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By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

The Phoenix Film Festival Contest

It’s back again for those of us living in the land of cacti and oppressive heat. Time to break out the lanyards and the program guide to find out which upcoming film needs to be seen. One of the benefits of this festival being here in the valley is that unlike Sundance and Tribeca the lines and weather aren’t an impediment to seeing some great films from some great filmmakers.

From big to small, this festival is a nice cheese plate when comparing it to heavyweight entrees like Cannes or Toronto. And if you’re interested in going gratis to see four films at no cost then please e-mail me at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com and I’ll get you entered to win. This Flex Pass will allow you to go to those four films, excluding the Opening and Closing Nights, by simply picking them out and getting the tickets.

The festival is underway (March 31 – April 7) as we speak so get your entries in quick. As well, this year the International Horror and Sci-Fi Festival will be going on at the same time so it’s a think of it like a blood soaked Oreo squished between some high brow bread!

About the festival:

The Phoenix Film Festival has been named one of The 25 Coolest Film Festivals by MovieMaker Magazine and has been called the most filmmaker-friendly festival out there. The Festival annually screens over 100 films, holds amazing parties and provides filmmaking seminars to capacity audiences. Over 22,000 attendees enjoy the 8 day festival that takes place all in one convenient location.
Don’t just take it from us, here are just a few comments we received from our filmmakers……

“The Phoenix Film Festival is absolutely the best festival on the circuit, without question. From the staff to the programming to the all-important audience they draw, this the ultimate festival experience.”
Paul Osborne – Director of “Official Rejection”

“Phoenix recharged my batteries and I massively enjoyed the chance to meet all the other filmmakers, chat, eat and drink. They really do celebrate film and its makers”
Louis McCullagh – Director of “Call Me Son”

“We had a blast. It is nice to be associated with such a great group of folks”
Anthony Tarsitano – Director of “Calling it Quits”

BLACK SWAN – Blu-ray Review

Bless those at Fox for sending this one to my doorstep.

Not only does this Blu-ray capture all the nuances of what allowed Natalie Portman to rightfully receive her Best Actress award but the format gives you a chance to watch madness personified all over again. For those who are finally finding this for the first time it can be overlooked that this is a movie that was simply made to be experienced in an intimate format as home video. What director Darren Aronofsky does better than most any other director is to put to a visual medium of what it’s like to simply disassemble. To be fully formed at the beginning of a film and to be completely shattered by the end is part and parcel of what made movies like Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, and, to some extent, The Wrestler such compelling films. It’s about ambition, it’s about obsession, and it’s about the lengths we’ll go to have our dreams fully realized and Black Swan encapsulates that.

We are presented with many of same tropes we’ve always gotten from Aronofsky except he makes it all his own. He allows Portman to fully become the most engrossing part of this picture, flanked by the dynamite performances of Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel, and just shoves everything that’s not vital to the telling of her story to the side. There is no room for anyone else in this picture except Natalie and that’s what makes the heavy lifting by Portman such a fascinating thing to experience. Sure, there are key moments that performers like Cassel, Kunis, and even Winona Ryder deliver but it’s like watching a quarterback set up a play to allow the star player to take it all the way. Portman is only as good as those around her and those around her were very, very good.

On this Blu-ray we get a fabulous making-of that is indicative of Darren’s style as a filmmaker, eschewing the usual promo EPK that plagues fat and bloated DVDs that boast of “18 Hours of Extra Content!”, in that we get some insight to how this film was actually MADE versus how great it was to work with screen legend Barbara Hershey. From costume design, to cinematography, to production details, this is the kind of extra that is worth picking up the disc alone just based on this.

From a muted color palette that runs throughout the film and then explodes with visual vibrancy as we head into the final moments of this movie to performances that were without question Oscar worthy this is the one disc you need to own in your collection for no other reason than to see how acting can really elevate the spirit to a new level when you’re in sync with what’s happening on the screen.

About the disc:

Capture the Electrifying Thriller That Has Audiences on the Edge of Their Seats On Blu-ray and DVD March 29

Starring Natalie Portman in her Academy Award® winning role*, BLACK SWAN is a seductive yet haunting film that will leave you breathless. Directed by innovator Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler), this Best Picture nominated film boasts a wealth of talent including Portman (Closer), in the performance of her career, as well as Mila Kunis (Date Night), Winona Ryder (Girl, Interrupted) and Vincent Cassel (Ocean’s Twelve). In the film that Daily Variety hailed as “…wicked, sexy and ultimately devastating… fascinating,” Natalie Portman’s mesmerizing transformation into the Black Swan leaves you breathless ““ and wanting to see it again. Become part of the haunting phenomenon and own BLACK SWAN on Blu-ray or DVD on March 29th from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

BLACK SWAN follows the story of Nina (Natalie Portman), a ballerina in the New York City Ballet trying to make it to the top. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But a new dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis), also impresses Leroy and becomes Nina’s competition. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly with her innocence and grace, but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan with her fiery personality. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side with a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.

The BLACK SWAN Blu-ray disc contains special features not included on the DVD including exciting behind-the-scenes looks at the filmmaking process and interviews with the cast and director Darren Aronofsky. With the best-available sound and picture quality, the Blu-ray format provides viewers the premier way to experience the stunning Academy Award®-nominated cinematography, memorable character performances and flawless choreography of BLACK SWAN.

BLACK SWAN Blu-ray Disc Features:

Metamorphosis: A Three-Part Series
A behind the scenes look at the filmmaking process from Darren Aronofsky’s visionary directing, to the physically-demanding acting, to the stunning special effects.

Behind the Curtain
An inside look at the film’s costume and production design.

Ten Years in the Making
Natalie Portman and Darren Aronofsky discuss their creative journey, from “preparing for the role” to “dancing with the camera.”

Cast Profiles ““ Roles of a Lifetime
Presented by Fox Movie Channel, the stars reflect on the their challenging and rewarding characters

Sucker Punch; the Roger Corman Movie Never Made By Ray Schillaci

It’s been awhile since I’ve contributed an article, largely due to a crippling injury that took a toll on me mentally and physically. After a 5-6 week detainment, I braved seeing Zack Snyder’s, “Sucker Punch” with two very anxious young men ““ my sons, 17 and 11years-old. Being hampered by a good mood I cannot bring myself to fully say that I received the same mental abuse from Snyder’s latest opus.

By the time the credits ended, we all had a different opinion. My youngest loved it. But did question some motivation on several of the characters and sometimes could not distinguish Blondie from Amber ““ even though Amber was Asian. My oldest thought it was cool to a point, but was disappointed with the plot holes and the lack of characterization. I decided to forego my true feelings and agreed with my oldest, so as not to ruin my younger son’s enjoyment.

I tried not to prejudge the new Zack Snyder film with the scathing reviews it was receiving. How could anything look that good and be so bad. I was even willing to drive out of my way and plunk down twice the amount of money to experience it in IMAX. But the word of mouth just over the weekend was so horrendous, that it prompted me to back off on my original intention and take my kids to a matinee at a regular screen. I’m glad I did.

Snyder’s latest continues to resonate in my mind as to what is wrong with the glut of stupid films in this day and age. Mind you, I understand there is a market for an empty-headed mess that is visually stunning, but it’s like having the chance to spend a night with the most gorgeous woman on earth (if you are a guy) and discovering she’s actually a vegetable. There are so many directors, producers and studio executives who are mistaking spectacle for spectacular. Battle: Los Angeles comes to mind, but even that with its knucklehead script made more sense and was more entertaining than the vapid sinking feeling that Sucker Punch provides.

Snyder and Steve Shibuya have scratched out the semblance of an idea about a troubled young girl who is wrongfully sent to an asylum with the intention of receiving a lobotomy. Before the worst can take place to our heroine, Baby Doll, she is whisked into her own fantasy of survival where she resides as a captive with four other beautiful women who are forced to perform (in more ways than one) in some kind of makeshift club of the damned ““ think 2001s “Moulin Rouge!” with no dancing, even though all the characters in the film rave about the dancing.

From there, Baby Doll takes us further into her imagination to escape reality by plunging us into another fantasy every time she is about to perform a dance number (yes, if Inception confused you ““ stay far away from this film). We learn through her sensei or angel, Scott Glen (what a waste of an actor), that her only chance of survival is to attain 5 items. At this point, nothing is explained as Baby Doll acquires the ability to vanquish giant ninjas with tremendous powers, handles a sword like Neo from The Matrix, flies through the air and takes on any and all baddies coming her way including zombie Nazis and fire breathing dragons.

It all sounds very cool in print and would probably be a fan boy’s wet dream, especially with the school girl attire and high octane heels. But the picture loses interest before we get through the first battle. One cannot help wonder where on earth did she get the abilities. Why are the other girls dressed in skimpy attire while everybody else during each battle is heavily clad, and with all the fire going around would it not singe their skin? Oh, I get it, it’s a fantasy! So is Narnia and Harry Potter, but at least they provided some reasoning behind their actions.

All right, I’m sounding so uncool right now, but it gets old after awhile. Hell, you can see better entertainment and more skin in a Russ Meyer film (Beneath the Valley of the Ultra Vixens). Snyder’s latest tour de force reminds me of the works of great directors that eventually went awry whether it is through ego, drugs or alcohol. It brings to mind the nonsensical work of Sam Peckinpaw’s, Osterman Weekend, Killer Elite or Cross of Iron. Also, the terrible misstep of Michael Cimino’s, Heaven’s Gate and do I dare add Terry Gilliam’s, Tideland.

At least these directors had a prestigious track record at one time. Snyder does have a remarkable eye when it comes to green screen, but his story telling has always been his weak point. 300 was no Gladiator or Spartacus, but its visuals ran amok with our senses and it was all very new to us. Watchmen had the advantage of having the greatest graphic novel ever written as its base and even though it disappointed fans, Snyder still maintained a strong following. FYI I liked both films with their obvious flaws.

To have his fans make the excuse that Snyder is all about visual is detrimental to the future of his career. Great directors like David Lynch (Eraserhead, Blue Velvet) and Ken Russell (Altered States, Tommy) have been noted for their amazing visuals, but there is extreme depth in their work and their characters have rarely been shallow. With this latest example in green screen storytelling one cannot help but be concerned over the fate of the new Superman that Snyder is helming.

While watching Sucker Punch, I could not help but laugh at times, because it reminded me of a bad Roger Corman film with an out of control budget, which Corman never allowed. It even had me recalling the way Corman would handle a film if it was not being shot on schedule, ripping several pages out of the script and stating no one will know the wiser. That could definitely be said about SP. The whole film is such a hodgepodge of better movies (Brazil, The Matrix, Hellboy, Kill Bill, and Moulin Rouge!). It makes one imagine friends getting together while being high and slamming down ideas, spouting how awesome it would be to amalgamate the confusion and actually get it produced.

To be fair to Snyder and company, the film does begin and end with a noble and inspirational message. Unfortunately, a threadbare story has been awkwardly placed in between to get that message across nearly souring the whole concept. Then, perhaps I am giving Snyder too much credit by suggesting that. It could be a great example of poor storytelling and the writers saying we need to punch this up and give it some validity, so they tag on something thought provoking to pass it off as art. When it comes down to it, Sucker Punch is basically impressive eye candy for the empty headed or a wonderful treat for an 11 year-old that does not know any better and I will admit a small adolescent part of me was tickled by it.

