DVD releases for July 8

Batman: Gotham Knight
Yeah, I know, this seems like a cheap marketing ploy for the pre-Dark Knight excitement, but I'm willing to guess it may be a little more worthwhile than that. Although this has DC Comics and Warner Brothers and "from the producers of the Dark Knight" written all over it, what isn't readily evident is the production team that will make these six straight to video animated episodes worth watching. First and foremost, the animation was done by Japan's Studio 4°C, Production I.G. and Madhouse (in other word easily the three best production studio in Japan.) Secondly, all five directors hail from across the Pacific and have contributed to various animation projects: Shoujirou Nishimi (Mind Game, Tekkonkinkreet), Futoshi Higashide (Giant Robo), Hiroshi Morioka (.hack//SIGN), Toshiyuki Kubooka (Gunbuster, BAOH), and Jong-Sik Nam (BASTof Syndrome). What all that says is that there was actually some careful planning behind this project even if the dollar signs were the motivator. The dark, moody look of the animation perfectly mimics that of Batman Begins and, maybe even more so, The Dark Knight. (Arkham Asylum anyone?) Gotham Knight is the perfect filler for the 10 days we have to wait for The Dark Knight.

Chop Shop (2007) directed by Ramin Bahrani
Perhaps one of the most depressing things so far in my 2008 movie-going experiences is being the soul viewer on the night I went to the Parkway Theater to see this poetic film. Obviously, that was just one night in its two-week run at the Parkway, so no doubt more people saw this film. BUT I regretted that the Parkway's gamble on this arthouse gem (that no one else was screening in town) seemed to be a failure. It's a great film: unassuming and very well-acted by the two young stars.

The Tracy Fragments (2007) directed by Bruce McDonald
Ellen Page (before she was Juno and after she was Hayley Stark as a character that is oddly somewhere in between) stars in this film that made the rounds via festivals. Hailing from Canada, this film looks promising, but a brief look at other's reviews do not look too good. Despite my best intentions, I missed this screening at the local film festival.

Bat Without Wings (1980) directed by Chor Yuen
A hilariously muddled supernatural wuxia flick from the Shaw Brothers, with an appearance by a Gene Simmons look-a-like. The plot is a head-scratcher, but the details of the sets and costumes and pre-CGI special effects are really great. Personally, I love this movie, but don't hold that against me.

So Much Rice (2007) directed by Li Hongqi
Here's kind of an interesting DVD to come along, although I can't tell you much about it. From Mainland novelist and poet, an "ineffably eccentric debut, centred on an enigmatic sexual triangle, with an amazing score by cult musician Zuoxiao Zuzhou." (BFI) These are the kind of films that make me glad I do actually subscribe to a DVD service.

The Future is Unwritten (2007) directed by Julian Temple
There is no shortage of Joe Strummer and/or Clash documentaries, but this seems to be one of the best.

Stop-Loss (2008) directed by Kimberly Peirce
I refuse to believe that this film is as bad as the trailer and the screaming MTV sponsorship insists, and most of the critics back me up on this. Stop-Loss is Kimberly Peirce's first film in nine years, since the award-winning but no less controversial Boys Don't Cry.

Mon Oncle Antoine (1971) directed by Claude Jutra
Greatest Canadian film of all time? Really?

DVD releases for July 1

Happy July. Maybe not the best week in DVD releases, but whatever.

My Blueberry Nights (2007) directed by Wong Kar Wai
First, let me say that I was disappointed with My Blueberry Nights. It is not, however, a bad film by any means. I attempted to articulate my disappointment when I first saw the Hong Kong DVD earlier this year, but found myself being way too snarky and totally unable to see this film outside of Wong's repertoire. If I could, I think I would find many things to appreciate about this film, but, believe it or not, I am still coming off the high that 2046 provided. My Blueberry Nights, Wong's English language debut, pales in comparison to the depths he was willing to mine in his Hong Kong films. A lot rides on the performance of Norah Jones who plays our heroine Elizabeth. I have to admit that the first fifteen minutes is painful with some of the most self conscious acting I have seen from so-called stars, Jude Law included. But once the film settles and Jones stops emoting and simply relies on that dreamy, hard to resist look of hers, she becomes a much more compelling lead. Opinions vary, but I think Natalie Portman steals the show as the sassy gambler.

