Sky Captain & The World of Tomorrow
US/Canada Gross: $37.8 million
Pride, Unprejudiced: From the first frames of this potential folly, there is inspiration, and joy, and daring, and derring-do to spare in this conflation of all of yesterday's tomorrows. Flint, Michigan native Conran, working with his brother, is a landmark in the future of computer-generated imagery, and for the most part, a lot of fun without wholly descending into the cramp called camp. (Well, there are rousing lines like "I spent six months in a Manchurian slave camp because of you!"; "Okay, I'm a liar, but I don't exaggerate"; and "Alert the amphibious squadron!")THB Review: Simply put, there was not one moment in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow in which I felt a threat to the characters, to Earth or to goodness. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, a giant stone created real tension as Indiana ran from it. It wasn't high technology. But it was human.
The Story of the Weeping Camel
US/Canada Gross: $1.7 million
Until we see one of the elders fiddle with a transister radio -- about half-way through The Story of the Weeping Camel -- it’s possible to imagine that the characters in this superb tale of life on the Gobi Desert might have existed any time in the last 1,000 years. Before long, however, we know exactly where we are, and when (at the “time of the camel births“ in contemporary Mongolia), yet the timeless relevance of the story persists. Like such “narrative documentaries” as Robert Flaherty’s Nanook of the North and Men of Aran, Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni’s film immerses its audience in the traditions and quirks of an anachronistic culture, without demanding we accept the documentarian’s point of view. Essentially, their story involves the birth of a rare white camel and its struggle to survive, without the nourishment of its mother’s milk. When the nomads fail in their attempts to convince the first-time mother to nurse her colt, they enlist the services of a traditional musical healer. It’s impossible to tell exactly how much of the narrative was the result of manipulative editing, but ultimately it really doesn’t matter. This multigenerational story is one that can be enjoyed by the entire family. -- Gary Dretzka
The Rainbow Man/John 3:16
In the late ’70s and early ‘80s, Rollen Frederick Stewart -- a.k.a. "Rainbow Man" and “Rockin’ Rollen” -- was one of the most photographed humans on Earth. At first, he merely was the goofball in the cotton-candy afro, who danced crazily whenever a camera operator panned the crowd at a major sporting event. He later added a sign reading "John 3:16" to his repertoire, and it inadvertently turned him into one of the country’s most visible evangelists. Sam Green’s illuminating documentary, The Rainbow Man/John 3:16 (1997), described what happened when Stewart’s quest for the kind of celebrity-hood that comes from constant media exposure turned into an obsession. It wasn’t pretty. The Facets disc includes other short documentaries by Green, who would go on to direct “The Weather Underground.” . -- Gary DretzkaMario Camus’ The House of Bernarda Alba
Also from Facets is Mario Camus’ The House of Bernarda Alba (1987), which is based on the play by Federico Garcia Lorca. It tells the story of the wealthy widow, Bernarda Alba (Irene Gutierrez Caba), who literally puts her five adult daughters under house-arrest after the death of their father and forbids them even love. -- Gary Dretzka
Bob Dylan: World Tours 1966-1974
Joel Gilbert‘s Bob Dylan: World Tours 1966-1974 is a perfect example of the kind of documentary that can be made today on a wing, a prayer and a mini-DV camera. Gilbert is a diehard fan, who sings in a cover band and bears a passing resemblance to the enigmatic troubadour, but only when he’s wearing sunglasses. The conceit here was to view the young Dylan through the ubiquitous lens of tour photographer Barry Feinstein and other camp followers. Because Dylan rarely grants interviews, or lends his music to this type of project, “World Tours” tells us a lot more than anyone needs to know about Gilbert’s obsession, but Feinstein is the real deal. The Woodstock resident’s photographs and memories truly are fascinating, and more than make up for the amateur cinematography and sound engineering. After Woodstock, Gilbert visits Greenwich Village and other New York haunts, where he interviews Dylanologist A.J. Weberman, filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker, rock journalist Al Aronowitz, drummer Mickey Jones and other folks who look really old these days. It serves as companion to MVD’s similarly makeshift, “Tales from a Golden Age: Bob Dylan 1941-1966.” -- Gary DretzkaCrazy Horse: Le Show
Although tourist-friendly T&A has been a Strip staple for a half-century, even the most venerable of production shows -- “Folies Bergere,” “Jubilee!” -- were threatened in the ’90s by bean counters and the arrival of the Cirque du Soleil juggernaut. Less elaborate revues were introduced with some regularity. Some survived (“Crazy Girls”), others failed (“Nudes on Ice”). It wasn’t until the arrival of “La Femme,” however, that any new wrinkles were added to the old skin game. By precisely re-creating the Crazy Horse experience in the heart of its sprawling casino, the MGM provided its guests with another very good reason to stop grumbling about how exhausting the place was (the name Crazy Horse already was spoken for here, thus “La Femme”). surprisingly well-conceived and imaginatively directed “Crazy Horse: Le Show” -- shot at the Parisian club, and rendered in high-definition -- offers several unique viewpoints on “the art of the nude,” and will deflate any notion that the MGM show is a diluted version of the original. The DVD also contains bonus features shot in Paris and Las Vegas. (It’s available at La Femme Theatre.) -- Gary Dretzka
The Warner Gangsters Collection
The studio that practically invented the genre has taken its time re-issuing its library of classic gangster movies on DVD. A valuable addition to any library, The Warner Gangsters Collection includes The Public Enemy, White Heat, Angels With Dirty Faces, Little Caesar, The Petrified Forest and The Roaring Twenties. Among the legendary actors featured are Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Bette Davis, Jean Harlow and, yes, the Dead End Kids, as well as directors Mervyn LeRoy, Raoul Walsh, Michael Curtiz and William Wellman. The films remain historically relevant, and terrifically entertaining. Moreover, for the first time in many years, they’re also in tip-top shape. There also are plenty of informative extras. -- Gary Dretzka