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

IP MAN 2 -Review

It’s Sammo Hung who deserves the kudos for this sequel.

It may be Donnie Yen’s reprisal of Ip Man, the man who would mentor Bruce Lee if you’re unfamiliar with this man’s provenance, who is bringing the same kind of furious fists and feet that he brought to the first film or director Wilson Yip’s fresh take on a genre that has been beaten like the prunish face of any man coming out of the well-choreographed fight sequences but it’s really all about the action when it comes to Ip Man 2. It’s the latter of these points that explains why this film needs to be consumed and enjoyed for what it is and not, unfortunately, what it could have been.

Sure, the story of how Ip comes to Hong Kong in order to teach his own brand of Wing Chun to the town’s locals seems innocuous enough but the pushback from the city’s version of mafioso types who don’t take kindly to people like him coming in to do what they already have well under control results in what can only be described as action films 101. It’s the approach that you ought to keep things light while giving the masses what they want that hinders this movie from becoming better than it is.

It’s the David vs. Goliath, Danielson vs. Johnny, kind of brouhaha that we’ve come to expect out of these kinds of films for decades now. It ought to be a lot more disappointing than it is but it’s Sammo Hung who ought to be credited for making a story that, frankly, isn’t infused with the kind of richness that the first Ip Man was imbued with as he sequences fight scenes that make you sit in awe of how original you can be with a pair of fists and a table. In a set piece that can only be called mesmerizing, Ip and Hung (who plays big boss Master Hong Zhen Nan) battle it out on a wobbly table top that brings together magical feats of physicality, brutality, and the nuance of men who understand fluidity and a director who knows how to capture it all. The level of detail that went into making this look as physically intense as it was is not overlooked and is reason enough to go and see these men battle it out on a wobbly piece of furniture.

The problem with most modern fight sequences in action films is that we have been conditioned by ADD like editing that doesn’t allow you to focus. It’s a small thing to ask for, just to be able and concentrate on the most thrilling aspects of going head-to-head with someone who also wants to kick your head in, but Yip gets it and he captures Hung’s expert level choreography as a ballet of violence. It’s gorgeous.

The downside to all of this, however, is that this is film also born and bred of stale dualities. After the aforementioned face-off with Hung, which ought to have been the film’s final fight sequence, Ip Man has to contend with some British in the same manner that Jet Li did in 2006
s Fearless. The Brits are shown as brutes who are savage and racist and bigoted and lumbering, all the things that you would expect of a film that needs to position its players in the most obvious way in order to define what’s at stake for both parties. In a world that’s more shades of gray than it is black and white there is a laziness in painting with too wide a brush. I can appreciate why it was done but it doesn’t make it any better when the eventual outcome is of no surprise to anyone with a discerning eye for mediocre storytelling. It should be noted, however, that none of this takes away from the fight sequences that are at the same time seamless and thrilling.

Ip Man 2 deserves to be experienced for the talent working behind the scenes to make the words and story less of a focus as it’s Yen’s physicality throughout that ends up being the true charm of this film. Seek it out and ensconce yourself in a martial arts movie that’s low on plot but heavy on thoughtful action set pieces. In a landscape littered with zero calorie action films this is like a big can of spinach: just what the body needs for big muscles.

ENTER THE VOID – DVD Review

It’s just one of those movie where you’re either going to love it and make you want to revise your favorite films of 2010 just because of how mind-blowing original and fresh it is or it’s going to make you rue the day you ever let it defile your DVD player.

I’m revising my list.

The undeniable thing about director Gaspar Noe’s last feature, 2002’s Irreversible, was that it dealt with violence, sexual assault, and love. The three things were married in a whirlwind of creative filmmaking that was at once inspiring and revolting. From an opening sequence that, honestly, made me queasy with the multiple turns the camera makes to a rape that is hard to watch no matter how fictional it was Noe penetrated my willingness to accept  the world he created. That openness is key to either buying into his fiction or rejecting it wholesale. The thing about Enter The Void, then, is where he takes us and whether we want to journey with him.

The story of how this low rent drug dealer makes the leap from wayward miscreant to watchful angel is one that is completely fresh and original. Without question, Noe takes some of the boldest steps in making a film that is completely his own and by reinventing the process of shooting in first person. Just because The Rock looked foolish doesn’t mean it isn’t a viable means of presenting a film and that’s what we get here, a lot of reinvention. The thumping bass, the strobing lights, the nihilism that is on display as our protagonist Oscar makes the leap from living, breathing dealer to dying corpse whose consciousness separates from his body on a journey to a world we can only imagine happens before we all die. The story of how one brother looks over his sister tethers this movie to sound ground. What comes after his world goes dark is a ride that you’ll either want to get on again or never come close to…ever.

Highly recommended for those who want to give their limbic system a good workout.

About the DVD:

FROM Gaspar Noé, THE DARING AND VISIONARY DIRECTOR OF IRREVERSIBLE COMES his First Feature in Eight Years and HIS MOST MIND-BLOWING MASTERPIECE — an Extraordinary and Unforgettable Story of Drugs and Other Loves

Eight years after he shook the world with his one-of-a-kind nightmare Irreversible, director Gaspar Noé is back with his next feature, ENTER THE VOID, which pushes cinematic boundaries even further. The hallucinatory new film, praised by critics around the world arrives on Blu-ray and DVD.

Noé, who bravely pushed limits (and dared viewers to watch) in the disturbing I Stand Alone and the Monica Bellucci shown-in-reverse-order rape drama Irreversible, follows those worldwide sensations with another triumph. ENTER THE VOID is Noé’s most assured and haunting film yet, a “head trip” a la Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and at the same time a piercing modern drama.

Newcomer Nathaniel Brown and Paz de la Huerta (HBO’s Boardwalk Empire) star as a brother and sister trapped in the hellish nighttime world of Tokyo where he deals drugs and she works as a stripper. A crime gone bad leads to shocking violence and then moments of transcendence in which the movie plunges viewers into death and rebirth as no film has done before via “mesmerizing camerawork” (The New York Times) that make it “a dazzling and brutal exercise in cinematic envelope-pushing” (New York Post). Stunning audiences around the world, ENTER THE VOID is a cinematic experience that no serious movie lover can miss.

DEATH RACE 2 – DVD Giveaway

I had no clue this existed until I found it laying on my front stoop.

While I can’t vouch for whether the follow-up of Death Race with Jason Statham from Dutch filmmaker Roel Reiné was any good it was written by Tony Giglio and Paul W. S. Anderson, and stars Luke Goss, Ving Rhames, Danny Trejo and Sean Bean. There’s some genuine talent in there and how can you go wrong with FREE as I have a few copies to give out. Send your name and address to Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com to be entered in a contest to win a free DVD copy of this film. It’s cheaper than Redbox so go ahead and try to win a copy…

About the film:

FROM THE FILMMAKERS WHO BROUGHT YOU DEATH RACE & THE RESIDENT EVIL FRANCHISE

LUKE GOSS, DANNY TREJO, VING RHAMES & SEAN BEAN STAR IN THE ALL-NEW EXPLOSIVE ACTION THRILLER

DEATH RACE 2 UNRATED

SEE HOW IT ALL BEGAN

ON BLU-RAYâ„¢ COMBO PACK, DVD & DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

JANUARY 18, 2011 FROM UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Universal City, California, October 5, 2010 ““ A deadly driving competition spawns a racing legend in Death Race 2, an all-out action thrill ride, coming to Blu-rayâ„¢, DVD and Digital Download January 18, 2011 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment DVD Originalsâ„¢. Danny Trejo (Machete), Ving Rhames (Piranha 3D), Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Luke Goss (Hellboy 2: The Golden Army), star along with returning cast members Fred Koehler (“Lost”) and Robin Shou (Beverly Hills Ninja), in an all-new prequel to Paul W.S. Anderson’s 2008 adrenaline-fueled action-thriller, Death Race.  Packed with more of the heart-stopping action, spectacular stunts and shocking twists that propelled the original to cult status, the 2-disc Death Race 2 Blu-rayâ„¢ Combo Pack and DVD will include unrated and rated versions of the film as well as in-depth bonus features that go behind the scenes of the thrill-packed story of the greatest Death Racedriver of all time. The Blu-rayâ„¢ Combo Pack also includes a digital copy of the unrated movie that can be viewed on an array of electronic and portable devices anytime, anywhere. Preorder close is November 30, 2010.

The latest in the hugely successful line of DVD Originals™ from Universal Studios Home Entertainment Productions, Death Race 2 is directed by Roel Reiné (The Marine 2, The Lost Tribe). The film isproduced by Paul W.S. Anderson, Jeremy Bolt and Mike Elliott and executive produced by Roger Corman.  Death Race 2 is an official South African/German Co-Production, produced in South Africa by Universal Pictures Productions GmbH and Moonlighting Death Race Films C.C. and co-produced by Genevieve Hofmeyr and Ralph Tuebben.

BONUS FEATURES ON BLU-RAYâ„¢ AND DVD:

·     Deleted Scenes with introduction by director Roel Reiné

·     Deleted Shots Montage with introduction by director Roel Reiné

·     The Race Begins: The Evolution of the Death Race – A look at how the prequel fits into the Death Race franchise.

·     Cheating Death: The Stunts of Death Race 2 – The film’s death-defying stunt crew invites viewers along on the ride of a lifetime.

·     Fast Cars and Firearms: The Cars of Death Race 2 – Take a look under the hood of the awe-inspiring autos featured in the film.

·      Feature Commentary with director Roel Reiné

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

SANCTUM and THE MECHANIC – Advance Screenings

I haven’t heard anything about these films.

Whether the buzz is great, whether the buzz is tepid, I couldn’t tell you. That’s exactly why I’m looking forward to sending some of you guinea pigs to see the latest from Jason Statham on Tuesday, January 25th at 7 p.m. at Harkins Tempe Martketplace and then on February 1st at 7 p.m. at Harkins Tempe Marketplace as well.

It’ll be a 2 for 1 if you like or, if you so choose, you can pick one or the other. Either way, you’ll be seeing either the latest from the brawniest Englishman this side of the Atlantic or the latest creation blessed by the wizard himself, James Cameron. Either way, you ought to be able and enjoy something from these and if you’re interested in catching them shoot me a line at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com and I’ll give you all the details. But for those of you who want to get their tickets now to see The Mechanic next week by all means head over right now to Gofobo.com, or click this link, and enter code: FREDM2

Good luck!

About the films:

THE MECHANIC SYNOPSIS:

Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) is a ‘mechanic’ – an elite assassin with a strict code and unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets.  It’s a job that requires professional perfection and total detachment, and Bishop is the best in the business.  But when his mentor and close friend Harry (Donald Sutherland) is murdered, Bishop is anything but detached.  His next assignment is self-imposed – he wants those responsible dead.  His mission grows complicated when Harry’s son Steve (Ben Foster) approaches him with the same vengeful goal and a determination to learn Bishop’s trade.  Bishop has always acted alone but he can’t turn his back on Harry’s son.  A methodical hit man takes an impulsive student deep into his world and a deadly partnership is born.  But while in pursuit of their ultimate mark, deceptions threaten to surface and those hired to fix problems become problems themselves.

