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DVD picks for the week
Noteworthy DVDs released 11/25/08
PICK OF THE WEEK: “Bottle Rocket” and “Chungking Express” (Criterion): Two gems from the nineties, each of which introduced a unique filmmaking voice (Wes Anderson and Wong Kar-Wai, respectively) to a broad audience of American cinephiles. (WKW had made many previous films, but none got this kind of Stateside exposure.) Both have been on disc before, but Criterion gives them premium treatment — technophiles should postpone buying for a few weeks to see just how premium, as these two are in the (slightly postponed) first batch of Blu-ray titles the company will release.
OTHER TOP PICKS:
“The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” (Criterion): Put Bourne and Bond aside for a moment to return to John le Carré’s version of international intrigue, in a B&W thriller starring Richard Burton.
“Still Life” (New Yorker): Jia Zhang-ke’s award-winner examines the lives of people whose town is about to be destroyed by China’s enormous Three Gorges dam project.
“A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All” (Paramount): Tongue-in-cheek genius Stephen Colbert may be just the man to make the ever-expanding holiday season not only bearable but fun.
“Hancock” (Sony): Despite some head-spinning twists that don’t play out nearly as satisfyingly as they should, this grumpy-superhero yarn offers some enjoyable smart-alec moments for Will Smith, who returns to Serious Acting this season in “Seven Pounds.”
“Sounder” (Koch): The much-loved family film gets what, shockingly, appears to be its first release on DVD.
“Becket” (MPI): However dated and stodgy this Peter O’Toole / Richard Burton historical drama may be, its arrival on Blu-ray is surprising enough to tempt us to revisit it.
“ABBA: The Movie” (Universal Music): The big screen “Mamma Mia” didn’t do it for you? Go straight to the source with a 1977 tour film (directed by Lasse Hallström), just released on Blu-ray.
NEW ON BLU-RAY: “George Carlin: It’s Bad For Ya” (MPI); “Jarhead,” “The Kingdom” (Universal)
FRESH FROM THE MULTIPLEX: “Fred Claus” (Warner Bros.); “Meet Dave,” “Space Chimps” (Fox)
FROM THE VAULTS:
FROM THE ARTHOUSE: Afro-Cuba: Yesterday and Today: “The Last Run of Papa Montero” / “Sara Gomez: An Afro-Cuban Filmmaker,” “Johan Van Der Keuken: The Complete Collection Vol. 4” (Facets); “Moses and Aaron” (New Yorker)
STRAIGHT(ISH)-TO-VIDEO: “Closing the Ring” (Weinstein Co.); “River Queen” (Weinstein Co.); “Superman: Doomsday” (Warner Bros.)
BEST OF TV: “24: Redemption” (Fox); “Beverly Hills 90210” Season 6 (Paramount) “The Doris Day Show,” “Family Affair” (MPI)
CULT CORNER: Psychic Killer (Dark Sky)
REISSUE/REPACKAGE: “The Atomic Cafe” (Docurama); “Freaks and Geeks” Yearbook Edition (Shout! Factory); “The Pink Panther: Ultimate Collection” (MGM); “The Ron Howard Spotlight Collection” (Universal)
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