October 4, 2006

Dispatch #153

#153 | October 3, 2006


"The entire British empire was built on cups of tea, and if you think I'm going to war without one, mate, you're mistaken." -- Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
    In this Dispatch:
  • Tip of the Week: Article Archives
  • What We're Watching: A Glut of horror, Italian kisses, and werewolves.
  • New to DVD
  • New articles: Calvaire, Reitman, and Bader Ben Hirsi.
  • GC screening this week!
    •

Did you know that GreenCine keeps an archive of all our articles - interviews and essays - from the past few years? While we link to these on related product pages where applicable, you can scroll through all the articles by clicking on "view past articles" in either the current article list or at the bottom right column of each individual article. Step inside our "wayback machine" for some great reading.

"More or less a video autobiography of one man's passion for making (and remaking) the genre films of his youth," says DVD Talk of I Was a Teenage Movie Maker, "a sometimes crude but mostly beguiling and sometimes quite charming documentary not necessarily limited to like-minded amateur filmmakers and monster movie fans."

Besides the 40 minute documentary, these two discs include all 41 of Don Glut's amateur movies.

Moviegoers tempted to venture into a theatre to take a look at the Tony Goldwyn/Paul Haggis remake of The Last Kiss ought to be sure they see the original Italian version first. Superior in every way, this 2001 gem was writer/director Gabriele Muccino's international breakout, capturing better than most... read the rest here >>.

More quickie reviews can be found on GreenCine's review blog, Guru.

The Werewolf vs. the Vampire Woman (a.k.a. Werewolf's Shadow, a.k.a. about ten other titles) is a fun 70s Spanish variation on a Hammer horror film. "Seminal 1970 Paul Naschy vehicle was an international success and put the actor-scriptwriter on the map as well as ignited a boom in the production of Spanish horror films," says DVDManiacs, "the film works best as a Gothic Romance with a strong aura of fantastique." Available to watch now via GreenCine's Video-on-Demand service.



More like this: The Blood Trilogy | 100 Years of Horror Collection
More like this: But Forever in My Mind | The Best of Youth
More like this: Lady Frankenstein | Circus of Fear

William H. Macy is a central figure in two of this week's new releases:

V

Thank You For Smoking (2006; $21.95). If not as barbed as one might hope, Jason Reitman's satire based on Christopher Buckley's novel about a lobbyists for Big Tobacco is entertaining throughout, with a great performance by Aaron Eckhart at the center. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone: "A big thank-you indeed for this acutely hilarious film about a certain Dr. Spin and how he learned to stop worrying and love the butt." See our new interview with Reitman on GreenCine now, too.

Edmond (2005; $18.45). Adapted by David Mamet from his play, which "still wields a verbal tire iron," wrote Stephen Holden in The New York Times. "You may love [it] or hate it, but you will never forget it."

Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos (2006; $21.75). "Exceedingly well-made documentary - if anything, a little too polished," says GreenCine's Craig Phillips "about the most dominant team in American pro soccer history, the New York Cosmos... [A] must for any soccer fan."

Also out this week:

Say hallo to my leetle friend: Scarface: Platinum Edition ($25.45); The Little Mermaid (Special Edition) ($25.45); Lewis Black: Red, White & Screwed (2006; $14.45); The Maltese Falcon, 3-disc special edition! ($19.93); The Blood Trilogy - including Two Thousand Maniacs ($32.95); and, oh yeah, that X-Men movie, X-3 (2006; $21.95), if you're looking for closure.

New anime:

Basilisk vol. 2 ($18.95). A series "produced by Gonzo, so it's absolutely gorgeous," says Animetique. "The colors are lush with beautiful settings, complex character designs, and fluid animation."

GreenCine's review blog: Guru | A complete list of this week's new releases and all titles coming soon is available here | Ye Olde New Releases Archive | Your Queue

A New Day in Old Sana'a, a tale of magic realism and the first full-length feature from Yemen, has been winning over audiences and juries at festivals around the world. Now, it hits a big one: the just-opened Vancouver International Film Festival, which runs through October 13. Harvey F. Chartrand talks with British-Yemeni writer and director Bader Ben Hirsi about how he pulled it off - and of course, about past and future projects. Full article >>

More for your reading pleasure:

Fabrice du Welz's Experimental Fairy Tale: Jonathan Marlow talks with the Belgian director behind the memorable new horror film, Calvaire, out today on DVD; Sean Axmaker speaks with Jason Reitman about Thank You for Smoking and on being the son of a Hollywood hitmaker.

GreenCine Daily, our award-winning blog, offers up online listening tips, an obit for an underrated filmmaker, and many other tidbits for cinephiles with short attention spans.

This week!

Cabinetic & GreenCine present
The Fabulous Adventures of Baron Munchausen (Baron Prasil) by Karel Zeman (1961, 83 min., 16mm, in Czech with English subtitles)
$8/$6 GreenCine and YBCA Members, Students, Seniors
This Wednesday, October 4, 7:30pm
At the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission Street, San Francisco.

Baron Karl Friedrich von Münchhausen served in the Russian military and was involved in several battles, most notably against the Ottoman Empire, until he retired in 1750. On his return to his hometown of Bodenwerder, he told tales of visits to the Moon and flights across the battlefield atop a cannonball. While there have been many stories and illustrations about his legendary life, Czech filmmaker Karel Zeman mixed animation and live-action to create this exceptional little-seen film version of these fantastic tales. Not available on home video here in the U.S., this is your only chance to catch this most delightful film.

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Posted by cphillips at October 4, 2006 5:44 PM