause for this affair!
#2. PONYO ( Two-Disc Blu-Ray/DVD Combo)
Miyazaki nabs the #2 best selling spot - selling like crazy - over doubling WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE's numbers. But even with that - the number one release sold triple the numbers of this title. PONYO is a pure work of joy, a film that will seriously make you want to wear a big onesie and dance in your living room... like me. Here's my original write up!
How to explain the wonders of PONYO to those that are uninitiated by the wonders of Miyazaki? Well, first off – what’s different about PONYO in comparison to all other films by Miyazaki? There is no other Miyazaki film that I have seen that is more whimsical, so full of cheer and so full of pure unadulterated glee. Essentially, this is Miyazaki’s version of THE LITTLE MERMAID, but the story is nearly unrecognizable from the perspective of the Disney version. You have the option of the star studded English dubbed version or the original Japanese. Personally I love both versions. Also there’s some great extras giving us a peak at the World of Ghibli and the creation of PONYO. The Storyboard Presentation is my fave of the extras though.
and the #1 selling AICN Title.... John Carpenter's ELVIS
And this is why you people rule! Absolutely reigning supreme on my clickthroughs and purchases for the month of March is JOHN CARPENTER'S ELVIS starring Kurt Russell in a stunning stunning role! Helping this is the fact that it is the first time that I know of that you can see this in Carpenter's signature widescreen. If you still haven't seen or picked this up - do not hesitate for a second. Those of you that bought this - speak out and share what you thought of this. You did love it right?
Fucking Awesome. I had never seen this, until the disc came. I was offered a chance to see it full screen once, but I just can’t imagine watching anything by John Carpenter in full screen. God, I’m so glad I didn’t see that version. There’s a sense of Carpenter’s eye throughout. The composition is completely counter to FULL SCREEN. Kurt Russell’s ELVIS is a thing to behold. Next to his role as Jack Burton and Snake Plissken, I think Kurt’s ELVIS beats the others. A really great effort by John Carpenter, finally in widescreen!!! SO GOOD!
That's it for March's TOP TEN. So let me know - do you like this feature?
