By now, it's become conventional wisdom that the 70s were something of a golden age in American cinema. It's always same films, though, great as they are, that are presented as evidence. In "Movies for Adults," Paulina Borsook offers an alternative list that reveals loads about why most movies these days just don't measure up.

Also new to the GreenCine site: "The Realist: A Talk with Gianni Amelio." As the retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, Poetry and Rigor: The Films of Gianni Amelio, draws to a close, David D'Arcy looks back again with the director (at left, with Charlotte Rampling) at his own work, at Italian Neo-Realism and Antonioni, and ahead to Italy's place in a globalized world.

In addition to the ever-popular collections of shorts, our award-winning blog GreenCine Daily wraps up the Indie Spirit Award nominations, takes a peek at the new issue of MovieMaker, and notes a few early comments on an upcoming movie about a big ol' monkey named Kong.

Video-on-Demand: Inexchange (2003).

Pity poor Maury. He's the put-upon college student in Inexchange, and he's been bullied one too many times. Zack Parker's impressive little indie, shot in the Midwest, "gives a glimpse of hope to those of us craving up and coming directors...who rely heavily on story and plot execution to entertain," says HorrorView.com. "I value substance over style, and in the case of Inexchange I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of 'meat' the plot had." Adds Horror.com, which also interviewed director Parker: "The actors are quite good, and the leads are believable enough in their standard roles of ‘the nerd’ and 'the babe who falls for him'... As for [the] writer/director, one can see the Mario Bava influence, as well as touches of Wes Craven and Tobe Hooper’s very early work." You can check out Inexchange now or anytime you wish, via GreenCine's Video-on-Demand service.

GreenCine Staff Pick of the Week: Little Murders (1971).

Unfairly obscure, the biting early 70s satire Little Murders, scripted by cartoonist and writer Jules Feiffer, holds up better than some other, more famous black comedies from the same era. First a stage play, the filmed version (directed by actor Alan Arkin, who also appears here as a beleaguered cop) opens things up a bit, with the absolutely hilarious dialogue and stinging storyline translating nicely. Elliot Gould plays Alfred, an apathetic New Yorker - a city under siege by a constant crime wave - who meets Patsy (Marcia Rodd, who went on to do... very little), a more optimistic sort with a passive, understandably apartment-bound family (Vincent Gardenia is particularly wonderful as her father). The city may ultimately defeat them all, but not before we get one of the most insane wedding scenes ever, with Donald Sutherland unforgettable as a far out, (a bit overly) progressive sort of minister. And with its unflinching depiction of violence and as a reflection of an America in a very dark mood, alas, it's timely all over again. -- Craig Phillips

Our highlights of this week's new DVD releases are not as overstuffed as many a Thanksgiving turkey (or penguin), but delicious nonetheless:

A hit at Sundance this year, "Murderball (2004) has a lot of integrity, both in visual and conceptual terms, and seamlessly blends entertainment and education," wrote Andrew O'Hehir in Salon this summer. "Hearing the quadriplegic male athletes in this film talk openly and humorously about their sex lives - yes, the machinery still works and, yes, the logistics can be pretty complicated - is a strangely liberating experience, and [directors Henry Alex] Rubin and [Dana Adam] Shapiro get full marks for blowing the doors off that particular taboo. Beyond that, Murderball is a Rocky-esque sports saga with a rowdy, irascible cast of characters who demonstrate conclusively that being in a wheelchair does nothing to dampen the spirit of balls-out macho competition."

March of the Penguins (2005). The surprise hit of the summer was embraced so warmly by such a wide demographic, it didn't take long for it to become fodder for the tiresome yet persistent culture wars. Whether or not you believe March of the Penguins proves that there is a God who hates gays and can't wait for us to invade another country, we can all agree on one thing: Penguins are cute! Gorgeous cinematography, too, doesn't hurt.

Why Change Your Wife? / Miss Lulu Bett (1920). Gloria Swanson's first leading role was in a Cecil B. DeMille comedy called Don't Change Your Husband (1919). It went over so well the other shoe simply had to drop.

Caterina in the Big City (2003). "Paolo Virzì's delightfully deceptive Caterina in the Big City is one of the richest, most satisfying Italian films of recent years," wrote Kevin Thomas in the Los Angeles Times this summer. "Virzì offers a mural of contemporary Italian society as rich as that of Mexico in Y Tu Mamá También but with an even more biting point of view."

Landscape in the Mist (1988). Originally slated for October, the release was delayed, but here 'tis. "It is a sad indication of the insularity of American cinema that Theo Angelopoulos, a Greek director with international stature, is virtually unknown in the United States," wrote Stephen Holden in the New York Times. In 1990. Not much has changed - yet. We're hoping that, even though the releases are few and far between, this DVD might help rectify this situation. As for this film, "Landscape in the Mist is a poignant, lyrical, and allegorical fable on the human struggle for identity and connection," writes Acquarello at Strictly Film School.

The Muppet Movie (1979). "Miss Piggy was such a bitch," remembers chloemonster - hopefully with a smile. Live it all over again with this special anniversary release of one of MonkeyPinata's "bright flicks for rainy afternoons," which is heckled, of course, by Statler and Waldorf ("How do you like the film?" "I've seen detergents leave a better film than this!")

