Quick DVD Update for 17 December

In addition to the titles below, Cédric Klapisch's Paris, John Krasinski's Brief Interviews with Hideous Men and Anne Fontaine's Coco Before Chanel have all had Blu-rays announced, though they originally were only planned for DVD. The titles in italics are date changes. In descending order of release.

- Freedom Road, 1979, d. Ján Kádar, Tango Entertainment, 2 February, w. Muhammad Ali, Kris Kristofferson
- Jump, 2005, d. Justin Bookey, Pathfinder, 9 February
- A Serious Man, 2009, d. Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Focus Features, also on Blu-ray, 9 February
- Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love, 2008, d. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Oscilloscope, 9 February
- Daybreak, 2008, d. Adolfo Alix Jr., Water Bearer Films, 16 February
- Heavenly Touch, 2009, d. Joel Lamangan, Water Bearer Films, 16 February
- No Way Out [Walang kawala], 2008, d. Joel Lamangan, Water Bearer Films, 16 February
- Cool School: How LA Learned to Love Modern Art, 2008, d. Morgan Neville, New Video, 23 February
- Electric Purgatory: The Fate of the Black Rocker, 2005, d. Raymond Gayle, Microcinema, 23 February
- Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis, 2006, d. Mary Jordan, New Video, 23 February
- Marathon, 2009, d. Biju Viswanath, Breaking Glass Pictures, 2 March
- Return to the 36th Chamber, 1980, d. Liu Chia-Liang, Dragon Dynasty, 2 March
- Capitalism: A Love Story, 2009, d. Michael Moore, also on Blu-ray, Anchor Bay, 9 March
- Escape from Blood Plantation [Die Insel der blutigen Plantage], 1983, d. Peter Kern, Kurt Raab, Substance/MVD, 9 March
- Hachi: A Dog's Tale, 2009, d. Lasse Hallström, also on Blu-ray, Sony, 9 March, w. Richard Gere, Joan Allen
- Obscene, 2007, d. Daniel O'Connor, Neil Ortenberg, New Video, 16 March
- South Park, The Complete 13th Season, 2009, also on Blu-ray, Comedy Central/Paramount, 16 March
- The Vengeance Trilogy [Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance / Oldboy / Lady Vengeance], 2002, 2003, 2005, d. Park Chan-wook, Palisades Tartan, 16 March
- Five from Barska Street [Piątka z ulicy Barskiej], 1954, d. Aleksander Ford, Polart/Facets, 23 March
- The Men Who Stare at Goats, 2009, d. Grant Heslov, also on Blu-ray, Anchor Bay, 23 March
- Sayuri Ichijo: Flowing Desire, 1972, d. Tatsumi Kumashiro, Kimstim/Kino, 23 March
- Twisted Path of Love, 2009, d. Tatsumi Kumashiro, Kimstim/Kino, 23 March
- Yakuza Justice: Erotic Code of Honor, 1973, d. Tatsumi Kumashiro, Kimstim/Kino, 23 March
- Afghan Star, 2009, d. Havana Marking, Zeitgeist, 30 March
- The Baader Meinhof Complex [Der Baader Meinhof Komplex], 2008, d. Uli Edel, also on Blu-ray, MPI, 30 March
- I Sell the Dead, 2008, d. Glenn McQuaid, IFC Films, also on Blu-ray, 30 March
- The Trouble with Romance, 2009, d. Gene Rhee, Breaking Glass Pictures, w. David Eigenberg, Kip Pardue
- The Awakening of Spring, 2008, d. Arthur Allan Seidelman, here! Films, 6 April
- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, 2009, d. Werner Herzog, also on Blu-ray, First Look, 6 April
- Beeswax, 2009, d. Andrew Bujalski, Cinema Guild, 6 April
- Murder.com, 2008, d. Rex Piano, here! Films, 6 April
- The Blue Tooth Virgin, 2008, d. Russell Brown, here! Films, 20 April
- Prom Wars, 2008, d. Phil Price, Koch Vision, 20 April, w. Alia Shawkat

Announcing... The 18th Annual Saint Louis International Film Festival

Cinema Saint Louis has officially unveiled the line-up for the 18th annual Saint Louis International Film Festival today. I've known about all this for a while, as I did some assisting this year, but now that everything's set in stone (at least, as much as it can be) I can discuss some of the highlights this year. The four best films we're screening: Lucrecia Martel's The Headless Woman [La mujer sin cabeza], Lisandro Alonso's Liverpool, Claire Denis' 35 Shots of Rum [35 rhums] and Andrew Bujalski's Beeswax. All four will make their local debuts at the festival, which begins 12 November 2009, opening with Lone Scherfig's An Education, with Peter Sarsgaard, who hails from the Saint Louis area, in attendance. Sadly, I was so focused on the features this year I haven't had a chance to see any of the documentaries yet.

Bujalski will be in attendance at the Beeswax screening on 13 November at Webster University. Lee Daniels is coming with Precious (I tried to get Mariah, but y'know, she's busy) on 14 November. Director Kirk Jones will also be present for Everybody's Fine, a remake of Giuseppe Tornatore's Stanno tutti bene with Robert DeNiro, Drew Barrymore, Sam Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale. Jason Reitman is coming with Up in the Air, followed by a Q&A, on 14 November at the Tivoli Theatre. Other appearances include Kevin Willmott with his The Only Good Indian; author Daniel Woodrell for the Director's Cut of Ang Lee's Ride with the Devil; Connie Stevens for Saving Grace B. Jones as well as co-stars Penelope Ann Miller, Rylee Fansler, Evie Louise Thompson and Tricia Leigh Fisher; Faruk Sabanovoc, co-writer and art director of Snow [Snijeg]; David Lowery with his excellent feature debut St. Nick; Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, with The Young Victoria which she co-produced with Martin Scorsese; AJ Schnack with his Convention; Joel Hodgson and the original crew of Mystery Science Theater 3000; Joe Berlinger with his latest film Crude; and Ry Russo-Young, writer/director of You Wont Miss Me, another film that comes highly recommended.

