Release Dates Sep 15 2008 @ 08:00 am
DVD Releases for September 16th, 2008
It’s finally here, the moment I’ve been waiting 128 days for (yes, I counted), the moment that finally brings meaning and purpose to my life (ok, the hyperbole got away from me a bit there): Speed Racer can now be yours to own, forever and ever and ever! I called it “The Movie of the Year” back in May and I’m sticking to that. There’s a lot of great cinema coming out between now and December 31st, but I doubt anything can come close to the religious experience of Speed and his Mach 5.
Apart from The Greatest Movie Of ALL TIME being released (sorry, the hyperbole key got stuck again), this week is a doozy. Batten down the hatches boys and girls, there is plenty to choose from. Also, you may notice the new Amazon links. Hopefully they aren’t too obnoxious, although feel free to spout off in the comments.
Speed Racer – 
Do I even need to say anything more on this? Those who read this site with any kind of regularity already know about my obsession with all things Speed. I have, bar none, never had a cinematic experience like the one I had while watching Speed Racer. It made me feel like a little kid again, and I am thrilled that the world can now begin to embrace it on DVD. If you haven’t read my review on it, read it now; be converted. Mark my words: this will be a classic within the decade.
Recommended if you trust my taste in the slightest.
Young@Heart – 
Only on the day Speed Racer is released could Young@Heart be pushed into second place. This is one of the best documentaries of the year and, quite frankly, it’s required viewing. Following the exploits of a geriatric chorus group that breathes new life into rock and punk anthems like “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” and “Schizophrenia”, it deals with the physical and emotional ups & downs of life after 60. The 3rd act of the film had me in tears. This is a touching, life affirming film that will stick with you long after you’ve turned off the TV.
Recommended if you liked Spellbound, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, or Buena Vista Social Club
The Rape of Europa
I’ve been hearing about this doc on the Nazi’s systematic plundering of Europe’s artistic masterpieces for quite a while now. A relatively unknown story, the film traces the theft of certain masterworks as well as the Allied attempts to thwart the crimes. It’s also narrated by Joan Allen, who hopefully redeems herself for Death Race. Then again, redemption might be an impossibility there.
Recommended if you liked Stolen, The War, or Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollack?
Hit the jump for the rest of this week’s glorious Hollywood offerings.
Snow Angels
I wonder if we’ll have to start discussing David Gordon Green’s work in terms of “Before Pineapple Express” and “After Pineapple Express.” This is pre-PE work here about a violent crime and the people it affects, starring Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell, and (WTF?) Amy Sedaris. DGG makes DGG films (with the exception of PE); he’s the posterboy for current indie film, so you either take him or leave him. Craig Kennedy had a moderately positive review on the film, which is (as always) worth a read.
Recommended if you like vintage 70s art direction, unmotivated slo-mo, and bizarre tangents.
Death Note (Live Action)
I’m something of an amateur anime junkie. I love the exceptional examples (Hayao Miyazaki, Satoshi Kon), but tend to stay away from the standard big-eyed-kids-in-giant-robots-with-ninjas-and-cartoony-non-sequiters aesthetic that affects most Japanese animation (greatest anime that none of you have ever seen? Monster. Hunt it down immediately). I dipped into Death Note, the story of a kid who finds a death god’s notebook and begins using it to kill people all Dexter-like. It was a fascinating premise, but they quickly bogged the whole thing down in ridiculous tacked-on rules, so I bailed. This is the live action version of the anime; I’m willing to give it another go, see what they come up with.
Recommended if you liked the original. Duh.
Kabluey
A few good things traveled through the ether of the intertubes on this uber-indie comedy about a man who is forced to take a humiliating job as a giant corporate mascot (imagine one of the guys in the Blue Man group with an unfortunate case of goiter) in order to support his family. Lisa Kudrow stars, which is a strike against it, but it appears quirky enough to warrant a rental.
Recommended if you felt (like me) that Death to Smoochy was horribly underrated.
