Homepage Archives: January-March 2008

by Brian Eggert

March 19th, 2008: June DVDs from The Criterion Collection

Offering a well-rounded bundle of internationally diverse films for June, The Criterion Collection ups the ante from April and May’s output, announcing five new Special Edition releases for the always-impressive, excellence-defining label. Though there’s no Eclipse set this month, nor was there one for May, I can’t say I’m disappointed; I have yet to penetrate my Postwar Kurosawa or Lubitsch Musicals sets from January and February respectively. So, thank you Criterion, for giving us a break to play catch-up.

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)

Writer of several Martin Scorsese pictures, including Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The Last Temptation of Christ, Paul Schrader generally goes unrecognized as a director. But his tumultuous portraiture of controversial Japanese idealist-rebel-writer Yuko Mishima (Ken Ogata) remains his best film, thanks in part to the wonderful score by Philip Glass (Notes on a Scandal)—certainly worth Criterion’s attention. A devout follower of samurai code (bushido) even when such edicts were considered unrealistic, Mishima committed seppuku in 1970, leaving behind a legacy of written material. This director-approved two-disc edition will be available June 17th, featuring an hour-long BBC documentary on Mishima, as well as an interview with Japanese film expert Donald Richie. Order the DVD: $31.96 at The Criterion Store.

Patriotism (1966)

Making a nice appetizer to Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, also coming June 17th, codirectors Domoto Masaki and Yukio Mishima himself made an eerie foreshadowing of Mishima’s own death. The film centers on a Japanese officer whose own obsessions with samurai harakiri mirror Mishima’s, as does his eventual ritual suicide. Even though all prints were destroyed three decades ago after Mishima’s death, Criterion’s presentation of this rare film, a mere 27-minutes in length, comes by way of the surviving negative. With a rare making-of documentary and a booklet with Mishima’s original short story, this single-disc edition is well worth a look for fans of Japanese film. Order the DVD: $23.96 at The Criterion Store.

Classe tous risques (1960)

Claude Sautet’s French crime thriller may not reach the epitome of cool attained by Jean-Pierre Melville (Le Cercle Rouge, Les Enfants terribles), but he comes damn close—enough to inspire Melville’s written tribute, featured in this release’s booklet. Translated “consider all risks” and released in America under the title The Big Risk, the film follows a wanted gangster (the great LinoVentura, from Army of Shadows) working his way through underground circles from Italy to Paris. It’s a thrilling look at the Parisian underbelly, in the classic-yet-poetic French gangster style. Look for this one on June 17th as well. Order the DVD: $23.96 at The Criterion Store.

The Furies (1950)

Anthony Mann may be Hollywood’s most underappreciated Western director, often found under a rock somewhere in the shadows of John Ford. Some criticize his work for lacking a singular voice, but all of his Westerns—from Winchester ‘73 to The Naked Spur—seek to expose the Old West as a place of ambiguous morality, savage personas, and corrupt ideals. Produced by Hal B. Wallis, perhaps Golden Age cinema’s greatest visionary producer next to David O. Selznick, The Furies further defines Mann as a crucial Western filmmaker. Barbara Stanwyck and Walter Huston star in this grim frontier melodrama, Criterion’s first full-fledged Western genre special edition. This single-disc set, available June 24th, includes a booklet containing the original source novel by Niven Busch. Order the DVD: $31.96 at The Criterion Store.

Before the Rain (1994)

Macedonian writer-director Milcho Manchevski’s episodic wartime drama tells three stories about varying reactions to strife amid the Balkan states. We follow a monk, a photo editor, and a war photographer through a series of harsh lessons about cultural identity. Nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar, the film was incredibly popular in its day, especially given its subject and then-unique country of origin. This single-disc director-approved special edition, available June 24th, features an odd, noteworthy suppliment: the music-video for “Tennessee” by the short-lived 1990s pop  group Arrested Development… Order the DVD for $39.95 at The Criterion Store.

 

 

 

March 12th, 2008: Some early thoughts about David Mamet's Redbelt

David Mamet’s latest film, Redbelt, centers on a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu self-defense trainer, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor (Children of Men, American Gangster). Against competitive fighting, Ejiofor’s character is conned into the ring by plotting Hollywood types, forced to compete to restore his honor and pride. For further details, watch the trailer. The film opens May 9th. Here are some pre-review thoughts.

