Waterfront Video

New Releases - Week of 1/17/12

2012-01-20T13:11:00.000-08:00

New to Our Shelves This Week:

The Ides of March
George Clooney directs and stars in this political drama about a presidential hopeful and his campaign team. Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, and Paul Giamatti also star.

Abduction
Twilight's werewolf goes action hero while trying to figure out his true identity.

Toast
Food plays a pivotal role in nine-year-old Nigel Slater's life, in this late-60s-set British film.

Thurgood
Laurence Fishburne's one-man show about the country's first African-American Supreme Court Justice.

Special Treatment
A prostitute and a psychiatrist discover they have more in common, personally and professionally, than they realized. Isabelle Huppert (The Piano Teacher; I Heart Huckabees; The Story of Women) stars.

Mysteries of Lisbon
Raul Ruiz's final film is an adaptation of a 19th century Portugese novel. Read Margot Harrison's enticing review of it here.

Caterpillar
The limits of a severely injured soldier's wife's devotion are put to the test in this Japanese drama.

Dirty Girl
An 80s-set coming-of-age flick starring Juno Temple, Jeremy Dozier, Milla Jovovich, and William H. Macy.

Killing Bono
Two young Irish bands. One becomes U2. The other one... doesn't.

Age of Heroes
Based on the British 30 Commando unit (the precursor to the SAS), this WWII actioner stars Sean Bean and James D'Arcy.

Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star
Yep.

Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain

Eat This New York
Documentary following two aspiring restaurateurs.

The Forgotten Bomb
An examination of both the history as well as the current state of nuclear weaponry.

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New Releases - Week of 1/10/12

2012-01-13T10:11:00.000-08:00

New to our shelves this week:

Moneyball
Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing; The Social Network) and Steve Zaillian (Searching for Bobby Fischer; Schindler's List) adapt Michael Lewis's best-selling book about Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland A's, and his shift towards a statistic-based, sabermetric approach to baseball. Directed by Bennett Miller (Capote; The Cruise) and starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Chris Pratt, and Robin Wright.

Higher Ground
The directorial debut of Vera Farmiga (The Departed; Up in the Air) follows the journey of a young woman in the 70s who finds faith and community in a pentecostal sect, but soon comes to question her beliefs and path.

Killer Elite
Jason Statham, Clive Owen, and Robert DeNiro star in a remake of Sam Peckinpah's 1975 action thriller.

There Be Dragons
Don't be misled: there are no actual dragons in this drama about a journalist investigating one of his father's former comrades in the Spanish Civil War who is now being vetted for sainthood. Directed by Roland Joffé (The Killing Fields; The Mission).

What's Your Number?
Anna Faris is the lead in this rom-com about exes.

The Man From London
Lauded Russian directed Bela Tarr adapts Georges Simenon's novel. Tilda Swinton stars.

Film Socialisme
Godard.

An Idiot Abroad
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant send titular idiot Karl Pilkington around the world.

Boardwalk Empire - 1st Season
Another superlative series from HBO. Steve Buscemi stars as "Nucky" Thompson, Treasurer of Atlantic City, equal parts politician and gangster, who is forced to contend with new Prohibition laws as well as the accompanying rise of organized crime. Also stars Kelly Macdonald, Michael Pitt, Michael Shannon, and Michael Stuhlbarg.

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New Releases - Week of 1/3/12

2012-01-06T11:08:00.000-08:00

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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New Releases - Weeks of 12/20 & 12/27

2011-12-30T09:26:00.000-08:00

New to our shelves in the last two weeks:

Midnight in Paris
A charming confection by Woody Allen (that also happens to be one of the biggest box office successes of his long and varied career) centers around a blocked writer (Owen Wilson) vacationing in Paris with his rather mismatched fiancee (Rachel McAdams). Some midnight strolls lead to some fantastical journeys.

Margin Call
An excellent dramatization of the financial crisis of 2008, set in a 24-hour period. Features great understated turns by Kevin Spacey, Zachary Quinto, Paul Bettany, Demi Moore, Jeremy Irons, and Stanley Tucci.

Warrior
The Fighter of the year, featuring lauded performances by Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, and Nick Nolte.

Dolphin Tale
Based on the true story of a dolphin who lost his tail and was surgically fitted with a prothesis (starring the actual dolphin!), this family friendly feature also stars Ashley Judd, Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, and Kris Kristofferson.

The Tempest
Director Julie Taymor (Titus; Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark) takes on Shakespeare's final play, with Helen Mirren in the Prospero role. Also features Alfred Molina, Russell Brand, Djimon Hounsou, Ben Whishaw, David Strathairn, Chris Cooper, and Felicity Jones.

Brighton Rock
A new adaptation of Graham Greene's novel of teenage delinquency in 60s England.

Straw Dogs
This remake of Sam Peckinpah's 1971 controversial thriller stars Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, and True Blood's Alexander Skarsgard.

Catch .44
A noirish suspense tale featuring Forest Whitaker, Bruce Willis, and Malin Akerman.

Apollo 18
Don't worry: it'll still make sense even if you haven't seen Apollo 14 through Apollo 17.

Final Destination 5
Apparently, the final destination hasn't yet been reached and there are still more gruesome ways for younguns to die.

Burke & Hare
John Landis (An American Werewolf in London; The Blues Brothers) directs this ghoulish comedy about Victorian era grave-robbers, starring Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis (without CGI-enhancement!), Jessica Hynes, Isla Fisher, and Tom Wilkinson.

Colombiana
Zoe Saldana (Avatar; Star Trek) headlines this South American set actioner.

Trigger
Maverick Canadian director Bruce McDonald (Pontypool; Highway 61) directs this tale of two ex-bandmates (Molly Parker and Tracey Wright) who re-unite for an evening.

Pete Smalls is Dead
Black comedy featuring Peter Dinklage, Mark Boone Jr., Tim Roth, Rosie Perez, and Steve Buscemi.

A Good Old Fashioned Orgy
Jason Sudeikis headlines this comedy about aging friends who come up with a questionable plan to recapture their youth for an evening.

The 39 Steps
A new adaptation of John Buchan's novel.

Julia's Eyes
A Spanish horror thriller, produced by Guillermo del Toro.

Love Crime
Kristin Scott-Thomas and Ludivine Sagnier play two women caught up in a dangerous relationship in this French thriller.

Love Exposure
Director Shion Sono (Suicide Club; Strange Circus) helms this four-hour blend of romance, comedy, drama, and action that follows three abused and neglected youths whose lives intersect in wild and unpredictable ways.

The Tree
Charlotte Gainsbourg plays a grieving wife and mother in this adaptation of a novel by Judy Pascoe.

Island Etude
A Taiwanese drama about a deaf student who decides to cycle around the country before graduating.

Saint Nick
The dark side of Santa Claus! Read Margot Harrison's intriguing review of the Danish horror comedy here.

Tuesday, After Christmas
A Romanian drama about a married man's affair with a much younger woman.

The Piano in a Factory
A custody battle propels this Chinese drama, which finds the father attempting to build a piano from scratch in order to entice his daughter to live with him.

The First Grader
An octogenarian villager decides to attend school for the first time in this Kenyan-set film.

DOCUMENTARIES:
Woody Allen: A Documentary
An excellent portrait of the prolific writer and director (44 films and countin!), featuring candid interviews with colleagues, friends, and the man himself.

Eames: The Architect & the Painter
Documentary about the husband and wife team of Ray and Charles Eames, two of America's most influential and important industrial designers.

Bobby Fischer Against the World
A great examination of the famed chess player and his troubled life.

Life After Tomorrow
An interesting look at various women who starred in professional productions of the popular musical Annie when they were young and how the experience has shaped their lives - for better or worse.

Jane's Journey
After establishing herself as one of the world's foremost primatologist, Jane Goodall stepped away from her science career to devote herself full-time to environmental and philanthropic causes.

Armadillo
On the ground perspective of a group of Danish soldiers in Afghanistan in 2009.

Worst in Show
Ugly dogs need love, too.

SERIES:
The Borgias - 1st Season

Shameless - 1st Season (US & UK)

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret - 1st Season

Futurama - 6th Season

Archer - 2nd Season

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New Releases - Week of 12/13/11

2011-12-16T09:58:00.000-08:00

New to our shelves this week:

The Rise of the Planet of the Apes
A surprisingly lively and entertaining update of the Apes franchise, starring Andy Serkis, James Franco, Freida Pinto, and John Lithgow.

Kung Fu Panda 2
The gang's back for more... with a script allegedly doctored by Charlie Kaufman!

Fright Night
A remake that actually works! Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, Christopher "McLovin" Mintz-Plasse, Toni Collette, and David Tennant star in this vampire-next-door comic horror tale.

Detective Dee & the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
A martial arts actioner from Tsui Hark (Once Upon a Time in China). Check out Margot Harrison's review of it here.

The Black Power Mixtape 1967 - 1975
A hit at this year's Vermont International Film Festival, this documentary uses previously unreleased footage from Swedish filmmakers.

Margaret Cho: Cho Dependent
Another solid stand-up offering from the sassy, envelope-pushing comic.

The Smell of Success
Michael Polish (Twin Falls Idaho; Northfork) directs this comedy about a family manure business starring Billy Bob Thornton, Kyle MacLachlan, Tea Leoni, Ed Helms, & Frances Conroy.

Tanner Hall
Coming of age tale set at an all-girls boarding school, starring Rooney Mara (The Social Network; The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo).

Circumstance
Two Iranian girls fall in love.

Daddy Longlegs
A divorced father displays incredibly questionable parenting techniques in this indie feature.

A Serbian Film
Quickly earning a notorious reputation as one of most extreme films out there, this horrific tale follows the exploits of a faded porn star who's lured back into the business only to find himself at the mercy of some truly depraved sickos.

No Woman No Cry
A documentary by Christy Turlington about health care issues surrounding pregnancy and childbirth.

Steve Jobs: One Last Thing

Family Guy - 10th Season

The Life & Times of Tim - 2nd Season

Daria - Complete Series

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New Releases - Weeks of 11/29 & 12/6

2011-12-08T08:49:00.000-08:00

New to Our Shelves:

The Help
The adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel has already garnered a lot of Oscar buzz for its performances, particularly for Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer.

The Debt
A period-jumping espionage thriller starring Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Tom Wilkinson, Jessica Chastain, and Ciaran Hinds.

Hangover II
The wolfpack's at it again... this time in Thailand.

Cowboys & Aliens
Jon Favreau (Iron Man; Elf) helms this high-concept sci-fi actioner starring Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, Sam Rockwell, and Olivia Wilde.

30 Minutes or Less
Ruben Fleischer follows up his Zombieland with this black comedy heist thriller starring Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari, Danny McBride, & Nick Swardson.

Friends With Benefits
aka No Strings Attached, Pt. 2

Our Idiot Brother
Paul Rudd plays the titular idiot brother, sibling to Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, & Emily Mortimer.

One Day
Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess star in the adaptation of the popular romance book. Lone Scherfig (An Education; Italian for Beginners) directs.

The Future
Performance artist Miranda July (Me, You and Everyone Else) returns with this odd, oddly endearing film about... well, many things. Read Margot Harrison's review here.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Werner Herzog play tour guide in this documentary about the ancient paintings of the Chauvet caves.

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
Hillbilly horror with a comic twist. Read Margot's review of it here.

Mr. Popper's Penguins
Jim Carrey stars in one for the kids.

The Smurfs
The latest iteration of the famed Belgian blue creatures gives them the CGI treatment.

Another Earth
A duplicate planet is discovered.

The Art of Getting By
Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts star in a tale of young love.

5 Days of War
An American journalist and his cameraman are caught up in the crossfire during the war between Russia and Georgia.

The Wave
A teacher trying to impart a lesson about fascism develops an experiment that quickly gets out of hand.

Rapt
A French thriller about a kidnapped industrialist.

Life, Above All
A South African story about a mother and daughter.

Seven Days in Utopia
A failed golfer finds guidance in Utopia, Texas.

Sons of Perdition
A compelling documentary that follows a couple of teenage boys who have escaped from the FLDS (a Mormon sect) and are trying to assimilate to "normal" life.

Becoming Chaz
A profile of Chaz Bono, directed by Fenton Baily & Randy Barbato (The Eyes of Tammy Faye; Party Monster; Inside Deep Throat).

Histoire(s) du Cinema
Jean-Luc Godard's epic and idiosyncratic 8-part examination of cinema.

Design For Living
A delightful, sassy & saucy pre-Code comedy from Ernst Lubitsch (Trouble in Paradise; The Shop Around the Corner) that follows the ups & downs of a menage-a-trois. Stars Fredric March and Miriam Hopkins (who also appeared together in the great 1931 Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde) and Gary Cooper.

Portlandia - 1st Season
Oh, the funny! Here's the opening couple of minutes:

Big Love - 5th Season

30 Rock - 5th Season

Smallville - 10th Season

Lie to Me - 3rd Season

The Simpsons - 14th Season
"All my life I've had one dream: to achieve my many goals."

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Sales, Birthday Parties, & New Releases...

2011-11-22T10:53:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving from Waterfront Video!!

Starting the Friday after Thanksgiving and running through Wednesday, Nov. 30th, we're having a huge sale on all previously-viewed DVDs -- as low as $4!!

Then, on that Wednesday, we're going to culminate our 15th Anniversary with a Birthday Party! There will be special deals and discounts all day and, from 6:00 - 8:00pm, there will also be cake and goodies as well as a special performance by Allan Nicholls at 7, who will be playing music he wrote for some Robert Altman films and sharing movie-related stories.
Stop on by!!

New to our shelves this week:

Super 8
An exciting character-driven sci-fi concoction from J.J. Abrams that playfully evokes The Goonies, E.T., Red Dawn, Gremlins, and a host of other beloved 80s gems.

Page Eight
Bill Nighy and Rachel Weisz headline this spy thriller written and directed by David Hare (Wetherby; The Reader) that also features Michael Gambon, Judy Davis, Alice Krige, and Ralph Fiennes.

The Devil's Double
Dominic Cooper (An Education; Captain America) pulls double duty as both Saddam Hussein's psychotic son, Uday, and the Iraqi soldier chosen to act as his body double.

Conan the Barbarian
Robert E. Howard's iconic comic character gets another film adaptation, this time without Ah-nuld.

The Family Tree
Hope Davis plays a wife and mother who suffers memory loss after an accident and must come to terms anew with her dysfunctional family. Also stars Dermot Mulroney, Christina Hendricks, Selma Blair, Chi McBride, Jane Seymour, and Keith Carradine.

Sarah's Key
Kristen Scott Thomas plays a modern-day journalist who attempts to uncover the disappearance of a young girl in 1942 in this French drama.

Arranged
Two women - one an Orthodox Jew, the other Muslim, both of whom are slated for arranged marriages - develop a friendship while teaching in a Brooklyn school.

The Horseman
A brutal revenge flick from Australia.

Without a Home
Filmmaker Rachel Fleischer spent four years creating this documentary about the lives of several homeless individuals in L.A.

Dirty Pictures
Documentary profile of Alexander 'Sasha' Shulgin, the chemist who discovered more than 200 psychedelic compounds, including MDMA.

Making the Boys
An interesting, insightful look at the history of the landmark gay hit-play-turned-film, The Boys in the Band, that explores the social context which gave rise to its success as well as the shifting perspectives which then gave rise to its backlash.

Spy Kids 4
Robert Rodriguez's latest installment of his family-friendly action franchise stars Joel McHale, Jessica Alba, Jeremy Piven, & Danny Trejo.

Law & Order UK - 2nd Season
Taking the format of the long-running American show and transplanting it across the Atlantic turned out to be a successful gambit, especially given the strong British tradition of mystery shows.

The Legend of Billie Jean
Long unavailable on DVD (or VHS) because Pat Benatar (who provided the title track) hated it and refused to grant music rights, this 1985 cult fave finally gets an MOD release. Featuring Helen and Christian Slater, the story involves two siblings (who just want to go to Vermont!) forced into a desperate situation by a group of bullying teens.

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New Releases - Week of 11/15/11

2011-11-18T09:29:00.000-08:00

New to our shelves this week:

Beginners
Christopher Plummer gives a lauded performance as a 75 year old who is prompted to open up about homosexuality when he receives a critical medical diagnosis. Ewan McGregor plays his son in this second feature by Mike Mills (Thumbsucker).

