| Multiplexes are clogged with big-name summer flicks and the late-summer sleepers aren’t due for a few weeks. It might be time to hit the video store instead.
· Avant Garde Experimental Cinema From the 1920s and 30s (2005, various directors, Kino): This two-disc collection features more than six hours of classic film by such greats as Orson Welles and Sergei Eisenstein.
· Boudou Saved From Drowning (1932, dir. Jean Renoir, Criterion): Think of it as the original version of Down and Out in Beverly Hills – classic Parisian satire from Renoir.
· The Breakin’ Collection (various directors, Sony): Bust out the cardboard and your best moves – this four-disc set features the classic breakdancing films Breakin’, Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, Beat Street and a "phat bonus disc" with B-boy docs and music videos.
· Brown Bunny (2004, dir. Vincent Gallo, Sony): Somewhere amid the hype surrounding Chloë Sevigny’s much-publicized oral pleasuring of Vincent Gallo is a movie about a man trying to find the truth about love.
· The Claude Charbrol Collection (dir. Claude Charbrol, Kino): A look at five films by the director known as the French Alfred Hitchcock – includes Cop au Vin (1985) Inspecteur Lavardin (1986), Betty (1992) L’Enfer (1994) and The Colour of Lies (1999).
· Clueless: Whatever Edition (1993, dir. Amy Hecklerington, Paramount): The movie that made Alicia Silverstone’s career – think of it as the Valley girl version of Jane Austen’s Emma.
· Comedy Legend: Buster Keaton (2005, Passport Video): This five-disc set looks at the work of one of cinema’s finest comedic actors by highlighting features and shorts from his career, spanning from 1919 to 1930.
· Cry Baby: Director’s Cut (1990, dir. John Waters, Universal): The master of trash has re-edited the ’50s-style rock ’n’ roll musical that took Johnny Depp away from 21 Jumpstreet. This new edition features deleted scenes and on-set interviews with cast and crew.
· Film Noir Collection: Volume 2 (2005, Warner Bros.) This five-disc set includes the classic noir films Born to Kill, Clash by Night, Dillinger (1945) and The Narrow Margin (1952) as well as a disc of bonus documentaries. Many of the films feature commentary tracks from such directors as Peter Bogdanovich, William Friedken and John Millius as well as interviews with film historian Alan Silver. Loaded with extras for that classic film lover in you.
· Flowers of St. Francis St. (1950, dir. Roberto Rossellini, Criterion): A neo-realist classic co-written by Federico Fellini that looks at the life of the well-known saint.
· Gate of Flesh, (1964, dir. Seijun Suzuki, Criterion): Combining social commentary with a pulpy edge, this film explores street life in a gritty post-Second World War Tokyo.
· Ghostbusters Collection (1984, dir. Ivan Reitman, Columbia): This two-disc set features both paranormal comedies loaded with bonus features including commentary and animated shorts.
· Harakari (1962, dir. Masaki Kobayashi , Criterion): The winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival tells the story of an unemployed samurai’s quest for honour.
· Hotel (2001, dir. Mike Figgis, Film Four): Love him or hate him, Mike Figgis continues to make films in Hollywood with little compromise. This film is probably going to be rented more for the sexually explicit content than B-list stars like Saffron Burrows, David Schwimmer and Burt Reynolds.
· The Krysztof Kieslowski Collection (2005, dir. Krysztof Kieslowski, Kino): A box set digging into the past of one of Europe’s most renowned filmmakers – includes The Scar (1976), Camera Buff (1979), No End (1985), Blind Chance (1987) and A Short Film About Killing (1988).
· Kung Fu Hustle (2004, dir. Stephen Chow, Columbia): It’s Bruce Lee meets Looney Tunes — why haven’t you seen it yet?
· Master of the Flying Daggers/Drunken Sword (Ventura Distribution): Two films on one disc featuring the ever-popular combination of alcoholism and swordplay.
· Mondovino (2004, dir. Jonathan Nossiter, Think Film): It’s like a documentary version of Sideways. This film-fest favourite takes a behind-the-scenes look at the world of winemaking. It’s got a good nose and an intriguing yet non-pretentious palate….
· Nightmare Alley (1947, dir. Edmond Goulding, 20th Century Fox ): More classic noir, this film takes a look at the turbulent subculture of carnival lifestyle. Can a low-life grifter leave a gritty life on the road behind? Not when he’s that greedy.
· Remington Steele: Season One (1982, 20th Century Fox): TV crime dramas were a dime a dozen in the ’80s, but this one gave Pierce Brosnan his start. Does it still hold up almost two decades after the fact. There’s only one way to find out.
· Swamp Thing (1982, dir. Wes Craven, studio): An accident turns a scientist into a hideous plant-animal creature. Look out!
· Tomorrow We Move (Demain on Déménage) (2004, dir. Chantal Akerman, Kino): The latest feature from the world-renowned feminist filmmaker explores eroticism in the everyday with a sprawling narrative and an ensemble cast.
· Trauma (1993, dir. Dario Argento, Anchor Bay): This psychological thriller from Italian horror master Argento makes its uncut North American home video debut.
· Witness (1985, dir. Peter Weir, Paramount): Harrison Ford goes undercover in an Amish community in one of the most underrated cross-cultural cop dramas of the ’80s. |
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