DVD releases for December 2

If you are not interested in one of the fifteen versions of Narnia, Wanted or Step Brothers, keep reading:



White Dog Criterion (1982) directed by Sam Fuller
Who says the 80s had no good films? This film has been waiting for a descent release for years. I saw this at the Walker maybe like ten years ago, and it is a pretty potent film. Rife with social analogies and a wry pessimism, White Dog stars Kristy McNichol as the innocent woman who adopts a dog trained to attack black people. The new transfer is enough to warrant this a must see DVD, which is good, because the special features seem to be novelty items at best. ("...a rare 1982 interview in which Fuller interviews the canine star of the film.")

Seeding of a Ghost (1983) directed by Richard Yeung Kuen
Watching the Shaw catalog carte blanche can be a very rewarding experience...but this might not be the film to start with. About as trashy as a horror film could get in 1983, Seeding of a Ghost can be a fun watch if you are in the right mind set.

Three Short Films by Werner Herzog: The Dark Glow of the Mountains (1985), Ballad of the Little Soldier (1984), Precaution Against Fanatics (1969)
Three short documentaries from Herzog. The Dark Glow of the Mountains: Werner Herzog's portrait of the world's foremost mountain climber, Reinhard Messner, becomes a thought-provoking rumination on the feat and exhilaration that drives men like Messner - and by association, Herzog himself - to continually seek new heights to conquer. Ballad of the Little Soldier: This is the story of the civil war in Nicaragua - between the government of Nicaragua and the CIA-backed Miskito Indians. Precaution Against Fanatics: Early documentation film, loose narration on horse racing.


My Father My Lord (2007) directed by David Volach
Here's on I missed at this Spring MSPIFF, but not because I wasn't interested in seeing it. My Father My Lord won best picture at Tribeca and earned a great amount of respect for first time director Volach.

My Mexican Shivah (2006) directed by Alejandro Springall
Another alum from the MSPIFF. There is hardly a genre more formulaic than the pull-the-skeletons-out-of-the-closet funeral film, but if the opening of a mariachi playing klezmer music is any indication, My Mexican Shivah finds some fresh material for the template. Or at least that is what I wrote after I saw it. An average but entertaining film.

The Trap (2007) directed by Srdan Golubovic
When I retire I will be able to sit down and actually watch many of the DVDs I own. Who knows if I will have watched this one, sent to me courtesy of Film Movement. In all honesty, this one has made it to the top of the large 'to watch' pile due to the fact that it looked interesting. Billed as a Serbian film noir, how could I not be intrigued.