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Carolla scores! | Photo courtesy of the Weinstein Company
Most people have probably pegged Adam Carolla as little more than a snarky morning DJ, but The Hammer reveals him to be a talented and occasionally inspired filmmaker. His inclusion of his longtime, almost unintelligible friend Oswaldo into the film was a stroke of pure genius. In Bruges didn't break any new storytelling ground but it was a completely satisfying piece of indie pie. Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrellshine is a pair of mismatched crooks on the run. While Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk receive the lion's share of hype, Persepolis may have been the most perceptive comic-book adaptation since Ghost World.
The Hammer
In Bruges
Persepolis
Definitely, Maybe
10,000 B.C.
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Charlie Bartlett
The Furies - Criterion Collection
Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs
Honeydripper
Cutting edge special-effects of the 1980s. | Photo courtesy of jima via flickr
There are more high-profile contenders (see Wizards of the Lost Kingdom) but Xanadu may have been the worst movie of the 1980s. It is hard to believe that Olivia Newton-John once had "hand" in Hollywood. Rade Serbedzija is a fine actor who never gets the benefit of the doubt when it comes to casting. He's usually pigeon-holed as some variant of the "heavy". Watch Before the Rain, however, and you will see a rare talent on full display. It's a curious choice for the Criterion treatment, but well deserved. Swedish nudie flicks are now the stuff of legend, but once upon a time they really existed. Maid in Sweden and Christina Lindberg helped define the genre.
Xanadu - Magical Musical Edition (With Complete Soundtrack CD)
Journey to the Far Side of the Sun
Man of a Thousand Faces
Before the Rain - Criterion Collection
Bonneville
The Tattooist
Mondo Cane
When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions (3 DVD Set)
Maid in Sweden
An Erotic Werewolf in London
