DVD Digest for September 2, 2008

Paul Clark — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:00:00 GMT

This week’s DVD Digest is highlighted by a bumper crop of new TV-on-DVD releases in conjunction with the upcoming fall season. In addition, a large number of Blu-Ray only releases and a crush of new indie films on DVD helps to smooth over the lack of a first-rate “DVD of the Week”-worthy release.

This week’s high-profile new releases on DVD include Ira Sachs’ acclaimed fifties-set drama Married Life (Sony, also Blu-Ray), the Norwegian import Reprise (Buena Vista) (click here for Bryan Whitefield’s interview with the filmmaker), and the animated direct-to-DVD Marvel feature Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (Lionsgate, also Blu-Ray). Also, in a strange coincidence, this week also brings the release of four films I caught at Columbus’ Out@Wex series of GLBT films this past spring: Jacques Nolot’s Before I Forget (Strand), the coming-of-age drama Water Lilies (Koch), the gender politics comedy Itty Bitty Titty Committee (Wolfe Video), and Lagerfeld Confidential (Koch), a documentary about the fashion designer.

This week’s slate of classics coming to DVD is highlighted by three new Fox Noir releases: Elia Kazan’s Boomerang, Jean Gabin in Moontide, and Road House (no, not that one), which includes a commentary track from Screengrab favorite Kim Morgan. Somewhat less notable is MGM’s 20th Anniversary Edition of the unholy union of Michael J. Fox and Jay McInerney, Bright Lights, Big City.

In the TV-on-DVD department, this week brings Desperate Housewives Season 4 (Disney), Eli Stone Season 1 (Disney), Ghost Whisperer Season 3 (Paramount), It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 3 (Fox), Life Season 1 (Universal) starring the ever-underrated Damian Lewis, Supernatural Season 2 (Warner), and The Office Season 4 (Universal).

Finally, this week’s action-heavy Blu-Ray only releases include: Jet Li in Black Mask (Lionsgate), Arnold Schwarzenegger in Eraser (Warner), the Clint Eastwood double feature Every Which Way But Loose (Warner) and The Gauntlet (Warner), Marvel’s animated The Invincible Iron Man (Lionsgate), the killer-virus thriller Outbreak (Warner), Michael Bay’s Transformers (Paramount), and Steven Seagal ridin’ the rails in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (Warner).

Cream of the Pre-Oscar Crop: The 3rd Annual Oscar Symposium

Paul Clark — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:00:00 GMT

With the recent rumblings that the WGA strike may soon be coming to a close, the attention of movie-lovers worldwide has turning back where it historically belongs this time of year — Oscar speculation! Now that it's looking like Oscar Night™ will have all of the glitz that we've grown to expect, those in the know can once again attempt to predict who will go home with a golden statuette, and who will be marooned in their seats or possibly even swearing to themselves within camera-range, a la Samuel L. Jackson in 1995.

Online Oscar speculation tends to be a hit-and-miss affair- plenty of self-appointed experts, but very little in the way of in-depth analysis. Thank goodness for The Film Experience's 3rd Annual Oscar Symposium, traditionally the cream of the crop for pre-Oscar discussion. Hosted as always by self-professed Oscar obsessive Nathaniel Rogers, this year's Symposium asembles a Murderer's Row of talent from the cinema blogosphere, including MSN's Kim Morgan, Nick Davis of Nick's Flick Picks, prognosticator extraordinaire Sasha Stone of Awards Daily, and longtime Screengrab favorite Dennis Cozzalio of Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule.

Whereas most of these affairs tend to devolve into a lot of armchair quarterbacking, what sets the Symposium apart is that the participants aren't afraid to voice their personal opinions on the nominees. Already in its first day of discussion, the parties involved have debated the relative merits of the Best Actor nominees, with Cozzalio taking the road less traveled by championing George Clooney's understated turn in Michael Clayton over the ferocious critics' favorite, Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood. Best of all, the relaxed format of the Symposium affords everyone ample opportunities to put forth their opinions in detail, which in these days of blurb-happy "entertainment news" is a most welcome corrective.

The Film Experience's 3rd Annual Oscar Symposium will be continuing through February 7.

The Screengrab : kim morgan

DVD Digest for September 2, 2008

Cream of the Pre-Oscar Crop: The 3rd Annual Oscar Symposium