Stewart Copeland's Jennifer, which I discussed twice before, will screen as part of the Documentary Short collection "Individuals." Another friend of mine Mike Steinberg, director of the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, will premiere two documentaries: Old Dog, New Trick and The Pride of St. Louis (co-directed by Thomas Crone). The screenings, on 20 November, will be followed by a concert from the subjects of the docs, local musicians Steve Scorfina and the band Mama's Pride (one of my father's favorites, actually).

Closing on Sunday, 22 November, you have your pick between Agnès Varda's The Beaches of Agnès [Les plages d'Agnès], Richard Linklater's Me and Orson Welles, Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus or Jean-Marc Vallée's The Young Victoria.

A few other films screening this year that I quite admire: Nancy Kissam's Drool; two films from Christian Petzold, Yella and Jerichow; Lucía Puenzo's XXY; and Noah Buschel's The Missing Person. And a couple I have yet to see: Jia Zhang-ke's 24 City; Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Three Monkeys [Üç maymun]; Ondi Timoner's We Live in Public; and Hans-Christian Schmid's Storm [Sturm]. Check out the full schedule and descriptions (many of which were written by yours truly) at Cinema Saint Louis' website. I'll have more updates closer to the fest itself.

The Decade List: Funny Ha Ha (2002)

Funny Ha Ha - dir. Andrew Bujalski

It's so secret that the state of young American independent filmmaking is in sorry shape. The digital revolution hasn't yielded the surge of artful low-to-no-budget paragons the more optimistic film lovers had hoped. But in every trash heap, there's something of value to be extricated. For me (and many others), Andrew Bujalski's films are the salvageable ones. Lumped alongside young filmmakers of significantly less aptitude, Bujalski captures his generation with a rare skill. His subjects, the alienated lot of twentysomethings, stem from a very American cinematic tradition, one that's already grown tired thanks to some of Bujalski's peers. While his first film, Funny Ha Ha, doesn't reach the heights of his later Mutual Appreciation, it establishes Bujalski's vision in a cogent manner, which reaches further than most young filmmakers' admirable first exertions.

All of the filmmakers associated with the so-called "mumblecore" movement situate their characters within the same concurrent universe, but unlike most of the others (I'm sure you know who I'm specifically referring to), Bujalski is celebratory in the numbing mind state of his post-collegiates, acknowledging the humor of their seemingly overwhelming despair and ennui. In both Funny Ha Ha and Mutual Appreciation, every evening arrives like a box of mystery, laced with the possibility for excitement. In Funny Ha Ha, Marnie (Kate Dollenmayer), a girl both awkward and charming in her own right, stumbles upon a party of some guys she mistakenly thinks are friends of another friend's girlfriend, gets trashed, wakes up miserable and repentant. That misery dissipates because within this world the following day always holds that desirable potential. Watching Bujalski’s films unfold is like a small revelation, finding beauty in the confused path of his characters and allowing their misery to transpire, if only because it makes for brilliant humanity and, sometimes, exquisite comedy.

With: Kate Dollenmayer, Christian Rudder, Myles Paige, Andew Bujalski, Marshall Lewy, Lissa Patton Rudder, Justin Rice, Vanessa Bertozzi
Screenplay: Andrew Bujalski
Cinematography: Matthias Grunsky
Country of Origin: USA
US Distributor: Wellspring

Premiere: September 2002 (Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival)

Awards: Someone to Watch Award - Andrew Bujalski (Independent Spirit Awards)

A few DVD updates, Some Acquisitions, 5 May

Nothing terribly exciting has been announced for DVD in the US lately, but here are a few. Lionsgate is releasing a Special Edition of Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant, HBO has the second season of Flight of the Conchords on 4 August (though I don't know anyone who especially liked this season), Focus is releasing Coraline on 21 July while parent Universal will have Duplicity out on 28 July, and finally Synapse has a special edition of The Stepfather 2 on 29 September, though for some strange reason the first installment has never been released in the US (I suppose in the same way Phantasm II hasn't either, despite 1, 3 and 4 being readily available).

In acquisition deals, Benten/Watchmaker Films landed Wei Zheng's Fish Eyes, which premiered at Tribeca. Cinema Guild picked up Andrew Bujalski's Beeswax, and Film Movement nabbed Adrián Biniez's Gigante, which won the Silver Bear at Berlin earlier this year. And finally, Warner has added 40 more titles to the original 150 in their Archive Collection. Check this link for all of the titles.

Also, Eric's informed us of a number of planned DVD releases from Sony and theatrical releases from The Film Desk. A Sam Fuller box-set and Husbands are reportedly coming from Sony, the latter part of their Martini Movies series. And The Film Desk is releasing a resorted print of Alain Cavalier's Le combat dans l'île [Fire and Ice], with Romy Schneider and Jean-Louis Trintignant, as well as a first-run release of Alexander Olch's The Windmill Movie.