JBO: Joystiq Box Office, October 5 - October 9
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.
Recommendation of the Week:
(DVD: $24.98 MSRP, cheaper at most retailers)
Just for the record, I'm not a fan of heavy metal. It's just never been my thing. But this documentary about a band you've never heard of just came out on DVD, and it's one of the most moving, amazing movies I've seen in a long time. You'll laugh, cry, play some air drums or guitar, and ultimately be won over. Steve "Lips" Kudlow channels more emotion in this movie than most actors ever do in their lives, and you'll understand why he's kept this failed band going for 30 years. By day he works at a depressing school catering job, and in his spare time he and longtime childhood friend (and drummer) Robb Reiner rock as heavy metal band Anvil. The film chronicles their history, a failed European tour, and what life is like for the flipside of Metallica or Slayer. Highly recommended.
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
($6) HD, 320
($4) SD to rent)
Ever heard the urban legends about a kids getting candy with razorblades inside? That's Trick 'r Treat, which people are calling the best Halloween movie ... ever. It's an anthology movie of the quintessential things that make up the haunted eve, and yes that includes people getting killed. It's not your typical horrorized gorefest, and features a bag-headed young kid as "Sam," the spirit of Halloween. If you're not already hooked by now, Brian Cox and Anna Paquin are in it. I have no earthly idea why Warner Bros. sat on this film for two years, but if you need something to get you in the mood for October 31, this is it.
Netflix Watch Instantly (Mac/PC or Xbox Live, subscription required: starts at $8.99 per month)
If Alfred Hitchcock was still alive, and if he was Korean, he'd be making movies just like this. Yes, that's a lot of ifs. A businessman is taken and held for 15 years by unseen captors. 15 years. When he finally gets out, he's in the mood for some cold, hard revenge. He serves some of that revenge up in a hallway fight where he's armed only with a hammer, which was filmed in one, continuous, incredible take. It took three days to set that up, but it was worth it. It's based on a Japanese manga of the same name, and it's about as crazy as you'd expect given the source material. It's an excellent film about the limits of human endurance, and is well worth your time.
PlayStation Store (PlayStation 3 or PSP)
Mad Men Season Three, Episode Eight: Souvenir
($2.99 HD, $1.99 SD to rent)
Do I have to keep recommending Mad Men until every single one of you is watching it? Unfortunately, I'll run out of slots before that happens. But seriously, this AMC television show deserves your attention. It nails the '60s era, makes working in an office look a lot more exciting than it ever should be and Christina Hendricks is in it as va-va-va-voom office maven Joan Holloway. In "Souvenir," the Don / Betty Draper relationship continues to slide sideways, even though they take a romantic trip to Rome together. Why did people stop dressing fancy and having cocktail hour all day long?
Blu-ray Disc (PlayStation 3)
The National Parks: America's Best Idea
($129.99 MSRP, lower at many retailers)
Ken Burns is known for making extremely long documentaries about different American subjects: Baseball, jazz, The Civil War, Mark Twain, etc. Usually the people who enjoy these are your Aunt Jean, your Grandfather Joe or your weird Uncle Pete. After all this time, I'm finally on the bandwagon. Burns' National Parks series is twelve hours worth of fantastic. When all you hear in the news these days is doom and gloom about the economy, the current state of the country, and all that blather, this reminds you what made America great. Plus it'll probably make you take a trip in the near future.
