JBO: Joystiq Box Office, September 14 - September 18
We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.
Recommendations of the Week:
(DVD: $28.69 MSRP. Available at Amazon and on Netflix, available Tuesday)
This is one of the quirkiest and most charming films since Amelie. It's a surreal look inside the life of a solitary Norwegian train engineer on the eve of his retirement. He has no idea what he's going to do with his life, and over the course of a couple of days he has some very strange adventures. Seriously, on paper I would have found this movie boring. However, it's extremely moving and fun. Yes, you're going to have to read some subtitles, but look past that and give it a chance. Beautifully shot, and lead actor Bård Owe says more by saying nothing than most actors ever say at all.
Read for the full list on a system-by-system basis just after the break. As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.
Xbox Live Video Marketplace (Xbox 360)
(480
HD, 320
SD: to rent)
This movie is a very stark, fictionalized look at life for teenagers in Mexico. It premiered at Sundance earlier this year, and was the first feature film from director Cary Joji Fukunaga who has a Japanese father and a Swedish mother. He's lived in France, Japan, Mexico City, and now resides in New York City -- that time in Mexico must have paid off, because he's made a beautiful film here. He won the dramatic directing award at Sundance for it, and his cinematographer Adriano Goldman took home the Dramatic Cinematography award. You'll see why when you watch it. Great movie, and a director to keep an eye on.
Netflix Watch Instantly (Mac/PC or Xbox Live, subscription required: starts at $8.99 per month)
Nerdcore Rising
Love it or hate it, the Nerdcore movement has an unofficial frontman in Damian Hess, also known as MC Frontalot. He raps about white and nerdy things like D&D, blogging, and video games. Negin Farsad's documentary follows him on tour as he struggles for acceptance in a new genre of hip hop, and also features interviews with folks like Weird Al Yankovic on the entire Nerdcore movement. You might want to punch him, or go out and purchase his latest CD (or both), but until someone makes PAX: The Movie, this is as close as you'll get.
PlayStation Store (PlayStation 3 or PSP)
Battlestar Galactica: Season One -- 33
($2.99 HD, $1.99 SD to rent)
This is the best episode of the entire series. No, don't even try to start formulating an argument. You can't beat this one. Seriously, stop thinking about the one where the Pegasus comes back, or the one where Starbuck gets stuck on that planet with the Cylon ship. Forget it. 33 is one of the finest hours of television crafted in ... probably ever. Sleep-deprived humans on the run from Cylons who follow them from hyperjump to hyperjump every 33 minutes? Perfection. You'll feel exhausted yourself after watching it. It's the pilot episode for the series, immediately following the miniseries, and it'll suck you right in.
Blu-ray Disc (PlayStation 3)
An American Werewolf in London
($26.98 SRP, lower at actual retailers)
While vampires are enjoying an extremely high-profile popularity these days, werewolves are also poised for a comeback. They'll be playing a big part in the next Twilight movie, and they've popped up here and there from time to time. Even so, we haven't had a great werewolf movie since 1981. Despite the invention of CGI effects, Rick Baker's work on this movie still look more impressive than anything in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. There's also a lot of humor in here (thank you, John Landis!), and if you haven't seen it yet, it's high time you did.
