Hey folks, Harry here with the final late column, I hope, of 2009. This past week involved A LOT of work to nail various things regarding BNAT1138 down. And I was at one point thinking I’d never ever have time to do anything but BNAT – till BNAT, but thankfully the week worked out and I seem to be on track to get completely caught up. This usually happens a couple of times a year, usually during a trip, a film festival or my yearly BNAT breakdown. There are a lot of awesome titles and offers here – so without further gab – well, I do have to say that the linked titles and pics will take you to their respective AMAZON pages where you can learn more, or purchase the item in question, which will give back a bit to this column, which I endeavor to keep up. Here ya go…

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

STAR TREK

Ever since getting the STAR TREK Blu-Ray, I have pretty much been compulsively watching and rewatching the film. Not only that, but I’ve watched and rewatched the extras, seen it with commentary twice – and this is truly an illness. I don’t do that with films often. There is a rewatchability to JJ’s STAR TREK that is absolutely captivating to me. Not only that, but the behind the scenes show a great deal of understanding regarding the best of genre filmmaking history. Listening to what they were aiming for in each scene, the films in particular they reference – it isn’t a great surprise for you and me – the influences are there for all to see, but what I love… what I absolutely love is that they captured the essence of what made, what they were drawing from great, without holding to the letter – and while also making it all patently STAR TREK. Just watching the up-scaling of the adventure and effects – of watching JJ banging on the camera, then ILM monkeys creating a mocap thing to recreate the motion in the computer, for their effects shots… to keep it thematic throughout. Honestly, it made me smile so much seeing SMART filmmaking at play. And after various revelations in the making of, I’d stop – and rewatch the film looking and noticing what it was they did.

What you see linked here is the Limited Edition of 5,000 – Amazon Exclusive for STAR TREK. There’s no additional film material, you just get the solid metal Enterprise, but ya know what. It is the fucking Enterprise. And for geeks like us – we have several. Maybe you don’t. Maybe you look down on people with metal Enterprises crafted by the same company that made the Enterprise for the movie… Maybe, you’re a grown up and don’t feel the need to gather awesome rememberances like this. For me – I’m quite fond of that Enterprise. And this movie has really done something remarkable. Something that I have to say, I honestly thought was very unlikely. It made STAR TREK extremely cool to geek about – in a way that it was never popularly regarded as. Well, at least not since prior to Star Wars. Now, let’s see where they take us next!

FIGHT CLUB (Blu Ray)

You know. Watching FIGHT CLUB ten years later is an experience. Watching the buildings topple, reminds us of 9/11. Rebooting the financial system is now something we hear seriously discussed on talk shows. And we all want to fight William Shatner. Heh. FIGHT CLUB is an amazing film that still makes me incredibly happy. The Blu Ray is perfection. 4 different commentaries, lots of other extras! My favorite is the deconstruction of Angel’s face beating!

GONE WITH THE WIND (70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition) Blu Ray

I really love this Collector’s Edition. I love the correspondences from Selznick, the 52 page book, the Watercolor repros, the repro of the original program – the cd of music, etc. For films like GONE WITH THE WIND, WIZARD OF OZ, CASABLANCA – the classics… I really love these robust collector’s editions. The film looks stunning on Blu-Ray. The Technicolor pops like few other films. I just watched a bit of the print, because a friend of mine that has never seen GONE WITH THE WIND… I’m saving watching the whole movie for. That said, I love the 1939 Documentary on here. I saw it first on TCM, but it looks better off this Blu Ray… The burning of Atlanta scene is just jaw-dropping on Blu. And it really does have the best tree ever in cinema. At least I think so.

THE PROFESSIONAL (Blu-Ray)

I have a long standing passionate love affair with THE PROFESSIONAL. It is a film, that at any moment of my life, since it has come out, that I can watch from beginning to end and just feel great about. There are moments of calm, before phenomenal acceleration that just feels like all the oxygen in my body is being taken from me, and replaced with a euphoric sense of hyper-reality – and I just want to squeal like a little girl and kick my feet in the air and then I smile so big that tears well up in my eyes and I scream “I LOVE LEON!!!” And I dream endlessly of a film I hope is never made, but that I dream of called MATHILDA… but honestly, I never need to see it. I’d rather talk with friends about the hypothetical film for hours on end, forever. This isn’t a super-edition. There’s just 4 featurettes, no commentary. At some point, hopefully there will be a jaw-dropping edition that has the cast reflecting upon the film, what it did for their careers, their memories making it – along with other filmmakers that worship and bow down to the film – admitting that and celebrating that. Because THE PROFESSIONAL nails it. It is genius!

