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Jet Li assumes the role of Ling from Jacky Cheung for this first sequel to THE SWORDSMAN, in which the intrepid Swordsman Ling searches once more for the sacred scroll. This time, though, Ling finds himself in the middle of a war between two clans when Master Wu, chief of Ling's Sun Moon Sect, is kidnapped by Master Asia, who also happens to be in possession of the aforementioned scrolls. Filled with the same whimsical spirit of the original, THE LEGEND OF THE SWORDSMAN (originally known as THE SWORDSMAN II) is every bit as entertaining as its predecessor.DVD Features:Region 0 (All Regions)Keep CaseLetterboxedAdditional Release Material: TrailersInteractive Features: Scene Access Interactive MenusText/ Photo Galleries: Filmographies - Cast& Crew
Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005.
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A bitingly critical satire about Israeli society, SIMA THE WITCH (SIMA VAKNIN MACHSHEFA) is the debut film from writer-director Dror Shaul. Sima Vaknin is a kindly grandmother with the uncommon ability to bestow curses and blessings on her fellow Israelis. But when her friends and family discover this unusual power, they seek to manipulate Sima and use her for their own ends. Actress Tiki Dayan was nominated for an Israeli Academy Award for her performance as Sima. Nothing and no one is safe from Sima's powers or director Shaul's critical eye in this black comedy.DVD Features:Region (unknown)Keep CaseWidescreenAudio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - HebrewAdditional Release Material: Audio Commentary - 1. Dror Shaul - Director Deleted Scenes Behind The Scenes Trailers Featurette - 1. Premier Music Video - 1. Theme Song
Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005.
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In a remote island village during World War II, the maniacally dedicated Dr. Akagi is known as Dr. Liver because of his tireless efforts to combat hepatitis. However, the Japanese government is reluctant to support his attempts to find a cure because it is busy wasting resources trying to win an unwinnable war. Joined by a Buddhist priest, a morphine-addicted surgeon, a Dutch POW, and a former prostitute who falls in love with him, Akagi comically runs from house call to house call in a race to find a cure on his own. The film is adapted from the novel DOCTOR LIVER by Ango Sakaguchi. Director Shohei Imamura worked on the script with his son Daisuke Imamura, who writes under the name Daisuke Tengan. The film includes several beautiful surrealistic touches, including a battle with a whale that recalls Herman Melville's classic novel MOBY-DICK. In the end, hepatitis turns out to be Akagi's own white whale, deforming his personal relationships and making him forget his primary mission as a physician.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseLetterboxed - 1.85Interactive Features: Scene Access Interactive Menus
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In loosely adapting Herman Melville's BILLY BUDD, Claire Denis has constructed a dreamy, detached visual poem that is at once somber and gorgeous. Denis transfers the tale's original location from the sea to the sparse landscape of East Africa's Djibouti. The film is narrated by Sergeant Galoup (Denis Lavant), a French Foreign Legion officer who is intimidated by the arrival of Sentain (Gregoire Colin). Galoup becomes jealous when his commander, Forestier (Michel Subor), begins showing the new recruit extreme favoritism, and after Sentain bravely aids in the rescue of a downed aircraft, Forestier bestows upon him a glowing commendation. Galoup, overcome with jealousy, recklessly acts out on his irrational emotion, with near tragic results.Denis boldly composes BEAU TRAVAIL like a silent film, including several extended scenes of the soldiers training in a rhythmic, choreographed manner. Agnes Godard's hypnotic cinematography captures the beauty of the soldier's tanned bodies and photographs the landscape with a rhythm that is both haunting and poetic. In what may be one of cinema's most electric final shots, Denis gives Galoup a last chance at redemption, after his recent descent into jealousy and cruelty. It provides an invigorating conclusion to the film and proves that Denis is one of the world's most gifted artists.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseAnamorphic Widescreen - 1.66Single Side - Dual LayerAdditional Release Material: Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical TrailerInteractive Features: Scene Access
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Italian cinema receives a long overdue jolt of reality with DAYS, an affecting drama that addresses the subjects of AIDS and homosexuality with a commendable frankness and sensitivity. The film follows Claudio (Thomas Trabacchi), a well-respected, composed banker, whose life appears to be in complete order. But after a random encounter with the youthful Andrea (Riccardo Salerno), Claudio begins to question his longstanding relationship with Dario (Davide Bechini), as well as his professional aspirations. A chance reunion with Andrea brings Claudio's desires to the surface once again, and pretty soon he finds himself shirking Dario and work to spend every waking moment with Andrea. Undercutting this newfound confusion is the deeply unsettling reality that Claudio is HIV-positive, and must therefore watch every single step that he takes. Fed up with the exhausting routine of medication and exercise, Claudio finds an outlet in the carefree Andrea, hoping that his youthful air of invincibility will erase his problems forever. Laura Muscardin's directorial debut tackles its subject matter without resorting to melodrama or the use of stereotypes. This is due in large part to the performances of Trabacchi, Salerno, and Bechini, who infuse their characters with a humanity that any audience could understand.This film screened in June 2002 as part of Open Roads: New Italian Cinema, a festival organized by The Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseSingle Side - Single LayerFull Frame - 1.33
Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005.
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