NOW PLAYING: Small Screens

This past week a couple of my recent favourites were released on DVD (REDBELT, SON OF RAMBOW), and two days hence the season's Certified Soul Food Masterpiece, SILENT LIGHT, hits the Videomatica shelves. (You might want to rent ORDET while you're at it.)

Also released this summer was DARATT ("DRY SEASON"), which Doug Cummings has raved as something of an African companion piece to THE SON, which Doug and I both count among our absolute favourite films. I'll see if Videomatica might bring in a copy, but it can be ordered direct from Facets (just type the title in the search engine near the top of their home page).

Sep 9 will see the arrival of COOL HAND LUKE, followed on Sep 23 by Coppola's restoration of the GODFATHER trilogy. And my movie-buddy Paul emailed to recommend CHOP SHOP, which also got great coverage in one of the film magazines this spring - I'll see if I can dig that out - as well as EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED, a recommendation I'm very happy to pass along. Paul: "A serious movie with achingly funny scenes in the first half." Exactly.

And don't forget the other new-ish video releases we touted mid-August:
AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS (1988, France, Louis Malle)
BELLA (2006, Mexico, Alejandro Monteverde)
IN BRUGES (2008, UK, Martin McDonagh)
JOHN FROM CINCINNATI (2007, USA)
THE LAST SUPPER ("La Ultima Cena" 1976, Cuba, Tomas Gutierrez Alea)
THE MAN WHO PLANTED TREES (1987, Canada, Frederic Back)
THE NIGHT OF THE SHOOTING STARS (1982, Italy, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani)
ONE PUNK UNDER GOD (2006, USA, Jeremy Simmons)
THE TREE OF WOODEN CLOGS (1978, Italy, Olmi)
WHAT WOULD JESUS BUY? (2007, USA, Rob VanAlkemade)
MONSIEUR VINCENT (1947, France, Maurice Cloche)