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Noteworthy DVDs released 1/6/09
PICK OF THE WEEK
“The Films of Michael Powell” (Sony): Though this small box set’s name suggests something far more comprehensive, the two films offered here (in uncensored cuts) are more than welcome: “A Matter of Life and Death,” a Pearly Gates-testing affair starring David Niven, and “Age of Consent,” which will be an eye-opener for anyone who knows Helen Mirren only from “The Queen” or “Prime Suspect.”
OTHER TOP PICKS
“Appaloosa” (New Line) : The second feature directed by actor Ed Harris is a straight-ahead Western most appealing for the relationship between Harris’ icy gun-for-hire and his more human sidekick played by Viggo Mortensen.
“Pineapple Express” (Sony) : Stoner humor by way of the Apatow crew and David Gordon Green, who’s better known for highbrow fare like “All the Real Girls.”
“The Wackness” (Sony) : Another pot-centric flick, this Sundance crowd-pleaser got attention with Ben Kingsley playing a shrink who scores drugs from a patient.
“Blind Mountain” (Kino) : A young Chinese woman gets sold into captivity in this drama by Yang Li, director of the similarly named “Blind Shaft.”
“The Lizard” (Image) : Also known as “Bi hu,” this is the latest installment in Image’s Shaw Brothers kung-fu reissue series.
“Patti Smith: Dream of Life” (Palm Pictures) : Commercial photographer Steven Sebring took over a decade making this documentary portrait of punk icon Smith.
NEW ON BLU-RAY
“Caligula” (Image); “Dexter” Season 1 (Paramount); “Friday Night Lights” (Universal); “The Last Emperor” (Criterion)
FRESH FROM THE MULTIPLEX
“Babylon A.D.” (Fox); “Bangkok Dangerous,” “Disaster Movie” (Lions Gate); “Ping Pong Playa” (Image); “Righteous Kill” (Anchor Bay)
BEST OF TV
“Battlestar Galactica” Season 4 (Universal); “Bob the Builder: Race to the Finish” (Lions Gate); “Duckman” Seasons 3 & 4, “Transformers: Animated” Season 2, “The Tudors” Season 2 (Paramount); “Frisky Dingo” Season 2, “The Waltons” Season 8 (Warner Bros.)
STRAIGHT(ISH) TO VIDEO
“The Alphabet Killer” (Anchor Bay); “Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia” (Fox); “Eden Lake” (Weinstein Co.); “Hard Gun” (BCI Eclipse, also on Blu-ray)
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