New Anime:

Ah! My Goddess Volume 2: Love Plus One (2005). "The latest animated adaptation of Kosuke Fujishima's beloved romantic comedy Ah! My Goddess keeps trucking along in volume two, and thankfully, the show starts to pick up a little in the five episodes included on this disc," writes Zac Bertschy for the Anime News Network. "So far, the TV series seems to be the most faithful and appropriate adaptation yet. Fans should be pretty happy with it."

As always, if you want to see a complete, more detailed list of all this week's new releases, do drop by our new releases page.

Another tip: If you're a filmmaker and would be interested in having your film available via GreenCine's Video-on-Demand, this page should answer any basic questions you have about the submission process. After you read that (and are still interested in the idea!), fill out and send the submission form, along with a preview version of the film on DVD or VHS. If you are the license holder/owner of more than five films, please send us two sample movies representing your library for us to sample review. Allow at least ten to fifteen business days after we receive your film(s) for us to review and respond. Again, please do read through the submission FAQ first. We look forward to seeing your work!

We'd like to congratulate the winners of our Office Space: Special Edition with Flair trivia contest: gigagilgamesh, rmarkd and Julie Diankoff (the answer was Stan, Chotchkie's Manager). The Elektra: Unrated Director's Cut winners were agrayjr, damnitjanet and David Potes (the answer was Van Williams). More recent contest winners will be revealed in this space next week, and beyond. Meanwhile, there will only be two more new GreenCine trivia contests before the end of the year, and one of them pops up this Friday: The Unknown Chaplin.

The member list of the week: markhl picks favorites from "New" Korean Cinema.

Next week! GreenCine presents Mau Mau Sex Sex at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, introduced by director Ted Bonnitt and writer Eddie Muller. When GreenCine launched its Video-on-Demand service two years ago, our very first title was this wonderful, unconventional documentary on legendary exploitation film producers Dan Sonney and David F. Friedman. Unlike most bio-pics overwhelmed by clips, the film expertly intermingles their earlier work with candid footage of the gentlemen in their twilight years. Join us for the fifth anniversary of Mau Mau Sex Sex's release, followed by an extensive Q&A with the filmmakers. Wednesday, December 7, 7:30pm. $7/$5 GreenCine and YBCA Members, Students, Seniors.

With the Masters of American Comics exhibition opening at the Hammer Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, David D'Arcy talks with Art Spiegelman about the deep historical relationship between comics and the movies. Also: Will Maus ever be a film?

One Bright Shining Moment: The Forgotten Summer of George McGovern revisits the presidential campaign of 1972 and, through conversations with the likes of Gloria Steinem, Warren Beatty and Howard Zinn, examines the origins and ramifications of the "Prairie Populist's" landslide loss to Richard Nixon. Director Stephen Vittoria tells Francine Taylor about his journey from teenage campaign worker to documentary filmmaker.

You may have heard that David Lynch has been talking quite a bit about Transcendental Meditation lately and is looking to raise seven billion dollars to found seven Universities of World Peace. What is the world's greatest living director (according to a panel of Guardian critics) up to? John McMurtrie asks him.

Coverage of provocative film journals Rouge and Reverse Shot, and a large assortment of shorts, fests, events and awards, are just a part of what's running on our award-winning blog, GreenCine Daily.

Video-on-Demand: Charle Chaplin Festival (2003).

Have a Charlie Chaplin Festival, right on your computer screen, with this fine little collection of classic shorts starring and directed by Chaplin in 1917 for Mutual Studios. The Adventurer is an early, interesting gem that showcases a different side of Chaplin, here not the "little tramp" character he made famous but instead playing an escaped convict (nicknamed "The Eel") who mingles with society folks. A set piece in which Chaplin avoids the law using sliding doors is a particular hoot. In The Cure, Chaplin is a rich man trying to dry out in a fashionable spa, in often hilarious fashion. Meanwhile, Easy Street "ranks easily as one of the greatest comedy shorts ever made," wrote Alan Vanneman in Bright Lights Film Journal, "a unique blend of brilliant slapstick and sweet yet tongue in cheek utopian vision." The Immigrant has Chaplin and frequent co-star Edna Purviance as, yes, immigrants new to America, desperate for a meal while dealing with a bullying waiter. You can watch all of these classic silent shorts now or anytime you wish, via GreenCine's Video-on-Demand service.

And filmmakers: Consider submitting your own work, whether it's silent or a talkie, too!

GreenCine Staff Pick of the Week: Pieces of April (2003).

