NEW RELEASES - MARCH 14 HIGHLIGHTS

A History of Violence (2005).

Around this time of year, the Oscars tend to shine a very bright spotlight on a very small number of films. Because David Cronenberg's A History of Violence was nominated "only" twice (Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, William Hurt, and Adapted Screenplay, Josh Olson), the film is playing a mere walk-on role during red carpet season. But as the hoopla dies down, we're sure A History of Violence will endure. For one thing, when the Village Voice polled the best critics in the nation at the end of last year, the film came out on top, with the second-placer, 2046, far behind.

"A masterpiece of indirection and pure visceral thrills," Manohla Dargis called it in the New York Times, "the feel-good, feel-bad movie of the year."

Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005).

Nominated for six Academy Awards (Best Picture; Best Director, George Clooney; Best Actor, David Strathairn - be sure and catch up with Sean Axmaker's interview if you haven't yet; Best Cinematography, Robert Elswit; Original Screenplay, Clooney and Grant Heslov; and Art Direction, Jim Bissell [Art Direction]; Jan Pascale [Set Decoration]), Good Night, and Good Luck pits CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow and his producer, Fred Friendly, against Senator Joseph McCarthy who, of course, was doing his best to cast anyone questioning authority as an enemy of the United States. Not that there might be any contemporary relevance or anything...

Besides a cool-as-hell look and sound, the film also features Robert Downey, Jr., Patricia Clarkson and Jeff Daniels.

Marebito (2004).

"[Takashi] Shimizu, whose original Grudge was a wonderfully sustained aggressive scare machine that refreshingly gave logic the middle finger, has more than a few ideas up his sleeve," writes Reverse Shot editor Michael Koresky. "Ultimately, Marebito says less about surveillance (the film is often shot through with the murky handheld video grime of its freelance news cameraman's peeping tom machine) than about all these young crawling, gnawing ladies caught in the unforgiving frame of their male captors. While it may be no Audition (that conceptual revenge piece's second half was one of the most alarming and confounding catharses put to film), Marebito keeps its gaze focused and tight, and never bites off more than it can chew."

Remember the Titans (2000).

"[F]ootball is not a subtle game, and if Remember the Titans is corny, it's unabashedly, even generously so," wrote A.O. Scott in the New York Times. "[Denzel] Washington and [Will] Patton are strong, complex enough presences to make up for the script's deficiencies... The football sequences themselves are in the usual slamming, grunting Dolby, and if they don't quite shake your molars loose, the way Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday did, you may put a hand to your chest from time to time to see if your ribs are still in place. If a heart beats inside those ribs, you'll also find a lump in your throat and an overwhelming urge to cheer."

Planetes Volume 6 (2003).

"Planetes turned out to be a very pleasant surprise," writes drseid. "Great animation combines with a great storyline that could reflect our not-so-distant future, and a very likable group of misfit characters that seem real. This is definitely one of the best shows released in recent memory. Recommended to all but those with super-short attention spans."

Browse the New Releases Archive for more recent arrivals.