DVD Confidential Monthly - Realms of Unreal, Interpreter, OldBoy
DVD Confidential
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Edition 3: October 6th, 2005
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DVD Confidential - Movie News & DVD Reviews
http://www.dvdconfidential.com
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What's New on DVD Confidential
1) Latest Reviews: In The Realms of the
Unreal, National Lampoon's Adam & Eve,
Carlito's Way Rise To Power, The Interpreter,
Nine Lives, Born Into Brothels, Oldboy
2) What We Are Reading: The Other Hollywood
& Among Grizzlies
3) Movie News: Sydney Pollack, Saw II
TV Spots, Tropical Malady, Squid & The Whale
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"When you have them on the meathook, they
will tell you everything."
- Luis Guzman as Nacho Reyes (Carlito's Way -
Rise To Power)
Well, as you can see, we have switched from
a weekly to a monthly newsletter. We promise
to keep these newsletters packed with the
latest reviews and news - and we won't spam
you every week. The once a month thing is
easier for us, and most folks prefer the monthly
format. So - it's all good!
Anyway, thanks for subscribing and spread the
word if you can. We've got some great giveaways
coming up. Well, enough chit chat - here's the
newsletter!
- Scott Standish
Editor, DVD Confidential
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1) Latest Reviews: In The Realms of the
Unreal, National Lampoon's Adam & Eve,
Carlito's Way Rise To Power, The Interpreter,
Nine Lives, Born Into Brothels, Oldboy
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In The Realms of the Unreal (2004)
Directed by Jessica Yu
Narrated by Dakota Fanning
MPAA: UR
Grade: A-
Review by Sebastian Francis Kennedy
In The Realms of the Unreal is a strangely
mesmerizing tale of loneliness, creative
vision and the artistic power that a single
soul contains. Henry Darger was a janitor
in Chicago and he was for the most part, a
lonely, lonely soul. He rarely spoke to
people and lived alone. Upon his death, a
wealth of art was discovered in his
apartment. Darger spent his hours creating
incredible art and yet he kept this art
private, hidden from the world.
Full Review:
http://www.dvdconfidential.com/2005/10/review-in-realms-of-unreal.html
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National Lampoon's Adam & Eve (2005)
Directed by Jeff Kanew
Starring Cameron Douglas and Emmanuelle Chriqui
MPAA: R
Grade: B-
Review by Bobby Nashville
Eight minutes into National Lampoon's Adam
& Eve, I actually thought I was watching
the wrong movie. The film starts with a
young college student that meets a gal and
falls in love. They treat each other with
kindness, compassion and respect. I was
like "Is this really a National Lampoon
film?"
But before too long, Adam & Eve ventures
into familiar territory. She's a virgin
and he lives with a bunch of sex starved
frat boy wackos. The sex jokes are in
full effect and you also get plenty of
drunken debauchery as a bonus. Sure this
film starts off slow. But it eventually
gets to where National Lampoon fans want
to be: dick jokes, beer drinking and
lots of immature (yet funny) college boy
behavior.
Full Review:
http://www.dvdconfidential.com/2005/09/review-national-lampoons-adam-eve-b.html
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Carlito's Way: Rise To Power (2005)
Directed by
Starring Jay Hernandez, Mario Van Peebles,
Luis Guzman, Giancarlo Esposito and
Burt Young
MPAA: R
Grade: B-
Review by Bobby Nashville
Okay, Godfather it's not, but Carlito's Way
- Rise To Power is a surprisingly effective
little drama.
As most know, Carlito's Way Rise To Power
is the precursor to Carlito's Way (starring
Al Pacino and Sean Penn). It tells the story
of young Carlito Brigante's rise to power
in New York. Carlito (a Puerto Rican)
partners with an African American and an
Italian American while in the joint. Upon
release, they carve up a nice little part
of Manhattan for their heroin biz.
Full Review:
http://www.dvdconfidential.com/2005/09/review-carlitos-way-rise-to-power-b.html
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The Interpreter (2005)
Directed by Sydney Pollack
Starring Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn,
Catherine Keener, Jesper Christensen
MPAA:PG-13
Grade: C-
Review by Ellyn Elm
The Interpreter has got to be the most
boring thriller ever. I swear, watching
my toe nails dry was more exciting. In
fact, if after viewing this yawn fest feel
free to come on over and we'll have
ourselves a little foot festiva.
Although Nicole Kidman makes an admirable
attempt at portraying a 20 something
White South African activist-cum-diplomat,
her character falls short in both emotional h
eight and depth. As usual, director Sydney
Pollock is blinded by his idealized vision
of the colonial past. Apparently he's read
one too many E.M. Forrester novels. Far be
it from me to criticize our omnipotent
government but honestly we all know that
the US has no interest in promoting
democracy - anywhere. Sean Penn is totally
upstaged by his hair and Catherine Keener
(whom I adore) is completely superfluous.
Full Review:
http://www.dvdconfidential.com/2005/09/review-interpreter-c.html
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Nine Lives (2005)
Directed by Rodrigo García
Starring Robin Wright Penn, Jason Isaacs,
Holly Hunter, Glenn Close, Joe Mantegna,
Amy Brenneman, Mary Kay Place, Sissy Spacek,
Dakota Fanning and Aidan Quinn
MPAA: R
Grade: B+
Review by Scott Standish
Nine Lives poignantly tells the stories of
nine women that are dealing with the
pressures, joys and disappointments that
we all endure as life goes on. There are
nine stories told, each shot without a cut
or edit. Basically we get to peek into nine
lives, and the sneak peek lasts about 10
minutes long. This structure might come off
as tedious if it were not for the wonderful
dialogue and the superb acting. With actors
like Robin Wright Penn, Jason Isaacs, Holly
Hunter and Glenn Close, the young director
is in good hands.
