July 17
Premonition: (3 STARS) Linda Hanson (Sandra Bullock) has a beautiful
house, a loving husband and two adorable daughters. Her life is
perfect, until the day she receives the devastating news that her
husband Jim has died in a car accident. For this devoted wife and
mother, it's the worst she could imagine. But did she imagine it? When
Linda wakes up the following morning her husband is very much alive.
At first, Linda believes the accident must have been a nightmare. Then
it happens again; some days Linda awakens to find Jim is next to her
alive and well, while on others she awakens a widow. Inexplicably, she
is living the days of her life out of order. Linda's traumatizing
premonition sets off a series of puzzling, time-altering events. Her
world is turned upside down as the surreal circumstances lead her to
discover that her perfect life may not have been all that it appeared.
Desperate to save her family, Linda begins a furious race against time
and fate to try and preserve everything she and Jim have built
together. Vitals: Director: Mennan Yapo. Stars: Sandra Bullock, Julian
McMahon, Jeff Galpin, Nia Long, Amber Valletta, Marcus Lyle Brown,
Mark Famiglietti.
The Hills Have Eyes II: (2 STARS) As part of a routine mission, a unit
of National Guard soldiers stop at a New Mexico outpost in order to
deliver equipment to a group of atomic scientists. When they arrive at
the isolated research camp they find it is mysteriously deserted.
After spotting a distress signal in a distant mountain range, the team
decides to embark on a search and rescue mission into the hills in
order to locate the missing scientists. Little do they know that these
are the very hills that the ill-fated Carter family once visited, and
that a tribe of cannibalistic mutants lies in wait. And this time,
there is an even larger force of evil at work that is intent on the
soldiers' very destruction: the worst of the worst -- the family
patriarch Papa Hades -- plans to keep the women as breeders in order
to ensure the survival of the mutant clan. Urgh! Vitals: Director:
Martin Weisz. Stars: Jessica Stroup, Reshad Strik, Michael McMillian,
Daniella Alonso, Lee Thompson Young, Ben Crowley, Eric Edelstein,
Michael Bailey Smith, David Reynolds, Derek Mears, Tyrell Kemlo,
Javier Nieto, Gaspar Szabo, Jeff Kober, Jay Acovone, Archie Kao,
Philip Pavel.
Factory Girl: (3 STARS) "Factory Girl" imaginatively unfolds the comet-
like rise and fall of 60s "it girl" Edie Sedgwick, the blazing
superstar who came to define both the glamour and the tragedy of our
celebrity-obsessed culture. Sedgwick appeared to be the quintessential
American princess, with her blue blood, her trust fund and her Harvard
education, not to mention her ethereal beauty and vivacious charisma.
But she was also a lost and fragile little girl; and when she met up
with counter-culture anti-hero Andy Warhol, everything changed.
Suddenly, Edie found herself at the center of a Pop Art universe
bursting with ., drugs, style and rock 'n' roll -- and a mad rush
for fame and fabulousness that was destined to spin out of control.
Arriving into the chaos of mid-60s New York, Edie (Sienna Miller)
meets Andy (Guy Pearce) who sees in her an untamed vulnerability and
the makings of an irresistible muse. He invites her into the wild
world of the Factory, a bohemian, creative paradise where a rag-tag
mix of musicians, poets, artists, actors and misfits gather to create
art and make underground movies during the day and throw glam parties
all night long. Edie quickly ascends to become the star of Warhol's
movies, an idol at the Factory and a media darling. When she falls in
love with a larger-than-life rock star, Edie becomes caught between
Warhol's artistic revolution and her new love. Vitals: Director:
George Hickenlooper. Stars: Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce, Hayden
Christensen, Jimmy Fallon, Jack Huston, Armin Amiri, Tara Summers,
Mena Suvari , Shawn Hatosy, Beth Grant, James Naughton, Edward
Herrmann, Illeana Douglas.
