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DVDs: Strippers, Miners and the Twee
Wes Anderson Strikes Again
MOONRISE KINGDOM ($34.98
BluRay combo; Universal) -- At this
point, either you find director WesAnderson's sensibility tiresome and tweeor you used to like it but can't bear thecult of personality around his body ofwork or you're in all the way. I'm in allthe way and I know I'll be seeing hismovies for years to come, just like I sawevery Woody Allen movie for a decade.It's the same film he's made before?Hardly, but it is made with the same careand distinctive style; someone calledthem bespoke films and that captures itperfectly. Wes Anderson's movies arehandmade and keyed to his particular
concerns and from the wonderfully shot first scene to the last you know you are
experiencing exactly what he wants you to. This tale of a young boy and girl who are
rebellions (he's an orphan and she's unmoored because her parents are slipping away
from each other). They fall in love and run away. And then they're found. But mixed in is
classical music, a superior Khaki Scout troop leader (an amusing Edward Norton) and
Anderson's usual cast of characters including Bill Murray. It's intelligent, funny and hasmore genuine emotion than any live action movie he's made since The Royal
Tennenbaums . Which is another way of saying, yes, this is a new Wes Anderson film just
like the last Wes Anderson film but just as with Woody in his heyday every two or three
films there'd be a corker. This one is a corker.
MAGIC MIKE ($35.99 BluRay combo;
Warner Bros.) -- I saw this movie withmy sister, 200 other women and maybe --maybe! -- two other men. But guysneedn't avoid this flick in fear if theirgirlfriends or wives want to watch it. It'smuch closer to Boogie Nights than say
Coyote Ugly or a genuine chick flick.
Director Steven Soderbergh is definitelytrying for a serious story here amongst allthe skin and fun, the age old story of anew kid mentored by an older pro tryingto make it in a rough and tough industry.Soderbergh doesn't succeed but the resultis more interesting than you might
April 28, 2014
This is the print preview:
Back to normal view »
Posted: 10/25/2012 5:09 pm
expect, Matthew McConaughey has fun as
the wiley head of the male stripper club and Channing Tatum edges closer to the earnest
appeal of a Mark Wahlberg than one would have imagined he was capable of. Besides,guys, you might learn a few good dance moves.
THE MINERS' HYMNS ($29.98 DVD;
Icarus)MARINA ABRAMOVIC: THEARTIST IS PRESENT ($29.95 DVD;
Music Box)2016: OBAMA'S AMERICA ($19.98
DVD; Lionsgate)CHELY WRIGHT WISH ME AWAY($27.95 DVD; First Run)STEPHEN HAWKINGS' BRAVENEW WORLD ($49.99 DVD; Athena) --
The Miners' Hymns is quite simply one of
the best and most beautiful films of the
year. Director Bill Morrison (the
landmark Decasia ) sculpts found footage
of life in an England mining town into an
elegy for a vanishing way of life and theunion movement that forged it and kept it
alive for decades. The fights between
unions and management provide
arresting moments, as do annual
gatherings of unionists from around the
country. But this wordless spectacletranscends the specific and you certainly
don't need to own a copy of The Ragged
Trousered Philanthropist in order to
enjoy it. The capper is a stunning score by
Johann Johannsson that makes thismontage positively mesmerizing and givesit the feel of a grand state funeral. Threebonus shorts include more innovativework by Morrison but it's The Miners'Hymns that will linger in your memory.
A thoroughly original work. Otherdocumentaries out now include a look atthe acclaimed performance artist MarinaAbramovic, the silly conspiracy-theoryminded documentary 2016: Obama'sAmerica which somehow became one of
the most successful documentary films ofall time, the inspiring look at countrysinger Chely Wright's decision to comeout professionally and a UK TV series inwhich Steven Hawking guides you to thewonders of science like driver-less carsand exo-skeletons that can help thephysically challenged walk.
NEIL YOUNG JOURNEYS ($35.99
BluRay; Sony Pictures Classics) --
Director Jonathan Demme has madethree concert film documentaries withNeil Young and each one is distinctive,just like Young's increasingly impressivebody of work. Heart of Gold captured
Young's gentle acoustic side, Trunk Show
stepped closer to his rocking side and thisquirky combination of road movie hasYoung reminiscing about his life (Younghas just published a rambling memoir)interspersed with more music, mainlyfrom his fiercely loud solo album Le
Noise , which I loved. An original.
MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE'S MOSTWANTED ($39.99 BluRay combo with
rainbow wig; Paramount/DreamWorks)SECRET OF THE WINGS ($49.99
BluRay combo; Disney)LOONEY TUNES PLATINUMCOLLECTION VOLUME TWO($44.98 BluRay; Warner Bros.) --Madagascar 3 is out! Sadly, the most
amusing part of this release is the
rainbow wig that comes with the deluxe
edition. This remains one of the moreanonymous and puzzlingly successful
animation franchises to date. There's no
secret as to why a string of straight-to-
DVD movies starring Tinkerbell are
smash hits. Disney spares no expense in
making this releases far superior to TV orother straight-to-DVD releases. In thisstory, Tink makes a new fairy friendthat's just like her (literally) and of courselessons are learned but it's painless andquite pretty at times. Don't be surprised ifthe directors Roberts Gannaway andPeggy Holmes (who also worked on thescript) make the leap to feature filmssoon. Finally, you probably already knowthat Looney Tunes is responsible forsome of the greatest animated shorts inhistory. You get a grab bag of stuff on thisBluRay release including some genuinerarities that are unfortunately slappedonto a third disc in so-so quality becausethey didn't have the money or time toremaster them, The main shorts lookgreat and are worth getting of course. Butthis entire series is a mishmash of over-lapping collections (Volume Two of thisBluRay series doesn't even use the samepackaging as Volume One, which isannoying) that repeat all sorts of classic
titles and leave others out of the mix.
Genuine fans who eagerly buy this stuff
are frustrated and it's easy to see why.
Develop one or two disc greatest hits
packages for the casual fans and genuineboxed sets that cover the runs of LooneyTunes and Merrie Melodies and other
facets of their library in exhaustive, loving
form and everyone will win. it's their
legacy and it's more valuable than ever topreserve and present in top form, thanks
to streaming services that make this stuff
invaluable. Now do it right.
FEAR AND DESIRE ($29.95 DVD;
Kino)
LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWNWOMAN ($24.95 BluRay;
Olive/Paramount)THREE SECRETS ($24.95 BluRay;
Olive/Paramount)UPTIGHT ($29.95 BluRay;
Olive/Paramount) -- Stanley Kubrickalways tried to disown his debut filmFear And Desire. He never mentioned it
and tried to keep it from ever beingshown. That's silly. It's by no means good,but given his career it will always be ofinterest to fans (especially given itsoverlap with Full Metal Jacket and Paths
Of Glory , not to mention director Paul
Mazursky in a role). Kino also includes adocumentary short Kubrick released thesame year that makes this essential forcompletists of the director. I'm going torip apart Universal soon for their shoddyrelease of an Alfred Hitchcock boxed set.But somehow I have different standardsfor tiny companies trying to makeavailable lesser known films that wouldotherwise not be seen at all. Still, it'sheartbreaking to see a classic like MaxOphuls' Letter From An Unknown
Woman out on BluRay in anything other
than a superior, remastered version itrichly deserves. Still, I suppose it's betterthan nothing and shocking that such a
major film hasn't been around for ages.
Three Secrets is a far lesser melodrama
directed by Robert Wise but it's also ofinterest. Uptight is the real surprise: it's a
Jules Dassin remake of John Ford's TheInformers set in a Cleveland ghetto and
with a score by Booker T and the MGs.I've never even heard of it, much less seenit. All three look okay on BluRay, nothingspecial and no extras to speak of.
*****
Most titles listed here will be available inmultiple formats and in multiplecombinations, including DVD, BluRay,digital download, video on demand,streaming and the like. The format listedis the format provided for review, not allthe formats available. It is often the mostexpensive version with the most extras.Do check individual titles for availabilityin all their various guises and pricepoints.
Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the
co-host of Showbiz Sandbox , a weekly
pop culture podcast that reveals the
industry take on entertainment news of
the day and features top journalists andopinion makers as guests. It's available
for free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz athis website and his daily blog . Download
his podcast of celebrity interviews andhis radio show, also called Popsurfingand also available for free on iTunes.
Link to him on Netflix and gain access to
thousands of ratings and reviews.
Note : Michael Giltz is provided with free
copies of DVDs and Blu-Rays with the
understanding that he would beconsidering them for review. Generally,he does not guarantee to review and hereceives far more titles than he cancover.
Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz
Wes Anderson Strikes Again
MOONRISE KINGDOM ($34.98
BluRay combo; Universal) -- At this
point, either you find director WesAnderson's sensibility tiresome and tweeor you used to like it but can't bear thecult of personality around his body ofwork or you're in all the way. I'm in allthe way and I know I'll be seeing hismovies for years to come, just like I sawevery Woody Allen movie for a decade.It's the same film he's made before?Hardly, but it is made with the same careand distinctive style; someone calledthem bespoke films and that captures itperfectly. Wes Anderson's movies arehandmade and keyed to his particular
concerns and from the wonderfully shot first scene to the last you know you are
experiencing exactly what he wants you to. This tale of a young boy and girl who are
rebellions (he's an orphan and she's unmoored because her parents are slipping away
from each other). They fall in love and run away. And then they're found. But mixed in is
classical music, a superior Khaki Scout troop leader (an amusing Edward Norton) and
Anderson's usual cast of characters including Bill Murray. It's intelligent, funny and hasmore genuine emotion than any live action movie he's made since The Royal
Tennenbaums . Which is another way of saying, yes, this is a new Wes Anderson film just
like the last Wes Anderson film but just as with Woody in his heyday every two or three
films there'd be a corker. This one is a corker.
MAGIC MIKE ($35.99 BluRay combo;
Warner Bros.) -- I saw this movie withmy sister, 200 other women and maybe --maybe! -- two other men. But guysneedn't avoid this flick in fear if theirgirlfriends or wives want to watch it. It'smuch closer to Boogie Nights than say
Coyote Ugly or a genuine chick flick.
Director Steven Soderbergh is definitelytrying for a serious story here amongst allthe skin and fun, the age old story of anew kid mentored by an older pro tryingto make it in a rough and tough industry.Soderbergh doesn't succeed but the resultis more interesting than you might
April 28, 2014
This is the print preview:
Back to normal view »
Posted: 10/25/2012 5:09 pm
expect, Matthew McConaughey has fun as
the wiley head of the male stripper club and Channing Tatum edges closer to the earnest
appeal of a Mark Wahlberg than one would have imagined he was capable of. Besides,guys, you might learn a few good dance moves.
THE MINERS' HYMNS ($29.98 DVD;
Icarus)MARINA ABRAMOVIC: THEARTIST IS PRESENT ($29.95 DVD;
Music Box)2016: OBAMA'S AMERICA ($19.98
DVD; Lionsgate)CHELY WRIGHT WISH ME AWAY($27.95 DVD; First Run)STEPHEN HAWKINGS' BRAVENEW WORLD ($49.99 DVD; Athena) --
The Miners' Hymns is quite simply one of
the best and most beautiful films of the
year. Director Bill Morrison (the
landmark Decasia ) sculpts found footage
of life in an England mining town into an
elegy for a vanishing way of life and theunion movement that forged it and kept it
alive for decades. The fights between
unions and management provide
arresting moments, as do annual
gatherings of unionists from around the
country. But this wordless spectacletranscends the specific and you certainly
don't need to own a copy of The Ragged
Trousered Philanthropist in order to
enjoy it. The capper is a stunning score by
Johann Johannsson that makes thismontage positively mesmerizing and givesit the feel of a grand state funeral. Threebonus shorts include more innovativework by Morrison but it's The Miners'Hymns that will linger in your memory.
A thoroughly original work. Otherdocumentaries out now include a look atthe acclaimed performance artist MarinaAbramovic, the silly conspiracy-theoryminded documentary 2016: Obama'sAmerica which somehow became one of
the most successful documentary films ofall time, the inspiring look at countrysinger Chely Wright's decision to comeout professionally and a UK TV series inwhich Steven Hawking guides you to thewonders of science like driver-less carsand exo-skeletons that can help thephysically challenged walk.
NEIL YOUNG JOURNEYS ($35.99
BluRay; Sony Pictures Classics) --
Director Jonathan Demme has madethree concert film documentaries withNeil Young and each one is distinctive,just like Young's increasingly impressivebody of work. Heart of Gold captured
Young's gentle acoustic side, Trunk Show
stepped closer to his rocking side and thisquirky combination of road movie hasYoung reminiscing about his life (Younghas just published a rambling memoir)interspersed with more music, mainlyfrom his fiercely loud solo album Le
Noise , which I loved. An original.
MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE'S MOSTWANTED ($39.99 BluRay combo with
rainbow wig; Paramount/DreamWorks)SECRET OF THE WINGS ($49.99
BluRay combo; Disney)LOONEY TUNES PLATINUMCOLLECTION VOLUME TWO($44.98 BluRay; Warner Bros.) --Madagascar 3 is out! Sadly, the most
amusing part of this release is the
rainbow wig that comes with the deluxe
edition. This remains one of the moreanonymous and puzzlingly successful
animation franchises to date. There's no
secret as to why a string of straight-to-
DVD movies starring Tinkerbell are
smash hits. Disney spares no expense in
making this releases far superior to TV orother straight-to-DVD releases. In thisstory, Tink makes a new fairy friendthat's just like her (literally) and of courselessons are learned but it's painless andquite pretty at times. Don't be surprised ifthe directors Roberts Gannaway andPeggy Holmes (who also worked on thescript) make the leap to feature filmssoon. Finally, you probably already knowthat Looney Tunes is responsible forsome of the greatest animated shorts inhistory. You get a grab bag of stuff on thisBluRay release including some genuinerarities that are unfortunately slappedonto a third disc in so-so quality becausethey didn't have the money or time toremaster them, The main shorts lookgreat and are worth getting of course. Butthis entire series is a mishmash of over-lapping collections (Volume Two of thisBluRay series doesn't even use the samepackaging as Volume One, which isannoying) that repeat all sorts of classic
titles and leave others out of the mix.
Genuine fans who eagerly buy this stuff
are frustrated and it's easy to see why.
Develop one or two disc greatest hits
packages for the casual fans and genuineboxed sets that cover the runs of LooneyTunes and Merrie Melodies and other
facets of their library in exhaustive, loving
form and everyone will win. it's their
legacy and it's more valuable than ever topreserve and present in top form, thanks
to streaming services that make this stuff
invaluable. Now do it right.
FEAR AND DESIRE ($29.95 DVD;
Kino)
LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWNWOMAN ($24.95 BluRay;
Olive/Paramount)THREE SECRETS ($24.95 BluRay;
Olive/Paramount)UPTIGHT ($29.95 BluRay;
Olive/Paramount) -- Stanley Kubrickalways tried to disown his debut filmFear And Desire. He never mentioned it
and tried to keep it from ever beingshown. That's silly. It's by no means good,but given his career it will always be ofinterest to fans (especially given itsoverlap with Full Metal Jacket and Paths
Of Glory , not to mention director Paul
Mazursky in a role). Kino also includes adocumentary short Kubrick released thesame year that makes this essential forcompletists of the director. I'm going torip apart Universal soon for their shoddyrelease of an Alfred Hitchcock boxed set.But somehow I have different standardsfor tiny companies trying to makeavailable lesser known films that wouldotherwise not be seen at all. Still, it'sheartbreaking to see a classic like MaxOphuls' Letter From An Unknown
Woman out on BluRay in anything other
than a superior, remastered version itrichly deserves. Still, I suppose it's betterthan nothing and shocking that such a
major film hasn't been around for ages.
Three Secrets is a far lesser melodrama
directed by Robert Wise but it's also ofinterest. Uptight is the real surprise: it's a
Jules Dassin remake of John Ford's TheInformers set in a Cleveland ghetto and
with a score by Booker T and the MGs.I've never even heard of it, much less seenit. All three look okay on BluRay, nothingspecial and no extras to speak of.
*****
Most titles listed here will be available inmultiple formats and in multiplecombinations, including DVD, BluRay,digital download, video on demand,streaming and the like. The format listedis the format provided for review, not allthe formats available. It is often the mostexpensive version with the most extras.Do check individual titles for availabilityin all their various guises and pricepoints.
Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the
co-host of Showbiz Sandbox , a weekly
pop culture podcast that reveals the
industry take on entertainment news of
the day and features top journalists andopinion makers as guests. It's available
for free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz athis website and his daily blog . Download
his podcast of celebrity interviews andhis radio show, also called Popsurfingand also available for free on iTunes.
Link to him on Netflix and gain access to
thousands of ratings and reviews.
Note : Michael Giltz is provided with free
copies of DVDs and Blu-Rays with the
understanding that he would beconsidering them for review. Generally,he does not guarantee to review and hereceives far more titles than he cancover.
Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz