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Under the Tuscan Sun
Directed by Audrey Wells
By James Keast
The beautifully photographed, lovingly art directed and earnestly acted Under the Tuscan Sun is a perfect blend of adult (meaning mature, not x-rated) themes and artful execution; it’s a wish-fulfilment fantasy for feminist professionals, a Pretty Woman for smart divorcees. Based loosely on the book by titular character Frances Mayes (played by super-sexy Diane Lane), the film follows a successful writer through her divorce and subsequent feeling of listlessness. Spontaneously on vacation, she buys a broken down Tuscan villa (must be nice) and spends a year’s worth of montage-worthy scenes of charming incompetence rebuilding it (again, a luxury not all could afford). As the film never fails to point out, this physical rebuilding of the broken down house is a metaphor for rebuilding Frances’s life and community: she befriends friendly Italian and Polish contractors, plays matchmaker amongst community youngsters and flirts with the suave (but naturally married and therefore safe) men that inevitably surround her. Diane Lane enjoys her Italian working vacation very much it seems, as does Canadian Sandra Oh, who gets a free trip abroad for her role as the pregnant lesbian best friend. The true star of Under the Tuscan Sun, however, is the landscape; for the mere price of a movie rental, the wish-fulfilment fantasy that any of this could come true is the added bonus. Speaking of bonuses, this DVD takes the usual route: a handful of wisely deleted scenes, a making of that only highlights how beautiful the Italian landscape is, and commentary by Audrey Wells that further points out the themes that are already quite plain on the screen. (Touchstone)
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Once Upon A Time In Mexico - Dir. by Robert Rodriguez
Upon initial viewing on a big screen, with all its flaws exposed, Once Upon A Time In Mexico’s plot seemed as riddled with bullet holes as any of the baddies El (Antonio Banderas) brazenly guns down. There was the appearance of Salma Hayek in flashback-only scenes that didn’t jive with Desperado whatsoever. There was an almost total absence of charisma for mariachi turned kill-crazy gunman El, having given it all to Johnny Depp’s awesome rogue C.I.A. agent Sands.
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The Work of Director: Chris Cunningham / Michel Gondry / Spike Jonze
Here is a fantastic idea, beautifully executed. Take a handful of innovative video, short film and commercial directors, gather their work and throw it all onto DVDs loaded with extras, interviews and info. And coincidentally, The Directors Label was actually founded by its first three subjects.
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Buffalo Soldiers - Dir. by Gregor Jordan
Set at the cusp of the Cold War’s end, Buffalo Soldiers fell victim to the start of the new terror era. This dark-as-night military satire debuted at the Toronto Film Festival on September 7, 2001. Needless to say, by the time it was to be screened at a theatre near you, there was no freakin’ way an anti-army flick was gonna fly. Unfairly buried during the Afghan war, the film got postponed again when Iraq got bum-rushed.
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Spellbound - Dir. by Jeffrey Blitz
Hollywood hacks should take note of it; film professors should teach it; and any fan of gripping, intense, white-knuckle drama has to see it. Forget Michael Bay, to hell with special effects, the most thrilling viewing of the year comes from watching eight kids, aged ten to 13, spell. Before you can say “B-O-R-I-N-G,” just check the variety, the intensity and the diversity of the eight young people — some disciplined, some naturally gifted, some enjoying the advantages of wealth, others merely living their parents’ dreams — that make up Spellbound.
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The Shield: Season Two
It would be no surprise for jaded TV viewers to reject a new cop show — even or perhaps particularly if that show bills itself as "gritty" or "edgy" — since that beat has been so trodden it's become the end of the road for dramatic clichés. But The Shield, currently filming its third season while it offers its second up for DVD treatment, is not that cop show.
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Angel: Season Three
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Blackula / Scream Blackula Scream / Hammer / The Monkey Hustle - Dir. by William Crain, Bob Kelljan, Bruce D. Clark, Arthur Marks
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Blowup - Dir. by Michelangelo Antonioni
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Cabin Fever - Dir. by Eli Roth
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Comic Book: the Movie - Dir. by Mark Hamill
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Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete First Season
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Decasia: The State of Decay - Dir. by Bill Morrison
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Freddy vs. Jason - Dir. by Ronny Yu
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Intolerable Cruelty - Dir. by Joel Coen
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Lost in Space: The Complete First Season
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Lucia Lucia - Dir. by Antonio Serrano
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Mambo Italiano - Dir. by Émile Gaudreault
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Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - Dir. by Gore Verbinski
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Planet of the Apes - Dir. by Franklin J. Schaffner
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Rain Man - Dir. by Barry Levinson
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Runaway Jury - Dir. by Gary Fleder
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South Park: The Complete Third Season
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Super Fly - Dir. by Gordon Parks Jr.
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The Ben Stiller Show
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The Best of Soul Cinema
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The Cola Conquest - Dir. by Irene Lilienheim Angelico
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The Critic: The Complete Series
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The Missing - Dir. by Ron Howard
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The Sidney Poitier Collection
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Thirteen - Dir. by Catherine Hardwicke
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Wonderland - Dir. by James Cox
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