New Releases, 24 & 31 March 2009

Hello again friends, and thanks for checking in with us. Also, apologies for the missed weeks, which explains why we're "9th St Video" and not "9th St Decent Wireless Connection & Fancy Computers Inc." But let's not dwell on the past while there are movies to chat about!

Last Week:
QUANTUM OF SOLACE
New Bond film! Also on Blu Ray! Also on a special, expensive new gun that can shoot the film right into your eyeballs!
http://www.premiere.com/Review/DVD/Quantum-of-Solace-Blu-ray

BOLT
Action packed animation about a dog and a hamster finding their way back home
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1122/p25s01-almo.html

ANDY RICHTER CONTROLS THE UNIVERSE
Find out why it took Andy Richter so long to get his own show, and why when he did it only ran for 14 episodes.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/11/29/DD231361.DTL

VALERIE AND HER WEEK OF WONDERS
Sexual awakening art film from the Czechoslovakian 1970s.
http://www.kinoeye.org/03/09/krzywinska09.php

WITCHES' HAMMER
Another Czech film, this one from the '60s, about a good old-fashioned witch-hunt.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064546/

BIG STAN
Rob Schneider. Once you've heard that some of you are in, some are out and nobody's changing their minds.
http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=15101&s=Reviews

GARDENS OF THE NIGHT
Two kids form a special bond after they're horrifyingly kidnapped
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/imdb/reviews/article_display.jsp?rid=10628&vnu_special_account_code=thrsiteimdbpro

THE LAST METRO
Truffaut film, much beloved. First link is a review, second a larger essay
http://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/dvd_review.asp?ID=1498
http://www.criterionconfessions.com/2009/03/last-metro-462.html

LATE BLOOMERS
Tale of lesbian relationship developing in a High School which, shockingly enough, involves the girl's basketball coach.
http://www.nytimes.com/library/film/bloomers-film-review.html

CAREFUL
Some Guy Maddin awesomeness from 1992.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/carefulnrhinson_a0a8ac.htm

HAPPILY N'EVER AFTER
Animated fairytale spoof.
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932329.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0

This Week:
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
If you haven't heard of this one yet, it's about a street dog who befriends a young hamster and wins a million chew toys on a doggy tv show.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/11122008/entertainment/movies/slumderful__138251.htm

TELL NO ONE
French film, played at Ragtag, fine and well-cast thriller
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/movies/reviews/bal-tellnooone0718,0,395939.story

SEVEN POUNDS
In this thriller seven strangers are brought together by Will Smith, who plays a hamster with a tragic past
http://www.seattlepi.com/movies/392780_seven19q.html

MARLEY & ME
If you haven't heard of this one, it's a reimagining of Bob Marley's life as told by his pet hamster
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20248900,00.html

TIMECRIMES
Sequel to the disappointing and low-grossing "Mimecrimes"
http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=10347

THE IT CROWD
Hot new TV comedy, IT stands for I.T., tech people, you know.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/television/reviews/article_display.jsp?&rid=11731

RICKY GERVAIS: OUT OF ENGLAND
New stand-up special from the man behind The Office, Extras, The Ricky Gervais podcast and so much more
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/reviews/2008-11-13-gervais-standup_N.htm?csp=34

CREMATOR
Yet another Czech film from the 60s, this one a black-comedy-horror-film about a cremator and his sick ideas
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9502E6D61231EF34BC4952DFB2668388669EDE

Have a great week folks. Don't forget to rent movies and spread love and peace and movies and movie news all around!

New Releases, 17 March 2009

Before we get to this week's releases it should be said that last week had one of the best New Movie Tuesdays ever, but it was also one of the worst weeks for working computers. There was no post as a result, but don't let that stop you from watching movies--SYNECDOCHE NEW YORK, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED, MILK and LET THE RIGHT ONE IN all came out. All critically acclaimed, all played at Ragtag and all are worth a watch. But let's get on with this week's business shall we? Okay.

ELEGY
Penelope Cruz and Ben Kingsley star in this film which is probably about a beautiful young woman having an affair with a rugged, older, shorter, balder man
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/07/DD9A11QAG0.DTL&type=movies

YELLA
Unsettling thriller from Germany. Pretty sure it's Germany.
http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/movies/16yell.html

PUNISHER: WAR ZONE
Hey--they made a movie about a comic book. Hot dog!
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/05/DDOH14GTQO.DTL&type=movies

THE BEAUTIFUL TRUTH
Documentary about kids, cancer, healthy eating practices and other riveting, edge-of-your-seat topics
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/films.php?id=18596

DODES'KA-DEN
Akira Kurosawa's first color feature, a film about street people in Tokyo. Ebert's 1975 review is the first link, and the second is a thoughtful essay on the film by Jamie S. Rich
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19750101/REVIEWS/501010312/1023
http://www.criterionconfessions.com/2009/03/dodeska-den-465.html

All right people, that's all the movies this time. Have a great week, and keep on...doing whatever you're doing, I don't know what that is.

New Releases, 3 March 2009

If True/False and the Oscars didn't quench your thirst for cinema, we've got your fix. And if they did, well, maybe you should just try harder. At sitting around and watching movies.

AUSTRALIA
New one from Baz Luhrmann (Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge), epic and visually sumptuous, or so I've heard
http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/movies/australia,1147078.html

I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG
Critically lauded French film starring Kristin Scott Thomas, played at Ragtag
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/30/DD6T13QL07.DTL&type=movies

THE VILLAGE BARBERSHOP
Based on an entirely ignorant guess, The Village Barbershop is a cross between the Station Agent and The Visitor, in a barbershop. Or it's not like that at all. Looks good though.
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117936481.html?categoryid=31&cs=1

ASHES OF TIME
Wong Kar-Wai's digitally remastered and musically rescored artsy martial arts flick.
http://www.nytimes.com/library/filmarchive/ashes_of_time.html

REAL TIME
A hit man gives a compulsive gambler one hour to live.
http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=10754

BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA
A must-watch film, because if you don't see this one then Hotel For Dogs doesn't make any sense.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/02/DDQI139K9H.DTL&type=movies

And a host of old favorites, new to DVD:

9 1/2 WEEKS (90's hotness), JOHNNY HANDSOME (more Mickey Rourke), FAIRY TALE (not the Tom Cruise one), CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD, TROLL 1 & TROLL 2 (on one convenient disc), THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD, MY FAMILY (starring Jimmy Smits, Esai Morales and Edward James Olmos and then Hollywood ran out of Hispanic men)

Have a great week people, keep metaphorically reaching for the stars!