[We're re-running this timely pick from last year, as our reviews take a vacation this week:] What could be better for Thanksgiving than to watch another family more dysfunctional than yours or mine? What's surprising about Peter Hedges' directorial debut (he's been a standout scriptwriter) Pieces of April isn't the family dysfunction, though, but the thoughtful and realistic way every character is composed. Hedges never panders, showing considerable empathy for these people, who create the situations but rarely in a contrived way. The whole cast is fine, from the now-ubiquitous Oliver Platt as the put-upon dad, to the surprisingly good Katie Holmes [put Tom Cruise out of your mind - ed.] as the black sheep daughter trying to make amends with her first, and nearly disastrous, stab at cooking Thanksgiving dinner - but it's Oscar-nominee Patricia Clarkson who, as is her custom, steals the show as April's cancer-battling mother with a sick sense of humor. Also wonderful are the neighbors in April's New York apartment building, who range from hostile to saviors. There's the expected "importance of Thanksgiving" message here but the film isn't filled with stuffing. You will wonder, however, what the heck's in that faux turkey leg. Pieces of April may end a tad abruptly, but you're still left with a feeling of warmth and redemption that the film entirely earns. -- Craig Phillips

The highlights of this week's new DVD releases, laid out for you buffet-style, with plenty of trimmings:

Kings and Queen (2004).The latest from Arnaud Desplechin (of whom Sarasota Film Festival Director of Programming Tom Hall has written in indieWIRE, "There is not a more important filmmaker working today") is "a welter of narrative complication and piercing drama shot through with a rich vein of absurdist humor," wrote Manohla Dargis in the New York Times.

9 Songs (2004). What won't Michael Winterbottom try? Running out of genres, he's taken to inventing his own lately, most recently adapting Tristram Shandy (and quite successfully, too, by all accounts so far). That film is going to be anything but simple, but 9 Songs? Simplicity defined: Nine songs. And in between, a British man and an American woman go at it. Explicitly, no holds barred - but not exactly erotically, either. Simply. "Both structuralist and transgressive in the time-honored manner of avant-garde cinema, the film isn't ostentatiously postmod, but is instead focused, like a New Wave idyll, on the intimate hang time and private buzz of contemporary sex-love," wrote Michael Atkinson for a Village Voice cover package on the film.

King Kong (1933). "Whatever happened to Fay Wray / That delicate satin draped frame..." If it took Peter Jackson and his 200-plus million dollar remake to finally spur the first-ever release of this amazing classic on DVD - in a two-disc special edition, no less - so be it. "What can one say about King Kong?" begins Richard Schieb at the SF, Horror and Fantasy Review. "It is perhaps the greatest of all fantasy films, it is certainly the greatest monster movie ever made. It is a template upon which almost all giant monster movies from The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) to Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1954) and Jurassic Park (1993) base themselves to some extent or another." And more than 60 years on, it's still as stunning as ever. (Bonus disc.)

Tales of Hoffmann (1951). Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger turn the Archers' ballet-opera adaptation of Offenbach's opera about the German Romantic author E.T.A. Hoffmann and his stories into a unique work of their own. "An unusual, magical, cinematically brilliant movie," notes the Edinburgh University Film Society. Again, Criterion packs its disc with irresistible features: Audio commentary by Martin Scorsese and music historian Bruce Eder; a video interview with George A. Romero; The Sorcerer's Apprentice, a short musical film directed by Powell and more.

Black Girl / Borum Sarret (1966 and 1963). Facets describes the intriguing disc: "Two films from 'the greatest of all African filmmakers' (Jonathan Rosenbaum, Film Comment). Black Girl (1966, 60 mins.), Ousmane Sembene's first feature-length film, is a major statement against the lingering culture of colonialism... Borom Sarret (1963, 20 mins.) follows a horse-cart driver in Dakar struggling through the day and witnessing the immense gulf between the poor and the bourgeoisie. 'The most seminal work of African cinema' (Ephraim Katz, The Film Encyclopedia). Both films in French with English subtitles."

Ross McElwee Collection (1980 - 2003). Six films from the renowned documentarian on five discs, and four of them have never before been released on DVD. Facets breaks 'em down: "Charleen (1980, 60 mins.) and Backyard (1984, 40 mins.) are early films that introduce McElwee's idiosyncratic blend of personal and universal elements. Sherman's March (1986, 155 mins.), the director's breakthrough film, retraces the route of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman while simultaneously offering a tour of McElwee's romantic history. Bright Leaves (2003, 107 mins.) is a tour-de-force look at addiction, family legacy, cultural myth and the movies. Time Indefinite (1993, 117 mins.) is an unofficial sequel to Sherman's March, in which the documentarian chronicles his wobbly marriage to Marilyn Levene. Finally, Six O'Clock News (1997, 103 mins.) features interviews with victims of natural disasters who have achieved an odd form of cultural cachet." Don't miss Sean Axmaker's fascinating and wide-ranging talk with McElwee, an interview conducted just this summer. (Note: Disc 5 is a bonus disc.)

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002). And so begins Park Chan-wook's "Revenge Trilogy." It was the centerpiece of the triptych, 2004's Oldboy, that hit these shores (and Cannes) first and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance that's still wowing audiences on the festival circuit. This first entry "accomplishes a miraculous feat by being harrowing and humane in equal measure," writes James Crawford in the Village Voice.

Oh yeah, and some costly end of the world alien invasion movie by some guy - that's also out today.

New Anime:

Samurai Champloo Volume 6 (2005). "This is from Shinichiro Watanabe, also responsible for the wildly popular Cowboy Bebop," notes ahogue. "Far as I can tell, you won't go wrong watching something with his name on it. It's just good fun, really."

As always, if you want to see a complete, more detailed list of all this week's new releases, do drop by our new releases page.

