RoosterFlix DVD Picks for December 9th

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The Dark Knight (2008)
dir. Christopher Nolan

O-VER-RA-TED *clap-clap-clapclapclap*
O-VER-RA-TED *clap-clap-clapclapclap*

Now I'm not saying it's not a great movie, I just think that the extent to which fanboys suck this movie's cock is way beyond ridiculous. It's actually kind of annoying and uncomfortable and makes me want to like the movie less. I will say this though, considering the amount of hype behind the movie (might be safe to say it was the most hyped movie ever before it was released, up there with Independence Day) I was really amazed that it actually lived up to it. It's a top 10 movie of the year without question. Seeing the movie in an IMAX theater, especially all the sequences filmed with IMAX cameras, was an amazing experience. Heath Ledger will win an Oscar, and Christian Bale will need throat lozenges. God damn, the Batman voice was annoying as fuck.

Product Decsription:
The Dark Knight arrives with tremendous hype (best superhero movie ever? posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger?), and incredibly, it lives up to all of it. But calling it the best superhero movie ever seems like faint praise, since part of what makes the movie great--in addition to pitch-perfect casting, outstanding writing, and a compelling vision--is that it bypasses the normal fantasy element of the superhero genre and makes it all terrifyingly real. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is Gotham City's new district attorney, charged with cleaning up the crime rings that have paralyzed the city. He enters an uneasy alliance with the young police lieutenant, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), and Batman (Christian Bale), the caped vigilante who seems to trust only Gordon--and whom only Gordon seems to trust. They make progress until a psychotic and deadly new player enters the game: the Joker (Heath Ledger), who offers the crime bosses a solution--kill the Batman. Further complicating matters is that Dent is now dating Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, after Katie Holmes turned down the chance to reprise her role), the longtime love of Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne.
In his last completed role before his tragic death, Ledger is fantastic as the Joker, a volcanic, truly frightening force of evil. And he sets the tone of the movie: the world is a dark, dangerous place where there are no easy choices. Eckhart and Oldman also shine, but as good as Bale is, his character turns out rather bland in comparison (not uncommon for heroes facing more colorful villains). Director-cowriter Christopher Nolan (Memento) follows his critically acclaimed Batman Begins with an even better sequel that sets itself apart from notable superhero movies like Spider-Man 2 and Iron Man because of its sheer emotional impact and striking sense of realism--there are no suspension-of-disbelief superpowers here. At 152 minutes, it's a shade too long, and it's much too intense for kids. But for most movie fans--and not just superhero fans--The Dark Knight is a film for the ages. --David Horiuchi

DVD Features:
documentary "Gotham Uncovered"
"Batman Tech," an exhaustive television documentary
"Gotham Tonight," fake newscasts about our hero
Galleries and Trailers
BD Live content
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Man on Wire (2008)
dir. James Marsh

Another one of the best movies of the year. Even if you know the outcome, you can't help but sit on the edge of your seat as the team keeps beating close call after close call, wondering what's going to happen next. It's like a highly complex bank robbery, and everyone involved in the project acknowledges it. The enthusiasm of everyone involved, Phillipe Petit especially, is contageous, and you can't help but be drawn into their world.

Product Decsription:
Native New Yorkers know to expect the unexpected, but who among them could've predicted that a man would stroll between the towers of the World Trade Center? French high-wire walker Philippe Petit did just that on August 7th, 1974. Petit’s success may come as a foregone conclusion, but British filmmaker James Marsh’s pulse-pounding documentary still plays more like a thriller than a non-fiction entry--in fact, it puts most thrillers to shame. Marsh (Wisconsin Death Trip, The King) starts by looking at Petit's previous stunts. First, he took on Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral, then Sydney's Harbour Bridge before honing in on the not-yet-completed WTC. The planning took years, and the prescient Petit filmed his meetings with accomplices in France and America. Marsh smoothly integrates this material with stylized re-enactments and new interviews in which participants emerge from the shadows as if to reveal deep, dark secrets which, in a way, they do, since Petit's plan was illegal, "but not wicked or mean." The director documents every step they took to circumvent security, protocol, and physics as if re-creating a classic Jules Dassin or Jean-Pierre Melville caper. Though still photographs capture the feat rather than video, the resulting images will surely blow as many minds now as they did in the 1970s when splashed all over the media. Not only did Petit walk, he danced and even lay down on the cable strung between the skyscrapers. Based on his 2002 memoir, Man on Wire defines the adjective "awe-inspiring." --Kathleen C. Fennessy

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Europa - Criterion Collection (1991)
dir. Lars von Trier

I'm not incredibly familiar with von Trier's work...I've only seen a couple of his films, not including Europa, but what I've seen I've liked. I think Dancer in the Dark gets a little too much praise, but I still think it's great. Breaking the Waves, however, can't be fucked with. I'm looking forward to checking this one out.

