Well, lookie here. It’s my one-year anniversary for writing for Chud. One year ago this week, I wrote my first Special Edition where I talked about Brokeback Mountain, the Criterion releases of Yojimbo and Sanjuro as well as Saw III. One year later – to the week – we get the release of Saw IV (which I will not talk about), some new Criterion releases and Dolph Lundgren’s Missionary Man (which I will talk about). As I said a couple of weeks ago, I don’t see any reason to tell you all about the boring releases that everyone knows about (Saw IV, The Game Plan) when I can use the space to tell you about more obscure stuff like Series 2 of The Kingdom.

And with that starts Year 2 of my take on The Special Edition, on the new Chud 2.0.

This Sporting Life – Criterion Collection
d. Lindsay Anderson
c. Richard Harris, Rachel Roberts
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  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer
  • Audio commentary featuring Paul Ryan, editor of Never Apologise: The Collected Writings of Lindsay Anderson, and David Storey, screenwriter and author of This Sporting Life
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Lindsay Anderson: Lucky Man? (2004), a short documentary from BBC Scotland featuring interviews with many of the director’s friends and collaborators
  • New video interview with Anderson’s first producer and close friend Lois Sutcliffe Smith
  • Meet the Pioneers (1948), Anderson’s first film, a documentary short about a mining engineering firm
  • Wakefield Express (1952), an early documentary by Anderson about the town that later served as the setting for This Sporting Life
  • Is That All There Is? (1992), Anderson’s autobiographical final film
  • PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Neil Sinyard and an article by Anderson from 1963

The first Criterion I will talk about this week is This Sporting Life, possibly one of the best sports movies of all time. The movie presents Frank (Richard Harris), a coal miner whose temper earns him the attention of a local rugby team. He not only makes the team, but becomes successful due to his unorthodox aggressive playing skills. Unfortunately, his success in his personal life pales in comparison and he is never able to find true happiness. The movie is considered one of the last major films of the British New Wave. The 1963 film was the directorial debut of Lindsay Anderson, whose work has earned a new life thanks to Criterion (If… and Oh Lucky Man were both recently released).

4 by Agnès Varda (La Pointe Courte, Cléo from 5 to 7, Le bonheur, Vagabond) – Criterion Collection
d. Agnes Varda
c. Sandrine Bonnaire, Corinne Marchand
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Agnes Varda is often known as the “grandmother of the French New Wave.” According to Criterion, Agnès Varda used the skills she honed early in her career as a photographer to create some of the most nuanced, thought-provoking films of the past fifty years. She is widely believed to have presaged the French new wave with her first film, La Pointe Courte, long before creating one of the movement’s benchmarks, Cléo from 5 to 7. Later, with Le bonheur and Vagabond (Sans toi ni loi), Varda further shook up art-house audiences, challenging bourgeois codes with her inscrutable characters and offering effortlessly beautiful compositions and editing. Now working largely as a documentarian, Varda remains one of the essential cinematic poets of our time and a true visionary. While known for some great documentaries, she is also responsible for some of the finer feminist films of her era, presenting females as strong and willful protagonists. Varda was very much ahead of her time in many aspects of filmmaking and her you get four films that showcases her talent.

LE BONHEUR

  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Agnès Varda
  • The Two Women of “Le bonheur” (2006), a short piece featuring actors Claire Drouot and Marie-France Boyer
  • Thoughts on “Le bonheur” (2006), a discussion between four scholars and intellectuals discussing the concept of happiness and its relation to the film
  • Two short pieces by Varda investigating people’s idea of happiness
  • Jean-Claude Drouot Returns (2006), a featurette in which the actor revisits the film’s setting forty years later
  • Segment from the 1964 television program Démons et merveilles du cinéma, featuring footage of Varda shooting Le bonheur
  • Interview with Varda from 1998 about Le bonheur
  • Du Côté de la côte (1958), a short film by Varda exploring the tourist destination of the Côte d’Azur
  • Theatrical trailer
  • New and improved English subtitle translation

CLEO FROM 5 TO 7

  • New, restored digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Agnès Vard
  • a Remembrances (2005), a documentary on the making of the film, featuring interviews with Varda and actors Corinne Marchand and Antoine Bourseiller
  • Gallery of paintings by Hans Baldung Grien, whose work inspired the character of Cléo
  • Excerpt from a 1993 French television program featuring Madonna and Varda talking about the film
  • Cléo’s Real Path Through Paris (2005), a short film retracing, on a motorcycle, Cléo’s steps through Paris
  • Les fiancés du pont Macdonald (1961), a short film directed by Varda, featuring some of her new wave colleagues, with Varda explaining why the film was featured in Cléo
  • L’opéra Mouffe (1958), an early short by Varda, with a score by Georges Delerue
  • Theatrical trailer
  • New and improved English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: A new essay by Adrian Martin and a written introduction by Agnès Varda

