It is a sad day in both the film world and personally. One of my favorite filmmakers of all time and a true icon to the film industry, Michelangelo Antonioni, died yesterday at the age of 94. If you all know me you know some of my favorite films were by the acclaimed director. From The Passenger to Red Desert to Blow-up (my favorite film), the man made masterpiece after masterpiece. The man will be surely missed.

Okay, announcement has finally come through, courtesy of Fangoria, for the separate released Grindhouse films from Tarantino and Rodriguez and to me it is a bit of a mixed bag.

First up, Tarantino's Death Proof on September 18th:

• Finding Quentin’s Gals featurette
• The Guys of DEATH PROOF featurette
• Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike featurette
• Introducing Zoe Bell featurette
• Quentin’s Greatest Collaborator: Editor Sally Menke featurette
• DOUBLE DARE trailer
• International poster gallery

As you can see, not much there. Would have liked a QT commentart track at least. Bonus points for a possible new grindhouse trailer though (I am guessing that is what DOUBLE DARE is?).

Then from Rodriguez's court Planet Terror on October 18th:

• Audio commentary by writer/director Rodriguez
• Deleted scenes
• Cooking School featurette
• 10-Minute Film School featurette
• The Stunts featurette
• The Make-up and Effects featurette
• The Badass Babes featurette
• The Renegade Guys featurette
• The Costumes featurette
• The Production Design featurette
• International trailer

Alot better. More of the usual form the man. I am sure it will be one entertaining as hell commentary track and his film and cooking school featurettes are always a treasure. My question though? No Machete trailer?? or Don't or Thanksgiving? I am a bit disappointed. Unless of course they are easter eggs on the discs. That would be a delight.

Alright. I suppose that is all for now. Back in a little while (which could mean days...ha ha), with a review of two.

Alot of things I want to talk about tonight but I am pretty tired so who knows how long this will be.

I will start things off with some rather sad news. Remember just a short while ago when I said I may have found a new favorite actor with Ulrich Muehe of The Lives of Others and Funny Games.

Well, the brilliant actor passed away just a few short days ago from stomach cancer. Apparently he was planning on working again with the always intriguing Michael Haneke in the not so distant future. He will be missed.

All the happy news department side of film, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Danny Glover, and (one of my personal favs) Gael Garcia Bernal are about to beginning film of the latest from Fernando Meirelles entitled Blindness. You may know this amazing director from his two previous masterpieces The Constant Gardener and City of God. I truly can't wait.

How I which I could go to Venice this year for their annual international film festival. The film slate is insane this year. Check it out:

In Competition

Todd Haynes' I'm Not There
Lee Kang-Sheng's Help Me Eros
Ang Lee's Lust, Caution
Takashi Miike's Sukiyaki Western Django
Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited
Andrew Dominik's The Assination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Out of Competition

Claude Chabrol's La Fille Coupee en duex
Takeshi Kitano's Kantoku Banzai!
Shinji Aoyama's Sad Vacation
Jia Zhangke's Useless

And that is just a little taste of the films set for the festival. Not to mention a special tribute to Spaghetti Westerns with over 30 classic films of the genre set to screen. Amazing stuff.

Speaking of amazing stuff comes the announcement of two dvds I am really looking forward to in the coming months. First up is Magnolia Pictures release of Severance one hell of a great horror comedy which really could have gotten a Shaun of the Dead following if it was marketed a tad bit wider. Nonetheless check out the disc and its features coming to shelves on Septemeber 25th:

• Audio commentary by Smith, cast and crew
• Making-of featurette
• Not So Special Effects featurette
• Genesis of SEVERANCE featurette
• Fight Scene Training featurette • Being Danny Dyer featurette
• Deleted scenes
• Outtakes
• Alternate ending
• Storyboards

In October we should welcome the Criterion Collection release of Days of Heaven. With one beauty of a cover this release should be a definite for all film fans. While I have never seen this Terrence Malick classic (I am however a huge fan of his Badlands), I have heard nothing but good thing about it over the years. Below is the cover art and specs:

New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Terrence Malick, editor Billy Weber, and camera operator John Bailey

New Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack

Audio commentary featuring Weber, art director Jack Fisk, costume designer Patricia Norris, and casting director Dianne Crittenden

New video interviews with cinematographers Haskell Wexler and Bailey

PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by critic Adrian Martin and director of photography Nestor Almendros

While I am sure there is much more yet to say (including some long overdue film reviews I have discussed several times earlier) I will leave you all with the first poster from Tim Burton latest, his film version of the famed play Sweeney Todd. Tell me this isn't a bad ass poster. Enjoy...

