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As we start a new year, DVD Gourmet also enters a period of change. The business is for sale due to different priorities and obligations for its owners. It will, however, still trade under the present ownership till the end of February 2012.

It has been an interesting and rewarding experience running the business for the past 15 months. A huge thank you to all the loyal supporters who have made it such a success. We treasure the interesting discussions and feedback which made it such a vibrant environment to work in.


Looking back at 2011, a few trends have either emerged or been re-confirmed:


1. Some of the most enlightening and entertaining cinema today is being produced by and in countries outside the traditional American commercial hegemony.


2. Independent cinema is alive and well, despite competing with huge marketing budgets from traditional studios.


3. American cable and some European networks/film associations are financing high quality TV series, which compete comfortably with major motion pictures.


4. Corporate greed, distribution monopolies and public laziness are contributing to a general dumbing down of society at large.


5. There is a shocking trend of 'wilful ignorance' amongst many privileged South Africans. Unfortunately this is often a sign of societal decay, where selfish stupidity supersedes the quest for knowledge and insight.



Our top 20 movies for 2011 were:


1. The White Ribbon
2. Biutiful
3. I am love
4. The maid
5. Barney's version
6. Incendies
7. The kids are alright
8. The American
9. True Grit
10. Up in the air
11. Fish Tank
12. Of Gods and Men
13. Another year
14. Winter's bone
15. Temple Grandin
16. Rango
17. Splice
18. Enter the void
19. The Secret in their Eyes
20. Inside Job


Top series:


Breaking bad
Boardwalk empire
Shadow Line
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Wallander
Dexter
The Mentalist


Here is to a 2012 full of interesting and entertaining viewing.
 

MOVIE Smörgåsbord by DVD Gourmet 
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A DVD rental store with a huge difference! Treat yourself to a connoisseur's collection of insight, escapism & excellence. All the best of all genres in Spanish, French, German, Danish, Polish, Afrikaans, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Hebrew, Arabic, Italian, Romanian, Hindi, Farsi, Swedish, Icelandic, Romanian, Russian and English.

Catalogue of DVD's
as of 03/10/2011 (download PDF file 132kb)
Suggestion: Copy and paste the titles on the catalogue into 
The Internet Movie Database (IMDb)  to read about each film.

LATEST ARRIVALS 
December Titles

 Wii Games catalogue. (download Excel file 1.59kb)
 

Rates:
Latest arrivals:
R20
(return by 12pm the folowing day)
World cinema:
R20
(keep for 2 days)
Older titles (over 1300 titles across 24 genres):
R10 Mon - Thu;
R15 Fri - Sun
(keep for 2 days)
Series:
Older series
R10 per disc;
New Series
R15 per disc
(keep for 2 days)
Wii games:
R30
(keep for 2 days)

Contracts:
R90 - 18 credits
R150 - 30 credits
Latest and World cinema: 3 credits (R15)
Older titles: 2 credits (R10) Mon - Sun
Series (old and new): 2 credits (R10)
Wii games: 4 credits (R20)

Monthly movie reviews by DVD Gourmet owner, Marc Steyn.

PREVIOUS REWIEWS
January 2011 - April 2011 Previous Reviews page 

May & June 2011 Indie Movies Independent Film

15 must see movies

Illegally procured copies of commercial DVDs and film.
What does it constitute and what are the consequences?


According to International and South African intellectual property laws it is illegal to procure and/or sell unauthorised copies (physical and internet downloaded) of commercial DVDs and film.

At present SAFACT (South African federation against copyright theft) estimates that the South African film and DVD industry loses about R200 million per year in direct income just to DVD piracy.

There are however other consequences that have a far reaching effect on the industry and society as a whole:

It is a well established fact, both locally and internationally, that the syndicates that produce and distribute pirated DVDs are linked to the illicit drugs trade, human trafficking and money laundering. Each time we buy a pirated DVD we are in effect supporting other heinous criminal activities. Illegally procuring DVDs/film is NOT a victimless crime. This is also true for download sites on the internet. Many download sites have links with organized crime.