THE MECHANIC opens on Friday, January 28th!

SANCTUM SYNOPSIS:

The 3-D action-thriller Sanctum, from executive producer James Cameron, follows a team of underwater cave divers on a treacherous expedition to the largest, most beautiful and least accessible cave system on Earth.  When a tropical storm forces them deep into the caverns, they must fight raging water, deadly terrain and creeping panic as they search for an unknown escape route to the sea.

Master diver Frank McGuire (Richard Roxburgh) has explored the South Pacific’s Esa-ala Caves for months.  But when his exit is cut off in a flash flood, Frank’s team – including 17-year-old son Josh (Rhys Wakefield) and financier Carl Hurley (Ioan Gruffudd) – are forced to radically alter plans.  With dwindling supplies, the crew must navigate an underwater labyrinth to make it out.  Soon, they are confronted with the unavoidable question: Can they survive, or will they be trapped forever?

Shot on location off the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, Sanctum employs 3-D photography techniques Cameron developed to lens Avatar.  Designed to operate in extreme environments, the technology used to shoot the action-thriller will bring audiences on a breathless journey across plunging cliffs and into the furthest reaches of our subterranean world.  www.sanctummovie.com

SANCTUM opens in theaters on Friday, February 4!

ENTER THE VOID – DVD Review

Having seen the film a couple of times already, I am convinced that Black Swan from Darren Aronofsky is perhaps one of the best films of 2010, if not the best film from last year.

A mix of the bizarre, the fantastical, the utterly intense film was something I could not help but feel compelled to tell more people about who may be on the fence about whether they should check it out while it’s still in the theaters. I implore you to do so and, thanks to some special friends, I also have some posters to give away.

Now, while I certainly have some small posters of the movie’s stunning one-sheet that any number of you cube dwellers can hang in your sullen looking work spaces while ignorant co-workers tell you how their equally dumb mother-in-law saw it and thought it was weird. To that I say there is no accounting for idiocy in this country but there is something to be said about me also having FULL SIZED one-sheets to toss out there if you’re so inclined to want one.

All you jackals have to do is send me a note at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com and I’ll take ten or so people and make their week with one of these bad boys. Believe me, they’re spectacular and, if you’re lucky, someone will make a derogatory comment about the film. A barometer for intelligence, I say, and thus saving you the aggravation of trying to get them to see Black Swan. Point them in the direction of Yogi Bear, they’ll love it more.

HOWL – Blu-ray Review

Such a good film.

James Franco delivers such an effective and evocative performance as the wily social provocateur, Allen Ginsberg. Detailing Ginsberg as a man who had no other intention in life than to express that which he could not contain in his mind, writing poetry that shook a lily-white public to the point of getting the law involved. No other film in 2010 examined the nature of art and its necessary place in our lives than Howl did.

In depicting Ginsberg’s obscenity trial as a result of the poem that labels this film filmmakers Jeffrey Friedman , Rob Epstein capture the true zeitgeist of the time and showed the American public for what they were when it came to words on a page, words that were spoken aloud. It’s no surprise that the puritanical social forces that kept men like Ginsberg safely away from the virgin eyes and ears of a youth population that didn’t know better must have been great and this film fantastically shows the power of what thoughts and concepts are capable of.

Largely ignored by the ticket buying public months ago the film has now made its way to Blu-ray and DVD and I could not recommend this movie more if you have an appreciation for the beat poets and what it was that they ignited many decades ago. You’ll find a new appreciation for the things that men like Ginsberg and many others who were labeled “obscene” had to do in order for parents to now decry Huck Finn as “obscene.” The more things change…

About the film:

James Franco stars as the young Allen Ginsberg ““ poet, counter-culture adventurer and chronicler of the Beat Generation. In his famously confessional, leave-nothing-out style, Ginsberg recounts the road trips, love affairs and search for personal liberation that led to the most timeless and electrifying work of his career, the poem HOWL. Meanwhile, in a San Francisco courtroom, HOWL is on trial. Prosecutor Ralph McIntosh (Strathairn) sets out to prove that the book should be banned, while suave defense attorney Jake Ehrlich (Hamm) argues fervently for freedom of speech and creative expression. The proceedings veer from the comically absurd to the passionate as a host of unusual witnesses (Jeff Daniels, Mary-Louise Parker, Treat Williams, Alesssandro Nivola) pit generation against generation and art against fear in front of conservative Judge Clayton Horn (Bob Balaban).

HOWL is simultaneously a portrait of a renegade artist breaking down barriers to find love and redemption and an imaginative ride through a prophetic masterpiece that rocked a generation and was heard around the world.

DVD Features:

James Franco in conversation with directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman – an all new feature length audio commentary.
Holy! Holy! Holy! The Making of Howl – featuring directors Epstein and Friedman and stars James Franco, Jon Hamm, David Strathairn, Treat Williams, Bob Balaban, poet Anne Waldman, and others.
Directors’ research tapes – original interviews with Ginsberg’s friends and collaborators Eric Drooker, Peter Orlovsky, Tuli Kupferberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Steven Taylor.
Allen Ginsberg reads Howl – never before seen footage from a performance in 1995 at the Knitting Factory in New York.
James Franco reads Howl audio feature.

Exclusive to Blu-Ray Release:
Allen Ginsberg reads Sunflower Sutra and Pull My Daisy – never before seen footage from a performance in 1995 at the Knitting Factory in New York.
Q&A with directors Epstein and Friedman moderated by John Cameron Mitchell (director of HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH and RABBIT HOLE) at the Provincetown Film Festival.

PAPER MAN – DVD Review

Sometimes you just want a movie to be a quiet character study of a couple of people.

I don’t know why this film struck a chord the way it did, certainly seeing Ryan Reynolds in tights and suicide blonde hair was certainly unique, but this film about a writer, his wife, and a babysitter who doesn’t babysit anyone had something to say about the nature of growing up even if you’re well into adulthood.

Jeff Daniels plays a suffering failed writer trying to overcome obstacles to write yet something else that is likely to not be very good if the past is any indication, his wife (Lisa Kudrow) being a source of support as she recommends them go to a small town to help him along, and Emma Stone turns up as a babysitter who sits a childless Daniels as the two of them strike up an interesting friendship based on shared fears and dreams for what awaits them when it’s time to stop playing the imaginary worlds they’ve created for themselves.

Both Daniels and Stone turn in fabulous performances as this film feels more like a two person play than it does a film. There is an intimacy the two create for themselves as this movie takes turns letting the two of them explore these fractured, yet redeemable, individuals.

It’s certainly not one of those gems that was lost in the crowd last year, as the movie has some pacing issues, but it is like finding a dollar bill on the ground: you’ll pick it up and be richer for doing so. Not by leaps and bounds, but in the secondary market where you could now see this for that dollar I can’t imagine a movie more worthy of your money.

About the film:

Paper Man is an inspirational comedic drama about an unlikely friendship between Richard (Jeff Daniels), a failed middle-aged novelist who has never quite grown up and Abby (Emma Stone), a 17-year-old girl whose role in a family tragedy years earlier has stolen away her youth. Both are unsure, both are afraid to take firm steps forward, and both are looking for that special friend-that connection-to help guide them into the future. Since his childhood, Richard has mostly relied on the imaginary one that resides in his head-a costumed superhero known as Captain Excellent (Ryan Reynolds).

At the urging of his wife Claire (Lisa Kudrow), Richard has moved to a Long Island beach community for the winter season in order to overcome his writer’s block. There, Richard meets Abby and hires her as a weekly babysitter, even though he has no children. Their tenuous, new friendship is sparked by Richard’s awe over Abby’s homemade soup and Abby’s enjoyment of Richard’s writing and his attempts at Origami. As the season progresses and the warm, quirky friendship between Richard and Abby grows, the two begin to share with each other their dreams and life hardships. With the coming of spring, Richard and Abby discover there comes a time to let go of the imaginary friends of the past and to embrace the future as a new beginning-just as one would embrace a new and unique friendship.

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

The Dilemma -Advance Screening

After all the brouhaha concerning whether Vince Vaughn’s character could say whether a car was or was not “ghey” (spelled the way the Internet intended) the movie is finally here to say once and for all if a vehicle is capable of having a sexual preference. Yes, I know, these are probably the same radicals who think that censoring Huck Finn of its nasty n-words was a good idea. It isn’t and it’s a form of censorship and good for Ron Howard for keeping the joke in tact. In fact, I may even buy a ticket just for pushing aside those who think he should have excised it from the film.

For those of you true Americans who believe in free speech and live in the metro Phoenix area and would like to see The Dilemma this coming Tuesday the 11th at Harkins Tempe Marketplace at 7:00 p.m. drop me a line at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com and I’ll hook it up. Support your God given right to use “ghey” in any appropriate, comedic context.

About the film:

Since college, confirmed bachelor Ronny (Vaughn) and happily married Nick (James) have been through thick and thin. Now partners in an auto design firm, the two pals are vying to land a dream project that would launch their company. With Ronny’s girlfriend, Beth (Connelly), and Nick’s wife, Geneva (Ryder), by their sides, they’re unbeatable. But Ronny’s world is turned upside down when he inadvertently sees Geneva out with another man and makes it his mission to get answers. As the amateur investigation dissolves his world into comic mayhem, he learns that Nick has a few secrets of his own. Now, with the clock ticking and pressure mounting on the biggest presentation of their careers, Ronny must decide how and when he will reveal the truth to his best friend.

BLACK SWAN – Giveway

Having seen the film a couple of times already, I am convinced that Black Swan from Darren Aronofsky is perhaps one of the best films of 2010, if not the best film from last year.

A mix of the bizarre, the fantastical, the utterly intense film was something I could not help but feel compelled to tell more people about who may be on the fence about whether they should check it out while it’s still in the theaters. I implore you to do so and, thanks to some special friends, I also have some posters to give away.

Now, while I certainly have some small posters of the movie’s stunning one-sheet that any number of you cube dwellers can hang in your sullen looking work spaces while ignorant co-workers tell you how their equally dumb mother-in-law saw it and thought it was weird. To that I say there is no accounting for idiocy in this country but there is something to be said about me also having FULL SIZED one-sheets to toss out there if you’re so inclined to want one.

All you jackals have to do is send me a note at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com and I’ll take ten or so people and make their week with one of these bad boys. Believe me, they’re spectacular and, if you’re lucky, someone will make a derogatory comment about the film. A barometer for intelligence, I say, and thus saving you the aggravation of trying to get them to see Black Swan. Point them in the direction of Yogi Bear, they’ll love it more.

HOWL – Blu-ray Review

Such a good film.

James Franco delivers such an effective and evocative performance as the wily social provocateur, Allen Ginsberg. Detailing Ginsberg as a man who had no other intention in life than to express that which he could not contain in his mind, writing poetry that shook a lily-white public to the point of getting the law involved. No other film in 2010 examined the nature of art and its necessary place in our lives than Howl did.

In depicting Ginsberg’s obscenity trial as a result of the poem that labels this film filmmakers Jeffrey Friedman , Rob Epstein capture the true zeitgeist of the time and showed the American public for what they were when it came to words on a page, words that were spoken aloud. It’s no surprise that the puritanical social forces that kept men like Ginsberg safely away from the virgin eyes and ears of a youth population that didn’t know better must have been great and this film fantastically shows the power of what thoughts and concepts are capable of.

