Friday, January 6, 2012

New Releases - Week of 1/3/12


New to Our Shelves This Week:

Contagion

Steven Soderbergh's tensely structured viral-infection thriller will leave you wary of subways and beernuts, but don't let that stop you from checking out the film! A great cast includes Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, John Hawkes, Bryan Cranston, and Jude Law.


The Guard

A sharp, profane comedy written and directed by John Michael McDonagh (brother of playwright/filmmaker Martin McDonagh). Stars Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle.


Mildred Pierce
Kate Winslet takes on the titular role first made famous by Joan Crawford in 1945, in this five-part HBO mini-series helmed by Todd Haynes (Far From Home; I'm Not There) and also featuring Guy Pearce, Melissa Leo, James LeGros, and Brian F. O'Bryne.

Puncture
A lawyer takes on the medical supplies cartel. Read Margot Harrison's review of it here.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce headline this remake of the 1973 fright flick.

I Don't Know How She Does It
Or Why.

Shark Night
Don't know about you, but my interest in this one would increase dramatically if it was called Shark Knight.

Justified
- 2nd Season

Talking Heads: Chronology
A new compilation of previously-unreleased early footage (from 1975 to 1983 - plus a song from their 2002 induction into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame) that shows the progression and development of the band. In the words of David Byrne:
"This was very much a live band—at least until the late 80s. The initial recordings emerged out of what we played live, what worked in that context and how we refined our skills playing together. For a lot of musicians in the digital era this is not always the case. These days, the record often comes first and then how it is staged comes later. ... With each iteration of Chronology, you can pretty plainly see what came before as well as a hint of what was to come—all easy to spot in retrospect, of course. There are some fashion don’ts as well as some prescient looks—but what you really get is a sense of how tight this band was. Of course, there is more footage to be found from these sources but I thought to myself, “How many versions of the same songs can one view?” I think the sampler approach gives the viewer a sense of the musical and performative changes we were going through, but without the possibly tedious repetition."



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