Poster - Even The Rain

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Julia's Eyes

Belén Rueda (The Orphanage) stars in another Guillermo del Toro produced film, directed by Guillem Morales (The Uncertain Guest). Julia, a woman suffering from a degenerative eye disease, finds her blind twin sister Sara hanged in the basement of her house. Julia decides to investigate what she feels is a murder case, entering a dark world that seems to hide a mysterious presence. As Julia begins to uncover the terrifying truth about her sister’s death, her sight deteriorates further, until a series of unexplained deaths and disappearances cross her path. Anything del Toro touches is worth watching and this looks super creepy. Julia’s Eyes will play as a Special Presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival.

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Trailer - Biutiful

The new film from director Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, 21 Grams) stars Javier Bardem, who won best actor at Cannes for his performance. The trailer is pretty vague but it looks just as powerful and depressing as his other work. Can't wait.

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Notable New Releases

Crazy Heart
It's a lot like The Wrestler, but with country music. Very simple and very effective. Jeff Bridges' performance as washed out country singer Bad Blake is magnificent. He completely inhabits the role and does all his own singing and playing. Maggie Gyllenhaal is just as great, playing opposite him as struggling single mother Jean. The music is of course amazing and the final song (which we see Blake writing throughout the film) will break you.

Extras include:

• Deleted Scenes
• Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Robert Duvall interviews (BD exclusive)

The Lovely Bones
Missed this one and it got terrible reviews, but i'm willing to give Peter Jackson a chance and it has a really extensive making of doc.

Extras include:

• Introduction by Peter Jackson
• Filming 'The Lovely Bones' - a three hour documentary that chronicles the making of the film (BD exclusive)

The Young Victoria
Nothing new but a solid period romance. Emily Blunt does great work here.

Extras include:

• Deleted Scenes
• Making of The Young Victoria
• The Real Queen Victoria
• The Coronation
• The Wedding
• Lavish History: A Look at the Costumes and Locations

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Criterion Collection Announces July Titles

The Red Shoes
On July 20th, the studio will release Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's classic The Red Shoes (1948) on DVD/Blu-ray with a new, restored high-definition digital transfer (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition).

Extras include:

• Audio commentary by film historian Ian Christie, featuring interviews with stars Marius Goring and Moira Shearer, cinematographer Jack Cardiff, composer Brian Easdale, and filmmaker Martin Scorsese
• Introductory restoration demonstration with Scorsese
• Profile of 'The Red Shoes' (2000), a 25-minute documentary
• Video interview with Thelma Schoonmaker Powell, Michael Powell's widow
• Gallery from Scorsese's collection of The Red Shoes memorabilia
• The 'Red Shoes' Sketches, an animated film made from Hein Heckroth's painted storyboards
• Readings by actor Jeremy Irons of excerpts from Powell and Pressburger's novelization of The Red Shoes and the original Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale
• Theatrical trailer
• A booklet featuring an essay by Ian Christie

Black Narcissus
On July 20th, they will also release Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's Black Narcissus (1947) on DVD/Blu-ray with a new, restored high-definition digital transfer (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition).

Extras include:

• Video introduction by French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier
• Audio commentary featuring the late director Michael Powell and filmmaker Martin Scorsese
• The Audacious Adventurer, a 2006 video piece in which Tavernier discusses Black Narcissus and Powell
• Profile of 'Black Narcissus' (2000), a 25-minute documentary
• Painting with Light, a twenty-seven-minute documentary about Jack Cardiff's Oscar-winning cinematography on Black Narcissus
• Original theatrical trailer
• A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Kent Jones

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Notable New Releases

Fantastic Mr. Fox
Wes Anderson does Roald Dahl with excellent results. One of my favorite films of last year. It's a funny, odd, sweet, visual masterpiece. Cussin' buy it!

Extras include:

• The Look of Fantastic Mr. Fox (BD-exclusive)
• From Script to Screen
• The Puppet Makers (BD-exclusive)
• Still Life: Puppet Animation
• The Cast (BD-exclusive)
• Bill and His Badger (BD-exclusive)
• A Beginner's Guide to Whack-Bat
• Fantastic Mr. Fox: The World of Roald Dahl (BD-exclusive)

Brothers
Missed it in theaters, but heard its got some great performances so i'll have to check it out.

Extras include:

• Commentary
• Remade In The USA
• Jim Sheridan - Film and Family

Mad Men: Season Three
The return of Don Draper. One of the best shows on TV right now.

Extras include:

• Commentaries for all episodes
• 'Medgar Evers: An Unsung Hero'
• Up In Smoke - a visual depiction of the juxtaposition between the world of advertising and big tobacco
• We Shall Overcome: The March on Washington - Dr. King's speech accompanied by images detailing the historical moment when over 250,000 people came together for the March on Washington
• Mad Men Illustrated - Dyna Moe invites you to scroll through the slightly "animated" photo gallery of the Mad Men Illustrations accompanied with commentary from the illustrator extraordinaire
• Flashback 1963 - An interactive look at the events and themes that defined the year

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Notable New Releases

The Princess and the Frog
Disney's triumphant return to traditional animation! Like most of their new releases, Disney is offering a printable $10 off coupon for the combo pack. Great deal.

Extras include:

• Commentary
• Work in Progress Track - watch the finished film alongside the animators' early pencil work, storyboards, key animations, and work-in-progress sequences
• Magic in the Bayou
• Bringing Life to Animation
• Deleted Scenes
• The Return to Hand Drawn Animation
• The Disney Legacy
• A Return to the Animated Musical
• Disney's Newest Princess
• The Princess and the Animator
• Conjuring the Villain
• Ne-Yo "Never Knew I Needed" Music Video
• Art Galleries

Ninja Assassin
Missed this one, but heard it's a pretty badass fun action flick. So grab an umbrella and get ready for...Raaain!

