DVD Digest for September 16, 2008

Paul Clark — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:00:00 GMT

This week is a busy one for lovers of classic cinema- to say nothing of the folks at Warner Home Video.

DVD(s) of the Week: Continuing their ongoing commitment to spotlight film history’s greatest filmmakers, the good folks at Criterion fill a glaring hole in the DVD market with this week’s release of three classics by Max Ophüls- La Ronde, Le Plaisir, and The Earrings of Madame De…. These three films, all made at Ophüls’ artistic and commercial peak, make a lovely introduction to the man’s work, with all the continental sophistication, exquisitely-wrought melodrama, and lavish production values that made his reputation. And stars? You bet- between the three films, you’ll find Jean Gabin, Simone Signoret, Anton Walbrook, Charles Boyer, Danielle Darrieux, and Simone Simon. If you can only shell out for one disc, go with Earrings, whose DVD features not only scholarly commentary and a number of featurettes (including an interview with Paul Thomas Anderson, whose complex camera movements were clearly inspired by Ophüls’ work), but also a new printing of the source novel, Louise de Vilmorin’s Madame De…. But really, they’re all worth your money. Now all we need is a Region 1 DVD of Letter From an Unknown Woman…

In addition, this week is a banner occasion for musical fans, led by a double dose of Oscar-winning Vincente Minnelli titles, An American in Paris and Gigi (both Warner), each presented in snazzy new Two-Disc Special Editions. There’s also Warner’s The Busby Berkeley Collection Volume 2, which includes Gold Diggers of 1937, Gold Diggers in Paris, Hollywood Hotel and Variety Show. Other classics coming to DVD this week include: Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Warner); young Tom Cruise and his Ray-Bans in Risky Business 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Warner, also Blu-Ray); Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (Ryko Distribution), which was spotlighted last week by our very own Phil Nugent; Glenn Close in the live-action 101 Dalmatians and 102 Dalmatians (Disney); and The Charlie Chan Collection Volume 5 (Fox).

This week’s roster of recent releases on DVD is headed up by The Wachowski Brothers’ financial and critical bomb Speed Racer (Warner, also Blu-Ray), which I believe is still the most underappreciated movie so far this year. Other recent titles coming to DVD include: Patrick Dempsey in Made of Honor (Sony, also Blu-Ray); Al Pacino in 88 Minutes (Sony, also Blu-Ray); Mike Myers making an ass of himself again in The Love Guru (Universal, also Blu-Ray); the surprisingly affecting Young@Heart (Fox); David Gordon Green’s Snow Angels (Warner); the acclaimed documentary Constantine’s Sword (First Run); and two direct-to-DVD titles, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure (Disney) and Another Cinderella Story (Warner, also Blu-Ray).

This week’s new TV on DVD titles include: Chuck Season 1 (Warner); Criminal Minds Season 3 (Paramount); Dirty Sexy Money Season 1 (Disney); My Name Is Earl Season 3 (Fox); Private Practice Season 1 (Disney); and Pushing Daisies Season 1 (Warner, also Blu-Ray).

Finally, in Blu-Ray only titles, this week brings 1408 (Weinstein), Hulk (Universal), Madagascar (Paramount), The Mist (Weinstein), and Shrek the Third (Paramount).

Indie Box-Office Roundup: Weekend of April 18-20, 2008

Paul Clark — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Richard Jenkins- still the indie box office king! For the second consecutive week, The Visitor (Overture Films), directed by Tom McCarthy and starring Jenkins, reigns supreme for per-screen grosses, bringing in an average of $9,249 on eighteen screens. Along with the ever-dependable Mr. Jenkins, credit overwhelmingly positive press and some really good word of mouth among arthouse-goers in the major markets, as well as the relatively meager selection of new indie releases this past weekend. Overture currently plans to expand the film over the next few weeks in an attempt to continue its successful run before the summer blockbusters sweep aside all competition. Will it succeed? Watch this space.

The weekend's other big indie success story was the strong showing of second-ranking film The Singing Revolution (Abramorama Entertainment), which returned to the top 10 for only the second time in the twenty weeks since its initial release. The documentary deals with popular song festivals in Estonia during Soviet rule, and the distributor has wisely tailored its release to Estonian populations in the cities where it's playing. This would indicate that interest for the film might be limited outside these areas, but as any independent filmmaker would tell you, any audience is better than no audience.

Coming in at #3 and #4 are the weekend's top debuts, both documentaries: Scott Hicks' Glass: A Portrait of Philip in 12 Parts (Koch Lorber), and Constantine's Sword (First Run). Filling out the top five was the crowd-pleaser Young@Heart (Fox Searchlight), followed closely by the winner from two weeks ago, Hou Hsiao-hsien's Flight of the Red Balloon.

Finally, falling just outside the top 10 was the top-averaging indie that played on more than 1,000 screens, the "intelligent design" documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (Rocky Mountain Pictures). The documentary, featuring Nixon-speechwriter-turned-cranky-TV-personality Ben Stein, brought in a $2,824 average on 1,052 screens, and frankly beat the tar out of the weekend's other high-profile piece of info-tainment, Morgan Spurlock's Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden? (Weinstein Co.). Audiences must have seen the documentary hoping Stein might inquire about the whereabouts of a certain Mr. Bueller, or perhaps give them some of his money. Because honestly, I can't believe that intelligent design is really still an issue.

Top 10: Weekend of April 18-20:
1. The Visitor [Overture Films] ($9,249 per screen)
2. The Singing Revolution [Abramorama Entertainment] ($7,079)
3. Glass: A Portrait Of Philip In 12 Parts [Koch Lorber Films] ($5,546)
4. Constantine's Sword [First Run] ($5,066)
5. Young@Heart [Fox Searchlight] ($4,606)
6. The Flight of the Red Balloon [IFC Films] ($3,818)
7. Water Lilies [Koch Lorber Films] ($3,350)
8. La Traviata [Emerging Pictures] ($3,238)
9. Anamorph [IFC Films] ($3,120)
10. Bab'Aziz [Typecast Releasing] ($2,842)

Source: IndieWire.

The Screengrab : constantine's sword

DVD Digest for September 16, 2008

Indie Box-Office Roundup: Weekend of April 18-20, 2008