Larry Crowne
Tom Hanks directs and stars in this comic drama (which he co-wrote with Nia Vardalos) about a middle-age man who decides to return to college after losing his job.

Main Street
Colin Firth plays an outsider who arrives in a small North Carolina town with plans to help revitalize the community's ailing economy. The cast includes Ellen Burstyn, Amber Tamblyn, Patricia Clarkson, Andrew McCarthy, and Orland Bloom; the script is by Horton Foote.

Bellflower
An adrenalized, scrappy indie action film that was a hit at Sundance. Read Margot Harrison's review of it here.

Flypaper
This week's heist entry stars Patrick Dempsey, Ashley Judd, Jeffrey Tambor, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Mekhi Phifer, and Tim Blake Nelson.

Griff the Invisible
The latest ironic superhero flick stars True Blood's Ryan Kwanten.

The Drummond Will
Two estranged brothers find themselves on a dangerous quest to find out the secrets behind their recently deceased father's surprising wealth.

Making War Horse
Documentary following the process behind the National Theatre's acclaimed adaptation of the best-selling children's novel (soon to be brought to the screen by Steven Spielberg).

Whitechapel: The Ripper Returns
A mini-series from latest hit British mystery, featuring a serial killer emulating the notorious murderer.

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Deals & Events!

2011-11-08T12:26:00.000-08:00

Birthday Deals!

Waterfront Video continues its 15th Anniversary celebration this month with special deals every week. Last Saturday, we had a drawing and gave away 10 free rentals - congratulations, Seth H.!

This week, it's all about Television. Through Saturday, you can rent the FIRST disc of the FIRST season of ANY series for free! (No other rental required. And this includes New Releases too, but we are limiting the number of freebies to two per visit.) Time to check out those shows you've been wondering about!

Next week, we'll be having daily Trivia challenges. Answer a question correctly when renting a movie and get it for free!

Then, from the Friday after Thanksgiving until the end of the month, we'll be having a huge blow-out sale on all previously-viewed sale movies. The more you buy, the cheaper they are!

And on Wednesday, November 30th, we'll be having a birthday party all day. Special one-day deals & offers, a guest appearance or two, and even birthday cake! Mark your calendars!!

Local Events...
So much going on!

Time, Memory and Identity: Readings by Burlington Writers
This Wednesday (tonight!), from 5:00 - 7:30, a quartet of great local writers including Nancy Stearns Bercaw, Selene Colburn, Erik Esckilsen and Lisa Kuse read new material addressing the themes of the evening's presentation. At Levity (on Center Street - near The Daily Planet).

The Pillowman
Burlington's Saints & Poets Productions presents the provocative and challenging play by Martin McDonagh (In Bruges; The Cripple of Inishmaan) about a writer in a totalitarian state who is interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories and their similarities to a rash of child-killings in his town. Part Kafka, part Law & Order, part Tim Burton, part Brothers Grimm... plus puppets! Read the BFP feature here and review here. Read the Seven Days review here. Runs Nov. 10 - 13th at the Black Box Theater in Waterfront's Main Street Landing building. Matinees on Saturday & Sunday.

Hairspray
New England's largest community theater company presents the smash hit musical based on the great 1988 John Waters flick. Set in Baltimore in the early 60s, the story involves a teenager's dancing aspirations, a popular TV show, and a powerful racial awakening. The show runs between Nov. 10 - 13, with matinees on both Saturday & Sunday, at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. "Ma, it's changing out there! People who are different, their time is coming!"

Gogol Bordello
Everyone's favorite Gypsy Punk band appears this Thursday at Higher Ground with Burlington supergroup Blue Button. If you miss the show (or just can't get enough of the band or charismatic frontman Eugene Hutz), you can stop by the store and rent Gogol Bordello: Non-Stop, The Pied Piper of Hutzovina, Kill Your Idols, Madonna's Filth & Wisdom, Wristcutters: A Love Story, or Everything is Illuminated.

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New Releases - Weeks of 11/1 & 11/8

2011-11-04T12:33:00.001-07:00

New to Our Shelves:

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part Two
The final installment of the phenomenally popular magical saga arrives on DVD & Blu-Ray.

Crazy, Stupid, Love
(Comes out Friday!) This incredibly enjoyable and affecting comedy boasts a great cast: Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Kevin Bacon, & Marisa Tomei.

Water for ElephantsThe adaptation of the best-selling novel by Sara Gruen stars a de-fanged Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, and Christoph Waltz.

The Change-Up
The latest body-switching comedy stars Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds.

Cars 2
Pixar's first sequel.

Life in a Day
Kevin MacDonald (The Last King of Scotland; Touching the Void) and seven assistant directors assembled this experimental documentary/time-capsule that was compiled from over 800,000 short films made by people the world over (from 192 countries!) on July 24, 2010.

Trespass
A thriller from Joel Schumacher (The Lost Boys; Batman and Robin), starring Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman, that didn't exactly make any critical or commercial waves. Read Margot Harrison's amusing review of it here.

Tabloid
Acclaimed documentarian Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line; The Fog of War; Standard Operating Procedure) takes a lighter diversion with this profile of Joyce McKinney, a former Miss Wyoming who came to fame (infamy?) in the scandal rags as the key player in the case of the "manacled Mormon," and then proceeded to pass in and out of the limelight. Just this week, it was announced that McKinney is suing Morris - an unsurprising turn considering the psychological instability on display in the film. Read more about the suit here.

Magic Trip
Alex Gibney (Gonzo; Client 9) and Alison Ellwood direct this documentary about Merry Prankster Ken Kesey and his adventures Further...

Wah Do Dem
Mumblecore goes to Jamaica, and the result is surprisingly entertaining.

13
Director Gela Babluani remakes his hit French thriller, 13 Tzameti, with a stellar cast that includes Sam Riley, Ray Winstone, Michael Shannon, Jason Statham, Alexander Skarsgard, Ben Gazzara, Emmanuelle Chriqui, 50 Cent, and Mickey Rourke.

Pearl Jam: Twenty
Cameron Crowe (Singles; Almost Famous) directs this doc about the band's 20th anniversary.

The Sleeping Beauty
Catherine Breillat (Fat Girl; The Last Mistress) follows up her Bluebeard with another re-imagined folk tale.

Atlas Shrugged, Part One
The first part of a planned trilogy adapting Ayn Rand's tome.

God on Trial
Jewish prisoners in Auschwitz decide to put God on trial in this PBS production starring Stellan Skarsgard, Stephen Dillane, Eddie Marsan, Rupert Graves, and Dominic Cooper.

An Invisible Sign
Jessica Alba plays a mathematician. No, really.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club; Smoke) directs this Chinese drama about the friendship between two girls in the 19th century.

The Human Resources Manager
The director of Lemon Tree and The Syrian Bride returns with this drama about the HR manager for Israel's largest industrial bakery.

A Better Tomorrow
John Woo produced this remake of his 1986 action thriller.

Boy Wonder
A traumatized boy from Brooklyn grows up to be a vigilante "superhero" in this independent drama.

Bunraku
A Manga-inspired action flick featuring Josh Hartnett, Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, Kevin McKidd, and Ron Perlman.

2010: Moby Dick
A decidedly un-literary take on Melville's classic sees the great whale going all Jaws on his hunters. Stars Barry Bostwick (of course) as Ahab and Burlington native Adam Grimes as Lt. Commander Starbuck.

Machete Maidens Unleashed!
A wildly entertaining look at the Phillipino exploitation film heyday of the 70s by the same director who brought you the equally crazy Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!

Californication - 4th Season

The Blob (1958) & The Blob (1988)
Gelatin on the loose!!

The Rapture
An erotic thriller mixing religion and mystery stars David Duchovny and Mimi Rogers.

The Deadly Tower
This 1975 dramatization of the notorious clock-tower sniper's attack in Austin, Texas, stars Kurt Russell as Charles Whitman.

The Night Holds Terror
The early home invasion thriller stars a young John Cassavetes as one of the ruffians.

The Tango Lesson
Sally Potter (Orlando) wrote, directs, and stars in this experimental film about a blocked filmmaker who finds inspiration in dance.

Lost Horizon (1973)
This long-unavailable curio re-adapts Jack Hilton's novel into a musical epic featuring songs by Burt Bacharach and starring Peter Finch, Liv Ullmann, Sally Kellerman, Olivia Hussey, and Michael York.

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
Criterion releases Nagisa Oshima's WWII prison drama starring David Bowie, Ryiuchi Sakamoto, Tom Conti, and Jack Thompson.

Kinski Paganini
The last film of the legendarily unhinged actor Klaus Kinski is the self-penned and directed biopic of the controversial 19th century violinist whose "life of extremities" resonated with Kinski's own.

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2011-11-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Us!!!

Waterfront Video turns 15 this month.
To celebrate, we'll be running special deals all through November.

Between today and Friday, every time you rent you can enter to win 10 free rentals.
Next week, you can rent the first disc of the first season of any series for free.
(Been curious about a show but haven't taken the plunge? Here's your chance!)

Stay tuned for the rest of our birthday deals...

New Releases - Week of 10/25/11

2011-10-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

Costume Time!
Come get your Halloween on.
Friday through Monday (10/28 - 10/31),
Rent a movie in costume and get a second rental free!

New to Our Shelves This Week:

Captain America: The First Avenger
Marvel's origin story of the patriotic crusader is set primarily during WWII. The movie finishes setting the stage for the upcoming superhero ensemble flick, The Avengers.

Attack the Block
Edgar Wright produced this Joe Cornish directed alien invasion story set in the rough estates of South London. A group of young hoods find themselves on the frontlines in this clever, impressively handled blast of old-school fun. Read Margot Harrison's fun review of the flick here.

A Little Help
The Office's Jenna Fischer stars in this tale of a hard-drinking mother and her 12 year old son trying to get by.

Father of Invention
Kevin Spacey plays a smugly arrogant (surprise!) infomercial guru who winds up in prison, and afterwards wants to re-connect with his estranged daughter. Also stars Camilla Belle, Heather Graham, Johnny Knoxville, Virginia Madsen, & Craig Robinson.

Winnie the Pooh
The lovable (and hungry) Pooh bear stars in a new feature-length adventure, involving the missing tail of everyone's favorite misanthropic donkey.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
A holiday treat from Finland with surprises in store!

City of Life and Death
Chuan Lu's well-received film depicts the Nanking Massacre of 1937.

Shaolin
The monks of Shaolin stand strong against evil warlords (are there any other kind?) in this historical martial arts epic.

Exorcismus
The title may evoke images of some demon-possessed dinosaur, but this Spanish horror film plays it modern.

Faces in the Crowd
A woman suffers 'face-blindness' after being attacked by a serial killer in this horror thriller starring Milla Jovovich.

The Countess
Actress Julie Delpy (Before Sunrise; 2 Days in Paris) directs this historical horror piece about a 16th century Hungarian countess whose belief in the rejuvenating benefits of virgin's blood leads to some messy cosmetic practices. Also stars William Hurt and Daniel Bruhl.

Prayers for Bobby
Sigourney Weaver was nominated for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of a devout evangelical Christian trying to come to terms with her son's homosexuality.

Severe Clear
A first-person POV documentary shot by First Lieutenant Mike Scotti on his Mini-DV camera during the 21-day advance on Bagdad.

The People vs George Lucas
A doc pitting fans and fanatics against the tinker-prone filmmaker.

Nirvana: Live at the Paramount

Robot Chicken - 5th Season

Luther - 2nd Season
Idris Elba (The Wire; The Office) returns as a psychologically unstable detective in this BBC series.

Day One
A 1989 dramatization about the efforts (and regrets) involved in the development of the first atomic bomb. Stars Brian Dennehy, David Strathairn, Hal Holbrook, & Hume Cronyn.

Machuca
A political coup in Chile is observed from the perspective of two young boys.

Hamlet at Elsinore
Available for the first time, this 1964 production of Hamlet was staged and filmed in Elsinore, the original setting of the play. Christopher Plummer plays the dane; Michael Caine, Robert Shaw, Donald Sutherland, & June Tobin also star.

Island of Lost Souls
Criterion releases this pre-code horror classic based on H.G. Wells' novel The Island of Dr. Moreau. Great creature effects, deliciously lurid undertones, and a villainously queeney Charles Laughton make this one a must-see for horror fans.

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Holy Terror

2011-10-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

God said 'Boo!'

Plenty of horror films have used religious and supernatural themes to propel their stories (from The Exorcist to The Rite), but here we focus on those tales that eschew the supernatural in favor of the fear and terror inspired by the fanaticism of disturbed believers. What happens when faith trumps reason, religious conviction usurps civil law, and biblical interpretation gets skewed through one or more unstable person's misguided and nefarious perspective? The results ain't pretty. So here's a handful of movies where evil is perpetuated and horror ensues because "God told them to"...

Red State
A Christian cult begins following the hell & brimstone rantings of their charismatic preacher to their wicked conclusions. Michael Parks gives a great performance as the Fred Phelps-type leader in Kevin Smith's first horror endeavor. John Goodman, Melissa Leo, and Stephen Root co-star. Read Margot Harrison's review of here.

Seven
David Fincher's exceptional serial killer thriller is a deeply unsettling affair that doesn't pull any punches. The psychopath committing the gruesome murders has been "chosen" to do so; his victims all exemplifying the seven deadly sins. [Warning: Best not to eat spaghetti while watching this one.]

Frailty
Bill Paxton stars in and directs this spooky tale of a father who begins receiving instructions from God to start eliminating the demons in his midst. When he recruits his two sons to his "mission," quality family time takes on a whole different definition.

Hell House
This excellent documentary chronicles the preparation and execution of an annual Christian Halloween attraction that purports to show the horrors of the secular world. Local teens audition and compete for coveted roles such as "Abortion Girl" and no amount of fake blood or disinformation is spared as they attempt to frighten kids towards the path of righteousness.

Jesus Camp
The indoctrination of children with fundamentalist dogma is on chilling display in this doc about a Christian summer camp that teaches its young charges to surrender to the will of their Lord. The controversy stirred up by this film led to the closure of the camp in question; though plenty of other similar ones still exist.

Eye of God
Writer, actor, & director Tim Blake Nelson (Animal Factory; The Grey Zone) helms this finely wrought tale of small town tragedy, propelled by a recently released convict's deeply held new-found faith. The top-notch cast includes Martha Plimpton, Kevin Anderson, Richard Jenkins, Hal Holbrook, Nick Stahl, and Margo Martindale.

Day of Wrath
Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1943 film is an austere, eerie tale of religious conviction tearing apart the tranquility of a small Danish village in the 17th century. Accusations of sin and witchcraft turn members of the community against one another... and even against themselves.

The Night of the Hunter
Actor Charles Laughton's only directorial effort was this 1955 classic chiller about a sinister preacher who weds widows before knocking them off and reaping their inheritances. When the children of his latest victim flee, he follows in menacing pursuit. Robert Mitchum is perfectly cast as the murderous preacher, sporting a tattoo of LOVE on one hand and HATE on the other.

Jonestown: The Life & Death of Peoples Temple
The story of the San Franciscan cult founded and led by Jim Jones who, after raising the suspicions of local politicians and police, decided to move his "church" down to Guyana, South America. More than 900 of his followers traveled with him, soon to find themselves participating in one of largest mass suicides in history. This riveting documentary features interviews with surviving members and relatives as well as archival footage and, most disturbingly, audio recordings of the final moments of the cult.

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New Releases - Week of 10/18/11

2011-10-20T05:57:00.000-07:00

New to our shelves this week:

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
The fourth installment for Disney's successful theme-park-ride-inspired franchise, this one steered by Rob Marshall (who directed Chicago and Nine ... sadly, however, Pirates contains no musical numbers - too bad, considering what a great showstopper Jack Sparrow and Keith Richards could've delivered!)

Page One: Inside the New York Times
Andrew Rossi's excellent doc chronicling a year in the life of the newspaper. For other movies about the press, now and before, see our recent blog post here.

Red State
Who knew Kevin Smith was a horror director in hiding? A bloody, tense, button-pushing affair about a Westboro Baptist Church type cult wreaking holy hell on a small town.

Bad Teacher
Cameron Diaz plays the titular teacher in Jake Kasdan's latest comedy. Justin Timberlake and Jason Segel co-star.