Pirated DVDs and illegal downloads have a detrimental effect on the revenue stream of the entertainment industry as well as job creation. This means that less people are likely to be employed in the industry, less money is available for new productions and salaries/wages for those in the industry are adversely affected.

Government revenue by way of taxes and import duties are diminished, which means less money for infrastructure etc.

The creativity of the film industry is severely affected – less money is available for independent and niche genre productions and big studios tend to focus on 'sure thing' blockbusters rather than support original and imaginative scripts. So in a sense illegal copies contribute to an overall dumbing down of society.

Two very human traits are at play here: on the one hand we would like to see ourselves as morally sound citizens, but on the other hand we all like things that are for free. And if pirate DVDs and illegal downloads hurt no-one then why not?

Well, the above points illustrate the direct effect on our economy and society, but there is also an indirect toll on society.

During the '90s Rudolph Giuliani, ex-mayor of New York City, managed a turnaround of a city with the then highest crime stats in the USA. He did this through a policy of 'zero tolerance' and the 'broken windows' approach. There was a crackdown on so-called 'victimless' crimes and minor offences, e.g. jaywalking, littering etc. If a window was broken in a building, the owner was fined if it was not fixed within a certain time period. By enforcing a culture of law abidance, NYC's crime figures plummeted to amongst the lowest in the USA.

It is a sad reflection on privileged middle class society when thousands of rands are spent each month on booze and food, but its ok to steal a few bucks as long as you don't get caught out.

If civil society holds itself to the highest possible standards, a positive ripple effect will be experienced in all spheres of life.

   Biutiful

Cast: Javier Bardem, Maricel Alvarez, Hanaa Bouchaib

An Oscar nominated drama directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel and 21 grams) this thoughtful film follows the lives of interlinking characters in the cultural melting pot of modern day Barcelona’s underbelly.

This is not the Barcelona to be found in tourist brochures. This is the Spain of squalid, cramped apartments, 20% unemployment, illegal immigrants, sweat shops and dysfunctional families.

Central to the storyline is Uxbal, a petty criminal and part time clairvoyant, who tries to create a semblance of normality and domesticity for his 2 kids.

Uxbal’s fluid morality is constant throughout. He takes money from the bereaved, but in return gives them the peace of knowing that their loved ones have passed on spiritually. He facilitates construction jobs for illegal Chinese workers, but is concerned about their welfare. On top of all this he discovers that he has terminal prostate cancer, his bipolar wife wants rejoin their family, and the dead father he never knew is about to be reinterred in exchange for money from the developers who want the cemetery space for a new shopping mall.

Like the incorrect spelling of the title, all of the characters’ lives convey a deeper meaning about life and its vagaries, albeit in a broken(faulty) way. There is a distinct humanity to all the characters, despite all their flaws.

Underneath all the grime and strife, this is a subtle tale of the ongoing daily struggle for survival and redemption that most people have to endure.
 

   Of Gods and Men

Director: Xavier Beauvois
Cast: Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale and others

Set during the Algerian civil war of the nineties this beautiful film (based on actual events) juxtaposes several themes: 7 Trappist monks have lived for many years in harmony with the Muslim inhabitants of a small village located in Algeria’s Atlas mountains. There is a powerful metaphorical sequence where the bell ringing and hymn singing of the monks’ morning matins is followed by the call to prayer of the local muezzin.

Universal spirituality rather than religious moralism shines through in the monks’ everyday lives. The prior (Lambert Wilson) quotes a passage from the Quran to defuse a potentially dangerous confrontation with Islamic extremists, but at the same time does not hesitate to state that the monks are busy celebrating Christmas and that they are not able to give them any of their medicine, because it is needed for the treatment of the local people.

