Brandon Burke Posted May 15, 2004 Report Posted May 15, 2004 Last night I started watching Lars von Trier's "The Element of Crime" and I'm about halfway through it ... has anyone else seen this? It's pretty far out stuff. Love it. Cinematography is amazing, especially his use of color. Lots of sepia-tone with bright (otherwise white) light appearing as blue. Not to be watched with your girlfriend/wife, however. There's some pretty rough stuff in there. I remember thinking "Thank god Emily's not watching this"... Next stop: The Kingdom. Quote
ghost of miles Posted May 16, 2004 Report Posted May 16, 2004 Ordered the Marx Bros. and the Universal Monster set yesterday--they'll make for great late-night viewing all summer long. Quote
Brandon Burke Posted May 17, 2004 Report Posted May 17, 2004 What ever happened to the Larry Sanders DVDs? It's been almost two years since the first season came out. I'm worried that the first season sold poorly, meaning that HBO/Columbia probably said the heck with releasing any more. They're on syndication sometimes but always at a wierd hour. Besides, the inner 15 year-old in me really gets a kick out of Artie's vocalbulary. And, quite obviously, they cut that stuff out on standard cable. Quote
BruceH Posted May 17, 2004 Report Posted May 17, 2004 Huh?? They've really stopped releasing these? WTF? I was going to wait til the whole series was out to buy it. Jon Stewart makes some nice appearences in the later episodes. ...They HAVE to keep coming out with them, otherwise they'd look so lame. Hmmm. But then, I thought they would HAVE to renew Freaks and Geeks because the show was just so good. Quote
The Red Menace Posted May 17, 2004 Report Posted May 17, 2004 I sooooo loved Linda Carter as a young boy! Gracious!!! Was she some sort of counterrevolutionary cosmonaut??? Quote
Brandon Burke Posted May 17, 2004 Report Posted May 17, 2004 I sooooo loved Linda Carter as a young boy! I met Linda Carter (quite by accident) at the 1998 Kentucky Oaks. Quote
jazzbo Posted May 17, 2004 Report Posted May 17, 2004 I bought what appears to be a Chinese (?) copy of "Kill Bill Volume One" off half.com and watched it this weekend. Oddly, it seemed to have some brief material that was not in the original film and there were very short portions where no matter what the language selection made on the dvd, and no matter that the actors were speaking English in the US theatrical release, the actors were speaking Japanese on the dvd! Made for an interesting second viewing of this movie. . . . I really don't like the violence, but I do find this a fascinatingly written and filmed movie. Quote
Chrome Posted May 17, 2004 Report Posted May 17, 2004 Next stop: The Kingdom. I finished "The Element of Crime" last night and WOW ... not only is the look of the movie fantastic, but the plot was great, too. I don't want to be a spoiler, so I'll just say I love that kind of added twist in the story line. Re "The Kingdom": I've been waiting for that to pop up on Netflix ever since the Stephen King version came out, and so far no luck. Has that been released in the states yet? As far as "rough stuff": my wife and I also saw "Bowling for Columbine" this weekend and she literally could not sit through that. I barely could. The video from inside the high school was unbelievably horrible ... my heart was in my throat during the whole scene. And Heston at the Denver NRA rally was just disgusting. This should be "must" viewing for everyone in this country. Quote
The Mule Posted May 17, 2004 Report Posted May 17, 2004 (edited) From Criterion Collection's website: John Cassavetes Box Set Slated for Fall 2004 Criterion is preparing a boxed set of five films by legendary American independent John Cassavetes. In addition to new high-definition transfers of Shadows, Faces, A Woman Under the Influence, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and Opening Night, the set will include Charles Kiselyak’s award-winning 200 minute documentary, A Constant Forge, along with exclusive new interviews with Cassavetes collaborators Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk, Ben Gazzara, Seymour Cassel, Lelia Goldoni, and others. The set is slated for fall release. Watch this space for more details. I'm not familiar with John Cassavetes-directed films. Can anyone give me some insight to what they're like? John Cassavetes single-handedly gave birth to the modern "independent film" with SHADOWS. Tired of the crappy roles he was getting as an actor and eager to make his mark as a director, Cassavetes raised some money (with the help of legendary radio host Jean Shepherd) and made his own film totally independent of any studio or distributor. It was a pattern he would follow for the rest of his career, using the money he made from acting to finance his films. While the films vary in budget and look, they all have an improvisational feel and are very, very indulgent of the actors. I guess the word that might best describe Cassavetes' work is "raw." Raw in their look and raw in the emotions portrayed on screen. If you've never seen any of his work, you may find them a challenge. They're not very conventional in terms of story-telling and some find their pace slow. As I said, the films feel improvisational, but they're not. Cassavetes always had a script, but it was more of a guidline than text the actors were expected to stick to. The main theme in nearly all his work is love---the need for love, the longing for love, the search for love, the impossibility of love. There is some AMAZING acting in Cassavetes' work, especially from his wife, Gena Rowlands. A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE may be the place to start if you're curious. His films aren't for everybody, but if you love actors and acting you may want to take a look. Edited May 17, 2004 by The Mule Quote
