Release Dates Jul 02 2008 @ 09:19 pm
DVD Releases for July 1st, 2008
So…these aren’t, uh, late or anything. Nope, not at all. Hold on, I see something shiny in the distance…
Shotgun Stories
This one elbows its way into the top spot through critical tidal wave alone. A small indie that received limited distribution, it deals with male angst set against the backdrop of the rural south, and if there is anything I know more about than the rural south, it’s male angst. Throw in a shotgun and a dead daddy it gets even more angsty…perhaps even too much angst, some might say.
Recommended if you liked In the Bedroom or Undertow
City of Men
Fernando Meirelles’ 2002 City of God was a vision. I’m not entirely sure what kind of vision it was, and I’m still not sure I even liked it, but it was an incredible directorial debut, the kind one might have to wander out to an abandoned crossroads and sell their soul to the Devil for. Meirelles didn’t direct this loose sequel (there is a TV series that apparently bridges the two films), but it has received generally positive reviews, and Rick Olson had some good things to say about it, so color me…whatever one might color oneself if one is interested in a movie (I could take a page out of Tobias Funke’s book and go the ‘blue’ route, but that’s a topic for another discussion entirely).
Recommended if you liked City of God or Tsotsi
Vantage Point – 
Basically Rashomon-lite for the 24 junkie, I liked this more than I probably should have. President gets shot, they show it from 87 different angles, gotta solve the mystery, yada yada yada. Yes it gets tedious, yes the Big Twist is screaming itself in your ear the moment the film begins, and yes it does nothing particularly new/clever/interesting. But I still liked it. It had a cool car chase and they blew stuff up. What can I say? Sometimes I’m as easy as 10-piece puzzle for ages 3 and up.
Recommended if you liked Face-Off, The Kingdom, or watching Forest Whitaker sweat a lot
My Blueberry Nights – 
I desperately wanted to like this one, if only for the glowing adoration showered down upon it by my illustrious colleagues. Sadly, it was not to be, and Miss Norah Jones and co. rubbed me every which wrong way imaginable. However, I truly believe there is some glittering siren lurking somewhere in this picture, just beneath the surface, and it may charm the blueberry pie right out of your digestive track (ewww). So don’t by afraid to give it a whirl.
Recommended if you liked…well golly, I can’t think of anything to compare this to. It’s kind of in a league of its own.
Hit the jump for the dishonorable mentions of the week.
Drillbit Taylor
The Judd Apatow machine is officially set to ‘burn out,’ lumbering its way into American cineplexes (and now living rooms) no matter what we want. Quite frankly, it’s unstoppable, at least until every single major comedy features a frumpy, mildly offensive, yet oddly likable male lead. And here we have Owen Wilson playing a frumpy, mildly offensive, yet oddly likable character who serves as a K-Mart blue light special bodyguard to a bunch of kids. Hilarity, hijinks, and hysterectomies ensue, although not necessarily in that order.
Recommended if you liked Major Payne but would rather see a wussy white guy in the lead role. Actually, just rent Major Payne instead…gosh, I’d forgotten how much I love that movie.
Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns
You got one chance to prove yourself in the new Star Trek movie Perry, and if you mess that up, I’m going to send you a strongly worded letter that you will not enjoy. Either that or write a strongly worded blog post that will burn your retinas off. Or just whine about it while I watch Battlestar Galactica reruns. Or just whine. Shutup, all of you. Just shutup. *sniffle*
Recommended if the fact that I didn’t mention the movie once in the previous paragraph pissed you off.
on Jul 03 2008 @ 2:23 am 1. Nick Plowman said …
I would still like to see Shotgun Stories some time…
And I would definitely buy My Blueberry Nights on DVD, and perhaps watch “City of Men” again even though it did not impress me much.
on Jul 03 2008 @ 10:20 am 2. Craig Kennedy said …
How did I miss Shotgun Stories coming out this week? I recommend it, for what it’s worth.
Evan, the fact that you gave MBN your best shot says more about you as a movie reviewer than the fact you ultimately didn’t like it that much. I wish the results had ben otherwise, but they can’t all be winners.
on Jul 03 2008 @ 4:35 pm 3. Scott said …
Shotgun Stories will most likely be my favorite movie of the year. I saw it open a film festival in San Francisco a couple months ago and was completely blown away. Fantastic.
on Jul 03 2008 @ 4:48 pm 4. Evan Derrick said …
Ah… my desire to see the film grows by leaps and bounds now.
on Jul 03 2008 @ 5:14 pm 5. Nick Plowman said …
Ditto!
on Jul 03 2008 @ 6:52 pm 6. Scott said …
If you like films like George Washington or All the Real Girls you’ll love Shotgun Stories. David Gordon Green is friends with the director of SS and also produced it.
Scott
he-shot-cyrus.blogspot.com
on Jul 03 2008 @ 7:14 pm 7. Phillip Johnston said …
All The Real Girls is a remarkable film. I watched Undertow last night and was impressed with it as well. Still need to see George Washington.
I’ll be watching SS this weekend.
on Jul 03 2008 @ 7:44 pm 8. Evan Derrick said …
I felt mixed on Undertow. I will say that it was unlike anything I had ever seen before.
on Jul 03 2008 @ 8:21 pm 9. Phillip Johnston said …
Sorta like Terrence Malick and Flannery O’Connor in a blender with some whey protein to offset the spectacular taste the merging of their minds would have.
on Jul 03 2008 @ 10:39 pm 10. Evan Derrick said …
Ok, that’s a pretty great description. That (almost) fits it to a tee. I’d chuck Faulkner in there for good measure, but since O’Connor is already present, that might be a bit redundant.
on Jul 06 2008 @ 8:44 am 11. Rick Olson said …
Geez … whatta mess. I’d also throw something in to get the stains out …
on Jul 06 2008 @ 12:21 pm 12. Phillip Johnston said …
I’d be proud of a shirt stained with that mixture.
on Jul 06 2008 @ 7:10 pm 13. Sam Juliano said …
I honestly I have not seen SHOTGUN STORIES, so I’ll get the netflix ASAP based on your worthy recommendation.
As far as MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS, I admit I felt the way you did Evan on first view, but the second time around it was a completely didfferent experience. This kind of thing rarely happens with me. The standard def DVD looks great!
on Jul 06 2008 @ 7:24 pm 14. Evan Derrick said …
Ok, Sam, but I have to admit that my first viewing has created an enormous hurdle to watching it a second time. I hear what you’re saying, but inside I’m convinced that there is not a chance multiple viewings will help the film out. So, I’m not sure if I can scrounge up the time and energy to give it a second whirl. How did you manage to do it if your initial viewing was just as lackluster as mine was?
on Jul 06 2008 @ 7:47 pm 15. Daniel said …
I totally understood your place on MBN, Evan. You expressed yourself very clearly in your review. I do wonder about Sam’s experience, however. I’m actually a little nervous about its translation on DVD. The theater was such a warm and dreamy place. We’ll see what the buzz is as it makes its rounds.
Either way, it seems it faces an uphill battle in remaining relevant at year’s end.
on Jul 06 2008 @ 7:52 pm 16. Phillip Johnston said …
Watched Shotgun Stories today and its just as good as I’ve heard. I’ll try to have a review up soon.