A Better Life
Restless filmmaker Chris Weitz (American Pie; About a Boy; Twilight: New Moon) directs this quiet drama about a father and son in East L.A.

Baaria
An autobiographical, generation-spanning epic from Italian filmmaking maestro Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso; Unknown Woman; Malena; A Pure Formality).

Aftershock
A mother is forced to make the hardest choice imaginable during the Great Tangshan Earthquake of 1976. Thirty years later, she discovers the full ramifications of her decision.

The Last Circus
The latest insanity from director Alex de la Iglesia (Dance With the Devil; Day of the Beast), set inside the sinister and psychedelic world of the circus.

The Shock Doctrine
Michael Winterbottom (The Trip; A Mighty Heart) and Mat Whitecross direct this documentary based on Naomi Klein's vitally important expose of contemporary economic and political machinations.

Attack on Leningrad
Gabriel Byrne, Mira Sorvino, and Armin Mueller-Stahl headline this war drama about the 1941 German siege of the Soviet city.

Craig Ferguson: Does This Need to Be Said?

Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest
Profile of the iconic and influential early hip hop group. Wait, where'd you leave your wallet?

The Leningrad Cowboys
Criterion releases both of Aki Kaurismaki's deadpan comedies, Leningrad Cowboys Go America and Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses, about an extremely unlikely rockband from Finland. The set also includes the Total Balalaika Show, a concert film of the Cowboys performing in Helsinki with the Alexandrov Red Army Choir and Ballet.

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15 Great Newspaper Movies

2011-10-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that the Fourth Estate is in a critical state, its future precarious at best. Papers across the country have been downsizing and folding, and those that remain face crucial questions. How does a newspaper remain relevant in an age of instant news feeds and ever-expanding and multiplying sources? How does print media make a case for its own necessity at a time when more and more of our information is found and shared in the cyber-sphere? How can old-fashioned periodicals compete with the ease and access of on-line sites?

While the prospects of print media may look grim, the struggle is far from over. Though some pundits appear to be more than willing to sound the death knell for the newspaper now, others argue that it's a premature call. Too many issues remain: while the quick accessibility of on-line sources can't be denied, the fact is that most of these sites are news aggregates. Begging the question: if you do away with the "real life" news-gatherers, what will be left for these sites to aggregate? Regardless of the form in which the news is eventually delivered, it is still necessary for journalists to do the footwork and investigation required to report the stories. We still need reporters. And local papers still serve a very worthy service for their communities -- Vermont's own Seven Days is a great testament to that.

With the release of Andrew Rossi's revealing look at The New York Times, we thought it would be a good time to take a look at some of the best newspaper movies:

Page One: Inside the New York Times
An excellent, thought-provoking documentary about the legendary, influential paper and the challenges (crises) it faces with the rise of new media. Featuring a great cast of characters - particularly ex-addict turned investigative reporter David Carr - the film captures the struggles the paper must contend with on a daily basis.

Park Row
Sam Fuller (a newspaper man himself) directed this fiery tale of a start-up paper in New York in the 1880s, and the opposition it faces from the bigger, well-established publications. Gene Evans plays the gruff lead - a man for whom the responsibilities of good reporting are paramount - and the movie, while a bit didactic at times, is full of informative tidbits and insightful details about the old customs and practices of the traditional paper.

All the President's Men
This 1979 classic, featuring Dustin Hoffman as Carl Bernstein and Robert Redford as Bob Woodward, exemplifies journalism at its best. The two intrepid reporters followed the actions and questionable exploits of the Nixon administration during the 1972 presidential campaign, including the infamous Watergate hotel break-in. Their dogged investigation and subsequent stories published in The Washington Post have been largely credited with helping to bring about the resignation of Richard Nixon.

State of Play
The 2009 feature film version of State of Play is a decent thriller that offers some broad commentary on the current issues facing print media. However, it's the original 2003 BBC mini-series that really delivers. The riveting six hour saga (starring Bill Nighy, John Simm, James McAvoy, & Kelly Macdonald) twists and turns through political scandals and cover-ups, while following a group of investigative journalists as they chase the story and root out the truth, all the while facing the financial restrictions and bureaucratic hassles that hamper the modern press.

The Wire - 5th Season
The highly acclaimed HBO series, created by Ed Burns and former journalist David Simon, turned their attention towards the press in the fifth season, which featured a fictionalized version of the Baltimore Sun and addressed concerns such as journalistic ethics and the proper role of the media in society's treatment of crime and punishment.

Generation Kill
A second entry for Simon & Burns, this HBO mini-series follows the exploits of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of the US Marines during their 2003 mission into Iraq. (They were the first military unit to enter the country.) The series is based on the work of Evan Wright, a reporter for Rolling Stone magazine, who was embedded with the battalion, and who remained with them for two months. In addition to being a great series chronicling the intensity of modern warfare, the show also paints an excellent portrait of wartime reporters and the danger and pressures they face.

There are several other great films which focus on the perilous (but necessary) role of the journalist during times of war and conflict, including Michael Winterbottom's Welcome to Sarajevo, Oliver Stone's Salvador, Roger Spottiswoode's Under Fire, and the documentary War Photographer about the fearless James Nachtwey.

Zodiac
Based on the true story of the so-called Zodiac killer who terrorized the residents of San Francisco over the course of several years in the 1970s, David Fincher's film actually focuses on the three newspaper men who would obsessively investigate the crimes in an effort to unmask the identity of the killer.

Ace in the Hole
Exposing an uglier side of journalism, Billy Wilder's acerbic tale follows a less-than-scrupulous reporter (Kirk Douglas) who scoops the story of a miner trapped in a shaft and then must decide whether or not to prolong the situation in order to possibly win the coveted Pulitzer Prize.

Shattered Glass
Speaking of unscrupulous reporters, this 2003 film depicts the rise and fall of Stephen Glass, wunderkind reporter for the New Republic who was eventually discovered to have embellished or completely fabricated a large number of his stories. Glass joined the ignominious ranks of Jayson Blair, Janet Cooke, Patricia Smith, Jay Forman, and others - journalists who were dismissed from their posts when their lies and exaggerations came to light.

Sweet Smell of Success
A searing portrayal of the opportunistic columnists and desperate publicists of the entertainment world of the 50s. Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis square off in Alexander Mackendrick's revered classic, with a biting script by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman.

Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media
Ten years in the making, this documentary by Mark Achbar (The Corporation) and Peter Wintonick, examines the life and work of noted linguist and controversial intellectual Noam Chomsky, with special focus on the social critic's deconstruction of the modern media.

The Paper
Ron Howard's amiable 1994 film features a game cast (including Michael Keaton, Robert Duvall, Marisa Tomei, Glenn Close, and Jason Robards) who work at a small paper in New York and struggle to compete against the larger publications and the demands of publishing daily.

His Girl Friday
The fastest comedy on record! Cary Grant is a newspaper editor who employs reckless tactics and questionable ethics whether in pursuit of a good scoop or a great romance; Rosalind Russell is the tough reporter who holds her own in the boys' club and against the (renewed) advances of ex-husband Grant. An exhilarating show of verbal jousting and cagey maneuvers drives the momentum, while the 'anything-for-a-story' ethos gets a good ribbing. Based on the stage hit by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur (both of whom began their careers as newspaper men), which was adapted for the screen before (1931's The Front Page by Lewis Milestone) and after (1974's The Front Page by Billy Wilder and, unfortunately, as 1988's Switching Channels), but never as wildly or as satisfyingly as Howard Hawks' 1941 masterwork.

It Happened One Night
A great many classic Hollywood romantic comedies centered around reporters of one kind of another, and many of them are well worth watching (including Nothing Sacred, Libeled Lady, Woman of the Year, and The Philadelphia Story), but perhaps none of them are as well-regarded as Frank Capra's Oscar-winning early screwball offering featuring Claudette Colbert as a dissatisfied heiress and Clark Gable as the undercover reporter vying for a great story.

Citizen Kane
Orson Welles' revered film (a regular staple of "Best of" lists of all stripes) is a thinly-veiled portrait of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. The story follows the rise to power of a young idealist named Charles Foster Kane who would eventually become the largest publishing tycoon in the country - and in the process become corrupted by the very power and influence he struggled to achieve.

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New Releases - Week of 10/11/11

2011-10-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

New to Our Shelves This Week:

The Tree of Life
Terrence Malick's latest offering divided audiences across the country. (Some theaters even posted warnings that no refunds would be given to viewers who walked out of screenings!) Some hailed it as profound; others simply found it confounding. Either way, it is a singular experience.

The Trip
Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon star in Michael Winterbottom's highly enjoyable picaresque (edited into feature-length form from a six-part television series). The two entertain one another with impressions and comic riffs, bicker about status and personal foibles, and eat well along the way.

Terri
An overweight teenager struggles to find a sense of belonging in this indie film by Azazel Jacobs (Momma's Man; The GoodTimesKid). John C. Reilly and Creed Bratton co-star. (A video store rental exclusive - not available through Netflix or Redbox!)

Green Lantern
Ryan Reynolds dons the tight suit for this week's superhero release.

Horrible Bosses
The game cast of this amusing black comedy includes Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey, and a very hilarious Jennifer Aniston.

Submarino
Thomas Vinterberg (The Celebration) delivers another tragedy-tinged Danish drama.

Mr. Nice
Biopic of Howard Marks, one of the biggest hashish & marijuana distributors in the world during the 70s. Read Margot Harrison's review of it here.

Arena
Lethal stakes gladiatorial games, starring Samuel L. Jackson.

Zookeeper
Kevin James presides over animals running amok in this family-friendly comedy.
And for some reason, the premise just keeps reminding me of this no-so-family-friendly classic Gilda Radner bit:

Beautiful Boy
Maria Bello and Michael Sheen play the parents of a high school shooter.

"Master Harold"... and the Boys
This latest adaptation of Athol Fugard's play stars Ving Rhames.

The Princess of Montpensier
Acclaimed French director Bertrand Tavernier (Life and Nothing But; 'Round Midnight; In the Electric Mist) delivers a 16th Century-set drama.

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer
Family film based on the popular book series. (A video store rental exclusive - not available through Netflix or Redbox!)

The Child's Eye, The Sylvian Experiment, Vlog, Mulberry Street, & The Caller (2011)
This week's horror offerings.

Bones - 6th Season

Gavin & Stacey - 2nd & 3rd Seasons
This English/Welsh sitcom is not only hilarious, it's got heart to spare!

Snuff Box
Hilarious absurdity from Matt Berry and Rich Fulcher (The Mighty Boosh).

The Riddle of the Sands
Well respected 1979 adaptation of what's considered to be the first British spy novel.

Last Exit to Brooklyn
Adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr.'s 1950s set novel.

Phaedra
Jules Dassin's re-telling of the Greek myth stars Anthony Perkins and Melina Mercouri.

Blue Sunshine
70s cult horror film explains how bad acid can lead to really bad hair days. Reefer Madness for the LSD set.

Queer as Folk (UK) - Complete Series
The original British series finally gets a DVD release!

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Horror remakes and new releases...

2011-10-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

Let's talk horror remakes... 'tis the season, right?
Is there any other genre that has engendered as many remakes as horror? This year has already seen a slew of them such as Fright Night, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, & The Crazies, with several more (The Thing, Straw Dogs) on the way. Why is there such an urge to re-tell the same spooky stories? Is it because the latest advances in special effects and make-up allow filmmakers to constantly up the ante on gore and shocks? Is it cheaper (financially and creatively) to simply rehash and revive the cult faves rather than take chances on original material? Or is it part of the long horror tradition, updating and modifying the old campfire tales to send new shivers down the spines of contemporary audiences? Whatever the reason, the horror remake is definitely here to stay. Here, we take a look at some of the best and worst (obviously, subjective views follow - there's a reason Zombie's Halloween isn't listed amongst the duds; I liked it, dammit! - but we'd love to get your comments agreeing or disagreeing and sharing your own lists)...

Why? Just... why?
A lot of times, remakes are doomed from the start - the original is too revered or the wrong hands are involved. Other times, they suck for other reasons.
Five horror remakes that have no business existing:

The Omen (2006)
The tale of the ultimate demon spawn got a still-born reboot with this lifeless mess. Watching this one in a crowded theater on opening night (6/6/6... get it?) was a depressing experience: 40 minutes in, the audience was so bored they even stopped heckling.

The Haunting (1999)
Robert Wise's original 1963 film is a classic take on the spooky old house subset, creepy and unsettling, that makes masterful use of suggestion and withheld imagery. The 1999 version... does not.

The Fog (2005)
Really, any number of other titles could have taken this spot (Amityville Horror, Friday the 13th, The Stepfather, Nightmare on Elm Street, Children of the Corn, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Prom Night, The Hitcher, and so on and on and on)... remakes that are really mere re-treads, adding nothing to the original and pretty much just existing as forgettable cash-ins by the studios.

The Wicker Man (2006)
Neil LaBute's update of the 1973 cult classic is one of the more enjoyable unintentional comedies around, but as a horror film it fails on every level. Still, of all the ones mentioned so far, this was by far the most fun! (Plus, it gave rise to some great parody memes, such as Mega Wicker Man...)

Psycho (1998)
In 1960, Alfred Hitchcock shocked audiences in myriad ways with his twisted tale of a demented hotelier and his unlucky guest. Arguably the first modern horror film, Hitch subverted viewers' expectations and made them afraid to take showers... Forty years later, indie darling Gus Van Sant made one of the biggest missteps of his career, deciding to compile a shot-for-shot remake of the original (or rather a so-called shot-for-shot remake - there are plenty of differences between the two versions). Neither an homage nor a fresh take, Van Sant's Psycho is just a mistake.

Hey... That actually worked!
Once in a (great) while, a remake comes along that manages to improve on the original...

Evil Dead II (1987)
Sam Raimi's film is technically a sequel, but works just as well as a remake - upping both the gore quotient and the black humor factor of his 1981 flick.

Sorority Row (2009)
The House on Sorority Row from 1983 is a disposable bit of exploitation horror... and so is the 2009 version. The difference is in the wink. The remake knows full well what it wants to be and delivers camptastically. Plus, it has Carrie Fisher in it!

Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Zack Snyder eschewed both the overt socio-political allegory as well as the slow-shuffling zombies of Romero's 1978 film and instead created an adrenaline-charged invasion thriller.

The Hills Have Eyes (2006) / Piranha (2010)
French director Alexandre Aja deserves special mention in the horror remake category. First, he turned Wes Craven's sordid 1977 tale of a vacationing family under siege by nuclear mutants (an interesting conceit featuring some clear social metaphors that came up short in the execution) into a tensely relentless experience. Then, he took Joe Dante's 1978 Corman-produced Jaws knock-off and re-fashioned it as a severed-tongue-in-cheek gorefest. Good times!

The Fly (1986)
The 1958 low-budget Vincent Price vehicle proved perfect fodder for David Cronenberg's fascination/preoccupation with body horror. Jeff Goldblum is perfectly cast as the mad scientist who unwittingly becomes his own experiment.

So what are your thoughts? Which remakes do you think worked? Which ones failed? Are there any flicks out there begging to be remade? (And we haven't even mentioned the host of foreign-to-American remakes: Let Me In, The Ring, The Grudge, Dark Water, One Missed Call, and so on... Which ones made the translation?)

New to Our Shelves This Week:

Submarine
Richard Ayoade (of The IT Crowd, The Mighty Boosh, Nathan Barley, & Garth Merenghi's Darkplace cult fame) adapts and directs Joe Dunthorne's hilariously insightful novel about a Welsh teenager coming to terms both with his parents' fraught relationship and his own sexual stirrings.

Fast Five
Justin Lin directs this latest installment in the kinetically powered franchise.

Prohibition
Ken Burns' excellent documentary on the grand but doomed "social experiment" -- impossible to watch without seeing the clear implications this bit of history holds for our own time.

Buck
A well-received doc about Buck Brannaman, the "real horse whisperer."

Macbeth
Patrick Stewart gives a stellar performance in this latest adaptation of the Scottish play. (See our theme shelf for the 13 other versions of the film we have!)

The Presence
A romantic ghost story starring Mira Sorvino, Justin Kirk, and Shane West.

Nothing Personal
A woman explores solitude, leaving her home in Holland for Ireland.

The High Cost of Living
Zach Braff stars as a drug-dealer in this romantic drama.

Nostalgia For the Light
Patricio Guzman's documentary on astronomers in Chile's Atacama Desert.