While the plot description may seem like another foray into Bloodsport-style yarns of the 1990s, expect a film about the money-centric politics of modern Jiu-Jitsu competitions set against bushido-esque personal code. Mamet’s reputation as Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright-turned-filmmaker, not to mention his advocacy of Jiu-Jitsu fighting and UFC competitions, will likely bring class to the otherwise stale fighter genre. (And for those of you familiar with UFC names, Mamet (above left) remains close to trainers/fighters Randy Couture (above right) and Enson Inoue, who both appear in the film.)

Mamet’s ability to change film into an art form focused on expert dialogue, not just action, makes him one of the best filmmakers working today. In interviews, he's described Redbelt as a modern version of Japanese legend Akira Kurosawa’s samurai templates, using philosophy from classics like Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and Sanjuro—some of the best film’s ever made. His hero is an honorable sort, who will only bend or take action when no other option is possible. And so we can expect that words, specifically his frequent use of The Con device, will replace fisticuff blows and stylized action, making for an altogether more satisfying movie.  
 
Suffice it to say, I’m greatly anticipating this film. For further reading on how Mamet succeeds when going against traditional cinematic mandates of “show don’t tell”, read The Definitives essay on House of Games, Mamet’s brilliant directorial debut from 1987.

Sandwiched between the summer blockbusters Iron Man and Speed Racer, I doubt Redbelt will achieve notable box office attention. But come May, take a break between Marvel superheroes, trips to Narnia, and archeological adventures for something a little more… quiet. See Mamet’s new film. No doubt it will surprise you.

Check out Redbelt’s new poster below, or visit the Official Site, where you can watch the trailer and view production photos.

Watch the trailer HERE

Feb. 27th, 2008: The Criterion Collection's May slate unveiled

The Criterion Collection’s May output may seem underwhelming with only three titles and no Eclipse set. But May’s releases are about quality not quantity, and indeed, there are superior discs coming. Each of the titles below will hit stores on May 27th.   

The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
Originally a maligned production assembled by six filmmakers (credited directors include Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell, and Tim Whelan), the resulting picture is an epic-sized Three-Strip Technicolor special effects wonder. Produced by Alexander Korda (The Third Man), this technical marvel represents an impressive early cinema fantasy film, earning Oscars for Cinematography, Art Direction, and Special Effects. Based on tales from Arabian Nights, this is an exotic story of Genies, All-Seeing Eyes, and flying carpets; it would later inspire imagery used in Disney’s Aladdin. Criterion’s 2-disc set includes a highly anticipated commentary track with directors Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese, an interview with special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen, and even Korda’s English war propaganda film The Lion Has Wings (shot during The Thief of Bagdad’s production troubles). Order the title at Criterion’s store for $31.96.

Adding to their current assortment of Louis Malle titles—including Au Revoir les enfants (my personal Malle favorite), Elevator to the Gallows, and a hearty Eclipse boxed set of Malle’s groundbreaking documentaries—Criterion will be releasing two more to their small library of Malle discs: The Lovers and The Fire Within. Formerly an assistant director and cameraman to legendary undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau, many inaccurately claim Malle was one of the latecomers to France’s New Wave movement, following François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. That incorrect claim goes unfounded when examining his work in stylistic terms. Granted, there’s a profound truth normally found in New Wave films also present in Malle’s work, but he takes a more scathing and critical look at truth via traditional formal elements (as opposed to New Wave’s more revisionist approach). He’s the Rembrandt of French cinema, looking at the beauty of conventionally ugly or faux pas subjects, occupying classical filmic methodologies to discuss truly anti-classical themes.

The Lovers (1958)
Resulting in the Supreme Court’s (arguably) most famous obscenity case, The Lovers, starring Jeanne Moreau and Jean-Marc Bory, might not seem racy today, but upon its initial release, the free form sexuality therein caused its share of uproar. Indeed, the famous words concerning obscenity, “I know it when I see it,” were written during the trial, which pitted the State of Ohio against a theater owner who screened the film for public audiences. Charges were eventually dropped, as any concrete definition of the term “obscene” could not be determined. Regardless of the hullabaloo surrounding Malle’s second film, it works today as a classical exposition of an otherwise racy subject: bourgeois promiscuity. With newly restored picture and improved subtitle translation, Criterion’s features include a spree of interviews with Malle, Moreau, and many others involved in the production. Order the title at Criterion’s store for $23.97.

