Quick DVD Update for 17 December

In addition to the titles below, Cédric Klapisch's Paris, John Krasinski's Brief Interviews with Hideous Men and Anne Fontaine's Coco Before Chanel have all had Blu-rays announced, though they originally were only planned for DVD. The titles in italics are date changes. In descending order of release.

- Freedom Road, 1979, d. Ján Kádar, Tango Entertainment, 2 February, w. Muhammad Ali, Kris Kristofferson
- Jump, 2005, d. Justin Bookey, Pathfinder, 9 February
- A Serious Man, 2009, d. Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Focus Features, also on Blu-ray, 9 February
- Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love, 2008, d. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Oscilloscope, 9 February
- Daybreak, 2008, d. Adolfo Alix Jr., Water Bearer Films, 16 February
- Heavenly Touch, 2009, d. Joel Lamangan, Water Bearer Films, 16 February
- No Way Out [Walang kawala], 2008, d. Joel Lamangan, Water Bearer Films, 16 February
- Cool School: How LA Learned to Love Modern Art, 2008, d. Morgan Neville, New Video, 23 February
- Electric Purgatory: The Fate of the Black Rocker, 2005, d. Raymond Gayle, Microcinema, 23 February
- Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis, 2006, d. Mary Jordan, New Video, 23 February
- Marathon, 2009, d. Biju Viswanath, Breaking Glass Pictures, 2 March
- Return to the 36th Chamber, 1980, d. Liu Chia-Liang, Dragon Dynasty, 2 March
- Capitalism: A Love Story, 2009, d. Michael Moore, also on Blu-ray, Anchor Bay, 9 March
- Escape from Blood Plantation [Die Insel der blutigen Plantage], 1983, d. Peter Kern, Kurt Raab, Substance/MVD, 9 March
- Hachi: A Dog's Tale, 2009, d. Lasse Hallström, also on Blu-ray, Sony, 9 March, w. Richard Gere, Joan Allen
- Obscene, 2007, d. Daniel O'Connor, Neil Ortenberg, New Video, 16 March
- South Park, The Complete 13th Season, 2009, also on Blu-ray, Comedy Central/Paramount, 16 March
- The Vengeance Trilogy [Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance / Oldboy / Lady Vengeance], 2002, 2003, 2005, d. Park Chan-wook, Palisades Tartan, 16 March
- Five from Barska Street [Piątka z ulicy Barskiej], 1954, d. Aleksander Ford, Polart/Facets, 23 March
- The Men Who Stare at Goats, 2009, d. Grant Heslov, also on Blu-ray, Anchor Bay, 23 March
- Sayuri Ichijo: Flowing Desire, 1972, d. Tatsumi Kumashiro, Kimstim/Kino, 23 March
- Twisted Path of Love, 2009, d. Tatsumi Kumashiro, Kimstim/Kino, 23 March
- Yakuza Justice: Erotic Code of Honor, 1973, d. Tatsumi Kumashiro, Kimstim/Kino, 23 March
- Afghan Star, 2009, d. Havana Marking, Zeitgeist, 30 March
- The Baader Meinhof Complex [Der Baader Meinhof Komplex], 2008, d. Uli Edel, also on Blu-ray, MPI, 30 March
- I Sell the Dead, 2008, d. Glenn McQuaid, IFC Films, also on Blu-ray, 30 March
- The Trouble with Romance, 2009, d. Gene Rhee, Breaking Glass Pictures, w. David Eigenberg, Kip Pardue
- The Awakening of Spring, 2008, d. Arthur Allan Seidelman, here! Films, 6 April
- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, 2009, d. Werner Herzog, also on Blu-ray, First Look, 6 April
- Beeswax, 2009, d. Andrew Bujalski, Cinema Guild, 6 April
- Murder.com, 2008, d. Rex Piano, here! Films, 6 April
- The Blue Tooth Virgin, 2008, d. Russell Brown, here! Films, 20 April
- Prom Wars, 2008, d. Phil Price, Koch Vision, 20 April, w. Alia Shawkat

Announcing... The 18th Annual Saint Louis International Film Festival

Cinema Saint Louis has officially unveiled the line-up for the 18th annual Saint Louis International Film Festival today. I've known about all this for a while, as I did some assisting this year, but now that everything's set in stone (at least, as much as it can be) I can discuss some of the highlights this year. The four best films we're screening: Lucrecia Martel's The Headless Woman [La mujer sin cabeza], Lisandro Alonso's Liverpool, Claire Denis' 35 Shots of Rum [35 rhums] and Andrew Bujalski's Beeswax. All four will make their local debuts at the festival, which begins 12 November 2009, opening with Lone Scherfig's An Education, with Peter Sarsgaard, who hails from the Saint Louis area, in attendance. Sadly, I was so focused on the features this year I haven't had a chance to see any of the documentaries yet.