Legend of the Millennium Dragon

The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway
Pee-Wee's back! Secret word of the day is: Awesome.

Captain America (1992)

Fall of Eagles

Vera - 1st Season

The League - 2nd Season

In Treatment - 3rd Season

Bored to Death - 2nd Season

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Horror deals & new releases...

2011-09-30T11:48:00.000-07:00

October is upon us... Halloween is right around the corner... Ready to get your HORROR on?

All next week, from Sunday to Saturday (10/2-8), to help get you in the mood,
when you rent one horror film, you can get another one free!
(limit one freebie per visit)

Also coming next week:
The first show of Vermont Stage Company's season (and the first show produced under the auspices of the new artistic director, Cristina Alicia), Photograph 51 boasts a great, all local cast and tells a compelling story of scientific discovery and disputed credit. Check it out!

New to Our Shelves This Week:

Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon
Don't let the title mislead you: Michael Bay's latest installment in the franchise has nothing to do with Pink Floyd.

Carlos
Read Margot Harrison's review of the latest by Olivier Assayas here - part of her Movies You Missed blog series for Seven Days.

The Hour
This late-50s set BBC series just got picked up for another season.

The Arbor
Documentary on the troubled daughter of the troubled late playwright Andrea Dunbar.

The Ledge

L'Amour Fou

L.A. Zombie
Provocateur Bruce LaBruce continues mashing-up horror, porn, & satire with this follow-up to his Otto; or Up With Dead People.

Miss Nobody

Without Men

Inside Out

American Loser

The Lost Future

The Phantom Carriage
Criterion releases Victor Sjostrom's 1921 classic fable. One of the films that inspired Ingmar Bergman to make movies.

Inspector Lewis - 4th Season

Hung - 2nd Season

How I Met Your Mother - 6th Season

Modern Family - 2nd Season
"Don't apologize. I love it when you're human."

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Contests & New Releases

2011-09-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

This past week we ran a contest looking for everyone's favorite movie-related song. Congratulations to Amelia who wins some free rentals for her choice of "Sugar High" from Empire Records! View the winning entry in our movie-related song contest here. To view the other videos that were posted (and there were some great videos posted!), visit the Waterfront Video Facebook page. There will be more games, contests, and special deals announced through our Facebook page in the future, so be sure to "Like" us.

New to Our Shelves This Week:

Bridesmaids
One of the funniest movies of the year, featuring some of the funniest ladies in the biz, gets a DVD released loaded with hilarious extras. (This is a video-store exclusive; not available through Netflix/Qwikster or Redbox.) Comes with the option of watching either the theatrical cut or the unrated extended version.

Setup
Bruce Willis, 50 Cent, & Ryan Phillippe star in this direct-to-DVD actioner. Gotta be good, right?

Silent Light
Carlos Reygadas follows up his divisive Battle in Heaven with this meditative tale of an adulterous affair in a Mennonite community.

4th & Goal
Documentary that follows six aspiring footballers and their attempt to make it into the NFL.

Circo
Documentary on a traveling Mexican circus troupe.

If a Tree Falls
Documentary on the controversial environmental activist group, Earth Liberation Front. Features music by The National.

The Kennedys
See what caused all the hoopla with this mini-series that was originally commissioned by The History Channel, only to be unceremoniously dropped later. (Whether this decision was reached due to pressure from influential insider sources or other factors is still a matter of speculation.)

Raising Hope - 1st Season

Mike & Molly - 1st Season

Castle - 3rd Season

Aziz Ansari: Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening
Get your funny on with one of the stars of Parks & Recreation, Human Giant, and Funny People.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973)
See the original horror flick that inspired the recent remake.

Les Cousins
Suspense maestro Claude Chabrol's second feature.

Daguerreotypes
An early personal essay/documentary by Agnes Varda.

Star Wars on Blu-Ray
See Lucas mess with your childhood more clearly than ever before! The complete saga plus a plethora of cool extras is included in this Blu-Ray boxset.

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New York Characters & New Releases...

2011-09-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

Bill Cunningham New York, a delightful documentary on the eccentric and wonderfully good-natured octogenarian photographer, familiar to all readers of the New York Times' Sunday Style section and many others, received its DVD release this week, and I highly recommend it. It's hard not to be taken with the man - his philosophy, his humor, and his work. Watching it called to mind some other great profiles of New York characters, of all stripes...

I Like Killing Flies
The irascible and oddly endearing chef and diner owner Kenny Shopsin pontificates on food, community, and... whatever else crosses his mind in Matt Mahurin's lo-fi doc.

Pie in the Sky: The Brigid Berlin Story
The daughter of Manhattan socialites, Berlin left behind the world of debutantes and soirees at a young age to pursue a more idiosyncratic path. A regular amongst the New York underground scene, Berlin was a famed member of the Warhol Factory and a good friend of Andy himself. In addition to pursuing her own artistic muse (ie, her "Cock Book" and appearances in John Waters' films), she also candidly battled eating disorders and obsessive compulsive tendencies. In Shelly Dunn & Vincent Freemont's documentary, she holds forth on her past and present accomplishments and challenges with refreshing honesty.

The Cruise
A tour guide of New York's Gray Line double-decker buses, Timothy "Speed" Levitch treats his captive audiences to stream-of-consciousness musings on subjects ranging from historical and architectural trivia to philosophical conjectures to reasons why he loves his city. Levitch is also featured in Richard Linklater's doc, Live From Shiva's Dance Floor.

Public Speaking
Martin Scorsese directs this portrait of noted writer and iconoclastic thinker Fran Lebowitz, who delivers witty and provocative reflections on an impressive range of topics.

This week's new arrivals:

Thor
This week's superhero quota is fulfilled by Thor and his mighty hammer. Kenneth Branagh directs!

Hesher
Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a rough-living loner who becomes entwined in one family's lives. Also stars Rainn Wilson and Natalie Portman.

Incendies
Denis Villeneuve's Oscar-nominated film is a riveting, Middle Eastern set mystery (based on a play by Wajdi Mouawad) that leads to a sucker-punch of an ending.

Meek's Cutoff
The latest from Kelly Reichardt (Wendy and Lucy, Old Joy) is a slow-burning Western, starring Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, and Paul Dano.

American Breakdown
This omnibus film strings together several shorts, featuring James Gandolfini, Steve Carell, Eric Stonestreet, Paris Hilton, and many others.

Blades of Blood
The latest Korean martial arts flick. Original title: Goo-reu-meul beo-eo-nan dal-cheo-reom... Not sure why they changed it.

True Legend
Another martial arts offering, this one directed by Woo-ping Yuen (fight choreographer for Kill Bill; The Matrix; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; and many others).

Son of Morning
Nothing like being mistaken for the messiah to make you famous overnight.

Brand New Day
Geoffrey Rush stars in this Australian musical comedy.

Wishful Drinking
Carrie Fisher's wonderful one-woman show. Read a great AV Club interview with Fisher here.

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop
When Conan becomes contractually forbidden from performing on television, radio, or the interweb, he takes it on the road. Read Margot Harrison's here, part of her Movies You Missed blog series for Seven Days.

Vidal Sassoon: The Movie
Documentary profile of the influential stylist.

The National: A Skin, A Night
Vincent Moon's impressionistic portrait of the band as they record their album Boxer.

'Tis the season for TV on DVD! This week's arrivals:

Rescue Me - 6th & Final Season

Glee - 2.2nd Season

Camelot - 1st Season

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena - 1st Season

The Big Bang Theory - 4th Season

Grey's Anatomy - 7th Season

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - 6th Season

For more movie news & notes -- as well occasional exclusive deals --
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Spotlight on Michael Fassbender! Plus New Releases...

2011-09-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

On Friday, X-Men: First Class comes out on DVD as a video store exclusive (not available through Netflix or Redbox). This highly entertaining origin story is directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, Layer Cake) and features a great cast that includes James McAvoy, Rose Byrne, Oliver Platt, Kevin Bacon, January Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, and Nicholas Hoult. But it's Michael Fassbender, who plays the young Magneto, who gets the spotlight this week...

Fassbender has quickly and quietly established himself as one of the strongest and more versatile actors working today. With a duo of upcoming, highly anticipated films (David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method, where he plays Carl Jung opposite Viggo Mortensen's Sigmund Freud, and British director Steve McQueen's Shame, where he portrays a sex addict), Fassbender seems poised to cement his rising stardom. Here we take a look at some of his earlier roles:

Hunger
Steve McQueen's directorial debut is an austere and meditative look at the 1981 IRA hunger strike in the Maze Prison of Northern Ireland. Fassbender plays strike leader Bobby Sands in a physically transformative performance that is as unsettling as it is impressive.

Fish Tank
Director Andrea Arnold's excellent depiction of Mia, an aspiring teenage flygirl, features authentic performances and a vivid sense of place. Fassbender shows up as the seductive boyfriend of Mia's mother - a beguiling mixture of charm and danger.

Inglourious Basterds
In Tarantino's divisive revisionist war fantasy, Fassbender plays one of the Basterds, Lt. Archie Hicox, whose tension-filled scene in the basement of a German tavern is one of the film's stand-out sequences.

Eden Lake
One of the more effective horror offerings of recent years, this disturbing tale centers on a young couple on holiday (Fassbender and Kelly Reilly) who find themselves terrorized by a menacing group of chavs. White-knuckled suspense marked by moments of gore and terror.

Other notable new releases:
Hanna
Joe Wright (Atonement) directs this action thriller, starring Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, and Cate Blanchett. This is also a video store exclusive (not available through Netflix or Redbox).

Everything Must Go
Will Ferrell stars in this adaptation of a Raymond Carver short story.

Frederick Wiseman on DVD!
Our first offerings by the legendary documentarian include his two most recent films, Boxi ng Gym and La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet, as well as his first, Titicut Follies from 1967, an unsettling look inside the Massachusetts Correctional Institution Bridgewater.

Another good week for TV on DVD!

The Office - 7th Season
Catch Michael Scott's final season and learn a new dance in the process!

Parks and Recreation - 3rd Season

Community - 2nd Season

The Good Wife - 2nd Season

Fringe - 3rd Season

For more movie news & notes -- as well occasional exclusive deals -- like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Labor Day Sale, Hurricane Relief Efforts, & New Releases

2011-09-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

Labor Day Weekend Customer Appreciation Sale!!!

Stop by the store between Friday and Monday for our annual
Customer Appreciation Weekend.
Discounted rentals, late-fee forgiveness,
deals on all previously-viewed movies for sale, & more!

This has of course been a difficult time for many of our neighbors in this state as we all come to terms with the destruction and devastating effects of Hurricane Irene. Relief efforts had already begun before the storm was over, and there has been a truly affecting display of generosity and community spirit as volunteers and organizations around Vermont have stepped up to help.
If you are looking for ways to get involved in the relief effort, some recommended sites include:
An excellent resource that has helped co-ordinate much of the aid effort, #VTResponse.
A VT Irene Flood relief fund was also created on Facebook here.
Governor Shumlin posted about ways to donate on his blog.
And Seven Days has done a typically great job of reporting on the state of the state as well as offering directories of sites and organizations active in the relief efforts, especially this list here.
Texting FOODNOW to 52000 will donate $10 to the Vermont Foodbank.
There are also a couple of benefit concerts being planned for next weekend, including this one on Sunday the 11th at Nectar's. We'll post more info about these over the next week.
And at the Waterfront Video store, we will have Red Cross donation boxes available. Because every little bit helps.

(Thanks to James B. for the WeepyVT picture.)

New to our shelves this week:

In a Better World
Susanne Bier's Oscar-winner for Best Foreign Language Film of 2010.

Prom
Who are you going with?

True Adolescents
Mumblecore enters its 30s.

The Perfect Host
David Hyde Pierce hosts a dinner party with a rather sinister menu.

Forks Over Knives
Documentary examining the relationship between diet and disease.

Police, Adjective
Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu follows up his excellent droll comedy, 12:08 East of Bucharest, with this meditation on the banality of procedure and intricacies of semantics.

X
An erotic Australian thriller.

Wrecked
Adrien Brody awakes in the wreckage of a car with no memory of how he wound up there.

Skateland
Back to the 80s... again.

Sons of Anarchy - 3rd Season

House - 7th Season

Cougar Town - 2nd Season

Parenthood - 2nd Season

Running Wilde - 1st Season

The Vampire Diaries - 2nd Season

Brewster McCloud
Altman's early absurdist comedy gets an MOD release.

The Complete Vigo
Criterion releases a 2-disc set of legendary French director's four films, including the iconic L'Atalante and the iconoclastic Zero du Conduit. A big fan, Michel Gondry, created this short piece of animation to herald the DVD release: watch it here!

For more movie news & notes -- as well occasional exclusive deals -- please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

New Releases & Soundtrack Videos...

2011-08-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

Tom McCarthy, the writer/director of The Station Agent and The Visitor, delivers another understated, quietly observed comic drama this week with Win Win, the story of a small town lawyer and wrestling coach (Paul Giamatti) who gets himself in a difficult situation when he decides to ignore his ethical misgivings and become the legal guardian for one of his own clients (Burt Young). The strong supporting cast also includes Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, and Jeffrey Tambor. Plus, it features a new song by The National whose video got us thinking about other classic soundtrack songs...
Here's The National's "Think You Can Wait"

In addition to being a great song, I really appreciated the "old-school" approach the band took with the video, featuring clips of the film. Although it does make great use of outtakes and b-roll (which is somewhat uncommon), the video still harkens back to that "proud tradition" of the soundtrack video as cross-promotional tool that seemed ubiquitous during MTV's 80s heyday.

Some of those videos, like Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" from Top Gun, were made exclusively of clips from the film:

Mmmm, was it a good montage for you, too, dear?

More often than not, though, the movie clips were interspersed amidst shots of the singer "performing," as in these classics:

That was Madonna's "Live to Tell" from At Close Range, a movie I simply cannot mention without also bringing up its totally awesome tagline: Like Father. Like Son. Like Hell.

Here is Phil Collins' "Take a Look at Me Now" from Against All Odds, a very loose remake of Out of the Past.

But, lest we forget and start thinking it was only the power ballads that got the movie video tie-ins, here's Joe Cocker and "You Can Leave Your Hat On" from 9 1/2 Weeks. Because what else can spice up a Kim Basinger striptease than random shots of Joe Cocker singing?

Of course, there's no shortage of these... What were some of your favorite soundtrack videos?

Some other films new to our shelves this week:

Road to Nowhere
Read Margot Harrison's review of Monte Hellman's indie film on the Seven Days' blog here. Margot is going to begin reviewing a DVD release each week, focusing on films that never found their way to local theaters. Be sure to check them out!

The Beaver
Jodie Foster directs Mel Gibson and his puppet.

Henry's Crime
Keanu Reeves, Vera Farmiga, & James Caan headline this week's heist flick.

Sympathy for Delicious
Mark Ruffalo's directorial debut.

Little Big Soldier
Jackie Chan wrote and stars in this comic war drama.

Blitz
Bang!

Neds
Peter Mullan (The Magdalene Sisters) directs this drama about Scottish delinquents.

Troll Hunter
Watch the original Norweigan creature feature before the inevitable American remake (already in the works).

Secret Sunshine and Poetry
Criterion releases two dramas by Chang-dong Lee.

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Morgan Spurlock's latest takes a look at product placement -- oh, I'm sorry, I meant "branded entertainment."

Cameraman: The Life & Work of Jack Cardiff
Master cinematographer gets a loving and fitting documentary treatment.

David Holzman's Diary
This early American independent film from 1967 presages the current youtube culture with some prescient satire (and unwieldy equipment).

Stay tuned for news about our upcoming Labor Day Weekend Customer Appreciation Sale!!

And for more movie news & notes -- as well occasional exclusive deals -- please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

2011-08-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

Here's a run-down of some notable recent arrivals...

Jane Eyre
This latest adaptation of the Charlotte Bronte classic stars Mia Wasikowska (The Kids Are All Right), Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot), Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky), and Michael Fassbender (Fish Tank) as Rochester. Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre) directs. See our THEME shelf nearest the New Releases for six previous screen versions of the story.

The Consp irator
Director Robert Redford (who turned 75 this week) crafts a compelling legal drama out of the trial of Mary Surratt, charged with conspiracy in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The film stars James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Kevin Kline, and a great many other seasoned character actors.

