DVD Releases for the Week of Jun. 30, 2009

I usually try to avoid showcasing movies that border on smut or exploitation, but the effort that went into the release of Women In Prison, a triple feature, is worth mention. Containing the films The Hot Box, Escape from Hell and Women in Cell Block 7, the set is a triumvirate of cheese, gore and smut-lite. The decrepitude is just B enough to warrant it a watch if you take part in ‘bad movie nights’. Otherwise, avoid it at all costs.

Tokyo!
If triptychs are your thing but you’re not into bad 70s movies, this new release is a film with three stories by three directors, each presenting their own take on living in the Japanese capital. Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Joon-ho Bong (The Host) and Leos Carax (Les Amants du Pont-Neuf) may not seem like the most likely trio to collaborate on an urban tribute film, but their output is certainly unique. The stories are fantastic and deranged. One story involves a creature in the sewers that terrorizes the citydwellers, and another is about an aspiring film director’s girlfriend who becomes increasingly more isolated by the urban sprawl and begins to transform.

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Do the Right Thing
A large majority of Spike Lee’s films take place in Brooklyn, New York. This, one of his earliest efforts, is perhaps the best place to start to get a feel of many of the director’s trademarks - not to mention he also stars. It takes place on one street populated by African Americans and Puerto Ricans mostly. The film also highlights the racial overtones that are present in many of Lee’s films; this one dealing with rising racial tensions during an especially hot summer in a mixed neighbourhood. The impact of the film was so potent and its issues so long-standing, that it was picked by the AFI (American Film Institute) as one of the 100 greatest American films in history. Check out this 20th Anniversary re-release.

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Two Lovers
For something on the slower side, James Gray’s drama about a man falling in love with two women may be more your speed. This film is also (supposedly) actor Joaquin Phoenix’s last before he breaks into the hip hop scene (…) and goes completely crazy. New York Magazine said “Although Paltrow is radiant (and she nails the character’s ditzy sense of entitlement), it’s Phoenix’s movie. He is, once again, stupendous, and stupendous in a way he has never been before.” (source) Considering how critics seem to have been glowing about his performance here and in previous films - his hip hop career better be the best thing since Run DMC.

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Other Releases
12 Rounds
Betrayed, The
Education of Charlie Banks, The
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Lookin’ to Get Out
Princess Protection Program
Stone of Destiny
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li
Tunnel Rats