THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS
3:10 TO YUMA
2007; DVD $29.95-39.95, R
While the on-screen egos threaten to take over the theater, there’s no denying that this is one of the most entertaining movies ever made. Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Peter Fonda and steely-eyed Ben Foster take on the legendary 1957 Glenn Ford-Van Heflin original and blow it away. Crowe, smart, smug and cultured, leads a gang of soulless killers until captured with the help of Bale, a crippled, struggling rancher. With Crowe’s gang waiting to kill whomever it takes to free him, Bale takes on the challenge of transporting him to the prison-train in exchange for money, and probably his own life.
CABARET
1972; DVD $14.95, PG
Far and away the best musical ever made thanks to stars Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey, choreography by Bob Fosse and the amazing music of John Kander and Fred Ebb. As the storms of war gather, Liza sings at the Kit-Kat Club, unaware that bi-sexual Grey is in love with her. Both are seduced by rich playboy Michael York while the Nazis take brutal control of the world outside. But the best thing about this film is that the songs and dances actually move the story forward, becoming as alive and vital as any of the actors (something Stephen Sondheim has never learned; see “Sweeney Todd”).
BEASTLY BOYZ: A TWISTED TALE OF REVENGE
2006; DVD $29.95, UR
As perverse and diabolical a film as you’ll ever see. Nearly dialogue-free, it tells of a beautiful young artist, senselessly murdered by a gang of bored, disaffected young homosexual men. Her twin brother vows vengeance at any cost, even if it means joining them.
BEYOND THE RING
2007; DVD $24.95, PG-13
World-class Tae Kwon Do and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Master Andre Lima plays a retired fighter who returns to the ring to raise money for his ailing daughter. A good little martial-arts actioner, despite the fact that it contains actual footage of Gary Busey.
BOOGEYMAN 2
2007; DVD $24.95, UR
Straight-to-video sequel to 2005’s surprise horror-hit with Tobin “Saw” Bell as a doctor trying to help Danielle Savre with her unresolved childhood fear of The Boogeyman. Not her best choice in healthcare, but it’s all her HMO would pay for.
DANCE FOR CAMERA 2
2007; DVD $24.95, UR
The original “Dance for Camera” was a very popular compilation featuring dancers from around the world, each plying their craft in their own unique — and often quite sensual — way. This sequel is more of the same (which is a good thing); a rich assortment of diverse, award-winning films.
DEATH SENTENCE
2007; DVD $29.95, R
Mild-mannered Kevin Bacon takes on the mantle of Charles Bronson for the director of “Saw” in this bloody, profane crime-and-revenge flick. When he loses his son to a ruthless gang initiation, the courts let the perpetrators go free; to protect the rest of his family, he must track down each gang member and take his own revenge.
DIAMETER OF THE BOMB
2005; DVD $24.95, UR
A documentary on Palestinian suicide bombings, focusing on the fallout — literally and figuratively — from a bus-bombing that killed 32 people in June 2002. But the filmmakers show that the victims include thousands of others: people whose lives were forever changed by the violence — including those responsible for the bombings via Hamas home movies!
GOLDEN DOOR
2006; DVD $29.95, PG-13
A tale of immigrants from Sicily in the early 1900s who are quarantined on Ellis Island as they struggle through the bureaucracy and familial minefields of starting a new life in America.
JOSHUA
2007; DVD $27.95, R
Sam Rockwell leads a lively cast in this well-done thriller about a young boy who so resents his baby sister that it leads to an act of unspeakable horror.
KLIMT/TOUS LES MATINS DU MONDE
2006; DVD $26.95, UR
A pair of biodramas about famous artists/whack-jobs. In the first, John Malkovich is the decadent painter Gustav Klimt, who spends most of the film boinking and painting Saffron Burrows in a bid for artistic freedom. Nice work if you can get it. Then, Jean-Pierre Marielle and Gerard Depardieu lead an all-star international cast in this arthouse favorite about the life of 17th century composer Monsieur de Sainte Colombe and his protégé, Marin Marais
MAMMOTH
2008; DVD $19.95, UR
One of those inept, stinky CGI howlers from the SciFi Channel about a meteorite resurrecting a 40,000-year-old alien-possessed mammoth at a museum. The best thing about this turkey is a fun cast including Summer Glau — the kick-butt nymphet from “Serenity” — and Tom Skerritt. Man, do we love crap like this!
PERCEPTION
2005; DVD $26.95, UR
Why is everyone so hard on Piper Perabo? Good-looking, athletic and possessed of more acting talent than people give her credit for, she stars in this tale of an L.A. gal in NYC whose bad choices and bad luck prevent her from growing as an adult.
SUNSHINE
2007; DVD $29.95-$39.95, R
Arguably the best — and least appreciated — sci-fi movie we’ve ever seen. Five decades from now, our sun is crippled by a “Q-Ball” particle, requiring the detonation of a Manhattan-sized Stellar Bomb to fix it. The first team of astronauts fails and vanishes mysteriously; this is the story of the second team who encounter far more than cosmic physics on their way. An amazing journey, best viewed in high-def.
THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN
2005; DVD $19.95, UR
Award-winning doc on John Peterson, third-generation American farmer, artist, musician and embodiment of the American spirit. Yet he is a pariah in his hometown for embracing “revolutionary” forms of sustainable agriculture long before the word “ecology” was coined. An inspiring and provocative hero for our times.
OTHER DVDS OF INTEREST
AN UNSUITABLE JOB FOR A WOMAN 1 AND 2
2007; DVD $49.95, UR
GUNSMOKE: THE SECOND SEASON, VOL. 1
1955; DVD $36.95, UR
ROB & BIG: THE COMPLETE SEASONS 1& 2
2006; DVD $38.95, UR
THE ALL-NEW SUPERFRIENDS HOUR: SEASON ONE, VOL. 1
1977; DVD $26.95, UR
THE WALTONS: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON
1972; DVD $39.95, UR
A more complete listing and free vids at www.videotapeworm.com!