Noise
A black comedy about a New Yorker (Tim Robbins) who becomes fed up with the perpetual noise that plagues his beloved city. He goes on a one man crusade to eradicate all the “noise,” even trying to take down the mayor. Bridget Moynahan and William Hurt also star. This is from the guys who did The Believer, the controversial/brilliant/thought-provoking indie about a neo-Nazi who happens to be Jewish (Ryan Gosling is simply stunning in it). I’m interested for that fact alone.
Recommended if you have a neighbor who lets his Harley idle in the driveway at 1AM and nothing would give you greater pleasure than covering the hog in neon pink paint (I’m sorry, was I typing out loud again?).
88 Minutes
I have to wonder about films like this. Was Al Pacino embarrassed? (it’s currently sitting at a 6% on RottenTomaotes.) Did he kick his agent in the eyeball? Did he realize how much suckitude the movie would truly suck? Was he happy to get the paycheck? Does he even care anymore? He must not have cared that much, since he’s currently starring in another of director Jon Avnet’s films, Righteous Kill. That famous phrase that “you’re only as good as your last film”? Total BS.
Recommended if nothing gives you greater pleasure than watching one the finest actors in Hollywood crawl through the gutter.
The Love Guru – 
Is this the end of Mike Myers career? While I hope not, I also never want to see another Love Guru foisted on mankind. Sure, we might be a bunch of supreme jerks who spend a good bit of our time starting wars and ignoring poverty, but we don’t deserve this. I still fondly remember Austin Powers and So I Married an Axe Murderer; please, Mikey, no more Mariska Hargitay jokes.
Recommended if you enjoy, in the words of my good friend Craig Kennedy, “soul cancer.”
| Buy The Love Guru on Blu-Ray
Finding Amanda
How little enthusiasm can I dredge up for this one? Matthew Broderick has to hunt down his sister or niece or neighbor’s daughter or something, who’s run off to Vegas to do drugs or get married or become a Celine Dion stalker. I don’t know. He might have a gambling problem, which I guess makes a trip to Vegas ripe for Dramatic Tension. Sounds earth shattering.
Recommended if…dear gosh, I need a cup of coffee; my brain is about to leak out of my nose.
The Babysitters
High school girls discover that there isn’t much money in babysitting anymore, so instead they prostitute themselves out to the fathers! A controversial coming-of-age tale about the nature of true sexuality! Edgy sex scenes with barely 18 actresses who look like they’re 5 years younger! Oscars, notice us! Please! PLEASE notice us! WE’RE BEGGING YOU!
Recommended if you thought Adventures in Babysitting needed way more Debbie Does Dallas in it.
Made of Honor – 
Patrick Dempsey and his perpetual 5 O’Clock shadow try to take over the world with laser beams and robotic pumpkin monsters. Sigh. I wish.
Recommended if you’ve had “We are the World” stuck in your head for 5 years straight and you need something to replace it with.
on Sep 15 2008 @ 9:11 am 1. Collin said …
A highly entertaining breakdown of the new releases
Keep up the good work!
on Sep 15 2008 @ 9:51 am 2. Phillip Johnston said …
Finding Amanda isn’t too special, but it is certainly more worthy of watching than The Love Guru. Broderick is in a sad state, though. He’s got a beer belly and of the two movies he made this year, he played the exact same part. Disappointing, because Finding Amanda is much more about his character than the Brittany Snow character. Steve Coogan is in it too, so that’s worth something.
The Rape of Europa is very, very interesting as well. That Hitler guy was a real jerk.
on Sep 15 2008 @ 10:18 am 3. Ari said …
Speed is damn near locked for my #1 of the year. And that’s saying something if you look at the schedule for the next few months. There’s Che, though. Soderbergh’s epic. Maybe.
But Speed’s something else entirely, and like every misunderstood landmark, it will take many years for a mass audience to recognize it. I can’t believe the film works the way it does. It’s a children’s film, right? Or is it? A children’s film for adults? I love that the Wachowski’s so brilliantly convey the feeling of being a young dreamer. There are no limits, no boundaries, no restrictions. It contains, for me, quite easily the most spectacular use of CGI I’ve seen. Period. And it’s sweetly sentimental, which works for the universe they’ve created.
