| If you are looking for legendary Italian filmmakers or TV shows that are actually worth watching, you’re in luck. The video stores should be filled with them.
· Beverly Hills Cop Trilogy (Paramount) – Now that Eddie Murphy has been nominated for an Oscar, Paramount is trotting out all his old flicks to make a buck. It’s the old banana in the tail pipe routine.
· Bicycle Thieves (1948, dir. Vittorio De Sica, Criterion) – An unemployed man learns how unfair the world is when his mode of transportation is stolen in this classic from the master of Italian neo-realism. This double-disc collection comes complete with documentaries about De Sica and the film genre he redefined.
· Bosom Buddies: Season One (1980, Paramount) – Before Tom Hanks was an Oscar winner, he starred in this high-concept sitcom about two men masquerading as women to get cheap rent. Three’s Company-style hilarity ensues.
· The Caine Mutiny (1954, dir. Edward Dmytryk, Sony) – Humphrey Bogart stars in this military courtroom drama that has been made famous by great performances and the fact that Michael Caine stole his stage name from the title.
· Deep Red (1976, dir. Dario Argento, Blue Underground) – Italian horror master Argento sets his sights on the serial killer genre with violent results.
· The Ed Wood Collection: A Salute to Incompetence (dir. Ed Wood, Passport) – Known by many as the worst filmmaker of all time, Wood gets a legend’s treatment in this two-disc set. Revisit Glen or Glenda (1953), Jail Bait (1954), Bride of the Monster (1955), The Violent Years (1956), Night of the Ghouls (1959) Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959) and a bonus doc called The Ed Wood Story featuring interviews with Dolores Fuller, Johnny Depp and Martin Landau.
· Fiddler on the Roof (1971, dir. Norman Jewison, MGM) – A Canadian director brings one of Broadway’s great musicals to the screen. In addition to the sweeping story, the film comes with a second disc loaded with docs.
· F**k (2005, dir. Steve Anderson, Thinkfilm) – This unrated doc uses celebrity pundits to explore the origins and consequences of everybody’s favourite F-word.
· Gandhi (1982, dir. Richard Attenborough, Sony) – Attenborough’s best picture-winning biopic gets a two-disc treatment. Ben Kingsley’s transformation into Gandhi also earned an Oscar.
· Green for Danger (1946, dir. Sidney Gilliat, Criterion) – Hospital drama, Second World War thriller and murder mystery collide when a patient dies on the operating table and an inspector suspects he was poisoned.
· Hawaii Five-0: Season One (1968, Paramount) – Book ’em Dan-O. The classic TV cop drama is finally on DVD.
· The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962, dir. Tony Richardson, Warner Bros.) – Based on the novel, legendary Michael Redgrave stars in this classic story about punishment at a boy’s reformatory school.
· Maude: Season One (1972, Sony) – Bea Arthur is the outspoken titular character in this groundbreaking, rule-breaking sitcom from TV veteran Norman Lear. Primetime was never so clever or controversial.
· The Quiet (2006, dir. Jamie Babbit, Sony) – Edie Falco and Elisha Cuthbert star in this thriller about a deaf and mute young woman who learns dark family secrets when she is sent to live with her godparents.
· Revenge of the Nerds: Panty Raid Edition (1984, dir. Jeff Kanew, Fox Home Entertainment) – Campus life goes out of balance when the nerds decide to strike back. This DVD features Anthony Edwards in a career-making role as well as commentary, deleted scenes and the I'm A Nerd and I'm Pretty Proud of It featurette.
· Sherrybaby (2006, dir. Laurie Collyer, Universal) – Maggie Gyllenhaal gets a Golden Globe nomination for her turn as a former junkie who tries to go straight to gain custody of her child. Don’t be fooled – it’s still just a glorified indie film.
· Shock a.k.a. Behind the Door II (1977, dir. Mario Bava, Blue Underground) – In this freshly restored transfer, a young couple is plagued by homicidal hallucinations in this ghost story from Bava, the Italian master of gore. Bava was notorious for hiring family members as crew and this DVD features an interview with co-writer Lamberto Bava.
· Trust the Man (2006, dir. Bart Freundlich, 20th Century Fox) – Freundlich directs his real-life wife Julianne Moore opposite David Duchovny in this tale of marital dispassion. |
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