Month: December 2014

New Acquisitions – December 2014

Lift your head up from your notebook and take a deep breath. Yes, it’s finals season, but you’ve gotta take some time for yourself. Maybe watch a movie or a TV show? We’re glad to aid and abet that sort of behavior. As we wind our into the last week of the semester,  we have … Continue reading “New Acquisitions – December 2014”

Lift your head up from your notebook and take a deep breath. Yes, it’s finals season, but you’ve gotta take some time for yourself. Maybe watch a movie or a TV show? We’re glad to aid and abet that sort of behavior.

As we wind our into the last week of the semester,  we have one last load of great DVDs for 2014. Our biggest and splashiest purchase is the complete series of How I Met Your Mother, complete with the alternative ending that nearly everyone agrees should have been used in the first place. But there’s plenty of other notables in this batch too: Disney’s Maleficent, sci-fi sleeper hit Edge of Tomorrow, FX’s acclaimed Fargo television series, and indie sensation Chef.

We’re also picking up more classics we’ve been missing, especially on the television front. We’ve purchased seasons of shows including Ally McBeal, Cheers, Chico and the Man, and In Living Color.

And for fans of the truly weird, we now also have The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension, a bizarre sci-fi action-adventure film starring Peter Weller (best known as RoboCop) as a neurosurgeon who fights crime across the galaxy with the help of his rock-n-roll band. It’s special.

Hit the jump for a full list of what we have in store…

Home Use Collection:

