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

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

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

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...

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

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!

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

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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