Full Review:
http://www.dvdconfidential.com/2005/09/review-nine-lives-b.html
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Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light
Kids (2004)
Directed by Zana Briski & Ross Kauffman
MPAA: R
Grade: A-
Review by Sebastian Francis Kennedy
An outstanding documentary about the children
of Calcutta's red light district, Born Into
Brothels is one of those rare films that
lives up to the hype. Of course, as most
know, Born Into Brothels won the Academy
Award for Best Documentary of 2004, and
in my humble opinion, it deserved it. An
interesting subject (the children of sex
workers) plus a powerful story (can they
escape to a better world) makes for a
fascinating film. Born Into Brothels is
an insightful documentary that all should
see.
Director Zana Briski spent years in Sonagchi,
Calcutta, getting to know the sex workers of
the area. The daughters of the sex workers
had little chance of escaping - they are
doomed to lives of prostitution, like their
mothers and their mother's mothers before.
Briski gave the children cameras and taught
them photography in hopes that they could
express their feelings through art.
Full Review:
http://www.dvdconfidential.com/2005/09/review-born-into-brothels.html
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Oldboy (2003)
Directed by Chan-wook Park
Starring Min-sik Choi, Ji-tae Yu, Hye-jeong
Kang and Dae-han Ji
MPAA: R
Grade: B+
Review by Bobby Nashville
Now we're talking. Oldboy is a very cool
thriller with lots of violence, psycho warfare
and vengeance. It's my kind of movie. Oldboy
was apparently Quentin Tarantino's kind of
movie too, because he reportedly was raving
about the film after seeing it in Cannes.
Oh Dae-Su is a businessman with a fairly
ordinary life. He wears a suit to work. He
has a wife and daughter. He stays out of
trouble. But after a night of drinking, he
finds himself locked up in prison. Not your
normal prison, mind you - this is almost a
hotel room, and the jailers don't speak to
him. Someone has actually abducted him and
placed him in solitary confinement. But who?
And why? For 15 years Oh Dae-Su is locked up.
Full Review:
http://www.dvdconfidential.com/2005/09/review-oldboy-b.html
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2) What We Are Reading
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What We Are Reading: The Other Hollywood
The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral
History of the Porn Film Industry
By Legs McNeil and Jennifer Osborne
The world of adult film is a strange one
indeed, and to understand what the heck is
really going on, you have to understand it's
history. From nudist camp films to Russ Meyer
teasers, adult film has its roots in American
popular entertainment. As the demand for this
type of film grew over time, so did the industry.
The Other Side of Hollywood tracks the porn
biz from it's early days up to now. The common
thread - filmmakers that just want to make money
(and meet girls), actors that just want to make
money (and party like rock stars) and organized
crime that just wants to make money (and steer
clear of the feds). It's one of the biggest
industries in the world and every body in the
biz wants to get their cut. This book does a
fantastic job of documenting the stars (from
Betty Page to Linda Lovelace, from Seka to Traci
Lords and from Ginger Lynn to Jenna Jameson) and
their motivations.
http://www.dvdconfidential.com/2005/10/what-we-are-reading-other-hollywood.html
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What We're Reading: Among Grizzlies
Among Grizzlies
By Timothy Treadwell and Jewel Palovak
Among Grizzlies is the book that inspired the
incredible documentary Grizzly Man by Werner
Herzog. Timothy Treadwell suffered a terrible
ordeal (an overdose on heroin) and he sought
salvation by retreating to the wilderness.
http://www.dvdconfidential.com/2005/09/what-were-reading-among-grizzlies.html
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3) Movie News
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Interview With Director Sydney Pollack
Sydney Pollack is one of the most highly
regarded directors working today. He
recently discussed his new film Interpreter
as well as the benefits of widescreen DVDs
over "pan and scan."
http://www.dvdconfidential.com/2005/10/interview-with-director-sydney-pollack.html
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Saw II TV Spots
DVD Confidential has the new Saw II TV
spots. Scary stuff!
http://www.dvdconfidential.com/2005/10/saw-ii-tv-spots.html
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Tropical Malady Sets DVD Release Date
DVD Confidential has the info on "Tropical
Malady" and it's upcoming DVD release.
Winner of the Special Jury Prize at this
year's Cannes Film Festival and an Official
Selection of both the New York and Toronto
Film Festivals, "Tropical Malady" is the
lyrical and mysterious new film by maverick
Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul,
one of the most prominent young directors
of the Thai New Wave.
http://www.dvdconfidential.com/2005/10/news-tropical-malady-sets-dvd-release.html
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Squid & The Whale Web Site
DVD Confidential has discovered an awesome
game on "The Squid and the Whale" website
called "Are you a Philistine". The game
has a couple clips from the film starring
Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney. Click on
the E-Card option on the web site.
http://www.dvdconfidential.com/2005/10/news-squid-whale-web-site.html
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See you next month,
Scott, Ellyn, Sebastian and Bobby
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DVD Confidential - Movie News & DVD Reviews
http://www.dvdconfidential.com
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