Bujalski will be in attendance at the Beeswax screening on 13 November at Webster University. Lee Daniels is coming with Precious (I tried to get Mariah, but y'know, she's busy) on 14 November. Director Kirk Jones will also be present for Everybody's Fine, a remake of Giuseppe Tornatore's Stanno tutti bene with Robert DeNiro, Drew Barrymore, Sam Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale. Jason Reitman is coming with Up in the Air, followed by a Q&A, on 14 November at the Tivoli Theatre. Other appearances include Kevin Willmott with his The Only Good Indian; author Daniel Woodrell for the Director's Cut of Ang Lee's Ride with the Devil; Connie Stevens for Saving Grace B. Jones as well as co-stars Penelope Ann Miller, Rylee Fansler, Evie Louise Thompson and Tricia Leigh Fisher; Faruk Sabanovoc, co-writer and art director of Snow [Snijeg]; David Lowery with his excellent feature debut St. Nick; Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, with The Young Victoria which she co-produced with Martin Scorsese; AJ Schnack with his Convention; Joel Hodgson and the original crew of Mystery Science Theater 3000; Joe Berlinger with his latest film Crude; and Ry Russo-Young, writer/director of You Wont Miss Me, another film that comes highly recommended.

Stewart Copeland's Jennifer, which I discussed twice before, will screen as part of the Documentary Short collection "Individuals." Another friend of mine Mike Steinberg, director of the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, will premiere two documentaries: Old Dog, New Trick and The Pride of St. Louis (co-directed by Thomas Crone). The screenings, on 20 November, will be followed by a concert from the subjects of the docs, local musicians Steve Scorfina and the band Mama's Pride (one of my father's favorites, actually).

Closing on Sunday, 22 November, you have your pick between Agnès Varda's The Beaches of Agnès [Les plages d'Agnès], Richard Linklater's Me and Orson Welles, Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus or Jean-Marc Vallée's The Young Victoria.

A few other films screening this year that I quite admire: Nancy Kissam's Drool; two films from Christian Petzold, Yella and Jerichow; Lucía Puenzo's XXY; and Noah Buschel's The Missing Person. And a couple I have yet to see: Jia Zhang-ke's 24 City; Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Three Monkeys [Üç maymun]; Ondi Timoner's We Live in Public; and Hans-Christian Schmid's Storm [Sturm]. Check out the full schedule and descriptions (many of which were written by yours truly) at Cinema Saint Louis' website. I'll have more updates closer to the fest itself.

The Decade List: Funny Ha Ha (2002)

Funny Ha Ha - dir. Andrew Bujalski

It's so secret that the state of young American independent filmmaking is in sorry shape. The digital revolution hasn't yielded the surge of artful low-to-no-budget paragons the more optimistic film lovers had hoped. But in every trash heap, there's something of value to be extricated. For me (and many others), Andrew Bujalski's films are the salvageable ones. Lumped alongside young filmmakers of significantly less aptitude, Bujalski captures his generation with a rare skill. His subjects, the alienated lot of twentysomethings, stem from a very American cinematic tradition, one that's already grown tired thanks to some of Bujalski's peers. While his first film, Funny Ha Ha, doesn't reach the heights of his later Mutual Appreciation, it establishes Bujalski's vision in a cogent manner, which reaches further than most young filmmakers' admirable first exertions.

All of the filmmakers associated with the so-called "mumblecore" movement situate their characters within the same concurrent universe, but unlike most of the others (I'm sure you know who I'm specifically referring to), Bujalski is celebratory in the numbing mind state of his post-collegiates, acknowledging the humor of their seemingly overwhelming despair and ennui. In both Funny Ha Ha and Mutual Appreciation, every evening arrives like a box of mystery, laced with the possibility for excitement. In Funny Ha Ha, Marnie (Kate Dollenmayer), a girl both awkward and charming in her own right, stumbles upon a party of some guys she mistakenly thinks are friends of another friend's girlfriend, gets trashed, wakes up miserable and repentant. That misery dissipates because within this world the following day always holds that desirable potential. Watching Bujalski’s films unfold is like a small revelation, finding beauty in the confused path of his characters and allowing their misery to transpire, if only because it makes for brilliant humanity and, sometimes, exquisite comedy.

