Sunday, November 27, 2011
The Motel
- Puberty sucks, and nobody knows it better than 13-year-old Ernest Chin (Jeffrey Chyau). As he watches guests come and go, Ernest finds himself forever stuck at his family's hourly-rate motel, where he divides his time between taking orders from his overbearing mom, cleaning up after whatever miscreants the motel may attract and longing for the girl of his dreams, 15-year-old Christine (Samanth
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 1-MAR-2004
Media Type: DVDJustin Lin's well-received 2002 independent feature, Better Luck Tomorrow, is a strangely appealing story of the mysterious, somehow inexorable drift of an ultra-conscientious, Southern California high school senior, Ben (Parry Shen), toward a fateful interlude with crime. Though high! ly focused on impressing colleges with his thoughtful balance of excellent grades, energized volunteer work (as a translator), and varsity sports (warming the bench during basketball games), something about Ben appears to be unraveling. Perhaps it is an attraction to his out-of-reach lab partner (Karin Anna Cheung), or his growing attachment to hard cash, or simply the malaise that coats his every act of self-denial. In any case, he and a brood of fellow Asian American overachievers metamorphose into the local go-to gang of black-market thievery--all while keeping up their classes. Lin brings a fresh angle to the exhausted youth-crime genre, and clarifies, with no small wisdom, the distinction between building a future and living one's destiny. --Tom KeoghStudio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 07/14/2009 Rating: RJustin Lin's well-received 2002 independent feature, Better Luck Tomorrow, is a strangely appealing story of the mysterious, somehow inexorable! drift of an ultra-conscientious, Southern California high sch! ool seni or, Ben (Parry Shen), toward a fateful interlude with crime. Though highly focused on impressing colleges with his thoughtful balance of excellent grades, energized volunteer work (as a translator), and varsity sports (warming the bench during basketball games), something about Ben appears to be unraveling. Perhaps it is an attraction to his out-of-reach lab partner (Karin Anna Cheung), or his growing attachment to hard cash, or simply the malaise that coats his every act of self-denial. In any case, he and a brood of fellow Asian American overachievers metamorphose into the local go-to gang of black-market thievery--all while keeping up their classes. Lin brings a fresh angle to the exhausted youth-crime genre, and clarifies, with no small wisdom, the distinction between building a future and living one's destiny. --Tom KeoghJustin Lin's well-received 2002 independent feature, Better Luck Tomorrow, is a strangely appealing story of the mysterious, somehow inex! orable drift of an ultra-conscientious, Southern California high school senior, Ben (Parry Shen), toward a fateful interlude with crime. Though highly focused on impressing colleges with his thoughtful balance of excellent grades, energized volunteer work (as a translator), and varsity sports (warming the bench during basketball games), something about Ben appears to be unraveling. Perhaps it is an attraction to his out-of-reach lab partner (Karin Anna Cheung), or his growing attachment to hard cash, or simply the malaise that coats his every act of self-denial. In any case, he and a brood of fellow Asian American overachievers metamorphose into the local go-to gang of black-market thievery--all while keeping up their classes. Lin brings a fresh angle to the exhausted youth-crime genre, and clarifies, with no small wisdom, the distinction between building a future and living one's destiny. --Tom KeoghAn award-winning English language film for the whole family, "the D! ebut" revolves around Ben Mercado (Dante Basco), a talented hi! gh schoo l senior who has rejected his Filipino heritage. The long-simmering feud between Ben and his immigrant father Roland (Tirso Cruz III) threatens to boil over and ruin the 18th birthday party of Ben's sister Rose (Bernadette Balagtas). But to Ben's surprise, his sister's celebration challenges his sense of misplaced identity, and the way he regards his father and grandfather (Filipino film legend Eddie Garcia). In one night, Ben faces the true nature of his relationships with his family, his friends, and himself.