Largely ignored by the ticket buying public months ago the film has now made its way to Blu-ray and DVD and I could not recommend this movie more if you have an appreciation for the beat poets and what it was that they ignited many decades ago. You’ll find a new appreciation for the things that men like Ginsberg and many others who were labeled “obscene” had to do in order for parents to now decry Huck Finn as “obscene.” The more things change…

About the film:

James Franco stars as the young Allen Ginsberg ““ poet, counter-culture adventurer and chronicler of the Beat Generation. In his famously confessional, leave-nothing-out style, Ginsberg recounts the road trips, love affairs and search for personal liberation that led to the most timeless and electrifying work of his career, the poem HOWL. Meanwhile, in a San Francisco courtroom, HOWL is on trial. Prosecutor Ralph McIntosh (Strathairn) sets out to prove that the book should be banned, while suave defense attorney Jake Ehrlich (Hamm) argues fervently for freedom of speech and creative expression. The proceedings veer from the comically absurd to the passionate as a host of unusual witnesses (Jeff Daniels, Mary-Louise Parker, Treat Williams, Alesssandro Nivola) pit generation against generation and art against fear in front of conservative Judge Clayton Horn (Bob Balaban).

HOWL is simultaneously a portrait of a renegade artist breaking down barriers to find love and redemption and an imaginative ride through a prophetic masterpiece that rocked a generation and was heard around the world.

DVD Features:

James Franco in conversation with directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman – an all new feature length audio commentary.
Holy! Holy! Holy! The Making of Howl – featuring directors Epstein and Friedman and stars James Franco, Jon Hamm, David Strathairn, Treat Williams, Bob Balaban, poet Anne Waldman, and others.
Directors’ research tapes – original interviews with Ginsberg’s friends and collaborators Eric Drooker, Peter Orlovsky, Tuli Kupferberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Steven Taylor.
Allen Ginsberg reads Howl – never before seen footage from a performance in 1995 at the Knitting Factory in New York.
James Franco reads Howl audio feature.

Exclusive to Blu-Ray Release:
Allen Ginsberg reads Sunflower Sutra and Pull My Daisy – never before seen footage from a performance in 1995 at the Knitting Factory in New York.
Q&A with directors Epstein and Friedman moderated by John Cameron Mitchell (director of HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH and RABBIT HOLE) at the Provincetown Film Festival.

PAPER MAN – DVD Review

Sometimes you just want a movie to be a quiet character study of a couple of people.

I don’t know why this film struck a chord the way it did, certainly seeing Ryan Reynolds in tights and suicide blonde hair was certainly unique, but this film about a writer, his wife, and a babysitter who doesn’t babysit anyone had something to say about the nature of growing up even if you’re well into adulthood.

Jeff Daniels plays a suffering failed writer trying to overcome obstacles to write yet something else that is likely to not be very good if the past is any indication, his wife (Lisa Kudrow) being a source of support as she recommends them go to a small town to help him along, and Emma Stone turns up as a babysitter who sits a childless Daniels as the two of them strike up an interesting friendship based on shared fears and dreams for what awaits them when it’s time to stop playing the imaginary worlds they’ve created for themselves.

Both Daniels and Stone turn in fabulous performances as this film feels more like a two person play than it does a film. There is an intimacy the two create for themselves as this movie takes turns letting the two of them explore these fractured, yet redeemable, individuals.

It”s certainly not one of those gems that was lost in the crowd last year, as the movie has some pacing issues, but it is like finding a dollar bill on the ground: you’ll pick it up and be richer for doing so. Not by leaps and bounds, but in the secondary market where you could now see this for that dollar I can’t imagine a movie more worthy of your money.

About the film:

Paper Man is an inspirational comedic drama about an unlikely friendship between Richard (Jeff Daniels), a failed middle-aged novelist who has never quite grown up and Abby (Emma Stone), a 17-year-old girl whose role in a family tragedy years earlier has stolen away her youth. Both are unsure, both are afraid to take firm steps forward, and both are looking for that special friend-that connection-to help guide them into the future. Since his childhood, Richard has mostly relied on the imaginary one that resides in his head-a costumed superhero known as Captain Excellent (Ryan Reynolds).

At the urging of his wife Claire (Lisa Kudrow), Richard has moved to a Long Island beach community for the winter season in order to overcome his writer’s block. There, Richard meets Abby and hires her as a weekly babysitter, even though he has no children. Their tenuous, new friendship is sparked by Richard’s awe over Abby’s homemade soup and Abby’s enjoyment of Richard’s writing and his attempts at Origami. As the season progresses and the warm, quirky friendship between Richard and Abby grows, the two begin to share with each other their dreams and life hardships. With the coming of spring, Richard and Abby discover there comes a time to let go of the imaginary friends of the past and to embrace the future as a new beginning-just as one would embrace a new and unique friendship.

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

My Golden Globes Rant or No Wonder They Keep Them Hidden in Their Pants by Ray Schillaci

The award season is rolling in and once again, I am deeply disappointed.  Golden Globe nominations have hit their biggest low since nominating and awarding Pia Zadora, Best Newcomer (I wonder if that was a bizarre porn reference) for the forgettable film and performance in “Butterfly.”Â  Throwing in the craptasticals; “Burlesque” and “Alice in Wonderland,” as the best Picture for a Musical or Comedy is like swallowing something that should never go down one’s throat.  But to include the ho-hum “The Tourist” and “RED” in that category displays an extreme lack of imagination or proper thought process.

Goddamn, if they needed nominees so badly they didn’t have to look any further than ‘Kick-Ass” “Cyrus” or “Toy Story 3”.  These films were far more entertaining and had so much more to say.  In defense of 2 out of the 3 mentioned (Kick-Ass and Cyrus) they had nowhere near the studio backing or publicity machine that cranked out false kudos for their misconceived products that offered nothing but false hopes for our entertainment.  Unfortunately, for “Toy Story 3″ it was dumped into the limited nomination of Best Animation with total disregard of all its other star attributes.

My God, the HFP’s heads are so far up their asses, I think they are choking on their Adam’s apple.  Perhaps that explains their biggest crime; to nominate Fincher’s soulless “the social network” over such better story driven, far more passionate pieces and expertly crafted fare as “The Town,” “True Grit” and, once again, “Toy Story 3.”Â  Having HFP dismissing the much better films and going the popularity route is like wiping a canvas with a handful of shit.

Then to add something special from their sphincter’s, they have the balls (take it back – they have no balls) to give a nomination nod to Jessie Eisenberg for what could be called a sedate version of what he’s been doing all along in every other movie.  Have the Hollywood Foreign Press not seen any of his films?  The guy was a hundred times more engaging in “Zombieland” and “Adventureland.”Â  It’s like nominating Stallone for a limit to his acting range.

What about that nomination in Musical/Comedy for Johnny Depp for “Alice in Wonderland”?  Perhaps a special nomination should have been concocted for “Best Fagela – Who Cannot Help but Tell, Even If You Ask!”  I like Depp, but his Mad Hatter performance was a new low, right up there with Willy Wonka.  Please, let’s not encourage this fine actor into anymore lowbrow John Water-type character roles.  They are better suited for the gay cabaret club circuit.

Also, how could anyone exclude Blake Lively with her intense raw performance in “The Town”?  She is a standout in this year’s acting category.  This is one case where ignorance is far from bliss.  Shame on the Hollywood Foreign Press for their omissions and inclusions, they have single-handedly dismissed the entire art of cinema with a ballot made from Charmin.

As for the TV nominations, I will not waste anyone’s time, since it really doesn’t matter.  The Golden Globes are a pale version of the Oscar telecast and an even a worse boring mess compared to the Emmy’s.  Will I watch it?  Perhaps by accident if I am not stuck in the john with a bad book or magazine.

At this time I wish you all Happy Holidays with some wonderful suggestions for your viewing pleasure:

Kick-Ass ““ How many adjectives can I use to describe the geek-love I have for this film?  It’s a thrill ride-in-a-half that appeals to the bad boy in all of us.  Nicholas Cage is perfection and the young wunderkind, Chloe Moretz playing his daughter is a true find.  Together, they are the greatest duo since Ryan and Tatum O’Neal from “Paper Moon.”Â  Aaron Johnson is warm, compelling and sincere as the kid who tries so hard to be a real superhero.  By the way, language and violence is rough on this one.  So prudes, stay clear.

Inception ““ Let’s take an extreme action film and give it a mind!  What a concept that is beautifully executed by writer/director Christopher Nolan.  Multiple viewings will probably be required to catch up with the intricate plot.  This is a Blu-ray must!

The Town ““ I have never been a big fan of Ben Affleck.  I actually thought “Goodwill Hunting” was either a one-of-a-kind fluke or secretly ghost written by somebody else.  Yes, I know Damon was his partner, but we have not seen anything else from that man either. Back to Affleck (Ben), he then blows us all away with “Gone, Baby, Gone” and now presents his very best work yet with “The Town”.  In fact, I will go out on a limb and declare that “The Town” is the best picture of the year with the very best acting ensemble to go with it.  It could also fall under the category as one of the greatest heist films ever made.  It’s not fun or cagey, but filled with real people and their gut-wrenching stories.  Once again, Blake Lively as Krista Coughlin, Ben Affleck’s old flame, scorches the screen and surprisingly Affleck shows he can hold his own with her and co-star Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker).

Toy Story 3 ““ Not that it’s anywhere in the same category, but TS3 is right up there with my best picture choice (The Town) in 2010.  Who would ever think that there was another tale to be told by the Toy Story people?  Not only did they capture the charm of the original, they improved upon it and had us crying and cheering along with our children.

The Book of Eli ““ A snazzy, off-beat post-apocalyptic tale that never ceases to surprise.  Denzel Washington is mesmerizing as Eli, the quiet, simple man with a mission to deliver a book while thwarting cannibals and demigods.  This is a survival story with heart that never gets morose or boring.

Cyrus ““ As I had mentioned before in my June review, the film is creepy, quirky, and highly original and loads of fun.  It’s right up there with such underground classics as “Harold & Maude” and “Where’s Poppa?”Â  John C. Reilly reaffirms his comic prowess and plays it beautifully off both Marisa Tomei and Jonah Hill who only add to the hilarity and sincerity of dysfunctional people trying to survive love.

Monsters ““ This movie actually has the biggest WOW factor of any of the films mentioned.  But warning, it’s definitely not for the simple minded.  Therefore, all you couch potatoes waiting for an onslaught of special effects to continue to wipe out another major city for your viewing pleasure will be disappointed. This wonderful film (see Christopher Stipp’s review) concentrates on the aftermath and an incredible journey of two people discovering a passion for living and loving in the midst of disaster.  It is intense and awe-inspiring.  Yes, there are monsters involved, but they are almost an engrossing subplot to the whole story.  The ending gave me the same chills I received when I first viewed Steven Spielberg’s original cut of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”Â  But there is one very big exception, this film looks like a multi-million dollar movie, yet it was made for reported $15,000. Unfortunately, we have to wait till February 1, 2011 before it is released to Blu-ray or possibly catch it as a viewing rental from Amazon, unless there is enough of a public outcry to get the film a decent theatrical release as did “Blair Witch” or “Paranormal Activity.”Â  But please do not confuse it with those movies.  It is not a first-person camera story (found footage, etc.).  It is far better than any of those types of films in every way, shape and form.  It has to be seen to be believed.

