Banlieue 13 (2004): This flick, also known in English as District B13, is a terrific French action film, written by Luc Besson and directed by some cheese-eating surrender monkey I've never heard of. As with any great action film, the acting is secondary (or tertiary, if we're talking about Jean Claude Van Damme). The real star of the film is parkour, a French discipline which involves climbing, vaulting, and jumping around an urban landscape and, when combined with traditional martial arts techniques, leads to some eye-popping fight scenes. Just mind-boggling stuff. Jackie Chan and Jet Li? Pussies by comparison.
Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006): I mentioned seeing and liking Metallica's Some Kind of Monster a couple weeks ago, but this is an even better musical documentary. It's very bare-bones, just two nights of Neil Young and friends playing at the beautiful old Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. I've only seen Young live during the metal Arc/Welder years, but this is him at his folksiest best. As an added bonus, Jonathan Demme directed it and did a hell of a job. Definitely worth a look, even if you're just a casual fan of Young.
Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog (1978): This is one of many great kung fu films that our own Inanimate Carbon Rod has steered me to, and once again, he didn't disappoint. The star here is Sammo Hung, who I vaguely remember starring on some CBS cop show in the '90s, but apparently had a thriving career in these films outside of my field of vision. This is solid, popcorn-fu, the kind of thing I rent when it's me and only me in front of the DVD. The words "Sammo Hung" and "date night" just don't mix.What about you folks? What have you been watching on DVD lately? (Keep it clean, Studio. Keep it clean.)
6 comments:
I watched Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang the other day. That movie is hilarious. Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer need to make a series of metatextual hyper-reflexive buddy cop homage films.
I haven't watched a movie in months, but I can tell you that the Ryman is an incredible place to see a show. We went to visit friends in Nashville earlier this year, and saw Elvis Costello and Emmylou Harris as the headliners at the Grand Ole Opry. (It was all that and more.)
Normally, they hold the show out at Opryland, this gigantic mall about 20 minutes outside of town, but in Februrary they stay downtown at the old place. (We learned all of this after catching a $30 cab literally across the street from the Ryman.)
Lately it's all Sean Pertwee, all the time for me.
Dog Soldiers - Really great werewolf movie shot on a low budget (sci fi channel). More about the guys hunting the werewolves than the werewolves themselves.
Equilibrium - Big Brotherish type movie with a little farenheit 451 thrown in. Stars my man crush Christian Bale.
Wilderness - British movie that seems a whole lot like Dog soldiers, only no werewolves and not good.
If you're not a Pertwee man, then Dog Soldiers is the only must see.
I saw Kiss Kiss Bang Bang a few months ago, and was really impressed. Great movie all around, both funny as hell and a decent mystery too. Plus, nice to see Kilmer back in stride.
Echo Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. 17 thumbs up (don't ask-- let's just say bathing in radioactive waste is deformity-conducive).
Saw Internal Affairs about a year ago when word dropped that Scorcese was remaking her. Martin done did good.
Cache. One out of four people in my group liked it. Milt was the one. Creepy French psycho thriller in the spirit of The Vanishing and With a Friend Like Harry. Will give you the willies... the wet willies.
The Wire: Season 3. Oh me, oh my. If you don't pause it while you hit the pisser you'll be lost.
The Prestige looks spectac. Just sayin'.
I'll echo the excitement about Flags and Prestige. Both are on the must-see list, with The Departed at the top spot.
For the record, the original has the much cooler title of Infernal Affairs with an "f" for "fuck yeah!" I've been looking forward to this for two years.
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