MetroPulse Stories: DVD/TV

MetroPulse Stories: DVD/TVhttp://metropulse.com/news/ae-reviews/dvd-tv/?partner=RSSMetroPulse Stories: DVD/TVen-usae-reviews/dvd-tv/news/ae-reviews/dvd-tv/?partner=RSShttp://metropulse.com/feeds/headlines/ae-reviews/dvd-tv/2008-11-21T16:26:32.580643Copyright MetroPulse, 2008Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott? http://metropulse.com/news/2008/nov/19/whatever-happened-randolph-scott/?partner=RSS ]]>Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/nov/19/whatever-happened-randolph-scott/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv140132008-11-19T17:00:002008-11-19T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008It’s one of the most pervasive clichés in movie history: A character watches an unseen TV screen while the sound of Indian war whoops, gunshots, and the over-the-top score of an old B-movie Western signals that it doesn’t matter what he or she is watching. Not all old B Westerns are so easily dismissed, however. Filmmakers such as John Ford, Howard Hawks, and Anthony Mann have long been acknowledged as major artists by even casual film fans, but hardcore film and Western nerds have had the name Budd Boetticher (pronounced “BET-ick-er”) on their lips for decades.Knoxville, TNWhatever Happened to Randolph Scott?MetroPulsewhatever-happened-randolph-scottMen Alone http://metropulse.com/news/2008/nov/05/men-alone/?partner=RSSMongol, new to DVD.

]]>Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/nov/05/men-alone/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv139552008-11-05T17:00:002008-11-05T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008There is nothing small about Genghis Khan, uniter of the Mongols, scourge of Asia in the early 12th century, and, before his death, the ruler of pretty much every acre between the Pacific Ocean and the Black Sea. But the great khan started life, like anyone else, as a child, in this case a minor khan’s son named Temudjin. And thus does Russian director/co-writer Sergei Bodrov find a way to fit the life of Genghis Khan—or at least his early years—within the confines of two hours on a screen in Mongol, new to DVD.Knoxville, TNMen AloneMetroPulsemen-aloneUrban Renewal http://metropulse.com/news/2008/oct/29/urban-renewal/?partner=RSSThe Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies is an undeniable American classic, that Battle Royale is a parable for our times, and that Showgirls is no doubt Paul Verhoeven’s one true masterpiece. These days, you really have to dig deep to find a disdained movie to champion because they’re all being endorsed already by other movie-nerds.