Enjoy the holidays, the recommendations and the few good films that are available to us via theatrical release (Black Swan, The Fighter, True Grit, Tangled) and home video release.  Remember, it’s the season to relish the time you can spend with those family members you love and stomach the time with those you have no tolerance for.  One last thought for the year; life is too short not to be entertained.

TRUE GRIT – Review

This movie belongs to Hailee Steinfeld and Jeff Bridges.

Forget about Matt Damon, who is nonetheless excellently poised at every moment to add flavor and humor to a tightly shot script, and certainly pay no attention to Josh Brolin who might as well have been given a Guest Starring credit as Barry Pepper is the true force majeur in the moments we spend with him. The real pleasure is watching Hailee and Jeff spin in each other’s orbit, the harmony that exists as the two of them shuck and jive is something to behold.

Whereas Henry Hathaway’s 1969 version was something of a departure from Charles Portis’ novel upon which these films were based the Coens’ version hews closely to the book and it shows. The newest incarnation feels sinewy, not an ounce of fat to be cut from what is a pretty simple tale of a little girl coming into a strange town to hire someone to get the man who killed her father. Really, this should be a movie that is about revenge and the ineptitude of a girl who fancies herself a woman. However, what Joel and Ethan Coen do is wrap this western in a true coming of age tale, the real masterstroke that makes this one of the most exciting westerns to come out in the last ten years.

The male bravado that is on display in so many westerns is the very thing that has held it back as a genre. The modern testosterone fueled picture is but a simulacrum for these things where men are men, women are women, and the Indians are always the bad guys.

The Coens flip this and what you end up with is a movie that wants to be more than just the tale of  drunkard Rooster Cogburn’s redemption as a man of law and as man in general. For it’s Mattie Ross (Steinfeld) who provides the role reversal in being the fast talking, and quickest witted, girl who can carry herself just fine. It’s a postmodern feminist tale set in the old west where there was no such thing as the kind of defiance she exerts to those around her who she feels has wronged her, belittled her, or seek her subjugation to their will. In countless scenes she is seen as neither sassy, nor cute, in her attempts to exact the Shakespearean level revenge, her pound of flesh, from the hide of Tom Chaney (Brolin).

With Ross’ story, the ultimate face-off between Chaney and herself seems perfunctory.  It’s irrelevant, even, to the larger themes being discussed which really is that the journey means more than the destination. The revenge is sweet, no question, but the lack of any character development whatsoever with regard to Chaney and the events that lead to his exiting the picture happen so fast that there isn’t any other conclusion to be reached other than this is a story of Ross and Cogburn. And Cogburn, for all he’s worth, really helps to anchor this film and establish it as a movie worthy of being this year’s best.

Bridges commands both sides of being both amusing and lethal. The gray areas in between are where we see glimpses of a man who used to be something more than a lawman who fudges the letter of the law, of showing a determination and honesty to his word when he realizes he has nothing else left to him but these virtues. Loyalty is something that’s developed slowly and gradually but Bridges brims with the character of a man who is beaten but who has not given up. There is some honor left in this samurai of the west and the Coens do what they do the best: allow their actors to stretch the skins of their character.

Yes, the words are on the page and are intended to be delivered word for word but they realize that it’s in nuance, in small moments when their players are talking to simply step back and let the material, and not their style, be the guide. Matt Damon as LaBoeuf does well as a man who would like to think himself as the superior enforcer with regards to the law of the land but in a place where there are no rules Damon comes off well as the in-over-his-head fop who constantly finds himself in many inopportune situations.

The real pleasure of this version of True Grit comes across not only in the performances which are uniformly great but in the honesty with which everyone plays their part. This is a western, yes, but with the infusion of innocence that is slowly rubbed away like oxidation on a copper penny you have a film that means so much more than a stamp that will place it in the Western genre. It’s a story of redemption and loss and what it means to keep pushing forward even when it seems the night is at its darkest hour.

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

LITTLE FOCKERS – Screening

Live in Phoenix or the nearby environs? Interested in seeing Little Fockers on December 16? Then, pal, I have just the ticket for you. In fact, I have a lot of tickets so by all means shoot me a line at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com and I’ll see about hooking you up with passes to see it.

Need to know more? Here’s some information:

This holiday season come LITTLE FOCKERS the third installment in this blockbuster series (Meet The Parents and Meet the Fockers.) The test of wills between Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro) and Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) escalates to new heights as Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro) and Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) and the family all get together under the same roof. Laura Dern and Jessica Alba join the returning all-star cast for a new chapter of the worldwide hit franchise.

It has taken 10 years, two little Fockers with wife Pam (Polo) and countless hurdles for Greg to finally get “in” with his tightly wound father-in-law, Jack. After the cash-strapped dad takes a job moonlighting for a drug company, however, Jack’s suspicions about his favorite male nurse come roaring back.

When Greg and Pam’s entire clan — including Pam’s lovelorn ex, Kevin (Owen Wilson) — descends for the twins’ birthday party, Greg must prove to the skeptical Jack that he’s fully capable as the man of the house. But with all the misunderstandings, spying and covert missions, will Greg pass Jack’s final test and become the family’s next patriarch…or will the circle of trust be broken for good?

This laugh out loud comedy, LITTLE FOCKERS will be screening on December 16, and opens in theatres on December 22.

And now, on to the recommendations to make this a merry digital Christmas for that special someone, or something, or yourself, this year:

JEDI JUNKIES – DVD

What a pleasure this film was to watch.

If you’ve seen the documentary Trekkies and appreciated what that film did for fans of the Star Trek then you have to get this for any fan, even tangential ones, of the Star Wars franchise.

What I learned by watching Mark Edlitz’ expose on the fans who are, at times, downright obsessed with this film series is that these fans are just passionate about everything having to do with this property. You have people who have been tattooed, people who have devoted entire rooms of their homes in order to contain their habit, and some who are dedicated enough to teach a class on how to properly use a lightsaber. The overriding lesson that’s learned by watching this documentary is that these are people who are really into this thing that just happens to be Star Wars. What Edlitz gets right in a huge way is making these people normal. I know that doesn’t sound like much but, like in Trekkies, these people showcased aren’t made to look foolish or nerdy. They’re genuine fans of these films and through conversations with these individuals you get that we should see them as champions for something many of us have already written off after so many years of naked greed. It’s an exploration of the nature of fandom and I couldn’t have been more entertained by a well-made and expertly executed treatise on what it means to be a supporter of Star Wars.

You can order the film right here through their website and I couldn’t recommend seeking this out high enough. In fact, if you’re in the market for your own lightsaber, Jedi Junkies is looking to give one out in a contest. So, visit the site, check out the movie, enter the contest, be impressed.

Details on the contest to win your own custom, steel lightsaber:

JEDI JUNKIES

Announces release of DVD and a chance to win a CUSTOM LIGHTSABER!

Star Wars feature documentary, JEDI JUNKIES, is giving fans the chance to win their very own custom, steel lightsaber to celebrate the release of the DVD. To be entered to win, fans need only to LIKE the film’s Facebook fan page. A winner will be selected on Monday, December 21st.

The film teamed with Advanced Light Weaponry to offer this very special promotion. As an added bonus, the winner will be able to select which side of the force they are on by choosing the saber’s color (blue for Jedi, red for Sith).”¨”¨JEDI JUNKIES is a fun, affectionate documentary profiling some of the hardcore and passionate fans inspired by the multi-billion-dollar grossing deep space epic: from the creation of a full-size Millennium Falcon spacecraft in a fan’s backyard, to schools teaching light saber fighting techniques, to women who spend their spare time recreating Princess Leia in her slave bikini, this film tells the stories of Star Wars fans who will shock and delight you with how they redefine Star Wars fandom.

Also featuring the perspectives of celebrity insiders including Olivia Munn (Attack of the Show, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett), Phantom Menace actor Ray Park (Darth Maul), Celebrity Fit Club’s Dr. Linda Papodopolis and Blair Witch Project director Ed Sanchez, JEDI JUNKIES will change the way you look at fandom forever!”¨ “¨A film made by Star Wars fans, for Star Wars fans, can now be purchased on DVD, iTunes, Amazon VOD and Playstation 3. The film is also available for rental on iTunes, Amazon VOD and Playstation 3.
For information on JEDI JUNKIES, please visit their website: http://www.jedijunkies.com/

MAD MAX & ROBOCOP – Blu-ray

This one is a no brainier.

For those who are looking to expand their Blu-ray collection with titles that will really take advantage of your surround sound with the sweet sound of explosions and many pounds worth of violence you can’t do better than these two titles.

Recently released, Mad Max and Robocop are two titles that fit nicely within any manly man’s collection of films. One, a dystopian vision of a desolate landscape fraught with crazies and psychopaths while the other is a dystopian vision of a desolate urban landscape fraught with crazies and one guy named Clarence. Robocop, for my money, has spawned the most number of callbacks of any destructive action film in recent memory. It was ahead of its time but completely on point when it came to the larger issue that Paul Verhoeven was going for with regard to a film that was essentially about a cop who has come back from the dead to restore justice to a lawless city. While Mad Max, if you think about it, was a revolutionary film in that its success only grew after its release and outrage that followed. Without Max it would be doubtful there would have been a Saw franchise.

Both of these films are true classics and classics that make excellent gifts to those men, or ladies, in your life who can appreciate the larger themes that both of these movies explore.

About the Blu-rays:

The cyborg super-cop Robocop defends citizens of Old Detroit with three times as much action when the ROBOCOP TRILOGY arrives as a Blu-ray collector’s set October 5. Just in time for the holiday season, this three disc set from MGM Home Entertainment contains the original ROBOCOP on Blu-ray, as well as ROBOCOP 2 andROBOCOP 3 on Blu-ray for the first time.

Packed full of memorable moments and Robocop quotes, the ROBOCOP TRILOGY is a fan must-have. Viewers can experience their favorite “human” robot in all three classic films, now on Blu-ray. Directors Paul Verhoeven (Totall Recall, Basic Instinct) of ROBOCOP and ROBOCOP 2 and Fred Dekker (Monster Squad Forever, Nighs of the Creeps) of ROBOCOP 3bring the half robot, half police officer to life with the help of an intensely talented cast, including Peter Weller (The Order; 24), Robert Burke (Good Night, and Good Luck; Tombstone), Kurtwood Smith (Rambo III; That 70’s Show) and Nancy Allen (Law and Order, Carrie).

In ROBOCOP (1987), a terminally wounded cop in crime-ridden Detroit returns to the force as a powerful cyborg with submerged memories haunting him. ROBOCOP 2 (1990) features a corrupt businesswoman seeking to disable Robocop in favor of her own model of cyborg. In ROBOCOP 3 (1993) Robocop saves the day once more. This time the half man/half robot takes on ruthless developers who want to evict some people on “their” land.