Lana's Rain
US/Canada Gross: $.257 million
In its harrowing depiction of one young Eastern European woman’s search for America’s streets of gold, Lana’s Rain bears a striking resemblance to the Al Pacino version of Scarface. In both films, criminality provided their immigrant protagonists far more of an opportunity for assimilation than good ol’ fashioned hard work and a determination to make life easier for their children. When things get too hot in the war-ravaged Balkans, the naïve village girl, Lana, follows her street-smart older brother to Chicago, where Darko easily adapts to the American way of thug life. He even goes so far as to pimp out his sister, and make it appear as if he’s doing her a favor. Writer-director Michael Ojeda occasionally overplays his hand in this harrowing freshman effort -- especially in Darko’s more violent moments -- but newcomer Oskana Orlenko’s presence remains compelling throughout Lana’s Rain, and the final twists are very well imagined. -- Gary DretzkaThis week’s stand-out TV-to-DVD releases include MacGyver: The Complete First Season and The Dukes of Hazzard: The Complete Second Season, series that became pop-culture icons in the ’80s. Starring Richard Dean Anderson, as a Home Depot version of James Bond, the long-running ABC series demonstrated the many ways a secret agent can cope with adversity simply by using tricks he learned in the Boy Scout Handbook … and good ol’ fashioned common sense. It’s a throwback to simpler times, but delightful nonetheless. The Dukes of Hazzard was extremely popular, as well, if not particularly clever or original (a hybrid of Smokey and the Bandit, Thunder Road and Porky’s). Each week, it chronicled the madcap adventures of Luke, Bo, Daisy and Uncle Jesse Duke (not to be confused with Huey, Dewey, Louie and Uncle Scrooge McDuck), who used to be moonshine runners, but now were just a close-knit clan of good ol’ boys and girls. The real stars of the show were, of course, a Dodge Charger with a Confederate flag on its hood and Daisy’s barely there shorts. -- Gary Dretzka
Kill Bill: Volume 2
US/Canada Gross: $66.2 millionMy Pussy Wagon died on me.
MCN Review: Certainly an homage to sprightlier genre fare from Asia and Europe, the Kill Bill movies together and separately are an indulgence in style over content and it was conspicuous in the first outing how little its author had to contribute that was novel.
THB Review: Why is Kill Bill, Volume 2 the most shocking film in years? Because it is probably the greatest sucker bet for film critics in years. Sadly, it may well become the ultimate "who can you really trust" document for many, many viewers who choose to buy into the crap that has been spewed in advance reviews.
With enough obscure pop-culture and film-nerd references to justify an edition of Trivial Pursuit of their own, both halves of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill saga are now available for perusal on DVD at the director’s original intended length. At once exciting, exasperating, funny, gory and maddeningly self-indulgent, this ode to Tarantino’s chop-socky heroes actually plays better on a TV monitor than in its original big-screen presentation, in that more obsessive types can hit the pause button and research whatever it is that Tarantino is referencing at any particular moment. Look for at least two more Kill Bill packages: one of which would be the obligatory two-disc director’s cut from Miramax, and the other coming in the form of the un-bisected Japanese theatrical version, due there in October. This DVD includes only the deleted scene, “Damoe,” a making-of featurette and a chingon demonstration. -- Gary Dretzka
Looked dead, didn't I? But I wasn't. But it wasn't from lack of trying, I can tell you that. Actually, Bill's last bullet put me in a coma - A coma I was to lie in for four years. When I woke up, I went on what the movie advertisements refer to as a 'roaring rampage of revenge.' I roared. And I rampaged. And I got bloody satisfaction. I've killed a hell of a lot of people to get to this point, but I have only one more. The last one. The one I'm driving to right now. The only one left. And when I arrive at my destination, I am gonna kill Bill.
Elle Driver wears the same outfit that Uma Thurman wears in Pulp Fiction. It was also worn by Pam Grier in Jackie Brown.
Friday Night Lights
US/Canada Gross: $61.2 million
The citizens of Odessa, like those in most other Texas towns, live and die with the fortunes of their high school athletes, especially those who can play football a bit. H.G. Bissinger documented their world in his 1990 non-fiction sensation Friday Night Lights. Peter Berg’s wham-bam adaptation forgoes many of the fine points of Bissinger’s reporting, electing instead to focus on the drama that takes place on the field, and among a handful of key players for whom a scholarship could be their ticket to a life away from the oil fields. At once tremendously exciting and deeply sad, Friday Night Lights features a terrific performance by Billy Bob Thornton, as the new-kid-in-town coach who each week must contend with a stadium full of local losers (a.k.a. good ol’ boys and girls) whose emotional well-being is determined by the Panthers’ success on the gridiron. Rent it with Kenneth Carlson’s excellent 2001 documentary Go Tigers! -- about Ohio’s legendary Massillon Tigers -- and you won’t be surprised by headlines bemoaning the increase in steroid use among teen athletes. -- Gary DretzkaHot Button Review: Friday Night Lights is a unique piece of postmodern narrowcasting, a film almost in the nature of the book more than the cinema. It is the strength and the weakness of the film that Peter Berg, who also took over co-screenwriting duties in adapting his cousin's (Buzz Bissinger) book of the same title, decided not to chase the traditions of film so much as the feel of reading a good story.
MCN's 2004 DVD Year In Review
Doug Pratt's Ten Best - Multiplatter And Single Platter
