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	<title>The Video Station: (303) 440-4448 &#187; will</title>
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	<description>1661 28th St Boulder, CO  (303) 440-4448</description>
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		<title>THE CONCERT &#8211; Reviewed by Will</title>
		<link>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/06/16/the-concert-reviewed-by-will/</link>
		<comments>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/06/16/the-concert-reviewed-by-will/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:50:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Video Station Staff</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[drama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[foreign films]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[movie reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alexei Guskov]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dmitri Nazarov]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DVD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Melanie Laurent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[R]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Concert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[will]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thevideostation.com/blog/?p=4897</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Concert, at least initially, is a goofy farce with a moderately ridiculous premise. A janitor working at the Bolshoi in Moscow, who himself was once its celebrated&#8211;and politically discredited&#8211;conductor (Alexeï Guskov), intercepts a fax from Paris inviting the orchestra to fill in for the L.A. Philharmonic, which has canceled. He decides to get the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong></strong><strong><em><img class="alignleft" style="margin: 10px;" title="The Concert DVD" src="http://www.thevideostation.com/boxart/TheConcert2010.jpg" alt="" width="98" height="140" />The Concert</em></strong>,  at least initially, is a goofy farce with a moderately ridiculous  premise. A janitor working at the Bolshoi in Moscow, who himself was  once its celebrated&#8211;and politically discredited&#8211;conductor (<strong>Alexeï Guskov</strong>), intercepts a fax from Paris inviting the orchestra to fill in for the L.A.  Philharmonic, which has canceled. He decides to get the old band back  together and pose as the &#8220;real&#8221; Bolshoi to play one last concert, and  hopefully not get caught. Supported by his wife (<strong>Anna Kamenkova</strong>) and his old buddy, cellist-turned-ambulance driver Sasha (<strong>Dimitri Nazarov</strong>),  he navigates the cheerfully-depicted realms of old guard Communist  Party agenda, gypsy fiddlers and pervasive modern Russian corruption to  achieve his goal.</p>
<p><span id="more-4897"></span>This kind of comedy is actually more typical of Britain than of France these days, resembling the likes of <strong><em>The Full Monty</em></strong>, <strong><em>Kinky Boots</em></strong>, and <strong><em>Pirate Radio</em></strong>. It&#8217;s still very much a French film, despite the predominantly Russian cast. The top billed performer in the film is <strong>Mélanie Laurent</strong>, best known Stateside as the charmingly vengeful Shosanna Dreyfus from <strong></strong><strong>Tarantino</strong>&#8216;s <strong><em>Inglourious Basterds</em></strong>. As Anne-Marie Jacquet,  the star violinist headlining the Paris concert, she is, at face value,  more of a supporting player. Yet she all but steals the film in its  final act, which packed a considerably heftier emotional punch than I  expected after all the silliness in the first half.</p>
<p>I think most people will enjoy <em><strong>The Concert</strong></em>&#8211;it&#8217;s an earnest if fanciful crowd-pleaser. Fans of classical music, particularly <strong>Tchaikovsky</strong> lovers, will appreciate the main event. Those of you who, like me, were smitten with Ms. Laurent in Basterds  will find her just as bewitching here. For a film that begins as such a  wacky farce, it has a surprisingly potent and satisfying emotional  climax. As rickety and clumsy as its construction may be, it reaches its  destination in the end. &#8211; <strong>[DVD]</strong></p>
<p><strong>Drama</strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>Rated R</strong></p>
<p><strong>DVD Release Date: 6/14/11<br />
</strong></p>
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		<title>THE OTHER WOMAN &#8211; Reviewed by Will</title>
		<link>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/05/20/the-other-woman-reviewed-by-will/</link>
		<comments>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/05/20/the-other-woman-reviewed-by-will/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 May 2011 01:34:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Video Station Staff</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[drama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[movie reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ayelet Waldman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blu-ray]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Charlie Tahan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DVD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lisa Kudrow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Natalie Portman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Other Woman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[will]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thevideostation.com/blog/?p=4752</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Remember back circa 2004, when Jude Law seemed to be in every other movie that came out? Well, this year it&#8217;s proven the same with Natalie Portman (Black Swan, No Strings Attached, Your Highness, Thor, etc.). This time, in The Other Woman, she&#8217;s playing the