Paul
Super
Your Highness
A trio of R-rated comedies featuring plenty of bawdiness and high-jinks. (Don't forget your snacks.)

Outside the Law
This nomination for 2010's Best Foreign Language Oscar follows the exploits of three brothers during the Algerian struggle for independence.

The Ward
John Carpenter returns with this horror tale set in an asylum.

New series t0 our shelves:
Dexter - Season 5
After the previous season's wallop of an ending, America's favorite serial killer tries to put the pieces back together.

Luther - Season 1
Idris Alba (Stringer Bell from The Wire) stars as an unhinged detective in this BBC series.

MST3K vs Gamera
B-Moviedom's biggest smart-asses take on the Japanese beast in this 5-disc set.

The Larry Sanders Show
We now have the complete collection of The Larry Sanders Show on DVD! An early HBO original series, a groundbreaking sitcom, and a hilarious watch, the show boasted a cavalcade of comic talent. Garry Shandling, Rip Torn, & Jeffrey Tambor anchored the proceedings, but there was no shortage of supporting brilliance: Judd Apatow, Jon Stewart, Janeane Garofalo, Scott Thompson, Peter Tolan, Jeremy Piven, Carol Burnett, Bob Odenkirk, Roseanne, Dana Carvey, Sarah Silverman, Steven Wright, Jeff Goldblum, Bob Saget, David Letterman, Sandra Bernhard, Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, and Ellen Degeneres... to name just a few! Really, who wasn't on this show?!

Two Criterion releases:
Cul-de-Sac
An early, darkly comic thriller by Roman Polanski.

The Killing
Kubrick's great heist flick comes with a wealth of extras as well as his earliest feature, The Killer's Kiss. Also boasts the best cover art of the week, hands down:

For more movie news & notes -- as well occasional exclusive deals -- please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

2011-08-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

A great many thanks to all those who voted for us as the Best Place to Rent a Movie inside Chittenden County! This is our ninth out of nine Daysies Awards, and we sincerely appreciate the loyalty of all our customers who have been so supportive of us and who have continued renting local over the past 15 years. We hope to continue providing movies of all stripes and serving the community for a long time to come!

And now on to movie news...
An interesting development in the distribution of classic and obscure films on DVD include the rise of the MOD (manufactured-on-demand) model that has been adopted by many major studios. This means that they are making titles available on a "made-to-order" basis -- basically, putting them out as limited DVD-R editions. As of now, Netflix, Redbox, Blockbuster, and other major rental outlets are not carrying these titles. However, Waterfront Video is! So stop by and pick up some long unavailable gems & curios, including:

Park Row
Sam Fuller's newspaper classic may be didactic at times, but it's fiery and obviously from the heart. As usual with Fuller, there is plenty of grit, piss & vinegar -- as well as an expected dose of soapboxing. The few moments of crowd mayhem are staged excellently and it's no surprise why Scorsese cites the picture as influential. Gene Evans is great in the gruff lead -- he and Fuller were made for each other.

Mickey One
One of Arthur Penn's early features, this feisty, eccentric flick tells the grim tale of a comic (Warren Beatty) caught up in danger he doesn't understand. The narrative is fractured and at times messy (deliberately and otherwise), but the energy of the filmmaking is impressive start to finish. Penn borrows generously from the European cinematic sensibilities of the sixties (Godard, Fellini, Bergman, Bunuel, etc) but filters it all through a distinctly American, noir-tinged lens. The surrealistic moments and oddball bit characters add to the underlying sense of paranoia and disorientation.

Crackers
Louis Malle's 1984 heist comedy, featuring Sean Penn, Donald Sutherland, Wallace Shawn, and Jack Warden.

2 Weeks in Another Town
Vincente Minnelli's somewhat follow-up to his classic insider Hollywood tale, The Bad & The Beautiful. This one also stars Kirk Douglas.

The Search & The Defector
Two Montgomery Clift films - his first and last! The Search, from 1948, stars an Oscar-nominated Clift as a soldier in occupied Germany (filmed on location) who befriends a young boy separated from his mother. The Defector, from 1966, is a cold war thriller that, although low on actual thrills, does contain one great hallucinatory sequence that presaged the psychedelic movement around the corner.

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt & While the City Sleeps
Two Fritz Lang thrillers from 1956 -- the first a courtroom drama with a great twist, the second a serial killer tale that seems to have set the template for many a suspense film to follow.

The Secret War of Harry Frigg & Sometimes a Great Notion
Two Paul Newman films -- the first a WWII set comedy, the second a drama about a family logging business struggling in a changing economy, directed by Newman.

Other recent releases of note:

Life During Wartime

Source Code

Peep World

Heartbeats

Potiche

Rango

My Dog Tulip

Winter in Wartime

Of Gods and Men

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune

Hey, Boo: Harper Lee & To Kill a Mockingbird

Stephen Fry in America & Last Chance to See

And, as always, for more movie news & notes -- as well occasional exclusive deals -- please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

ch-ch-ch-changes, & coming distractions

2011-04-27T15:44:00.000-07:00

After 13 years of films and good times, Waterfront Video Middlebury will rent its last movie on April 30th. Though the end of things are always sad, the good news is there will be a giant liquidation sale at the Middlebury location at 259 Maple St. in Marbleworks. Go to our website for a map. The sale will run from the beginning to the middle of May, but store hours will be limited so check the website often for an updated schedule. We hope to see you there!

We will continue to rent our vast selection from the Burlington location. Plus, we have some exciting deals in the works for the summer time. The suspense!

Movies to be released May 3rd, 2011:

Green Hornet - Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz, & Christoph Waltz in Michel Gondry's (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Science of Sleep) take on the superhero genre. We also have a new superhero section! See store for more details. Also: a new fantasy section.

The Dilemma

A Somewhat Gentle Man

A small sampling of titles out since we last spoke (I've been gone so long! I'm sorry, long-distance relationships have always been hard for me - but I promise I've been thinking about you every day):

The King's Speech

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows pt. 1

Somewhere

Rabbit Hole

Gulliver's Travels

Coming Distractions & MORE

2011-03-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Gary Lambert for winning our Oscar Contest with 17 out of 24 correct predictions!

And thanks to everyone who entered! I was far more entertained grading all your ballots than I would have been just watching the awards...

New to our shelves:

The Fighter - Congratulations to Christian Bale and Melissa Leo for sweeping up supporting actor awards.

Hereafter - Matt Damon in a Clint Eastwood picture about death.

Waste Land - Oscar nominated documentary about turning garbage into art.

The Switch - Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Jeff Goldblum, & Patrick Wilson. You know what else has Jeff Goldblum (and Michelle Pfeiffer with great hair, & David Bowie acting like Ricky Gervais, & more directors acting than you can shake a stick at)?

...

But back to the new movies:

The Next Three Days: Paul Haggis (Crash) remake of Pour Elle (we don't have it, je suis désolé). Haggis is one of the few ex-Scientologists to speak out about the collective, you can check it out in a recent New Yorker... if you dare...

Fish Tank - Watch it! Trust this semi-anonymous voice from across the internet!

Get Low - Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, & Bill Murray in the acclaimed film about a pre-mortem funeral.

Four Lions - An English comedy about a group of inept terrorists.

Plus many more, stop in the store to check out the rest!

2011-02-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

Just a few days left to enter our Oscar contest!
Stop by the store, fill out a ballot, and whoever predicts/guesses the highest number of correct winners, gets 20 free rentals!!
(Oscar broadcast is this Sunday evening on ABC.)

This week Due Date, the latest from director Todd Phillips (Old School, The Hangover), gets its DVD release. The mismatched buddy road trip comedy stars Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. But it's Galifianakis who steals our blog's spotlight for this post...

Galifianakis has recently become an unlikely Hollywood star, being featured in high grossing comedies as well as indie films. In addition to Due Date, the last year has seen the DVD releases of It's Kind of a Funny Story, Dinner For Schmucks, Operation: Endgame, Frenemy, Youth in Revolt, Visioneers, Up in the Air, and the HBO series Bored to Death. (He's also managed to appear regularly on The Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! as well as guest star on American Dad and Funny or Die Presents... during that time.) Busy guy!

Here, for your amusement and bewilderment, are a few random clips of other Galifianakis appearances, beginning with an episode of his own "talkshow," Between Two Ferns:

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Michael Cera from Between Two Ferns

This is an honest-to-goodness real ad (albeit for Swedish television) that Zach made with his frequent cohorts, Tim & Eric:

Here's a video he made with Will Oldham for Kayne West's Can't Tell Me Nothing:

And finally, here's one of my favorite clips from one of his stand-up acts:

Also new to our shelves this week:
(click on the titles for more information)

Fish Tank

Director Andrea Arnold follows up her unconventional, unsettling thriller – the excellent Red Road – with an equally blistering and captivating character portrait. Newcomer Katie Jarvis impresses as the brash and impulsive 15 year old Mia, struggling to find balance and make sense of her inchoate rage, fly-girl aspirations, and burgeoning sexuality. Mired in the trappings of her low class environs, she attempts to navigate (not always successfully) the tensions and conflicts of life in general and teenager-dom in particular. Many scenes/sequences are difficult to watch, unnervingly fraught with potential disaster, but there is an assured restraint to the direction (as well as writing and performances) that consistently keep the proceedings from descending into unremitting bleakness or generic formula. The result is powerful and highly recommended.

Get Low

Mesrine: Killer Instinct

Nurse Jackie - 2nd Season

Weeds - 6th Season

Doc Martin - 2nd Season

The Bird Can't Fly

Birdemic: Shock and Terror

Sword of War

Summer Wars

Leaving

Room in Rome

Change of Plans

Purple Sea

Carmo: Hit the Road

Red Mercury

The Good Earth

Red Dwarf - Season 2

New Docs:

William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
Check out our THEME shelf for other documentaries, films, and cinematic experiments starring or inspired by the complicated and influential Beat/Punk icon.

Mugabe and the White African

Last Train Home

Two in the Wave

Kings of Pastry and
Pressure Cooker
Be sure to check out our FOOD shelf for other culinary-inspired films and documentaries. Mmmmmm.....

Until the Light Takes Us

For more news, updates, and exclusive deals,
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2011-02-16T11:40:00.001-08:00

Is Our Children Learning?

This week sees the release of Davis Guggenheim's recent documentary, Waiting for "Superman" - an exploration into some of the issues surrounding America's failing educational system and a look at some possible solutions. We thought we'd offer a few other films dealing with the trials and tribulations of teachers and schools...

The First Year
A 2001 documentary, also by Guggenheim, that follows 5 teachers through-out their first years.

The Lottery
Another 2010 documentary about our educational crisis, this one focusing on the high stakes lottery system that allows a small number of children to enter Charter Schools.

The Wire - 4th Season
One of television's most acclaimed series turned its attention on Baltimore schools in their excellent fourth season.

The Ron Clark Story
Matthew Perry stars in this factually-based story of a smalltown teacher who relocates to the big city and faces the challenges of urban education. See also: Blackboard Jungle, Stand and Deliver, Lean On Me, Dangerous Minds, Teachers, & Half Nelson.

The Class, Skirt Day, & Games of Love and Chance
Three French films showing that these issues aren't endemic to America...

What are some of your favorite films about teachers and teaching?

In honor of Arcade Fire's recent Grammy win, here's a Spike Jonze directed video for a track off their latest:

New to our shelves:
(click on the title for more information)

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

It's Kind of a Funny Story

Life As We Know It

You Again

Tamara Drewe

The Romantics

For Colored Girls

Middle Men

Paranormal Activity 2

I Spit On Your Grave (2010)

My Soul to Take

Unstoppable

Glorious 39

Wild Target

Hideaway

Still Walking

Unmade Beds

A French Gigolo

Welcome

High Lane

Ong Bak 3

Kites (The Remix)

The Storm Warriors

A Time for Drunken Horses

Against the Current

See You in September

Animal Collective: Oddsac

Project Runway - 8th Season

Top Chef: New York - 5th Season

MI-5 - 6th Season

Other recent arrivals:

Santa Sangre

WUSA

Riot

Chicago Cab

Defense of the Realm

In Old Chicago

The Black Swan (1942)

For more news, updates, and exclusive deals,
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2011-02-02T09:33:00.000-08:00

Oscar Contest!
Now that the Oscar nominations have been announced, we've begun our annual Oscar contest. Stop by the store to fill out a ballot, and the customer with the most correct predictions (guesses?) will win 20 free rentals!

In local performance news, The Vermont Stage Company's production of Oliver Twist is currently up and running - it continues through this week and next. Heavily stylized and drawing upon a great many Victorian-era theatrical traditions and conventions, the show also features a cast of mostly local actors and excellent music by Burlington's David Symons. (You can read the Free Press review here.)

In honor of the show, we've put up a shelf of Twist adaptations in the store -- turns out we've got a few! In addition to David Lean's classic take from 1948 featuring Alec Guinness as Fagin, the Oscar-winning musical version Oliver! from 1968, and Roman Polanski's recent 2005 version, we also have adaptations from 1922, 1933, 1985, 1997, and 2007, as well as several films that offer looser takes on the story such as Disney's Oliver & Company, the queer-oriented Twisted, and the contemporized urban take, A Boy Called Twist.

New to our shelves:

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
The third and final film in the series based on Stieg Larsson's wildly popular books. Now you can see all the original Swedish adaptations before the upcoming, David Fincher directed American versions are released.

Let Me In
Speaking of American versions, this Hollywood remake of the Swedish vampire thriller Let the Right One In has garnered almost as much acclaim as the original.

Red
Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, and John Malkovich lead the charge in this cheeky action film. Also featuring Brian Cox, Mary Louise-Parker, and Richard Dreyfuss.

Dogtooth
Topping John Waters' best of list for 2010, this "perfectly perverse" Greek film about an overly sheltered family was also just nominated for a Best Foreign Language Oscar.

Secretariat
Diane Lane and John Malkovich star in this horse biopic (equinopic?) about the famed racer.

Nowhere Boy
A portrait of a young John Lennon in the formative pre-Beatles years.

Enter the Void
Gaspar Noe (I Stand Alone; Irreversible) latest offering is a drug-frenzied night out.

Never Let Me Go
Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) adaptation of the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro (Remains of the Day; The Saddest Music in the World) stars Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, Andrew Garfield, and Charlotte Rampling.

Welcome to the Rileys
James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo play a couple who develop a surrogate paternal relationship with a young stripper, played by Kristen Stewart.

A Woman, A Gun and a Noodle Shop
Zhang Yimou (Hero; Not One Less; To Live) remakes the Coen Brothers' debut film Blood Simple.

Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer
Alex Gibney (Enron: Smartest Men in the Room; Taxi to the Dark Side; Gonzo; Casino Jack & the United States of Money; Freakonomics) continues his hot doc streak with this look into the scandal and political shenanigans surrounding the former New York governor.

The Tillman Story
A compelling story of a family's quest to reveal the truth behind their son's death in Afghanistan and the subsequent military and government cover-up.

The Lottery
A documentary about charter schools and a good companion piece to Davis Guggenheim's Waiting for "Superman."

Conviction
Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell star in the fact-based story of a sibling's struggle to overturn a false conviction.

Skin
Set during the Apartheid era, this film follows the story of a young black woman (Sophie Okonedo from Hotel Rwanda) born of two white parents.

Night Catches Us
Anthony Mackie and Kerry Washington star in this 70's-set story of a couple struggling to find their place and identity in a racially and politically fractured society.

An Englishman in New York
John Hurt reprises the role of gay icon and activitst Quentin Crisp (having portrayed him 35 years earlier in the adaptation of Crisp's autobiography, The Naked Civil Servant).

Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll

Saw: The Final Chapter
We'll see.

Chain Letter

Monsters

Mean Girls 2

Adventures of Power

Gary Wilson: You Think You Really Know Me

Open Season 3

Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2

Shaun the Sheep: Spring Shen-a-anigans

Glee - 2.1st Season

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2011-01-06T12:14:00.000-08:00

First, dear readers, a giant mea culpa for the delinquency with these blog entries...
and a resolution to return to our regular frequency.