Now viewers can experience the thrilling dystopian action film with an all-new Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack. Special features include filmmaker commentary and the documentary “Mad Max: The Film Phenomenon,” featuring interviews with the original crew and film experts. The new release also features the very popular original Australian audio track in addition to the American dubbed track.

Considered one of the best films of 1979, MAD MAX garnered three Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards for editing, sound and musical score. The film was also nominated by the AFI for Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Hugh Keays-Byrne).

In the ravaged near future, a savage motorcycle gang rules the road. Terrorizing innocent civilians while tearing up the streets, the ruthless gang laughs in the face of a police force hell-bent on stopping them. But they underestimate one officer: Max Rockatansky (Gibson). And when the bikers brutalize Max’s best friend and family, they send him into a mad frenzy that leaves him seeking revenge, which is the only thing left in the world for Max to live for.

Special Features:
– Filmmaker Commentary by Jon Dowding, David Eggby, Chris Murray & Tim Ridge
– Documentary: “Mad Max: The Film Phenomenon”
– New-To-The-U.S. Original Australian Language Track
– Two theatrical trailers
– TV Spots

I KNEW IT WAS YOU – DVD

It’s simple why you should get this for any fan of film after watching this documentary.

A movie about John Cazale, someone who you really shouldn’t have heard about before seeing this, it charts the tragic story of an actor who acted in but five films but those films (The Deer Hunter, The Godfather, The Godfather: Part II, The Conversation, Dog Day Afternoon) garnered 40 Academy Award nominations. You couldn’t have charted a more perfect career. That ended, though, when Cazale wrapped The Deer Hunter and died of bone cancer at the age of 42.

This documentary is one that I am not sure would have been made without the horrible circumstances surrounding Cazale’s untimely demise, obviously, but this is a film that goes beyond this man’s life. It is an exploration on the nature of acting and how one man could genuinely tap into that thing that make good actors better, average performers step up their game. The interviews are the real treat, with people like Robert De Niro, Gene Hackman, and Meryl Streep providing a glowing context to what this man so special. It’s not something to be missed and should appeal to anyone looking to understand why some just were meant to act.

About the film:

KNEW IT WAS YOU, which explores the life of the exceptional but little-known actor John Cazale. The film premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and aired on HBO June 1, 2010. The film was produced by Brett Ratner and Stacey Reiss. O-Scope will release the DVD in the fall of 2010.

Cazale’s film career consisted of just five movies, but all of them were Academy Award nominees for Best Picture: THE GODFATHER, THE GODFATHER: PART II, THE CONVERSATION, DOG DAY AFTERNOON, and THE DEER HUNTER. He is remembered by his colleagues as one of the brightest talents of his day, but three decades after his promising career ended with his untimely death, Cazale is largely unknown the general public.

Featuring interviews with Hollywood legends such as Al Pacino, Gene Hackman, Robert De Niro, Richard Dreyfuss, Meryl Streep, and Sidney Lumet, as well as actors and filmmakers from a younger generation inspired by Cazale, including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, and Brett Ratner, and including clips from Cazale’s movies and rarely seen photos and home video, I KNEW IT WAS YOU seeks to remedy the disparity of Cazale’s success with his relative anonymity.

Richard Shepard said, “It’s a thrill to have Oscilloscope release the DVD of I KNEW IT WAS YOU. Their passion and commitment to quality projects is evident in the care and creativity they put into each of their releases. This documentary was a labor of love for everyone involved, and it’s really nice that it continues with the DVD release. I’m very excited that movie fans everywhere will have a chance to learn about John Cazale, and his incredible craft of acting.”

Adam Yauch, head of Oscilloscope, said, “Oscilloscope is the Fredo of independent film, so it’s an honor to put this film out.”

VENGEANCE – DVD

If you’re looking to get something that is hard boiled, smart, taut, and pretty damn satisfying this is the movie to get this season.

In the grand tradition of great Hong Kong crime films where the classical themes of revenge are still mined for great subject matter this is a movie that moves quick and is wholly satisfying. It should be enough to say that this is a movie that deals with one man’s quest to deal with a bunch of professionals who were on a mission to take out his family for reasons that are all too clear and are all too blatantly easy to understand but who cares, right? This movie is all about the copious use of squibs and pistols and gunfire and, believe me, you get a lot of that here. In spades. Sometimes you just want a movie that doesn’t spend too much time navel gazing about the nature of man. Sometimes you just want a movie where a man needs to kill another man just because. And that’s what you get. Loved it.

About the film:

Legendary director Johnnie To (The Election Trilogy, Triangle PTU) the greatest master of Hong Kong action films since John Woo returns with an instant modern classic compared by Roger Ebert to Clint Eastwood s Unforgiven, VENGEANCE is a visually stunning and gripping gangster tale about honor among thieves and a father determined to avenge his daughter.

Pop legend Johnny Hallyday (often called the French Elvis) gives the performance of his life as Costello, a world-weary but dapper gourmet chef who clearly has violence in his past (and future) when he enlists the help of hired assassins to enact his bloody revenge on the Chinese gangsters who nearly killed his little girl. Two brilliantly staged shoot outs by To one in the moonlight, the other at an abandoned dump are merely the highlights of a movie that crosses Memento with a spaghetti western and comes up with this international smash hit.

THE WORLD AT WAR – Blu-ray

How many of you, like myself, are obsessed with the History Channel and cannot stop watching footage from Word War II?

I know I’m not the only one who feels that way and, I am willing to bet, you know someone in your life who can’t stop watching either. What’s remarkable about this collection of 26 hours of documentary footage that was originally broadcast over 35 years ago is that not only is it narrated by Sir Lawrence Oliver but that the content is still just as fascinating as it was when it originally aired. The dirtiness of war and all that it brought into the world so many decades ago still is a thrill to watch because of how resonant the themes are even today.

Especially today.

For some mini series that have found their way onto Blu-ray nothing compares to the high level of quality that you’ve come to expect from History in bringing a high-def experience to your living room. I know it’s schmaltzy to say that this process brings history to life but in my Blu-ray player, with my kid looking on, it’s hard not to feel willingly trapped in a classroom where, even now, you learn something new about what this war cost both sides.

For what you get, and it’s a megaton of additional features, this simply cannot be a better value for what you get and that, in addition to the 26 hours of the actual programming, you get an additional 10+ hours of extras.

About the DVD:

Unsurpassed as the definitive visual history of World War II, THE WORLD AT WAR is a powerful and devastating historical chronicle of battle, comprised of penetrating interviews with world and military leaders, and the ordinary men and women who endured the war from the home fronts, that give viewers a chilling, first-hand experience of the Second World War.

Narrated by Academy Award winner Laurence Olivier, THE WORLD AT WAR is epic history at its absolute best.

Special Features:

Secretary to Hitler (Traudl Junge), The Two Deaths of Adolph Hitler, Warrior (archival interviews about combat), Hitler’s Germany: The People’s Community 1933-1939, Hitler’s Germany: Total War 1939-1945, The Final Solution Part One, The Final Solution Part 2, From War to Peace. Plus new shows Making the Series and Experiences of War (unseen interviews from the archives of the Imperial War Museum). Bios, photo galleries.

VALHALLA RISING – DVD

I ought to only have to mention the Pusher Trilogy and Bronson. This thing should sell itself without me getting in the way.

One was a crime thriller that was gritter than beach sand in your shoe and Bronson gave the world Tom Hardy.

Filmmaker Nicholas Winding Refn has brought his unique vision of violence out of the streets and into the hills, and waiting arms, of the legendary Vikings. The movie’s plot is easy enough to understand: Mads Mikkelsen plays One Eye, a prisoner of some dirty Vikings who would like to use him for sport and leisure. What they weren’t counting on is this prisoner rising up and violently gaining his freedom where his quest enters a new phase when he incorporates himself into a band of soldiers looking to battle in the Crusades.

What’s especially fun and unique about this film is that it is, without question, dark. It’s dank, gray, wet, and depressing but it adds to the overall appeal of the film which is that this is a movie that really brings back a certain violence that is reflective of the time. Like Deadwood, this film tries to at least, in a general way, get the period right. Never mind the finer details, what Refn gets kudos for is how visceral the punishments are in this movie. People are picked off and battled with in the most gory ways but there’s a little bit of poetry in the way Refn shoots it.

Hopefully you pick this one up for someone itching for a satisfying gore-fest follow up to 300.

About the DVD:

Unsurpassed as the definitive visual history of World War II, THE WORLD AT WAR is a powerful and devastating historical chronicle of battle, comprised of penetrating interviews with world and military leaders, and the ordinary men and women who endured the war from the home fronts, that give viewers a chilling, first-hand experience of the Second World War.

Narrated by Academy Award winner Laurence Olivier, THE WORLD AT WAR is epic history at its absolute best.

Special Features:

Secretary to Hitler (Traudl Junge), The Two Deaths of Adolph Hitler, Warrior (archival interviews about combat), Hitler’s Germany: The People’s Community 1933-1939, Hitler’s Germany: Total War 1939-1945, The Final Solution Part One, The Final Solution Part 2, From War to Peace. Plus new shows Making the Series and Experiences of War (unseen interviews from the archives of the Imperial War Museum). Bios, photo galleries.

DOLLHOUSE: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON – Blu-ray

I didn’t know the first thing about this series before putting it into my player but man did I rush out and get season one as soon as I was halfway through this.

I can understand why this show did get canceled based on how unique and high concept the show was but it shouldn’t take away from the fact that it was a very smart show. If anyone needs any indication of where smart gets you on Fox you need only look at where Arrested Development went and have all your questions answered. Dollhouse is that unique property where brains meet ambition and you can see how lush this environment is when you see it as the flower of Joss Whedon’s imagination. The mix of sci-fi and quick action in this season make this a curious question mark about where else smart television needs to go if this is the result.

If this season was any indication of how well future seasons were going to go then it’s a shame I am reviewing this set as the final entry for it had great promise of being a program that could have had staying power if it just could have found the right people to support it.

If you’re going to get this season, and you should, do yourself a favor and throw in season one just to complete the series.

About the release:

From creative mastermind Joss Whedon comes the second and final season of the sexy, suspenseful thriller Dollhouse on Blu-ray and DVD October 12 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. The collectible set includes all 13 episodes of Dollhouse, a limited edition exclusive comic book, and bonus audio commentary by Joss Whedon and series writers Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen.

Joss Whedon’s take on the ultimate identity theft follows a cast of Actives, or Dolls, who serve as agents of Dollhouse, an illegal underground organization providing elite clientele with programmable human beings. Personality imprints allow Actives to temporarily become anyone or anything – the perfect burglar, lover, spy or assassin. When the mission is completed, memories are wiped clean. The all-star Dollhouse cast is led by Eliza Dushku as Echo (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Tru Calling, Angel) and Tahmoh Penikett as Paul Ballard (Battlestar Galactica).

Disc Features
The Dollhouse Season Two four-disc DVD or three-disc Blu-ray collection includes a retrospective with Joss Whedon and cast roundtable about the series. A gag reel and deleted scenes from top episodes are also included. Disc contents include episodes 1-13: “Vows,” “Instinct,” “Belle Chose,” “Belonging” and “The Public Eye,” “The Left Hand,” “Meet Jane Doe,” “A Love Supreme,” “Stop-Loss” and “The Attic,” “Getting Closer,” The Hollow Men,” and “Epitaph 2: The Return.”