second wife of a successful New York lawyer (Scott Cohen) [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong></strong><img class="alignright" style="margin: 10px;" title="The Other Woman DVD 2011" src="http://www.thevideostation.com/boxart/TheOtherWoman2011.jpg" alt="" width="98" height="140" />Remember back circa 2004, when <strong>Jude Law</strong> seemed to be in every other movie that came out? Well, this year it&#8217;s proven the same with <strong>Natalie Portman</strong> (<strong><em>Black Swan</em></strong>, <strong><em>No Strings Attached</em></strong>, <strong><em>Your Highness</em></strong>, <strong><em>Thor</em></strong>, etc.). This time, in <strong><em>The Other Woman</em></strong>, she&#8217;s playing the second wife of a successful New York lawyer (<strong>Scott Cohen</strong>) and the beleaguered stepmother to his son. Based on the novel <strong><em>Love and Other Impossible Pursuits</em></strong> by <strong>Ayelet Waldman</strong>, it keeps its focus on a woman roundly vilified as a homewrecker and her half-hearted attempts to rebuild said wrecked home.</p>
<p><span id="more-4752"></span>I  say half-hearted because Portman&#8217;s character never quite succeeds in  winning our sympathies. This despite the fact that much of the film is  spent discussing the tragic death of hers and her husband&#8217;s newborn  daughter shortly after bringing her home from the hospital. Though she  does make an earnest go at connecting with her older stepson, a  predictably precocious and neurotic kid played by <strong>Charlie Tahan</strong> (who could build a career out of playing <strong>Steve Zahn</strong> as a kid), she doesn&#8217;t quite seem to like him. Not that her &#8220;competition&#8221; is much more likable. Her husband&#8217;s shrill ex-wife (<strong>Lisa Kudrow</strong>) does just about everything she can to sabotage Portman.</p>
<p>Though it labels itself a drama/comedy, <em>The Other Woman</em> really isn&#8217;t nearly as funny as it ought to be. It takes its world of  wealthy New Yorkers, crippled by their own self-entitlement, way too  seriously. Portman remains a skilled actress in my eyes, but the  singular focus on her character, even to the point of awkwardly leaving  other characters out of frame, hamstrings the film. All I can say is, if  you&#8217;re in the market for a movie that is about 80% comprised of bitter  recriminations hurled back and forth by desperately unphilosophical rich people, this is the picture for you. &#8211; <strong>[DVD] [Blu-Ray]</strong></p>
<p><strong>Drama</strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>Rated R</strong></p>
<p><strong>DVD Release Date: 5/17/11<br />
</strong></p>
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		<title>THE ILLUSIONIST &#8211; Reviewed by Will</title>
		<link>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/05/12/the-illusionist-reviewed-by-will/</link>
		<comments>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/05/12/the-illusionist-reviewed-by-will/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 May 2011 18:22:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Video Station Staff</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[animation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blu-ray]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[foreign films]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[movie reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recommendations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[comedy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DVD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jacques Tati]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PG-]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sylvain Chomet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Illusionist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[will]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thevideostation.com/blog/?p=4723</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Illusionist isn&#8217;t just the long-awaited second feature from Sylvain Chomet, the French animator who made 2003&#8242;s charmingly grotesque, hauntingly comic Triplets of Belleville. It&#8217;s also, in a sense, a new film from the great mime artist turned genius director Jacques Tati (Playtime, Mon Oncle), who died in 1982. Adapted from a semi-autobiographical script Tati [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong><em><img class="alignleft" style="margin: 10px;" title="The Illusionist DVD 2010" src="http://www.thevideostation.com/boxart/TheIllusionist2010.jpg" alt="" width="109" height="140" />The Illusionist</em></strong> isn&#8217;t just the long-awaited second feature from <strong>Sylvain Chomet</strong>, the French animator who made 2003&#8242;s charmingly grotesque, hauntingly comic <strong><em>Triplets of Belleville</em></strong>. It&#8217;s also, in a sense, a new film from the great mime artist turned genius director <strong>Jacques Tati</strong> (<strong><em>Playtime</em></strong>, <strong><em>Mon Oncle</em></strong>), who died in 1982. Adapted from a semi-autobiographical script Tati wrote in 1956 but never produced, it is a much gentler, sweeter film than <em>Triplets</em>,  but lacks none of the latter&#8217;s texture and caricature. Its title  character, an aging magician confronted with an increasingly modern and  flashy world, is essentially Tati  himself. In an isolated Scottish coastal town, he meets a young girl  who delights in his subtle, winking tricks. Together they move on to  Edinburgh, more as father and daughter than couple, and live together  happily&#8211;for a time.</p>
<p><span id="more-4723"></span>Like Tati&#8217;s  other stories, this one is not strongly plot-driven. It is, rather, an  establishment of setting and mood punctuated by endlessly clever yet  understated comic setpieces. Though all of Tati&#8217;s films have an undercurrent of nostalgic melancholy, <em>Illusionist</em> serves up a sharper, more intimate sting, presumably due to the more  personal nature of the story he wrote, and perhaps why he never could  produce it himself.</p>