The Fire Within (1963)
Malle’s second May Criterion release, The Fire Within, stars Maurice Ronet as a suicidal writer. Based on the novel Le Feu Follet by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle, we follow our alcoholic protagonist as he plans his own death, searching for hope by visiting a select few he considered to be his friends. The film is one of Malle’s more depressing experiments, certainly filled with doom and gloom not normally associated with his oeuvre. Features include the 2005 documentary Jusqu'au 23 Juillet, which discusses the source material, as well as other interviews and essays. Order the title at Criterion’s store for $23.97.

 

 

 

Feb. 20th, 2008: Hi-def DVD war ends

Yesterday, Tuesday, February 19th, Toshiba announced the official end of the HD-DVD format. For the last two years, Toshiba fought a bitter and bloody war with Sony’s Blu-ray format for reign over the sole high definition home video format.

At a press conference yesterday, Toshiba chief Atsutoshi Nishida announced “We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called next generation format war and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop. While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality.” All HD-DVD research and production will officially conclude at the end of March.

Toshiba’s move was inspired by recent home video distributors finally settling on Blu-ray for their high-def DVDs, namely the Warner Bros. powerhouse. After Warner folded, Fox, Disney, and others followed. Earlier this month, Netflix, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart followed the cue from studios and dropped their HD-DVD titles as well in favor of Blu-ray.

As of Monday morning, two main studios remained loyal to HD-DVD: Universal and Paramount. Hours after Toshiba announced its decision, Universal followed, pledging itself to Blu-ray. Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment commented, “While Universal values the close partnership we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray.”

Now only Paramount remains. And frankly, they’ve always been a step behind in the home video market. With standard DVD, they don't value restoring and releasing their older catalogue titles, leaving classics like The African Queen without even a barebones release. Paramount fails to provide frequent in-depth features and rarely ever wows with their DVDs. Despite the lateness of their decision to switch, I’m sure we can expect an announcement from them within the coming days or weeks that Blu-ray is their format too.

Andy Parsons, Blu-ray Disc Association Promotions Chairman and Pioneer Electronics Senior VP responded to the news, "We in the Blu-ray Disc Association are very happy that this long format war is officially over. Now the task ahead for our member companies is to promote the Blu-ray Disc format as the best way to bring premier quality high-definition content into consumers’ lives."

If you’re like me, you’ve sat back and watched the war unfold, waiting for this day to come, much like with Beta and VHS, or DIVX and DVD. And now that the war is over, we can all start replacing our standard DVDs with Blu-ray discs, right? Fortunately, there’s no need. Blu-ray players read standard discs, allowing for easier consumer advancement into the new format. While I may upgrade a number of discs that will surely benefit from hi-def performance (like Spielberg’s films, Pixar titles, The Lord of the Rings, etc.), most of my personal collection will remain standard.

Anyway, good news for consumers.

 

 

Feb. 14th, 2008: Indiana Jones 4 Trailer!

If you’re like me, this day couldn’t have come soon enough. The new trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is here!!! Watch it HERE. It debuted on Good Morning America early today, then hit the web shortly thereafter. The trailer looks wonderful, completely in the vein of the previous Indy movies. I’ll leave it at that for now… Check out the trailer and see for yourself. Don’t forget, the movie opens May 22nd.

Click the poster below for the Yahoo! exclusive teaser trailer.

 

Feb. 11th, 2008: WGA strike ends!!!

On Saturday, February 9th, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) signed a “tentative” agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). “Tentative” meaning, according to the WGA itself, “It is an agreement that protects a future in which the Internet becomes the primary means of both content creation and delivery.” In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last few months, in November of 2007, the writers initiated a long-discussed strike for new-media residuals. After on-and-off negotiations, their settlement has been reached, thankfully, since Hell just about froze over with the return of American Gladiators.  

Their primary complaint hinged on residuals for "electronic sell-through" or online content, which extends from downloads on iTunes or similar sites, to chargeable streaming video. Web-based content and their potential residuals were reportedly in the billions of dollars—indeed, the WGA’s complaints are valid. Similar residual requests were made in 1988 for the home video market's VHS sales, which continued with DVD sales. Both proposals were denied initially by the AMPTP because, in their words, it was an “unproven market”. Apparently billions equals unproven. Who knew?

