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| THE DEEP FOCUS DVD LIST | |
| An Opinionated Survey of Recent Releases | |
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September 19
CRIME STORY. Abel Ferrara's 1986 TV pilot is exactly the kind of thing I used to say would never be released on DVD. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Anchor Bay, $24.95
THE ELEMENT OF CRIME. Lars Von Trier's first feature is a reputedly dark, surreal tale dealing with the investigation of a series of heinous sex crimes. The disc includes Stig Björkman's documentary Tranceformer: A Portrait of Lars von Trier.
FOOLISH WIVES. After all these years, Erich von Stroheim's extravagantly produced epic remains pretty astounding.
KWAIDAN. The definitive Japanese ghost-story anthology gets a new anamorphic widescreen transfer from the good folks at Criterion. No extras, save a trailer. Directed by Masaki Kobayashi.
MON ONCLE D'AMERIQUE. Gerard Depardieu stars in the great director Alain Resnais' 1980 film—the last one to be widely seen in the U.S., though he continues to crank ’em out.
THE WAR ZONE. Kudos to New Yorker for ditching a planned R-rated DVD of this incest-driven drama and releasing only the unedited, unrated version. Highly (but not unanimously) acclaimed, and certainly not recommended to the squeamish or emotionally fragile. Directed by Tim Roth. September 26 AFTER LIFE. Director Kore-eda Hirokazu's gentle fable of the bittersweet hereafter arrives courtesy New Yorker Video. No extras to speak of, but the film is something to see — simple and sentimental, but quite moving, with ethereal imagery that lingers in the mind. The director's previous Maborosi follows on October 3. New Yorker Video, $29.95
THE BEYOND. Italo-horror maestro Lucio Fulci at full tilt boogie. Ludicrous but inventive yarn arrives in regular and limited-edition specially packaged DVD versions, though the actual disc is the same. One of Quentin Tarantino's picks for his now-throttled Rolling Thunder distribution deal with Miramax.
DETOUR. This memorable cheapie defines the scuzzy end of the film noir genre/cycle. Not a terrific film, but still a compelling study of life in Loserville. A must-see for low-to-the-ground appeal.
EVIL DEAD TRAP. I haven't seen this 1988 Japanese horror flick, but it's notorious enough that I'd like to. Synapse's PR promises a cross between Argento, Cronenberg, and Raimi -- we should be so lucky! Widescreen with removable subtitles, and commentary by director Toshiharu Ikeda and the FX guy.
THE IDIOTS. The unedited version of Lars Von Trier's half-serious Dogme 95 entry about provocation and indulgent hypocrisy makes its U.S. debut -- dancing black bars obscured the naughtiest bits of R-rated theatrical prints, including every glimpse of a penis and, reputedly, a bit of hardcore action. Both versions are selectable on the DVD.
LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL (UNCUT INTERNATIONAL VERSION). This actually shipped last month, but eagle-eared Home Theater Forum members realized that the two surround channels were mixed way too low in the 5.1 soundtrack. Columbia would have you believe the 24 minutes of footage edited from the original release of The Professional (known outside North America as Leon) was "too explicit" to be shown in theaters, but don't believe it--there's nothing here to stretch the boundaries of an R rating. Rather, the film was cut after testing poorly with preview audiences, and the longer version on display here is quite superior to the U.S. theatrical release. October 3 THE KILLER/HARD BOILED. The superb Criterion discs have been out of print for more than a year, but John Woo's two best-known Hong Kong films return in new anamorphic transfers (plus new commentary tracks!) from a competing label. The folks at Fox Lorber are responsible for some of the worst DVDs on the market, but they have a pretty good track record with new transfers, so keep your fingers crossed. Fox Lorber, $49.98 for both
MABOROSI. Directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu (After Life) in 1995.
MOTHER AND SON. Best of 1998. Slowpoke art flick from Aleksandr Sokurov will drive impatient viewers absolutely bugfuck, but fans of Tarkovsky and Bergman should give it a look post-haste. Probably the most "painterly" film I've seen in years, if that means anything, and easily among the most haunting. Made in 1997, released in the U.S. in 1998.
SHORT: INTERNATIONAL RELEASE. Non-Hollywood cinema (presumably short films and such) from the folks who brought you Short Cinema Journal (alias Short Cinema, aka just Short), Circuit, and Afrocentricity. It cannibalizes previously released issues of both Short and Afrocentricity, and I've gotta wonder if Quickband realizes that's gonna bite them in the ass. Was originally intended to debut in, what, 1998? October 10 8 1/2 WOMEN. Greenaway on the cheap. Fairly amusing, with helpings of nudity, but a little sluggish in the latter reels. Universal Studios Home Video, $24.98
AGUIRRE: THE WRATH OF GOD. This quintessential deluded-madman flick has Klaus Kinski as the titular entity, leading his men on a mutinous and ill-advised quest to conquer South America. Director Werner Herzog lends his voice to a commentary track; wonder if he'll address the persistent rumor that he pointed a gun at Kinski's head to keep him from walking out on the production? BEASTIE BOYS: DVD VIDEO ANTHOLOGY. Bumped to November 7.
COBRA VERDE. More Herzog/Kinski action, based on a novel by Bruce Chatwin and released to little fanfare in 1988. Not even Maltin wrote this one up; I'm including it here because it's obviously riding on Aguirre's coattails.
JURASSIC PARK/THE LOST WORLD. Hot subwoofer action.
LADESLAW STAREWICZ COLLECTION. I've only seen two of the animated films collected on this disc ("The Cameraman's Revenge" and "The Mascot"). But those two are pretty terrific, and of interest to anyone who cherishes Jan Svankmajer and/or The Brothers Quay. October 17 AMERICAN PIMP. The Hughes Brothers (Menace II Society, Dead Presidents) make a documentary on the business end of the skin trade. How can you not want to see this? MGM, $19.98
BOB ROBERTS. Tim Robbins' smug look at the right wing of American politics might not have made the list during a better week. Still, this is good for some yucks and I do like the politics. Try it on a double feature with John Carpenter's They Live.
JUDE. Among depressing movies of recent vintage, this has proved to be one of my favorites. Director Michael Winterbottom strikes gold by casting Kate Winslet and Christopher Eccleston in this suitably morose, wrenching version of Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure. Shot in scope, meaning this DVD will restore nearly half of the theatrical image compared to the pan-and-scan tape. | |
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