April 4, 2005

FRESH FROM THE THEATERS

Sideways (2004). We could fill half the page just listing all the awards racked up by this surprise hit of last year. Where to begin? The Oscar and Bafta for best adapted screenplay, of course; topping the best-of-04 lists of a great majority of critics organizations from coast to coast, definitely; sweeping the Independent Spirit Awards, most definitely; and last but far from least, placing handsomely in our own Craig Phillips's top ten: "Funny, literate, disturbing even, but never less than real, and - a rarity these days - not patronizing to the audience for a second. I love Paul Giamatti, even if his sad sack persona was put to even better effect in American Splendor, and Thomas Haden Church's cad actor is disgustingly spot-on that you almost love him even as you want to kill him, but it's a career-reviving Virginia Madsen who really deserves an Oscar." Well, the Academy didn't quite see that the way the Indie Spirits did, but still. Oh, and make sure you don't miss Sean Axmaker's interview with director Alexander Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor. [Rent]

Spanglish (2004). Some critics panned it, others had mixed feelings and audiences ignored. All quite unfairly counter some, such as Rolling Stone's Peter Travers: "You're in for a treat with this sweetheart of a romantic comedy. Director James L. Brooks (As Good as It Gets, Terms of Endearment) doesn't just write comedy, he crafts it. With his unerring eye for characters, even their hidden dark corners, Brooks makes Spanglish a rich blend of humor and heartbreak." With Adam Sandler, Téa Leoni and Paz Vega. [Rent]

The Corporation (2004). Another one that made Craig Phillips's top ten list "for having broader scope and a slightly more engaging style [than Fahrenheit 9/11], with an ultimately hopeful outlook." For Megan Ratner, who reviewed the doc in Bright Lights Film Journal, it even "overshadows" such laudable works as The Fog of War, The Trials of Henry Kissinger, The Weather Underground and Control Room: "To begin to comprehend United States' domestic, foreign, biological, and extraterrestrial policies, The Corporation is not only obligatory, but imperative viewing.... Filmmakers [Mark] Achbar, Jennifer Abbott, and Joel Bakan present a dossier on the 'person' to which a coporation's attributes add up, convincingly showing how this powerful institution matches key aspects of the classic psychopath.... The Corporation is both analysis and warning, a hard look at the hard companies that shape the way we live now. Unlike the culture it describes, the film encourages action over passivity." [Rent] Bonus disc. [Rent]

FOREIGN

A Talking Picture (2003). As Dennis Lim points out in the Village Voice, this is no minor event: "In A Talking Picture, a filmmaker who started his career in the silent era traces the birth - and contemplates the death - of Western civilization. Still astonishingly vital at 96, the Portuguese maestro Manoel de Oliveira here takes a becalmed trip through stormy waters." Yaniv Eyny and A. Zubatov take it from there in Senses of Cinema, describing "a young girl's first journey of discovery, her initiation into the grandeur of the Western tradition by way of an ocean voyage that will take her east toward the birthplaces of civilisation. It is only fitting, after all, that Oliveira, cinema's oldest living representative, would want to bequeath to the young Maria Joana (Filipa de Almeida) and to us the rich pageant of our cultural history," which ultimately reveals "a subversive undercurrent that gradually turns the rich pageant into a full-blown jeremiad, a bittersweet goodbye to the West and its legacy." With John Malkovich, Catherine Deneuve and Irene Papas. [Rent]

Seventeen Years (1999). "A simple movie with simple storytelling, and based on a true story, Seventeen Years deals with guilt and redemption of a family faced with a past that almost cannot be redeemed," wrote Chen Chiou Beng at Films Asia of this "comeback" of sorts for director Zhang Yuan, who's had more than his fair share of run-ins with Chinese authorities. "This is a film that should be watched, if anything, for the simple message it drives across." [Rent]

DOCUMENTARY

Word Wars (2003). An amusing doc about not just the North American Scrabble championship but primarily about the most unusual contestants. "Filmmakers Eric Chaikin and Julian Petrillo pull off a neat trick in making a compelling feature with these rather strange men," wrote Film Threat's Phil Hall. "For anyone who loves the English language, Word Wars is a champagne cocktail." [Rent]

TV

Queer as Folk. Fourth Season (2000). As one of Showtime's most successful series moves into its fifth season, it's time to catch up with Brian, Justin, Ted, Ben, Debbie, Melanie, Lindsay... Discs 1 [Rent], 2 [Rent], 3 [Rent], 4 [Rent] and 5 [Rent].

ANIME

Fullmetal Alchemist. Volume 2: The Scarred Man of the East. "This show is fun!" wrote Cosplayer after seeing the first volume. "It's got the same sort of air as Yu Yu Hakusho, but it's more grown up. It's got the same sort of dumb humor, but not obsessively so. The powers are interesting, but they do make sense. Kudos for that. There's some genuine drama in there too. I like it!" [Rent]

Gantz. Volume 3: Aftershocks. "At first glance, Gantz seems like it's made out of two pieces," wrote Bamboo Dong at Anime News Network last year. "The first piece is a discordant dissection of the human mind, examining the private thoughts and emotions that run through the heads of society. The second piece is an alien-hunting game, Men in Black-style. Combine the two and you get a series that leaves you in awe the entire time. Each individual scene seems disjointed and bizarre, but like the pieces of a jigsaw scattered across the floor, everything eventually comes together in an all too fascinating show." [Rent]

Inu Yasha. Volume 28: Promise of the Past. GreenCiners consistently rate this series about as high as a score can soar with dozens of voters doing the clicking. [Rent]

Flame of Recca. Volume 3: Angel of Fire. JLind compares this series with several favorites and concludes: "Basically, if you don't mind the same fighting-hero-who-protects-pretty-girl cliches and overused plot lines and instead looking for what sets this anime apart from all the others (I just haven't figured out what that is yet) this is a really kick-butt show." [Rent]

Get Backers. Volume 5: Virtual Apocalypse. Oooh, this description's well-done: "They've fought their way through the maze of the Limitless Fortress. They've done battle with old friends and new foes. They've crept closer to the mastermind at the center of all the insanity: Makubex. But can the Get Backers possibly survive the final trials he's got in store for them?" [Rent]

Sister Princess. Volume 4: Brotherly Love. Wataru's got an island of sisters to look after now. [Rent]

Ultramaniac. Volume 1: Magical Girl. What, Nina wants to be a princess, too? [Rent]

Shaman King. Volume 4: Ryo is Possessed. You can tell by the hair. [Rent]

Browse the New Releases Archive for more recent arrivals.