<p>This is a gorgeous film to look at. Chomet&#8217;s style of animation, both here and in <em>Belleville</em>,  recalls Disney&#8217;s middle-period animated features from the 60&#8242;s through  the 80&#8242;s, which were a riot of pencil-drawn spontaneity and dusky  watercolor depths. His character designs blend sharply exaggerated  caricature and naturalistic proportions. His use of computer-aided  animation is more prominent here, but never heavy-handed or gimmicky. At  one point, we even see the real Tati meet his re-animated counterpart.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s also plenty funny, but, true to Tati, more full of wise winks and smiles than belly laughs. Chomet and Tati  share a love of visual humor&#8211;neither director&#8217;s films have much  essential dialogue&#8211;teasing us, for instance, with a shot from behind of  a Scotsman on a little motorboat, his kilt blowing in the wind. Or a  nice little scene where the penniless magician takes a job at an auto  garage and tends to a rich Texan&#8217;s ostentatious Cadillac&#8211;classic Tati, with Chomet&#8217;s satirical barbed twist (the license plate reads &#8220;B1G-A55&#8243;).</p>
<p>It&#8217;s  appropriate that a film about a magician should itself be intrinsically  and self-evidently magical. But I&#8217;m convinced that those who approach <em>The Illusionist</em> familiar not only with Chomet&#8217;s work but with Tati&#8217;s will find it downright exhilarating, as I did. Therefore I will end this review with an aggressive plug for Tati&#8217;s films&#8211;particularly 1967&#8242;s <em>Playtime</em>. To use my favorite facile tagline for it, it&#8217;s like the cinematic equivalent of &#8220;Where&#8217;s Waldo?&#8221; Be sure to watch it on as big a screen as you can&#8211;with Criterion&#8217;s Blu-Ray disc if possible. &#8211; <strong>[DVD] [Blu-Ray]</strong></p>
<p><strong>Animation/Comedy/Drama</strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>Rated PG</strong></p>
<p><strong>DVD Release Date: 5/10/11<br />
</strong></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>JOLENE &#8211; Reviewed by Will</title>
		<link>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/04/28/jolene-reviewed-by-will/</link>
		<comments>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/04/28/jolene-reviewed-by-will/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:44:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Video Station Staff</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[blu-ray]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[movie reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chazz Palminteri]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DVD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jessica Chastain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jolene]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Michael Vartan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[R]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[will]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thevideostation.com/blog/?p=4666</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Jolene is one of those little independent movies that introduces us to a new star without really being a great film itself. It&#8217;s certainly not unwatchable&#8211;it&#8217;s shot fairly well and it has an engaging enough cast&#8211;but it kind of drifts from scene to scene without any strong momentum. The title character is played by Jessica [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><em><img class="alignleft" style="margin: 10px;" title="Jolene 2011" src="http://www.thevideostation.com/boxart/Jolene2011.jpg" alt="" width="98" height="140" />Jolene</em></strong> is one of those little independent  movies that introduces us to a new star without really being a great  film itself. It&#8217;s certainly not unwatchable&#8211;it&#8217;s shot fairly well and  it has an engaging enough cast&#8211;but it kind of drifts from scene to  scene without any strong momentum. The title character is played by <strong>Jessica Chastain</strong>, who at first glance seemed to me to be the spitting image of <strong><em>Six Feet Under&#8217;s</em></strong> <strong>Lauren Ambrose</strong>,  right down to the cleft in her chin. Jolene is a young southern girl  who we meet (at 16) on the verge of her wedding to a gangly good &#8216;ol  boy, which ends up in tatters when she is seduced by his uncle. From  there she moves on through a series of variably disastrous situations  and relationships, one after the other.</p>
<p><span id="more-4666"></span>Taken as a whole, <em>Jolene</em> is not without a sense of ironic reversals. Though she ends up being mistreated worst by the handsome, Christian charmer (<strong>Michael Vartan</strong>), she is happiest, safest and most fulfilled during her time with a Vegas mobster sugar-daddy (<strong>Chazz Palminteri</strong>). I suppose it&#8217;s all meant to be a parable of girl-power (stylistically I thought it echoed <strong><em>Thelma and Louise</em></strong>),  but it really felt more to me like a rambling account of unrelenting  misfortune. Still, Chastain turns in a fine performance, and her  supporting players, even when they&#8217;re behaving monstrously, are fun to  watch too. &#8211; <strong>[DVD] [Blu-Ray]</strong></p>
<p><strong>Drama</strong></p>
<p><strong>Rated R</strong></p>
<p><strong>DVD Release Date: 4/26/11<br />
</strong></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>MARWENCOL &#8211; Reviewed by Will</title>
		<link>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/04/14/marwencol-reviewed-by-will/</link>