Product Decsription:
You will now listen to my voice . . . On the count of ten you will be in Europa . . ." So begins Max von Sydow s opening narration to Lars von Trier s hypnotic Europa (known in the U.S. as Zentropa), a fever dream in which American pacifist Leopold Kessler (Jean-Marc Barr) stumbles into a job as a sleeping-car conductor for the Zentropa railways in a Kafkaesque 1945 postwar Frankfurt. With its gorgeous black-and-white and color imagery and meticulously recreated (if then nightmarishly deconstructed) costumes and sets, Europa is one of the great Danish filmmaker s weirdest and most wonderful works, a runaway train ride to an oddly futuristic past.

DVD Features:
New, restored high-definition digital transfer
Audio commentary featuring director Lars von Trier and producer Peter Aalbæk Jensen (in Danish)
The Making of Europa (1991), a documentary following the film from storyboarding to production
Trier s Element (1991), a documentary featuring an interview with von Trier, and footage from the set and Europa s Cannes premiere and press conference
Anecdotes from Europa (2005), a short documentary featuring interviews with film historian Peter Schepelern, actor Jean-Marc Barr, producer Peter Aalbæk Jensen, assistant director Tómas Gislason, co-writer Niels Vørsel, and prop master Peter Grant
2005 interviews with cinematographer Henning Bendtsen, composer Joachim Holbek, costume designer Manon Rasmussen, film-school teacher Mogens Rukov, editor/director Tómas Gislason, producer Peter Aalbæk Jensen, art director Peter Grant, actor Michael Simpson, production manager Per Arman, actor Ole Ernst
A conversation with Lars von Trier from 2005, in which the director speaks about the Europa trilogy
Europa The Faecal Location (2005), a short film by Gislason
New and improved English subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by critic Howard Hampton
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The Wire: The Complete Series (2002-2008)
dir. David Simon & Ed Burns

One of the greatest shows ever, that's all there is to it. If you haven't seen it, clear your schedule and make time. Now.

Product Decsription:
Set in Baltimore, this show centers around the city's inner-city drug scene. It starts as mid-level drug dealer, D'Angelo Barksdale beats a murder rap. After a conversation with a judge, Det. James McNulty has been assigned to lead a joint homicide and narcotics team, in order to bring down drug kingpin Avon Barksdale. Avon Barksdale, accompanied by his right-hand man Stringer Bell, enforcer Wee-Bey and many lieutenants (including his own nephew, D'Angelo Barksdale), has to deal with law enforcement, informants in his own camp, and competition with a local rival, Omar, who's been robbing Barksdale's dealers and reselling the drugs. The supervisor of the investigation, Lt. Cedric Daniels, has to deal with his own problems, such as a corrupt bureaucracy, some of his detectives beating suspects, hard-headed but determined Det. McNulty, and a blackmailing deputy. The show depicts the lives of every part of the drug "food chain", from junkies to dealers, and from cops to politicians.

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Deadwood: The Complete Series (2004-2006)
dir. David Milch

Not as great as The Wire, but great nonetheless. Probably a top 20 show all-time. Considering the individual seasons used to run about $80-$90, getting all 3 seasons for around $100 is a helluva deal.

Product Decsription:
The town of Deadwood, South Dakota in the weeks following the Custer massacre is a lawless sinkhole of crime and corruption. Into this uncivilized outpost ride a disillusioned and bitter ex-lawman, Wild Bill Hickok, and Seth Bullock, a man hoping to find a new start for himself. Both men find themselves quickly on opposite sides of the legal and moral fence from Al Swearengen, saloon owner, hotel operator, and incipient boss of Deadwood. The lives of these three intertwine with many others, the high-minded and the low-lifes who populate Deadwood in 1876.

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Lost - The Complete Fourth Season (2008)
dir. J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber, Damon Lindelof

It's still not making a goddamn bit of sense, but I'm still intrigued, and I'll still watch it. I just hope SOMEthing gets explained next season.

Product Decsription:
After Oceanic Air flight 815 tore apart in mid-air and crashed on a Pacific island, it s survivors were forced to find inner strength they never knew they had in order to survive. But they discovered that the island hold many secrets, including a mysterious smoke monster, polar bears, a strange French woman and another group of island residents known as The Others. The survivors have also found signs of those who came to the island before them, including a 19th century sailing ship called The Black Rock, the remains of an ancient statue, as well as bunkers belonging to the Dharma Initiative a group of scientific researchers who inhabited the island in the recent past.