The Mule Posted May 17, 2004 Report Posted May 17, 2004 You might want to check this site out to learn more: The John Cassavetes Pages Quote
ghost of miles Posted May 17, 2004 Report Posted May 17, 2004 I sooooo loved Linda Carter as a young boy! Chico: "She no-looka like a young boy to me, boss!" Quote
BERIGAN Posted May 18, 2004 Report Posted May 18, 2004 More DVD release news...saw elsewhere that Columbo which has been available overseas for a while is finally coming to the U.S.! UNIVERSAL IS TURNING ON THE TV FOR DVD Law & Order, Baretta, Dragnet heading to disc. By Scott Hettrick 8/21/2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUG. 21 | Joining the parade of studios exploiting their libraries of TV series on DVD, Universal Studios Home Video has announced that it is preparing DVDs of Law & Order and Baretta for release in October. The latter has extra heat given the high-profile murder case involving Baretta star Robert Blake. In an indication of the pressure to capitalize on this hot new market that has seen everything from The Jeffersons to The Simpsons come to DVD, Universal took the unusual step Wednesday of announcing eight other series that it is hurriedly preparing for DVD. Those series include science-fiction/science-fantasy series Battlestar Galactica, Quantum Leap, Earth: The Final Conflict and Sliders--which fit into the mold of series such as Star Trek, The X-Files, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer that have performed so well on DVD--and classics such as Dragnet, Magnum P.I. and The Rockford Files. That category also has shown strong sales on DVD with I Love Lucy, M*A*S*H and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Universal is also working on its popular 1970s series Emergency, but there was no mention as yet of Universal series that were popular in syndicated reruns for decades such as Leave It to Beaver, Bewitched or Columbo. A six-disc set of Law & Order: The First Season, starring Michael Moriarty, will offer 22 episodes with an introduction by producer Dick Wolf on Oct. 15 (prebook Sept. 10) at a suggested retail price of $99.98 (minimum advertised price of $79.95). Debuting on Oct. 29 (prebook Sept. 24) are Baretta: Season One ($39.98 SRP, $29.95 MAP), a three-disc set featuring 13 episodes in their entirety and in original broadcast order, and Best of Baretta ($19.98 SRP), including the little-seen series pilot and two "bonus" episodes featuring the music of Sammy Davis Jr. Davis wrote and performed the theme song, "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow." Quote
Free For All Posted May 18, 2004 Report Posted May 18, 2004 A couple rentals this weekend- Big Fish, which I enjoyed as expected. Tim Burton's films always have stunning visual moments. Both Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor delivered well, IMHO. A surprise for me was The Last Samurai. I din't know what to expect, but I thought it was very good- Tom Cruise didn't go overboard as he usually does. This one's release seemed to be overshadowed by the whole LOTR hype. BTW, when I rent DVDs, it seems they often "freeze" at some point. I've gotten in the habit of cleaning them before putting them in, and even that sometimes doesn't always prevent problems. It sure blows the groove when it happens. I think the general public in general isn't hip as to how to handle CDs- when I examine them, they basically look like a Jackson Pollock painting. Does this make anyone else crazy? Quote
Brandon Burke Posted May 18, 2004 Report Posted May 18, 2004 (edited) Next stop: The Kingdom. I finished "The Element of Crime" last night and WOW ... not only is the look of the movie fantastic, but the plot was great, too. I don't want to be a spoiler, so I'll just say I love that kind of added twist in the story line. Re "The Kingdom": I've been waiting for that to pop up on Netflix ever since the Stephen King version came out, and so far no luck. Has that been released in the states yet? As far as "rough stuff": my wife and I also saw "Bowling for Columbine" this weekend and she literally could not sit through that. I barely could. The video from inside the high school was unbelievably horrible ... my heart was in my throat during the whole scene. And Heston at the Denver NRA rally was just disgusting. This should be "must" viewing for everyone in this country. Yea, man... The Element of Crime was my first Von Trier experience however many years back. Again, I remember thinking "thank god Emily isn't up" while I as watching it. While I agree that Columbine is definately "rough", my thoughts were more more directed towards the outwardly violent sexual situations portrayed in Element. I mean, damn... It's one thing to be next to your girl during a scene like those in Columbine. It's another thing to be in the same sitaution during a forced sex scene on the hood of a car... I should add that I cried in the theatre during the security camrea scenes in Columbine when I saw it in the theatre. As for The Kingdom: you'll likely not find it on Netflix, which is my biggest argument against Netflix. They seldom have the kind of stuff I actually want to see, unless I'm in an Old School mood (which happens from time to time). We're lucky in Austin. There's some amazing rental places down here. In fact, my favorite shop's copy of The Kingdon II is a Japanese DVD (with English subtitles) which, I'm sure, says volumes about its genaral availability. Good luck... Edited May 18, 2004 by Brandon Burke Quote
alankin Posted May 18, 2004 Report Posted May 18, 2004 ...(minimum advertised price of $79.95... Are these legal? Quote
Aggie87 Posted May 26, 2004 Author Report Posted May 26, 2004 Due out July 20th: for the show (and that fact that it's finally on DVD), but for not having any extras on the first box set. Hopefully that's rectified for Round 2. Kinda skimpy on the extras, but at least this time we get: "Creators Come Clean" featurette Encore bonus episode: Season 1 Pilot Quote
BERIGAN Posted May 26, 2004 Report Posted May 26, 2004 ... BTW, when I rent DVDs, it seems they often "freeze" at some point. I've gotten in the habit of cleaning them before putting them in, and even that sometimes doesn't always prevent problems. It sure blows the groove when it happens. I think the general public in general isn't hip as to how to handle CDs- when I examine them, they basically look like a Jackson Pollock painting. Does this make anyone else crazy? Oh yeah...my Mom can't get out to rent movies, so I will grab 3 of them, and almost always one is bad, and right in the middle of the movie! I mean, I get a credit, but it is such a hassle.... Mom usually doesn't even want to watch it after that...how much trouble is it to not put your hands all over a DVD? Too much I guess... Quote
BERIGAN Posted June 2, 2004 Report Posted June 2, 2004 (edited) Other great deal(Can't buy 'em separately right now though) 6 MGM Tarzan movies...not all great of course, but the first two are first rate, with Ms. O'Sullivan looking...looking....looking like she was cold through most of Tarzan and His Mate! $41 for 6 movies ain't bad! >linkydink< Edited June 2, 2004 by BERIGAN Quote
BERIGAN Posted June 2, 2004 Report Posted June 2, 2004 I don't think this was mentioned before... The Cary Grant Signature Collection (Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House / Destination Tokyo / The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer / My Favorite Wife / Night and Day) (1948) The weakest film is Night and Day(Cary Grant is Cole Porter!) but the tunes are great, so.... 5 films for $34.94? Damn Amazon, give me a discount, I am trying so hard to sell for ya! Quote
Jazzmoose Posted June 7, 2004 Report Posted June 7, 2004 BTW, when I rent DVDs, it seems they often "freeze" at some point. I've gotten in the habit of cleaning them before putting them in, and even that sometimes doesn't always prevent problems. It sure blows the groove when it happens. I think the general public in general isn't hip as to how to handle CDs- when I examine them, they basically look like a Jackson Pollock painting. Does this make anyone else crazy? Crazy enough that I don't rent movies anymore. However, there's always buying, and I grabbed three today. I blame the wife; she decided we needed a player in the bedroom (alright, no jokes there!), and I grabbed a definite guilty pleasure/guy movie, The Dirty Dozen, and a flick I've never seen and have heard good and bad about, Raising Arizona. Then we needed another cable, so a quick run to Target resulted in picking up The Ladykillers. I've been curious about this one since the Tom Hanks came out (and immediately disappeared if I'm not mistaken!); I've never seen it, but with Guinness, Sellers and Lom, how bad can it be? Quote
BERIGAN Posted June 7, 2004 Report Posted June 7, 2004 ... Then we needed another cable, so a quick run to Target resulted in picking up The Ladykillers. I've been curious about this one since the Tom Hanks came out (and immediately disappeared if I'm not mistaken!); I've never seen it, but with Guinness, Sellers and Lom, how bad can it be? Well, you should like it, it is quite funny...the old lady is priceless...since you and I agree on politics, Bob Hope, and jazz, what are the odds you won't like it! Quote
Chrome Posted June 9, 2004 Report Posted June 9, 2004 This might actually be "confession" fodder, but I recently viewed the three-disc set of the first season of "Son of the Beach." Anyone else into this stuff? Timothy Stack is an absolute riot and Jaime Pressley, well, I wonder what that would be like ... Quote
sal Posted June 9, 2004 Report Posted June 9, 2004 I recently picked up the new "Trainspotting" DVD and its great! This is a movie I've loved since its initial release, but never bought due to the shoddy quality of the first edition DVD. The new version has a nice, sharp pictue, both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, and a second disc of special features. I believe it also has running commentary with Danny Boyle, the director. What a fantastic movie this is! I hadn't seen it in a couple of years. Truly one of the best films from the 1990s. Quote
Jazzmoose Posted June 15, 2004 Report Posted June 15, 2004 Simpsons season Four!!!!! ...so much for jazz today! Quote
Brandon Burke Posted June 16, 2004 Report Posted June 16, 2004 (edited)   Simpsons season Four!!!!! ...so much for jazz today! No shit. Season Four is probably the best of the lot. No, it is the best of the lot: "King Homer", "Mr. Plow", "Duffless", "Last Exit to Springfield", "Whacking Day", etc. The list goes on and on. And this is to say nothing for my favorite episode of all time, "Marge vs. the Monorail," which (like many of their best episodes) was penned by Conan O'Brien. Barney: "But you didn't do anything." Leonard Nimoy (as he is beamed away): "Didn't I...?" Edited June 16, 2004 by Brandon Burke Quote
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