With: Kate Dollenmayer, Christian Rudder, Myles Paige, Andew Bujalski, Marshall Lewy, Lissa Patton Rudder, Justin Rice, Vanessa Bertozzi
Screenplay: Andrew Bujalski
Cinematography: Matthias Grunsky
Country of Origin: USA
US Distributor: Wellspring

Premiere: September 2002 (Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival)

Awards: Someone to Watch Award - Andrew Bujalski (Independent Spirit Awards)

A few DVD updates, Some Acquisitions, 5 May

Nothing terribly exciting has been announced for DVD in the US lately, but here are a few. Lionsgate is releasing a Special Edition of Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant, HBO has the second season of Flight of the Conchords on 4 August (though I don't know anyone who especially liked this season), Focus is releasing Coraline on 21 July while parent Universal will have Duplicity out on 28 July, and finally Synapse has a special edition of The Stepfather 2 on 29 September, though for some strange reason the first installment has never been released in the US (I suppose in the same way Phantasm II hasn't either, despite 1, 3 and 4 being readily available).

In acquisition deals, Benten/Watchmaker Films landed Wei Zheng's Fish Eyes, which premiered at Tribeca. Cinema Guild picked up Andrew Bujalski's Beeswax, and Film Movement nabbed Adrián Biniez's Gigante, which won the Silver Bear at Berlin earlier this year. And finally, Warner has added 40 more titles to the original 150 in their Archive Collection. Check this link for all of the titles.

Also, Eric's informed us of a number of planned DVD releases from Sony and theatrical releases from The Film Desk. A Sam Fuller box-set and Husbands are reportedly coming from Sony, the latter part of their Martini Movies series. And The Film Desk is releasing a resorted print of Alain Cavalier's Le combat dans l'île [Fire and Ice], with Romy Schneider and Jean-Louis Trintignant, as well as a first-run release of Alexander Olch's The Windmill Movie.

More to Play at Berlin

I don't quite understand The Berlin International Film Festival's method of announcing films that will screen this year in minor waves. I posted about the first bunch a while ago, after they announced that Tom Tykwer's The International will be the opener. Now with their second wave (or is it third? Did I miss one?), it's certain that new films by two of my favorite young directors will be making their debut at the fest. The first was Lukas Moodysson (Lilja 4-ever, A Hole in My Heart) with Mammoth, and now Andrew Bujalski (Mutual Appreciation, Funny Ha Ha) is bringing his latest, Beeswax. You can find the rest of the titles announced this time round at IndieWire; the rest should be revealed soon. Anyone wanna fly me to Germany?

List #5: The First Annual Fin de cinema Film Awards

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Despair and the glory of Tilda Swinton

Stephanie Daley - dir. Hilary Brougher - 2006 - USA

I suppose everyone has those actors that will make them watch the dumbest shit just because of their presence. As you probably already know, Parker Posey is one of them (and, yes, I did see Josie and the Pussycats, thank you); well, Tilda Swinton is another. Here, Swinton stars as forensic psychologist with a little bun in her oven. She’s asked to take on the case of the town’s infamous Ski Mom, or the title character played by Amber Tamblyn, who threw her baby in the dumpster after giving birth at three months. The film has a very Atom Egoyan feel, particularly in its wintery setting, reminiscent of The Sweet Hereafter, and like The Sweet Hereafter, the film unfolds in a non-linear fashion, with Swinton and Tamblyn’s sessions being the backbone of the film. As usual, Swinton is phenomenal, an actress who always gives you more than you think is expected of her, from simple glances to astonishing reactions and gestures. She also has this icy beauty about her that makes it quite difficult to take your eyes off. Though she played the Snow Queen in that shitty Chronicles of Narnia film, Swinton still embodies a rich humanity that such “respected” actress (like Nicole Kidman or Jodie Foster, for example) could barely muster. Tamblyn is a surprising match to Swinton, in case you’re wondering; she’s far more gifted an actress than, say, Ellen Page or Evan Rachel Wood. Regrettably, Stephanie Daley falls for the shitty Perfect Murder “meat thermometer motif” (which my father coined, in reference to that dreadful remake of Dial M for Murder, where, in one scene, a seemingly useless meat thermometer is placed annoying in center frame and later used as a murder weapon). Thankfully, it’s subtle ironies and coincidences resonate to a certain level that’s beautifully unexpected.