		<comments>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/04/14/marwencol-reviewed-by-will/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:48:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Video Station Staff</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[blu-ray]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[documentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[movie reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recommendations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jeff Malmberg]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marwencol]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[will]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thevideostation.com/blog/?p=4582</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Marwencol is among the more fascinating documentaries I&#8217;ve seen in some time, and probably my favorite of still-young 2011. Its focus is Mark Hogancamp, who in 2000 was beaten to within an inch of his life by five young men outside of a bar in Kingston, NY. He awoke from a coma nine days later, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong></strong><strong><em><img class="alignleft" style="margin: 10px;" title="Marwencol DVD 2010" src="http://www.thevideostation.com/boxart/Marwencol2010.jpg" alt="" width="98" height="140" />Marwencol</em></strong> is among the more fascinating documentaries I&#8217;ve seen in some time, and  probably my favorite of still-young 2011. Its focus is Mark Hogancamp,  who in 2000 was beaten to within an inch of his life by five young men  outside of a bar in Kingston, NY. He awoke from a coma nine days later,  having lost some of his basic motor skills and most of his recollections  from his former life. After being dismissed from the hospital upon the  exhaustion of his insurance money, he fashioned his own therapy&#8211;the  creation of Marwencol, a 1/6-scale miniature WWII-era Belgian town. He  populated his town with a plethora of G.I.  Joe&#8217;s and Barbies, representing people from his real life, including  himself and his attackers. He poses these figures and photographs them  in elaborate scenes and stories, some of which are a form of personal  wish-fulfillment, others offering him an intense cathartic outlet for  the anger and confusion resulting from his attack.</p>
<p><span id="more-4582"></span>Director <strong>Jeff Malmberg</strong>, to his credit, avoids making himself a character* in Mark&#8217;s story, distinguishing <em>Marwencol</em> from other recent docs (i.e. <strong><em>Winnebago Man</em></strong>)  which have similar subjects. His film unfolds and unravels like a  satisfying mystery, letting Mark do most of the talking, and waiting to  reveal more intimate details of his life, including the apparent cause  of his assault. Nor, as the film chronicles, is Malmberg the only one to  see past the superficial &#8220;grown man playing with dolls&#8221; story.  Hogancamp&#8217;s work, while created for his own private benefit, might  easily be called art, and has attracted the attention of gallery owners  in New York. Malmberg follows Mark&#8217;s foray into their world, and the  personal challenges and opportunities that journey presents for him. <em>Marwencol</em> raises many interesting questions without trying to answer them for us.  The approach to its subject seems to be one of genuine curiosity and  compassion.</p>
<p>* We do get a glimpse of the American G.I. doll that Mark has made to represent Malmberg, complete with combat camera and &#8220;PRESS&#8221;-emblazoned helmet. &#8211; <strong>[DVD] [Blu-Ray]</strong><strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>Documentary</strong></p>
<p><strong>Not Rated</strong></p>
<p><strong>DVD Release Date: 4/12/11<br />
</strong></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>TALES FROM EARTHSEA &#8211; Reviewed by Will</title>
		<link>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/03/10/tales-from-earthsea-reviewed-by-will/</link>
		<comments>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/03/10/tales-from-earthsea-reviewed-by-will/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:00:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Video Station Staff</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[animation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[foreign films]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[movie reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adventure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DVD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fantasy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Miyazaki]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PG-13]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Studio Ghibli]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tales from Earthsea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[will]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thevideostation.com/blog/?p=4425</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tales From Earthsea is the latest film from Studio Ghibli, the great Japanese animation house, to be released in the States. Not only that, it&#8217;s even directed by Miyazaki. But before you get too excited, it&#8217;s not the work of Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, et al) but rather his son, Goro Miyazaki. So the big [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong></strong><strong><em><img class="alignleft" style="margin: 10px;" title="Tales From Earthsea DVD 2010" src="http://www.thevideostation.com/boxart/TalesFromEarthsea2010.jpg" alt="" width="98" height="140" />Tales From Earthsea</em></strong> is the latest film from <strong>Studio Ghibli</strong>,  the great Japanese animation house, to be released in the States. Not  only that, it&#8217;s even directed by Miyazaki. But before you get too  excited, it&#8217;s not the work of <strong>Hayao Miyazaki</strong> (<strong><em>Spirited Away</em></strong>, et al) but rather his son, <strong><em>Goro Miyazaki</em></strong>.  