DVD Recommendations of the Week

DVDs:

White Material (2010) by Claire Denis - One of Shooting Wall's top 10 films of 2010, if you didn't get a chance to see this film in the theaters, it is out on DVD in an excellent edition by Criterion Collection. All of us at Shooting Wall highly recommend this and other Claire Denis films. Available on DVD from Netflix and Facets.

Japon (2002) by Carlos Reygadas' strange and remarkable first film is essential viewing. Reygadas has proven himself to be one of Mexico's most interesting new filmmakers and his first film confirms this. Available on DVD from Netflix and Facets.

River of Grass (1994) by Kelly Reichardt - Kelly Reichardt made her first film amid the explosion of independent films in America in the early 1990s and it got lost in the shuffle. Watching it now, after Reichardt's recent successes, the film is different than what she has been working toward, but is every bit as fascinating. I highly recommend checking out this, her first feature. Available on DVD from Netflix and Facets.

Sex is Comedy (20020 by Catherine Breillat - Breillat's followed-up Fat Girl with this funny and personal film about filmmaking. She uses the filming of Fat Girl as the jumping off point for her examination of the making of an art film. Breillat is not known for being funny, but this film is a sharp and pointed look at filmmaking from one of the best directors working today. Available on DVD from Netflix and Facets.

Region 2 Pick of the Week:

Palmero of Wolfsburg (1980) by Werner Schoreter - One of Schroeter's most ambitious and challenging works, this three hour epic traces one worker's migration from life in a small town in Sicily to life working at the BMW factory in Germany. Like all Schroeter's films, this one is strange, mysterious, esoteric, and totally original. I highly recommend this film and don't let the three hour running time scare you as it is worth the work. Available on Region 2 DVD which you can be rented through Facets.

Free Movie of the Week:

Thriller (1979) by Sally Potter - Thriller is British filmmaker Sally Potter's 32 minute feminist examination of the film thriller. Potter was a decidedly more experimental filmmaker at the beginning of her career and if you like Thriller, I highly recommend her first feature The Gold Diggers as well, which you can watch on Mubi for $3. Thriller is available to watch for free on Daily Motion.

Download of the Week:



The Scenic Route (1978) by Mark Rappaport - Mark Rappaport has been making independent films in New York since the early 1970s, but has garnered little if any attention. Many of films have remained unavailable in the USA in recent years, but his highly theatrical, funny, absurd, and strange films are worth tracking down. The Scenic Route is a nice introduction to his work. You can find this and three or four other of his films for download on Pirates Bay.

Be sure to add your thoughts on any of the recommended films to the Shooting Wall Message Board.