BRUNO

Bored the fuck out of me.

GALAXY QUEST (Blu Ray)

I love GALAXY QUEST. I remember the morning that I had to head out to see this. I had a private advance advance screening for this – because I was going to be reviewing it on AT THE MOVIES with Roger Ebert. The trailers sucked for the film. The posters looked terrible. And I genuinely hated Tim Allen’s TV show. I went into this after months of trash talking everything we saw in advance. It looked like crap. And then you watch the movie. And you realize, nobody in marketing really got it, but it found an audience in spite of that. Critics loved it. Those that saw it, loved it. And I loved reviewing it with Roger. This was the first film that had “Two Thumbs Up,” where one of them thumbs was mine! The BluRay has many fine extras – but the one of Sigourney Weaver rapping… it may very well be my favorite extra of all time. At least at the moment.

ROME: The Complete Series (Blu Ray)

A brilliant show, brilliantly presented in beautiful high def. Isn’t it amazing how awesome a historical series is, when it sticks to history, but is brilliant enough to create a bit of fiction to help sell it. We hear they’re doing a ROME movie – All I know is this is a series that I wish never ended. This is one of the great Television shows. This is the way to see it.

THIRST

A brilliant vampire romantic epic that will just blow you away. Chan Wook Park is working at the peak of his talents here. Creating a shocking story of romantic obsession wrapped around the violent blood lusts of new-borne vampires. Astonishingly personal and subtle acting that sells the souls of these characters. Amongst my favorite films of this year. Which is a pretty extraordinary year btw.

THE SOPRANOS: The Complete Series

This is a repackage. The price difference from the previous edition is about $30. Why the fuck is this series not on Blu Ray?

DOWNHILL RACER

Stunning cinematography, Redford at his handsome good-looking best, but the film is told in such a dry manner, that I found myself drifting and losing interest. I thought this would be a sure thing for me, but while I enjoyed the photography – frankly, it’ll look better during the 2010 Winter Olympics which will be in HD on TV. This is one of those very naturalistic films where it isn’t about high drama, they just let the scenes speak for themselves and I found it boring. Stunning photography though.

IS ANYBODY THERE?

Caine plays a retired magician forced to live in a retirement home where he has to deal with the kid from SON OF RAMBOW – It is funny, heart-breaking and very compelling. If you love Michael Caine, it is a must see. It is a little film that had a small release – and you may remember Quint chatting to Michael Caine about it in Vegas earlier this year. Nice to finally see it!

Kevin Smith Box Set (CLERKS / CHASING AMY / JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK ) Blu-Ray

Now you can absolutely marvel at the visual masterpiece that is CLERKS. The sweeping crane shots, the Steadicam, the endless variety of filters and lenses. It is truly a work that you can only fully appreciate through the sanctity of Blu Ray. I kid, I kid. We all read Kevin’s self-loathing tweets about his films even being on Blu Ray, but frankly… I don’t need gobs of style if the writing and the performances count. And Kevin has the capacity for brilliant moments of depth and emotion between the juvenile humor and the outrageous gags. I hat that ZACK & MIRI didn’t perform well, I laughed my ass of during that film and really loved those characters, but I have to say I’m very interested in his latest film because it purports to be a radical shift in what Kevin does as a filmmaker and writer. Even if there’s a dick joke in the title. I wish there were more extras on the JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK disc, and I wish this set had a larger collection of Kevin’s work. Getting MALLRATS and DOGMA would have been killer. But ya know what – these are three of Kevin’s very best works. Great to have on Blu!

SEX, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE (Blu-Ray)

This was one of the first films I saw, that redefined my film watching life upon starting college in 1989. I really had no idea what I was walking into. This film is sexy, without being crude. Adult without being juvenile. Compelling without sacrificing intelligence – and it has a style all its own. The performances of Andie, John, Peter and Laura are uniformly honest, sensual and is a brilliant first film from a filmmaker that has shown a capacity for Mainstream success, while also having an incredibly experimental and thrilling ability to switch hit from the Art House to playing in Every House. A truly great independent film done quite beautifully on this Blu Ray!