Mishima (1985) directed by Paul Schrader and Patriotism (1966) directed by Yukio Mishima
Just in time for the 4th of July, you can visit Yukio Mishima's version of patriotism. Patriotism is his own adaptation of a short story he had written that not so ironically mirrors his own eventual suicide. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is Paul Schrader's poetic portrayal of this fascinating man. A great double feature that I plan on partaking in at some point. (Both are really nice Criterion releases.)

A Walk Into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory (2007) directed by Esther Robinson
A fascinating documentary about the man who was not only at one time Andy Warhol's lover but was also responsible for some of the most interesting experimental films that came out of the Factory. However, the personality mish-mash that was the scene of the Factory seemed to be too much for Williams who disappeared in 1966 never to be heard from again. A Walk Into the Sea is a very personal inquiry by William's niece to discover not only a family secret but also an individual was missing from the typical annals of the Warhol Factory history. This doc is full of some amazing and revealing interviews with family members and Factory revelers.

City of Men (2007) directed by Paulo Morelli
This film had a very short run here. It had the look of a film very familiar (most notably of course City of God) and very predictable. That being said, it was showered with positive review and is probably worth more than the inevitable comparisons.

Sunflower (2005) directed by Zhang Yuan
This melodrama from Zhang Yuan is a quiet gem of recent Mainland films, giving life to the city of Beijing, available just in time for the Olympics. The film focuses on a father-son relationship tainted by the father's experiences during the Cultural Revolution.

Alex Cox proposes REPO CHICK

As reported in Screen Daily, Alex Cox is shopping a sequel to his 1984 mega-cult hit Repo Man, entitled Repo Chick. As you might expect it an updated version of the life and times within the repossession business with a female in the lead. Very very few details as of yet besides that "the film will feature some of the same cast," but not Emilio Estevez or Henry Dean Stanton. (I'm not sure what that really means, other than that cast members we don't actually remember will be in the new film.)

The concept sounds awesome, but obviously a lot hinges on just who will play the repo chick. Repo Chick has the potential to go Hollywood dumb or independent cool. Cox's last film was Revengers Tragedy, a sci-fi Thomas Middleton drama that I saw via UK import DVD prior to its delayed domestic release. Revengers Tragedy is brilliantly cast with British actors: Christopher Eccleston, Derek Jacobi, Anthony Booth, Eddie Izzard and many many more.

Considering that he is scheduled to shoot a film called Briefcase in 2009, chances are we will not see hide nor hair of Repo Chick for some time. Cox has a new book out entitled X-Films - True Confessions of a Radical Filmmaker, out now in the UK and due out in the US in September.

Check out Cox's website here.
Read the Screen Daily story here.

Takashi Miike's ZEBRAMAN

For those who think Takashi Miike can only make films with necrophilia, amputations or sadism, you're wrong. Miike has certainly made a name for himself by going to extremes, but occasionally, with varied success, he leave the gore on the side. Films such as the folkloric The Bird People in China (1998), the period melodrama Sabu (2002), the teen sci-fi romp Andromedia (1998) and the most recent kaiju-inspired The Great Yokai War (2005) are not without the unmistakable Miike touch, but lack the excess of bodily fluids. Zebraman falls right into the category of being far from ordinary, but oddly heart-warming and charming. It was also, up until last year's Crows Zero, Miike's biggest commercial success theatrically in Japan.