We'd like to congratulate the winners of some recent GreenCine trivia contests. We'd like to, but we can't, because we have to wait 'til after Thanksgiving to get more of those prizes in from the studios. So do check back here next week. Meanwhile, check the homepage today for our sci-fi doubleheader contest, as we're giving away both AVP: The Unrated Director's Edition (you scoff, but it is better) and X-Files Mythology: Super Soldiers. Ends Friday.

The member list of the week: For the graphic arts-inclined, scarabin's Movie Posters I Like.

In two weeks! GreenCine presents Mau Mau Sex Sex at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, introduced by director Ted Bonnitt and writer Eddie Muller. When GreenCine launched its Video-on-Demand service two years ago, our very first title was this wonderful, unconventional documentary on legendary exploitation film producers Dan Sonney and David F. Friedman. Unlike most bio-pics overwhelmed by clips, the film expertly intermingles their earlier work with candid footage of the gentlemen in their twilight years. Join us for the fifth anniversary of Mau Mau Sex Sex's release, followed by an extensive Q&A with the filmmakers. Wednesday, December 7, 7:30pm. $7/$5 GreenCine and YBCA Members, Students, Seniors.

Special Promotion:

As a GreenCine member, we already know you love to watch movies. Now, in addition to GreenCine, we urge you to give Ironweed, the new Progressive Film Club, a try! Subscribe now and get a special offer for GreenCine subscribers: your first month free (just pay $2.95 for shipping), and just $14.95 thereafter. To join, visit them online.

The idea is simple: sign up for the club and every month you'll get a DVD in the mail that contains an award-winning feature film, a short film, and free extras. You keep the DVD - no returns to deal with. These entertaining, artistic, funny, thought-provoking movies win big on the festival circuit, but often don't make it to the blockbuster-filled theaters and video stores in most parts of the country. Think of Ironweed as a film festival in a box, delivered directly to you so you can host screenings of your own. Ironweed also works with nonprofit organizations to offer its subscribers opportunities to take action on the issues presented in each month's films. Join today!

Early in the year 2000, Scott Coffey picked up his one-chip consumer Sony video camera and shot a short with his not-yet-famous friend, Naomi Watts. They had so much fun satirizing their lives as struggling actors in LA, their short became a feature. N.P. Thompson talks to him about Ellie Parker and a few films in the 70s that had great roles for women.

Renegade filmmaker and Slamdance co-founder Dan Mirvish has made a musical comedy about real estate. Film Threat calls Open House [read more here] "a funny, fast-paced and above all very unique film." In "LA to Omaha and Back With Dan Mirvish," Jonathan Marlow asks him about his Oscar campaign, starting a film festival and the film scene in Nebraska.

And keep an eye out for more features coming soon, including a piece on what David Lynch has been up to lately and on a fascinating documentary about former presidential candidate George McGovern.

With apologies to John Steinbeck and The Grapes of Wrath, wherever something is happening in the world of film, the GreenCine Daily will be there.

Video-on-Demand: Scumrock (2003).

Just added to our collection of films by Jon Moritsugu you can watch right now is Scumrock, winner of Best Feature awards at the New York Underground Film Festival and the Chicago Underground Film Festival. "Is Scumrock punk or something post?" asked Edward Crouse in the Village Voice last year. "Who cares? By the end, when death, nature, shit jobs, and school seem to be all that's left for the characters, Moritsugu's insouciant mangling of the undie scene - which has never taken anything, including punk's built-in death drive, totally straight - makes Scumrock gripping, strangely beautiful, and poignant." E! Online calls Scumrock "his latest and most successfully realized flick...[I]n less creative hands, these would be people to avoid, but here their stories are made poignant and sad by Moritsugu's love of his scum and their not-so-bright futures. How wonderfully trashy." Watch Scumrock now, and filmmakers: Consider submitting your own work, too!

GreenCine Staff Pick of the Week: Les Carabiniers (1963).

Our staff pick this week actually comes straight outta one of our primers: French New Wave. And for some reason, a forty year-old anti-war allegory which depicts the whole idea of warfare as a dirty exercise built on lies and deceit seems sort of timely. In that primer, Craig Phillips wrote of Jean Luc-Godard's Les Carabiniers (The Riflemen): "Godard's fairly extreme expose on the stupidity of war, is one of his (and this is saying a lot) strangest movies; archival footage is mixed with the story of two idiots who become soldiers. It's dark, cold, and worthy of study for Godard fans." It's also surprisingly funny, in a twisted sort of way, of course. "This is an antiwar film in the same sense Breathless was a gangster movie," wrote Roger Ebert, and he's right. Absolument unique.

Just a few highlights from this week's new DVD releases:

Speaking of films now timely again: Point of Order (1964). It's high time the work of Emile de Antonio began to appear on DVD. "[F]rom 1964 until his death in 1989, he made some of the left's most important political documentaries," wrote David Greenberg in Slate last year. "A radical Marxist and bon vivant, de Antonio was a man of passions and intensities that make Michael Moore look like Tom Ridge.... De Antonio's first movie, Point of Order (1964) was a fairly straightforward record of the televised 1954 Senate hearings that helped bring down the witch-hunting Sen. Joe McCarthy."

"The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005) is, in a way, all about Romain Duris's performance," wrote David Hudson at the Daily when he caught the film in Berlin earlier this year. "To the great pleasure of the audience, he doesn't simply carry the film, he drives it. Sure, there are moments when he goes over the top, but that urge is inherent to the entire project, a remake of James Toback's Fingers and, I'd argue, one of those rare remakes that surpasses the original. Roars past, headlights flashing, horn honking."