My Voyage to Italy – HU DVD 1023
Portland Expose / They Were So Young – HU DVD 5214
Loan Shark / Arson, Inc. – HU DVD 5215
Shadow Man / Shoot to Kill – HU DVD 5216
Thunder on the Hill – HU DVD 6436
Taza, Son of Cochise – HU DVD 6437
Captain Lightfoot – HU DVD 6438
The Tarnished Angels  – HU DVD 6439
Porgy and Bess – HU DVD 6449
Little Voice – HU DVD 6603
Return to Zero – HU DVD 6604
The Damned Don’t Cry – HU DVD 6606
Calloused Hands – HU DVD 6607
Paid in Full – HU DVD 6608
Tomboy – HU DVD 6609
The Unquiet Death of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg – HU DVD 6611
Reportero – HU DVD 6612
1964 – HU DVD 6613
The Address – HU DVD 6614
I Drink Your Blood – HU DVD 6615
Grammar Revolution – HU DVD 6617
Theorem – HU DVD 6618
The World, the Flesh, and the Devil – HU DVD 6619
Selfish Giant – HU DVD 6620
Fantastic Voyage – HU DVD 6621
Goodbye Tibet – HU DVD 6622
Grand Prix – HU DVD 6623
Show People – HU DVD 6624
The Black Pirate – HU DVD 6625
Betty Boop: The Essential Collection Volume 3 – HU DVD 8064
Betty Boop: The Essential Collection Volume  4 – HU DVD 8065
American Horror Story: Asylum – HU DVD 10609
Palo Alto – HU DVD 11481
About Time – HU DVD 11482
Broadchurch, Season 1 – HU DVD 11483
How to Train Your Dragon – HU DVD 11484
The Fifth Estate – HU DVD 11485
The Fifth Estate – HU BLU 11485
Bonnie & Clyde – HU DVD 11487
The Five Heartbeats – HU DVD 11488
The White Queen, Season 1 – HU DVD 11489
The Lunchbox – HU DVD 11490
The Lunchbox – HU BLU 11490
The Courtesans of Bombay – HU DVD 11491
Sharkwater – HU DVD 11492
Rouch in Reverse – HU DVD 11493
Jockeys – HU DVD 11494
Locke – HU DVD 11495
Tim’s Vermeer – HU DVD 11496
Tim’s Vermeer – HU BLU 11496
Chronicle – HU DVD 11497
Chronicle – HU BLU 11497
Godzilla – HU DVD 11498
Godzilla – HU BLU 11498
The Human Zoo: The Final Journey of Calafate – HU DVD 11499
Mogambo – HU DVD 11500
Years of Living Dangerously – HU DVD 11501
One Hour Photo – HU DVD 11502
War & Peace – HU DVD 11502
Glickman – HU DVD 11503
Out of the Clear Blue Sky – HU DVD 11504
The Last of the Unjust – HU DVD 11505
The Hired Hand – HU DVD 11506
Gregory’s Girl – HU DVD 11507
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm – HU DVD 11508
Faded: Girls & Binge Drinking – HU DVD 11509
Batman: Under the Red Hood – HU DVD 11510
In Living Color, Season 1 – HU DVD 11511
In Living Color, Season 2 – HU DVD 11512
In Living Color, Season 3 – HU DVD 11513
In Living Color, Season 4 – HU DVD 11514
In Living Color, Season 5 – HU DVD 11515
The Hunger – HU DVD 11516
United States of Secrets – HU DVD 11517
Scheherazade in Baabda – HU DVD 11518
The Monkees, Season 1 – HU DVD 11520
The Monkees, Season 2 – HU DVD 11521
Sent of a Woman – HU DVD 11523
We Are the Best! – HU DVD 11524
Matilda – HU DVD 11525
Buffalo Bill – HU DVD 11526
Ilo Ilo – HU DVD 11527
Masked Rider the First – HU DVD 11528
The Secret of NIMH – HU DVD 11529
Cheers, Season 1 – HU DVD 11530
American Promise – HU DVD 11531
Chico and the Man – HU DVD 11533
Citizen Koch – HU DVD 11534
Der Fall Jagerstatter – HU DVD 11537
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – HU DVD 11539
Valentine Road – HU DVD 11540
Slapstick Symposium Max Linder Collection – HU DVD 11541
Ally McBeal, Season 1 – HU DVD 11542
Super Fly – HU DVD 11545
The Forgotten Kingdom – HU DVD 11546
Too Sane for this World – HU DVD 11546
The Best of Fridays – HU DVD 11554
The Trilogy: On the Run, An Amazing Couple, After Life – HU DVD 11555
Fargo, Season 1 – HU DVD 11556
55 Days of Peking – HU DVD 11558
The Holcroft Covenant – HU DVD 11560
The Whistle Blower – HU DVD 11561
How I Met Your Mother, Season 1 – HU DVD 11571
How I Met Your Mother, Season 2 – HU DVD 11572
How I Met Your Mother, Season 3 – HU DVD 11573
How I Met Your Mother, Season 4 – HU DVD 11574
How I Met Your Mother, Season 5 – HU DVD 11575
How I Met Your Mother, Season 6 – HU DVD 11576
How I Met Your Mother, Season 7 – HU DVD 11577
How I Met Your Mother, Season 8 – HU DVD 11578
How I Met Your Mother, Season 9 – HU DVD 11579
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension – HU DVD 11582
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History – HU DVD 11583
Maleficent – HU DVD 11584
Edge of Tomorrow – HU DVD 11585
A Most Wanted Man – HU DVD 11586
Chef – HU DVD 11587
21 Jump Street – HU DVD 11588
Welcome Back Kotter, Season 1 – HU DVD 14252

In-Library Titles:

Lola – DVD 11548
Lola – BLU 11548
Bay of Angels – DVD 11549
Bay of Angels – BLU 11549
The Umbrellas of Cherbough – DVD 11550
The Umbrellas of Cherbough – BLU 11550
The Young Girls of Rochefort – DVD 11551
The Young Girls of Rochefort – BLU 11551
Donkey Skin – DVD 11552
Donkey Skin – BLU 11552
Une Chambre en Ville – DVD 11553
Une Chambre en Ville – BLU 11553

Watch the best films of the year in one thrilling montage

Another year in film is winding down, leaving a trail of Oscar contenders and Christmas movies as it passes into the horizon. December seems like as good of a time as any to look back on some of the great films that came out this year, everything from The Lego Movie to Gone Girl. We’re … Continue reading “Watch the best films of the year in one thrilling montage”

Another year in film is winding down, leaving a trail of Oscar contenders and Christmas movies as it passes into the horizon. December seems like as good of a time as any to look back on some of the great films that came out this year, everything from The Lego Movie to Gone Girl.