    •  

LA POINTE COURTE

  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer
  • New video interview with director Agnès Varda
  • Excerpts from a 1964 episode of the French television series Cinéastes de notre temps, in which Varda discusses her early career
  • New and improved English subtitle translation

    •  

VAGABOND

  • New restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Agnes Varda
  • Remembrances (2003), a documentary on the making of the film, including interviews with Sandrine Bonnaire and other cast members
  • The Story of an Old Lady (2003), a short piece in which Varda revisits actress Marthe Jarnias, who plays the old aunt in the film
  • Music and Dolly Shots, (2003), a conversation between Varda and composer Joanna Bruzdowicz
  • A 1986 radio interview with Varda and writer Nathalie Sarraute, who inspired the film
  • Theatrical trailer
  • New and improved English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: A new essay by Chris Darke and written introduction by Agnes Varda

Miss Julie – Criterion Collection
d. Alf Sjoberg
c. Anita Bjork, Max von Sydow
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  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer
  • New video essay by film historian Peter Cowie
  • Archival television interview with director Alf Sjöberg
  • A 2006 television documentary about the play Miss Julie and dramatist August Strindberg
  • Theatrical trailer
  • New and improved English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: A booklet featuring new essays by film scholars Peter Matthews and Birgitta Steene

    •  

Miss Julie is a Swedish Film film released in 1951 that went on to win the Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival. It is based on the 1888 play by August Strindberg that deals with the power structure in both class and gender conflicts. Miss Julie is the daughter of a nobleman who wants to escape the restraints of social mores and falls into the arms of a servant named Jean. Sjoberg, a stage director, created a beautiful film adaptation of the play using black-and-white cinematography and footage that was surprisingly effective for a man more renowned for this dialogue and staging. The extra features goes into detail on the play and the other adaptations as well as the one on this release.

The Kingdom – Series Two
d. Lars Von Trier
c. Udo Kier, Stellan Skarsgard
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Some of you know about this television mini-series. Some of you may have only heard of the Stephen King written U.S. remake of this series, entitled Kingdom Hospital. Well, this week marks the release of the second (and probably final) edition of the original Lars Von Trier created show. Fans of the U.S. show Lost can sympathize with the fans of this show as the first season ended with many unanswered questions. This, the second season, ends with even more unanswered questions. There was supposed to be a third season, which Von Trier wrote, but it will probably never see the light of day due to the deaths of key cast members. The show was shot in the Von Trier preferred style of Dogme as it told the story of staff and patients in the neurosurgical ward of Copenhagen’s Rigshospitalet, nicknamed Riget. The characters encounter strange occurrences, both natural and supernatural.

Missionary Man
d. Dolph Lundgren
c. Dolph Lundgren
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  • Six Deleted Scenes

A stranger on a motorcycle arrives in the small town of Black River, New Mexico. He’s there for the funeral of a Native American friend, killed in a drowning accident. But there’s more to this town, located on an Indian reservation, than meets the eye. The family of his dead Indian friend is being threatened. The stranger embarks on a dramatic journey to help the reservation and its citizens get back on their feet. A criminal gang terrorizes the town, running drugs through native lands from the Mexican border. When a ruthless Aryan motorcycle gang joins the traffickers, redemption turns into revenge and culminates in a surprising and violent ending. With that we have the setup for the newest movie from actor/director (!!) Dolph Lundgren.

Confessions of a Superhero
d. Matt Odgens
c. Maxwell Allen, Christopher Dennis, Jennifer Gerht, Joseph McQueen
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Directed by Matt Odgens, this documentary looks at the lives of four aspiring actors who make a living by dressing up as superheroes and posing for pictures outside of Graumann’s Chinese Theater. These actors are Maxwell Allen (Batman), Christopher Dennis (Superman), Jennifer Gerht (Wonder Woman) and Joseph McQueen (The Hulk). The documentary sits down each of these people and presents their stories in a serious manner, asking how they ended up there and where they would rather be. The documentary is quirky and deals with these strange, but somehow likeable individuals in an entertaining and though provoking way. The question remains, what would you do to reach your dreams? Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me) used his name to help get this released. So far its been seen at festivals (SxSW and the AFI Film Festival) and on a limited release.

Come on Shawn! Tell us what’s on those “boring” yet popular DVDs!!!

