RoosterFlix DVD Picks for December 30th

UGH. Another horribly slow week. Hopefully the start of 2009 will pick things up a bit.

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Towelhead (2007)
dir. Alan Ball

Alan Ball's most recent show on HBO, True Blood, lost my interest within the first two episodes...however, I really love some of his past work like American Beauty and Six Feet Under. I haven't seen this yet, but I'll probably watch it soon.

Product Decsription:
Haunting and moving, Alan Ball's directorial debut, Towelhead, settles around the viewer for hours, days, afterward, as its delicate layers unfold. Ball, the screenwriter of American Beauty and the creator of HBO's splendid Six Feet Under, revisits some familiar territory here, yet bestows grace upon even his most flawed characters. The film follows the life of 13-year-old Jasira (Summer Bishil), quiet and compliant, who's shuttled between an uncaring American-born mom and a strict, bigoted Lebanese-American dad (Peter Macdissi). When she goes to Houston to live with her father, Jasira starts babysitting for a bratty neighbor kid, whose dad (Aaron Eckhart) takes an unnatural interest in the girl. A new classmate, Tommy, also desires the eighth grader, and one begins to feel Jasira's whole world is a predatory nightmare. Yet the film, while uncomfortable at times to watch, manages to provoke without appalling. Young Jasira is exploring her own sexual awakening, secretly (with echoes of American Beauty), and so desires adult attention that she tiptoes into a flirtation with Eckhart's character, Mr. Vuoso--who is undeniably creepy, yet Eckhart's performance gives Vuoso a begrudging sympathy, no small feat. It's the film's achievement that characters the viewer should be repulsed by--the harsh, overbearing dad; the pervy Mr. Vuoso--have more than a shred of humanity. And luckily for young Jasira, another neighbor, played by Toni Collette, takes her under her wing--and there's almost a palpable sigh of relief when she does. And the script is shot through with humor, which doesn't exactly leaven the intense subject matter, but provides some lightness. When Jasira gets her first period, uptight dad takes her shopping for sanitary pads (no! tampons! ever!), and in the harsh light of the drugstore asks the mortified girl, "Would you describe your situation as Light, Medium, or Heavy?" Bishil is a lovely new discovery, like Thora Birch or Wes Bentley of Beauty, and stays true to herself while the adults around her--with the exception of Collette's Melina--let her down, or worse. The cinematography, draped in shadows, underscores Jasira's unstated plea: See me. Notice me. Care about me. --A.T. Hurley

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An American Carol (2008)
dir. David Zucker

This looks like hot fucking garbage, but Zucker has written & directed some of my all-time favorite comedies. No, not Scary Movie 3 & 4.

Product Decsription:
From David Zucker, the director of The Naked Gun and Airplane! comes a bare-knuckle comedy where no one is safe from the onslaught of lunacy. When obnoxious Hollywood director Michael Malone organizes a Ban the 4th of July campaign, his efforts are upended by a gang of spirits from America s past. Zucker roasts a herd of sacred cows in this latest parody featuring an all-star cast.

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Hellbound: Hellraiser II - 20th Anniversary Edition (1988)
dir. Tony Randel

Product Decsription:
In 1988, it emerged as the shocking follow-up to the film that redefined the face of horror. Two decades later, it remains the most brutally original sequel in horror film history. Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence and Kenneth Cranham co-star in this hit sequel from executive producer Clive Barker that experiences the flesh like no other. The time to play has come again: Surrender yourself to the infernal labyrinth of hellbound: Hellraiser II – The 20th Anniversary Edition.

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The Brave Archer (1978)
dir. Chang Cheh

Product Decsription:
Starring Alexander Fu Sheng stars as hero Guo Jing and Tanny Tian as Huang Rong adventures before their planned marriage. With old feuds and new allies, this is one of the most beloved stories written by Jin Yong and considered one of the most important in Chinese modern literature. Alexander Fu, who was a rising star and beloved actor of Cheng at the time, was tragically killed in a car crash aged 29, and this film captured his amazing star quality before his untimely death.

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Surfer, Dude (2008)
dir. S.R. Bindler

Matthew McConaughey IS Matthew McConaughey IN a Matthew McConaughey production OF Matthew McConaughey: The Movie

Product Decsription:
It’s hard to say just what the target audience for Surfer, Dude is. Maybe surfers--except that since the storyline involves one of the longest big wave droughts in Malibu history, there’s actually precious little surfing to be seen. Probably stoners--not only does the cast include noted herbivores Willie Nelson and Woody Harrelson, but many of the rest of the actors are rarely, if ever, seen without a joint dangling from their mouths. Definitely Matthew McConaughey fans, especially the female kind--as pro surfer icon Steve Addington, McConaughey spends approximately 99% of the movie shirtless. Slight but entertaining, director/co-writer S.R. Bindler’s film finds Addington returning to SoCal following a six-month surfing tour of the world. He soon finds out that things have changed. He still has his manager (Harrelson), but smarmy new sponsor Eddie Zarno (Jeffrey Nordling) wants Steve to appear in a reality TV show and be the model for “Free Surfer,” Zarno’s new “first person immersion video game.” But Steve’s not into it, brah. All he wants to do is surf, get high, and chase women, but when the former dries up for months on end, he decides to forego the other two until the waves return. Meanwhile, the dastardly Zarno re-edits some interview footage to make Addington look bad, whereupon Zarno’s cute East Coast assistant (Alexie Gilmore) quits and takes up with Steve, who plots (sort of) his revenge against the bad guy. It’s all pretty flimsy, occasionally amusing, filled with soft-core female nudity and, you know, like, stoked. --Sam Graham

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Internet Dating (2008)
dir. Master P

I'd probably go crazy too if I was at a point in my career where I was starring in movies directed by Master P.

Product Decsription:
Lonely and looking for some action, Mikey (Williams) creates an internet dating profile, describing himself as a 7 foot tall Lakers player. The ladies love him online, but they get a rude awakening when a 5 foot tall, broke, burger flipping, bicycle riding Mikey shows up at their front doors. And are the girls anything like they say they are?
All he wanted was to meet the right girl. What he got was an online roller coaster.

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