For anybody who’s sick of hearing about Beauty Day around here, don’t worry…it’s almost over! The life cycle of the film has now entered the ‘home video’ stage, which means it’s just about dead (or depending on your perspective, about to be ‘reborn’?). So for all of you who haven’t had a chance to see it yet (which is a lot of you), here’s an opportunity to own your very own copy on glorious DVD! (Note: at this point there are no blu ray plans. Sorry.) As an avid DVD/Blu Ray collector, I must say that I’m pretty proud of this release as it’s absolutely STACKED with lots of great bonus features, including an audio commentary track featuring a couple Film Junk regulars. On top of that, we’ve got a bunch of deleted scenes that are actually good enough to have been included in the film, AND some original Cap’n Video Show clips! Check out the list of over 100 minutes of bonus features:

- Feature length audio commentary with director Jay Cheel, Ralph Zavadil, and Robert Buick
- Feature length audio commentary with director Jay Cheel, Sean Dwyer (Film Junk.com), Reed Farrington, Frank Knezic, and Kurt Halfyard (Twitch.net, Row Three.com)
- Deleted Scenes
- Cap’n Video’s 20th Birthday Special
- Original Cap’n Video Show Clips
- Interview Clip

Yup, all of this great stuff for a only $15 (USD) plus shipping. (Note: due to limited shipping options through Canadian Paypal, I’ve had to increase the price of the DVD for international buyers to $17 to adjust for additional delivery costs. And yes, this disc is region free.). Just click the button below, choose your destination, and soon you’ll be having yourself a BEEAUUTTYYY DAYYYYYYYY!

Ship To (Price Includes Shipping)

North America $20.00 USD International $22.00 USD

Belle de Jour
Directed by Luis Buñuel
Written by Luis Buñuel, Jean-Claude Carrière
Starring Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, Michel Piccoli, Geneviéve Page

Luis Buñuel’s Belle de Jour is a sexy and disturbing psychological case study that investigates the masochistic desires of its main character as she attempts to fulfill her urges and reconcile her past.

The film opens with a red herring of sorts, as we’re introduced to a couple on a romantic carriage ride. The woman, an attractive blonde, shuns the advances of her companion, resulting her forceful removal from the carriage by its drivers. She’s led into the woods blindfolded, and eventually tied to a tree, hands above her head. After ripping down the back of her dress, the man signals the drivers to whip her. She seems to enjoy it. An abrupt cut reintroduces the same couple, now in their bedroom getting ready for bed. It was all a dream…or a fantasy. Séverine Serizy (Catherine Deneuve) is a seemingly normal, happily married woman who finds herself continually daydreaming about masochistic, sexual scenarios. She’s always managed to subdue her fantasies until a friend — and admirer — tells her about a local high-class brothel. She decides to investigate and is inexplicably drawn to the place, offering her “services” with one caveat; that she be done by five o’clock. For this, she’s given the nickname “Belle de Jour”, or “daylight beauty” (thanks Wikipedia!) As she grows accustomed to engaging in sexual acts with a multitude of customers (all of which have varying tastes and fetishes), she keeps her newfound profession a secret from her husband.

Read the rest of this entry »

Branded to Kill
Directed by Seijun Suzuki
Written by Hachiro Guru
Starring: Joe Shishido, Koji Nanbara, Isao Tamagawa

Like ‘Tokyo Drifter’, Seijun Suzuki’s ‘Branded to Kill’ is a strange, quirky, moody gangster picture that goes out of its way to poke holes in the tropes of this sub-genre while also indulging in some sixties pop cinema. While the film’s characters and plot are sometimes tough to penetrate, Suzuki’s sense of style and his gleeful mocking of genre conventions is the real draw here.

Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, this looks awesome. I’m sure eyebrows might raise at the thought of a Keanu Reeves-produced documentary, but this subject matter is pretty irresistible to me. The film is called Side by Side: The Science, Art and Impact of Digital Cinema (directed by Christopher Kenneally) and it looks at the war between digital and analog filmmaking. Pretty relevant stuff considering the recent announcement that the Eastman Kodak Company has just filed for bankruptcy protection. Even though the digital revolution seems inevitable, there are a handful of filmmakers who refuse to go down without a fight, insisting that we’re acting too fast by replacing a tried and true format (film) with a technology (digital) that at this point, simply doesn’t compare in terms of the quality if the image. Here’s the synopsis:

The documentary investigates the history, process and workflow of both digital and photochemical film creation. We show what artists and filmmakers have been able to accomplish with both film and digital and how their needs and innovations have helped push filmmaking in new directions. Interviews with directors, cinematographers, colorists, scientists, engineers and artists reveal their experiences and feelings about working with film and digital–where we are now, how we got here and what the future may bring.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tokyo Drifter
Directed by Seijun Suzuki
Written by Kouhan Kawauchi
Starring Tetsuya Watari, Chieko Matsubara, Tamio Kawaji

Seijun Suzuki’s Tokyo Drifter is a colourful, energetic blast of 1960’s Japanese pop culture wrapped in a complicated, satirical take on the Yakuza gangster film. Packed with wild imagery and some amazing art design, Suzuki’s unusual brand of crime film is more Warhol than Kurosawa and a definite treat for genre fans.

Read the rest of this entry »

Christmas has come early here at Film Junk! In this brand new installment of our ongoing series of premium podcasts, we discuss yet another beloved franchise: the Jurassic Park trilogy. In celebration of the recent Blu-ray release, we dig deep into Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi action/adventure series and discuss whether or not these groundbreaking blockbusters still hold up. It’s safe to say we’re fans across the board, but we do run into a few disagreements when it comes to some of the finer details of the series. We also talk about Joe Johnston’s entry in the franchise and whether or not it holds a candle to Spielberg’s first two installments. It’s the perfect opportunity for you to revisit Isla Nublar and Isla Sonar and join us on our journey through Jurassic Park…but wait, that’s not all!!

As a gift to all of the fine folks who decide to support us by downloading this episode, we’ve decided to get into Christmas spirit and throw in a FREE bonus podcast! That’s right, if you download the Jurassic Park Trilogy episode you will automatically receive our exclusive Xmas Podcast in which we discuss some holiday classics including It’s a Wonderful Life, Santa Claus: The Movie, Scrooged, and The Muppet Christmas Carol! This episode also features our own real-life Scrooge, Reed “Bah Humbug” Farrington! ‘Tis the season to indulge in some serious Film Junk action. Enjoy!

» Download It Now!

This series of premium podcasts was created to help support the regular weekly Film Junk Podcast. Head on over to Bandcamp and download the full episodes now for a minimum donation of just 99 cents. As always, let us know if you experience any technical difficulties or if you have any other suggestions for future specials. Thanks for your support!

The Four Feathers
Directed by: Zoltán Korda
Written by: R. C. Sherriff
Starring: John Clements, Ralph Richardson, C. Aubrey Smith, June Duprez

Billed as a sort of adventure film, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from The Four Feathers. Even though the tale has been told on film multiple times, I went in to it knowing nothing about the story and was pleasantly surprised.

The film is set in the 1890’s during the Mahdist War. I won’t claim to have heard of this particular war previous to this film, nor will I act as any sort of expert on the background of this conflict (something to do with the British colonization of Africa). The lead character, Harry Faversham (played by John Clements) was brought up in a family rooted in military history. He’s a member of the British Army but resigns on the eve of a massive deployment to Khartoum. His decision is considered an act of cowardice, even in the eyes of his fiancee Ethne (June Duprez). Once the soldiers depart on their mission, Harry receives an envelope — sent by three of his friends — containing three white feathers; a symbol of cowardice. He then admits the accusations are true and decides to attempt to redeem himself in the eyes of his fiancee and his fellow soldiers. Harry heads to Egypt and disguises himself as a Sangali native, with plans to infiltrate enemy forces. When his friends run into trouble, he intervenes in an attempt to rescue them and to atone for the abandonment of his duties and the betrayal of his fellow soldiers. While it might take some time to get going, The Four Feathers is a great adventure film with some beautiful action set pieces featuring hundreds of soldiers clashing on-screen in some pretty epic battle sequences. It also boasts some stunning technicolor photography, which garnered the film an Oscar nomination for best cinematography.

