Society & Culture & Entertainment Movies

Top 5 New DVD Releases for the Week of February 24, 2004

By Society & Culture & Entertainment Last updated Monday, June/24/2024

The always remarkable Sarah Polley stars in this week's top DVD pick "My Life Without Me" as a wife and mother dying of cancer. Rather than grieving the old-fashioned way, she takes a lover and gets her nails done.

1. My Life Without Me

Sarah Polley has made a career out of suffering: we've seen her as the only survivor of a terrible accident ("The Sweet Hereafter"), as murderous immigrant ("The Weight of Water"), and as hapless drug dealer ("Go.") In "My Life Without Me," Polley succeeds in turning a tearjerking premise into a compelling story.More »

2. Wisconsin Death Trip

Based on authentic historical records, "Wisconsin Death Trip" is a chilling (and strange) account of the disasters that befell one small town in Wisconsin in the 1980s. Black River Falls was gripped by a peculiar madness, and its weekly newspaper was full of bizarre stories of violent deah and wildly eccentric behavior. Ian Holm narrates. Special features include a commentary track by director James Marshall and cinematographer Eigil Bryld, and a making-of featurette.More »

3. Camp

Fresh from another Broadway flop, songwriter Bert Hanley (Don Dixon) goes to work at a musical summer camp for young singers, dancers, actors and musicians. Inspired by the kids, he convinces them to help put together a new production. The charming indie with a cast of unknowns was a surprise hit this summer in theaters.More »

4. Salvatore Giuliano

Francesco Rosi revisits the murder of Salvatore Giuliano, who was Italy's most wanted criminal and most celebrated hero when his bullet-riddled corpse was found facedown in a courtyard in Castelvetrano, Sicily, in 1950. The 2-disc Criterion release features commentary by film historian Peter Cowie, an Italian TV documentary surveying Rosi's career, and the new Francesco Rosi interview featurette "Witness to the Times" conducted by film critic Tullio Kezich.More »

5. Memories

Created by celebrated animé master Katsuhiro Otomo ("Akira," "Roujin Z"), "Memories" consists of three dazzling stories, each delivered with its own astonishing style - Koji Morimoto' "Magnetic Rose," Tensai Okamura's "Stink Bomb," and Katsuhiro Otomo's own "Cannon Fodder." The DVD also features a 30 minute making-of featurette "Memories of Memories" with artwork and interviews with the directors.More »

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