Avenue Montaigne: (3 STARS) Delicious film centers around Jessica
(Cecile de France) a beautiful young woman from the provinces who
comes to Paris and lands a job waiting tables at a chic bistro on
fabled Avenue Montaigne, the city's nexus for art, music, theater and
fashion. Jessica's customers include a popular TV actress (Valerie
Lemercier) who is courting a major Hollywood director (Sydney Pollack)
for her first serious film role; a wealthy art collector (Claude
Brasseur) who is about to liquidate a lifetime's worth of treasures at
auction; and an illustrious classical pianist (Albert Dupontel) who is
at odds with his manager/wife (Laura Morante) as to where his career
is headed. Precisely because Jessica doesn't know how celebrated these
people are, her guileless and completely unintimidated engagement in
their lives has a transforming effect on them -- and ultimately her..
In French with English subtitles. Vitals: Director: Daniele Thompson.
Stars: Cecile de France, Valerie Lemercier, Claude Brasseur, Albert
Dupontel, Laura Morante, Sydney Pollack.
The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg: (4 STARS) Visionary, radical,
spiritual seeker, renowned poet, founding member of a major literary
movement, champion of human rights, Buddhist, political activist and
teacher -- Allen Ginsberg's remarkable life challenged the very soul
of America. For 25 years Academy Award nominated Director Jerry
Aronson accumulated more than 120 hours of film on Allen Ginsberg.
This resulted in a comprehensive portrait of one of America's greatest
poets, author of "HOWL" and other ground-breaking poems. This deluxe
two-disc DVD set contains the Director's cut of the award-winning
documentary that began filming in 1982 and now is complete, updated
and re-mastered. The set includes exclusive and revealing historical
interviews with his friends, family and contemporaries as well as
never-before-seen materials made public because of the warm friendship
that developed between Ginsberg and the filmmaker. Also included are
many new interviews with the latest generation of artists influenced
by Ginsberg. This eight-hour compilation reveals the last 60 years of
American culture beginning with the Beat era in the post war Forties
and Fifties, continuing through the revolutionary Sixties and
concluding with both the uncertainty and possibility of current times.
Vitals: Director: Jerry Aronson.
- Birdman & the Galaxy Trio: The Complete Series and Space Ghost &
Dino Boy: The Complete Series -- How awesome is this? The original
Hanna-Barbera Space Ghost and Birdman cartoons are finally on DVD for
the first time, and they look fantastic. If you're a fan of the Adult
Swim versions, you'll want to see where Brak and Zorak came from. Both
sets include extras, and the Space Ghost set boasts a feature called
Simplicity: The Life and Art of Alex Toth.
--Voyagers- Voyagers! The Complete Series. One of my favorite '80s
shows finally comes to DVD. I wish I could travel back in time and
have a drink with Jon-Erik Hexum ...
- Avenue Montaigne. The French film follows a woman who dreams of
success. (Random note:
- The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman. The first season of
Laura Kightlinger's crazy, boozy, edgy IFC comedy arrives. I really
liked it and look forward to the next season, which starts Aug. 5.
- Ace in the Hole. Criterion issues a feature-filled edition of this
Billy Wilder classic starring Kirk Douglas. Extras include a 1980
documentary, a video afterword from Spike Lee and a 1984 interview
with Douglas.
- Gunsmoke: The First Season. I know there are people who have been
waiting forever for this. I'm not one of those people, but I tip my
hat to them.
- Trailer Park Boys: The Movie. If you liked the Canadian TV show,
this flick takes the characters on a new adventure.
- Race You to the Bottom. Buffy's Amber Benson stars in this flick
about a straight woman who has an affair with a ... man.
- TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams Collection. Everyone loves Esther!
This includes Bathing Beauty, Easy to Wed, On an Island with You,
Neptune's Daughter and Dangerous When Wet. Extras include classic
cartoons, radio interviews and more.
- Yo-Yo Girl Cop. I've heard good things about this pop-culture-filled
Japanese action flick, which could be a cult movie waiting to happen.
- Red Dawn: Collector's Edition. Want more Swayze and C. Thomas
Howell? Extras include a documentary and present-day interviews.
Also out: Foyles War: Set 4, The Rookies: The Complete First Season
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