The intractable stance of the Algerian regime towards the Islamists is juxtaposed with the reaction of the village elders to the terrorist killing of foreigners: ‘Who are they? They know nothing about the Quran.’
The overall impression is of the brotherhood of man and not of self indulgent piety or a myopic view of religions as monolithic.

Underlying all the practical drama, is the French colonial history in Algeria. Only mentioned once by a government official, it is also represented by the anachronism of the monastery‘s existence. The difference lies in the official blaming colonialism for the wave of extremism, while the monks are valued and embraced by the villagers.

Towards the end of the film the monks re-enact the Last Supper. Without dialogue, but with Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake in the background, the audience is confronted with powerful images of the monks’ faces as they reflect on their decision to stay on at the monastery in the face of impending doom. You know that this is not about self elevating martyrdom, but about personal faith.

In what could have easily descended into an emotional hi-jacking of the audience, director Xavier Beauvois, has used restraint and understatement to produce a thought provoking exploration of the human condition in all its glory and horror.

Post scriptum:
On a more oblique note the film reminded me once again of the damage done by mindless violence in so-called blockbuster movies. Violence is not ‘nice‘, it tears communities apart, it destroys and poisons lives. Whole generations have grown up without insight into what does and what does not constitute courage. Crass materialism, self entitlement and instant gratification have taken care of that. The more ‘connected’ our society has become, the more superficial the discourse. It saddens me that a film like this, which shows true (self reflecting) courage would never be held in the same mass/popular esteem as the latest action flick with some muppet flexing his Hollywood pecs.

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August Reviews: 

  Winter’s Bone

With: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Garret Dillahunt
Director: Debra Granik

Nominated for 4 Oscars
An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her drug-dealing father while trying to keep her family intact.
Based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell and co-written by Granik and Anne Rosellini, Winter's Bone depicts how young Ree's life is changed when the local sheriff informs her that her dad, Jessup, on the run after being arrested for "cooking" methamphetamines, has put the family's house up as bond and that, unless he is found and convinced to turn himself in, Ree's family will lose their house. Insisting to the sheriff that she will find him, the young girl begins a search among friends, family members, distant relatives, and the community of small-time crooks, dope dealers, and kingpins that dominate the male-dominated rural society. No one wants to talk and Ree is met with silence, hostility, and even violence.
A refreshingly original American drama/thriller that steers clear of the usual Hollywood candyfloss. Jennifer Lawrence is a young actress to look out for.

  I am love (Io sono l’amore)

With: Tilda Swinton, Flavio Parenti, Edoardo Gabriellinni
Director: Luca Guadagnino

Nominated for an Oscar
A tragic love story set at the turn of the millennium in Milan. The film follows the fall of the haute bourgeoisie due to forces of passion and unconditional love.
Emma(Tilda Swinton) left Russia 20 years earlier to follow Tancredi Recchi, the man who had proposed to her. Now a member of a powerful industrial Milanese family, she is the respected mother of three. But Emma, although not unhappy, feels confusedly unfulfilled. One day Antonio, a talented chef and her son's friend and partner, makes her senses kindle. It does not take long before she embarks on a passionate affair with the sensuous young man.

If a movie about plot, overly drawn characters and artifice, all shot by the book, is what you're looking for, then this probably isn't the movie for you.
But if you like people more than stories. If you want to see film-making at its most graceful and organic and inventive, if you want a musical score that will turn a sidelong glance into an operatic overture, then this IS the movie for you. It is a baroque masterwork. A cathedral of a film. Cold as stone but inspiring the soul.

  The guitar

With: Saffron Burrows, Isaach De Bankole, Paz de la Huerta
Director: Amy Redford

The life of a woman is transformed after she is diagnosed with a terminal disease, fired from her job and abandoned by her boyfriend. Given two months to live, she throws caution to the wind to pursue her dreams.
As a parable of the drudgery of modern life, the cancer we discover she has in the first minutes, is almost an allegory for modern life: slow death at the office. She then becomes both a recluse and a free spirit - out of touch but via the power of the credit card very much in touch with who her superego would want her to be.
A subtle and tender drama with Robert Redford’s daughter, Amy, in her directorial debut.