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Justice - A Cross The Universe CD/DVD (2008)
dir. n/a

Ed Banger is one of the best labels on the planet at the moment...I'll listen to pretty much anything they release. Justice's debut album was probably the most financially successful album Ed Banger has ever released, and for good reason, it was an instant classic. I'm really looking forward to seeing this tour documentary...you can find the trailer on youtube.

Product Decsription:
This live CD + DVD release includes recordings of Justice's signature headbanging live sets along with show footage and various hijinks captured as the band toured the U.S. in March 2008.

DVD Features:
Disc: 1
1. Intro
2. Genesis
3. Phantom Part 1
4. Phantom Part 1.5
5. D.A.N.C.E.
6. D.A.N.C.E. Part 2
7. DVNO
8. Waters Of Nazareth
9. One Minute To Midnight
10. Tthhee Ppaarrttyy
11. Let There Be Lite
12. Stress
13. We Are Your Friends (Reprises)
14. Waters Of Nazareth
15. Phantom Part 2
16. Encore
17. NY Excuse (Soulwax/Justice Remix)
18. Justice X Metallica

Disc: 2
1. 1 hour documentary (DVD)

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Murnau, Borzage and Fox - Box Set
dir. F.W. Murnau, Frank Borzage

I'd buy this set immediately if it weren't almost 200 fucking dollars.

Product Decsription:
This collection contains 2 F.W. Murnau films and 10 films directed by Frank Borzage from the late silent through the early talkie era. Many of these have long been unavailable.

Silent Films:

Murnau's entries include:
Sunrise (1927) - The story of a farmer ready to forsake his wife and home for a city woman on vacation in their village. She suggests that the husband drown his wife and make it look like an accident. Beautiful visuals make you sorry the silent era ever ended. Already available on DVD in the Fox Best Picture Collection. This film won the only Oscar ever awarded for best artistic film.

City Girl (1930) - This film exists in a sound and silent version. I hope this version is the silent one I saw. Charles Farrell plays the son in a farming family sent to sell the family wheat crop. He doesn't get the money the family hoped for plus he returns with a city girl as wife. This film doesn't show life on the farm as the ideal, but shows the harsh economic reality of farming. As usual, Murnau will thrill you with his excellent visuals.

Borzage films:
Lazybones (1925) - A man knicknamed "Lazybones" raises a homeless girl. After she is grown, he begins to love her as a woman. This story may sound familiar, but Borzage throws some curves in along the way so don't expect the conventional ending or conventional journey to that ending.

Seventh Heaven (1928) - One of several popular pairings of Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor. Janet Gaynor plays a girl beaten almost to death by her sister who is rescued by Farrell, who plays a sewer worker who has become an atheist. The romance is interrupted by war. Farrell becomes a soldier, Gaynor becomes a munitions worker. Remade in the sound era, this silent version is much better. One of three films that won Janet Gaynor a Best Actress Oscar.

Street Angel (1928) - Janet Gaynor plays an Italian girl accused of being a street walker who hides from the police by joinig a traveling circus. There she falls in love with a vagabond artist played by Charles Farrell. Full of splendid visuals.

Lucky Star (1929) - Janet Gaynor is again teamed with Charles Farrell in this late silent era film about a man who is left in wheelchair as a result of injuries suffered in World War I. This film gives Farrell more of a chance to show his acting abilities than his previous teamings with Janet Gaynor, although she gives a good performance too.

Talking films:

They Had to See Paris (1929) - Borzage directs Will Rogers' first talking picture. Will Rogers plays a homespun man who comes into money via an oil well. His wife decides they must go abroad to get some culture into their life. This film is a little stiff as are most early talkies, but it is still full of Will Rogers' unique brand of humor.

Liliom (1930) - Early talkie adaptation of the play with Charles Farrell in the title role. The sound on the prints I've been exposed to in the past has been terrible. Let's hope that part of the reason for the cost of this set is cleaning up the sound.

Song O' My Heart (1930) - Mainly made to exhibit the singing talent of John McCormack. Also, this is the film debut of Maureen O'Sullivan. The sound on this film the last time I saw it was terrible. It will be great to hear McCormack as others heard him eighty years ago.

Bad Girl (1931) - Won two Oscars - one for Borzage's direction and another for adapted writing. This film is really about a struggling young couple's ups and downs. I really have no idea why it is named "Bad Girl" unless it was because tantalizing titles sold tickets in the era of the precode film. Like the stars of many early talkies, the stars of this film did not have distinguished careers.