So while tardy, this does happen to be the first posting of the new year. And what better time to talk about annual "best of..." lists. Personally, I've always found it difficult to participate in the compiling and sharing of those types of lists because it always seems to take well into the following year (at least!) to actually get around to seeing all the buzzed-about films -- not to mention the hidden gems and off-the-radar wonders. This is due in part to pure logistics: many films (especially year-end award favorites) often take a while to reach our local theaters; and many films never do arrive, leaving us waiting for the eventual DVD releases. And of course, it's also due in part to time... and the lack of it. Who among us has actually got the time to watch all of the movies we wish we could?

That being said, we'd still like to hear what everyone's favorite films of last year were. Everyone reading this is cordially invited and strongly encouraged to share their lists in the comments section of this blog post. However, we here at Waterfront aren't really sticklers for restrictions, so the parameters of your list are entirely up to you... Perhaps it's a list of the best films of 2010 you've seen so far; or maybe it's the best new DVD releases of 2010; or maybe it's simply the best films you happened to see last year (or even the best films of a certain genre or ilk)... the options are open!

To get the ball rolling, I'll humbly offer my list. (A list of new "Seth Suggests" movies.) These are 21 of the most rewarding films I saw during the course of 2010, very loosely ranked:

The Devil's Playground: American Surrealism (Unseen Cinema, Vol. 4, 1894-1941)
Next Floor (Denis Velleneuve, 2008)
Exit Through the Gift Shop (Bansky, 2010)
Citizen Dog (Wisit Sasanatieng, 2004)
Last Holiday (Henry Cass, 1950)
Roma (Federico Fellini, 1972)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson, 2009)
Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010)
Mary and Max (Adam Elliot, 2009)
The Taste of Tea (Katsuhito Ishii, 2004)
Dementia (John J. Parker, 1953)
I Am Love (Luca Guadagnino, 2009)
Theater of War (John Walter, 2008)
Henri Langlois: Phantom of the Cinematheque (Jacques Richard, 2004)
Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky, 2010)
When the Wind Blows (Jimmy T. Murakami, 1986)
Boy A (John Crowley, 2007)
Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, 2009)
Look Both Ways (Sarah Watt, 2005)
Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)
Los Olvidados (Luis Bunuel, 1950)

Well, that's me. How about you?

New to our shelves this month:

The Social Network
The film that has landed on nearly every single major critic's year end list and is currently sweeping through the awards season comes to DVD in a special 2-disc release with nearly 8 hours of extras. Aaron Sorkin's "facebook movie," directed by David Fincher, scored (excellently) by Trent Reznor, and starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and Justin Timberlake, may not be quite the revolutionary masterpiece it is being hyperbolically hailed as, but it's an engaging, highly enjoyable film that is well worth seeing.

Howl
James Franco plays Allen Ginsburg in this dramatization of the censorship struggle the poet faced concerning the titular work. Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels, Mary-Louise Parker, David Strathairn, Bob Balaban, Treat Williams, and Alessandro Nivola also star; Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (the duo behind The Times of Harvey Milk and The Celluloid Closet) direct.

Jack Goes Boating
Philip Seymour Hoffmann's directorial debut, starring himself and Amy Ryan, centers around two working class New York couples.

Stone
Robert DeNiro and Edward Norton square off in this prison-set drama.

Dinner For Schmucks
Steve Carrell and Paul Rudd star in this remake of the 1998 French comedy, Le Diner de Cons (euphemistically translated as The Dinner Game). The remake also features Jermaine Clement, Zach Galifianakis, and Kristen Schaal.

Paper Man
A down on his luck writer and a teenager form an unlikely friendship in this indie comedy starring Jeff Daniels, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Kieran Culkin, and Lisa Kudrow.

Animal Kingdom
A tense Australian offering about dangerous familial bonds and the grip of violence.

Machete
Robert Rodriguez turns his Grindhouse trailer into a feature-length revenge flick, starring Danny Trejo, Robert DeNiro, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Steven Seagal, Don Johnson, Cheech Marin, and even Lindsay Lohan.

Catfish
Intriguing documentary that caused a splash at Sundance last year, raising questions about truth, ethics, new media, and gullibility.

Piranha
Alexandre Aja (High Tension; The Hills Have Eyes) directs this remake of the 1978 Roger Corman/Joe Dante flick about mutated killer fish. A highly enjoyable B-movie that truly delivers in the gore department.

Case 39
Renee Zellweger plays a social worker who realizes she's in a more dangerous situation than she expected in this horror thriller that also features Ian McShane and Bradley Cooper.

The Last Exorcism

And Soon the Darkness

The Army of Crime

Lebanon

Eichmann

The Lena Baker Story

$5 a Day

Louis C.K.: Hilarious

Bela Fleck: Throw Down Your Heart

The Ricky Gervais Show - 1st Season

Glee - 2.1st Season

The Closer - 4th Season

Big Love - 4th Season

2010-12-30T11:36:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!

Plenty of movies are set on or around New Year's Eve, but few have attained classic status.
Two of the best are both at least 50 years old:

The Apartment, Billy Wilder's excellent comic drama about a passive office drone (Jack Lemmon) and fellow lowly patsy (Shirley MacLaine) who both find themselves on the short end of the stick -- but at least they're there together.

After the Thin Man, the follow-up to the Christmas-set The Thin Man, finds Nick and Nora solving crimes amidst New Year's cheer in this witty mystery that also features a great turn by an oh-so-young Jimmy Stewart.

Nick Charles: Have you made any New Year's resolutions?
Nora Charles: Not yet. Any complaints or suggestions?
Nick Charles: A few.
Nora Charles: Which?
Nick Charles: Complaints.
Nora Charles: All right shoot.
Nick Charles: Well, you don't scold, you don't nag, and you look far too pretty in the mornings.
Nora Charles: All right, I'll remember: must scold, must nag, musn't be too pretty in the mornings.

What are some recent New Year's set films you've enjoyed? Or other older classics I've missed?
Do tell...

New to our shelves this week:

The American
George Clooney stars as the titular American in this Euro-vibed and set espionage thriller, directed by Anton Corbijn (Control).

Resident Evil: Afterlife
Milla's back in this fourth installment, just to prove that Angelina isn't the only female action star around.

Handsome Harry
A crime thriller involving Vietnam veterans, starring Jamey Sheridan, Steve Buscemi, Bill Sage, Campbell Scott, John Savage, and Aidan Quinn.

Twelve
Joel Schumacher directs some hot young things in this drug-addled drama.

Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement
A documentary chronicling a 42-year relationship.

The United States of Tara - 2nd Season

Archer - 1st Season
The new series by the twisted (brilliant) minds behind Frisky Dingo.

Next week's blog:
We're going to be talking Best of...
Best new movies of 2010 as well as the best new DVD releases.
We'll include some of our thoughts about what these "best" films are, but we'd love to hear your thoughts, too. So start thinking about your lists now and then next week, we'll devote our comments section exclusively to a discussion of everybody's best (and possibly worst) of the year that's just passed us by!

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2010-12-24T12:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

Here's a special Christmas Card greeting from Terry Gilliam
(from Do Not Adjust Your Set, 1968)

New to our shelves this week:

Easy A
This winning contemporization of Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter stars a charismatic Emma Stone and features of host of strong supporting players, with Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson giving especially hilarious turns.

Salt
Angelina Jolie stepped into a role originally intended for Tom Cruise, and again proves herself a bad-ass extraordinaire in this engaging, well-constructed actioner by Phillip Noyce.

Soul Kitchen
Fatih Akin (Head On, Crossing the Bridge, The Edge of Heaven) directs this comic lark about food and music - staples of the soul.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Oliver Stone attempts to recreate the Zeitgeist-capturing allure of his 1987 film, this time setting the story during the recent credit crisis and financial meltdown.

Map of the Sounds of Tokyo

Beautiful Kate

Let It Rain

Skirt Day

Angel
Francois Ozon (Swimming Pool, Under the Sand, 8 Women) directs his first English-language film, a period piece based on a novel by Elizabeth Taylor.

Devil
Claustrophobia continues to be a prevalent theme this year with this horror piece devised by M. Night Shyamalan. (see also: Buried & 127 Hours)

The Heavy

Step Up 3

Family Guy: It's a Trap!

Futurama - Volume 5

2010-12-16T09:02:00.001-08:00

This week, one of the year's most intriguing and entertaining movies, Exit Through the Gift Shop, gets its DVD release. Street artist Banksy directs with a knowing wink and, in the process of providing a genial and general recent history of the underground/graffiti-art movement, also offers plenty of food for thought concerning Art and the Art World.

There are several other films on the subject worth checking out, including another recent arrival, Next: A Primer on Urban Painting.

We also recommend:
PoPaganda: The Art and Crimes of Ron English

Jean-Michel Basquiat: Radiant Child

Beautiful Losers

Piece By Piece

Infamy

Style Wars

New to our shelves this week:
This was a huge week for new releases and new arrivals - so many choices!

Micmacs
Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie; City of Lost Children; Delicatessen) returns with a tale of head injuries, homelessness, and corporate weapons manufacturers.

The A-Team
Joe Carnahan (Narc; Smokin' Aces) directs this big-budget take on the 80s television series.

The Other Guys

Despicable Me

Nanny McPhee Returns

Mother and Child

Cyrus

Frenemy

The Trotsky

Disengagement

The Sicilian Girl

Mademoiselle Chambon

A Complete History of My Sexual Failures

Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue
A look at America's relationship with the horror movie genre.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
A surprisingly compelling documentary about the comedienne which is by turns funny, insightful, and sad.

A Walk Into the Sea
A portrait of underground filmmaker Danny Williams and the time he spent with Andy Warhol's Factory before disappearing without a trace.

Gasland
Another documentary on the Academy's shortlist, Josh Fox's affable but provocative look at the repercussions and lack of discussions surrounding the mining and use of natural gas is sure to raise questions as well as righteous indignation.

Foodmatters

24 - 8th Season

Doc Martin - 1st Season

Inspector Lewis - 1st Season

Coming Out Friday:

The Town
Ben Affleck follows up his directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, with another Boston-set crime caper, starring himself, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Rebecca Hall, Chris Cooper, Pete Postlethwaite, and Jon Hamm.

Legends of the Guardian

New Arrivals:

Devils on the Doorstep
This black comedy set during the Japanese occupation of China ran afoul of Chinese censors.

Yojimbo
Kurosawa's influential thriller in a Criterion release.

Stagecoach
John Ford's iconic western gets the Criterion treatment.

Fail-Safe
Sidney Lumet directs this cold war classic.

The Search
Montgomery Clift's first film, directed by Fred Zinneman.

Arizona Dream
Serbian director Emir Kusturica's only English-language film, this unpredictable, often hilarious offbeat gem stars Johnny Depp, Faye Dunaway, Jerry Lewis, Vincent Gallo, and Lili Taylor. It includes a scene I consider to be quintessential Kusturica: Johnny Depp, wearing a white baptismal-type gown, hair messed-up, clucking like a chicken, squatting on a wheeled chair, comes rolling down the hallway to Taylor who’s standing in a doorway, beret askew, cigarette dangling from her lips, playing an accordion. When he reaches her, she puts out her foot and kicks his chair, sending him careening back down the hallway, into his bedroom, into the arms of Faye Dunaway, and the two proceed to have some hot sexy time. Afterwards, Depp smokes three cigarettes at once and looks out the window to see a fish swimming through the night rain. ... How can you resist?

A Song For Martin
Bille August's incisive story of a couple confronting alzheimer's.

The Phantom Tollbooth
Chuck Jones' adaptation of the classic children's tale.

Dusty & Sweets McGee
A slice of 70s drug-life in L.A.

None But the Lonely Heart
Clifford Odets wrote and directed this long unavailable film that features one of Cary Grant's best dramatic roles (and one of the only ones where he uses his original cockney accent) and co-stars the legendary Ethel Barrymore.

Dark Shadows - 1st Set
Check out the original series before the Tim Burton / Johnny Depp remake hits theaters.

Stone (1974)
The notorious Ozploitation film that is considered something of a precursor to Mad Max.

The Toy Box / Toys Are Not For Children

2010-12-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

No more kidding ourselves, winter is definitely and defiantly here. But if the cold weather starts getting you down, remember nothing beats an evening at home with a warm blanket, hot drink, and a good movie!

And while you're out holiday shopping, don't forget about our big sale (buy-one-get-one-free on all previously-viewed movies!) as well as our special orders service. (If you want to special order a gift, best to get the requests in soon...) We also have gift certificates available.

New to our shelves this week:

Inception
One of the most talked about movies of the year (not to mention one of the most successful) comes courtesy of writer/director Christopher Nolan (Memento; The Prestige; The Dark Knight) and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, Tom Berenger, Marion Cotillard, Lukas Haas, and Pete Postlethwaite. (did I forget anyone?)

Shrek Forever After

Restrepo
On the shortlist for this year's Best Documentary Academy Award, Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington's gripping ground-eye view of a platoon in Afghanistan is based on Junger's book, War.

Waking Sleeping Beauty
An insider's account of a decade in the trenches at Disney, between 1984 and 1994, when the company re-invented itself with the help of a group of dedicated, talented animators.

Dancing Across Borders
A dancer's journey from Cambodia to America.

Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist, and Rebel
An interesting portrait of a provocative figure, this documentary gives Hefner's social and political activism its due alongside his better known (and often more controversial) claims to fame.

The Year of Getting to Know Us

The Milk of Sorrow

Barry Munday

A Dog Year

The Dolphin: Story of a Dreamer

Harpoon: Whale Watching Massacre

Honkytonk Man

Gable & Lombard

See No Evil, Hear No Evil

2010-12-01T13:12:00.000-08:00

In tandem with last week's release of Lucy Walker's excellent documentary, Countdown to Zero, which examines the current state of nuclear affairs around the world, as well as the recent goings-on related to Vermont Yankee (the local company that operates a 540 megawatt nuclear powered generating station which has found itself the focus of (too few) news stories lately due to radioactive leaks and subsequent clean-up efforts), we thought it was a good moment to turn our attention to some films that address the atomic issue. (These films and more on the subject can be found on our newly created Current Events shelf...)

Building Bombs
An insightful and unsettling look at the American nuclear industry and the issues surrounding the managing and operating of facilities as well as the issues of waste disposal. The documentary became a flashpoint of controversy when it was banned by PBS in 1991 (presumably due to fear of negative reactions by corporate sponsors).

Atomic Cafe
A collection of propaganda and industrial films from the 40s and 50s -- a veritable wealth of disinformation regarding atomic energy.

The China Syndrome
Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas play journalists who happen to uncover an accident at a local nuclear power plant who are stonewalled in their investigation until a senior plant worker (Jack Lemmon) decides to take desperate measures to make the public aware of the situation. In an uncomfortable coincidence, this film was released just 13 days before the meltdown at Three Mile Island.

Silkwood
Meryl Streep plays whistle-blower Karen Silkwood in this character-driven suspense tale (based on a true story) directed by Mike Nichols. Cher and Kurt Russell both give great supporting turns as well.

The Day After and Threads
Two television movies dramatizing the possible effects of nuclear warfare. Although some of the speculative science would now be considered questionable, both films became widely cited reference points and helped encourage public debate about the nuclear question in the country. In England, Peter Watkins' 1965 The War Game (originally banned by the BBC), provoked discussion in the same manner.

When the Wind Blows
This animated feature from 1986 follows a sweet and naive elderly couple as they struggle to make sense of their situation in the days following a nuclear disaster.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
One of the greatest black comedies ever made, Stanley Kubrick's acerbic doomsday saga still packs a punch. Not to mention tremendous performances by George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Slim Pickens, Peter Sellers, Peter Sellers, and Peter Sellers.

See Also:
Dark Circle
On the Beach
Miracle Mile
War Games
Fail-Safe (1964)
Fail Safe (2000)
Thirteen Days
Hiroshima Mon Amour

New to Our Shelves This Week:

Going the Distance
Drew Barrymore and Justin Long lead a cast of comic actors (including Charlie Day, Christina Applegate, Jim Gaffigan, Jason Sudeikis, Rob Riggle, & Ron Livingston) in this alternately raunchy and sweet rom-com.

Knight and Day
Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz in an action flick about spies and such.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

The Special Relationship
The third outing for actor Michael Sheen as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, following The Deal and The Queen. All three films are penned by Peter Morgan. This one focuses on the relationship between Blair and Bill Clinton (played by Dennis Quaid).

Cairo Time
Patricia Clarkson has earned typically rave reviews for her performance as a woman on a journey of discovery - self and otherwise.