Writers are expected to return to work officially on Wednesday the 13th, though one expects they will be working over the next two days regardless. Writers with producer credits on TV shows and movies will return to work Monday the 11th. The negotiated resolutions are tentative until May 1st, 2011, at which point the deal will be renegotiated given the changing market. For all the juicy details on the settlement in complete legal jargon, head over the WGA site and read the tentative summary.  

Work stoppages all over Hollywood brought necessary attention to the writers’ plight. If we didn’t already appreciate writers pre-strike, we learned their importance the hard way over last four months, particularly those of you fond of television. With early signs appearing on daily shows, such as, well, The Daily Show, and other such programs with Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, and Steven Colbert, audiences realized quickly how much the strike could influence quality TV. (Although, Conan’s penchant for improvisation was a treat, with one writer-less gimmick being his self-challenge: How many times could he spin his wedding ring on his desk? And could he defeat his ongoing record the next evening? …Now that’s great television!)

Script-free reality TV made a dominating return and will likely continue to dominate for the next month or so. Unless writers have secretly finished scripts and teleplays during the strike process (however doubtful), the coming weeks and months will be dedicated to catch-up. And while I don’t watch much television myself, when every-other commercial advertises a new game show or reality TV program, I can imagine what regular viewers are going through. The only comfort in the worsening television market seems to be that E!’s The Soup, which is dedicated to making fun of bad TV, is all the better.

Tough blows were dealt to Hollywood in lieu of the strike, with several film productions requiring rewrites hitting a wall. Altogether halted were The DaVinci Code prequel Angel and Demons, and the Justice League movie. It will be interesting to see what movie news emerges over the next few weeks, with writers back to work and cleaning up sloppy existing drafts.

My primary personal concern resides in ABC’s Lost, for my money the best show on television. Currently there are six already-filmed episodes sitting on shelves, meaning writers and producers have about one and a half months to get their butts in gear to continue the fourth season without interruption. Ideal as a nonstop season may be, it’s enough to know whatever hiatus might occur will be brief.   

The strike was long, and at times painful (the lie detector-based show The Moment of Truth comes to mind). But it’s over. Now we wait, as the entertainment industry slowly returns to normal.

 

Feb. 6th, 2008: Heath Ledger and Terry Gilliam's Doctor Parnassus...

With Heath Ledger’s unfortunate death leaving Hollywood in shock, director Terry Gilliam now scrambles to reassemble his London shoot, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, in which the departed actor had a starring role. Following news of Ledger’s death, reports of the film shutting down surfaced on the internet; word even came that everyone involved had been fired in the ensuing aftermath of the actor’s passing. Presently, imdb.com has removed Ledger’s name from the cast list and now reports "The project has been shut down".

But recently, “a source within the production” contacted movie news site QuickStop.com and assured that Gilliam is going ahead with the film, working around the limited footage to include Ledger’s last performance (see photo right). Some speculation arose that Warner Bros. would use “Heath Ledger’s last role” as a marketing device for the highly anticipated Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight. However shady the attempts to capitalize on such a claim may be, fans of both Ledger and Gilliam will be pleased to know that work on Doctor Parnassus will continue, pending further setbacks.

Gilliam’s troubled production history extends back to Brazil (1986), his rare and most masterful artistic victory through a repressive set or circumstances, and followed him his career over. In 2001, Gilliam attempted to shoot, with appropriate quixotic irony, The Man Who Shot Don Quixote, a production with Johnny Depp that was scrapped after two weeks of filming due to an ocean of unfortunate conditions sending the project spiraling out of control. Be it fighting studio bosses on The Brothers Grimm (the first Ledger-Gilliam collaboration) or struggling with financiers on any number of his films, Gilliam sustains a reputation of a bad luck director.

