Sometimes thought of as the raw blueprint for her cult-beloved second film Desperately Seeking Susan, director Susan Seidelman's 1982 feature debut Smithereens epitomizes the grungy spiritedness of downtown NYC in the post-punk era. Aaron Hillis chatted with Seidelman for a new podcast, chatting about directing the first American indie to play in competition at Cannes, the Warhol Factory cohort originally considered for the soundtrack, and the reason Richard Hell was forced to live in her apartment. Read more >>

Treeless Mountain Rent  

Lovely Korean drama from So Yong Kim (In Between Days) about two young girls forced to acclimate to changes in their family life is "skillfully unsentimental," wrote J Hoberman, "because of, but also despite, the presence of two irresistible, unself-conscious performers in virtually every scene." Adds Bruce Eder: "The movie is thoroughly engrossing from the opening frame to the end credits, and it’s a beautiful viewing experience."

Full Battle Rattle Rent  

Documentary about a real war and a fake town, the US Army's "Virtual Iraq" warfare simulation."If Full Battle Rattle begins as surreal, almost goofball farce," writes Andrew O'Hehir, "with a bunch of beefy guys playing a fancy-dress version of laser tag in the desert -- aided by a bunch of rented Iraqis who'd rather be watching TV in suburbia -- it ends on an ambiguous and haunting note, much closer to tragedy." Adds David Edelstein, the ilm is "freaky, amusing, and sickening in equal measures—part fly-on-the-wall vérité, part multiple-perspective Altmanesque tragicomedy."

Also out today: Gaumont Treasures: 1897-1913; It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 4; Next Day Air [see more in Explore below]; Trumbo; Criterion Essential Art House: Gervaise, Le Jour se Lève, Mayerling; White Night Wedding; X Men Origins: Wolverine; Easy Virtue; The IT Crowd: Complete Third Season; Triangle (film co-directed by Ringo Lam, Tsui Hark and Johnny To); Phantasm II (cult favorite now on DVD) ; Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L103.

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

That Hamilton Woman Rent  Read 

Directed by Alexander Korda, 1941's That Hamilton Woman is sometimes gorgeous and beautifully ornate, but very often stiff and dull -- especially, oddly enough, in its battle-at-sea scenes. It was partly made to rouse American and British audiences into supporting WWII, and in that regard it has dated badly. But the movie has an odd cult appeal that has endured. Vivien Leigh, at her most stunningly gorgeous -- in black and white no less...read review >>

More like this Mad Love | Anna Karenina

Last Holiday Rent Read 

Only the sixth of some 65 film performances credited to master British actor Alec Guinness, Last Holiday doesn't rate among his most popular. Our knowledge of the film's existence probably came to the fore most keenly when Queen Latifah and Gerard Depardieu starred in a simple-minded remake in 2006. A comparison of the two films once again contrasts British reserve and subtlety with the American feel-good-at-all-cost sensibility. If you missed the remake, no worries, but thanks to this new DVD from Criterion's Essential Art House collection, it's time to appreciate the original... read review >>

More like this Being There | The Horse's Mouth

Crank 2: High Voltage Rent  Read 

At one point in the first ten minutes of Crank 2: High Voltage, Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) wakes up, leans forward and watches incredulously as someone performs heart surgery on him. Rather than being shocked, or racked with pain, he merely looks annoyed. Later in that same scene, a guy drops cigarette ashes into Chev's chest cavity. Does any of this stop him from being a super-badass-adrenaline-machine? Not on your life...read review >>

More like this Bad Boys II | Zero Woman

Aaron Hillis makes a surprise choice for his DVD of the week on GC Daily: "What gives the unexpectedly rousing Next Day Air its idiosyncratic flavor is that it begins with and updates the spirit of blaxploitation without feeling pressed to worship or satirize it." More >>

Shane Acker’s animated fantasy epic 9, which opened this week, is the feature-length expansion of his Academy Award-nominated 2004 short film, and is produced by directors Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov. The stellar voice cast includes Elijah Wood, Christopher Plummer, Crispin Glover, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly and Martin Landau. And now, thanks to GreenCine and Focus Features, you can win our new 9 contest. Details >>

Also: Create a new list via GC member lists this week, and win! The best new list wins a cool DVD from GreenCine! Extended Deadline: End of September!