The complete 13 episodes of the final season are presented in wide screen format with English, 5.1 DTS sound and English, Spanish, French and Portuguese subtitles.

Dollhouse Comic Book
Each Blu-ray and DVD comes with a 28 page exclusive limited edition comic book by Dark Horse Comics. Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, joined by longtimeBuffy the Vampire Slayer artist Cliff Richards, take us on an intricate trip through the precise moment when the Active technology went global, and how the protagonists from Epitaph One and Two narrowly avoided death, and worse. Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen wrote the Epitaph episodes of Dollhouse Seasons One and Two, and currently write for the Starz series Spartacus. This is their first work in comics. Artist Cliff Richards has drawn more Joss Whedon-related comics than any other artist, including issues of Buffy Season Eight.”

SKELETONS – DVD

This movie is a riot so go forth and buy a copy of this. Literally, the answer to any anglophile in your life who thinks they know it all when it comes to the most brilliant comedy to come out this year.

Something of a mix between a flat out comedy by way of dry humor and a science fiction yarn, Skeletons is a movie that you never knew you wanted to see until it was right in front of your eyes. If you were to ask for a modern day Laurel and Hardy and give them British accents, this would be the result.

Ed Gaughan and Andrew Buckley are our mismatched pair and who have the kind of chemistry usually reserved for lusty actresses and their handsome beaus. These two are neither yet this story about a couple of schmoes who go into people’s homes in order to literally exercise the skeletons in their closet. They do so with the kind of aplomb usually reserved for those getting their oil changed but I found myself laughing consistently at this Ricky Gervais/Carl Pilkington match-up between the guy who thinks he knows it all and the guy who can’t wait to mess things up.

The plot, at its essence, is basically that these two fellows are great at finding these skeletons and revealing the information of what was found to the people who have let them in their homes but there is one case where things don’t go well and proves to be a challenge to these guys. Now, that’s very reductive, I know, but please watch this short video which gives you a 50,000 view of the plot. I don’t want to spoil anything about a movie I am sure will be someone else’s discovered treasure. I don’t want to give anything else anyway.

So, if you’re looking for something else besides the buddy films of Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, this could be the one you haven’t been looking for.

About the release:

SKELETONS, Edinburgh International Film Festival’s Best British Film of 2010, and written and directed by Derbyshire based Nick Whitfield and shot entirely on location in the county,
tells the story of Davis and Bennett, a mismatched pair of travelling salesman in the business of cleaning skeletons from closets. Together they travel across Britain, wandering in and out of other people’s lives, performing the “˜Procedure’ whereby hidden secrets and lies are exposed. They literally bring the skeletons out of the closet.

In June SKELETONS was awarded the Edinburgh International Film Festival’s prestigious Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature Film. The Edinburgh International Film Festival’s jury, headed by veteran actor Sir Patrick Stewart, was unanimous in its decision, commenting: “Nick Whitfield’s debut feature SKELETONS best exemplifies the spirit of Michael Powell in its original vision and dark humour”

KISSES – DVD

You simply could not do better when it comes to finding a movie about two kids who find each other.

What is so brilliant about filmmaker Lance Daly’s take on a tale about two kids who run away with one another is how the film feels more like a love letter to the city of Dublin, that it shows how perilous it can be while also showcasing its dazzling attractiveness. These two kids who find themselves caught in a world after dark, far away from the soft comforts of home, are a real charm as well. One wants to be hardcore while the other is looking for someone to lean on but what ends up happening is that they both find something in each other that they need: comfort.

It’s by no means a movie without some tough love but what you have here is simply a mesmerizing portrayal of what happens when you just can’t face what life hands you anymore and you don’t have anything else to hang onto. There is someone waiting to help but it never is quite as easy as asking, as Daly shows us.

I could not recommend this movie enough to buy for someone needing a reason to believe in the power of hope.

About the film:

On the fringes of Dublin two kids, Kylie and Dylan, live in a suburban housing estate devoid of life, colour and the prospect of escape. Kylie lives with five other siblings and her overworked mother. Next door, Dylan lives in the shadow of an alcoholic father and the memory of an elder brother who ran away from home two years earlier.

After a violent altercation with his father, Dylan runs away from home and Kylie decides to run away with him. Together they make their way to the magical night time lights of inner city Dublin, to search for Dylan’s brother, and in the hope of finding, through him, the possibility of a new life.

Lance Daly’s vision of Dublin, as seen through the innocent eyes of our protagonists, is a kaleidoscope of magic, wonder and mystery. But as the night wears on, and Dublin takes on a darker character, the two kids have to rely on the kindness of strangers, the advice of Bob Dylan and their trust in each other to survive the night.

AVATAR: EXTENDED COLLECTORS EDITION – DVD

James Cameron is, if nothing else, thorough.

What I learned while going through this re-release on DVD was how wide he cast the net for what was, by all accounts, one of the biggest films ever made. While I can’t say that watching it for a third time did anything for me I was remarkably impressed by how much back story he put into this film. One thing you cannot knock the guy for is his endless passion to get it right and when I delved into all the special features of this DVD set it was clear that his vision was executed the exact way he wanted. You cannot be anything but amazed at the efforts he took to not only technically get it right but in thinking about the small things that surrounded the creation of this story.

Even though this was a DVD release that I saw the visuals are really something to behold and take in. I can only imagine what it looks like in Blu-ray in how he captured lights and darks and colors of all kinds. I recommend this one solely for those who not only liked the film but those who want hours of additional footage showing you why he is indeed king of the world.

About the re-release:

Director James Cameron is unlocking the secrets of Pandora and taking fans on a guided tour of his vision with the highly anticipated release of AVATAR Extended Collector’s Edition on Blu-ray and DVD releasing November 16th in North America and rolling out internationally from November 15th. These exclusive Extended Collector’s Editions come with iconic, collectible packaging to get fans to experience Pandora like never before. With three versions of the film, AVATAR fans will get an all-new extended cut of the film and hours of never-before seen material including over 45 minutes of amazing deleted scenes!

“I told our team — let’s do the ultimate box set of Avatar, with everything in it the fans could possibly want. There’s an extended length cut that’s sixteen minutes longer, plus documentaries, behind the scenes featurettes, artwork and over 45 minutes of deleted scenes. Everything worth putting into a special edition is in this set,” said James Cameron.

The three-disc AVATAR Extended Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and Theatrical Special Edition Re-Release DVD will both feature the original theatrical release, a special edition re-release, family audio track with all objectionable language removed and new collector’s extended cut with sixteen more minutes including an exclusive alternate opening Earth scene. Viewers will journey to the depths of Pandora with filmmakers during “Capturing Avatar” an in-depth feature length documentary covering the 16 year filmmaker journey including all new interviews with James Cameron, Jon Landau and cast and crew exploring James Cameron’s unique vision for the film seen by more than 310 million people worldwide. The Oscar and Golden Globe winning epic is the highest grossing film of all time, taking in over $2.7 billion in worldwide box office. It is also the top-selling Blu-ray disc of all time.

The AVATAR Extended Collector’s Edition Blu-ray will also have even more bonus material and interactive viewing. Through the unparalleled, interactive technology of Blu-ray, fans can dive further into the world of the Na’vi and experience the #1 international sensation from behind the scenes, with a “master class” on the production of the film. Leveraging the interactivity of Blu-ray, viewers can experience the full film in three stages of production: Performance Capture, Template (1990’s video game version) and Final as well as a composite of all stages in “Pandora’s Box”. This will be supported with interviews by Jim Cameron and the filmmakers and serve as a “master class” on the making of AVATAR.

Contents:

Disc One

Original Theatrical Version

Special Edition Re-Release

Collector’s Extended Cut

16 more minutes and exclusive alternate opening

Family Audio Track (All Objectionable Language Removed)

Original Theatrical Release

Special Edition Re-release

Disc Two

“Capturing Avatar” An in-depth feature length documentary with James Cameron, Jon Landau and cast and crew

Deleted Scenes ““ including over 45 minutes of new never-before-seen deleted scenes

Production Materials

Disc Three

Open “Pandora’s Box” and go deeper into the filmmaker process

Interactive Scene Deconstruction: Explore the various stages of production through 3 different viewing modes

Production Shorts: 17 featurettes covering performance capture, scoring the film, 3D fusion camera, stunts and much more

Avatar Archives including original scriptment, 300 page screenplay and the extensive Pandorapedia

BD-live Portal with additional bonus materials

AVATAR Collector’s Edition: 3-Disc Special Edition DVD:

Disc One

Original Theatrical Version

Special Edition Re-release

Collector’s Extended Cut

16 more minutes and exclusive alternate opening

Disc Two

Original Theatrical Version

Special Edition Re-release

Collector’s Extended Cut

Disc Three

“Capturing Avatar” An in-depth feature length documentary with James Cameron, Jon Landau and cast and crew

Deleted Scenes ““ including over 45 minutes of new never-before-seen deleted scenes

LENNONYC – DVD

I’m not a big Beatles fan but I appreciated this film.

Understanding why Lennon called New York City home is an interesting angle to take as we unceremoniously celebrate the 30th year of this man’s brutal death by a deranged fan. While I’m an even bigger non fan of Double Fantasy this is nonetheless a gripping expose on the life of a guy who wanted to make his home in the middle of a place where raising a family wasn’t the most healthy of endeavors. Still crawling with the more seedier elements Lennon was nonetheless a polarizing figure in the fight against an unjust war, his vocal opposition most likely the reason Nixon wanted him deported, and his notion that there was still great beauty in this world makes this not so much a portrait of a Beatle who was starting a new life in America but of a man who was looking to make his life in America, a place he held so dearly. Moving and poignant, the documentary is a true examination of what it meant to be an artist in New York.

About the film:

This fall, as the world remembers John Lennon on what would have been his 70th birthday, and the 30th anniversary of his death, LENNONYC takes an intimate look at the time Lennon, Yoko Ono and their son, Sean, spent living in New York City during the 1970s.

“New York became a part of who John and I were,” said Ms. Ono. “We couldn’t have existed the same way anywhere else. We had a very special relationship with the city, which is why I continue to make this my home, and I think this film captures what that time was like for us very movingly.”

“The period that Lennon lived with his family in New York is perhaps the most tender and affecting phase of his life as a public figure,” said Susan Lacy, series creator and executive producer of American Masters as well as a producer of the Lennon film. “Just as the generation that had grown up with the Beatles was getting a little older and approaching a transitional time in their lives as they started families, they saw this reflected in Lennon as he grew from being a rock star icon into a real flesh and blood person.”

“I have long been moved by the honesty and directness of John’s music,” said Michael Epstein, LENNONYC director, producer and writer. “And, by using never-before heard studio talkback of John from this period, I think I was able to give the viewer a window into John Lennon that had not been put to film before.”

Following the breakup of the Beatles, Lennon and Ono moved to New York City in 1971, where Lennon sought to escape the mayhem of the Beatles era and focus on his family and private life. At the same time, he created some of the most acclaimed songs and albums of his career, most of them written at his apartment at The Dakota on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, including Mind Games, Whatever Gets You Thru the Night, I’m Losing You, and Woman. He also remained highly active in the anti-war movement as well as numerous other progressive political causes.

