Waterfront Video

Friday, July 25, 2008

Coming Distractions 7/29/08

Here's this week's batch of Distractions.

Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay
Rolling Stones: Shine A Light
The Band's Visit
Doomsday
The Deal
Surfwise
Lost Boys: The Tribe

We've also neglected to post our new releases for most of this month, so here's a quick catch-up of what we've got so far this July.

Sleepwalking
The Tracy Fragments
Stop-Loss
The Ruins
Superhero Movie
Flakes
Chop Shop
The Bank Job
Bill
The Year My Parents Went On Vacation
Shutter
21
Heartbeat Detector
From The Ground Up
Autumn Hearts
Curiosity Of Chance
Two Tickets To Paradise
Twin Daggers

Friday, July 4, 2008

Hello all, Matt here. Here's some movies I'm pretty sure you'll love.

Current New Releases

The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
This is hands down my favorite movie from the last year. It works on every single level. The cinematography is absolutely stunning, the acting is all top-notch, and the script and the direction suck you in right from the beginning. This is as real as it gets folks. Waking up from a stroke and realizing you're paralyzed - you live it. The frustration from realizing you can no longer speak - you feel it. Mathieu Amalric is wonderful as the paralyzed Jean-Do. And Marie-Josee Croze is exceptional as speech-therapist Henriette (watching her slowly reduced to tears when Jean-Do asks for death is heart-breaking). Also, look out for Max "I'm probably the best actor of all time" Von Sydow in a small but ridiculously powerful role as Jean-Do's father. I honestly cannot recommend this movie enough.

There Will Be Blood
I know Katie recommended this last week, but I don't care. WATCH THIS MOVIE. Everything you've heard about Daniel Day-Lewis in this film is true. He's amazing. This could be a three hour movie of him eating a sandwich in character and it would be good. You're not going to see better acting anywhere else. Oh, and also, everything else in this movie is great. Wonderfully shot (Oscar winner for best cinematography), Paul Dano actually manages to hold his own opposite Day-Lewis (an accomplishment within itself), and Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood provides a PERFECT score for the film. (I wouldn't call this movie the new Citizen Kane - oh wait yes I would, WATCH IT NOW!)

Other New Releases To Check Out...

Michael Clayton
Juno
Futurama: The Beast With A Billion Backs
The Darjeeling Limited
Death At A Funeral
Margot At The Wedding

Oldies But Goodies

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind -This is probably my favorite film of all time. If you've already seen it, watch it again. If you haven't, I can't even begin to fathom explaining it. Just give it a try. Charlie Kaufman is the man.

Songs From The Second Floor - Super weird and artsy dark comedy out of Sweden. If you like foreign films, amazing imagery, and a man throwing hundreds of Jesus statues into a dump - this is the film for you. (Watch closely and you'll see the camera only moves once in the entire film. Its like watching a bunch of living paintings.)

Maelstrom - The less I tell you about this film the better. But if you can do subtitles and want to see a very simple cautionary/love tale, with an amazing lead performance (Marie-Josee Croze, who I previously mentioned from Diving Bell And The Butterfly. She's simply wonderful here. You'll recognize her as the fully nude assassin from Munich.) then I'd definitely give this a try.

Also check out...

Punch-Drunk Love
Morvern Callar
House Of Fools
Your Friends & Neighbors (or anything with Catherine Keener for that matter)
Friends With Money (like this movie, in fact, watch all of Nicole Holofcener's films)
12 Monkeys (And all of Terry Gilliam's, except for Brothers Grimm)
Children Of Men (YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH)
Me & You & Everyone We Know (writer, director, and star Miranda July is from Barre, VT)
The Royal Tenenbaums
Lost In Translation

I just realized I recommended two films with Ben Stiller in them Don't worry, they're still really good. Also, I would just like to give an ANTI-recommendation to the movie Crash, the worst film ever made ever, ever. (And I'm talking about the atrocious one that won Best Picture a few years ago, not the super f'ed-up one about people who get off from car accidents starring the totally awesome James Spader, that movie rules.) Have a nice week, all - enjoy the movies.

Monday, June 30, 2008

Coming Distractions 07-01-2008

Here they are, the coming Distractions for this Tuesday, sorry the post is late. The movies were late, so I didn't know what all they were!

Also, check out the Burlington Store's new blog at http://waterfrontvideoburl.blogspot.com

This week:
4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days
Vantage Point
My Blueberry Nights
Drillbit Taylor
City of Men
Delirious
Get Smart's Bruce & Lloyd
Meet the Browns
Mad Men Season 1
Girl on the Bridge
The Nude Bomb

Thanks, See you soon! ~Katie

Katie recommends...

Hi guys, these are the movies that I have really liked lately. My tastes range all over the board, from kids to horror, from romance to thriller, and there are a few from each category here.

Katie recommends:
Eastern Promises
This movie was great in so many ways. It was a well-written story line that was very well acted. It was intense and engrossing, and just a little bit violent.
There Will Be Blood
This one was definitely not for everyone. It is long, and the story line is slow. Neither of those factors is negative for me, personally. Daniel Day Lewis was amazing as always, and the direction was fantastic. Paul Danyow really blossomed in his role, and you can tell that he was having a lot of fun. Again, a bit of violence in this one.
The Savages
I don't think that the previews for this movie did it any justice. It is not the comedy that they would have you believe. It is intense, and touching at times. If you have ever dealt with a family member with dementia, there are some scenes in here that will definitely hit home for you. I like to describe this movie as an excellent case study in family psychology. While I haven't heard any opinions from the professionals on that, I feel that way because Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney do an amazing job of giving their characters complexity and dimension. This is a simple story, made great by the actors and director.
Lars and the Real Girl
Again, the previews had me thinking that this was another stupid comedy. That is so far from the truth. Lars and the Real Girl is a heartwarming story about loss and grievance, about family and love, and about the power of community. This movie highlights exactly what it is about small town life that makes me proud I'm not a city dweller.
No Country for Old Men
This movie was incredibly violent. Just to warn you. That said, I really liked it. I can't really tell you why, perhaps just the combination of the acting and direction. But if you don't mind a lot of violence, this was a good one. Did I mention it won best picture?
Halloween (Rob Zombie)
This was also incredibly violent. I felt that Rob Zombie gave the character of Michael Meyers a lot more background and a lot more depth. Before, he was really just a killing machine, now he is a killing machine with a haunted past and severe mental problems. It got poor reviews, but I feel like horror movies really have to be far more exceptional than other genres to sway the critics. I'm a fan of horror, and this one was worth seeing if you are as well.
Enchanted
This was really sweet. I was a bit worried at first that it would be too cheesy, but the songs were great, and the story was just really fun and sweet, and romantic.
Death at a Funeral
I found this to be just hilarious. There were a few cheap jokes, but the story line and all the jokes were really well timed, and only a bit predictable. I haven't laughed this hard in a long time.
Juno
Some people found this one to be a bit too... something. I thought it was great. It was a sweet story, and the performances were, for the most part, stellar. Further, I think it addresses a very real concern of our times. Whether you agree with how it addressed that concern is up to you, but I enjoyed it.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
This was a stupid comedy with a killer soundtrack. There were a few scenes that I thought were reaching for jokes, but overall, it was enjoyable.
In Bruges
This was not the comedy I was led to believe it would be. It took a dark turn, but kept a few well-placed pieces of humor. It was pretty intense, and I really enjoyed it.
Charlie Bartlett
This was not the most amazing spectacular teen comedy I ever saw. Or was it??? This was a really cute, if not altogether realistic, portrayal of a young man trying to find his place among his peers. And once again, excellent performances all around.