 |
|
Criterion just re-launched their web site (a.k.a. online cinematheque) this week and celebrated with the release of three new titles on DVD, and, as always, giving the premium treatment to each of them. We have a bit more on one, Chungking Express, below. Also out today is Martin Ritt's memorable cold war espionage drama based on the John Le Carre novel, The Spy Who Came In From the Cold [dig the trailer], which features one of Richard Burton's finest performances; the DVD offers a drool-worthy assortment of extras. And Wes Anderson's fine first feature gets the deluxe treatment as well, Bottle Rocket is a delight and looks the best it's ever looked. Thanks, Criterion, and congrats on the new site.
|
|
|
In This Dispatch:
- What's New: Chungking Express, Celestial Clockwork and more.
- What We're Watching: Mister Lonely, Beautiful Ohio and Lady With the Dog..
- Explore: Featured titles feature.
|
|
|
Criterion gives us one of the defining works of nineties cinema and the film that made Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai an instant icon. The film is "a unique peek into the urban flavor of one working class suburb in the crowded island nation of Hong Kong," wrote Sean Axmaker, "a film that sways to its own beat, and those unusual rhythms are infectious, as are the smeary/stuttery visuals of cinematographer Christopher Doyle." The DVD, a new high-def digital transfer, includes commentary by noted critic Tony Rayns; new, improved subtitles; and excerpt from the BBC Television series Moving Pictures episode featuring Wong and Doyle. |
|
|
|
This South American sleeper is "a riotous carnival of music, colors, witchery, sexuality and magic," wrote Roger Ebert. "It's pitched at approximately the same level of seriousness as `Flying Down to Rio, and if you approach it in that spirit, it's infectious and funny." "A crazy salad of a film," adds the SF Chronicle. "Though hopelessly contrived, this Cinderella comedy by Venezuelan-born director Fina Torres is so spirited in an offbeat, farcical way that it becomes a joyously eccentric cinematic treat. " |
|
|
|
| |
The 35 year-old filmmaker Harmony Korine ( Gummo, Julien Donkey-Boy) co-wrote his long-awaited third feature film, Mister Lonely with his brother Avi, cast his wife Rachel in one of the lead roles and dedicated the film to his late grandmother. And so it goes that Mister Lonely is about a kind of family. Diego Luna plays a Michael Jackson impersonator, hereafter known as Michael. He works the streets of Paris, copying... Read review >> |
|
|
| |
Based on a wonderful short story by Ethan Canin (called "Batorsag and Szerelem"), who adapted it for the screen, this fine little sleeper, set in the early-'70s, is a coming-of-age tale about growing up in the shadow of a genius. It "could be the story of a million brothers, and as such, it evokes comparisons to other movies while telling a story likely to resonate on a personal level with many viewers," wrote Peter Debruge in Variety. The filmmakers "have faith in their audience [and] the actors wisely underplay their motivations." We think the film's a bit uneven but worth it for the intriguing story and for William Hurt's excellent performance. |
|
|
| |
Noted critic Jonathan Rosenbaum astutely encapsulated Lady With the Dog: "The perfect antidote to Nikita Mikhalkov's Dark Eyes, Josif Heifits's 1959 Soviet film about adultery, adapted from the same story, may be the best Chekhov adaptation on film: subtle, exquisite, a perfect miniature." We've read the story and seen the film and would agree: both are pretty wonderful. |
|
|
Every couple of days or so GreenCine features a different title on our content home page, Central, as a way to point you to some interesting DVDs you may not have otherwise heard about. Go here and look at the upper right corner to see the latest (which right now is Derek); click on the right arrow >> to scroll through previous featured titles. |
|
| |
Feasts
|
|