As much as New York made an impact on Lennon and Ono by offering them an oasis of personal and creative freedom, so too did they shape the city. At a time when New York faced record high crime, economic fallout and seemed to be on the verge of collapse, Lennon and Ono became a beloved fixture in neighborhood restaurants, at Central Park, at sports events and at political demonstrations.

Lennon and Ono also bonded with millions of their fellow New Yorkers in their experience as immigrants. The film traces their struggle to remain in the U.S. when the Nixon administration sought to deport them, supposedly based on a narcotics violation, but which Lennon insisted was in response to his anti-war activities.

LENNONYC features never-before heard studio recordings from the Double Fantasy sessions and never-before-seen outtakes from Lennon in concert and home movies that have only recently been transferred to video. It also features exclusive interviews with Ms. Ono, who cooperated extensively with the production and offers an unprecedented level of access, as well as with artists who worked closely with Lennon during this period, including Elton John and photographer Bob Gruen (who took the iconic photograph of Lennon in front of the skyline wearing a “New York City” t-shirt).

SPACE 1999 – Blu-ray

This was one amazing television series.

I’m not recommending this to anyone who doesn’t already appreciate the finer qualities of mid seventies conceptions of what space was as it was seen through the eyes of television producers. Now, apart from the models that look extremely suspect, background equipment that seems like it was crafted with a bunch of bright light bulbs and decoupage, and outfits that border on laughable this was nonetheless a brilliant watch. The examination of the nature of man and the oddities that these space explorers encounter on their quest to explore the universe is the real attraction here. This television show was ahead of its time as episodes take a more frank and serious approach to space exploration that doesn’t once involve hi-jinks of any kind. A must for any fan of the series, knows of the series, or has an affection for a television show that supposes that if there really were space explorers they would probably be just as serious as these individuals were.

About the Blu-ray:

In the year 1999, a spectacular explosion at a lunar nuclear waste dump sends the moon out of Earth’s orbit. In this seminal sci-fi series from producer Gerry Anderson (Thunderbirds, UFO), the men and women of Moonbase Alpha are suddenly propelled on a treacherous journey across the universe in search of extraordinary new worlds. Left with no way home, the Earthling citizens are forced to embark upon the greatest adventure of their lives, encountering bizarre life forms and strange phenomena as they struggle to survive among the awe-inspiring wonders of outer space.

All 24 first season episodes of this acclaimed space adventure have been restored in stunning high definition and presented with newly-created 5.1 surround soundtracks, and hours of brand-new bonus features.

With its progressive plotlines, an outstanding cast, and astonishing special effects from Oscar® winner Brian Johnson (Alien, The Empire Strikes Back), SPACE: 1999 has secured its place as one of the most thought-provoking series of the 20th century – and beyond.

DISC 1: Breakaway / Matter of Life and Death / Black Sun / Ring Around the Moon / Earthbound
DISC 2: Another Time, Another Place / Missing Link / Guardian of Piri / Force of Life / Alpha Child
DISC 3: The Last Sunset / Voyager’s Return / Collision Course / Death’s Other Dominion / The Full Circle
DISC 4: End Of Eternity / War Games / The Last Enemy / The Troubled Spirit / Space Brain
DISC 5: The Infernal Machine / Mission Of The Darians / Dragon’s Domain / Testament Of Arkadia
DISC 6: Bonus Features

5.1 surround sound audio for each episode, along with the original mono
Audio commentaries
Music-only tracks
Behind-the-scenes featurettes
Episodic image galleries for all episodes
Trailers
Textless titles
Barry Gray’s theme music demo
Alternate opening/closing titles
Martin Landau and Barbara Bain US premier intro and outro
SFX plates and deleted SFX scenes with music track

Amazon.com
When it was first broadcast in 1975, there had never been a more lavishly produced science fiction TV series than Thunderbirds creators Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s Space: 1999, a British production whose budget for the first of its two seasons ran an astounding 3.25 million pounds. What keeps us fans enthralled after all these years has only partly to due with the first-rate production values, the plausibly constructed spaceship models, and expert special effects. The tone of the show is one of scientific dispassion, setting it apart from its TV sci-fi predecessors such as Star Trek, whose mood was more convivial. Our heroes here are in dire circumstances that require cool heads as a survival trait. Those circumstances: the 311 crew members of Moonbase Alpha–including Commander John Koenig (Martin Landau), Chief Medical Officer Dr. Helena Russell (Landau’s Mission: Impossible costar and then-wife Barbara Bain), and Professor Victor Bergman (Barry Morse, who relentlessly pursued David Janssen on The Fugitive)–experience a cataclysm that causes the moon to break away from Earth’s orbit and travel endlessly through space, turning our heroes into unintentional explorers. No TV series has created a more palpable feel of hard science fiction than this.

Of course the show is not without its detractors; it has been soundly lambasted for its many scientific errors. No less august a figure than Isaac Asimov criticized the show for its premise in the opening episode, “Breakaway,” which had nuclear explosions on the “dark side of the moon” somehow propelling it out of Earth’s orbit and flying through space without regard to any physical laws. In “Earthbound,” aliens traveling to Earth state it will take them 75 years to reach their destination, making one wonder why it didn’t take the moon that long to encounter the aliens. While these are serious complaints, fans tend to remember the scientific seriousness of the series and the sense of awe created by the many strange creatures and phenomena that the crew members encounter on their journey through the galaxy. –Jim Gay

Billy The Exterminator: Season 1 and 2 – DVD

I won’t explain myself any further than to say I dig this show when it’s on my DVR and managed to get me through many a sleepless night with my newborn. Sometimes a reality show doesn’t have to be angry or controversial, sometimes all it needs to do is be entertaining and Billy The Exterminator certainly is.

Yes, the series formula is basically Billy going out and saving someone from any number of creature invasions. That’s it. But I dug it and I dug watching these DVDs. I probably should be embarrassed but at 2 in the morning there isn’t anything I’m embarrassed of.

About the DVD:

Follow the fearless and funny Billy Bretherton as he attempts to balance life at home with the drama of running one of the busiest pest removal companies in Louisiana.

In the pest management industry for over 15 years, Billy runs Vexcon the only pest removal team in the state that handles all types of animal removal with support from his wacky but lovable family: kid brother, Ricky; tough-as-nails father, Bill Sr.; sassy office manager and mom Donnie; and beloved wife, Mary. Whether it s a giant 8-foot alligator walking down an affluent street, baby raccoons inside the wall of an office, 70,000 bats who call a stadium home, or a wild pet-eating bobcat, Billy and his family get the job done with enough skill, energy and wit to keep even the most squeamish viewers wanting more. A former U.S. Air Force Sergeant, Billy has taken a militaristic approach to pest control and is emerging a winner.

BILLY THE EXTERMINATOR: SEASON ONE contains all 13 episodes from the debut season on 2 DVDs.

DISC 1 (7 episodes): Goth Bees & Killer Coons / Snake in the Closet / There’s A Gator in My Boat / Kitty Corpse Cleanup / Gator Park Swarm / Possums in the Wall / Llama-Eating Gators

DISC 2 (6 episodes): Psycho Raccoon/Killer Spiders / Raccoon Haunting / Tattoo Rattlesnake / Bobcat Invasion / Extreme Roaches/Busy Beaver / Skunks and Mice and Snakes Oh My / Bonus

BONUS FEATURES: Featurettes: About Billy, Billy s Words of Wisdom, Billy the Storyteller, Meet the Family, Donnie

Season 2 of BILLY THE EXTERMINATOR reunites viewers with the one and only Billy Bretherton as he tackles some of Louisiana’s creepiest, craziest pest problems.

BILLY THE EXTERMINATOR: SEASON TWO contains all 21 episodes from the second season on 3 DVDs.

DISC 1 (8 episodes): Funeral Home Snake / Attack of the Trash Can Raccoon / Snake Invader / Backyard Gator / Nursery Room Raccoon / Extreme Gator / Snakes in the Swamp / Bee Relocation

DISC 2 (8 episodes): Raccoon Rescue / Bobcat & Yellow Jacket / Spider Invasion / Attack of the 15 Foot Snake / Squirrels in the Attic / Rattlesnake Combat / Bat Attack / Deadly Snake on the Loose

DISC 3 (5 episodes): 9 Foot Gator! / When Squirrels Attack! / Sprayed by a Skunk! / Python on the Prowl / Billy Goes to the Gulf (one-hour) / Bonus

BONUS FEATURES: Featurettes: About Billy, Billy’s Tips; Behind-the-Scenes

RoboGeisha – DVD

Have a friend who won’t shut up about the superiority of Asian cinema or that special someone in your life who just doesn’t get what is up with those wacky kids in the Far East? This film will please both of these people while making them wonder what in the world is wrong with you for buying such a thing.

I can’t really put into words how awesome this movie is when you consider that all you need to know about what exactly makes this movie great is that it’s an exploitation film of an exploitation film. It’s about an army of Geisha assassins and school girls and projectiles that hurl out of the backsides of young women and it’s really wonky special effects with it all coalescing into a narrative that defies logic and propriety.

I loved it.

It defies gravity at times, it absolutely defies logic, but it’s a movie where if you’re into sword play, ass play, sexually suggestive violence then this is for you. Here is the trailer

About the DVD:

Yoshie, the younger and ill-treated sister of a renowned Geisha, is discovered to have natural strength and fighting ability. She’s recruited into an army of Geisha assassins by the rich and powerful owner of a steel-works, Kageno. During training large (and interesting) parts of their bodies are altered into weaponry directly linked to their brains. Yoshie soon realizes that Kagenos real plan is to have his robotic castle throw a new and very powerful nuclear bomb into the centre of Fuji-san, effectively destroying Japan entirely. With the help of other ‘Kageno defectors’, she sets out to stop him and his Tengu warriors.

By Christopher Stipp

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Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

SKYLINE – Screening and Giveaway

I am genuinely excited to get people jazzed about a movie that looks like a such a high budgeted action film but was shot for a lot less than you would imagine.

The trailers have shockingly been mum on what is going on here with the movie and why people seem to be sucked up like a vacuum cleaner picking up dust bunnies but that is even better for me. If you’re a fan of sci-fi and can worship at the altar of special effects masters like the Strause brothers then this is the movie for you.

The screening will take place at 11 pm on the 11th at the Harkins Tempe Marketplace so if you would like to go, hit me up and I’ll make sure you get entered to win some tickets. As well, I have a few Skyline prize packs to give out. I’ve got hats, posters, and boxes of candy (what relation this has to the film I haven’t a clue but everyone in the world loves candy so embrace it) so if you want to be loud and proud with your love for this little film that could by all means drop me a line at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com and let me know you want something.

Good luck to everyone out there and here’s to hoping this movie can jump start my interest in the fall movie season.

About the film:

SKYLINE: In the sci-fi thriller Skyline, strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles, drawing people outside like moths to a flame where an extraterrestrial force threatens to swallow the entire human population off the face of the Earth.

Skyline is directed and produced by the Brothers Strause (Alien vs. Predator: Requiem), whose company Hydraulx has provided visual effects for Avatar, Iron Man 2, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and 300.

www.iamrogue.com/skyline