Ledger’s death has brought about definite interest in seeing his last role onscreen. Fortunately, the plot of Doctor Parnassus allows for writers Gilliam and Charles McKeown (Gilliam’s co-writer on Brazil) to work around Ledger’s existing footage, possibly using CGI to fill in any gaps. The story involves Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), the leader of a traveling circus troupe, who makes a deal with the Devil (Tom Waits). The contract loans Parnassus a magic mirror in exchange for his soul, which the Devil comes to collect. Through the mirror, audience members enter their own imaginations. Ledger’s character falls into the mirror, undertaking a fantastical journey through his mind's eye.

It has been suggested that Gilliam would simply recast Ledger’s role and reshoot, but the actor’s presence answered for a substantial portion of the financing. Instead, speculators claim Gilliam will change Ledger’s role throughout, using different actors to represent the varying parts of the character’s personality within the magic mirror. Among others, Johnny Depp, who starred in Gilliam’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, is rumored to appear. Colin Ferrell and Jude Law are also attached. Fans are asked to watch doctorparnassus.com, which launched February 5th, for updates on casting and release information about the movie. That the movie has an official site is great news for those contemplating the film’s fate.

As a Terry Gilliam devotee, this news makes me overwhelmingly glad, given that the potential loss of another Gilliam film lingered over fellow fans during the last weeks and has now subsided. Could The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus develop into a happy accident, one of the rare instances where Gilliamachieves brilliance from his often maniacal, self-destructive, bad luck directing? We will see.

 

Jan. 29th, 2008: The Criterion Collection's April schedule: somewhat barren

Continuing their thus-far slow year with another month of minor DVD releases, The Criterion Collection announced their April line-up.

Better than the titles themselves, however, are recently confirmed discs due out later in 2008. Readers of the Criterion Newsletter were excited by the hint "This summer you’re invited to Criterion’s first-ever bumper-grill barbeque," which suggests Jacques Tati's 1978 comedy Trafic will be released sometime this summer (here's hoping Criterion releases Tati's Jour de fête and Parade in a boxed set along with Trafic). And a recent post by Criterion staffer Lee Kline on their On Five blog discusses their upcoming release of the 1940 Technicolor fantasy epic Thief of Bagdad. Both are exciting pre-announcement confirmations, improving on Criterion's 2008's thus-far so-so year in DVD.

As for April, two titles and one Eclipse boxed set will be added to the catalogue…


Blast of Silence (1961)

This unexpected single-disc release of writer-director-star Allen Baron’s gritty New York City noir offers some of the most original special features of any Criterion release in recent memory: a newly-produced full-length documentary Requiem for a Killer: The Making of “Blast of Silence”; a revisitation of the film’s locations in contemporary NYC; Polaroid stills from the production; and a four-page graphic-novel realization of the film via comic artist Sean Phillips. Unlike the minimalist plot, which surrounds a hit man’s mission to assassinate a mob boss, this DVD (available April 15th) is packed, making it a steal for $23.96. Any fan of early Martin Scorsese pictures delving into the grime of New York will love Baron’s streamlined precursor.




Death of a Cyclist (1955)

In Juan Antonio Bardem’s 1955 Spanish-language drama, the writer-director uses his country's backdrop in the growing Cold War to identify the threat of a well-meaning United States against the otherwise unsuspecting Franco-ruled Spain. The narrative and subsequent social commentary begin when the car’s passengers, who are having a scandalous affair, hit a biker and decide to flee the scene, a reaction that exploits their society’s self-indulgence and proposed guilt. Criterion’s single-disc edition will hit stores on April 22nd, complete with the 2005 full-length documentary Calle Bardem, as well as a new transfer and subtitle translation. Preorder this title at The Criterion Store for $23.96.




Eclipse Series: Silent Ozu

No other director captures such frank portraits of day-to-day Japanese family life as Yasujiro Ozu. Along with last year’s Eclipse box "Late Ozu", this set will make fourteen Ozu titles in all released by The Criterion Collection. The three early silent pictures here feature traditional Ozu themes, with his pitch-perfect tone and construction. Tokyo Chorus (1931) merrily takes on working-class struggles in relation to family; I Was Born, But… (1932) centers on two young boys’ hilarious realizations about their father (it’s also the prefatory mother to Ozu’s comic masterpiece Good Morning); and Passing Fancy (1933) tells of a single-father’s relationship with his boy. Available on April 22nd for a standard Eclipse low price of $35.96, despite the nonexistent features this set is a must-have.

Click here for more information on these, and other Criterion/Eclipse DVDs