  Never let me go

With: Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield
Director: Mark Romanek

As children, Ruth, Kathy and Tommy, spend their childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. As they grow into young adults, they find that they have to come to terms with the strength of the love they feel for each other, while preparing themselves for the haunting reality that awaits them.

Based on the eponymous novel by Kazuo Ishiguro the film exudes a melancholy and ethereal character. Although the canvas is science-fiction, the plot has more to do with the question of how we spend the time available to us on earth. Do we make every moment count?

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 Independent Film (Indie movies):

Defining the phrase independent film is a little bit like trying to define the word "art". It can be different for each person. The line between big studio films and small art-house type films has become blurred in recent decades due to the infiltration of the "big six" Hollywood film studios at film festivals.

The technical definition of the phrase independent film is: any movie that was funded with less than 50% of money that came from one of the "big six" major film studios, which are Columbia Pictures (MGM and UA), 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures/Touchstone Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios.

The not so technical and somewhat more difficult to apply definition of independent film is: any character-driven film that is made outside the traditional Hollywood film system with a very small budget and keeps the artist/film maker's original vision intact without corporate corruption, with an emphasis on character development and a strong, original and/or controversial storyline.

The heart of the independent film industry has always been in the film festival circuit. The Sundance Film Festival was created in 1978 to showcase independent films and independent filmmakers.

Since Sundance there has been a proliferation of film festivals devoted to independent film, with notables being: Tribeca Film Festival, South by Southwest Film Festival and Raindance Film Festival.

The importance of independent film is that it is a bulwark against corporate distribution & marketing tyranny, creative stagnation and lowest common denominator dumbing down - its there to open up the world for those who want to see, challenge our preconceptions and expand our paradigms.

15 must see indie movies according to Empire magazine’s top 50 list:

Run Lola Run (1998)

- Directed by Tom Tykwer

Brilliantly high concept, effortlessly executed by director Tom Tykwer and kept at breakneck speed by leading lady Franka Potente, this is one of the very best reasons to bury England's traditional enmity with the Germans. The story follows three attempts, largely in real time, by Lola (Potente) to get the 100,000 deutschmarks needed to save her boyfriend's life. Tykwer basically riffs on the same concept three times, ratcheting up the tension and building up the pace with each attempt as the flame-haired Lola uses increasingly inventive means of getting ahead. An object lesson in how to shoot at speed, this smashes the stereotype of the talky, heavy European indie.
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Amores Perros (2000)

- Directed by Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu

21 Grams may have grabbed the Oscar headlines, but Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu perfected his techniques in overlapping storylines, stunning cinematography and the creative use of car crashes in this Mexican smash about three separate lives linked together by one common event. Remarkable for its stellar performances from a cast previously unknown outside their home country, for taking the fractured narrative to a whole new level, and for tackling subjects that studios avoid like the plague - dog fighting, anyone? - this burst like a firework on the indie world, and acted as a wake-up call to the US indie scene.

Swingers (1996) - Directed by Doug Liman

A true indie, this one, given that large sections of this film - in the casino, and on the highway - were shot without the proper permits, while director and stars pretended that the camera was turned off as the cops stood by. But the results of this largely plotless story of friends rallying round their suddenly single pal are undeniable. One of the very best buddy comedies out there, embraced by men the world over as somehow descriptive of their twenties, it's a perfect example of what happens when that strange alchemy between cast, crew, script and tone all work perfectly
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Grosse Point Blank (1997)

- Directed by George Armitage

John Cusack's turn as repentant hit man Martin Blank marks the single greatest '80s throwback, killer-for-hire rom-com ever made. You know the story: boy meets girl, boy stands up girl on prom night, girl's heart is broken, boy becomes professional killer. It's an age-old tale and, thanks to Cusack's charming killer and a fresh-faced appearance from Minnie Driver, manages to be both charmingly romantic (he literally kills for her) and darkly comic. This remains the only film from screenwriter Tom Jankiewicz and a delightfully different romcom that stands head and shoulders above its peers - and boasts a more impressive bodycount to boot.