So the big question, of course, is: did he inherit his father&#8217;s genius  for making consistently brilliant animated classics? I&#8217;m very sorry to  say that the answer is a qualified no. That&#8217;s not to say <em>Earthsea</em> is a bad film&#8211;it&#8217;s a competent anime and a moderately enjoyable  fantasy film. <span id="more-4425"></span>It is (very loosely) based on the Earthsea series of  fantasy novels by the American author <strong>Ursula K. Le Guin</strong>,  which take place in a great archipelago inhabited by humans and  dragons, who, according to legend, share a not-too-distant common  ancestor (Darwin need not apply, I guess). The story follows Prince  Arren, who after killing his father (I don&#8217;t remember it being explained  why), meets the Archmage Sparrowhawk, who guides him and teaches him a  little bit of magic. Along the way the two meet Therru, a mysterious  young girl, and Cob, an evil sorcerer and an old nemesis of  Sparrowhawk&#8217;s. The basic plot should be familiar to anyone who&#8217;s ever  seen <strong><em>Star Wars</em></strong>.</p>
<p>The superficial look of  the characters and environments is classic Miyazaki. Supposedly, Hayao  had no involvement at all with his son&#8217;s film once it was underway (they  were apparently not even on speaking terms), so it is disappointing  that Goro did not establish his own aesthetic for his film, rather than  borrowing his father&#8217;s style wholesale. But despite the clear intention  to mimic the appearance of a Miyazaki classic, <em>Earthsea</em>&#8216;s  characters look strikingly flat, opaque and disconnected from their  watercolor environs. At times I even thought it looked like a lower  budget television production, not the blockbuster feature film it was in  Japan. In the end, though, it mostly only pales in comparison with  other works from Ghibli. The world of anime in Japan is vast,  encompassing a broad spectrum of genre and quality. To put it another  way, Hayao Miyazaki is to <strong>Pixar</strong> what <strong>Goro</strong> is to <strong>Dreamworks</strong> <strong>Animation</strong>. As for its suitability for kids, I wouldn&#8217;t recommend <em>Earthsea</em> for younger kids&#8211;its content is closer to the PG-13 range. Of course, even if you don&#8217;t watch <em>Tales From Earthsea</em>, that shouldn&#8217;t stop you from revisiting the real Miyazaki classics. This week also saw the release of Hayao&#8217;s second feature, <strong><em>Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind</em></strong>, on Blu-ray, which is a perfect excuse to watch (or rewatch) one of the great classics of animation. &#8211; <strong>[DVD]</strong><strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>Animation/Adventure/Fantasy</strong></p>
<p><strong>Rated PG-13</strong></p>
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		<title>127 HOURS &#8211; Reviewed by Will</title>
		<link>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/03/04/127-hours-reviewed-by-will/</link>
		<comments>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/03/04/127-hours-reviewed-by-will/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Mar 2011 04:10:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Video Station Staff</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[drama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[movie reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recommendations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[suspense/thrillers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[127 Hours]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adventure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Amber Tamblyn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aron Ralston]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blu-ray]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Danny Boyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DVD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[James Franco]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kate Mara]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[R]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thriller]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[will]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thevideostation.com/blog/?p=4397</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I remember the day, back in 2003, when Aron Ralston emerged from the maze of the Canyonlands with his epic story of survival. At the time, I was working at a map store that furnished, among other treasures, the best printed material about the region that money could wrangle. Ralston himself was never a customer [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong></strong><img class="alignright" style="margin: 10px;" title="127 Hours DVD 2010" src="http://www.thevideostation.com/boxart/127Hours2010.jpg" alt="" width="98" height="140" />I remember the day, back in 2003, when <strong>Aron Ralston</strong> emerged from the maze of the Canyonlands with his epic story of  survival. At the time, I was working at a map store that furnished,  among other treasures, the best printed material about the region that  money could wrangle. Ralston himself was never a customer (as far as I  know), but a sizable percentage of our clientele were of a similar  breed&#8211;competent but sometimes cocky adventurers happily treating a  great eroded desert as the ultimate playground. Even before the reports  of his ordeal grew to become a national sensation, we were tracing our  fingers across the Robbers Roost Flats and Whitbeck Knoll quads (anyone  conversant with USGS maps will tell you that nothing interesting can  ever be shown on just one quad) along Bluejohn Canyon, listening to his  fellow canyoneers reflect on their own travels through the little slot  in the earth that almost became his grave.</p>