]]>coury@metropulse.com (Coury Turczyn)Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/oct/29/urban-renewal/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv138912008-10-29T17:00:002008-10-29T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008In order to attain true movie-geek supremacy, you must find that one failed film which only you can love—and then defend it to the death. But it isn’t easy. Every psychotronic-DVD collector and his disappointed mother knows that The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies is an undeniable American classic, that Battle Royale is a parable for our times, and that Showgirls is no doubt Paul Verhoeven’s one true masterpiece. These days, you really have to dig deep to find a disdained movie to champion because they’re all being endorsed already by other movie-nerds.Knoxville, TNCoury TurczynUrban RenewalMetroPulseurban-renewalCharlie Foxtrot http://metropulse.com/news/2008/oct/22/charlie-foxtrot/?partner=RSSStandard Operating Procedure, just out on DVD, director Errol Morris says the now-infamous photographs taken at the prison represent both an exposé and a cover-up—they exposed the abuses heaped on Iraqi detainees by U.S. personnel, but they “convinced journalists and readers that they had seen everything, that there was no need to look any further.” Looking further is precisely what Morris (The Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War) is about here. ]]>Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/oct/22/charlie-foxtrot/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv138662008-10-22T17:00:002008-10-22T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008In the press materials for Standard Operating Procedure, just out on DVD, director Errol Morris says the now-infamous photographs taken at the prison represent both an exposé and a cover-up—they exposed the abuses heaped on Iraqi detainees by U.S. personnel, but they “convinced journalists and readers that they had seen everything, that there was no need to look any further.” Looking further is precisely what Morris (The Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War) is about here. Knoxville, TNCharlie FoxtrotMetroPulsecharlie-foxtrotPersonality of Cult http://metropulse.com/news/2008/oct/08/personality-cult/?partner=RSSLadies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains was almost more of a rumor than an actual movie. Filmed in 1981 and never properly released, it spent the next decade popping up at midnight screenings or on late-night cable. Never officially available on video, it circulated on grotty VHS bootlegs of bootlegs of bootlegs and somehow missed the first wave of DVD reissues, then the second, third, and fourth. But its cult, tiny and fervent, has stayed alive and now finds itself rewarded with a legit digital issue courtesy—who else?—Rhino Video. ]]>Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/oct/08/personality-cult/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv138072008-10-08T17:00:002008-10-08T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008For decades, punk-rock cult film Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains was almost more of a rumor than an actual movie. Filmed in 1981 and never properly released, it spent the next decade popping up at midnight screenings or on late-night cable. Never officially available on video, it circulated on grotty VHS bootlegs of bootlegs of bootlegs and somehow missed the first wave of DVD reissues, then the second, third, and fourth. But its cult, tiny and fervent, has stayed alive and now finds itself rewarded with a legit digital issue courtesy—who else?—Rhino Video.Knoxville, TNPersonality of CultMetroPulsepersonality-cultCulture Clash http://metropulse.com/news/2008/sep/24/culture-clash/?partner=RSSThe Rape of Europa illustrates, the Nazis’ obsession with art led to a shock to European culture that reverberates to this day. ]]>Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/sep/24/culture-clash/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv137732008-09-24T17:00:002008-09-24T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008Adolf Hitler was, among other things, an art lover. His competent watercolors failed to get him into art school as a young man, but that disappointment didn’t dim his interest. Long before they invaded Poland or the Netherlands or France, Hitler and his Nazi high command had already compiled lists of thousands and thousands of paintings, sculptures, and other priceless cultural artifacts held by those countries that they planned to track down and take for themselves. As the utterly fascinating 2007 documentary The Rape of Europa illustrates, the Nazis’ obsession with art led to a shock to European culture that reverberates to this day.Knoxville, TNCulture ClashMetroPulseculture-clashKiller TV http://metropulse.com/news/2008/sep/17/killer-tv/?partner=RSSThe Shield and The Sopranos have shown, characters who are sometimes warm and funny and at other moments vile and repugnant can produce some of the best television, though they may immediately turn away a certain segment of the population before it views a frame of film. Pushing those bounds of morality and good taste, Showtime drama Dexter recently released its second season on DVD while teasing the third season, premiering Sept. 28. Even more than a captivating corrupt cop and a charismatic, vicious gangster, can an audience enter the headspace in which they identify with—even root for—an emotionally vacant serial killer?

]]>Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/sep/17/killer-tv/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv137382008-09-17T17:00:002008-09-17T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008We’re certainly well beyond the understanding that an anti-hero can be a compelling protagonist in fiction. As The Shield and The Sopranos have shown, characters who are sometimes warm and funny and at other moments vile and repugnant can produce some of the best television, though they may immediately turn away a certain segment of the population before it views a frame of film. Pushing those bounds of morality and good taste, Showtime drama Dexter recently released its second season on DVD while teasing the third season, premiering Sept. 28. Even more than a captivating corrupt cop and a charismatic, vicious gangster, can an audience enter the headspace in which they identify with—even root for—an emotionally vacant serial killer?Knoxville, TNKiller TVMetroPulsekiller-tvArthouse Degradation http://metropulse.com/news/2008/sep/10/arthouse-degradation/?partner=RSSSalò to, well, anyone. Just talking about the sort of things depicted in the film—rape, torture, degradation of all varieties—is likely to get you shunned around most watercoolers and the film remains banned in several countries. Even in an age where you can search up footage of almost anything online, it still carries a transgressive charge. If Salò were merely concerned with transgression, or titillation, it would be of little interest; it certainly wouldn’t be coming out in a typically deluxe, new two-DVD Criterion Collection edition. But there’s more going on here than exploitation.

]]>Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/sep/10/arthouse-degradation/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv137142008-09-10T17:00:002008-09-10T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008It’s difficult to recommend Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Salò to, well, anyone. Just talking about the sort of things depicted in the film—rape, torture, degradation of all varieties—is likely to get you shunned around most watercoolers and the film remains banned in several countries. Even in an age where you can search up footage of almost anything online, it still carries a transgressive charge. If Salò were merely concerned with transgression, or titillation, it would be of little interest; it certainly wouldn’t be coming out in a typically deluxe, new two-DVD Criterion Collection edition. But there’s more going on here than exploitation.Knoxville, TNArthouse DegradationMetroPulsearthouse-degradationSpaced Out http://metropulse.com/news/2008/sep/03/spaced-out/?partner=RSSSeinfeld and Friends to any number of shows approximating them, but it also applies to a show that’s easily as notable as the former and absolutely demolishes the latter, despite only lasting for 14 episodes. But the average viewer may never have heard of Brit-com Spaced because, well, it’s British.