And let’s talk about the Grand Prix for a moment, especially the expressionist final lap where past and present collide as the world becomes a blur around him. As a friend of mine noted, “the Mach 5 isn’t even touching track”. The back and forth editing between Speed’s memory and the actual race is close to masterful. An innocent piece of pop entertainment that successfully uses techniques generally found in high-art? Ummm…..”whoa”.
on Sep 15 2008 @ 10:27 am 4. Evan Derrick said …
Thanks Collin for the compliments… perhaps *sniffle* my website ISN’T a waste of time.
And I figured as much about Finding Amanda and The Love Guru, Phillip, but if I was holding both DVDs in front of my face, I would pick the trainwreck of The Love Guru over the blandness of Finding Amanda, at least as a kneejerk reaction.
on Sep 15 2008 @ 10:31 am 5. Fox said …
The real question is this:
If I’m at the video store, and I hold 88 Minutes and The Love Guru in my hands… which one do I go with?
p.s. I have a gun to my head and I have to choose one.
on Sep 15 2008 @ 10:50 am 6. Evan Derrick said …
I lose sleep over questions like that, Fox.
And Ari, beautifully said. That’s a wonderful description of the final race – it is a masterpiece of editing, and I was practically crying from exhilaration the first time I saw it. The critics really missed the boat on this one.
on Sep 15 2008 @ 11:11 am 7. Sam Juliano said …
I have not seen SPEED RACER, and Evan’s review surely makes an excellent case for it as does opinions evinced by LIC members, but I must ask this question: Why did the film receive absolutely horrendous reviews from the professional critics? It received the dubious “rotten tomato” at RT, and the majority of critics thrashed it. Somebody was intoxicated while watching it, and I hope it was the professionals! LOL. The proof will be in the pudding for me tomorrow. I don’t take anything for granted, as I am well-aware that my beloved THE FOUNTAIN split the critics down teh middle in 2006.
Similarly I didn’t think YOUNG AT HEART was all that great, though that wheelchair scene near the end with the moving song brought on tears. I felt it was too unfocused and disjointed, but I feel guilty for saying it.
I won’t comment on the other releases, although to be truthful I didn’t see them all. This is quite a comprehensive round up here, and I commend you for all the work involved. And the lay out is great too.
on Sep 15 2008 @ 11:33 am 8. Evan Derrick said …
I imagine the issue is fairly complex, Sam, but I bet the critics’ hatred for Speed Racer can be boiled down to “they just didn’t get it.” Simplistic, I know, but that’s all I can come up with without delving into market considerations and all kinds of overly analytical stuff (there are other people out there who have done that).
on Sep 15 2008 @ 1:28 pm 9. Daniel said …
I’ve been intrigued by Noise all year. Considering the new releases over the next few months, though, I’ll probably just remain intrigued about it.
Y@H needs to be seen by humanity.
on Sep 15 2008 @ 2:02 pm 10. Matthew Lucas said …
Daniel, I definitely agree about YOUNG @ HEART. I hope it has a very long life on DVD.
88 MINUTES is going straight to the 99 cent shelf at Blockbuster.
I missed THE RAPE OF EUROPA at last year’s River Run Film Festival around here, and hope to catch it soon. I’ve heard very good things.
on Sep 15 2008 @ 4:05 pm 11. Rick Olson said …
@#*$%-it, Evan, did you know that you’ve almost singlehandedly convinced me to do something I promised my mother on her dying day I’d never do? Go out and rent “Speed Racer” and watch it?
And I cannot believe that after the critical and social and fan and every other kind of thrashing “88 Minutes” took that Pacino would even allow Jon Avnet into the same room with him, much less appear in one of his films again.
on Sep 15 2008 @ 4:18 pm 12. Evan Derrick said …
“@#*$%-it, Evan, did you know that you’ve almost singlehandedly convinced me to do something I promised my mother on her dying day I’d never do? Go out and rent “Speed Racer” and watch it?”
Those are the comments that make me proud to be a film blogger, Rick.
Pacino and Avnet must be smoking buddies or something, or maybe Pacino is godfather to Avnet’s son. There’s really no other explanation.
on Sep 16 2008 @ 1:22 pm 13. Craig Kennedy said …
The failure of Speed Racer is still a sensitive open wound for me. I flinch whenever the name is mentioned.