New, encore and low-price releases on Tuesday, August 11
THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS
I LOVE YOU, MAN
2009; $29.95-$39.95, R
Paul Rudd and Jason Segel star in this uneven, if very watchable, look at male bonding — or maybe how women think guy friendships are made. Rudd is a quiet young man with no close friends who proposes to Rashida Jones (nice work if you can get it). In laying out the wedding she demands that Rudd find a BFF to be his best man, leading to a series of awkward “man dates,” culminating in borderline-psychotic Segel’s frightening friendship. Lots of great bits, including Lou “The Incredible Hulk” Ferrigno putting Segel in a sleeper hold.
17 AGAIN
2009; $28.95-$35.95, PG-13
Matthew Perry leads — for about five seconds — this Zac Efron tween vehicle, rushed to theaters before his Zacky flashiness gets cold. It’s the Disney-esque tale of a man, granted the wish of returning to high school “knowing what I know now” with comic results. Lots of bright, shiny faces you’ve probably only seen in acne-cream ads, plus the always-welcome Michelle Trachtenberg. And watch for Brian Doyle-Murray (“Caddyshack”) as the magical janitor and Jim Gaffigan as a big, funny pasty-white guy.
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BARNEY: SHARING IS CARING!
$14.95, UR
Godzilla’s flamboyant, dim-witted Love Child with the California Raisins, Barney the Dinosaur, does his singing, dancing, storytelling bit in hopes of getting kids to donate their old toys to those who have none.
CHRIS ISAAK: GREATEST HITS: LIVE
2009; $19.95, UR
Isaak is one of the most overlooked and underappreciated artists in America today. If you don’t believe us, check out this PBS Soundstage offering with 15 of his best tunes — about half done acoustic to let his aww-shucks charm show through.
GHOST IMAGE
2007; $24.95, PG-13
Is this a psychological horror film or that rarest of all creatures: a good paranormal chick-flick? All we know is that stunning blonde Elisabeth Röhm has lost her boyfriend in a fiery car crash, and she pines away her nights watching a video of him … until he starts to talk directly to her from the screen! Is he communicating from beyond the grave, or has she lost her marbles? Good, solid indie effort.
GIGANTIC
2008; $26.95, R
Every so often, big studios assemble their most-talented actors for one big film … then dump the mess straight to video, hoping that name recognition alone will sell it. They usually suck, but this one is worth checking out: Paul Dano falls for Zooey Deschanel. But will their feelings survive a meeting of their families, lead by her obnoxious dad (John Goodman) and his parents (Ed Asner and Jane Alexander)?
LONDON TO BRIGHTON
2006; $24.95, R
One of the best adult crime dramas we’ve ever seen. A prostitute in England is forced to find an underage girl to satisfy a sadistic mobster. She complies, delivering a naïve 11-year old runaway. But before she can leave the building, the girl screams. Breaking down the door, she finds her hysterical and the mobster covered in blood. They flee into the night with an army of killers on their trail, knowing that they intend to drag the two back alive for brutal vengeance. Well worth your time.
PARIS 36
2008; $28.95, PG-13
A minor hit on the art-house circuit, this French-language look at the 20th century social revolution in France is damn entertaining — if over-the-top artsy-fartsy. In 1936, three unemployed performers hijack the music hall where they once worked in order to put on a play.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: 25TH
ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION
2009; $39.95-$84.95, PG
To make a buck and stoke the fires for the upcoming reboot of the TMNT franchise, Warner Bros is providing all 4 of their classic turtle titles in both standard and Blu-Ray versions with all the bonus goodies you could want. Includes “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie,” “II: The Secret of the Ooze,” “III: Turtles in Time,” and the latest, “TMNT.”
THE CLASS (ENTRE LES MURS)
2008; $28.95-39.95, PG-13
A French-language look at life in a modern, racially mixed urban school from the point of view of the teachers. They try to see each kid as an individual in need: some they save, some they fail. Regardless, every year a new group arrives.
THE LAST RESORT
2009; $26.95, R
Five gal-pals head for an exotic beach bachelorette party, aiming to dance the night away. But the next morning — robbed, beaten and left for dead — they wander aimlessly until finding an old abandoned hotel. And that’s when their problems really start, because this hotel is haunted! Rough, but a welcome respite from the torture-porn that has run this plot into the ground recently.
THE SAMURAI I LOVED
2005; $24.95, UR
If you are a fan of Samurai movies, then this thing is a must-own. A father is forced to commit suicide by an evil ruler. Years later, his son finds himself caught in the same treachery, and discovers that his one true love has been forced to be a concubine to same man. Thus he sets out to wipe the slate clean and rid the world of this evil, forever. Great stuff.
THE TIGER’S TAIL
2006; $26.95, R
If you don’t remember this John Boorman tale starring Brendan Gleeson and Kim Cattrall, don’t be alarmed; it didn’t get a wide release in America. Gleeson stars as a wealthy Dublin industrialist who finds that he has a murderous doppelganger, threatening to take it all away from him. Or is it all in his own mind?
THE WILD MAN OF THE NAVIDAD
2008; $24.95, UR
An awesome American horror from the producer of the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” The town of Sublime, Texas, lies in fear of a powerful man/ape/monster, responsible for a series of savage killings along the Navidad River, circa 1975. Or is it all a hoax invented by moonshiners to keep the locals away? Whatever, this thing has a real drive-in feel to it. Recommended.
OTHER DVDS OF INTEREST
90210: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
2008; $49.95, UR
ADAM 12: SEASON THREE
$34.95, G
CALIFORNICATION: THE SECOND SEASON
2008; $42.95, UR
LIFE WITH DEREK: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON
2006; $24.95, UR
PULLING: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON
$24.95, UR
ROAD TRIP: BEER PONG
2009; $29.95, R/UR
A more complete listing and free vids at www.videotapeworm.com.