]]>Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/sep/03/spaced-out/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv136882008-09-03T17:00:002008-09-03T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008It’s one of the most enjoyable shows on television from the past decade or so. It features a mismatched collection of buddies who hang out a lot and sometimes have “adventures,” but mostly it’s about nothing except the relationships between those characters. That overarching setup could describe a lot of sitcoms, from Seinfeld and Friends to any number of shows approximating them, but it also applies to a show that’s easily as notable as the former and absolutely demolishes the latter, despite only lasting for 14 episodes. But the average viewer may never have heard of Brit-com Spaced because, well, it’s British.Knoxville, TNSpaced OutMetroPulsespaced-outScraping the Bottom http://metropulse.com/news/2008/aug/27/scraping-bottom/?partner=RSSChapter 27. According to IMDb, star Jared Leto is, in fact, working as an actor again, but after witnessing his indulgent performance as psychotic assassin Mark David Chapman, it’s easy to imagine casting directors all over Hollywood deleting his agent’s number from their Blackberrys.

]]>Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/aug/27/scraping-bottom/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv136762008-08-27T17:00:002008-08-27T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008First and most urgently, whatever you do, do not rent Chapter 27. According to IMDb, star Jared Leto is, in fact, working as an actor again, but after witnessing his indulgent performance as psychotic assassin Mark David Chapman, it’s easy to imagine casting directors all over Hollywood deleting his agent’s number from their Blackberrys.Knoxville, TNScraping the BottomMetroPulsescraping-bottomSomething Borrowed http://metropulse.com/news/2008/aug/13/something-borrowed/?partner=RSSSpoiler Alert: Escape From New York reinvented the B-movie action epic, Mad Max and The Road Warrior reinvented the post-apocalyptic movie, and 28 Days Later reinvented the zombie flick. Rather than reinvent any of these films or genres, Doomsday settles for merely repurposing chunks of all of them, along with maybe a dozen others. The filmmakers being imitated may feel flattered, but the viewer is more likely to feel simply taken.

]]>Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/aug/13/something-borrowed/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv136192008-08-13T17:00:002008-08-13T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008Spoiler Alert: Escape From New York reinvented the B-movie action epic, Mad Max and The Road Warrior reinvented the post-apocalyptic movie, and 28 Days Later reinvented the zombie flick. Rather than reinvent any of these films or genres, Doomsday settles for merely repurposing chunks of all of them, along with maybe a dozen others. The filmmakers being imitated may feel flattered, but the viewer is more likely to feel simply taken.Knoxville, TNSomething BorrowedMetroPulsesomething-borrowedStruck Out http://metropulse.com/news/2008/aug/06/struck-out/?partner=RSSSwingtown really isn’t all that steamy. In fact, it’s as boring a take on drug-drenched orgies in ’70s suburban America as one could avoid imagining.