We’re going to hand the metaphorical mic over to David Ehrlich, an editor who for several years has compiled mashups of what he considers the best films over the year. His choices are always a little controversial (Godzilla makes the top 25; Birdman does not), but he certainly knows how to make a montage. Even if you don’t know some of the odder films in Ehlrich’s list, they’re worth watching here. We guarantee you’ll want to watch Why Don’t You Play in Hell? after this.

Does The Wire work in HD? You be the judge

In a move even more controversial than their decision to launch a standalone streaming subscription service, HBO has decided to remaster classic television series The Wire in high-definition widescreen. The show, as directed by showrunner David Simon, was intended to be show in the 4:3 aspect ratio of standard-definition television sets. In the process of … Continue reading “Does The Wire work in HD? You be the judge”

In a move even more controversial than their decision to launch a standalone streaming subscription service, HBO has decided to remaster classic television series The Wire in high-definition widescreen. The show, as directed by showrunner David Simon, was intended to be show in the 4:3 aspect ratio of standard-definition television sets. In the process of extending that image to 16:9, this remaster makes significant edits to the cinematography of the original series – and that doesn’t sit well with many people.

We’ve previously touched on the big difference that aspect ratio can make, so this certainly isn’t a minor change that’s going unnoticed by filmmakers. The Wire is often considered the greatest television series of all time, and to many, this type of creative tampering borderline heresy.

Simon seems to feel ambivalent about the remastering, mentioning that some scenes work better in widescreen while others don’t. That’s inevitable for such a sweeping change to the original format. But we think you, the discerning film enthusiast, deserve to be the judge of that. (Hit the jump for the clips…)

Below are series of videos provided by HBO showing two scenes in both 4:3 and 16:9. One, according to Simon, works better, while another does not. We won’t tell you which is which. See what you think.

This first scene is from Season 2, Episode 12, “Port in a Storm.“

Standard Definition

High Definition

The next clip is from Season 1, Episode 1, “The Target.”

Standard Definition

High Definition

It doesn’t seem like a lot on the surface, but there’s huge differences between these clips in terms of cinematography and mise-en-scène. It’s remarkable how a tweak like this can affect the final product in such substantive ways.

No promise that we’ll ever buy the Blu-ray series, but these clips alone are a fascinating case study of the transition between formats.

See Top Five with Chris Rock… WITH Chris Rock!

You may have seen Chris Rock in the news recently from his controversial routine on Saturday Night Live or his candid interview about race in Vulture. He’s in the middle of a publicity tour for Top Five, his upcoming semi-autobiographical comedy that’s gotten rave reviews since it’s premiere at TIFF this year, even generating some … Continue reading “See Top Five with Chris Rock… WITH Chris Rock!”

You may have seen Chris Rock in the news recently from his controversial routine on Saturday Night Live or his candid interview about race in Vulture. He’s in the middle of a publicity tour for Top Five, his upcoming semi-autobiographical comedy that’s gotten rave reviews since it’s premiere at TIFF this year, even generating some potential awards season buzz (watch for a Golden Globe nomination). The movie hits theaters in DC next week, but we’ve gotten our hands on pre-release passes.

The screening goes down at the Regal Gallery Place 14 on Tuesday, December 9 at 6:30pm. Most excitingly, we’ve been told that Chris Rock himself plans to attend the screening for an introduction! This is a pretty exciting screening that you’ll want to be at.

Passes can be picked up in person or are redeemable online via our partners at GoFobo. As always, remember that these screenings are intentionally overbooked and that you’ll need to show up at least one or two hours in advance to ensure that you get a seat. But it’ll be worth it, especially since Chris Rock will most likely be there!