Being John Malkovich (1999)

- Directed by Spike Jonze

This film makes the list for one simple reason: it proved, once and for all, that a film doesn't have to make any sense to be great. Impossible to sum up in any thirty-second studio pitch - low ceilings, puppets, and a sinister conspiracy focusing on John Malkovich's brain and the New Jersey turnpike are all involved. But what's great is that Charlie Kaufman's insane script, Spike Jonze's delirious direction and a cast of A-listers playing wackily against type somehow add up to one of the cleverest, silliest and utterly weirdest films you'll ever see.

Buffalo '66 (1998)

- Directed by Vincent Gallo

Get it straight - Vincent Gallo doesn't give a damn what you think about his movie. It's brilliant, and if you can't see that then it's your own tough luck. He's so fiercely independent he uses Yes on the soundtrack. And you know what? He's absolutely right. This film is a mini masterpiece. Using only a small but highly talented crew and cast, he bombards us with belligerent, unlikeable characters for 100-odd minutes, and manages to make the most saccharine of endings - about the power of love, of all things - appetising. A beautifully balanced debut from a precocious talent - surely what indie is all about?
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Shallow Grave (1994)

- Directed by Danny Boyle

A wave of hype followed this thriller, almost swamping it under proclamations that the British were coming, that Scotland was sexy, that Ewan McGregor might do well for himself. Well, that's all true - but there's more to Shallow Grave than a (temporary) reinvigoration of British cinema. Danny Boyle's immensely stylish tale of dead bodies, a suitcase full of money and rampant paranoia is an inspired blend of pitch-black comedy and bloody violence, held together by career-making performances and scathing wit. Three central characters this flawed are a rare sight in American cinema - even in the independent sector - which, along with the sheer panache of this film, make it a must-see.

Bad Lieutenant (1992)

- Directed by Abel Ferrara

As uncompromising and maverick-minded as its director, Bad Lieutenant is certainly the most notorious, searingly emotional and profound of Abel Ferrara's back catalogue of scuzz and sleaze. Starring indie darling Harvey Keitel - in a mesmerising and extraordinarily brave performance - as a seriously corrupt, guilt-ridden, devoutly Catholic cop, this is a breathtaking modern-day parable of sin and redemption that is so hardcore, so unflinching in its portrayal of a man's descent into Hell and his scrabbling attempts to get into Heaven that it simply had to be an independent movie. And we haven't even mentioned the scene where Keitel quite literally pulls over two girls on the freeway...
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Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

- Directed by Gus Van Sant

Wanna check the indie credentials of Drugstore Cowboy? OK, never mind that Gus Van Sant - perhaps the most indie-centric, experimental film-maker working just outside the American mainstream today - directed it. Never mind that it's a non-judgmental look at drug culture and the mindset of a group of people (led by a never-better Matt Dillon and Kelly Lynch) who break into drugstores in order to get their prescription pill high. Never mind that it's a hazily lensed, at times bleak, at times funny and touching, near-masterpiece, always unflinching but never unfeeling. You want to know why Drugstore Cowboy is an indie film par excellence? William S. Burroughs in it….

Slacker (1991)

- Directed by Richard Linklater

A prototype for Kevin Smith's Clerks, the film that launched Richard Linklater's career is a simple look at a group of twenty-somethings up to not much, really, one summer day in Austin. Free-thinkers all - some would call them weirdos - Linklater's characters already display the spontaneous, free-flowing dialogue that is his trademark, and the sort of innovative structure (the characters meet, and the camera switches from one to the next) that marks his best work. One of the most influential films on the indie scene, this elevated mood over plot and dialogue over action and showed that a few good characters can make a classic.

