It's not the happiest of anniversaries, but it's an important one nonetheless: 75 years ago, in 1934, the Hays code went rigidly into affect. Film critic and noted pre-code era film expert Mick LaSalle offers up a fascinating essay on the Production Code's legacy to cinema history, and how a minority—spearheaded by Will Hays's duplicitous publicity man, Joseph Breen—managed to take control of the film industry's dormant censorship apparatus... Read more >>

The SoloistRent  

Joe Wright's film is based on the acclaimed book by journalist Steve Lopez about Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, a former classical music prodigy who plays his violin on the streets of L.A. But the best thing about the film is the performances of Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx, who "are on fire in the lead roles," says Hollywood Reporter. "They're both charismatic as hell without sacrificing any of the emotional honesty necessary." It's a "A triumphant movie about failure," adds Salon's Stephanie Zacharek.

The Window (La ventana)Rent  

Writes Aaron Hillis in the Village Voice: "Argentinean filmmaker Carlos Sorín (Historias mínimas) gracefully reflects on late-life recollections and mortality itself in this wry, would-be narrative B-side to Terence Davies's nostalgic cine-essay Of Time and the City, inspired by the spirit of Bergman's Wild Strawberries." Another great read about Sorin's film is by Henry Stewart on Reverse Shot.

Also out today: Flight of the Conchords Season 2 (another lovely season with Bret and Jemaine, more time given to their hilarious supporting cast, and of course many superb music interludes); Mutant Chronicles; Obsessed; Fullmetal Alchemist Ova; Icons Of Screwball Comedy, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2; Fragments; The Mysteries of Pittsburgh; Race to Witch Mountain; Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit Volume 5.

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

Paris 36 Rent  Read 

I’ve seen Paris 36 three times, twice on the big screen (it opened the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 2009 Rendezvous with French Cinema) and now on DVD [it's out next week].  Those who hate the movie (and there are plenty: A.O. Scott in The New York Times, for one) will think me a masochist.  But no, there is much to enjoy in this piece of old-fashioned French cinema made new again via some smart handiwork...read review >>

More like this Quai des Orfevres | Moulin Rouge

Audience of One Rent  Read 

I'm always of two minds when I see another laugh-a-minute expose of the nuttier side of American Christianity. Sure, religious nuts can be funny (when they aren't being scary), but it's hard to think of an easier target, and in the end many "religious comedies", as you might call them, wind up seeming cheap. This goes both for documentaries (Audience of One is a traditional documentary) as well as fiction films. But Michael Jacobs' film, though it looks like one, is not a cheap invitation to laugh at funny people singing about how much they love Jesus with a disturbingly corporeal ardour. It is actually a fairly serious and thought provoking ... read review >>

More like this Marjoe | Operation Filmmaker

After the War: Life Post-Yugoslavia Rent  Read 

The nine short documentaries on the After the War: Life Post-Yugoslavia DVD are inevitably dark, given their subject matter: the aftermath of genocide and civil war in the former Yugoslavia. The four films from Serbian director Zelimir Gvardiol are probably the darkest: about an hour of unrelenting grimness (subjects include a man who accidentally killed his wife and a sequence about elderly people waiting to die) makes for important documentary, but it's not something I'd recommend for a first date. Similarly dark is Sheila Sofian's "Conversation with Haris", in which... read review >>

More like this Pretty Village Pretty Flame | The Wounds

Many are quick to label Austrian auteur Ulrich Seidl (Dog Days, Animal Love) first and foremost as a provocateur, as if his unflinching, tableau-heavy films about "the poor, dispossessed and unredeemable that have come to stand in for Europe" (as Vadim Rizov astutely noted) had no further depth than their confrontational qualities. Finally getting a U.S. theatrical release since its 2007 Cannes premiere is Import/Export, easily his richest work to date. Seidl chatted with Aaron Hillis for GreenCine Daily.

Also on GC Daily: Aaron's first report back from InFilm, a 5-day tour behind the scenes of the LA film industry.

Acclaimed director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy; Lady Vengeance) returns with his highly anticipated vampire film Thirst, an official selection at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival. Song Kang Ho plays a respected priest who turns into a vampire after a medical experiment gone wrong. His newfound thirst for blood and deadly attraction for his best friend's wife (Kim Ok-bin) drives him down a road of lust and depravity. For the excellent Thirst soundtrack Park teams up again with music director Jo Young-wook. And now, thanks to GreenCine and Focus Features, you can win that soundtrack CD and poster in our Thirst-y new contest. Read more >>