Reviewer: Philip Tatler IV
Rating (out of five): **** 1/2

For whatever reason, Alex Cox – the iconoclast behind Repo Man, Sid & Nancy, and Straight to Hell – has never quite enjoyed the indie godfather reputation of Jim Jarmusch or David Lynch. Having created several of the best American films of the 1980s, Cox dropped off the cultural radar after the commercial failure of the fitfully brilliant Walker – his single stab at a studio-backed, comparatively large-budgeted film. During the two decades since, while Cox has languished due to a self-proclaimed “blacklist”, he’s directed seven little-seen films.

Continue Reading Highway Patrolman

Reviewer: Craig Phillips
Rating (out of five): * * *

The Human Resources Manager, released on DVD by the reliably interesting Film Movement catalog, won five major Israeli Ophir Awards (Israel’s Oscars). Directed by Eran Riklis, Based on A.B. Yehoshua's book "A Woman in Jerusalem," the film is a worthy if occasionally sluggish follow-up to his previous feature, The Lemon Tree. The film starts off a bit slow, but stick with it; when the story leaves Israel it resonates.

The titular employee (Mark Ivanir) manages Jerusalem's largest bakery, and his life is on the skids. He hates his job, his wife's left him, and he struggles to maintain connection to his young daughter. Then a foreign-born female employee, Yulia (interestingly, the only character in the film who is given a name), is killed in a suicide bombing, and he has to help the company make amends after negative news coverage, as well as make up for the fact that he basically knew nothing of the woman at all. The manager's boss (Gila Almagor) orders him to do damage control, and he ends up accompanying the victim's body to her homeland. She claims to want to take on the burden of guilt in this case but instead hangs him out to dry.

Continue Reading The Human Resources Manager

We've got movies out the gills this week ! Whether you're in the mood for pre-Code comedy, Italian horror,  political thrillers,  or an avant-garde interpretation of the history of cinema, we've got something for you, insde. 

Continue Reading New and Coming Releases: December 6, 2011

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is the long-awaited feature film version of John le Carré’s classic bestselling novel. This thriller, directed by Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In), has been heralded as "An elegant, thinking man’s spy movie. Gary Oldman wonderfully underplays the lead role. A dream team of British thesps including Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Mark Strong and Colin Firth—any of whom could nab a supporting nod." (Variety)

Thanks to our friends at Focus Features, you could win a $25 Movie Theater Gift Card and other neat spy-friend-swag (t-shirt, voice recorder pen, post-it note cube). Click for more details!

Continue Reading Tinker Tailor Solider Spy Prize Giveaway!

Reviewer: James van Maaned
Rating (out of five): * * * * 1/2

Who'd have thought that a documentary about the origins and history of what is generally considered to be the grand-daddy, the "original" of all gay plays -- The Boys in the Band -- could and would stand-in for a (latter half of the 20th Century) history of gay America. And yet, somehow, against all odds, it does. Damn well, too. This is even odder, considering that the point is made during this fine documentary, by no less than playright Paul Rudnick, that no work of art should have to represent the Gay (or Black or Jewish, etc.) experience. Yet Mart Crowley's famously transgressive boulevard tragi-comedy has borne the burden of doing exactly that -- It's brilliant!" "It's trash!" "It's so negative!" "It's so real!" -- for the several decades since its debut.

Continue Reading Making the Boys

Unwind from all that Black Friday/Cyber Monday madness and tuck in with some really excellent movies, starting with this week's DVDs for rent. Decemeber will be an exciting month for film-lovers so be sure to take frequent breaks from the holiday rush to enjoy. 

Continue Reading New and Coming Releases: November 29, 2011.

Reviewer: Philip Tatler IV
Rating (out of five): ** if you’ve not seen the original /*** 1/2 if you have

Giorgio Moroder’s “restoration” of Metropolis probably began with noble enough intentions. Inspired by the music video’s ascendancy, Moroder decided to resurrect Fritz Lang’s 1927 sci-fi masterpiece for a new generation. His rehabilitation included cutting out most of the intertitles (replacing a few with subtitles), retinting and colorizing the images, and – most significantly – juicing the film with a contemporary soundtrack, replacing the crusty old score with far out offerings from Freddy Mercury, Billy Squier, Loverboy, Adam Ant, Pat Benetar, and Bonnie “Total Eclipse of the Heart” Tyler.

Continue Reading Giorgio Moroder Presents: Metropolis

We're celebrating the approach to fat turkey day with anything but Golden Turkies. We've got an excellent lineup of films this week, peek inside for more details. Happy Thanksgiving, all! 

Continue Reading New and Coming Releases: November 22, 2011.

Reviewer: James van Maanen
Rating (out of five): *** 1/2

That anyone could steal the thunder out from under an actress as always-fine as Charlotte Gainsbourg is surprising enough; that it would be a small girl named Morgana Davies with but a single credit behind her (for a film unreleased anywhere but in Australia -- and given but a single star on its IMDB site!) is a further oddity.

Yet Davies, in only her second role, excels. The movie is called The Tree, and it is very much worth viewing. The film's director, Julie Bertuccelli (of the much-heralded Since Otar Left), either cast her film strikingly well (every actor is on-point here, including the expansive arboreal giant in the title role) or else she has been able to bring out a remarkable emotional range coupled to an acute intelligence from Gainsbourg’s young co-star. Probably both.

Continue Reading The Tree

It's the circle of life for DVDs, The Lion King is re-released today along with a slew of other gems, including Fritz Lang's Metropolis with a wacked-out 80's soundtrack, a truly explosive and unique indie, Alex Cox, and more. 

Continue Reading New and Coming Releases: November 15, 2011.