<p><span id="more-4397"></span>I hadn&#8217;t had much occasion to remember that time until <strong>Danny Boyle</strong> (<strong><em>Slumdog Millionaire</em></strong>) dramatized it in <strong><em>127 Hours</em></strong>, the sixth of this year&#8217;s ten Best Picture nominees to arrive at the Video Station. <strong>James Franco</strong> (<strong><em>Pineapple Express</em></strong>)  almost has a one-man show as Ralston, who we meet as he departs home in  Aspen to engage in his exhilarating weekend routine. The opening scenes  pulsate with adrenaline amid a montage of the crowded cookie-cutter  civilization Aron is fleeing. Once on the trail he chances on a pair of  young women (<strong><em>Kate Mara</em></strong> &amp; <strong><em>Amber Tamblyn</em></strong>)  and spends a few hours playing trail guide for them in spectacular  fashion (spectacular enough to make it the only part of the film the  real Ralston calls fake). By the time he&#8217;s alone again and gleefully  scampering through Bluejohn, the adrenaline is wearing off, and in a  single, mildly clumsy moment, he gets his arm pinned by a heavy boulder  against solid rock. The remainder of the film chronicles his attempts to  keep himself alive and get free, which he finally does in famously  harrowing fashion.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re afraid to watch this movie because  you already know what&#8217;s going to happen and don&#8217;t want to see it&#8211;well,  yes, it&#8217;s a pretty intense moment, but it&#8217;s handled about as well as any  filmmaker could ever manage it. Boyle accents the viscera not with gory  imagery but with sounds that any human nervous system will respond to  with sympathy. It is harrowing, but never disgusting. And it&#8217;s only one  moment in a film full of tension, grace, and surprising energy. Franco  may not have redeemed himself as an Oscar host, but he certainly earned  his keep as an Oscar nominee. You&#8217;ll root for him all the way. Boyle,  who incorporates low-res video footage in his films frequently, has an  excellent excuse to do so here, as Ralston did indeed record messages on  his video camera while he was stuck. This not only makes for a  convenient way to pass on exposition, but also serves as an opportunity  for grim humor and poignant reflection. This isn&#8217;t 90 minutes of a guy  stuck under a rock. It&#8217;s a step inside a mind confronted with a grim  reality&#8211;a mind that wanders, waxes nostalgic and finds poetry in the  mundane things it has left behind. It&#8217;s also one heck of an ironic  admonition about hiking safety. &#8211; <strong>[DVD] [Blu-Ray]</strong></p>
<p><strong>Adventure/Drama/Thriller</strong><strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>Rated R</strong></p>
<p><strong>DVD Release Date: 3/1/11<br />
</strong></p>
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		<title>MESRINE: KILLER INSTINCT &#8211; Reviewed by Will</title>
		<link>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/02/25/mesrine-killer-instinct-reviewed-by-will/</link>
		<comments>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/02/25/mesrine-killer-instinct-reviewed-by-will/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Feb 2011 00:20:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Video Station Staff</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[action/adventure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[foreign films]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[movie reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recommendations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gerard Depardieu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jacques Mesrine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mesrine: Killer Instinct]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vincent Cassell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[will]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thevideostation.com/blog/?p=4363</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The genuine criminal exploits of the French gangster Jacques Mesrine are spectacular enough, to seem to encourage exaggeration and sensationalism. His comparison to John Dillinger is apt enough&#8211;both robbed banks, escaped from prison on multiple occasions, and became popular romantic rogues&#8211;but watching Killer Instinct, the first of two films that chronicle his career, I was [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong></strong><img class="alignleft" style="margin: 10px;" title="Mesrine: Killer Instinct" src="http://www.thevideostation.com/boxart/MesrineKillerInstinct2010.jpg" alt="" width="98" height="140" />The genuine criminal exploits of the French gangster <strong>Jacques Mesrine</strong> are spectacular enough, to seem to encourage exaggeration and  sensationalism. His comparison to John Dillinger is apt enough&#8211;both  robbed banks, escaped from prison on multiple occasions, and became  popular romantic rogues&#8211;but watching <strong><em>Killer Instinct</em></strong>, the first of two films that chronicle his career, I was reminded more of <strong>Frank W. Abagnale</strong>, who was the subject of <strong>Spielberg</strong>&#8216;s <strong><em>Catch Me if You Can</em></strong>.  Sure, Mesrine was a tad more violent, favoring guns over counterfeit  checks, but the two share an infectious audacity and charm, at least as  their cinematic portrayals go.</p>
<p><span id="more-4363"></span>And that charm belongs entirely to the great <strong>Vincent Cassel</strong>, who evidently had great fun slipping into Mesrine&#8217;s shoes for this diptych (the second installment, <strong><em>Public Enemy No. 1</em></strong>, will be released at Video Station March 29). In the first film, he is paired with <strong>Gérard Depardieu</strong>,  who plays Guido, his crime boss/would-be father figure. This is  appropriate enough, as Cassel is, in some ways, Depardieu&#8217;s successor in  French Cinema, the versatile, charismatic tough guy. In fact, I&#8217;d say  that a younger Depardieu would have made an excellent Mesrine&#8211;he looks  quite a bit more like him.</p>