Saw IV (Unrated Edition) (Tobin Bell, Donnie Wahlberg) – also available on BLU-RAY

  • Audio Commentary with Producers Oren Koules and Mark Burg and Executive Producers Peter Block and Jason Constantine
  • Second Commentary with Director Darren Lynn Boussman and Actor Lyriq Bent Darren’s Video Diary
  • Featurettes on the traps and props of the film
  • SAW IV Music Video by “X-Japan”
  • Bonus deleted scene

The Game Plan (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Roseyln Sanchez) – also available in BLU-RAY

  • Chalk Talk (Blu-ray Exclusive) – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and director Andy Fickman enliven their unique film commentary by drawing “sports booth” style graphics on the screen to highlight their filmmaking experience.
  • Drafting The Game Plan – This behind-the-scenes featurette provides hilarious movie-making insights from director Andy Fickman as well as a look at what goes into the making of a successful action sequence. It focuses on the fine art of choreographing a realistic scene, the challenges that the actors and athletes endure and the unexpected injuries that The Rock sustained. Special attention is paid to the scene in which Joe
    Kingman falls victim to a career-ending hit—a scene that actually left one stuntman nearly unconscious. Plus, eight-year-old Madison Pettis, armed with her own DV camera, documents her personal experiences on the ballet set.
  • ESPN’s SportsCenter DVD/Blu-ray Exclusive: The King in Search of a Ring – Stuart Scott of ESPN hosts a look at fictional star quarterback Joe Kingman, a man who doesn’t know the meaning of the word “share.” The Rock stays in character for interviews that fill in the blanks in Joe’s back story. The cast and crew contribute their thoughts and deleted scenes serve as “archival footage” in an entertaining “biography” of the athlete.
  • ESPN’s SportsCenter: The Rock Learns To Play QB – ESPN’s Sean Salisbury interviews The Rock on how he learned to play quarterback for the movie.
  • Bloopers with Marv Albert
  • Exclusive missed lines, blunders, bloopers, gags and more all set to the familiar narration of sportscaster Marv Albert.
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Peyton’s Makeover Madness – In a set-top feature, help Peyton “redecorate” Joe Kingman’s apartment with fun virtual arts and crafts

Sydney White (Amanda Bynes, Matt Long)

  • Deleted Scenes
  • Gag Reel
  • Welcome to the Vortex
  • The Skooze
  • Sydney White and Her Prince
  • Kappa’s Forever
  • The Original Dork: Rubix Cube
  • Meet the 7 Dorks
  • Theatrical Trailer

OK.  What else can we spend all our money on?

Torchwood – The Complete First Season
Hawaii Five-O – The Third Season
Barney Miller: The Complete Second Season
The Girls Next Door – Season 3
ER – The Complete Eighth Season
Banacek – The Second Season
Avatar The Last Airbender – Book 3 Fire, Vol 2
The Hunting Party (Terrance Howard, Richard Gere)
The Simple Life – The Complete Fifth Season (Goes to Camp)
Hustle: The Complete Season Four
Adrift in Manhattan (William Baldwin, Heather Graham)
Blonde Ambition (Jessica Simpson, Luke Wilson)
Sex and Breakfast (Macaulay Culkin, Eliza Dushku)
Swamp Thing – The Series
Butterfly Collectors (Rachel Davies, Pete Postlethwaite)
Thunderbirds 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition Megaset
Fatal Contact (Jacky Wu, Ronald Cheng)
The John Frankenheimer Collection (The Manchurian Candidate / The Train / The Young Savages / Ronin)

THE BARGAIN BIN

TARGET

Saw IV (Rated or Unrated) – $16.99
Saw IV (2 pack – Target Exclusive) – $22.99
Game Plan – $16.99
Sydney White – $19.99
Blonde Ambition – $19.99
Avatar: The Last Airbender – $12.99

6.50 DVDs
Mean Girls, Old School, Green Mile (1 disc edition), Robin Hood: Men In Tights, Breakfast At Tiffanys (Anniversary Edition)

10.00 DVDs
Resident Evil & Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2 pack), Happily N’ever After, Borat, Flicka, Legally Blonde & Legally Blonde (2 pack)

Girls Next Door, Season 3 – 19.99
ER, Season 8 – 34.99
Gilmore Girls, Season 7 – 29.99
Nip/Tuck, Season 4 – 29.99
Smallville, Season 6 – 29.99
Veronica Mars, Season 3 – 29.99

12.99 Selected Fitness DVDs
10 Minute Solution: Blast Off Belly Fat, Dancing With The Stars Cardio Dance, 10 Minute Solutions: Pilates, Kathy Smith: Tummy Trimmers, Tank Top Arms, 3 Mile Weight Loss Walk, Ultimate Fat Burn, Yoga Conditioning For Weight Loss, Dance For Weight Loss

Blu-Ray
Saw IV – 29.99
Game Plan – 29.99

CIRCUIT CITY

Saw IV – $14.99 * (Blu-Ray $29.99)
* Free Film Cell with purchase!
** Save $5 on Saw 1, 2, or 3 ($14.99 each) with purchase of Saw 4

Sydney White – $19.99
Evan almighty – $15.99

The Hunting Party – $19.99
First Blood Ultimate Edition – $3.99
Rambo: First Blood part 2 Ultimate Edition – $3.99
Rambo 3 Ultimate Edition – $3.99