Filipino-American high school student Ben (Dante Mercado) works in a comic book shop to earn money to pay his way into Cal Arts. His father, a postman, is determined that his son--who has won a pre-med scholarship to UCLA--will become a doctor. The eighteenth birthday party of Ben's sister, Rose, sets off a comedic and touching series of events and family struggles that will in turn determine young Ben's future. This fresh independent production from Gene Cajayon ! presents a lighthearted and warm coming-of-age tale filtered through the eyes of an American subculture rarely seen on film.Puberty sucks, and nobody knows it better than 13-year-old Ernest Chin (Jeffrey Chyau). As he watches guests come and go, Ernest finds himself forever stuck at his family's hourly-rate motel, where he divides his time between taking orders from his overbearing mom, cleaning up after whatever miscreants the motel may attract and longing for the girl of his dreams, 15-year-old Christine (Samantha Futerman, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA). When charismatic Sam Kim (Sung Kang, PEARL HARBOR, BETTER LUCK TOMORROW, THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT) checks into the motel, fatherless Ernest is taken under his wing and hustled toward manhood, for better or worse. THE MOTEL is an honest portrait of adolescence as heartfelt and authentic as it is hilarious.Winner of the Humanitas Prize at Sundance 2005, The Motel is a charming feature debut by writer/director Mic! hael Kang. Between Kang and producer Gina Kwon (Me and You ! and Ever yone We Know), this chronicle of adolescent sexual exploration shares the clean, contemporary look of Miranda July's film, and also Dayton/Faris's recent release, Little Miss Sunshine. Interestingly, all three examinations of humanity's awkwardness star nerdy, charismatic children. Punctuated by spare dialogue, The Motel follows Ernest (Jeffrey Chyau), a thirteen year-old Chinese American boy whose family runs a roach motel primarily visited by prostitutes and druggies. Ernest's mother and grandfather strictly enforce their depressing traditional family work ethic, squashing Ernest's hopes of winning a writing contest that he has secretly entered, for example. As Ernest cleans scummy rooms, he discovers porno magazines and other evidence of raunchy sexual escapades. Intrigued but shy about his sexual prospects, Ernest casually enlists his semi-girlfriend, Christine (Samantha Futerman) to explore magazine images with him. Funny, touching scenes of Ernest wit! h his little sister's stuffed toy bunny, to name one, remind the viewer of that curious age when sex is mysterious but tangible. When renegade adult, Sam Kim (Sung Kang), moves into the motel to drink and cavort with women, Ernest befriends him and takes tips. Eventually Ernest realizes that he's a gentleman as he begins to understand the subtleties of love. In this film marked by sincerity, one can't help but think of the protagonist's name metaphorically. --Trinie Dalton
Friday, November 25, 2011
Blood into Wine
- Extended Interviews
- Alternate Scenes
- Deleted Scenes
- Never before seen concert footage
- Wine Documentary
Maynard James Keenan, internationally known as the front man for Tool, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer, is one of music?s most mysterious figures. A multi-million selling! artist, little is known about the reclusive rock star who oft! en dress es in costume and rarely gives interviews. In the mid-1990's, on a whim, Keenan left Los Angeles and moved to an Arizona ghost town (population 300). A wine enthusiast, he began to envision a world class wine region on the Verde Valley's craggy slopes and with wine mentor Eric Glomski (former David Bruce winemaker and current owner of the award-winning Page Springs Cellars), Keenan began the long road to bringing credibility and notoriety to Caduceus and Arizona Stronghold Vineyards amidst wine industry prejudice and the harsh Arizona terrain. Blood Into Wine takes viewers into the struggles and triumphs with a unique blend of comedy and master storytelling.
Special Features Include:
- Bonus Interviews with Maynard and Eric.
- Exclusive Puscifer concert footage.
- Deleted scenes of Tim and Eric.
- And More!
Actors:
Maynard James Keenan, Eric Glomski, Milla Jovovich, Patt! on Oswalt, Bob Odenkirk, Tim Heidecker & Eric Wareheim, James Suckling.
Drumline (Full Screen Edition)
- Full Screen Edition
- Bonus Features
The Expendables
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- AC-3; Closed-captioned; Color; Dolby; DVD; Subtitled; Widescreen; NTSC
Great Directors: Volume 1 (Dersu Uzala / The Mirror / Les Bonnes Femmes / Il Grido / Circle of Deceit) (5D)
- GREAT DIRECTORS VOL. 1 (DVD MOVIE)
SPECIAL FEATURES: Over three hours of additional interviews with these award winning directors, promotional trailer.AKIRA KUROSAWA
ANDREI TARKOVSKY
CLAUDE CHABROL
MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI
VOLKER SCHLONDORFF
Akira Kurosawa s DERSU UZALA (1975, Color, 140 Minutes, Letterboxed) Winner of the 1975 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, this Kurosawa epic is a Siberian adventure that features stunningly photographed battles of man dueling nature.
Andrei Tarkovsky s THE MIRROR (1974, Color/B&W, 106 Minutes, Full Frame) Tarkovsky s most personal (and beautiful) work, The Mirror delves into his childhood to conjure up a stream of sublime images that reflect a WWII-scarred youth and a haunted future.
Claude Chabrol s LES BONNES FEMMES (1960, B&W, 93 Minutes, Letterboxed) One of the most erotic and suspenseful treats of the French New Wave, this Chab! rol-helmed classic tracks the loves and stalkers of four prett! y shopgi rls who soon discover the dark side of passion.
Michelangelo Antonioni s IL GRIDO (1957, B&W, 115 Minutes, Full Frame) One of Antonioni s unsung masterpieces, Il Grido is a wrenchingly bittersweet tale of lost love replaced by lust, achieving a tragic poetry unequaled in the great director s illustrious career.
Volker Schlondorff s CIRCLE OF DECEIT (1981, Color, 108 Minutes, Letterboxed) This explosive tale of sex and politics in war-torn Beirut is one of the richest films in Schlöndorff s career. Setting up a minefield of ethical conundrums and personal jealousies, it s a scorching take on the modern media.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Client 9: Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer
- CLIENT 9-RISE & FALL OF ELIOT SPITZER (DVD MOVIE)
Hannibal Rising (Unrated Widescreen Edition)
- In Red Dragon we learned who he was. In Silence of the Lambs, we learned how he did it. Now comes the most chilling chapter in the saga of Hannibal Lecter the one that answers the most elusive question of all why? Written by Thomas Harris, the best-selling author of the Hannibal book series, this fascinating and terrifying journey into the making of a monster (Pete Hammond, Maxim), reveals for the