]]>coury@metropulse.com (Coury Turczyn)Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/aug/06/struck-out/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv136072008-08-06T17:00:002008-08-06T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008Much to the chagrin of 12-year-old boys and prematurely indignant moral guardians everywhere, Swingtown really isn’t all that steamy. In fact, it’s as boring a take on drug-drenched orgies in ’70s suburban America as one could avoid imagining.Knoxville, TNCoury TurczynStruck OutMetroPulsestruck-outStraight to Hell http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/30/straight-hell/?partner=RSSChop Shop plays out like a cinematic gloss on a late-period Clash song (something buried deep on side five of Sandinista!, perhaps), so it’s serendipitous that Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten is also hitting DVD. ]]>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/30/straight-hell/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv135612008-07-30T17:00:002008-07-30T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008In many ways, Chop Shop plays out like a cinematic gloss on a late-period Clash song (something buried deep on side five of Sandinista!, perhaps), so it’s serendipitous that Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten is also hitting DVD.Knoxville, TNStraight to HellMetroPulsestraight-hellAd Age http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/23/ad-age/?partner=RSSMad Men, set in the world of Madison Avenue ad men in the early 1960s, is deceitful in some basic way. And most of the lies—the ones they’re paid to tell and the ones they tell themselves—are designed to conceal the humiliations, ugliness, and limitations of human affairs. ]]>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/23/ad-age/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv135332008-07-23T17:00:002008-07-23T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008Almost everything and everybody on Mad Men, set in the world of Madison Avenue ad men in the early 1960s, is deceitful in some basic way. And most of the lies—the ones they’re paid to tell and the ones they tell themselves—are designed to conceal the humiliations, ugliness, and limitations of human affairs. Knoxville, TNAd AgeMetroPulsead-ageAuteur Weary http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/16/auteur-weary/?partner=RSSWed, 16 Jul 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/16/auteur-weary/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv135122008-07-16T17:00:002008-07-16T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008It used to be that a John Sayles film was not a genre in itself. That is, you could expect certain things from Sayles—excellent scripts, character-driven stories, fine acting, a sensitivity to the mores, class issues, and hypocrisies of particular times and places in the Americas—but you didn’t expect the same thing over and over. Over the past 20 years, however, he has increasingly found his material by cross-sectioning communities in transition, especially in regard to race and class, and handing over the resulting dramas to ensemble casts.Knoxville, TNAuteur WearyMetroPulseauteur-wearyGo (Watch), Team Venture! http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/09/go-watch-team-venture/?partner=RSSThe Venture Bros., a show which has in the last couple of years become the hottest addition to Adult Swim’s lineup. ]]>Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/09/go-watch-team-venture/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv134842008-07-09T17:00:002008-07-09T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008Thank God for Ted Turner. Sure, he’s a post-Cretaceous T-Rex of a tycoon, stalking the corporate mastodon herds of the modern era like the last remnant of a forgotten age. His ways are alien to us, but in odd, seemingly unconnected ways, we prosper from them. Observe the adventure cartoon pastiche The Venture Bros., a show which has in the last couple of years become the hottest addition to Adult Swim’s lineup.Knoxville, TNGo (Watch), Team Venture!MetroPulsego-watch-team-ventureTrouble and Desire http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/02/trouble-and-desire/?partner=RSSWed, 02 Jul 2008 22:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jul/02/trouble-and-desire/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv134682008-07-02T18:00:002008-07-02T18:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008Asia Argento looks like trouble just sitting there in the luxe waiting room at the offices of the international businessman-type played by Michael Madsen. Maybe it’s the way her wrap dress fits her lean curves (an oxymoron, but still), or the tattoo on the back of her neck, or those big brown eyes and the way that the dark circles under them make her look like she’s been up late doing something she shouldn’t but doesn’t regret.Knoxville, TNTrouble and DesireMetroPulsetrouble-and-desireMagic http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jun/19/magic/?partner=RSSThe Thief of Baghdad and “The Red Balloon,” two films each more than 50 years old, each supplying a lesson in the wonder simpler times could produce on screen. ]]>Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:42:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jun/19/magic/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv134292008-06-19T13:42:002008-06-19T13:42:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008These days, it seems for a movie to have a chance to capture the imagination of filmgoing audiences of all ages, it has to have wall-to-wall CGI, an assortment of doody jokes and sly winks to the grown-ups, and a tie-in deal with Burger King. The Criterion Collection, however, recently released sterling new DVD editions of The Thief of Baghdad and “The Red Balloon,” two films each more than 50 years old, each supplying a lesson in the wonder simpler times could produce on screen.Knoxville, TNMagicMetroPulsemagicNuanced Necromancy http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jun/11/nuanced-necromancy/?partner=RSSmconnergibson@gmail.com (Mike Gibson)Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jun/11/nuanced-necromancy/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv133882008-06-11T17:00:002008-06-11T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008Word on the street for directors who build their careers in music videos before moving on to feature films is that they’re all style and no substance, favoring the former medium’s trademark flashy visuals and desultory quick-cuts over deliberate, coherent storytelling. If the word is generally true, then first-time feature director Juan Bayona—who made his name producing commercials and music vids for pop singers in his native Spain—is a most notable exception.Knoxville, TNMike GibsonNuanced NecromancyMetroPulsenuanced-necromancyBiting Commentary http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jun/04/biting-commentary/?partner=RSSWed, 04 Jun 2008 21:00:00 -0000http://metropulse.com/news/2008/jun/04/biting-commentary/?partner=RSSae-reviews/dvd-tv133802008-06-04T17:00:002008-06-04T17:00:00Copyright MetroPulse, 2008The audience for horror films is overwhelmingly male, and the people who make horror films are even more overwhelmingly male, so it’s perhaps understandable that women have played a rather fraught role in the history of modern horror. Two recent horror films new to DVD attempt to tackle specifically female fears, or in one case, more accurately, the root of male fears of the female. If the movies were better, it might even seem like progress.Knoxville, TNBiting CommentaryMetroPulsebiting-commentary