Valhalla Rising
Bloody Viking actioner by director Nicolas Winding Refn (The Pusher Trilogy; Bronson).

Vampires Suck

Life in Flight

As Far As My Feet Will Carry Me

I Knew It Was You: Re-Discovering John Cazale
A short documentary on the brief but brilliant career of the underrated actor.

People Like Us
The British series that hilariously exposes the more staid conventions of the documentary form.

Parks and Recreation - 2nd Season
The show really hits its stride in this second season.

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2010-11-26T13:27:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We've begun our BIG HOLIDAY SALE!
Between Thanksgiving and New Year's,
it's buy-one-get-one-free on all previously-viewed VHS & DVDs!!

New to our shelves this week:

Eat Pray Love
Julia Roberts stars in this adaptation of the bestseller, directed by Glee's Ryan Murphy and also starring Javier Bardem, James Franco, Billy Crudup, Viola Davis, and Richard Jenkins.

The Expendables
Sylvester Stallone assembles a large number of action stars and a massive amount of testosterone for this throwback actioner.

I'm Still Here
Casey Affleck's "documentary" chronicling the so-called lost year of Joaquin Phoenix. Elaborate performance art or obnoxious hoax: you decide!

Flipped
Rob Reiner directs this coming of age / family portrait that features Aidan Quinn, Rebecca De Mornay, Anthony Edwards, Penelope Ann Miller, and John Mahoney.

The Winning Season
Sam Rockwell stars in this inspirational sports story.

Countdown to Zero
No-nonsense doc about the alarming state of atomic affairs.

The Red Baron

That Evening Sun

If You Could Say It In Words

The Disappearance of Alice Creed

Martyrs

Lennon Naked

Harlan: In the Shadow of Jew Suss

Harlan Ellison: Dreams With Sharp Teeth

North and South (2004)

Foyle's War - 6th Season

The Pillars of the Earth
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2010-11-18T10:15:00.000-08:00

New to our shelves this week:

The Kids Are All Right
Lisa Cholodenko (High Art, Laurel Canyon, Cavedweller) wrote and directed this story of a strained marriage between Nic and Jules (Annette Bening and Julianne Moore) whose lives are further complicated when their children decide to find and meet their sperm donor father (Mark Ruffalo).

The Last Airbender
M. Night Shyamalan's latest is a big-budget adaption of the popular animated series.

A Christmas Carol (2009)
Robert Zemeckis uses his motion-capture style of animation to re-adapt Dickens' classic holiday tale, featuring the vocal talents of Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright, and Cary Elwes. (Also check out any of the eight other Christmas Carol adaptations we've got oh so conveniently located on our theme shelf!)

The Extra Man
Kevin Kline is on his comic game in this odd and amusing (if a little uneven) tale of an eccentric "extra man" by the writer/director team of Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (American Splendor, The Nanny Diaries). Also stars Paul Dano, John C. Reilly, and Katie Holmes.

Metropolis
Hailed as one of the cinematic events of the year, this is the "complete" version of Fritz Lang's silent sci-fi masterwork, which includes restored footage discovered in Argentina in 2008. This marks the first time the complete film is being released since its premiere in 1927.

Metropia
Speaking of sci-fi dystopias, this 2009 Norwegian animated feature involves giant corporations, subway tunnels, and mind control via exotic shampoo.

Vengeance
Another revenge tale, this one from Johnnie To (Election, Exiled, The Pacific), starring Johnny Hallyday (Man on the Train).

Trash Humpers
A new provocation by Harmony Korine, about... well, the title kinda says it all.

Barking Water
A Native American film about a man trying to return home before dying.

The Lightkeepers
Richard Dreyfus, Blythe Danner, Bruce Dern, Mamie Gummer, and Julie Harris star in this romantic drama set in 1912 on Cape Cod.

Lottery Ticket

16 Wishes

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

Don't Look Back (2009)

Brotherhood (2009)

A Crime

Czech Dream
Produced by Morgan Spurlock, this documentary follows an elaborate hoax surrounding the opening of a (non-existant) superstore.

The Edge of Never
Just in time for the winter-sports season, this documentary features a son's decision to ski the trail where his father died years before.

South of the Border
Oliver Stone's documentary featuring interviews with several South American presidents and politicians.

Best Worst Movie
A documentary about the notorious Troll 2, directed by that film's young lead, Michael Stephenson.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: Radiant Child
Tamra Davis' compelling documentary portrait of the prolific, influential, and troubled artist. (Also check out Julian Schnabel's biopic, Basquiat, and the underground film, Downtown 81.)

New Arrivals:

The Night of the Hunter (Criterion)
Charles Laughton's only directorial effort, the haunting story of an evil preacher (the creepily perfect Robert Mitchum) looking to steal a widow's money is given the Criterion treatment. Features a 2 1/2 hour documentary about the making of the film.

The Battle of the River Plate
aka Pursuit of the Graf Spree - a long unavailable Michael Powell / Emeric Pressburger collaboration about the British Navy's attempts to find and destroy a powerful German warship.

The Endless Summer (Director's Cut)
Bruce Brown's seminal surfing documentary, re-released in an extended version with additional footage.

Cleopatra (1963)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

The Big Town

Cool Runnings

Degrassi High - Complete Series

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2010-11-10T12:50:00.000-08:00

New to our shelves this week:

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
The most recent offering by the man behind Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, and Hot Fuzz is an energetic blast. As one staff member remarked, "Watching an Edgar Wright movie makes most other directors just look lazy." Plus, music by Beck!

Antichrist
The latest provocation by Lars von Trier is audacious, unsettling, and sure to inspire plenty of debate, disgust, and discussion.

Grown Ups

Ramona and Beezus

Charlie St. Cloud

Trade Routes
A political thriller, penned by a former Clinton aid, about globalization and free market economics.

Lovely, Still

Love Ranch
Joe Pesci is back in action, in this Taylor Hackford film based on a true story. Also starring Hackford's wife, the "wizard" Helen Mirren.

Three and Out

Colin
A no-budget take on the zombie horror bloodbath 'genre.'

Destricted
An odd assortment of filmmakers, including Gaspar Noe, Larry Clark, & Matthew Barney, contribute short films on themes of sex and pornography.

Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives
The title kinda says it all.

Californication - 3rd Season

Lie to Me - 2nd Season

The Boondocks - 3rd Season

Doctor Who - 5th Season

Men of a Certain Age - 1st Season

This week, Lyric Theatre Company presents the perennial favorite, Peter Pan, on the Flynn mainstage. Hundreds of local community members contributed countless hours to bring the much-loved musical back to the stage, which will run this Thursday through Sunday. Get your tickets while they last!

And to help get you in the mood - or, perhaps, to keep you in the mood - we've gathered all our Pan-centric films together on our "Speaking Of..." shelf. Some of these include:

The oldest film adaptation of the tale, 1924's Peter Pan - a silent rarity that features impressive production design and technique. Photographed by James Wong Howe (who would go on to lens such classics as The Thin Man, Seconds, and The Sweet Smell of Success).

Disney's classic animated version, 1953's Peter Pan, has aged well and remains exciting and endearing. We also have the Disney sequel, 2002's Return to Neverland.

A third feature-length adaptation, 2004's Peter Pan, is a live-action, big-budget affair that was largely ignored upon its release but has since found plenty of fans on DVD.

We also carry two versions of the stage production. 1960's Peter Pan with Mary Martin is unfortunately not yet available on DVD, but luckily we still have our trusty VHS copy! For a more recent take, there is 2000's Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby.

Steven Spielberg's 1991 Hook offers a re-imagining of the tale that features an adult Peter Pan (Robin Williams) who finds himself back in Neverland trying to rescue his son. The excellent cast also includes Dustin Hoffman, Bob Hoskins, Charlie Korsmo, and Maggie Smith.

Another re-imagining, this one a darker, more adult-oriented take, can be found in 2003's Neverland.

For those interested in the background of the story and of the author, J.M. Barrie, we have several selections: a new documentary, Peter Pan and J.M. Barrie: The Boys Who Wouldn't Grow Up, takes an academic look at the writer and his subject. The critically acclaimed 1978 BBC series, The Lost Boys, features Ian Holm as Barrie. And 2004's Finding Neverland, with Johnny Depp as the writer, imagines the way the classic story was first inspired.

Also opening this week:
Josh Bridgman (Silent Invasion) has a new play, Concrete Kingdom, that opens at the Off Center For the Dramatic Arts this Thursday (11/11) and runs through next Sunday.

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2010-11-04T14:52:00.001-07:00

New to Our Shelves This Week:

Toy Story 3
The third installment in Pixar's much-loved series is one of the best films of the year. Thrilling, funny, intense, and sweet - with imagination and heart to spare. Also released this week: Pixar's Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales.

The Pacific
The Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks produced follow-up miniseries to the excellent Band of Brothers. This one follows several soldiers as they endure the relentless battles and challenges of the Pacific campaign.

Centurion
Neil Marshall (The Descent, Dog Soldiers) directs this tale of bloody Roman war adventure.

Once Fallen

ExTerminators

The Broken

Flame and Citron

The Hungry Ghosts

Love & Distrust

Please Remove Your Shoes
An interesting, often infuriating, look at airport security - particularly its failures and shortcomings in the times before and since 9/11.

The Way We Get By
Documentary about three senior citizens who greet U.S. troops at a small airport in Maine. Scored by Zack Martin, former Waterfront Video employee!

Don't Forget to Re-set Your Clocks this Sunday!
As we prepare to collectively travel backwards in time an hour this weekend, we thought we'd take a gander at this very common science-fiction motif...
From ridiculous comedies (Bill & Ted; Austin Powers) to earnest romances (The Time Traveler's Wife; Kate & Leopold; Somewhere in Time), from suspense thrillers (Time After Time; Frequency) to action adventures (The Terminators; The Time Machines), time-travel has provided fuel and fodder for a surprising range of movies and television series. Here, we spotlight some favorites:

Twelve Monkeys -- along with its source inspiration Chris Marker's 1962 short, La Jetee -- is easily one of the best of its kind. Terry Gilliam's thriller is equal parts sci-fi headscratcher, eco-suspense tale, and offbeat comedy. Features great turns by Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Madeleine Stowe, and a host of Gilliam regulars. His 1981 adventure yarn Time Bandits - an exuberant, comic romp - also deserves mention here.

Back to the Future Trilogy - a generational classic that just received a 25th Anniversary special DVD release. (Among other fascinating tidbits, the extra features include footage of the "original" Marty McFly: Eric Stoltz!)

Donnie Darko - Richard Kelly's audacious debut film is an engrossing, strange, fun film that toys with time in innovative ways. (Warning: the longer director's cut spends time trying to explain its own machinations... not necessarily to the benefit of the movie.)

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time - the animated tale of a teenage girl who discovers she has a special gift... a gift with potentially disastrous consequences, of course. New to our shelves!

Primer - this low-budget sleeper has quickly taken a place of pride in the subgenre's canon.

Timecrimes - another low-budget entry, this Argentinian thriller does quite a bit with very little.

Groundhog Day - Harold Ramis' unique take on the time-travel trope finds Bill Murray's reporter living the same 24 hours repeatedly.

Time-travel tropes have also been a staple of t.v. series from the early days (The Time Tunnel; The Twilight Zone) to the current day (Life on Mars; Stargate) and everything in between (Red Dwarf; Voyagers; Quantum Leap). Some of the best:

Star Trek - no other show has explored the theories and implications of time travel more than Gene Rodenberry's classic sci-fi series (in all its iterations). And for your convenience, we have a DVD set that packages some of the best episodes together. See: Star Trek - Time Travel.

Doctor Who - the British cult favorite not only uses time-travel as part of its basic premise, the show itself has lived through many decades and changes. Its current incarnation is about to release Season Five on DVD next week.

Futurama - Matt Groening's knowing, hilarious animated series has been resurrected and continues to make great use of temporal conundrums and the potential absurdities they contain.

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2010-10-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

There's so much going on in town this weekend... including:

The final weekend of the 25th annual Vermont International Film Festival. Lots of great films and events still to catch! Report back either here or on our Facebook page to let us know what you saw and what you thought...

The Rocky Horror Puppet Show has three more days (& five more performances) left. Read the glowing 7 Days review here. And be sure to save your ticket stubs - they'll get you a free rental from our Horror, Musicals, Sci-Fi, or Cheese & Sleaze sections!

The Shape of Things, Neil LaBute's acerbic drama, opens this weekend and runs through the next, presented by Champlain College Theater at FlynnSpace.

And on Friday night, prolific Burlington-based playwright Stephen Goldberg's work is showcased in the city's newest venue, The Off Center for the Dramatic Arts, located at 294 N. Winooski St. The event is billed as Goldberg: Scenes, Monologues, and Other Disturbances.

And as if all that's not enough to keep everyone busy, there are also a ton of great new releases on DVD to check out...
New to Our Shelves This Week:

The Girl Who Played With Fire
Catch the second installment of this worldwide phenomenon before the third and final film hits theaters next week.

Winter's Bone
A neo-realistic, Appalachia-set thriller with a forebodingly authentic sense of place and great, understated performances. A festival favorite.

You Don't Know Jack
Not a biopic of Jack Kevorkian, but rather a dramatization of the issue of self-determination. Barry Levinson directs; Al Pacino, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, & Brenda Vaccaro star.

Sex and the City 2

Everyone Else
A young couple's relationship receives close scrutiny in this Swedish character study.

Wild Grass
Octogenarian filmmaker Alain Resnais shows no signs of slowing down...

Passenger Side
Road trip, indie style. Starring Adam Scott.

Kisses
Two kids spend Christmas night on the streets of Dublin.

Searchers 2.0
The latest from Alex Cox sounds intriguingly odd.

Nice Guy Johnny
The newest movie by Edward Burns.

Clapham Junction
A group of gay men decide to end the bullying and harassment they face in this British film.

The Chaser
My favorite DVD cover of the week.

Eleventh Hour
Patrick Stewart plays a scientist in this British mystery mini-series.

Venture Bros. - Season 4.1

In Treatment - Season 2
New city. New patients.

The Twilight Zone (original) - Season 1
What's your favorite episode of this classic series?

The Royle Family - Season 1

Lady in White
An offbeat horror-esque tale from the 80's.

Paths of Glory (Criterion)
Kubrick's great WWI picture gets the Criterion treatment.

House (Hausu, 1977) (Criterion)
A fascinating curio - pure lunatic cinema! Part comedy, part fantasy, part horror, and all nutzoid.

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2010-10-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

Tongue-in-Cheek-of-a-Severed-Head:

In honor of the season of horror, we throw the spotlight on some flicks that combine wicked senses of humor with healthy doses of genuine gore and thrills...

Shaun of the Dead
Edgar Wright's brilliant rom-zom-com is perhaps the pinnacle of this particular sub-genre. Loving homage, sharp parody, and true horror offering, this one will make you laugh and cringe in equal measure.

Evil Dead Trilogy
Sam Raimi's much-loved cult trilogy gets progressively wackier and more satirical as it goes along, but has an abundance of great gags and gross-outs all through.

Slither
It remained under the radar when first released, but this clever, OTT throwback deserves better. Knowing performances (by Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Rooker, and others) are matched by great effects in this funny/gross alien/mutant tale.

Parents
Another often-overlooked cult gem, this Bob Balaban directed oddity is rich in disturbing atmosphere.

Dead Alive
Once hailed as "the goriest films of all time," Peter Jackson's early work may not still hold that title -- but it can't be far behind! Featuring that wonderfully quirky kiwi humor and gallons of gore, this is the flick that put Jackson on the map. (Also worth checking out - for the comic/horror fans - are Jackson's Bad Taste and Meet the Feebles.)

I'm pretty sure that James Whale's Bride of Frankenstein belongs on this list as well, but (shame on me!) I haven't seen it yet... something I need to remedy soon.

Other honorable mentions:

Zombieland, Black Sheep, Gremlins, Severance, Drag Me to Hell, Tremors, Teeth, Cemetery Man, and An American Werewolf in London... So tell me: what movies have I overlooked?

The Vermont Film Fest starts this week!
Be sure to check out all the great offerings - both films and events - happening as part of the 25th annual Vermont International Film Festival.

Theater Happenings:

The Rocky Horror Puppet Show
Be sure to save your ticket stubs for this one! Redeem them for a free rental from our Horror, Musical, Sci-Fi, or Cheese & Sleeze sections!!