Read the rest of this entry »

As someone who worked in the video game industry for three years or so (and is still friends with a lot of people who continue to work on games), I always thought that a documentary on the making of a video game would be pretty interesting. Having experienced it first hand, I can attest to the long hours and stress that goes into creating a product that attempts to bring art, storytelling, and technology together in a fresh and exciting way. Canadian filmmakers James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot’s decided to document this process in their film Indie Game: The Movie, which looks at the journey of the indie video game developer. Here’s the synopsis:

Indie Game: The Movie is a feature documentary about video games, their creators and the craft. The film follows the dramatic journeys of video game developers as they create and release their games to the world.

The film tells the emotional story of friends Edmund McMillen & Tommy Refenes, as they craft their first Xbox game: “Super Meat Boy”. It follows Phil Fish, the creator of the highly-anticipated game: “FEZ”. After 4 years of working in near solitude, Phil reveals his opus to the public for the first time. And, the film tells the surprising story of one of the highest-rated video games of all time:”Braid”.

The film is about making video games, but at its core, it’s about the creative process, and exposing yourself through your work.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Rules of the Game
Directed by: Jean Renoir
Written by: Jean Renoir
Starring: Marcel Dalio, Nora Gregor, Roland Toutain, Jean Renoir

This week I finally caught up with a movie that many consider to be one of the greatest films in the history of cinema; Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game. While I’m not sure it would top my own personal list of all-time favourites, it’s certainly a fantastic piece of cinema that’s full of humour, drama, and some wonderful characters.

Read the rest of this entry »

Fanny and Alexander
Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
Written by: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Börje Ahlstedt, Pernilla Allwin, Allan Edwall, Ewa Fröling, Bertil Guve

I was faced with a dilemma when I finally sat down to watch Ingmar Bergman’s epic 1982 family drama, Fanny and Alexander. Not unlike his “Scenes From a Marriage”, Criterion’s wonderful blu ray set contains two versions of the film: the 3 hour theatrical cut and the original five and a half hour TV miniseries. Which version do I watch? I’ve always hated being forced to make such choices and now that DVD and blu ray have afforded filmmakers the option to release various director’s cuts and unrated versions, it seem to happen all too often. Luckily, this situation seemed a little more clear cut. Obviously if Bergman shot and released a five hour version, THAT was the complete version. So that’s where I started.

Read the rest of this entry »

Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom
Directed by: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Written by: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Starring: Paolo Bonacelli, Giorgio Cataldi, Umberto P. Quintavalle

This Christmas season, tell that special someone you love them with the gift that keeps on giving: Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom on blu ray! If you’re concerned the intense scenes of sexual sadism, torture, and murder are too much of a downer for the holidays, just remember that it’s nothing more than a parable, intended to comment on fascism and mindless complacency under the rule of overzealous figures of authority.

Read the rest of this entry »

Harakiri
Directed by: Masaki Kobayashi
Written by: Shinobu Hashimoto
Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Rentaro Mikuni, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita

Masaki Kobayashi’s Harakiri is a sort of anti-samurai film that explores honour and moral decency within the strict adherence to a centuries old code. Kobayahsi’s criticisms hurled towards this authoritative body is just as relevant now as it was in Edo period Japan. The result is a film that plays with the audience as it peels back the layers, strategically revealing plot revelations that tantalize the audience, creating a truly engrossing cinematic experience.

Read the rest of this entry »