Ichikawa is a gentle but uninspiring 3rd grade teacher who has been abandon by his own family in various ways: his wife comes home late with no explanation, his daughter defies his authority and goes out late with no explanation, and his son simmers with resentment from being bullied at schoool. Ichikawa retreats into his henshin superhero dreams, specifically about Zebraman, a one series dud that aired when he was a kid. Privately dressing up as Zebraman in a handmade costume, Ichikawa practices various unconvincing moves. When he catches Asono, a wheelchair-bound transfer student, drawing Zebraman, the two strike up a friendship of otaku proportions that lends Ichikawa a certain amount of confidence he never had before. Meanwhile, alien presences are lurking. As one might expect, it is up to Ichikawa as Zebraman to save the world.

There are many things I adore about Zebraman. The off-beat scenarios throughout the movie makes me smile: a superhero movie that is far from super-heroic. Zebraman's first big challenge is with a rapist wearing an absurd crap head mask who also happens to be possessed by an alien. Likewise, the aliens threatening life as we know it are some sort of inane combination of ghouls from Ghostbusters and the typical big-headed alien caricature from Roswell: a brilliantly snarky jab at any energy and resources spent on imagining such things. Absurd plot twists mixed amongst the most conventional of narrative structure gives Zebraman life beyond what it should have. But more than anything, Zebraman is about being whatever you want to be: a public or private superhero.

God loves a goofy film that can also have political subtext. Displaying subtle but appropriate awareness, Miike understands the fine line that Japan walks between non-militarization and US diplomacy. The agents inspecting the alien infiltration have hilariously learned about their existence from the US, pointing out that Japan has actually bought into the notion that the US knows more about what is going on in Japan than Japan does. In the end, the Japanese Self-Defence force is willing to give Bush their regards, but tell hi, to take his weapons where the sun doesn't shine. The analogy is over-the-top and non-sensical but absolutely straight to the point.

I have inevitably built Zebraman up into a movie that it is not. it is not a great film by any means, but it has way more to give than it is given credit for. Objective fans will have no problem finding something to enjoy, and I would hesitate to guess that those uninitiated to Miike might actually find this movie fun. Zebraman is an everyman that inevitably some will identify with and others will not. Personally, I would take Zebraman over Ironman any day. It's cool not to be cool.

A double dose of Asia Argento

2007 looked to be a big year for Asia Argento with four films from high profile directors: Oliver Assayas' trans-continental Boarding Gate, Abel Ferrara's nightclub drama Go Go Tales, Catherine Breillat's titillating period piece The Last Mistress, and papa Argento's finale to his mother trilogy Mother of Tears. With release dates lagging or non-existent, the combined impact of the films may not be what I had expected for Asia as a powerhouse artfilm starlet.

Personally, the anticipation for all four films were pretty high, coming from directors that were clearly off the beaten path. But as the international buzz started to fade, my enthusiasm also waned. Go Go Tales has all but disappeared, peaking with the irrelevant scuttlebutt about Asia kissing a dog. Fortunately, I was able to catch The Last Mistress at the Minneapolis St Paul International Film Festival (which opened this weekend in NYC) and found it very engaging in its measured restraint. Boarding Gate also had a screening at MSPIFF, but, wary of poor reviews, I opted for another film. When Boarding Gate came out on DVD a couple weeks ago, I put it high on my list of rentals. It was shear chance that I happened to rent Boarding Gate the day before Dario Argento's Mother of Tears opened in the Twin Cities, resulting in these two film forever being linked in my mind. Asia may be the obvious connection between these movies, but the imperceptible connections become crystal clear after watching both back to back: they are both equally ridiculous (and not in a good way) and Asia's acting indistinguishably bad.

I'm starting to rethink my respect for Oliver Assayas for simply making two films that I like quite a bit (Irma Vep and Demonlover.) Clean and Boarding Gate were both pretty big disappointments. They both try desperately to force a drama that simply isn't there. More importantly, they both reek of self-indulgence. The casts seem more like showboating than any attempt to create an ensemble suitable for a film, with Assayas exploiting connections and acquaintances to build flashy casts. I'm more than willing to admit that having Kelly Lin and Kim Gordon in a film is cool, and, indeed, that seems to be the point. (There is some sort of guilty pleasure in seeing Gordon speak Cantonese and Lin speak English, but that is another discussion.) In the case of Asia Argento, she is used for little more than an absurd male fantasy of a sensitive assassin tramp who can't keep her clothes on, at least for the camera.

