Wednesday, July 30, 2008

SIDELINE: MORE REVIEWS FOR 7/08

Given that I write more reviews than what you see here, below is a list of non-Criterion films I covered in the past month that may be of interest to Criterion fans.

IN THEATRES...

* The Dark Knight. I think this is getting a small release, I'm not hearing much about it. Which is too bad, as it's pretty goddamn awesome.

* Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson, a surface-level documentary that hurts the legend even as it seeks to preserve it.

* Hellboy II: The Golden Army, a disappointing second go-around for the big red lug. This review hurt to write, because I had such high hopes for this film.

ON DVD...

* Aria, a truly awful reissue of an interesting, experimental movie that, while not entirely successful, deserves better. Includes segments by Godard, Jarman, Altman, Roeg, and others.

* Belle Toujours, an exercise in hubris that seeks to create a sequel to Louis Bunuel's Belle de Jour. "You're better off sticking to the original" appears to be the lesson of the week.

* Blood Brothers, a 1930s remake of A Bullet to the Head, this Chinese film yawns its way toward its conclusion.

* Dirty Money (Un Flic), the final film by Jean-Pierre Melville is a superior heist picture starring Catherine Deneuve and Alain Delon.

* Eagle Shooting Heroes, a Wong Kar-Wai produced spoof of wuxia martial arts films that falls a little flat. Based on the same Louis Cha source material as Kar-Wai's Ashes of Time.

* Girl on the Bridge, a unique French romance gets a bad DVD release.

* Inglorious Bastards, the 1978 Italian war movie soon to be remade by Quentin Tarantino.

* Itty Bitty Titty Committee, Jamie Babbit's tribute to DIY activism never finds its satirical groove. Popular fans will be pleased to see Carly Pope and Leslie Grossman in a movie together, though.

* Never Forever, a worthwhile indie drama about a woman falling for the man she's hired to secretly get her pregnant. That's about as close as small films like this get to a high concept, I think.

* A Throw of Dice, 1929 German-English-Indian co-production of a silent film telling one of India's classic stories.

* Times and Winds, a beautiful film about three children growing up in Turkey. Easily the best of this batch.

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