Week of April 6th

Crime & Punishment

Zoe's Corner

Dear Werner,
After just viewing The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, I realize that I love you in ways that may not be appropriate or savory. When I first met you through Aguirre The Wrath of God, I was so bowled over by Klaus that I didn't see your deft hand as director. Through Nosferatu (which I saw in the movie theatre twice in a week) Woyzeck and Fitzcarraldo (which I watch every Christmas) I saw Klaus through your eyes. Then I admit, I let my love of you falter. I went a few years, missed Little Dieter Needs to Fly in the theatres (the documentary you based Rescue Dawn on).

Then I found you again as the guiding voice of Incident at Loch Ness, Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World ("This is not a cute Penguin film"). But nothing in this world prepared me for Bad Lieutenant. Nothing could. This wonderful mix of iguana P.O.V. shots, Nicolas Cage making Klaus look down right sane, and your complete ability to capture the comedy of this movie, make me love you once again with the joy I felt the first time I heard your dry lovely accent. I know everyone here at Reckless has the ability to impersonate you, and we all are over the moon about Bad Lieutenant, but I want you to know that burning in my heart I will carry a flame for you, possibly forever....

Love and Kisses,
Zoe Claire
Reckless Video.

It's hard to imagine anyone wanting to helm a remake/sequel of the cult 1992 film Bad Lieutenant, but the incredibly weird mix of auteur Werner Herzog, Nicolas Cage as the unbalanced police officer, and an unbelievably over the top script make Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans a one-of-a-kind film. Police Lieutenant McDonagh (Cage) is investigating the drug-related murder of a Senegalese family, but his constant drug use and outbursts of violence make him so unpredictable that even his racist, witness-assaulting partner (Val Kilmer) starts to lose faith in him. Wandering closer to the life of crime than the law, McDonagh's life is centered around his bookie and keeping drugs flowing to his escort/girlfriend (Eva Mendez), so when he does find the murderous drug kingpin (Xzibit)... will he make an arrest, or a business deal? On DVD and Blu Ray.

Based on a Stephen King short story, Dolan's Cadillac tells the story of Robinson (Wes Bentley) and Elizabeth (Emmanuelle Vaugier), a suburban couple who happen into the path of a vicious human trafficker. When Elizabeth runs across a truck importing young women into the United States, she becomes a witness against the ruthless kingpin Dolan (Christian Slater) who's never had to stand trial, because all witnesses against him tend to disappear... the kind of circumstances that lead Robinson down the path of payback and bloody revenge.

Set in basketball-obsessed Indiana, Haley Joel Osment stars as Robert Gartland, a devoted fan of high high school team and best friend of star player Matt Morrison (Ryan Merriman) in Home of the Giants. When a small-time drug dealer (Kenneth Mitchell) talks Matt into robbing a competitor, Gartland goes along... but complications lead to Matt throwing games, and Gartland struggling with his friendship and fan loyalty, especially after meeting Danielle Panabaker, who doesn't share in the town's popular obsession with basketball.

Directed by the writer of the last three Saw movies, The Collector stars Josh Stewart as a thief who breaks into a house, only to find the family that lives there bound and bloody. As he tries to get out, he finds that the entire place has been turned into an elaborate death trap, where everything that could possibly help him (phones, weapons) are rigged to hurt him, and all the exits are either locked or lethal. As he tries to navigate through acid floors, decoy captives, fishhook barriers, and bear trap rooms, he as to find a way to save the remaining family members and outsmart the masked Collector who always seems to be one step ahead. With Michael Reilly Burke, Andrea Roth, and Juan Fernandez.

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Starz' Party Down is the newest addition to Reckless Video's TV New Release section, where a failed actor (Adam Scott) gives up his dreams of Hollywood and takes on a minimum wage food service job. He finds himself working for an old friend (Ken Marino), getting his life on track as a Team Leader after a history of drinking and drugs, and spending his time with co-workers who all have dreams of stardom: a sci-fi obsessed writer with a superiority complex (Martin Starr), a vapid pretty boy actor (Ryan Hansen), a sardonic stand-up comedienne (Lizzy Caplan), and a B-movie actress past her prime (Jane Lynch)... as they all cater the kinds of parties they believe they should be attending.

[X]Werner Herzog:
Fitzcarraldo, Encounters at the End of the World

[X]Nicolas Cage:
The Wicker Man, Lord of War

[X]Eva Mendez:
We Own the Night, The Spirit

[X]Val Kilmer:
Deja Vu, The Ghost and the Darkness

[X]Xzibit:
The X-Files: I Want to Believe, Derailed

[X]Josh Stewart:
Law Abiding Citizen, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

[X]Michael Reilly Burke:
Death of a President, Ted Bundy

[X]Andrea Roth:
War, Rescue Me

[X]Juan Fernandez:
A Man Apart, Executive Decision

[X]Stephen King:
The Green Mile, The Mist

[X]Wes Bentley:
Weirdsville, American Beauty

[X]Emmanuelle Vaugier:
Saw IV, Secondhand Lions

[X]Haley Joel Osment:
Artificial Intelligence: A.I, Pay It Forward

[X]Ryan Merriman:
Final Destination 3, The Ring 2

[X]Danielle Panabaker:
Mr Brooks, Sky High

[X]Kenneth Mitchell:
Jericho, The Recruit

[X]Brent Briscoe:
In the Valley of Elah, The Messengers

[X]Adam Scott:
The Vicious Kind, The Great Buck Howard

[X]Ken Marino:
Role Models, The Baxter

[X]Ryan Hansen:
Veronica Mars, Friday the 13th

[X]Martin Starr:
Adventureland, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

[X]Lizzy Caplan:
Cloverfield, Mean Girls

[X]Jane Lynch:
For Your Consideration, Glee

[X]Christian Slater:
He Was a Quiet Man, Hard Rain