Lone Star (1996)

- Directed by John Sayles

John Sayles has never in his 25 years as a director, helmed within the studio system, making him a rarity: an indie filmmaker that hasn't a) become part of the system, or b) vanished up his own arse. Lone Star is where Sayles' technical skills caught up with his storytelling abilities. His familiar theme of contemporary America under the burden of its own glossed-over history is folded into a murder mystery ensemble piece, spanning two Texan generations, and utilising some of the best flashbacks ever seen. It's brilliant, it's intelligent, and it's refreshingly beyond Hollywood.
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Memento (2000)

- Directed by Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan's modestly budgeted sleeper hit managed to claw it's way over the indie fence and into mainstream recognition on pure ingenuity. Before Memento, the 'character with amnesia' subgenre was, generally, a rather tired one (and has become so again since), but using the simplest of devices - telling the story's episodic structure in reverse order - the filmmakers (Nolan's brother Jonathan wrote the basis of the screenplay) forged a tale that was nail bitingly compelling, and ironically, unforgettable. And let's not forget it was the first major breakthrough in screenwriting structure since Pulp Fiction and its many clones, which in itself deserves an award.

Sideways (2004)

- Directed by Alexander Payne

Alexander Payne had already impressed audiences with a high-school satire (Election) and a witty tale of an old man's voyage into retirement (About Schmidt), but it was this one - gently and intelligently picking apart the foibles of middle-age life - that blew the critics away and confirmed his status as an arthouse auteur to be reckoned with. The deceptively simple tale of two mismatched friends who take a weekend in the wine country is simply one of the best character studies you're ever going to see. It's got it all: laughs (try to keep a straight face as Paul Giamatti flees the fat naked man), sadness (the Pinot Noir speech is heartbreaking) and a wonderfully uplifting, surprising ending. And consider this - if this had been a studio film, Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church would have been bit-part players, instead of the leads (who might well have been George Clooney and Tom Hanks). For that fact alone, Sideways is worthy of its place in the top ten.
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Clerks (1994)

- Directed by Kevin Smith

All told, the credit card bills and sundry expenses amounted to somewhere in the region of $25,000. That's a lot of coin to pay back, but if Kevin Smith was ever worried about recouping his borrowed, begged but absolutely not stolen outlay for his first movie, then he didn't really have time to show it. For Clerks was quickly picked up by Miramax chief Harvey Weinstein, who overlooked its dodgy production values, ropy acting and a story that resists the description 'threadbare' because he saw a raw vitality in its balls-out dialogue; a vitality and spirit and, more importantly, laugh out loud sense of humour that ensured that Clerks connected instantly with disenfranchised tweens and shop workers everywhere, and the rest is history for Smith, from Chasing Amy to the continuing adventures of Jay & Silent Bob, to domination of the geek world.

Donnie Darko (2001)

- Directed by Richard Kelly

Was Donnie schizophrenic? Is he, in fact, a supernaturally empowered avatar chosen by unknown forces? Did any of the film's events even happen? Such are the questions that sent people running to the pub to debate just what the hell Kelly had in mind when he wrote this story. That of a teenager who's warned about the end of the world by a six foot, talking rabbit after a jet engine falls on his house. Part supernatural chiller, part '80s teen drama and part philosophical musing on wormhole theory and the transience of human existence. Donnie Darko is not a film that lends itself to easy categorization and, unwilling to compromise his convoluted vision for studio palates, 27-year-old writer/director Richard Kelly almost had to launch his debut on cable television. Luckily, though, this exquisite slice of sci-fi surrealism was rescued from the precipice of obscurity and went on to become a cult hit while simultaneously placing Jake Gyllenhaal on the road to stardom. A bizarre concoction it undoubtedly is but Donnie Darko raised the bar for independent thinking and reinvented the teen genre for the new Millennium.

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