Out tomorrow!! Picks of the week for 1/31

In theaters this week: Manderlay, Lars Von Trier's second installment in his halted USA: The Land Of Promise trilogy. J. Hoberman has already knocked the film for adding very little to the world created in Dogville. Even though I love J. Hoberman more than I love Lars Von Trier, I will certainly see the film and give you my two cents when it opens this weekend. Until then, we can merely enjoy this picture of Lauren Becall with a rifle and imagine she's pointing it at a certain Scientologist actor who's twelve-year-old girlfriend is expecting his hellspawn any day now.

New DVD Pick of the Week: Only because I'm a honey for J. Hoberman and, for some reason, he regarded this film quite highly last year. To me it seemed like a pointless recapitulation of the aesthetic (not to mention cult phenominon) of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Where Nightmare's energy came from the fact that there had never been anything like it, ever (at least on the level that it was distributed), Corpse Bride was a bit too familiar for it's own good. But maybe I am very wrong.

Retro DVD pick A: David Lynch's for years anonymous adaptation of Frank Herbert's cult novel finally gets the glutton treatment with a nearly-three-hour edition of the not-all-that-good-in-the-first-place Dune. It's really a mess of a movie. Now perhaps this will be rectified with clarifications presented in this extended version (god knows I'll have to sit through it with my boyfriend), but all previous viewings of the still-long-feeling shorter cut made me ponder was how Lynch got so far in under his head.

Retro DVD pick B: I have very little to say about When a Stranger Calls except for the fact that CAROL KANE IS SO SCARY! The first twenty-so minutes of the film are terrifying, then it all dies. But I guess it's never been on DVD. Rent this instead of going to see When A Stranger Calls Your Nokia which just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Retro DVD Pick C: Out tomorrow on DVD is a movie I have never even heard of. Let Me Die A Woman is a piece of trannie exploitation cinema. I hold very few things precious (if you can't laugh with it, then you need to grow a greater sense of humor, especially where smut is concerned!), and this is not one of them. I assure you, I will rent this little maybe-gem of a movie and let you know.

And don't forget to buy Pornocracy by Catherine Breillat today!