The Top 5 DVD's of the week - 3/16/10
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Mar 15 2010, 6:03 PM
PICK OF THE WEEK – Twilight: New Moon (DVD/Blu-ray)
I am a single gentleman, and I have learned - and quickly - that it’s best not to make fun of Twilight around women. To wit, I had a conversation with a female coworker lightly mocking the Mormon vampire franchise, and was told (by someone I thought was rather cool) that she had not only read all the books, but had snuck out to see New Moon opening weekend. A week later I went on a date and found out that the girl was also a Twi-hard. A hot 21 year old I made acquaintances with also preached about the books. Quality has nothing to do with it, deserve has nothing to do with it, this shit is popular. This weekend proved that the franchise is singular in that Robert Pattinson couldn’t open a film where he wasn’t vamping it up, and few went to the theater for the trailer as they knew they could watch it at home. This film is supposedly more polished than the first, and I hope to never see either. I’m happy knowing that there are pop culture things that I can let go. Were I ten years younger, I might have watched this to hate on it. Experience has taught me that this is not a smart strategy when ladies love on something.
REISSUE – Mystery Science Theater 3000: XVII (DVD)
I have yet to meet a filmmaker who likes Mystery Science Theater 3000. Or that is to say I’ve heard people like Edgar Wright, Quentin Tarantino and Joe Dante shun the show. I can’t blame them. It’s a sacred thing to make a movie. Sacred. And yet I have a very soft spot for MST3K, as I love bad movies and snarky commentary. This set is notable for featuring the first MST episode ever, The Crawling Eye, which comes with a special introduction by Joel Hodgson. The set also features two Joel episodes, and two Mike episodes, with the Mike Nelson’s from seasons nine and ten. The latter-era episodes have been beat up on by some die-hards, partly because there’s a “Curly Joe”-era Three Stooges desperation of having lost so many of the original key players, but they could deliver the funny even if some of their films deserved better.
NEW – Armored (Blu-ray/DVD)
His name is Nimrod Antal, and he’s stepping on sacred ground. Antal is the director of Predators, the rebootquel (part reboot, probably not stepping on continuity - unknown at the moment), and Armored is his most recent film. He directed Vacancy after gaining attention for his film Kontrol, and obviously Robert Rodriguez believes in him enough to give him all the guns. Armored came out and disappeared, but with the video release, I keep hearing that it’s a solid B-picture, and with a cast that features Fred Ward, Jean Reno, and Laurence Fishburne, it can’t be all bad.
RETRO– Fallen Angels (Blu-ray)
Wong Kar-wai is one of the great masters of modern cinema, and I celebrate his entire catalog. I should probably be embarrassed about this as I’ve had conversations with people who’ve soured on his formula. And to be fair it’s evident in My Blueberry Nights, where romantic longing, a good soundtrack and manic pixie dream girls litter the screen. And yet, the way he frames and lights leaves me in a good cinematic place. Fallen Angels is in his hot period, and it was his follow-up to the Chungking Express/Ashes of Time run, and was started as the third chapter of Chungking Express. I see it as developmental, as the next stage of his career seems to have been the evolution of Happy Together, In the Mood For Love, and 2046. But if you watch Fallen Angels, you’ll see the inspiration for hundreds of music videos.
NEW – SuicideGirls: Guide to Living (Blu-ray/DVD)
Plot description: “Through a series of titillating vignettes, the infamous SuicideGirls create a useful guide to their edgy lifestyle. These segments show how the provocative SuicideGirls handle life's challenges such as performing a strip tease, faking an orgasm and skinny dipping. Also included is a never-before-seen sneak peek at the Girls' first theatrical release, SUICIDE GIRLS MUST DIE!” Though there is a sense this phenomenon peaked a long while ago, naked girls with tats has a… universal appeal in its way. As does soft-core. These girls need their Russ Meyer, any applicants?
PICK OF THE WEEK – Twilight: New Moon (DVD/Blu-ray)
I am a single gentleman, and I have learned - and quickly - that it’s best not to make fun of Twilight around women. To wit, I had a conversation with a female coworker lightly mocking the Mormon vampire franchise, and was told (by someone I thought was rather cool) that she had not only read all the books, but had snuck out to see New Moon opening weekend. A week later I went on a date and found out that the girl was also a Twi-hard. A hot 21 year old I made acquaintances with also preached about the books. Quality has nothing to do with it, deserve has nothing to do with it, this shit is popular. This weekend proved that the franchise is singular in that Robert Pattinson couldn’t open a film where he wasn’t vamping it up, and few went to the theater for the trailer as they knew they could watch it at home. This film is supposedly more polished than the first, and I hope to never see either. I’m happy knowing that there are pop culture things that I can let go. Were I ten years younger, I might have watched this to hate on it. Experience has taught me that this is not a smart strategy when ladies love on something.
REISSUE – Mystery Science Theater 3000: XVII (DVD)
I have yet to meet a filmmaker who likes Mystery Science Theater 3000. Or that is to say I’ve heard people like Edgar Wright, Quentin Tarantino and Joe Dante shun the show. I can’t blame them. It’s a sacred thing to make a movie. Sacred. And yet I have a very soft spot for MST3K, as I love bad movies and snarky commentary. This set is notable for featuring the first MST episode ever, The Crawling Eye, which comes with a special introduction by Joel Hodgson. The set also features two Joel episodes, and two Mike episodes, with the Mike Nelson’s from seasons nine and ten. The latter-era episodes have been beat up on by some die-hards, partly because there’s a “Curly Joe”-era Three Stooges desperation of having lost so many of the original key players, but they could deliver the funny even if some of their films deserved better.
NEW – Armored (Blu-ray/DVD)
His name is Nimrod Antal, and he’s stepping on sacred ground. Antal is the director of Predators, the rebootquel (part reboot, probably not stepping on continuity - unknown at the moment), and Armored is his most recent film. He directed Vacancy after gaining attention for his film Kontrol, and obviously Robert Rodriguez believes in him enough to give him all the guns. Armored came out and disappeared, but with the video release, I keep hearing that it’s a solid B-picture, and with a cast that features Fred Ward, Jean Reno, and Laurence Fishburne, it can’t be all bad.
RETRO– Fallen Angels (Blu-ray)
Wong Kar-wai is one of the great masters of modern cinema, and I celebrate his entire catalog. I should probably be embarrassed about this as I’ve had conversations with people who’ve soured on his formula. And to be fair it’s evident in My Blueberry Nights, where romantic longing, a good soundtrack and manic pixie dream girls litter the screen. And yet, the way he frames and lights leaves me in a good cinematic place. Fallen Angels is in his hot period, and it was his follow-up to the Chungking Express/Ashes of Time run, and was started as the third chapter of Chungking Express. I see it as developmental, as the next stage of his career seems to have been the evolution of Happy Together, In the Mood For Love, and 2046. But if you watch Fallen Angels, you’ll see the inspiration for hundreds of music videos.
NEW – SuicideGirls: Guide to Living (Blu-ray/DVD)
Plot description: “Through a series of titillating vignettes, the infamous SuicideGirls create a useful guide to their edgy lifestyle. These segments show how the provocative SuicideGirls handle life's challenges such as performing a strip tease, faking an orgasm and skinny dipping. Also included is a never-before-seen sneak peek at the Girls' first theatrical release, SUICIDE GIRLS MUST DIE!” Though there is a sense this phenomenon peaked a long while ago, naked girls with tats has a… universal appeal in its way. As does soft-core. These girls need their Russ Meyer, any applicants?
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