June
6, 2006
The
Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
A prizewinner at Cannes, this drama
was directed by and stars Tommy Lee Jones. The screenplay was written by Guillermo
Arriaga (Amores perros, 21 Grams). Pete Perkins (Jones) is a Texas
ranch foreman who hires illegal immigrant Melquiades Estrada. Then there's an
incident where Mike Norton (Barry Pepper), who works for the Border Patrol, kills
Estrada. After Estrada is buried twice in Texas, Perkins forces Norton to accompany
him on a journey to return Estrada to his native village in Mexico for burial.
June
13, 2006
Dave
Chappelle's Block Party
This documentary centers around an outdoor
concert held September 18, 2004, that was hosted by comic Dave Chappelle. The
concert was in Brooklyn, and performers include Kanye West, Mos Def, Talib Kweli,
Common, Dead Prez, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, the Roots and the reunited Fugees
(Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel). The movie also has lots of footage
of Chappelle being spontaneously amusing. The film was directed by Michel Gondry
(Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).
June
20, 2006
Eight
Below
Eight sled dogs—six huskies and two malamutes—are the
stars of this Disney family movie, suggested by the Japanese film Nankyoku
Monogatari based on a true story. Jerry (Paul Walker) is a guide who uses
the dogs during an Antarctic expedition to retrieve parts of meteorites from Mercury
for a scientist (Bruce Greenwood). But winter comes on suddenly, the humans barely
get out, and the canines are left behind. As months pass, Jerry tries to put together
a rescue, and the dogs must fend for themselves.
Syriana
Written
and directed by Stephen Gaghan, this drama contains several intersecting stories
that center around international oil. Among the actors in the ensemble cast are
George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, Chris Cooper, William Hurt, Tim Blake
Nelson, Amanda Peet and Christopher Plummer. The story threads, which eventually
converge, involve the CIA, the royal family of a Gulf nation, two oil companies,
a high-powered D.C. law firm, a Geneva-based energy analyst and Pakistani refinery
laborers.
June
27, 2006
No
DVD recommendations for this week.