Wait no longer. I bring you The Darjeeling Limited trailer:

If this film lives up to its amazing trailer, it will hand downs be the film of the year (and this is saying alot...especially with the new Paul Thomas Anderson film hitting this year too). Lets hope this will be the year of Wes and PTA.

So have any of you guys ever read my reviews over at KFC Cinema. Probably not (aside from Daniel Lee, of course). Therefore I thought I would post some links for your viewing pleasure. Yeah, I know there not the greatest but I am getting better I think. Some of them I wish I proofread before publishing though. Suffice to say here are a handful...

Flower and the Angry Waves
Black Test Car
Red Angel
Linda, Linda, Linda
Naked Pursuit

Here is one of my earlier ones when I first started writing for the page:

Family

So yeah. Most of the reviews are pretty positive. Then again I try to get my hands on good films to review, hence the positivity. Some times, however, that is not always true. Case in point the last two reviews. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy. If you think they're bad, at least you can get a little laugh.

Back to reality. Apparently the trailer for Darjeeling Limited (the latest from Wes Anderson) hits theaters this weekend either attached to Sunshine or Once (according to several websites). I myself can not wait. Take a gander at the final poster artwork. Looks a bit familiar but I dig it.

I am sure I had alot of great things to say but they have all slipped my mind at the moment. I will be back soon. I promise. Plus next post will have a dvd film review or maybe two...

It's about frickin' time...


Need I say more....wait no longer than October 2007. This is why we love you Criterion Collection.

	New, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director of photography Raoul Coutard
	Archival interviews with director Jean-Luc Godard, and actors Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, and Jean-Pierre Melville
	New video interviews with Coutard, assistant director Pierre Rissient, and filmmaker D. A. Pennebaker
	New video essays: filmmaker and critic Mark Rappaport's "Jean Seberg" and critic Jonathan Rosenbaum's "Breathless as Film Criticism"
	Chambre 12, Hotel de suede, an eighty-minute French documentary about the making of Breathless, with members of the cast and crew
	Charlotte et son Jules, a 1959 short film by Godard, starring Belmondo
	French theatrical trailer
	New and improved English subtitle translation
	PLUS: A booklet featuring writings from Godard, film historian Dudley Andrew, Francois Truffaut's original film treatment, and Godard's scenario

So like three friends have informed me it has been another two weeks since we last spoke. Oops. sorry guys. at least I know I have three readers, right.

Where was I....ah, yes Chiaki and I got back from our trip to new york last weekend. It was swell, really. We love that damn city. Spent alot of time in Koreatown this year, oddly enough. Sippin' on some OB beer (hmm..tasty) and hittin' up the karoke rooms (man am I a horrible singer). We explore new parts of the city this year and attempt to get more reacquainted with it. Didn't get a hold of my new york friends, whom seem to have disowned me but oh well what can you do (Dani, Ali, Chris, Brandon...if your out there I miss you guys).

Chiaki and I fell in love with a play in west greenwich village called In a Dark Dark House with Ron Livingston (of Office Space) and Frederick Weller. Both we amazing specially Weller as was the supporting role played by Louisa Krause. Two hour off-broadway play with three acts last roughly 30-40 minutes each. Weller was in all three acts, Livingston in two, and Krause in one. Powerful stuff. Really showed me that Neil LaBute (the playwrite) still had some amazing stuff left in him. LaBute, if you don't know used to be an amazing screenwriting/directing god. He made to jaw-dropping films (In the Company of Men, Your Friends and Neighbors), an above average semi-Hollywood flick (Nurse Betty), a full blown Hollywood romance (Possession), back to a great little indie (The Shape of Things) and then a Hollywood remake (The Wicker Man). Throughout that time his original plays came to life throughout the New York and London (Bash, The Shape of Things, Fat Pig, Some Girls). Personally the man works best in film when he is able to direct his own material ala 'Shape', 'Men', and 'Neighbors'. Therefore I look forward to future projects hoping for the best.

Also caught two flicks at the New York Asian Film Festival. Nightmare Detective (the latest from Shinya Tsukamoto) and Freesia; both from Japan. We enjoyed both of them. Currently I am in the process of writing a little article about both for KFC Cinema so I will let you all know when that goes up. I will say, while I really dug Nightmare Detective I still believe that Vital is Tsukamoto's stronger picture. Freesia on the other hand surprised the hell out of me. Went in knowing nothing and came out truly satisfied. More on this soon.

Caught Black Snake Moan last night and really liked it alot. As one review stated elsewhere, an admiration or understanding of southern blues music will really help in your satisfaction of the film. Craig Brewer, the writer/director has a love for music. Just as in his debut Hustle & Flow, music plays a crucial role in the film along side the actors.

Well, I suppose I am off for now. I forget what else I wanted to talk about. I swear I will try to be back in a day or two with the usual sass. Also a review or two will be in order at next post. promise.