Thanks to Good Bye, Lenin!, and now, The Edukators (2004), the first German film to screen at Cannes in years, young actor Daniel Brühl is quickly becoming one of the all-too-few internationally recognizable faces of German film, an ambassador along the order of a Franka Potente. And given the accolades for her recent performance as Nazi resistor Sophie Scholl in a film of the same name, Julia Jentsch may well be on her way to the same aura of starlight. Interesting, then, that many critics in Germany have singled out the relatively unknown Stipe Erceg for particular praise, though, of course, they've lavished praise (as well as awards and nominations) on all three and on director Hans Weingartner.

"The plot, which follows three occasionally colliding stories, is a messy pileup of convenience and contrivance, but damn it all, I didn't mind a lick," wrote Kimberley Jones in the Austin Chronicle. "Happy Endings (2005) is unabashedly sentimental (cheekily couched in a black-comic guise), with [director Don] Roos acting as a sort of benevolent god over his characters." The terrific cast features Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lisa Kudrow, Steve Coogan and, in a surprisingly sensitive turn, Tom Arnold.

"Directed by [the aforementioned] Dan Mirvish, Open House (2004) is a funny, fast paced and above all very unique film," writes Jim Agnew in Film Threat. "A film filled with interesting and hilarious songs about real estate that you won't be able to get out of your head. Who would have guessed real estate could actually be fun for someone other than a real estate agent in one of those ugly golden jackets?" With Anthony Rapp, James Duval, the great Sally Kellerman and Jerry Doyle.

New Anime:

Gantz Volume 9: Judge, Jury and Executioner (2005). This summer, Battie went back to update her original review of the first volume: "The first two episodes were largely off-putting, thanks to my initial repulsion to characters who seemed very immoral and the overall perverse tone it sometimes took, but watching a little longer gave much more insight into the main characters and the reasons behind their actions and thoughts. It also made it necessary to keep watching."

As always, if you want to see a complete, more detailed list of all this week's new releases, do drop by our new releases page.

Congratulations are in order for the winners of our Two for the Road/Orchestra Wives/The Rains Came trivia contest: PDull and Mistyhazee (the answer was the best special effects Oscar). Meanwhile, check the homepage this week for two new contests, including today's classic musical edition, in which we're giving away three Rogers and Hammerstein-scored films: Sound of Music (40th Anniversary Edition), Oklahoma! (50th Anniversary Edition) and State Fair (60th Anniversary Edition).

The member list of the week: zch2a's darned cool A Bucket Full of Cinema.

The next GreenCine-sponsored screening at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco will be on Wednesday, December 7, as we proudly present Mau Mau Sex Sex. When GreenCine launched its Video-on-Demand service two years ago, our very first title was this wonderful, unconventional documentary on legendary exploitation film producers Dan Sonney and David F. Friedman. Unlike most bio-pics overwhelmed by clips, the film expertly intermingles their earlier work with candid footage of the gentlemen in their twilight years. Join us for the fifth anniversary of Mau Mau Sex Sex's release, followed by an extensive Q&A with the filmmakers. More details on this and other forthcoming screenings to appear here soon.

Hopefully, even if you do consider yourself a slacker, you'll be voting in your state's election today. It's an off-year but the elections are still important. Our state, California, is having a "special" election. We're not sure what makes it so special [insert sarcastic response here], but we're voting in it nonetheless. Hope you are, too. And while you're voting, you can cast your ballot for a particular Video-on-Demand title by selecting it for streaming or downloading. Okay, this isn't really "voting," as much as "paying for," but isn't there sometimes a thin line between those two things? At any rate, do check out our offerings. GreenCine "polling places" are open 24/7!

The new film Jarhead is a very different sort of war movie because the first Gulf War was a very different sort of war. Directed by Sam Mendes and written by Vietnam veteran and prolific scribe William Broyles, the film is a reminder that, as Anthony Swofford (as played in the film by Jake Gyllenhaal) says, "every war is different and every war is the same." David D'Arcy talks to Swofford, author of the memoir the film is based on, about the movie's realism, about waiting to kill and about the ways Marines see war movies differently than everyone else.

There's nothing about Brother Minister: The Assassination of Malcolm X that hasn't sparked controversy. It names names. It's the subject of lawsuits over its ownership and its content. And its maker, Jack Baxter, recently disabled by a suicide bomb attack in Israel, still refuses to follow easier, safer paths. In "As close as anybody's ever gonna get": Jack Baxter, Sara Schieron talks to the filmmaker.

The GreenCine Daily, our award-winning blog, shows you where to point and click when it comes to world-wide film coverage.

Video-on-Demand: Edi (2002).

In addition to grabbing a handful of Polish film awards, director Piotr Trzaskalski's film Edi was the Winner of the Don Quixote Award, FIPRESCI Prize of the Forum of New Cinema ("for its humanity and the warmth showing the life of a homeless man fighting for his dignity, but still caring for people around him"), and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - all at 2002's Berlin International Film Festival. Further thoughts come from the web site Neil Young's Film Lounge: "Edi takes its time to establish its characters within vividly realised environments – the feral city and the seductively lyrical countryside - so that when the rather melodramatic story kicks in we’re aware that what might seem to be implausible developments are in fact elements in a careful and complex character study. As Golebiewski’s powerfully persuasive performance takes centre stage, the plot moves inexorably towards Edi’s climactic moral decision – a soberingly dignified act of unexpectedly moving self-sacrifice and redemption."

You can watch a trailer for Edi on the film's web site, and watch it in its entirety any time you wish via GreenCine's Video-On-Demand service.

GreenCine Staff Pick of the Week: The Thin Red Line (1998).

Presuming the notoriously meticulous director can finish on time, Terence Malick's next film, The New World, is due out soon (and it's too rare we get to say that), and thus it's a fine time to re-visit his last work, 1998's beautiful war movie (and it's rare we get to say that, as well) The Thin Red Line. The film likely disappointed those who went into it expecting a straight war movie. It's not that at all, but rather a reflection on the nature of war, a poetic exploration of what war does to men, and to the world around them. As in all of Malick's films (Days of Heaven and Badlands are the others), the feeling is that nature will survive, even after mankind's follies have played themselves out. What other war movie dares take the time to offer long, lyrical passages of plants rustling in the wind, and animals going about their business (the film is set in Guadalcanal of the South Pacific, where one of WWII's more famous and bloody battles took place). What other war movie takes us through a non-linear story with no single, main protagonist, but rather a host of soldiers (played by a terrific range of actors), all expressing their feelings via voice-over? This latter aspect confused a lot of people who are used to one character, one voice, and one clear point of view. Instead, Malick gives us often stream-of-consciousness thoughts, different characters, but, it seems by the end, a collective consciousness. There is also at least one undeniably exciting, tense extended battle sequence, as the men attempt to take a dangerous, grassy hill. But there's much more going on here. In fact, the film demands multiple viewings. The Thin Red Line was overshadowed by that same year's Saving Private Ryan, but without the latter's penchant for sentimentality, it comes closer to being a masterpiece. The DVD from Fox looks (and, with a terrific score, sounds) lovely, too. -- Craig Phillips

Our highlights of the week's new DVD releases include eye candy (new Criterion releases by two important directors) and real candy (well, on-screen confections, anyway):

Yes (2004). Yes "was created in direct reaction to the events of September 11, 2001, and took its form in the shape of Shakespearean iambic pentameter. Just because it rhymes doesn't mean that the language used isn't contemporary," writes Hannah Eaves in her piece on the film for which she spoke with playfully experimental-minded director Sally Potter and the two actors in the lead roles of He and She, Simon Abkarian and Joan Allen. "'I think we're in difficult times,' Potter concedes, 'but I think that for the film it was a conscious decision to end it with hope. Hope is a choice, a point of view and it's a much more energizing one than choosing despair.'"

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory (2005). Better than the original? That's beside the point, really. Tim Burton reimagines Roald Dahl's classic tale from the ground up, just as Johnny Depp approaches the character of Willy Wonka with utterly fresh and (devilishly) innocent eyes. "This movie is a riot of fiendish invention," writes David Edelstein in Slate.

Pickpocket (1959). "Bluntly put, to not get [Robert] Bresson is to not get the idea of motion pictures - it's to have missed that train the Lumiére brothers filmed arriving at Lyon station 110 years ago," wrote J. Hoberman in the Village Voice a few weeks ago. The occasion was the release in all-too-few theaters - but now, thankfully, also on DVD - of Pickpocket (and we anxiously await the release of Mouchette on DVD some day, too). "Ultimately inexplicable," Hoberman continued, "this concentrated, elliptical, economical movie is an experience that never loses its strangeness." This Criterion release features audio commentary by James Quandt, a video introduction by Paul Schrader, a 1960 interview with Bresson and much more.

The Devil's Rejects (2005). Rob Zombie "refuses to call this a sequel to his deranged semi-underground hit House of 1000 Corpses," noted Andrew O'Hehir in Salon this summer, "even though it, well, totally is.... Of course you're going to see this if you're a fan, and of course, like me, you'll admire Zombie for going all the way to nutso operatic bloodletting with this one." Fun for the whole family, in other words!

Another Criterion release today is Ugetsu (1953). "A regular on critics 'best of' lists, the film is basically perfect," wrote David Khune of Kenji Mizoguchi's masterpiece for the Edinburgh University Film Society. "The technique is flawless, brilliantly evoking a feudalistic world where brutal realism and the supernatural co-exist and intermingle, while the Buddhist message that desire leads to suffering is conveyed without being sledgehammered home." The lovely disc includes audio commentary by filmmaker, critic, and festival programmer Tony Rayns, a two-and-a-half-hour doc on Mizoguchi and much more.

"You don't need a master's degree in Thai history to appreciate Thanit Jitnukul's Bang Rajan (2000), a commanding 18th-century war epic that won 11 Suraswadee Awards (Thai Oscars) in 2000," writes Nick Schager in Slant. "Watching [Bin] Bunluerit's ax-wielding souse storm into combat on the back of a gigantically horned water buffalo, I couldn't help but think that Kurosawa would have been impressed."

This week sees the release from Kino of three mountain films starring Leni Riefenstahl, the very type of film that won her admiration from all sorts of quarters, most notably, and notoriously, of course, Hitler's. There's no question that the former dancer and soon-to-be director was stunning in her youth. The White Hell of Pitz Palu (1929) features an hour-long interview with Riefenstahl, conducted in 2002. Also: Storm Over Mont Blanc (1930); and S.O.S. Iceberg (1933).

New Anime:

Initial D Battle 14: Extra Stage. While we wait for Andrew Lau and Alan Mak's live-action version to hit these shores, the outstanding animated series speeds ahead. How do we love it? Just check out the reviews of Battle 1.

For a more detailed list of this week's new releases, check out this page.

Congratulations are in order for the winners of our Lifeboat and The Mark of Zorro trivia contest: garymc1, hanimal and daliawood (the answer was "The Life of Riley.") Meanwhile, if you didn't win (or even if you did), don't fret. Another contest will be up on our home page this Friday, as we offer up something a little different: a book, It's a Bitter Little World, Charles Pappas' nifty compilation of the best film noir quotations.

The member list of the week: Lesbian historical drama, by LSteele. "Looking for good lesbian flicks set in the past? Here are the best of the very few..."

Thanks, or "merci," to those of you who attended our rare screening of the merveilleux movie Such a Pretty Little Beach, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts last Wednesday. Don't think we'll now be resting on our laurels for awhile. Why, we have another YBCA screening coming up again on Wednesday, December 7, when GreenCine will present Mau Mau Sex Sex. When GreenCine launched its Video-on-Demand service two years ago, our very first title was this wonderful, unconventional documentary on legendary exploitation film producers Dan Sonney and David F. Friedman. Unlike most bio-pics overwhelmed by clips, the film expertly intermingles their earlier work with candid footage of the gentlemen in their twilight years. Join us for the fifth anniversary of Mau Mau Sex Sex's release, followed by an extensive Q&A with the filmmakers. More details on this and other forthcoming screenings to appear here soon.

It's November, and unless you're fortunate to live in one of the few American places sane enough to bypass the daylight savings time nonsense, it's now darker an hour earlier. Thus, we'd all have every right to be doggone depressed. But, instead, GreenCine brightly tromps ahead. We're excited to plug some favorite new DVD and VOD titles, film screenings, articles and a lot more. GreenCine: we're better living through cinema.

Author of several books (as well as our primer on film noir), Eddie Muller is also a filmmaker, a programmer and lately a sought-after commentator on a series of DVDs. In short, he is, as Jonathan Marlow points out in the introduction to his extensive interview [Eddie Muller, Cultural Archaeologist], a "consummate showman."

Note to those in the San Francisco Bay Area: Today, November 1, at the Balboa Theater, Muller will be on hand with Tab Hunter to sign copies of their new book, Tab Hunter Confidential at 6 pm. Then, at 7:30 pm, Muller and Hunter will introduce a screening of Polyester (1981). The rarely seen Gunman's Walk (1958) will be screened at the Balboa on November 2, followed by Lust in the Dust (1985).

We hope you've taken a time-out to read through Jeffrey M. Anderson's grand overview of Vampires, from Max Schreck and Bela Lugosi through the Hammer years to the variations and deviations of more recent years. Delight in the most beautiful of monsters, the bloodthirsty, the undead, the vampires.

The GreenCine Daily, our award-winning film blog, is as busy as ever, and celebrating the 50th anniversaries of both Bright Lights Film Journal and the recently sold (but hopefully not sold-out) Village Voice.

Video-on-Demand: Masquerade (2001).

As mentioned last week, GreenCine has added a boatload of new Hentai titles for download. Besides the aforementioned Urotsukidoji I: Legend of the Overfiend and Urotsukidoji II, and quite a few others, we'd like to call out the cult favorite Masquerade, the first and second episodes of which are now available on demand. AnimeOnDVD summarized Masquerade as "a beautiful story that happens to have sex in it." "The animation is just superb," adds Anime News Network. "Clean lines and smooth animation coupled with truly excellent design and layout make this show a pleasure to watch simply on aesthetic levels." Go to our write-up on BlueCine for more details on all the newly added Hentai titles.

Another new addition to GreenCine's VOD collection also strikes our fancy: Nobody Knows Anything! (2003), an appropriate title for a film about Hollywood - which comes from a famous remark by screenwriter William Goldman about the ridiculousness therein. The indie film features The Daily Show's Stephen Colbert as, of course, a delusional TV newsman, along with Margaret Cho, Janeane Garofalo, Ben Stiller, Kristen Johnston and Mary Kay Place, among many, many others, in what must have been a cathartic experience for all. And the cast really is the reason to see this one, which you can do any time you wish with a few clicks of your mouse button via GreenCine's Video-On-Demand.

GreenCine Staff Pick of the Week: Shattered Glass (2003).

Actor Peter Sarsgaard first made an impact in the shattering Boys Don't Cry, in which he played the creepiest of Brandon Teena's tormentors to mesmerizing effect, and has more recently been praised for his lovely, Oscar-nominated turn as Dr. Kinsey's bisexual assistant, and as a tormented soldier in the just-released Jarhead. But in the sharp Shattered Glass he does remarkable work as well, playing New Republic editor Chuck Lane, who takes over from Michael Kelly (Hank Azaria, quite good in a rare dramatic role), the editor who initially hires eager young writer Stephen Glass. Hayden Christensen, a.k.a. young Annakin Skywalker, is in a far more interesting, if still enervating, role as Glass, the puppy-doggish writer who sacrifices ethics and truth in favor of attention. He constantly asks "Are you mad at me?" in earnest, with Sarsgaard's Lane seemingly the only one who is. In one particularly nerve-wracking sequence, Lane takes Glass on a fact-checking tour to the places mentioned in one of his fabricated articles to basically rub his nose in the lies. The always engaging (even when he's in crap like Sahara) Steve Zahn lends fine support as a rival reporter who sniffs something isn't quite right with Glass' reporting. Director Billy Ray had called his film "little brother to All the President's Men," and while Shattered Glass isn't quite in the same league as that king of all investigative reporting films, it's very worthy progeny, suspenseful and extremely provocative. The "60 Minutes" interview with the real Glass included here is fascinating and disturbing; he seems to revel in the spotlight even as his reputation has crashed and burned beyond redemption. Sadly, as we've seen in subsequent years, he's not alone. -- Tamara Lees

Our highlights of the week's new DVD releases will look a bit shorter, as we attempt to accomodate the average attention span here with a few less write-ups, but as always, all the summaries can be found on the new releases page. Meanwhile, here are a few of our favorites, not including this one, something about Siths or something:

Tropical Malady (2004). "If there is a Thai equivalent of Gesamtkunstwerk, [Apichatpong] Weerasethakul's cinema is it," James Quandt wrote in Artforum back in May, noting he's a filmmaker steeped in "Bruce Baillie and Andy Warhol... Thai soap operas and ghost stories, love songs, talk shows, children's tales, and Buddhist fables... to turn everyday objects and images into the ineffable and enigmatic, inhabitants of a phantom zone where the hard, 'real' world of cars and bodies and buildings cedes dominion to a magical realm of reverie and desire." Also: Don't miss the interview Jonathan Marlow conduced with Apichatpong Weerasethakul earlier this year.

"Heights (2004), a feature debut by director Chris Terrio, celebrates its essential New York-ness as few other films have," wrote N.P. Thompson in the introduction to his interview with the filmmaker. "Along with the screenwriter Amy Fox, the impressive cinematographer Jim Denault, and a flawless cast, Terrio tracks a day in the life of Isabel (played by Elizabeth Banks), a woman in her twenties, who balances her upcoming wedding to a handsome young attorney (James Marsden) with her struggle to establish a name for herself as a photographer." With a terrific turn from Glenn Close and, in supporting roles, Eric Bogosian, Michael Murphy, Isabella Rossellini, Rufus Wainwright and George Segal.

Two for the Road (1967). "They keep talking about doing a remake of this, but who would have the balls?" Don Roos wondered out loud as he compiled a list of guilty pleasures for Film Comment this summer. "It's perfect." With Audrey Hepburn (swoon) and Albert Finney. See also our new trivia contest for a chance to win this lovely classic.

New Anime:

Kyo Kara Maoh! God (?) Save Our King! (2005). "I admit it, I absolutely loved this anime," Battie wrote of the first volume. "Every male character is extremely bishie (even if Yuri and his fiance are younger-looking). I've heard people say X has some bishie guys, but they can't compare to Kyo Kara Maoh's lads." "Whether you're in it for the adventure or the lighthearted man-on-man innuendo, this series is a quirky and fun twist of a well-worn genre," writes Carlo Santos for the Anime News Network.

Again, for a more detailed list of this week's new releases, please go here.

Speaking of trivia contests, congrats to the winners of our Bruce Lee Ultimate Collection giveaway: pooja and shin (the answer was Van Williams). Elektra: Unrated Director’s Cut winners will be announced separately soon, along with other contest winners, in this very space. Meanwhile, take a stab at our latest trivia contest, up on the home page today, for a chance to win a trio of classic romantic dramas: Two for the Road, The Rains Came and Orchestra Wives.

The member list of the week is Chyekk's What a Drag, compiling great moments in cinematic cross-dressing.

Tomorrow night! GreenCine presents Such a Pretty Little Beach by Yves Allégret, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Wednesday, November 2, 7:30pm.
YBCA
701 Mission Street at Third, San Francisco
Box office: 415.978.ARTS (2787)
$7 regular
$5 GreenCine members, seniors, students & teachers
$5 YBCA Members

As mentioned here last week, GreenCine is also proudly co-presenting two screenings in the Film Arts Foundation's 21st Annual Film Arts Festival, at the Roxie Cinema (3117 16th Street, San Francisco) next weekend:

Wellstone!, the inspiring story of the remarkable senator from Minnesota, Paul Wellstone, who defied tradition to return political power to the people, will screen on Satuday, November 5, at 8:20 pm, with an introduction by GreenCine's Jonathan Marlow. Romantico, Mark Becker's superb documentary chronicling the struggles of an illegal immigrant who works as a mariachi in San Francisco's Mission district until family matters bring him back to his Mexican village, screens on Sunday, November 6 at 2:00 pm. Both are part of the Mother Jones Agitators and Instigators series, and the screening of the latter will conclude with a live music performance by Trio Los Románticos.