<p>I was pleasantly surprised at how  briskly and breezily Mesrine chugs along&#8211;apart from a stylized opening  sequence (heavy on retro split-screen homage) which jumps to the end of  the story, this biopic is content to stay strictly chronological and  skip the boring bits. Not a lot of time is spent trying to work  Mesrine&#8217;s psychology out. It seems pretty obvious he&#8217;s in it for the  glory and the women. It may make me a bad person, but I couldn&#8217;t help  smiling through much of this movie. It&#8217;s just such a gleeful rampage,  and you can&#8217;t look away. I&#8217;m sure Mesrine himself would be happy to hear  it. &#8211; <strong>[DVD] [Blu-Ray]</strong></p>
<p><strong>Action/Biography/Crime</strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>Rated R</strong></p>
<p><strong>DVD Release Date: 2/22/11<br />
</strong></p>
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		<title>NEVER LET ME GO &#8211; Reviewed by Will</title>
		<link>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/02/04/never-let-me-go-reviewed-by-will/</link>
		<comments>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/02/04/never-let-me-go-reviewed-by-will/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Feb 2011 03:04:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Video Station Staff</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[blu-ray]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[movie reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recommendations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[romance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andrew Garfield]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carey Mulligan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DVD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kazuo Ishiguro]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Keira Knightley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Never Let Me Go]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[R]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[will]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thevideostation.com/blog/?p=4259</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The premise of Never Let Me Go, at least superficially, is not an unfamiliar one. The idea of human clones being bred solely to serve as organ donors has made fertile fodder for dystopian sci-fi nightmares for decades, at least as far back as Parts: The Clonus Horror (1979). But while these films usually explore [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.thevideostation.com/blog"><strong></strong></a><strong></strong><img class="alignright" style="margin: 10px;" title="Never Let Me Go DVD 2010" src="http://www.thevideostation.com/boxart/NeverLetMeGo2010.jpg" alt="" width="98" height="140" />The premise of <strong><em>Never Let Me Go</em></strong>,  at least superficially, is not an unfamiliar one. The idea of human  clones being bred solely to serve as organ donors has made fertile  fodder for dystopian sci-fi nightmares for decades, at least as far back as<em> <strong>Parts: The Clonus Horror</strong></em> (1979). But while these films usually explore a horrific future to be  avoided at all costs, this one ventures into an alternate version of the  20th Century in which human cloning, perfected in the 1950s,  has been accepted by society at large as a means for expanding life  expectancy beyond 100. The tale of these clones could easily set up yet  another &#8220;escape from dystopia&#8221; adventure like<strong><em> Logan&#8217;s Run</em></strong> or <em><strong>THX-1138</strong></em>, but this story, adapted from the novel by <strong>Kazuo Ishiguro</strong>,  exercises powerful restraint, letting its setting disturb mostly by  implication while powerfully engaging the viewer in deep but subtle  philosophical contemplation. If I was to compare its tone with any other  film, the first that comes to mind is <strong><em>Gattaca</em></strong>.</p>
<p>We are introduced to this world in the form of Hailsham House, a peculiar British boarding school in the 1970s  whose children are harshly admonished to stay healthy but are not  taught many life skills. They are, however, allowed to draw and paint to  their hearts&#8217; content, their artwork sometimes collected for mysterious  reasons (to be revealed later, of course). Though they are not really  kept in the dark about their future, they don&#8217;t complain about the world  with which they are presented, but merely live the best life they can.  Within their confined existence in Hailsham and beyond, we meet three students, Kathy (<strong>Carey Mulligan</strong>, <strong><em>An Education</em></strong>), Tommy (<strong>Andrew Garfield</strong>, <strong><em>The Social Network</em></strong>) and Ruth (<strong>Keira Knightley</strong>, <em><strong>Atonement</strong></em>).  They fall into a triangle which will persist for much of their short  lives, with Kathy and Tommy&#8217;s unrequited love interdicted by Ruth. When  they speak of their futures, they use the Orwellian newspeak  that defines their existence&#8211;they look forward with resignation to  their &#8220;donations,&#8221; which will finally end with their &#8220;completion.&#8221;</p>
