Notes on Film 2009: DVDs Worth Watching

Between the multiplexes and the Fargo Theatre, local movie fans enjoy an impressive variety of titles released each year – even if our population and demographics cannot sustain the array of features offered in cinematic nerve centers like NYC and LA. Determined cinephiles depend on DVD, cable, satellite, the Web, and video-on-demand to fill in the gaps, so rather than offer a standard “Best of 2009 Movies” list, I opted to highlight a handful of films now available for home viewing pleasure. 

Lucrecia Martel’s “The Headless Woman,” a part-time political allegory that swirls around the increasing disorientation of its main character after she hits something, or someone, with her car, slyly comments on class division in Martel’s Argentina.

A well-lubricated alternative to “Twilight” mania, Chan-wook Park’s “Thirst” explodes the vampire movie into straight-ahead erotic physicality, minus none of the director’s fondness for blood and weirdness.

James Toback coaxes the ferocious heavyweight to queasy levels of self-disclosure in “Tyson,” an intimate character study that paints the controversial pugilist in subtle hues previously absent from stories about him.

At first glance, it is easy to mistake rockumentary “Anvil! The Story of Anvil” as a Spinal Tap-like joke on the aging metalheads of the title who never capitalized on their shot at the big time. Director Sacha Gervasi, however, gives the audience and the fifty-something rockers in the band something to believe in.

With its detailed feel for Brighton Beach and other New York locations, James Gray’s seductive “Two Lovers” re-imagines Dostoevsky by way of Visconti’s “Le Notti Bianche.” The wonderful cast includes Joaquin Phoenix in his last role before the announcement/publicity stunt launching his “rap career.” 

The Criterion Collection has long been the standard by which all DVD releases are measured, and 2009 marked another stellar year for the company. 

Luis Bunuel’s perfect “Simon of the Desert” (1965) may be only 45 minutes long, but every one of them is a riot of the filmmaker’s most sublime tendencies. The lovely transfer is the finest showcase yet for cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa’s luscious images. 

Chantal Akerman’s “Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles” (1975) is demanding, exasperating, and occasionally exhausting, but the experience of viewing all 201 minutes of it has a way of taking hold and not letting go.

Many crime/caper movies made today wish they could look and sound like Peter Yates’ “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” (1973), a fatalistic Boston-set drama that pools the talents of a superb ensemble including Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan, Steven Keats and Alex Rocco.

The massive “AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa” will keep the Japanese master’s ardent fans busy for some time. The lavish, linen-bound set includes four films that have never been on DVD, and while several movies are AWOL due to licensing issues, the whole thing is an embarrassment of riches. Although there are too many from which to choose just one favorite, “Ikiru” and “High and Low” are every bit as brilliant as “Rashomon” and “Seven Samurai.” 

Lastly, Criterion devotees can mark their calendars for February 23, when Leo McCarey’s “Make Way for Tomorrow” (1937) debuts on DVD. McCarey was loved and admired by Welles, Ozu and Renoir – just to name a few – and “Make Way for Tomorrow,” which Errol Morris called “the most depressing movie ever made,” is set to dazzle another generation.

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