Extras include:

• Deleted Scenes
• The Myth and Legend of Ninjas
• The Extreme Sport of a Ninja
• Training Rain

Broken Embraces
I will see anything by Almodóvar. Can't wait to pick this up.

Extras include:

• Deleted Scenes
• The Cannibalistic Councillor short film, directed by Pedro Almodóvar and featuring a character from Broken Embraces as the central focus
• Pedro Directs Penélope
• On the Red Carpet: The New York Film Festival Closing Night
• Variety Q&A with Penelope Cruz

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Notable New Releases

Black Dynamite
This blaxploitation parody looks hilarious and has gotten great reviews for its spot-on take on the genre.

Extras include:

• Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• 'Lighting The Fuse' Making-of Featurette
• The 70's: Back in Action
• The Comic-Con Experience

Law Abiding Citizen
Didn't look great but everything I've heard suggests it's actually a pretty fun over-the-top revenge flick.

Extras include:

• Commentary
• The Justice of 'Law Abiding Citizen'
• Law in Black and White - Behind the Scenes
• Preliminary Arguments - Visual Effects Progressions
• The Verdict - Winning Trailer Mash-Up

Hunger (Criterion Collection)
Michael Fassbender's fearless performance has been earning rave reviews and I can't wait to check out the story of political prisoner Bobby Sands.

Extras include:

• Steve McQueen interview
• The Making of Hunger
• Michael Fassbender interview
• 'The Provos' Last Card?' 1981 News Program
• Booklet - a 16-page illustrated booklet containing Chris Darke's essay 'On The Threshold'

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HBR Fest: Verônica

Maurício Farias' new film follows Verônica (Andréa Beltrão), a divorced teacher, who works in a periphery poor school in Rio. One day, after class, Leandro (Matheus de Sá), a seven year old kid is waiting for his parents by the school gate. They don't appear. She decides to take him home. When she enters in the slum and discovers that his parents were killed by the drug trafficking gang. The boy's life is in danger and she discovers a network of police corruption, that may involve her cop ex-husband, as she tries to protect him. This is a really effective thriller due to the uniformly great performances and the tight direction. Once the danger is introduced, the tension doesn't let up leading the audience on a high-speed journey. It just premiered at the Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival as the closing film.

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HBR Fest: Paulista

Roberto Moreira's new film Paulista (meaning someone from São Paulo) is an ensemble piece, following three connected stories. Aspiring actress Marina (Sílvia Lourenço) arrives in São Paulo with dreams of independence and fulfillment. She shares an apartment with Suzana (Maria Clara Spinelli), a lawyer who was born a man. A few floors up lives Jay (Fábio Herford), a frustrated writer seeking for meaning in his life. At a nightclub, Marina becomes obsessed with a singer, Justine (Danni Carlos). At the courthouse, Suzana begins a relationship with a colleague, Gil (Gustavo Machado). In the streets, Jay takes a prostitute named Michelle (Leilah Moreno) as his muse. I really liked the tone that the director establishes. It is a somber film about lost love and the loneliness of a big city, recalling the work of Wong Kar-Wai. The dreamy cinematography is wonderful and is the first Brazilian production to be shot on the RED camera. It also marks one of the first times a transgender character has been played by an actual transgender actress and its an amazing performance that will break your heart. It just had its Los Angeles premiere at the Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival, where it took home awards for best actress (Maria Clara Spinelli) and best film.

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HBR Fest: Now Boarding

Allan Fiterman's new film follows Wagner (Jonathan Haagensen) a young airport employee, who dreams about leaving Brazil for a better life in New York. He crosses paths with fellow employee Justina (Marília Pêra) an experienced woman who tries to advise him. Together they try to realize their dreams. It's an incredibly charming and funny story, filled with amusing characters. Marília Pêra gives a hilarious performance as the high-strung Justina. If you like over-the-top quirky comedy, check it out. It just had its US premiere at the Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival.

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Criterion Collection Announces April Titles

Vivre sa vie
The Criterion Collection announced they will release the visually stunning New Wave Jean-Luc Godard masterwork Vivre sa vie DVD/Blu-ray on April 20th. It will feature a new, restored high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition.

Extras include:

• Audio commentary featuring film scholar Adrian Martin
• Video interview with film scholar Jean Narboni, conducted by historian Noël Simsolo
• Television interview from 1962 with actress Anna Karina
• Excerpts from a 1961 French television exposé on prostitution
• Illustrated essay on La prostitution, the book that served as inspiration for the film
• Stills gallery
• Director Jean-Luc Godard’s original theatrical trailer
• New and improved English subtitle translation
• PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Atkinson, interviews with Godard, a reprint by critic Jean Collet on the film’s soundtrack, and Godard’s original scenario

Summer Hours
The Criterion Collection announced they will release Olivier Assayas' Summer Hours DVD/Blu-ray on April 20th. It will feature a new, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director Olivier Assayas and cinematographer Eric Gautier, with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition.

Extras include:

• New video interview with Assayas
• A short documentary featuring interviews with Assayas and actors Charles Berling and Juliette Binoche, and showing the cast and crew on set
• Inventory, an hour-long documentary by Olivier Gonard, shot partly in Paris’s Musée d’Orsay, that examines the film’s approach to art
• Theatrical trailer
• New and improved English subtitle translation
• PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Kent Jones

[READ MORE...]

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