Blu-ray World: THE LAST CIRCUS, STAKE LAND, A BETTER LIFE
My pick of the week: The Last Circus.
Alex de la Iglesia's very personal statement on the state of Spain is a magnificent, nearly incoherent slab of entertainment that punches a hole in your soul.
When he's clicking on all cylinders, as he is here, de la Iglesia expresses himself cinematically in a totally unique fashion. There are baroque flourishes side by side with neo-realistic drama, sensual rushes of sexual extremes curled up next to a haunting sense of loss, and it all builds to a crazed, extended ending that makes you feel like you're hanging upside down and all the blood in your body is flowing into your brain and demanding to be let loose. And Carolina Bang is a woman among women, both a male fantasy and a heart-ripping embodiment of independence and strength.
Our own J. Hurtado recently went into great detail, so I point you there. He calls Magnolia's Blu-ray "a perfect A/V specimen with perhaps a bit of a weakness in the extras."
Other Titles of Interest
U.K. (Region B)
Source: Amazon.co.uk
Amelie
Never understood the attraction, but Audrey Tautou sure is pretty.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Region Free)
Essential Werner Herzog.
Control
Ian Curtis and New Order. Really good.
Green Lantern (Extended Cut) (Region Free)
If you must.
Jackie Brown
Essential.
Pulp Fiction
Essential.
Retreat
Reverse home invasion thrills in an isolated cabin on an island off the coast of Wales, enlivened by good performances from Jamie Bell, Thandie Newton, and Cillian Murphy.
Stake Land (Region Free)
Redefining horror. One of the best of the year.
The Ward (Region Free)
Amber Heard in new horror from John Carpenter.
The Woman (Region Free)
Lucky McKee's controversial horror flick stars Pollyanna McIntosh in the titular role.
West Side Story: 50th Anniversary Edition
Robert Wise's musical.
U.S. (Region A)
Source: Amazon.com
Bad Teacher: Unrated Edition
Semi-raunchy comedy directed by Jake Kasdan. Not entirely successful, but definitely worth a rental. With Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake.
Batman: Year One
Animated, with voices of Bryan Cranston, Eliza Dushku, Katee Sackhoff.
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
Michael Rapaport's documentary.
A Better LifeSuperior drama stars Demian Bechir as a father who goes in search of his newly-acquired truck after it's stolen. Definitely worth a rental.
Cape Fear
Martin Scorsese's version, with Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, and Robert DeNiro. Always thought this was way overheated, but sometimes these things grow on you.
Clowns
Federico Fellino examines his own lifelong fascination with the circus and with clowns in this semi-documentary.
Darkness Falls
Moments of effectiveness get swallowed up by overall dirge-like tone, as I recall. Directed by Jonathan Liebesman.
Freerunner
Parkour thriller starring Sean Faris.
The Goonies
Kids' underground adventure. Not my thing, but I know there are many fans out there. Written by Chris Columbus; directed by Richard Donner.
The Guns of Navarone
Fairly good wartime adventure, from the Alistair MacLean novel. With David Niven, Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn, and Anthony Quayle. Advance word on Blu-ray is very positive.
Harimaya Bridge
A father with a grudge against Japanese people heads to Japan to collect his son's remains.
Hellraiser: Revelations
Help yourself.
The Hollywood Knights
Standard issue early 80s trashy comedy, notable mostly for the early presence of Michelle Pfeiffer.
The Howling Reborn
Help yourself.
Kuroneko: The Criterion Collection
A horror fable by Kaneto Shindo. Presumably, greatness.
Page One: Inside The New York Times
Sweet nirvana for newsprint nuts like myself.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Help yourself.
Red State
Horror, it says, written and directed by Kevin Smith.
The Robber
German cerebral thriller; a champion marathon runner also robs banks.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Complete Season Three
Animated.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
The original, and a personal favorite. With Gene Wilder.
