One thing I learned last night while watching “The Man from Nowhere” is that Thanayong Wongtrakul is totally hot!
Movies
Oh … Mr. Hudson!
Recently, I watched a couple of Douglas Sirk‘s movies that starred Rock Hudson. Man-oh-man was he handsome! I am particularly fond of “All That Heaven Allows,” a great melodrama about a romance between two people from different social classes.
And now for some more eye candy … Rock Hudson with a beard!
Going 3-Dimensional?
When the boyfriend got his fancy 3-D television, I was gave him some shit about the silliness of the whole thing. He had to buy the 3-D television, the 3-D Blu-ray player and the 3-D glasses. That’s a lot of money to shell out. But after viewing some 3-D Blu-rays, I gotta say it’s pretty cool.
And now … I want one.
This fall, two sets are coming that I really want for their 3-D content. For the first time ever, Alfred Hitchcock’s “Dial M for Murder” will be available on home video in its original 3-D presentation. Universal is also releasing “Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection” which will have “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” in its original 3-D presentation.
Now all they need to do is hook us up with “House of Wax” in 3-D!
Must. Resist. Urge. For. 3-D. Television.
Please Hurry, November!
James Bond + Sam Mendes = Wet My Pants Excited!!!
OOP Criterion Scores!
After months and months of trying to find the two out-of-print Criterion titles I wanted the most … I found them! And in the space of about a month too. I am now the proud owner of their editions of “Ran” (new and still sealed) on DVD and “The Man Who Fell to Earth” on Blu-ray. I paid more for “Ran” than I really wanted to. But, I was surprised to find “The Man Who Fell to Earth” on half.com for under $50. It has been selling for upwards of $100+ for a used copies on eBay and even more for new copies on Amazon.
One of my daily routines had become checking various sites for cheap copies of these Criterion editions. With them now in my greedy, consumerist hands … I gotta say that life has felt a little like it’s lost some of it purpose. Now what can I hunt down and buy? Heh.
Color Me “Intrigued”
Art House Double Shot
“Melancholia” (Lars von Trier, 2011)
It’s the end of the world as only that crazy Dane can tell it … but really it’s about Justine’s all consuming depression and her reaction/acceptance to the “end of all things.” I have re-watched this since it came out on video and I thought it was even better the second time around. Charlotte Gainsbourg is excellent as Justine’s sister, Claire. Kirsten Dunst, as Justine, is pretty amazing in this movie. It’s a damn shame that the Academy didn’t show her any Oscar love this past year. She at least deserved a nomination.
“The Skin I Live In” (Pedro Almodóvar, 2011)
Almodóvar does “horror” … or does he? An elite plastic surgeon (played by Antonio Banderas) has a beautiful woman (played by Elena Anaya) held captive for his experiments with a new synthetic skin. What unfolds is a story of madness, suicide, murder and revenge. “The Skin I Live In” has horrific elements to it but to simply call it a horror movie would be missing the point. I think it’s more of a character study and about how sometimes we can’t (or won’t) let ourselves escape from the past. It’s another excellent film from one of my favorite directors … and the less you know going in, the better.
OMG … I Love Criterion!!!
On June 12th, Criterion releases one of my favorite movies!
FILMMAKER-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION:
- New, restored digital transfer, supervised by director of photography Brian Tufano, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
- Two audio commentaries: one by director Danny Boyle and the other by screenwriter John Hodge and producer Andrew Macdonald
- New interviews with stars Christopher Eccleston, Kerry Fox, and Ewan McGregor
- Digging Your Own Grave, a 1993 documentary by Kevin Macdonald on the making of the film
- Andrew Macdonald and Kevin Macdonald’s video diary from the 1992 Edinburgh Film Festival, where they shopped around the script for Shallow Grave
- Shallow Grave trailer and Trainspotting teaser trailer
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Philip Kemp
Chasing … Banky & Holden
I watched “Chasing Amy” again this past week … and, no matter how many times I see it, I still hold out hope that Banky and Holden are going to get together at the end of the movie.
Eye Candy Break [Criterion Edition]
Eye Candy Break [Avengers Edition]
While not wetting myself like most fanboys … I can say that the eye candy factor of Double Chris’s has me getting excited about “The Avengers.”
“Tattoo” vs. “Tattoo”
David Fincher movies get me all excited. So, when it was announced he was at the helm of the American-ized version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” I got super excited. I really enjoyed the Swedish film, so I was curious as to what Fincher would do with the material.
Now the results are in theaters and it stacks up well (and sometimes not so well) against the original Swedish film.
For the most part, Fincher’s version works very well. The tone of the movie is very cold, clinical and precise. Fincher seems more interested in presenting the mechanics of the investigation rather than making it a more lurid thriller. It’s kinda like a lighter and more user friendly version of “Zodiac.” Some plot elements from the book that were ditched in the original movie show up here which make a nice addition. All the actor’s are solid and the pacing clicks along fairly well (except for wrapping up all the loose threads at the end). Plus, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross deliver another very interesting soundtrack.
So, does Rooney Mara kick it as Lisbeth Slander? She does and then some. I liked Mara’s take of the character more than Noomi Rapace‘s. It’s more dark, internal and withdrawn.
The major problem with the movie is that it has about five endings. They catch the killer and then there are about four more plot points to resolve which drags out the ending. And the movie is fitted with a bizarre James Bond-esque opening credit sequence. It looks cool and plays under the blasting sounds of “Immigrant Song” (covered by Reznor/Ross/Karen O) … but it doesn’t really serve any other purpose than to look cool.
There are better Fincher films … but, on the whole, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” worth checking out.