Tuesday, March 27, 2007

This Just In: DVD Releases

Children of Men
Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron (below) helms this version of P.D. James's classic dystopian novel (and Oscar nominee for Best Adapted Screenplay), a futuristic drama set in a world in which humans have lost the ability to reproduce and subsequently face certain extinction. Things change when a single woman mysteriously becomes pregnant, prompting a conflicted government bureaucrat, played by Clive Owen (above) and his ex-wife, played by Julianne Moore (above) to join forces to protect her. Michael Caine co-stars.
A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971) – Una Lucertola con la Pelle di Donna
Deborah (Silvia Monti) has disturbing dreams about murdering her neighbor. After she relates the dreams to her therapist, her neighbor is actually murdered -- in exactly the same way Deborah's dreamed it! A police investigation ensues, along with some strange revelations, amazing chase sequences and bizarre plot twists. One of director Lucio Fulci's best films, Lizard in a Woman's Skin will keep you guessing until the end.

Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974 (1974) – Gokushiteki Erosu: Renka
In this taboo-smashing documentary by Kazuo Hara, the filmmaker turns his camera on his former lover, Miyuki Takeda. The strong-willed woman -- crusading feminist, bisexual, mother of an interracial baby with an African-American GI -- was a maverick figure, particularly in 1970s Japan. Hara captures his subject in excruciating detail over a period of several years in this keenly personal work, which caused a scandal when it was released.

Lola (1989)
Abandoned by her baby's father, reluctant young mother Lola (Leticia Huijara) struggles to get by in Mexico City. Torn between the duties of a life she didn't ask for and the freedom of the life she once enjoyed, Lola walks the delicate line between guilt and pleasure, responsibility and carelessness. Director María Novaro's debut film examines motherhood and redemption with startling honesty.

Reincarnation (2006)
A Japanese actress (Yûka) comes face to face with a slew of restless spirits when she signs on to star in a horror film -- the true story of a crazed professor's murderous rampage that left 11 victims, including his young daughter, in its wake -- being shot at the very site where the grisly killings took place. J-horror master Takashi Shimizu (The Grudge) directs this darkly mesmerizing tale of crime, punishment and redemption.