| The last few weeks have seen the release of a huge number of classics and oddities on DVD – here is the crème de la crème:
· Blackboards (2000, Samira Makhmalbaf, Wellspring): Acclaimed Iranian film tells the story of wandering teachers who risk their lives to educate Kurdish children in the desert.
· Blow-Up (1966, Michelangelo Antonioni, Warner Brothers): A photographer investigates murder against the backdrop of swinging ’60s London in Antonioni’s most famous film.
· Le Corbeau (1943, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Criterion Collection): Controversial thriller abundant in political subtexts about Nazi collaborators in France during the Second World War.
· Cramps: Live at Napa State Mental Hospital (1978, MVD): Finally, a music DVD worth owning – Lux Interior, Poison Ivy and several of their craziest friends in one of the most captivating live concerts ever filmed.
· Imitation of Life: Two Movie Collection (1934/ 1959, John M. Stahl/ Douglas Sirk, Universal): Comprehensive package includes both the tear-jerking 1934 original and Sirk’s infamous 1959 remake.
· Mau Mau Sex Sex (2001, Ted Bonnitt, Facets): Documentary chronicles the careers of indie smut-peddlers Dan Sonney and David Friedman.
· Okie Noodling (2001, Bradley Beesley, Ventura): Oklahomans catch catfish with their bare hands while The Flaming Lips play on the soundtrack – weird!
· Once Upon a Time in Italy: The Spaghetti Western Collection (2003, various directors, Anchor Bay): Collection of five rare Italian dusters includes A Bullet for the General, Companeros, Four of the Apocalypse, Keoma and Texas Adios.
· Pickup on South Street (1953, Samuel Fuller, Criterion Collection): Richard Widmark stars in this classic "Red scare" noir from hard-boiled director Sam Fuller.
· Shintaru Katsu’s Zatoichi (1989, Shintaru Katsu, Media Blasters): Think Quentin Tarantino is a genius? See Shintaru Katsu’s blind-samurai epic and think again.
· Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator (2002, Helen Stickler, Lion’s Gate): The sad and disturbing tale of pro skateboarder Mark "Gator" Ragowski, who is presently serving a life sentence for murder.
· Tunes of Glory (1960, Ronald Neame, Criterion Collection): Sir Alec Guinness plays an uptight military man in this examination of class and hierarchy in British society. |
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