FRANKLYN

Further evidence of the failure of the independent distribution system in the United States. None of us in the U.S. had an opportunity to see this wonderfully complex film – that reminds one of the best work of Alex Proyas – while also evoking the work of Terry Gilliam. FRANKLYN isn’t a superhero film, though one of the characters believes it is… at least in his mind. The film that follows is stunning. The alternate universe is beautifully rendered and atmospheric as all hell. At least the company that got the video rights in the US is putting it on Blu Ray and did a pretty damn fine job of it. But how a movie, this good, with these visuals, couldn’t find a theatrical window in the US. Well, it tells us there’s something seriously wrong with the industry and how they’re operating.

Avant-Garde 3: Experimental Cinema 1922-1954

As you can tell, this is the third in an amazing series that has found brilliant little jewels from the underground film scene – that has had a unique and quiet life. The folks at KINO have done a consistently amazing job with this series. And if you’re adventurous as a film watcher at all – this is the exact sort of thing that these columns of mine are meant to inform you about. The mainstream stuff you can read about on most ever website online, but it falls upon these releases, where you can see the 1928 version of THE TELL-TALE HEART – which will kinda blow your mind… where you go, WOW. Where the hell did that come from? You’ll say that often in this set, as well as the previous two. Here’s what you get:

DISC ONE:

DANSE MACABRE (US 1922 Color Tinted 6 Min.) Dir: Dudley Murphy

RIEN QUE LES HEURES (Nothing But Time) (US 1926 B&W 46 Min.) Dir: Alberto Cavalcanti - Music by Larry Marotta

THE TELL-TALE HEART (US 1928 B&W 20 Min.) Dir: Charles F. Klein - Music by Sue Harshe

TARANTELLA (US 1940 Color 4 Min.) Dir: Mary Ellen Bute and Ted Nemeth

TOMATOS ANOTHER DAY (US 1930 B&W 7 Min.) Dir: James Sibley Watson

THE UNCOMFORTABLE MAN (US 1948 B&W 23 Min. Intentionally silent) (Dir: Kent Munson and Theodore Huff)

THE PETRIFIED DOG (US 1948 B&W 18 Min.) Dir: Sidney Peterson

THE LEAD SHOES (US 1949 B&W 16 Min.) Dir: Sidney Peterson

FOUR IN THE AFTERNOON (US 1951 B&W 14 Min.) Dir: James Broughton

DISC TWO:

PLAGUE SUMMER (US 1951 B&W 15 Min.) Dir: Chester Kessler

LA MORT DU CERF (The Death of a Stag) (France 1951 B&W 12 Min.) Dir: Dimitri Kirsanoff

IMAGE IN THE SNOW (US 1952 B&W 26 Min.) Dir: Willard Maas

CELERY STALKS AT MIDNIGHT (France 1952 Color 3 Min.) Dir: John Whitney

THE VOICES (US 1953 B&W 14 Min.) Dir: John E. Schmitz

CLOSED VISION (US 1954 B&W 65 Min.) Dir: Marc O

BONUS FILMS:

EPISODES IN THE LIFE OF A GIN BOTTLE (US 1925 B&W 11 Min.) Dir: Bela von Block - Music by Paul Mercer, Bruce Bennett and Davis Petterson

SCHICHLEGRUBER DOING THE LAMBETH WALK (UK 1941 B&W 2 Min.) Dir: Charles A. Ridley

FALLING PINK (US circa late 1950s Color 9 Min.) Dir: Robert H. Spring - Music by Paul Mercer and Bruce Bennett

DEMENTIA (excerpt) (US 1955 B&W 5 Min.) Dir: John Parker

TOMATOS ANOTHER DAY (outtakes) (US 1930 B&W 5 Min.) Dir: James Sibley Watson

MELODY

This movie is wonderful, very probably the best film about puppy love ever created. It reunites the brilliant team from OLIVER! Of Mark Lester and Jack Wild. But, I have truly terrible news for you. The print is shit and the aspect is FULL SCREEN. Come on! This is very nearly 2010, the year we make contact. We can, we must do better. Somebody. Please. Do better!

TAINTLIGHT

I know nothing about this film. I wasn’t sent a screener, but the title and tagline made me giggle and curious. I’ve no idea just how filthy or clean it is. And I take no responsibility for it beyond just childishly giggling about the word: TAINTLIGHT.