Boarding Gate starts out in Paris and ends in Hong Kong in a failed attempt to build the international intrigue. Asia's character, Sandra, is a former prostitute who is now an import/export clerk psychologically torn between a former lover and a new lover. Unfortunately, it spends more than half the film fabricating an empty and laughable relationship between Asia's character and Michael Madsen's character, the former lover, in order to get the plot moving. Built on poor dialog, the first 75 minutes of the film is like a very slow and unnecessary introduction, leaving only a half an hour to redeem itself. I don't know which is worse: Assayas being ironic with this psycho-sexual thriller motif or Assayas taking himself seriously with this material that more ridiculous than edgy.

Dario Argento has made a name for himself by being self-indulgent with a fair amount of cult success. Dario's best work are his films from the late 70s and 80s (Deep Red, Susperia, Inferno, Unsane, Terror at the Opera), unapologetically B and audaciously innovative. Mother of Tears is some attempt to return to that era by capping off what is being called his "Three Mother" trilogy (Susperia, Inferno and Mother of Tears). I couldn't help wondering how Mother of Tears would have played 30 years ago, in a huge seedy theater in the middle of New York City with some guy jerking off in the back row. Instead, it is an awkward revival that doesn't stand the test of time in the contemporary arthouse cineplex.

Mother of Tears seems like a half-hearted project for both father and daughter. Dario seemed to have a cult horror film checklist: Naked witches? Check. Lesbian witches? Check. Entrails? Check. Udo Kier? Check. Poop water filled with dead bodies? Check. Well, you get the point. The visceral displays of impaling, smashing and disemboweling are the unadulterated moments of entertainment while the script, acting and editing will make you wince in pain. The structure is ripped right from Scooby Doo: find the book with the clues, open the hidden secret door, get captured, then defeat the monster. There is even a good laugh at the end not unlike the gang having a good joke with Scooby and Shaggy.

Asia plays the lead in the witch chasing tale. Sarah is an innocent student who unwittingly helps to unleash the "mother of tears" from a mysterious urn. As the streets of Rome turn into chaos with gangs of goth girls, and, low-and-behold, Sarah may just have the powers to stop the tyranny of the mother of tears! In the end, her powers simply enable her to strip the mother of tears of her powerful nighty shirt (literally) and throw it into the fire. The absurdity is shocking, and Asia's flat unenthusiastic performance doesn't even allow us to wallow in the inanity.

It is understandable why directors are drawn to Asia Argento. She has a very unique look and a voice to match. In the case of The Last Mistress, Breillat harnesses what is unique about Argento and allows the character to flourish in that space. As a result, her character is believable and her image is striking. Unfortunately the characters that Asia plays in Boarding Gate and Mother of Tears are farcical to begin with, leaving her with little chance to save them.
Assayas' notion of a character that never rang true beyond the first scene. And perhaps the role for dad was just an obligation. We certainly haven't seen the last of Asia Argento, and will no doubt continue to be chosen for interesting roles. Upcoming projects prove that: a role in hubby's adaptation of Ryu Murakami's Coin Locker Babies (with Asano Tadanobu) and she is slated to be in Alejandro Jodorowsky's will-we-ever-see-it film King Shot (with Marilyn Manson and Udo Kier!)

Happy birthday Tony

Happy birthday Tony Leung!

Being a fan of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, I'm very excited to see Red Cliff in hopes that John Woo can still make a decent film. (I'm glad you are playing Zhou Yu and not that puffed up Zhu Ge Liang. We all know that Zhou Yu was the true hero of the Red Cliff battle.) Are you still going to play Bruce Lee in that Wong Kar Wai film?

Remember all that time we spent together. Don't be such a stranger. Drop me a line. Come and visit anytime. Bring Carina, too!

DVD releases for June 24

For a week that started to look so crappy that I was thinking about mentioning 10,000 B.C. as an interesting DVD release, a little more research proved a much better week than first anticipated for DVDs:

Glitterbox: Derek Jarman x 4
This is absolutely the grand poo-bah of the week. A box set made for the buying and keeping. The set includes The Angelic Conversation (1985), Caravaggio (1986), Wittgenstein (1993), Blue (1993), and the posthumously edited Glitterbug (1994). Zeitgeist isn't exactly known for their great DVD releases, but it seems that they were up to the task of providing a worthwhile set for one of the most important avant-guard filmmakers of our generation. (See a very detailed review of the set of DVD Talk here.) Although Caravaggio and Wittgenstein are offered separately, The Angelic Conversation, Blue and Glitterbug (included as an extra on the Blue DVD) are available in the set only. $70 for a four DVD set isn't exactly a great deal, but the set is invaluable for fans. I look forward to re-watching those I have seen (Caravaggio and Blue) alongside those I have not seen. I spent a couple years trying to be a Wittgenstein groupie (but finally realized I was overall too stupid) and was thrilled when I heard Jarman had made a sort of fan-boy art film about my Wittgenstein! But alas, I have never had the chance to see it until now. I'm pulling out my weathered Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus right now!

Hana (2006) directed by Hirokazu Kore-Eda
Kore-Eda seems to have fallen from favor, at least here in the US market. Afterlife (1998) made a pretty big slash, but not big enough to give his next (and even more eloquent and stunning) film Distance (2001) any distribution. Subsequently, Nobody Knows (2005) got limited theatrical distribution and failed to pull in even the arthouse crowd. Which leads us to today and the very quiet release of his 2006 film Hana (Tale of a Reluctant Warrior was added on to the ambiguous English title.) A period film was hard to imagine for a director who seemed so grounded in the here and now, but Hana is perfectly situated between the here and now and the there and then: a period piece that doesn't seem so distant. I picked up the Japanese DVD when it came out two years ago, but would recommend this film to anyone who appreciates the kind of low-key drama that Kore-Eda is known for. It is a beautiful and very sweet film that should have received much more fanfare. (There is a great Japanese website for the film that is pretty easy to navagate.)

Long Dream (2000) Higuchinsky
Fantastic! This man has only made two films, and the only one I have seen, I love! (Uzumaki - rent it now! Region free able, I will loan you the R3 DVD!) This is serious fan-boy stuff that just makes me giddy in a way I don't even understand. Long Dream is something Higuchinsky made for TV the same year as Uzumaki , also based on a manga from Junji Ito. This has low-budg J-horror written all over it. It may quickly dispel my enthusiasm for Higuchinsky, but I am nonetheless very excited.

Solo Sunny (1979) directed by Konrad Wolf
"Classic" film from East Germany.

From the Ground Up (2007) directed by Su Friedrich
Su Friedrich made a documentary about coffee? Okay.

As my hot air runs out, here are the other notable releases that need no introduction: Persepolis (2007) directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi; In Bruges (2007) directed by Martin McDonagh can finally end its theatrical run here in the Twin Cities; two from Criterion, Before the Rain (1994) directed by Milcho Manchevski and The Furies (1950) directed by Antony Mann; and if you really wanna there is always 10,000 B.C.

My take on Queer Takes

I wrote a piece for the Star Tribune ("Inside Out") outlining the Queer Takes series at the Walker this week. Given the number of films and the size of the article I wasn't able to be very critical or praiseworthy toward the films. Overall, it is a pretty great group of films that offers up something for everyone.

Before I Forget is the star of the series, in my humble opinion. Jacques Nolot stars, writes and directs this smart and eloquent film. The camera stares unflinchingly not only at beauty but also at humility and indeed, the complex human condition. In this case, the human condition is applied to an aging hustler (no doubt a version of Nolot himself) living with HIV for 24 years. It's a film about observation, and more specifically the observation of self-observation. Before I Forget is only Nolot's third feature, and the last in his so-called autobiographical trilogy. After reading an interesting article by James Quandt in the Summer 2008 issue of Artform ("Just a Gigolo") and seeing Before I Forget, I am more than anxious to see his first two, L' Arrière pays (Hinterland, 1998) seemingly unavailable and La Chatte à deux têtes (Porn Theater, 2002) that I vaguely remember screening here at some point.

One film that I did not touch on was Vivere, simply due to space and that fact that I felt it was the weakest film in the series (alas the only new lesbian feature.) Vivere follows three women on Christmas Eve: a teenager on the brink of adulthood, her twenty-something older sister who is bitter and lonely, and a matronly older woman (played by the legendary Hannelore Elsner) recently dumped by her lover. The film uses the structure of one story told three times, giving us new insights at each turn. It is meant to break down any generational presumption we might have have about these three women, but instead by the third pass the melodrama gets somewhat laborious. It is a sweet but downbeat film, but I selfishly just wanted the adorable Francesca (the older sister) to find a nice girl instead of making out with the dude in the bar.

If you are looking for a good lesbian film in the series, the obvious pick is Born in Flames. Ladies doing it for themselves may be some sort of pipe dream, but Born in Flames is an awesome 90 minute indulgence of this notion. I will forever carry around the image the gang of women on their bikes police the urban streets: I dream of being part of that gang and being saved by that gang. I recently re-watched Born in Flames and had totally forgotten about the final (now shocking) scene.

The documentaries in the series should not be missed. Whether you are familiar with Arthur Russell or not, music fans should all attend the screening of Wild Combination. I'm simply thankful that Russell was gay so this doc was included in the series. (Here's an article in the New Yorker from a couple years back about Russell.) Similarly fans of Don Bachardy's paintings or Chris Isherwood's writing will love the portrayal of these two fascinating men in Chris & Don. Most of the film is told by Barchardy's funny and touching narration.

Full Queer Takes schedule here.

Johnnie To's MAD DETECTIVE

I'm not the first person to proclaim Johnnie To a populist prodigy, but it is worth restating. Averaging two films a year for the past 25, To has energetically given the people what they wanted. To some extent, this ethos has made him into the director he is today, but Johnnie To has not been afraid to shake it all off and start over again with each film. For this reason, his films from the last decade, despite well-trodden ground, seem fresh, from his anti-action hits The Mission and Fulltime Killer to his underrated comedic charmers Wu Yen and Needing You. More recently, of course, To has brought Hong Kong film to the forefront of film fest appreciation with Breaking News, Throw Down, Election 1 and 2, and Exiled. Mad Detective is next in line. Although it has already made its rounds at notable film festival, Mad Detective is set for a theatrical release here in the US next month courtesy of IFC.

Mad Detective is gleefully hard to pin down. Calling it as a police action drama sells it way too short. To digs into his bag of tricks and creates a film that harks from his past but is like nothing he has ever made before. A very large component of that is Lau Ching Wan, who To has not worked with since the hilarious but somewhat marginal My Left Eye Sees Ghosts (2002). Lau was definitely a heavy hitter in the 90s with his more serious roles (mostly as cops) in The Longest Night, Big Bullet, Full Alert, The Victim and seven films he did with To including Fulltime Killer. Although he has receded from the front lines of acting in HK, Mad Detective finds him at his best, creating a character so tactile you can almost feel him. To and Lau are able to balance a certain amount of drama, action and comedy unique to this film.

Lau plays Inspector Bun, something of a savant, able to solve crimes with a certain amount of staging and re-enactment of the crime itself. His methods seem at bit goofy, but it becomes very clear that there is an edge to Inspector Bun that is unpredictable. Five years later, Inspector Bun has been dismissed from the police force and is mired in his own insanity. Young Officer Ho is stuck on an investigation and seeks out Inspector Bun, against everyones recommendation, to help solve the case. Ho is an admirer of Inspector Bun and his unconventional methods, but after soliciting his help, he starts to wonder if Bun's genius is no more than the insanity that everyone warned him against.

Mad Detective has a very idiosyncratic tone that would have easily fallen apart in someone else's hands. It's the moments of comedy set against the moments of brutality that shakes the viewer from the normal apathy of genre generated film. Scenes of whimsical cleverness (as Bun tails the suspect and his various personalities) to visually choreographed brilliance (the final smoke-and-mirrors showdown) are products of Johnnie To and long-time collaborator Wai Ka-Fai's combined talents. Personally, I think they have outdone themselves. Exiled will always be the hip step-brother of The Mission; comparisons between the two are completely unavoidable. Mad Detective stands as a singular work, and may well be To and Wai's best film yet. Although I am a proud owner of the Hong Kong DVD, when Mad Detective arrives in theaters next month, I will be first in line to plunk down my cash to see this on the big screen, and I'm hoping others will do the same.

DVD releases for June 17

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007) directed by Cristian Mungiu
DVD releases are a mysterious thing at times. I thought this film was coming out this week, but now I am struggling to find confirmation of that. (Greencine's site has a note that may allude to what is going on: "This release was pulled and delayed by the distributor. Please check back for release date updates.") Well, bug IFC and maybe they will get their act together. In any case, if I have to mention this film again in a month or so, it is certainly worthy of it. Cristian Mungiu is one of the recent Romanian directors to wow audiences far and wide. This film debuted at Cannes last year and made it's first appearance in the Twin Cities at the Walker and then for a short run at the Edina. Although it sounds contrived, it is the utter lack of melodrama that makes 4 Months the amazing film that it is. Yes, it is about the procurement of an illegal abortion, but it more about oppression and its commonality. Even though it looks like it is not coming out this week (or anytime soon) I look forward to seeing it again.

Joy Division (2007) directed by Grant Gee
Here's a bona fide release that should be available a reputable video stores. This is the other Joy Division movie, that tackles the band from a fact finding point of view (as opposed to the drama seeking Control) with interviews with the three surviving members of Joy Division as well as Annik Honore (Ian Curtis' girlfriend) Tony Wilson (of Factory Records) and Martin Hannett (producer). I wanted to see this after being somewhat disappointed in Control, but I don't think it ever played in the Twin Cities.

Be Kind Rewind (2007) directed by Michel Gondry
How do these films pass me by. Despite poor reviews, I fully intended on seeing this in the theaters. However, it might play out better with friends on DVD.

Under the Same Moon (2007) directed by Patricia Riggin
A melodrama that seemed undeniably weepy from the trailer about a family separated by the border that to the south that the US guards do vigilantly.

The Restless (2007) directed by Cho Dong-oh
This period swordplay film from South Korea seems to be more style than substance. The trailer exploits some of the beautiful cinematography and stunning effects. However, the real and more recent story about this film is that Ji Jung-Hyeon, who worked on the action choreography of this film, recently died during the production of The Good, The Bad and the Weird. As reported by Twitch, people involved with the production of the The Good, The Bad and the Weird (which had a special screening at Cannes) refuse to talk about the incident fearing bad luck! Ji was best known for his work on the barn busting action int Old Boy. (The is an interview with him on that special edition Old Boy DVD set.)

Boxes (2000) directed by Rene Besson
Here's an indie pick for you. Shot on a budget of $285. Yeah, whatever. The running theme of the film is...boxes! I don't know where this came from but IFC sees a need to release it. I'm interested enough to take note. (Check out the fast kicking new low-budg film from the same director here.)

And two from our friends at Criterion: Claude Sautet's Classe Tous Risques and Paul Schrader's Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters.