"There is little precedent, cinematic or otherwise, for Synecdoche, New York," writes Michael Joshua Rowin in the L Magazine. "Synecdoche proves that even from the ingenious, hilarious and, clearly, tortured mind of the man who might be this country's greatest current contributor to the art of storytelling, it is like nothing else we've quite seen." And now Jonathan Marlow (and his id) have interviewed the one-of-a-kind maestro screenwriter Charlie Kaufman about his directorial debut, and some other aspects of the inner workings of Kaufman's brain. Full article >>

Tuya's Marriage Rent 

"A compact near-masterpiece," wrote Salon's Andrew O'Hehira> of this exotic Chinese film set in Mongolia, "that combines a slow-motion romantic comedy with a docudrama-style portrait of a remote, nomadic culture as it is gradually eroded by the tides of the 21st century." Adds the LA Times' Kenneth Turan: "Thoroughly gratifying in its consistent inventiveness and has a grasp of human nature so universal that there's no feeling of the exotic about the film and its people."

Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead Rent  

It wouldn't be a proper Halloween without... possessed chicken zombies? This gross-out zombie satire from the deranged minds at Troma, which even features musical numbers, is only for those with strong stomachs. Twitch calls it "an exercise in human filth, social impertinence, cultural intolerance, gore, nudity doused in profuse volumes of bodily fluid. But, Poultrygeist is also a celebration of American independent cinema. It is the example of that ‘do it your own damn way’ approach to movie making that makes it special; never bowing to the system even if it means financial loss. Is it irreverent? Yes. Is it borderline racist? Perhaps. Is it edifying? Not at all. Is it a lot of fun? Hell yes."

Also out today: The L-Word: The Complete Fifth Season; Kit Kittredge: American Girl; Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens; Billy the Kid (excellent doc); Red; Eight Miles High; Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Edition (First Spaceship on Venus, Laserblast, Werewolf and Future War); Body of War - The True Story of an Anti-Hero; Journey to the Center of the Earth; Fanny Hill; Woman on the Beach {Metacritic reviews); Pieces (Grindhouse presents...); Yesterday Girl; Strange Behavior (See below); Thirst; Mysterious Creatures (powerful, underrated drama from the UK); Hell Ride; Assault! Jack the Ripper (Japanese "pink" exploitation film); The Corporal's Diary; Zombie Strippers (Jenna Jameson and Robert Englund, together at last!); Baraka: 2-Disc Special Edition; The Beyond ; Ouran High School Host Club Season 1, Part 1; Sway; Stone (70's cult classic); The H.P. Lovecraft Collection: Volume 5 Strange Aeons; Death Defying Acts; Elite Squad .

New and Coming Releases lists | Your Queue | Discuss! | GreenCine's review blog: Guru | GC Member Reviews and Lists | New DVD Spotlight

Stuck Rent  Read 

Director Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator, From Beyond, Edmond) returns with another amazing, comical, exploitation shocker, this one supposedly "based on a true story" (though Gordon himself takes the "story by" credit). Stuck's terrific opening introduces us to Brandi (Mena Suvari), a nurse at an assisted living home; she cheerfully makes her rounds among the old folks as hardcore hip-hop plays on the soundtrack, drowning out all other sound. At the same time, we meet Tom (Stephen Rea), an out of work sad sack no longer able to afford rent on his crummy apartment. A failed job interview later and he's on the street... Read more >>

More like this Changing Lanes | My Little Eye

Missing (Criterion) Rent  Read 

The Greek-born director Constantin Costa-Gavras usually signs his films with only "Costa-Gavras," as if he were creating a brand name for political thrillers. The thriller part invites audiences to have fun at the movies, while the political part makes them think they're seeing something more than "just" a thriller. Costa-Gavras first broke out in 1969 with Z, which earned him a Best Director nomination and won two other Oscars, and in 1981, he was invited to make his first American film, Missing (now out in a Criterion DVD), with Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek... read review >>

More like this Machuca | Frantic

Strange Behavior Rent 

Strange is right, in this early 80s cult slasher-horror-sci-fi film set in a small town, back out on DVD today. Monsters at Play wrote "there is a voyeuristic quality about this one that helps to immerse you in the goings-on and keeps everything from ever getting too mundane. You feel like you are there and that's one of the best things a movie can do for us. There is a disquieting edge to everything taking place, and it's in this way that Strange Behavior succeeds in what it sets out to do." DVD Verdict's judgement: "Not a great film, but it's a lot of fun and deserves a place on your shelf next to Brain Damage, Sleepaway Camp, and whatever other '80s horror cult favorites you're storing."

More like this The Burning | The Prowler

Time to revisit another horror-themed primers, as we creep towards Halloween this week . As Hollywood continues to borrow (i.e., rip off) from Asian horror films, why not get a quick overview on the originals, from Ringu to Bio-Zombie, in Todd Walrope's New Asian Horror primer.

GreenCine's Erin Donovan called the documentary Uncounted: The New Math of American Elections "a timely doc...diligently researched and deeply passionate." Adds DocumentaryFilms.net, Uncounted is "information dense and utterly shocking...Regarding this documentary simply as preaching to the choir is a disservice." And now, thanks to Uncounted The Movie and GreenCine, we're giving you an opportunity to win the movie on DVD -- each copy signed by the filmmakers! - if you're one of the five lucky winners of our giveaway. Go to contest >> And don't forget to vote -- early if you can!