Michel Gondry 2: More Videos Before & After DVD 1

Yes, please! You never really can have too much Michel Gondry. Look at this:

1 Music Video - Michael Andrews Ft. Gary Jules "Mad World"
2 Music Video - Paul Mccartney "Dance Tonight"
3 Music Video - Thomas Dolby "Close But No Cigar"
4 Music Video - Björk "Declare Independence"
5 Music Video - Steriogram "Walkie Talkie Man"
6 Music Video - The Willowz "I Wonder"
7 Music Video - Beck "Cellphone'S Dead"
8 Music Video - The White Stripes "The Denial Twist"
9 Music Video - Donald Fagen "Snowbound"
10 Music Video - Cody Chesnutt "King Of The Game"
11 Music Video - Sinead O'Connor "Fire On Babylon"
12 Music Video - Queen With Wyclef Jean Ft. Pras & Free "Another One Bites The Dust"
13 Music Video - Radiohead "Knives Out"
14 Music Video - Dick Annegarn "Soleil Du Soir"
15 Music Video - Sananda Maitreya "She Kissed Me"
16 Music Video - Sheryl Crow "A Change Would Do You Good"
17 Music Video - The Black Crowes "High Head Blues"
18 Music Video - Leafbirds "It Can All Be Taken Away"
19 Music Video - The Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter"
20 Music Video - Energy Orchard "How The West Was Won"
21 Behind The Scenes - Behind - The - Scenes Of The White Stripes "The Denial Twist"
22 Behind The Scenes - Behind - The - Scenes Of Beck "Cellphone'S Dead"
23 Behind The Scenes - Behind - The - Scenes Of Paul Mccartney "Dance Tonight"
24 Behind The Scenes - Behind - The - Scenes Of Radiohead "Knives Out"
25 Behind The Scenes - Behind - The - Scenes Of Steriogram "Walkie Talkie Man"
26 Behind The Scenes - Behind - The - Scenes Of Björk "Declare Independence"
27 Other Works - The Simpsons Parody Of The White Stripes Video
28 Other Works - Booker T And The Michel Gondry'S
29 Other Works - Michel Gondry Solves A Rubik'S Cube® With His Feet
30 Other Works - Michel Gondry Solves A Rubik'S Cube® With His Nose
31 Other Works - Jack Black Beats Michel Gondry With His Rubik'S Cubes®
32 Other Works - Herve Di Rosa "Viva Di Rosa"
33 Other Works - Conan & The Big Head
34 Other Works - Paul Gondry'S The Willowz "Take A Look Around"
35 Other Works - How To Blow Up A Helicopter (Ayako'S Story)
36 Other Works - Forum Des Images "L' Histoire De L'Univers"

How could you not want all those bits of awesome?

Shaw Brothers Metal Tin: Epic Heroes ( HEROES SHED NO TEARS (1978), THE HEROIC ONES, DELIGHTFUL FOREST, TWO CHAMPIONS OF SHAOLIN )

This is a very nice set. Featuring titles that you may not instantly know, but kick quite a bit of ass. The first, HEROES SHED NO TEARS is a period martial arts film featuring some of the strongest talent in the Shaw Brothers staple. I find it far better than Woo’s film of the same name, made years later. The fighting isn’t the best – and features mainly sword and spearplay. But it is an outstanding film. THE HEROIC ONES features one of my favorite stars of the Shaw world, David Chiang – along with the great Ti Lung. It is a very huge 2 hour historical adventure – with the incredibly charismatic David Chiang leading the way. Also – look for the awesome Bolo Yeung, yeah, that guy!!! DELIGHTFUL FOREST is fucking incredible. Again featuring Ti Lung and the rather wonderful scores of ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST and DUCK YOU SUCKER – while being a huge epic period martial arts film… it kinda feels like it belongs in the Tarantino universe due to the use of existing scores. Oh – and it just kicks all manners of ass. The last is TWO CHAMPIONS OF SHAOLIN, directed by the great Chang Cheh, who also helmed THE HEROIC ONES btw, as a result you’ll find this to be a bit darker than than the others. It is the least of the 4 in my opinion, but it is still very much worth checking out, especially for fans of Shaw Brothers films!

That’s it for last week, now to get totally caught up with today’s jewels!