After Tomorrow (1932) - Charles Farrell stars in a genuine precode with lots of racy language. At heart, though, it is a melodrama like so much of Borzage's work. Not well known probably due to its lack of exposure on TV or home video.

Young America (1932) - Spencer Tracy in a very early role. Tracy plays a druggist whose wife wants to adopt a kid who is constantly getting in trouble. His last brush with the law involves stealing medicine from Tracy's drugstore.

This set also includes a documentary on Murnau, whose career was cut short by his death in a traffic accident in 1931, and Borzage, whose career as a director was quite active into the 1940's. Other announcements have claimed that what fragments exist of Borzage's 1929 film, "The River", shall also be in this set as an extra feature. That report is as of now unsubstantiated.

Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish.

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Horton Hears a Who (2008)
dir. Jimmy Hayward, Steve Martino

Product Decsription:
Dr. Seuss's classic 1954 book Horton Hears a Who has entertained generations of children and served as the inspiration for a 26-minute, 1970 television special Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears a Who and the 2000 Broadway musical Seussical: The Musical. This 2008, full-length animated movie features the voice talents of Jim Carrey as Horton, Steve Carrell as the Mayor of Whoville, Carol Burnett as the Kangaroo, and Jesse McCartney as JoJo and promises to delight a whole new generation of children and their parents and grandparents. The technological wonders of computer animation have allowed 20th Century Fox Animation to bring to life the wacky, colorful Whoville with its minute inhabitants and the lush Jungle of Nool with its host of distinctive animals and the result is a rich, fantastical world of wonder worthy of Dr. Seuss' own imagination. All the major plot elements of Dr. Seuss' book are present, with Horton hearing the faint cry for help from a tiny dust speck atop a small clover and doing his best to protect the inhabitants of that small civilization of Whoville despite the disbelief, disdain, and persecution of his fellow animals. The feel of Dr. Seuss' original rhyming prose is partially preserved in the sparse narration by Charles Osgood that's interspersed throughout the film's dialogue and the overarching themes of staying true to one's convictions and the celebration of the power of perseverance, imagination, and kindness come through loud and clear. Horton Hears a Who is a fun rendering of a classic Dr. Seuss story that's sure to entertain viewers of all ages. --Tami Horiuchi

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Flow (aka Flow: For Love of Water) (2007)
dir. Irena Salina

Product Decsription:
Review An astonishingly wide-ranging film. An informed and heartfelt examination of the tug of war between public health and private interests. --New York Times Product Description Water is the sleeping giant issue of the 21st century and we all need to wake up about it. FLOW opens our eyes about the greatest threat of our time - the global water crisis. It is a compelling and passionate film. Its engaging narrative will grip the viewer. - Robert Redford SYNOPSIS Irena Salina s award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis. Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world s dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.Interviews with scientists and activists intelligently reveal the rapidly building crisis, at both the global and human scale, and the film introduces many of the governmental and corporate culprits behind the water grab, while begging the question CAN ANYONE REALLY OWN WATER? Beyond identifying the problem, FLOW also gives viewers a look at the people and institutions providing practical solutions to the water crisis and those developing new technologies, which are fast becoming blueprints for a successful global and economic turnaround.

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Peter and the Wolf (2006)
dir. Suzie Templeton

Won an Oscar for Best Animated Short in 2007. I couldn't find it on Youtube, but I wanted to check and see if the old Disney cartoon of Peter and the Wolf was on there, and sure enough...

part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILI3s7Wonvg
part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCgJXD3J9Wc

then I just fell down the rabbit hole of incredible old cartoons...

Willie the Operatic Whale:
part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71kdU6iGjTM
part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhAxLvV0-NI

Lambert the Sheepish Lion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRtKAQJUc3g

Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet (might be one of the weirdest cartoons ever, imagine someone pitching this, "OK, so these two hats fall in love.." NOPE)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3lAztMhIWI

Casey at the Bat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2F0qC1-sa0

Paul Bunyan

part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoG94ieN828
part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyDAr-hjw80

The Ugly Duckling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p9riiSDkkA

In The Bag

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scMbNZ_f16I

Susie the Little Blue Coupe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITeUvJyxUko

The Little House

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y881yjtFluQ

The voice of Sterling Holloway had a pretty tremendous impact on my childhood now that I think about it.

Product Decsription:
State-of-the-art digital technology and a new orchestral recording bring to life this fantastical retelling of Sergei Prokofiev s classic fable of a magical world in which little boys can find the strength and courage to overcome their fears and the ever-present dangers that surround them.

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