In This Issue:

October 2011

What's New on DVD

Hail the Conquering Hero (1944)

Comedy. Farr-cical/Fast-paced.
Black & White. 101 mins. Unrated. Directed By Preston Sturges. Starring Eddie Bracken, William Demarest, Raymond Walburn, Ella Raines and Georgia Caine.
This zany comic gem from the legendary Preston Sturges veritably zips along thanks to the director's sharp, Academy Award–nominated screenplay and a host of winningly wacky performances, with ... Read More >
 

Pale Flower (1964)

Foreign/Romance. Fast-paced/Intense.
Black & White. 96 mins. Unrated. Directed By Masahiro Shinoda. Starring Ryo Ikebe, Mariko Kaga and Chisako Hara.
This slick and stylish gangster romance from the Japanese New Wave immediately draws you into its dark, nihilistic orbit with crisp, seductive black-and-white cinematography. Director Shinoda (Double ... Read More >
 

People on Sunday (1930)

Drama/Foreign/Romance. Moving/Offbeat/Scenic.
Black & White. 73 mins. Unrated. Directed By Robert Siodmak and Edgar G. Ulmer. Starring Erwin Splettstosser, Wolfgang von Waltershausen, Brigitte Borchart, Christi Ehlers and Annie Schreyer.
Co-directed by Siodmak and Ulmer, who would both go on to acclaimed careers as film noir directors in Hollywood, and scripted by a young Billy Wilder, this bright, cheery silent film, which feels ... Read More >
 

The Music Room (1958)

Drama/Foreign. Intense/Moving/Scenic.
Black & White. 99 mins. Unrated. Directed By Satyajit Ray. Starring Chhabi Biswas, Gangapada Basu, Kali Sarkar and Padma Devi.
This drama of one proud man made irrelevant by fate and progress unfolds gradually, but ultimately packs quite a wallop. Biswas, a legendary actor in his home country, gives a heartrending lead ... Read More >
 

Theme of the Month:

Last week brought pain to many in New England when the Red Sox failed to make the playoffs after a nine game lead entering September. Wow. But New England fans aren't the only ones hurting. Every October millions of fans have their hopes dashed as the playoffs narrow the field to a handful of teams, and we feel the season winding down. We'd like to help you extend it just a little, so this month we've compiled our favorite baseball movies. If you pace yourself, you can keep our national pastime alive clear into December. Batter up

61* (2001)

Drama. Moving.
Color. 129 mins. Unrated. Directed By Billy Crystal. Starring Thomas Jane, Barry Pepper and Jennifer Crystal Foley.
Actor/Director Crystal's well-known affection for both the game and the team permeates this reverent, affecting film from HBO, which scored at the Emmys with a whopping twelve nominations (it won ... Read More >
 

Bang the Drum Slowly (1973)

Drama. Intense/Moving.
Color. 96 mins. Rated PG. Directed By John Hancock. Starring Robert De Niro, Michael Moriarty and Ann Wedgeworth.
This sad, moving film showcases the emerging brilliance of young De Niro, with the underrated Moriarty also turning in a superb performance. Both baseball fans and devotees of great film alike should ... Read More >
 

Bull Durham (1988)

Comedy. Farr-cical.
Color. 108 mins. Rated R. Directed By Ron Shelton. Starring Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon.
This wry comedy delivers irresistible entertainment, evoking the more- shall we say, informal- atmosphere of life in the minors. Star Costner is appealingly mellow, and Sarandon skillfully plays her ... Read More >
 

Damn Yankees (1958)

Musicals. Tuneful/Witty.
Color. 110 mins. Unrated. Directed By George Abbott. Starring Tab Hunter and Gwen Verdon.
A diverting, tarted-up goof on the scandalous 1919 World Series thrown by "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (among others), Abbott and Donen's rousing "Yankees" reunites the graceful Verdon (a flaming redhead, ... Read More >
 

Eight Men Out (1988)

Drama. Intense/Scenic.
Color. 119 mins. Rated PG. Directed By John Sayles. Starring John Cusack and Charlie Sheen.
Writer/Director Sayles's riveting slice of sports history feels totally authentic, with rich period flavor, and his smart, perceptive script does full justice to this tragic story, representing the ... Read More >
 

Fear Strikes Out (1957)

Drama. Intense.
Black & White. 100 mins. Unrated. Directed By Robert Mulligan. Starring Anthony Perkins, Karl Malden and Norma Moore.
Perkins plays young Pearsall with just the right vulnerability, and Malden does a breathtaking turn as his driven Dad. An over-looked classic from young Mulligan, who'd go on to direct "To Kill A ... Read More >
 

Field of Dreams (1989)

Drama/Family. Moving.
Color. 107 mins. Rated PG. Directed By Phil Alden Robinson. Starring Kevin Costner and Amy Madigan.
Adapted by the director from W.R. Kinsella's book, this beautifully realized, old-fashioned fantasy movie raises the spirit and touches the heart. Costner is perfect in a role originally intended for ... Read More >
 

Pride of the Yankees (1942)

Drama. Moving/Wholesome.
Black & White. 128 mins. Unrated. Directed By Sam Wood. Starring Gary Cooper and Teresa Wright.
Potent inspiration for a country newly at war, this sentimental tearjerker still holds up beautifully, with lots of patriotic flavoring and the inspiring atmosphere of a simpler, nobler time. The ... Read More >
 

Spotlight

• October 6th, John hosts a screening and discussion of "The Philadelphia Story" starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn at a private club in Greenwich, CT.


• October 12th, John introduces a screening of "The Music Room," Satyajit Ray's classic film recently re-released by the Criterion Collection at a private club in New York City.


• October 31st, John hosts a screening and discussion of "Frankenstein," the horror classic directed by James Whale at a private club in New York City.