The Glass Menagerie
This is the last weekend of VSC's production of 'The Glass Menagerie' - it's a strong production of a fine play that features great design and excellent performances. Don't miss it!

The Shape of Things
Champlain College Theater presents Neil LaBute's provocative play at the FlynnSpace, Oct. 28-30 & Nov. 3-6.

Peter Pan
Lyric Theater is gearing up to present this family classic next month. To help get you in the mood, we just added the DVD of the 2000 version starring Cathy Rigby to our shelves!

New to Our Shelves This Week:

Please Give
Nicole Holofcener's smartly written comic drama features complex, nuanced characters well played by a great cast that includes Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, and Rebecca Hall.

Predators
Adrian Brody continues his bid for action movie stardom in this franchise re-boot.

Giallo
Horror maestro Dario Argento's latest, starring (ahem) Adrian Brody.

Theater of War
Excellent documentary on the staging of Mother Courage by The Public Theatre, featuring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Tony Kushner. Offers an insightful look at the vitality of theater, the processes involved in crafting a poduction, and the intersection of art and politics.

The Six Wives of Henry Lefay

Holy Rollers

Assault Girls
A live-action sci-fi adventure from the director of Ghost in the Shell.

Agora
Alejandro Amenabar (director of Open Your Eyes, Thesis, & The Sea Inside) helms this historical epic set in ancient Egypt and starring Rachel Weisz as Hypatia of Alexandria.

Smash His Camera
Leon Gast's doc about Ron Galella, one of the most notorious paparazzos to ever (dis)grace the "profession."

Wallander
Kenneth Branagh returns in a new series of mysteries based on the popular Swedish novels.

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2010-10-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

Exciting news on the local film front:

The Vermont International Film Festival has just announced the line-up for this year's fest - the 25th anniversary celebration! Starting next Friday and running through the end of the month, this year offers a wide selection of intriguing films and enticing events, including seminars, panels, and special appearances.

Mark your calendars now!

In the news this week:

As a collective sigh of relief is shared for the rescued Chilean miners, we thought it might be an interesting time to turn our attention towards some of the films that have focused on the life and plights of miners over time:

Ace in the Hole
Billy Wilder's acerbic tale of an over-eager journalist who lands the "story of a lifetime" when he covers the predicament of a trapped miner. Ethics don't make much of a stand against the promise of a Pulitzer.

Matewan
John Sayles dramatization of a mining community organizing against the brutality of an oppressive company features an excellent ensemble of actors.

North Country
Charlize Theron anchors this tale of the first successful sexual harassment lawsuit. (Richard Jenkins gives a typically solid supporting performance as her father.)

The Devil's Miner
Award-winning documentary following a 14 year old who works in a Bolivian silver mine.

Salt of the Earth
Based on a strike against a zinc mine in New Mexico, this political film was blacklisted shortly after its release. (The only film to ever receive such a dubious distinction.)

Harlan County, U.S.A.
Barbara Kopple's fearless documentary about a violent miners' strike in Kentucky. Made into a feature film, Harlan County War, starring Holly Hunter in 2000.

How Green Was My Valley
The Best Picture winner of 1941 offers a rather sanitized view of pre-union mining lives at the turn of the century.

It's also been an interesting week regarding the U.S. military's notorious policy towards gay service members. (This New York Times article explains some of the unexpected turns the most recent suit against the policy have taken.) We offer some suggestions for films addressing the subject:

Serving in Silence

Coming Out Under Fire

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Dog Tags

Gay Republicans
(One of the most unexpected aspects of this week's story was that the lawsuit in question was originally filed by the so-called Log Cabin Republicans - the openly gay chapter of the GOP.)

And speaking of civil rights issues, we also have a movie recommendation for New York gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino: he might find Kirby Dick's most recent documentary Outrage enlightening.

New to our shelves this week:

I Am Love
Tilda Swinton is fantastic in this incredibly sensuous Italian drama. Also features gorgeous cinematography by Yorick Le Saux and an amazing score by John Adams.

Leaves of Grass
Tim Blake Nelson wrote and directed this high times comedy starring Edward Norton and Edward Norton.

Mid-August Lunch
The popular Italian foodie comedy makes its DVD debut.

Splice
Part genetic horror tale, part dysfunctional family story.

Jonah Hex

S&Man

The Lost Boys: The Thirst

Manson: My Name Is Evil

Arn: The Knight Templar

Dumping Lisa
Shot in Burlington, VT!

Oliver Twist (2007)
We now have eight different adaptations of Dickens' classic! (Plus at least three movies inspired by the tale.) Perfect for brushing up on the story before Vermont Stage Company's upcoming production.

White On Rice

I Am Comic

Kimjongilia

The Age of Stupid

Baseball: The Tenth Inning
Ken Burns' two-part follow-up to his Emmy Award-winning series.

The Tudors - 4th Season

Dollhouse - 2nd Season

The League - 1st Season

Being Human - 2nd Season

Wives & Daughters (1999)

The Magician (1958)
Criterion continues to do right by Ingmar Bergman.

Murder in Mississippi

The Vikings

Coming out on Friday:

How to Train Your Dragon

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2010-10-06T10:25:00.001-07:00

There's been a lot of discussion recently surrounding the tragic spate of teen suicides in the past few weeks. Because we believe the subject is so important, we compiled a list of documentaries and films that address some of the issues raised by these unfortunate events.

Out in the Silence
Perhaps the film that most directly addresses these issues, this recent documentary follows the struggles of a gay teenager and his mother as they enlist a sympathetic lawyer to help them combat the pervasive bullying and harassment (not to mention "official" indifference of the school administration and others) which permeates their small town.

The Laramie Project
Based on the tragic death of Matthew Shepherd, this was originally a theater production developed by a group of artists and journalists who traveled to Laramie after the murder to interview the townspeople and schoolmates.

The Question of Equality
A four-part documentary series from the mid-90's that raises questions of civil rights, many of which still have not been adequately addressed.

For the Bible Tells Me So
Examines the ways in which religion can complicate the issues of coming out and finding acceptance.

Beyond Hatred
After an openly gay man is murdered by skinheads, his parents try to understand the social and psychological roots of hate crimes.

Bully
Larry Clark's film shows the dark side of repression and misplaced aggression.

Here are a number of films that deal with the processes and difficulties of coming to terms with one's sexual orientation at a young age and which also present positive perspectives:

...But I'm a Cheerleader

The Edge of Seventeen

Beautiful Thing

Get Real

C.R.A.Z.Y.

Show Me Love

The Mudge Boy

Lilies

The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love

The Truth About Jane

Ma Vie en Rose

Trevor

If there are other films or documentaries you think should also be mentioned - or if you have other points to raise, feel free to add your thoughts in a comment below.

Local theater happenings:
Congratulations to our customers, Gypsy & Rosy, who each won a pair of tickets to the upcoming production of Death of a Salesman at the Flynn Theater, starring Christopher Lloyd!
The show is Saturday, October 9th. Tickets are still available, but selling fast. Get yours soon!
And for those who can't make it, check out one of the adaptations we have: Volker Schlondorff's 1985 version starring Dustin Hoffman and John Malkovich & a 1966 version starring Lee J. Cobb and George Segal.

Speaking of classic American theater, The Vermont Stage Company's production of The Glass Menagerie opens this Wednesday (10/6) and runs through the 24th.
We also have two adaptations of that one: the Paul Newman directed 1987 version starring Joanne Woodward and (again) John Malkvoich, as well as a 1973 version starring Katharine Hepburn and Sam Waterston.

Steel Magnolias, a perennial hit, is also being staged locally, mounted by the new company, Girls Night Out Productions, and featuring a cast of local favorites.

Oh, and speaking of really classic theater, have you heard of the upcoming production of The Rocky Horror (Puppet) Show? It promises to be a pretty fun - and saucy! - time. (Photo by Brent Harrewyn)...

Tickets are on sale now - be sure to save your ticket stubs to redeem for a free rental from our Horror, Sci-Fi, Musicals, or Cheese & Sleaze sections!

New to our shelves this week:
The Karate Kid (2010)
An update of the 80's favorite starring Jaden Pinkett-Smith and Jackie Chan.

Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
'Tis the Season!

The Secret of Kells
An imaginative, endearing telling of the ancient Irish tale that wound up as a surprise contender for last year's Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

The Oxford Murders
John Hurt & Elijah Wood star in this thriller about math and murder.

The Human Centipede
The gross-out horror that's gotten everyone talking... do you dare?

30 Days of Night: Dark Days

The Last Rites of Ransom Pride

Fade to Black

Mystery Team

Penguins of Madagascar: I Was a Penguin Zombie

Bones - 5th Season

Caprica - Season 1.0

Ugly Americans - 1st Season

Sanctuary - 1st Season

New Arrivals:

Little Monsters

Life-Size

Hand in Hand

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2010-09-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

A sad week for the film industry. Several notable filmmakers and performers passed away recently.

Arthur Penn (1922-2010)
"Start your shoot with something unimportant and work too fast. You have to inculcate a sense of recklessness in the crew."
First established in the days of live television, Penn transitioned easily to feaure film directing, helming several classics in the 1960's (such as The Miracle Worker, Mickey One, and The Chase) and helped to usher in the New Hollywood movement with Little Big Man, Alice's Restaurant, and the iconic Bonnie & Clyde.

Sally Menke (1953-2010)
A talented editor who cut every one of Tarantino's films, from Reservoir Dogs to Inglourious Basterds.

Eddie Fisher (1928-2010)
A crooner and occasional actor who received a great deal of publicity for his scandal-laden marriages (including to Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor).

Greg Giraldo (1965-2010)
Comedian who appeared on several series (including as a judge on Last Comic Standing) as well as in the documentary Comedian. Also a staple of Comedy Central's Roasts.

Tony Curtis (1925-2010)
A true star and fine actor who began his acting career in the late 40's and continued working right up till his death. A charismatic presence, some of his memorable films include Some Like It Hot, Sweet Smell of Success, and The Defiant Ones - among many others.

In lighter news, the week saw the release of a good number of new releases, including:

Iron Man 2

Get Him to the Greek

The Killer Inside Me
(based on a novel by Jim Thompson - it's also worth checking out these other adaptations of his books: The Grifters, Hit Me, After Dark My Sweet, Coup de Torchon, & The Getaway.)

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky

Babies

Good

The Oath

I'm Gonna Explode

Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema

Perrier's Bounty

Frozen

7 Days

Legendary

Chasing 3000

Les Doigts Croches (Sticky Fingers)

Todd P. Goes to Austin

New Series:

Party Down - 2nd Season

Tim & Eric Awesome Show (Great Job!) - 4th Season
(coming to Higher Ground, November 28th!!)

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - 5.1st Season

Family Guy: Partial Terms of Endearment

Scrubs - 9th Season

Just a few more days to enter for a chance to win tickets to see Christopher Lloyd in Death of a Salesman at the Flynn! Stop by the store to fill out an entry form. Drawing will be held on Monday, Oct. 4th.

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2010-09-24T09:06:00.000-07:00

Want a chance to win tickets to see Christopher Lloyd starring in Death of a Salesman at The Flynn? Stop by the store to fill out an entry form; winners will be announced Monday, Oct. 4th.

New to our shelves this week:

The Secret in Their Eyes
This year's winner of the Best Foreign Language Oscar is a gripping thriller involving violent crime, government corruption, unrequited attractions, memory, history, and time.

Robin Hood
Ridley Scott's new take on an old legend, starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett.

The Experiment
Oliver Hirschbiegel's excellent 2001 film based on the notorious Stanford Prison Experiment gets an American remake.

Ondine
Neil Jordan's latest involves an Irish fisherman (Colin Farrell) and a woman who might possibly be a selky.

Eccentricities of a Blonde-Haired Girl
The fact that Portugese director Manoel de Oliveira is now 102 years old doesn't seem to be slowing him down at all, as evidenced by this new mysterious love story.

The Legend of Bruce Lee

Calvin Marshall

(untitled)

Stripped Naked

Stomp the Yard: Homecoming

Rolling Stones: Stones in Exile

John Oliver: Terrifying Times

Scottsboro: An American Tragedy

The Secret of Moonacre

Tinker Bell: The Great Fairy Rescue

Plus, one of the biggest weeks we've ever seen for Series releases. Some great shows, both new and old:

30 Rock - 4th Season

Modern Family - 1st Season

Community - 1st Season

Bored to Death - 1st Season

How I Met Your Mother - 5th Season

Gossip Girl - 3rd Season

Spartacus: Blood & Sand - 1st Season

Desperate Housewives - 6th Season

Warehouse 13 - 1st Season

Castle - 2nd Season

Law & Order: SVU - 11th Season

Tiny Toon Adventures - 1st Season

Star Trek: Original Series - 2nd Season (Remastered!)

The Best of Soul Train

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2010-09-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

Trying to figure out what in blazes is going on with the economy?
Alex Gibney (the man behind Taxi to the Dark Side, Gonzo: The Life & Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, and Enron: The Smartest Men in the Room) provides another glimpse into the recent financial criminal shenanigans with his latest well-crafted documentary, Casino Jack and the United States of America. Following the exploits of Jack Abramoff, Gibney's doc complements other recent offerings trying to make sense of our current crises. Some other films worth checking out include Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story; Danny Schechter's In Debt We Trust & Plunder: The Crime of Our Time; I.O.U.S.A.; Maxed Out; The Big Buy: Tom Delay's Stolen Congress; The Corporation; and America Betrayed.

Also new to our shelves this week:

My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done
(Directed by Werner Herzog, produced by David Lynch, and starring Michael Shannon, Willem Dafoe, Chloe Sevigny, Michael Pena, Grace Zabriskie, Udo Kier, & Brad Dourif... cloud-shrouded mountains, mannered dialogue, tableux vivant, absurdist melodrama, deadpan black comedy... how can you not be interested?)

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Letters to Juliet

Just Wright

Raging Phoenix

As It Is In Heaven

Who Is Clark Rockefeller?

Mrs. Washington Goes to Smith

America: The Story of Us

Blood Into Wine

Boogie Woogie

New Series:
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - 5th Season

Grey's Anatomy - 6th Season

The Good Wife - 1st Season

Fringe - 2nd Season

Glee - 1.2nd Season

The Big Bang Theory - 3rd Season

New Stand-Up:
Bill Maher: ...But I'm Not Wrong
("Remember when America was just morally bankrupt?")

Janeane Garofalo: If You Will
("I'm often mistaken for a Jewish lesbian, and I always say: You're giving me way too much credit.")

Kevin James: Sweat the Small Stuff
("You know, when you're a fat guy you don't need a reason to sweat.")

Broken Lizard Stands Up

Also:
Charles Bukowski: The Last Straw

Charles Bukowski: There's Gonna Be a God Damn Riot In Here

Two filmed readings by Bukowski (including his last public performance) that have just been made available for the first time.

That's all for this week...
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2010-09-07T13:50:00.000-07:00

Perfectly timed for some post-Labor Day Weekend viewing, the sixth season of NBC's The Office hits the shelves today, full of all the cringe-inducing awkward/comic moments the show is noted for - with some nicely played emotional moments to boot! Sadly, the video for "Subtle Sexuality" isn't included... so you'll just have to watch it here:

Fans of The Office - and anyone else interested in shows dealing with workplace humor and the awkward/comic balancing act, should definitely check out CBC's The Newsroom, the mid-90s Canadian series that seems like a definite influence on Ricky Gervais' original show. Here's a taste of it:

other films new to our shelves this week:

Solitary Man
MacGruber
Killers
John Rabe
Caravaggio
Snow Blind
The Final Girl
The Exploding Girl
Being Michael Madsen
The Thorn in the Heart
The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond
Kevin Pollak: The Littlest Suspect

also these new family releases:

Shaun the Sheep: Party Animals
Thomas & Friends: Misty Island Rescue
Cat in the Hat: Wings & Things
Goosebumps: Go Eat Worms
Goosebumps: The Blob That Ate Everything

...speaking of children's series, be sure to check out our expanding family section that now includes separates shelves for Nick Jr. shows and other popular series as well as shelves for popular favorites such as The Muppets, Hayao Miyazaki, Pixar, Wallace & Gromit, and others!

oh, and by-the-by, Waterfront Video is branching out on the interweb...
now you can follow us on Twitter or friend us on Facebook!