The Girls Next Door season 3 – $22.99 *
The Simple Life season 5- $12.99 *
* Buy both The Girls Next Door season 3 and The Simple Life Season 5 and save $10

$3.99 DVDs:
Glory Road, Miracle, Rounders, The Waterboy, The Rookie, The Ice Princess

$6.99 DVDs:
Invincible, Gone in 60 Seconds: Directors cut, Remember the Titans, Stick It, The Greatest Game Ever Played, Eight Below

2 for $12 DVDs:
Transporter 2, The Sentinel, The Italian Job, Spiderman 2, The Thai Warrior, Antwone Fisher, Entrapment, Saving Private Ryan, The Patriot, Blazing Saddles, Grandma’s Boy: Unrated, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Last Samurai, The Warriors: Ultimate Directors Cut, Spiderman, The Edge/Tigerland, bullet, The Mask of Zorro, Armageddon, Cocoon/Cocoon: The Return, Finding Neverland, The Pianist, Cast Away, Donnie Darko, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Shots!/Hot Shots! Part Deux, My super Ex-girlfriend, Airheads/PCU, Date Movie: Unrated, Material Girls

Friday Night Lights season 1 – $17.99
Entourage season 1 – $17.99
How I Met Your Mother season 1 -$19.99
Dexter season 1 – $19.99
Weeds season 1 – $19.99
Curb Your Enthusiasm season 1 – $19.99
Bones season 1 – $24.99
CSI: Miami season 1 – $24.99
Shark season 1 – $24.99
CSI season 1 – $24.99
Jericho season 1 – $24.99
Lost season 1 – $29.99
The Riches season 1 – $27.99

Blu-Ray: Buy 2 get 1 free:
$24.99
Donnie Brasco, SWAT, Into the Blue, Wild Things, Vertical Limit, Layer Cake, Hellboy, A Knights Tale, Kung Fu Hustle, XXX, Cruel Intentions, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Black Hawk Down, Curse of the Golden Flower, The Patriot, The Fifth Element, Resident Evil Apocalypse, A Few Good Men, Hostel, House of Flying Daggers, Memento, Stealth, Hitch, Tears of the Sun, Final Fantasy: The spirit Within

HD-DVD: Buy 2 save $10:
$29.99
The Bourne Ultimatum, Transformers, Shooter, The Kingdom, MI 3, Smokin Aces, King Kong, Flags of our Fathers, Shrek the Third, The Heartbreak Kid, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Knocked Up Unrated, Blades of Glory, Hot Fuzz

BEST BUY

Saw IV – $16.99 *
* Buy Saw IV with War, Good Luck Chuck or 3:10 to Yuma for $25

Saw IV (BR) – $29.99 *
* Buy Saw IV with War, Good Luck Chuck or 3:10 to Yuma (Blu Rays) for $45

Blonde Ambition – $16.99

The Game Plan – $16.99 *
* Buy The Game Plan and get The Mighty Ducks, The Rookie or Miracle for $5

The Game Plan (BR) – $29.99
The Hunting Party – $19.99
Sydney White – $19.99
Avatar: Book 3, Vol. 2 – $9.99
Planet Earth – $59.99
Rush Hour 3 – $14.99
Balls of Fury – $14.99
Bring it On: In It to Win It – $14.99
Ghandi – $19.99

$4.99 DVDs
American Beauty, Anchorman, Black Sheep, Breakfast at Tiffanys (SE), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (SE), The First Wives Club, Footloose (SE), Forrest Gump, Ghost (SE), The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Longest Yard (Sandler), The Runaway Bride, Saving Private Ryan, Shark Tale, SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, Titanic (10th Anniversary Edition), Tommy Boy (SE), Top Gun

$9.99 DVDs
Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Good Will Hunting, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Million Dollar Baby, Sideways

$14.99 DVDs
Braveheart, Gladiator, The Departed, The Last Kind of Scotland, Little Miss Sunshine, The Queen, The Sound of Music, The Usual Suspects, Walk the Line

Torchwood: Season 1 – $54.99
ER: Season 8 – $34.99
Hawaii Five-O: Season 3 – $39.99

$14.99 DVDs
Roseanne: Seasons 1-9
3rd Rock from the Sun: Seasons 1-4
Married with Children: Seasons 1-7
I Dream of Jeannie: Seasons 1-4
Dawson’s Creek: Seasons 1-6
Rules of Engagement: Season 1

$19.99 DVDs
How I Met Your Mother: Seasons 1 & 2
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Seasons 1 & 2
Futurama: Seasons 1-4
American Dad: Seasons 1-2
The Practice: Season 1
Dharma and Greg: Season 1
The Shield: Seasons 1-5

$29.99 DVDs
Desperate Housewives: Seasons 1-2
Lost: Seasons 1-2