For December 9th releases

Its Thursday so you know what that means. Another Special Edition column that offers visitors some information on titles that appeal to the vintage, music and documentary fans out there. In other words, to quote Greta Garbo "There is no one who would have me - I can't cook."

Great Directors: Volume 1
(Purchase from Amazon)

The most interesting release next week is a box-set that features films from five of the most respected foreign directors whose work has spanned six decades. In this set:

Akira Kurosawa's Dersu Uzala (1975, Color, 140 Minutes, Letterboxed) Winner of the 1975 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, this Kurosawa epic is a Siberian adventure that features stunningly photographed battles of man dueling nature.

Andrei Tarkovsky's The Mirror (1974, Color/B&W, 106 Minutes, Full Frame) Tarkovsky s most personal (and beautiful) work, The Mirror delves into his childhood to conjure up a stream of sublime images that reflect a WWII-scarred youth and a haunted future.

Claude Chabrol's Les Bonnes Femmes (1960, B&W, 93 Minutes, Letterboxed) One of the most erotic and suspenseful treats of the French New Wave, this Chabrol-helmed classic tracks the loves and stalkers of four pretty shopgirls who soon discover the dark side of passion.

Michelangelo Antonioni's IL Grido (1957, B&W, 115 Minutes, Full Frame) One of Antonioni s unsung masterpieces, Il Grido is a wrenchingly bittersweet tale of lost love replaced by lust, achieving a tragic poetry unequaled in the great director s illustrious career.

Volker Schlondorff's Circle of Deceit (1981, Color, 108 Minutes, Letterboxed) This explosive tale of sex and politics in war-torn Beirut is one of the richest films in Schlöndorff s career. Setting up a minefield of ethical conundrums and personal jealousies, it s a scorching take on the modern media.

Also included are interviews and mini-featurettes.

Not exactly Christmas material although I know plenty of horror fans who feel that any releases like these is Christmas to them. The title that has me excited on these double bill sets is the 1960 release of It! that stars Roddy McDowell. Nothing says Happy Holidays than a pissed off statue.

The Shuttered Room/It!
(Purchase from Amazon)

Chamber of Horrors/Brides of Fu Manchu
(Purchase from Amazon)

Hair: Let the Sunshine In
(Purchase from Amazon)

I've not seen Hair in years but I can still know every song! Strange how a movie about a bunch of hippies giving the finger to the system could create such a phenomenon. This documentary "highlights the continuing relevance of the show and its still-radical, transformative power. A wealth of archival footage covers US and international productions and portrays an era, a generation and its politics."



Since we have another slow week here are some older television series titles (click on title to purchase)

Gunsmoke - The Third Season, Vol. 1
Happy Days - The Fourth Season
Happy Days - Seasons 1-4
Rawhide - Season Three, Vol. 2
Rawhide - Seasons 1-3

Blu-Ray music

Tori Amos - Live at Montreux 1991 & 1992
Ray Charles - Live at Montreux 1997
The Strat Pack: Live in Concert
Incubus - Look Alive

More Music

Boyz II Men - Motown A Journey Through Hitsville USA - Live
En Vogue - Live in the USA
Ike Turner & the Kings of Rhythm
Kid Rock: Insomnia Unauthorized
Making Of Electric Ladyland
The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story
Roadrunner United: The Concert (Various Artists)

Documentaries

Hotspots

In the late 1800s, scientists coined the work hotspots to refer to those areas on the planet which were populated by the largest number of unique plant, animal and insect species at risk of going extinct. Hotspots chronicles the work of Dr. Russell Mittermeier as he shows how many conservation efforts are succeeding throughout the world; and what it takes to negotiate a sustainable future for life on Earth.

 

 

Other documentary titles

60 Minutes - Assault on Pelindaba
A Hole In A Fence
Killing Hitler: The True Story Of The Valkyrie Plot
The Life and Faith of C.S. Lewis
The Royal Air Force at War: The Unseen Films 1940-1944
SOD: Executed in Error
The World At War: Hitler To Hiroshima

Pick of The Week

AC/DC: Church of Rock - The Bon Scott Years
(Purchase from Amazon)

The love I have for this band knows no bounds. I know, your probably thinking what in the world is such a nice sweet gal doing head banging with the bad boys from down under, but I have to tell you that ever since I was given High Voltage as a birthday gift back in 1976 and heard the song She's Got Balls I was sold.

This documentary includes band footage, exclusive interviews, contributions from those who knew Bon Scott, location shots and news clips, seldom seen photographs and a host of other features.