THE BOOTLEG FILES: MUSCLE VIDEO JOURNAL

Phil Hall’s The Bootleg Files explores the wild world of classic and kooky flicks that can be found only on bootlegged videos and DVD. This week, Phil pumps retro iron with a bizarre video magazine series.

Posted on July 31, 2009 by Phil Hall

FUNNY PEOPLE

Year Released: 2009
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 127 minutes

Judd Apatow deconstructs show business and reconciles humanity with the industry that often loses it. And he delivers the funniest release of the summer. (Move over, “Hangover.”)

Posted on July 31, 2009 by Matthew Sorrento

BIRDWATCHERS

Year Released: 2008
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 108 minutes

Honest interaction between people makes the storyline compelling.

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Mark Fulton

AUTUMN (SONBAHAR)

Year Released: 2008
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 106 minutes

Until the third act drags it down, “Autumn” sustains a delicate balance of thoughtfulness and atmosphere while exploring each aspect of life that’s been stunted.

Posted on July 29, 2009 by Mark Fulton

ROMAN POLANSKI’S REPULSION: CRITERION COLLECTION (DVD)

Year Released: 2009
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 105 minutes

The director deploys suspense techniques with surrealistic touches – both of which would seem dated today were they not so sharply weaved together.

Posted on July 28, 2009 by Matthew Sorrento

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SEASON 4.5 (DVD)

Year Released: 2009
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 127 minutes

An excellent way to wrap up one of the best dramatic series ever made. But will it ever find a wider audience? I hope so.

Posted on July 28, 2009 by Brad Cook

“SOUL” TO SOUL: INTERVIEW WITH PAUL GIAMATTI

Considering the dreamlike themes that define “Cold Souls,” it’s fitting that Barthes’ landing of Giamatti for her film is straight out of a fairy tale.

Posted on July 27, 2009 by KJ Doughton

LEFT BANK

Year Released: 2008
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 102 minutes

FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL FEATURE! Hell is upon us in the opening minutes of “Left Bank,” especially if we think of hell as a state of mind.

Posted on July 27, 2009 by Matthew Sorrento

VOTE JESUS: THE CHRONICLES OF KEN STEVENSON

Year Released: 2009
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 102 minutes

HAPPY SABBATH FROM YOUR LOCAL BIBLE THUMPERS! It’s difficult to trust our narrator and his motives. And that makes for very uneasy viewing.

Posted on July 26, 2009 by Jessica Baxter

PONYO

Year Released: 2008
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 100 minutes

There were several moments where the vivid images of Hayao Miyazaki’s film held me in awe. As with all great cinema, this demands to be seen on the largest screen possible.

Posted on July 26, 2009 by Mark Fulton

I SELL THE DEAD

Year Released: 2008
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 85 minutes

FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW! Glenn McQuaid’s “I Sell the Dead” sports playful genre inventiveness, in which fans can delight and even outsiders can enjoy.

Posted on July 25, 2009 by Matthew Sorrento

500 DAYS OF SUMMER

Year Released: 2009
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 95 minutes

IN LIMITED RELEASE! That’s right – Marc Webb, Scott Neustadter, and Michael H. Weber just kicked the hell out of Hollywood their first time up.

Posted on July 25, 2009 by Scott Knopf

THE BOOTLEG FILES: DICK TRACY MEETS GRUESOME

Phil Hall’s The Bootleg Files explores the wild world of classic and kooky flicks that can only be found on bootlegged videos and DVD. This week, Phil dials up a B-level movie cop.

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Phil Hall