<p>Much like Ishiguro&#8217;s other novel adapted for the screen, <em>The Remains of the Day</em>, <em>Never Let Me Go</em> explores characters whose entire existence is defined by service to  others. Where the former used the historical upstairs/downstairs setting  of a large English estate, the latter uses a speculative parallel  world. This is a startlingly thought-provoking film, anchored by its  leads&#8217; restrained performances. A few of its big questions are spoken  aloud&#8211;Mulligan finally gives voice to one of the deepest right at the  end&#8211;but many more are left to the viewer to ask. As disturbed as we may  be by this scenario, we should remember that it is not entirely  imaginary. Certainly, in Eastern Europe and Russia, we hear occasional  stories of children born purely to be used as organ donors for the  wealthy and corrupt. But, to look at it another way, the  institutionalized, medically-oriented mass sacrifice in <em>Never Let Me Go</em> echoes the human sacrifice rituals practiced by the advanced societies  of Pre-Columbian America, which were similarly motivated with an eye  towards the &#8220;greater good.&#8221; And then there is the Holocaust. The crimes  of Nazi Germany are never spoken of in this film, but when we catch  glimpses of the way people in &#8220;normal&#8221; society look at the clones, we  see the face of a society which knows there are concentration camps in  its midst, and can&#8217;t quite deal with looking the truth in the face. &#8211; <strong>[DVD] [Blu-Ray]</strong><strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>Drama/Romance</strong></p>
<p><strong>Rated R</strong></p>
<p><strong>DVD Release Date: 2/1/11<br />
</strong></p>
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		<title>RED &#8211; Reviewed by Will</title>
		<link>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/01/28/red-reviewed-by-will/</link>
		<comments>http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/01/28/red-reviewed-by-will/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Jan 2011 02:50:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Video Station Staff</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[comedy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[movie reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recommendations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blu-ray]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brian Cox]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bruce Willis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DVD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Helen Mirren]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[John Malkovich]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Karl Urban]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mary-Louise Parker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Morgan Freeman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PG-13]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Red]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Richard Dreyfuss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Warren Ellis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[will]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thevideostation.com/blog/?p=4215</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It takes a while for RED get around to explaining its title, but it won&#8217;t spoil anything if I tell you it&#8217;s an acronym: &#8220;Retired, Extremely Dangerous.&#8221; This tag is specifically applied to Bruce Willis, who plays former CIA operative Frank Moses, and more generally to the motley (and all-star) assortment of his former cohorts [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img class="alignleft" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;" title="Red DVD 2010" src="http://www.thevideostation.com/boxart/Red2010.jpg" alt="" width="98" height="140" />It takes a while for <strong><em>RED</em></strong> get around to explaining its title, but it won&#8217;t spoil anything if I  tell you it&#8217;s an acronym: &#8220;Retired, Extremely Dangerous.&#8221; This tag is  specifically applied to <strong>Bruce Willis</strong>, who plays former  CIA operative Frank Moses, and more generally to the motley (and  all-star) assortment of his former cohorts and colleagues that gather  around him during the course of the movie. <em>RED</em> therefore makes a fine showcase for the Badasses Over 60 set: we get <strong>Morgan Freeman</strong>, <strong>Helen Mirren</strong>, <strong>John Malkovich</strong>, <strong>Brian Cox</strong>, along with <strong>Richard Dreyfuss</strong> and even <strong>Ernest Borgnine</strong>. This means <strong>Mary-Louise Parker</strong> and <strong>Karl Urban</strong> are the &#8220;kids&#8221; along for the ride.</div>
<p><span id="more-4215"></span>And it&#8217;s an entertaining ride. Though the <strong>Warren Ellis</strong> comic book upon which it is based had a fairly serious tone, this  adaptation is much more comedic, and the lighter vibe fits the material  quite well. We first meet Moses in a surprisingly sweet and appealing  opening sequence which contrasts his awkward and ascetic suburban  existence against his flirtatious phone conversations with the woman who  handles his pension checks (Parker). His domestic bliss is interrupted  by a squad of assassins, and after he creatively dispatches them (and  most of his house in the process) he sets out on a bouncy road trip,  first to save Parker and then to enlist his aforementioned old friends&#8217;  aid in finding out who&#8217;s after him.</p>
<p><em>RED</em> manages to find a  nice balance between madcap comedy and classic action/espionage/heist  tropes. It&#8217;s hardly the first movie to do so, of course&#8211;but it pushes  the zaniness a little further than most. As each big star appeared, I  felt I was always very pleased to see them. If <em>RED</em> has a  critical weakness, it&#8217;s that its character introductions are so much fun  to watch that by the time they&#8217;re over and the big action climax is  underway, it almost feels like the movie has fizzled a bit. Not that it  isn&#8217;t fun to watch Mirren mowing down baddies with a huge tripod-mounted machine gun. That&#8217;ll never get old.- <strong>[DVD] [Blu-Ray]</strong></p>
<p><strong>Action/Comedy/Crime</strong></p>
<p><strong>Rated PG-13</strong></p>
<p><strong>DVD Release Date: 1/25/11<br />
</strong></p>
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