With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
New DVD Tuesday - Idiocracy, Mad Cowgirl, Crank, The Illusionsit, Barnyard, Psychopathia Sexualis, I Trust You To Kill Me
()
As usual, New DVD Tuesday is a day late, but here it is anyway.
Idiocracy - It's no Office Space (then again, what is?), but this wry satire of anti-intellectualism and pop culture directed by Mike Judge is well worth watching. Luke Wilson stars as a barely average Joe who wakes up 500 years in the future to discover he's the smartest man alive. Maya Rudolph and Dax Shepard co-star, but the scene stealer award belongs to Terry Crews, who plays a former professional wrestler turned President of the United States.
Since you probably didn't see this movie during its blink-and-you'll-miss-it theatrical run, now's your chance to catch it on DVD. The disc features both the R-rated and unrated versions of Idiocracy, but sadly lacks a director's commentary.
Support for LAist comes from
More DVD releases after the jump.
Action/Thriller
Crank - It's like Speed in a man. A professional assassin is injected with a poison that will kill him if his heart rate drops.
Seclusion - Low-budget thriller about a congressman who sleeps with his female campaign and wakes up to find her missing. Optional subtitles.
Animation
Barnyard - A slick, CG-animated tale of a prodigal calf who must grow up and become the alpha bull of the barnyard. Voices include: Kevin James, Sam Elliott, Courteney Cox, Danny Glover and Wanda Sykes.
Mosaic - A young actress (Anna Paquin) who can shapeshift gets a mentor. Story by Stan Lee, directed by Scott Lobdell.
Documentary
I Trust You To Kill Me - When he's on hiatus from 24 Kiefer Sutherland works a second job: managing a band called The Burden on their European tour.
Me & Michael - Michael Moore gets the Michael Moore treatment as he's stalked by a budding seeking a patron.
Street Fight - Nope, it's not a grindhouse action flick. It's a documentary about the 2002 mayoral election in Newark, New Jersey, when Yale law student Cory Booker tried to unseat four-term incumbent Sharpe James.
Drama
Color of the Cross - The low-budget version of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ written and directed by actor Jean-Claude LaMarre, who covneniently stars as Jesus.
The Illusionist - A magician (Edward Norton) trades barbs Austrian Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell) in turn-of-the-century Vienna. Enjoy the unintentional comedy of seeing Jessica Biel in period dress.
The Night Listener - Robin Williams plays a late night radio show host who a dying boy who may never have existed. Based on a novel by Armistead Maupin, which was based on a true story.
Psychopathia Sexualis - All sorts of sexual quirks and fetishes share screen time in Bret Wood's dramatized version of several cases in Richard von Krafft-Ebing's landmark, Victorian-era study on sexual deviance and perversity.
Heist
Bandidas - Sexy Spanish thieves Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz lead an oddball gang plotting a big heist in this action/comedy.
Support for LAist comes from
Horror
Mad Cowgirl - A meat inspector (Sarah Lassez) who has likely been infected with mad cow disease goes on a surreal, violent rampage. Walter Koenig (Chekov from Star Trek) co-stars as her televangelist lover. Might make a nice double feature with Barnyard.
TV Movies
Broken Bridges - Toby Keith plays a fading country music star who reunites with his childhood sweetheart (Kelly Preston) and meets his 16-year-old daughter for the first time.
Lightspeed - Daniel Goddard, Nicole Eggert, and Lee Majors co-star in this action flick made for the Sci-Fi Channel. A government agent who becomes a superhero after surviving a terrorist attack and radiation treatments.
The Snow Queen - Low-budget BBC TV adaptation of the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale about a young woman who sets out on a magical journey to find her best friend, who has been taken by the Snow Queen.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
What do stairs have to do with California’s housing crisis? More than you might think, says this Culver City councilmember. -
Yes, it's controversial, but let me explain. -
Doctors say administrator directives allow immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and compromise medical care. -
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and went on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,800 homes and buildings. -
People moving to Los Angeles are regularly baffled by the region’s refrigerator-less apartments. They’ll soon be a thing of the past. -
Experts say students shouldn't readily forgo federal aid. But a California-only program may be a good alternative in some cases.
Best of LAist