Home Movies - May 2011

Another edition of Home Movies is up on In Review Online where regular co-conspirator Jordan Cronk, special guest Matthew Lucas and I take on the best of the best released in May.

Home Movies - May

As my my luck would have it, I review Masahiro Shinoda's Pale Flower, Henri-Georges Clouzot's Diabolique and Dario Argento's Cat 'o Nine Tails, all on beautiful Blu-ray. These three films couldn't be more different, but they are connected by three directors with an eye for formal perfection, each with their own flavor and each one brilliant in its own right. Pale Flower is a force to be reconciled, and gets my overwhelming approval for the pick of the month. Not only did I recently see (and project) the new 35mm print of Pale Flower at the Trylon as part of our Takemitsu series, but I also sat down with this Blu-ray and watch the film, almost compulsory, three times.

I also check out five DVDs released in May from French director Nicolas Philibert. Jordan Cronk reviews Criterion's Something Wild, Smiles of a Summer Night and Solaris. And Matthew Lucas looks at new releases for In the City of Sylvia and Kino's ambitious Sophia Loren Collection. Enjoy!