THE WEEK OF AUGUST 17th 2010

GROUP EDITED by: TROY ANDERSON

DVD/BR
SECTION by: Troy Anderson

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD
Director: Ji-Woon Kim
MPI

CLICK HERE TO BUY IT AT AMAZON!

Special Features

  • Featurettes
  • Trailers
  • Interviews
  • Cannes Highlight Reel

The Good, The Bad and The Weird is a wonderful Kimchi Western from the guys that did A Tale of Two Sisters. A bounty hunter, an assassin and a thief stumble through Korea in the 1930s. Each one of the men is after a stolen treasure map that will lead to riches that only exist in the Sierra Madre. I’ve been dismissive of Korean cinema in the past, but Ji-Woon Kim is emerging as a fun voice in international cinema that is borrowing from the world’s rich cinematic history. A dash of Italian Spaghetti Western, a dash of American slapstick and a whole lot of Asian History Piece thrown into the mix offers up a wonderful diversion from the latest slate of late summer shit.

BLACK ORPHEUS (CRITERION COLLECTION)
Director: Marcel Camus

CLICK HERE TO BUY IT AT AMAZON!

Special Features

  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer
  • Uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • Optional English-dubbed soundtrack
  • Archival interviews with director Marcel Camus and actress Marpessa Dawn
  • New video interviews with Robert Stam, Gary Giddins, and Ruy Castro
  • A la recherche d’ “Orfeu negro,” a feature-length documentary
  • Theatrical trailer
  • PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Michael Atkinson

    • Black Orpheus was my introduction to Marcel Camus. I picked up the first Criterion DVD for the title at a library sale and I spent some time watching over every scene. Over the years, I wondered when Criterion would return to this release and clean up the transfer. For those that haven’t seen the film, it’s a wonderful dance-oriented retelling of the Eurydice myth. Young lovers in Brazil during Carnival try their hardest to beat the odds and find love. It’s just that you can’t get your swerve on if Death is beating down your door. Stay for the amazing 1080p transfer and enjoy the new uncompressed mono track. If only all Criterion upgrades could be this sweet.

    TEMPLE GRANDIN
    d.
    Mick Jackson

    CLICK HERE TO BUY IT AT AMAZON!

    SPECIAL FEATURES

    • Featurette
    • Commentary


    Temple Grandin is an amazing biopic that plays with its structure to present a realistic view of autism. David Strathairn, Catherine O’Hara and Claire Danes provide amazing turns as we see Grandin age and learn about autism. It’s an easy game to praise HBO Original Films and Series, but I love to see the Home Box Office nail what should be tired material. That’s not to say that there aren’t moments in the film that dabbled into the weepy melodramatic bullshit that comes with the biopic territory. In the end, it’s a wonderful tale of a young woman finding news ways to better herself without having to rely on the medical establishment.

    HAMLET
    d. Kenneth Branagh

    CLICK HERE TO BUY IT AT AMAZON!

    Special
    Features

    • Commentary
    • Featurettes
    • Trailer

    Hamlet has been told many times on the silver screen. Kenneth Branagh perfected it with his 1996 adaptation. Going word for word in an updated setting, Branagh assembled a veritable Who’s Who of A-list actors to bring the Bard’s words to laugh. Speaking as someone who sat through the film during its first-run theatrical exhibition, allow an afternoon for viewing. At 4 hours and 2 minutes, this isn’t something that I would recommend for all audiences. But, it’s a bounty for the eyes and ears to finally witness in 1080p High-Definition goodness. The Blu-Ray release comes in a Digibook package that will appeal to all design nerds out there.


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