Lost at Sea DVD | Films That Need More Love | 1

Over lunch about a year ago some of my friends and I came to the definite conclusion that DVDs were a brilliant medium for visual/audio media forms. Sure, it was not an epiphany of the grandest scale, but it was just that we had all grown to love our collections of favourite films and music videos. Not only is the near-perfect quality of feature length films great but the selection of media forms has grown due to the emergence of DVD. Short film anthologies like the Resfest volumes and the rampant availability and exposure of music video collections is a godsend to music and film geeks. Various experiments with interactive media forms have also propped up recently and the joys of select (read: the good) television programs can be experienced on a computer by those, like myself, who don’t own a television.

Beastie Boys: Video Anthology (Criterion Collection)
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Deserving of the title of Best Music DVD of its time? Could very well be. Not only is the two disc set presented with a delectable sheen and luster to be rivaled, the special features and remix options give the user an unheard of interactivity with the music videos presented. Mix and match audio mixes and swap in extra footage to create your perfect jumble of Beastie goodness. [Criterion page]


Throne of Blood (Criterion Collection)
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It could be considered quite the silly choice to toss Throne of Blood on this list; everyone loves a few works of the Kurosawa. But this little gem of a DVD offers a pristine transfer of the 1957 film as well as the trademark Criterion Collection shine of the packaging and production. The commentary track, essays and notes serve to provide contextual basis for the critique of the film very nicely. The film itself is a screen adaptation of William Shakespeare’s "Macbeth"; set in feudal Japan in an era of samurai and warlords. With biting imagery and vicious characters, Kurosawa shows his ability to not only adapt the work, but to also create strokes of his own brilliance in the process of transposing the material [Criterion page]


24 Hour Party People
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With an unyielding soundtrack consisting of offerings from The Buzzcocks, Happy Mondays, The Durutti Column, New Order and the prerequisite Sex Pistols, this film launches forward with an amazing stylistic charm. In the early 80’s Great Britain was a musical alteration which would affect the course of music for the underground sounds. 24 Hour Party People features the excellent Steve Coogan as the legendary Tony Wilson – the man behind the famed Factory Records that brought about bands such as Joy Division (with trademark design work by the great and great Peter Saville). The film traces the history of the subculture surrounding the label and the interweaving stories in between. This film is a definite for any music fan that see this era as a springboard of many veins of contemporary music. [Official site]


Ichi the Killer
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From the wild mind of one of Japans most prolific and innovative directors Takashi Miike comes the astoundingly vibrant/violent world of the titular character, Ichi. This movie is not for the weak of stomach as violence becomes a key filmmaker's tool in exposing the innards of the hyper kinetic environment created throughout a landscape of gangland warfare. A vicious amalgam of a superhero movie? Or an over the top anime stimulated take on Yakuza Japan? Ichi the Killer is a high velocity mental blender of cultural commentary, pop culture icons and subculture territories that is not to be missed. [Official site]


Happiness of the Katakuris
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Takashi Miike, again?! Believe it or not Asian cinema is currently flourishing with original ideas; narrative constructs that challenge traditional film and genre fusions that reap and rape the audience. Miike is one such director that has crafted many films that meander and weave through the typical Hollywood genre film clichés with ease. Musical, romance, animation, comedy, family film and zombie flick; the Happiness of the Katakuris explores filmmaking standards to the extreme, and the result is nothing short of stunning. The film is an inventive, mashed-up and rambunctious ode to a joy ride, with a great cast and stabs at conventional humour. This is highly recommended for anyone that enjoys a good genre bender. [IMDB page]


By Brakhage: An Anthology (Criterion Collection)
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In the areas of experimental film, one of the greatest innovators of the last half century was undoubtedly Stan Brakhage. With such films as Dog Star Man, Eye Myth and Nightmusic, the cinematic eye of Brakhage would have a gigantic influence on the direction of the contemporary medium. With a catalogue of over 400 films throughout his lifetime, Brakhage forged the way for imagery directly onto film through his work scratching, painting and drawing straight onto the film stock, frame by frame. The Criterion Collection splendidly presents transfers of twenty-six selections of his work complete with deliberation by the filmmaker and critical essays. This set is a must have for those interested in the experimental aspects of earlier films and explorations of the visual landscape. [Criterion page]

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Abi Huynh is a staff writer for LAS magazine, based in Vancouver, BC, where he gives films all the love they'll ever need.
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SEE ALSO > Films That Need More Love part 2