Austin360 blogs > Austin Movie Blog > Archives > 2009 > February > 02
Monday, February 2, 2009
Noteworthy DVDs released 2/3/09
Pick of the week
“Office Space” (Fox): Call us shameless local boosters, but any chance to celebrate this lovable Mike Judge comedy — one of those fortunate films whose audience grows on home video — is one we’ll take.
Other top picks
“Being There” (Warner Bros.): Peter Sellers’s enigmatic outing as “Chauncey Gardiner,” arguably the last great Hal Ashby film, gets the Blu-ray treatment in addition to a standard DVD reissue.
“Zack and Miri Make a Porno” (Weinstein Co.) & “Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist” (Sony): Two romantic comedies for those fed up with the usual generic fare.
Natalie Wood: Warner Bros. celebrates the actress not only with “The Natalie Wood Signature Collection,” which includes numerous new-to-DVD titles, but with a standalone version of the sci-fi flick “Brainstorm,” directed by Douglas Trumbull — best known for the trippy effects in “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
“I Love the 80’s”: Paramount’s odd reissue series continues, using a VH1 marketing tie-in, corny graphic design, and bonus music CDs to sell both titles that fit its silly retro vibe (“Flashdance,” “Staying Alive”) and those that don’t fit in the least (“Gallipoli,” “Ragtime”).
“Martini Movies”: Sony offers its own odd series of catalog titles, presumably suggesting that everything from the Jeff Goldblum/Cyndi Lauper vehicle “Vibes” to Stephen Frears’s tongue-in-cheek “Gumshoe” either revolves around — or would benefit from — free-flowing intoxicants.
“Rent” (Filmed Live on Broadway) (Sony): For fans of the original musical who thought the Hollywood adaptation left something to be desired.
“The Cure: Trilogy” (Eagle Rock): The hardest working goths in eyeliner take to the stage for straight-through performances of three albums: “Pornography,” “Disintegration,” and “Bloodflowers.”
New on Blu-Ray
“Assault On Precinct 13” (1976), “Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself,” “K.D. Lang: Live in London” (Image); “Clerks 2” (Weinstein Co.); “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Napoleon Dynamite,” “Sideways” (Fox)
Fresh from the multiplex
“The Secret Life of Bees” (Fox)
Arthouse/Foreign
“Ben X” (Film Movement)
From the vaults
“Inside Moves” (Lions Gate); “The Magnificent Trio” (Image); “Oliver & Company” (Walt Disney); “Yentl” Extended Director’s Edition (MGM)
Best of TV
“Afro Samurai: Resurrection” (FUNimation); “The Berenstain Bears: Springtime Surprises,” “Bewitched” Season 7, “The Partridge Family” Season 4 (Sony); “Columbo” Mystery Movie Collection (Universal); “Mystery Science Theater 3000” Vol. XIV (Shout! Factory); “Tom and Jerry Tales” Vol. 6 (Warner Bros.)
Reissue/Repackage
“Alec Guinness Collection,” “Peter Sellers Collection” (Lions Gate); “Friday the 13th” Parts 1, 2, and 3-D (Paramount)
Straight(ish) to video
“Space Buddies” (Walt Disney); “Bottle Shock” (Fox)
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Cusack and Thornton join film hall of fame wingding
The annual Texas Film Hall of Fame awards has rounded its celebrity lineup for the March 12 celebration at Austin Studios.
Inductees and inductors: Billy Bob Thornton will be inducted by Dennis Quaid; Keith Carradine will induct Powers Boothe; John Cusack will induct director Catherine Hardwicke; Linda Gray will induct Larry Hagman; and Thomas Haden Church will emcee the fund-raising party.
Details and tickets HERE.
J.R.
J.C.
A new Alamo Drafthouse — yes!
As reported by the Community Impact Newspaper: “A $5 million Alamo Drafthouse Cinema theater is planned to open in 2009 in Circle C Ranch, near the intersection of MoPac and Slaughter Lane. The 35,000 sq. ft. theater will have at least eight screens and will be the largest corporate-owned Alamo Drafthouse theater. The new theater will feature digital 3-D technology.”
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Things to do in a movie theater
The Austin Film Society presents the third annual installment of “Children of Abraham/Ibrahim: Films of the Middle East and North Africa,” from Feb. 17 to March 31 at the Alamo South.
It kicks off with Deepa Mehta’s sumptuous Indian drama “Earth” at 7 p.m. Feb. 17 and continues with a slew of important films set in Iran, Morocco, Pakistan and beyond.
All films and full details HERE.
‘Earth’
Matt Radecki and Michael Caine’s doc “TV Junkie” gets a special showing at 8 p.m. Feb. 18 at Salvage Vanguard Theater (2803 E. Manor Rd.). It’s part of the Salvage UnReeled series. Admission is $5.
More about this amazing Sundance winner HERE.
Not quite the Butt-Numb-a-Thon, but still something of trial is the AMC Best Picture Showcase, taking place all day Feb. 21 at the AMC Barton Creek.
What it is: All five 2009 best picture Oscar nominees screened back-to-back for a flat fee of $30, which includes a large popcorn with unlimited refills for the entire day. You get other goodies, too.
The sked:
“Milk” — 10:30 a.m.
“The Reader” — 1:05 p.m.
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” — 3:45 p.m.
“Slumdog Millionaire” — 7:15 p.m.
“Frost/Nixon” — 9:45 p.m.
More HERE.
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Allagash beer dinner at Lake Creek Alamo postponed
Tonight’s Allagash beer dinner at the Lake Creek Alamo Drafthouse has been postponed after the brewery’s owner, Rob Tod, broke his hand and suffered other injuries Sunday.
Tod apparently was delivering a keg in Boston and slipped down some stairs, according to the Alamo’s Paul Michie.
No make-up date has been scheduled. Michie said all attendees who bought tickets through the theater’s web site have received refunds.
A beer tasting with Tod set for later tonight at the Flying Saucer will go on as scheduled but not with Tod in attendance.
Meanwhile, the dates are set for Dogfish Head’s Off-Centered Film Festival are set: April 3 and 4. More info at drafthouse.com.
