Tuesday, May 29, 2007

This Just In: New DVDs

Meatball Machine, 2005, directed by Yudai Yamaguchi and Jun'ichi Yamamoto, Japan
A new romance between factory workers Yôji (Issei Takahashi) and Sachiko (Aoba Kawai) is going well -- that is, until aliens invade Earth and implant themselves into tumor-like growths on human shoulders. When Sachiko is attacked and transformed into a slave cyborg, it's up to the half-infected Yôji to rescue his lover. Co-directors Jun'ichi Yamamoto and Yudai Yamaguchi surround their tender love story with a rollickingly gross splatter-fest.

Out of Hand, 2005, directed by Eva Urthaler, Germany
Determined to quell the boredom of their unremarkable adolescent lives, Sebastian and Paul (Sergej Moya and Ludwig Trepte) kidnap a beautiful woman (Elisabetta Rocchetti) and take her to a remote location where no one will hear her scream. Of course, once they get her there, they have another problem: They have no idea what to do with her. As the boys' anger and frustration fester, the situation threatens to get seriously out of hand.

The Great Masters of the Italian Renaissance, 3-Disc Series, 2006
The great artistic achievements of the Italian Renaissance spring to life in this engrossing documentary series. Fanning out across Europe, the filmmakers provide enlightening historical context about the artists and the times in which they lived. Among the masters profiled are Raphael, Michelangelo, Fra Angelico, Piero Della Francesca, Caravaggio, Tintoretto, Anthony van Dyck and Bernardo Strozzi.