Truffaut Shorts (DVD)
Frangois Truffaut`s 1957 short LES MISTONS is a beautifully photographed black-and-white film that tells one of the sweetest love stories ever captured on camera, through the antics of a very honest narrator. The story follows a pack of young boys who become obsessed with a girl in a love affair, Bernadette (Bernadette Lafont). They track her every move--sneaking up behind her and kissing the seat of her bicycle, waiting to fetch stray balls for her while she plays tennis, and writing her name in chalk all over the streets of town. Containing a few of the most recognizable sequences in film history--boys pretending they`re stars of gangster films and running through the streets ripping down movie posters--this short film is essentially a blueprint for THE 400 BLOWS and a must-see for any fan of Truffaut or the French New Wave.
In ANTOINE ET COLLETTE, the second film in Truffaut`s Antoine Doinel series (which began in THE 400 BLOWS), the recognizable antihero, Antoine (Jean-Pierre Liaud), is now an 18-year-old student who`s constantly chasing Collette (Marie-France Pisier), a young woman he meets at an orchestral concert. However, Collette insists on treating him like a boy and torturing him with cruel games. This hardly deters the magnificent Antoine, who moves into an apartment directly across from her family and then curries favor with her parents. Triumphant blasts of classical music from Antoine`s record player convince viewers to keep rooting for him despite his perpetually shunned advances, such as his priceless movie theater make-out attempt. This classic Truffaut short originally appeared in the film anthology LOVE AT TWENTY.NR"
Director: Frangois Truffaut
You`re the Top! The Cole Porter Story (DVD)
The unparalleled career of the ever-urbane musical genius Cole Porter is profiled in this star-studded biography including performances and interviews with such fans and contemporaries as Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Shirley MacLaine, Fred Astaire, Linda Ronstadt, Judy Garland and others. Hosted by Bobby Short.NR"
Director: Allan Albert
Alone (DVD)
Tormented by a parental slaying, Alex has become a psychotic who strikes when love is not in bloom. While stalking a new mate, a body count begins to emerge and Detective Hannah (John Shrapnel) is called in to follow the trail of victims in hopes it will lead to the whereabouts of the killer. This creepy look into the mind of a serial killer and those who track them pulls no punches in its depiction of brutal pathology in the cases of both adversaries.R"
Director: Phil Claydon
ACTORS: Miriam Margolyes, Laurel Holloman, John Shrapnel, Rick Wakeman
Chaos (DVD)
CHAOS, from French director Coline Serreau, is the story of an Algerian prostitute, Malika (Rachida Brakni), who is brutally beaten on the streets of Paris before the eyes of a wealthy couple, Paul (Vincent Lindon) and Helene (Catherine Frot), who witness the incident from their car. Helene, who is plagued with guilt, seeks out Malika, who has fallen into a coma in the hospital. Feeling responsible, Helene commits herself to helping Malika, whose attackers continue to plague her and who is also at risk of being deported.NR"
Director: Coline Serreau
ACTORS: Rachida Brakni, Catherine Frot, Vincent Lindon, Line Renaud, Aurelien Wiik
Halloween: Resurrection (DVD)
You thought Michael Myers was decapitated at the end of HALLOWEEN: H20? Think again. The latest installment in the popular horror franchise, HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION, uses a clever premise to give the legendary murderer yet another opportunity to wreak havoc on a cast of innocent characters. Back in Haddonfield, Illinois, Freddie Harris (Busta Rhymes), upstart entrepreneur of Dangertainment.com, recruits six lucky college students to partake in a potentially dangerous game. Wearing miniature video cameras, the participants must spend Halloween night inside the decrepit home of Michael Myers, to the delight of Internet viewers all over the country. While most of the kids are in it for fun, fame, and fortune, Sara Moyer (Bianca Kajlich) is a glaring exception. Innocent, shy, and nervous, Sara grudgingly joins her friends Jen (Katee Sackhoff) and Rudy (Sean Patrick Thomas), against her better judgment. As darkness sets in and the bodies begin to pile, it`s up to Sara--aided by an Internet pen pal--to put an end to Michael once and for all (or so she thinks!) Director Rick Rosenthal (HALLOWEEN 2) and screenwriters Larry Brand and Sean Hood incorporate technology into the story, using a grainy visual approach to add another layer of creepiness to the proceedings.R"
Director: Rick Rosenthal
ACTORS: Busta Rhymes, Bianca Kajlich, Tyra Banks, Thomas Ian Nichols, Ryan Merriman
