Crime 101 (DVD)
Originally released overseas as SCARFIES, CRIME 101 is an energetic New Zealand production detailing the increasingly tense tale of five Dunedin college students who move into an abandoned house only to discover a secret room in the basement full of thriving marijuana plants. As soon as the kids sell the product and make a tasty profit, the plants` owner comes looking what is rightfully his, only to find it gone. The students lock him in the basement until they figure out how to handle the situation, but the situation quickly grows ugly. The film features a soundtrack by renowned New Zealand record label Flying Nun, which features tracks by The Clean (who make a brief live appearance), 3D`s, The Chills, Straitjacket Fits, Headless Chickens, and Bike.NR"
Director: Robert Sarkies
King and Country (DVD)
Joseph Losey takes an unadorned look at the realities of World War I trench warfare in his jarring military courtroom drama KING AND COUNTRY. Tom Courtenay stars as Hamp, the muddled, Cockney private who, at his wit`s end, deserts his post, attempting to escape the ever-present sound of guns and walk home. Dirk Bogarde is Captain Hargreaves, an aristocratic, no-nonsense British Army lawyer who must defend Hamp before the army tribunal, for whom the crime of desertion carries a nasty stigma and the penalty of execution. The action is confined to the mud-entrenched, rat-infested confines of the barracks, creating a stifling atmosphere, which is only amplified by Loseys masterful scenes exposing the dry cruelty and unnerving boredom of army life. Initially, Hargreaves approaches Hamps case with disdain; however, upon learning that Hamp volunteered for duty on a dare, that he is the sole survivor of his unit, and that his wife has been unfaithful in his absence, his efforts on Hamp`s behalf become more impassioned and earnest. Faced with the unfeeling face of the army bureaucracy, Hargreaves`s arguments fall on deaf ears as Hamp becomes a tool of morale boosting on the eave of the troops dispersal into an impending bloody battle.NR"
Director: Joseph Losey
ACTORS: Dirk Bogarde, Tom Courtenay, Leo McKern, Barry Foster, James Villiers
Never Talk to Strangers (DVD) Closed Caption A shy, distant psychologist is in for more than she bargained for when she allows herself to fall in love with a handsome, possibly lethal stranger in this erotic thriller.
A shy, distant psychologist is in for more than she bargained for when she allows herself to fall in love with a handsome, possibly lethal stranger in this erotic thriller.
R"
Director: Peter Hall
ACTORS: Antonio Banderas, Rebecca De Mornay, Harry Dean Stanton, Dennis Miller, Len Cariou
Oliver Twist (DVD) Criterion Collection David Lean`s prodigious adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic expands fervently on the theme of a lonely boy in a world of bullies. When the orphan hero, Oliver, escapes to London, the Artful Dodger delivers hi...
David Lean`s prodigious adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic expands fervently on the theme of a lonely boy in a world of bullies. When the orphan hero, Oliver, escapes to London, the Artful Dodger delivers him to the notorious Fagan, who makes him part of the gang but soon allows for Oliver to take the fall for a bungled pickpocketing scam. To date, no movie has better captured Dickens`s blend of sensitivity and violence.
NR"
Director: David Lean
ACTORS: Alec Guinness, Robert Newton, Anthony Newley, Kay Walsh, Francis L. Sullivan
The Parent Trap (DVD)
Two long separated twin sisters meet unexpectedly at a summer camp where their divorced parents sent them. Together they hatch an ingenious plot to reunite their families. Academy Award Nominations: 2, including Best Film Editing.NR"
Director: David Swift
ACTORS: Hayley Mills, Maureen O`Hara, Brian Keith, Charles Ruggles, Una Merkel
