NEW RELEASES - May 30 HIGHLIGHTS

Freedomland (2006).

"Freedomland is a sober, unsettling drama that uses the framework of a police procedural to explore matters of individual madness and the collective madness of racism," writes Sheri Linden in the Hollywood Reporter. "Adapting his 1998 novel, Richard Price has fashioned a stripped-down, elegantly written tale that's topical without being heavy-handed. The film is, above all, a moving portrait of hurting souls, brought to life in compelling performances."

With Samuel L Jackson, Julianne Moore and Edie Falco.

The Valerio Zurlini Box Set The Early Masterpieces (1959 and 1961).

From NoShame come two special editions of early films by the director of The Desert of the Tartars: Violent Summer and Girl With a Suitcase, "the better known film," as Peter Nellhaus notes on his blog, Coffee coffee and more coffee. This is mostly due to the stardom of Claudia Cardinale, baby-fat cute at the time, but not quite the beauty she would be in 1963, the year of 8½, The Leopard and The Pink Panther... For me, Violent Summer was the revelation... Both DVDs come with discussions about [Valerio] Zurlini from several professional associates adding some knowledge to Zurlini's working methods and unrealized projects. NoShame's films are pristine, a point reinforced by a brief supplement comparing the opening scene of Girl with a Suitcase in a previous DVD version with NoShame's complete, Italian language version."

Clara et moi (2004).

Ah, to be in love... in France.

"[Julien] Boisselier captivates throughout," writes Kim Linekin for Eye Weekly. "Looking like a cross between Peter Sarsgaard and Jeremy Piven, he embodies the complicated man-child qualities of Antoine with such grace and ease that you'd swear he's been playing this role on Broadway for years."

Winter Soldier (1972).

A stunning record of the testimony of returned vets in 1971 known as the "Winter Soldier Investigation" and documented by a then-anonymous filmmaking collective (including such luminaries as Barbara Kopple).

"The afterlife of the Vietnam home front experience indicates that we saw it all in our living rooms, or in Hearts and Minds - but, no, we didn't. A Winter Soldier screening should be a voter registration requirement," writes Michael Atkinson in the Village Voice.

Touch the Sound (2004).

From Thomas Riedelsheimer, director of the phenomenal Rivers and Tides, comes "a mystical exploration of the sensory world as experienced by a renowned musician who lost most of her hearing by the time she was a teenager," writes Stephen Holden in the New York Times. "Expanding on Evelyn Glennie's passionate assertion that hearing is only the most obvious component of deeper physical relationship between sound and the human body, the film is crammed with striking visual correlations to the percussive vibrations she conjures."

The Bette Davis Collection Volume 2 (1937 - 1962).

"Until you're known in my profession as a monster, you're not a star."

And Bette Davis could be a monster behind the scenes - and onscreen as well, as in the Special Edition of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane included in this collection - but she could also be a terrific comedienne, as we can see in The Man Who Came to Dinner. She was a tragic heroine in Jezebel, a seductress in Marked Woman, a friend bound up in a complex relationship in Old Acquaintance.

In short, this collection displays the range of one of Hollywood's true greats.

John Wayne: An American Icon Collection (1940 - 1957).

Quite a varied collection. In Seven Sinners (1940), John Wayne's costars are Marlene Dietrich and Broderick Crawford; The Shepherd of the Hills (1941) is a stranger-comes-to-town sort of picture; Pittsburgh (1942) sees Wayne alongside Dietrich again, this time with Randolph Scott thrown into the mix; in The Conqueror (1956), John Wayne is Genghis Khan (no, really); and Jet Pilot (1957) is a Cold War love story directed by - get this - Josef von Sternberg.

Marilyn Monroe: 80th Anniversary Collection (1952 - 1960).

This collection of sizzling Marilyn Monroe movies contains Niagara (1952), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), River of No Return (1954), The Seven Year Itch (1955), and Let's Make Love (1960), plus a special bonus disc, Marilyn: The Final Days.

The Uninvited (2003).

An atmospheric study focussing more on character and urban isolation than on out-n-out frights, The Uninvited is the debut feature of Lee Su-yeon and features Jeon Ji-hyun of Il Mare and My Sassy Girl fame.

The Flats (2002).

From excellent house of Facets: "Brothers Kelly and Tyler Requa immediately established themselves as "a team to watch" (Variety) with this debut effort, shot in and around the scenic Oregon coast. Chad Lindberg and Sean Christensen star as best friends Harper and Luke, whose bond is tested by the girl that comes between them (Jade Herrera). While Luke remains bogged down by the obligations of a law school student, Harper takes to rabble rousing - and seducing away his pal's girlfriend."

Ah! My Goddess Volume 5: In Your Eyes (2005).

"Kosuke Fujishima's much-beloved long-running manga about a decent young man who wishes for - and gets - a real goddess as a girlfriend sees its third anime incarnation in this new TV series," writes Theron "Key" Martin for the Anime News Network. "Long-time fans of Fujishima's work will love this series for how faithful it remains to the manga, while newcomers will find a light-hearted and enchanting take on anime romantic comedies."

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig Volume 5 (2006).

"The stories are neck-deep in issues of immigrant exploitation and terrorism you'd think it's written in the US," writes thingstodo.

"Good, Good, Good," adds Ursus.

Browse the New Releases Archive for more recent arrivals.