Funny Ha Ha - dir. Andrew Bujalski - 2002 - USA

Though I hate the genre-label “mumblecore” that’s been coined for Bujalski’s breed of Cassavetes/Woody Allen Jr. cinema, I can safely say that he’s probably one of the most talented young filmmakers working in America today. Funny Ha Ha, his first film, falls slight of his later Mutual Appreciation, which is as close to perfection as any film I’ve seen in the past year, but not grudgingly so. As the lead Marnie (probably not a coincidental nod to Hitchcock), Kate Dollenmayer is hypnotic, a girl both awkward and charming in her own right. Though Bujalski’s characters lives take place at the same time as those of Chicago’s Joe Swanberg (Kissing on the Mouth and LOL), his films exceed Swanberg’s by acknowledging the humor of the characters’ overwhelming despair. Whereas Swanberg is whiney, Bujalski is celebratory in the numbing mind state of the post-collegiate. Every evening is a box of mystery and potential excitement, wandering around the streets of Boston, stumbling across a party of some guys you think are friends of your other friend’s girlfriend, and waking up, miserable, regretful. Watching Bujalski’s films unfold is like a small revelation, finding beauty in the confused path of his characters and allowing their misery to transpire, if only because it makes for brilliant humanity and, sometimes, exquisite comedy.

The Boss of It All (Direktøren for det hele) - dir. Lars Von Trier - 2006 - Denmark/Sweden/Iceland

Office comedies aren’t the hardest to come by, and if you’re like most people I know, you’ll probably judge any one you see on either Office Space or the US Office (if you do either, we probably don’t see eye-to-eye). Not surprisingly, I have a closer affinity to the BBC Office and that Toni Collette/Parker Posey film Clockwatchers, but regardless, an office comedy isn’t simply that when it’s coming from Lars von Trier. I may reprimand him for abandoning his USA Trilogy for this, but I can’t complain too much when he provides me with a film like The Boss of It All. Perpetual “nice-guy” Ravn (Peter Gantzler) hires inept actor Kristoffer (Jens Albinus) to pose as the boss of the law firm he secretly owns to push the blame of the company’s selling off on someone else. Kristoffer, unaware of what’s really going on, serves as the so-called “boss of it all,” interacting with the core members of the staff, clueless to who exactly he’s supposed to be. The film is hilariously high-concept, but the narrator (voiced by Von Trier himself) allows the questionably sincere apology at the end of the film: “Sorry if you expected more or any less…” I think it’s gotten to the point that even when Von Trier isn’t on top of his game (Manderlay), I will still revel devilishly in his sadism. Iben Hjejle (High Fidelity, Mifune), as a woman convinced she can cure “the boss of it all” of his false homosexuality, and Jean-Marc Barr (Dogville, Don’t Let Me Die on a Sunday), as a team member who apparently doesn’t know how to speak Danish, are both wonderful in supporting roles.

Princesas - dir. Fernando León de Aranoa - 2005 - Spain

Other than maybe Pedro Almodóvar, melodrama is not something that contemporary filmmakers can pull off. In Princesas, we get the story of a down-on-her-luck hooker Caye (the phenomenal Candela Peña, of All About My Mother), who’s saving up her money to get a new pair of tits, perhaps in order to compete with the growing number of illegal immigrants selling their ass for half as much. Though she keeps it a secret from her fellow Spanish-bred whores, Caye befriends South American hooker Zulema (Micaela Nevárez), a woman saving up money to bring her mother and young son to Spain. What’s refreshing about Princesas is that it’s what I like to call a sunshine melodrama. The majority of the film takes place during the day, with the sun shining over the area where all the hookers convene. Certainly, awful things happen, but the director handles them lightly, shying away from gratuitous violence and close-up agony. The two women cry a lot, but they do so in a way that makes you wonder if what’s coming over them isn’t just a mixture of emotions and overwhelming confusion. What also makes Princesas so lovely is that the major benefactor in Caye’s dejection (her mobile going off at the most inopportune times) could be completely avoided by one small factor: if she learned how to put her fucking cell-phone on silent. We allow this error to slide, because it provides for the stunning despair of our two exceptional actresses.

Shadows

Though I have hardly had any time lately for writing solely for this blog, I must extend an extremely enthusiastic recommendation for Andrew Bujalski's Mutual Appreciation. This Cassavetes-meets-Jarmusch-minus-the-hip-factor has certainly made the rankings of the best films of last year, along Children of Men, Volver, and United 93 (and has officially gotten me to bump Pan's Labyrinth, the mistake of my list, off the top 10). Netflix it, and thank me later.