Highlight of the Week
Skins Vol. 2 (BBC Warner) The British romantic comedy–drama of errors picks up where Vol. 1 left off, with equal parts sex and drugs. Rather than just churn an R-rated Dawson’s Creek, father-and-son creators Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain instill the series with stylistic panache, poignant writing and, to a degree, adolescent realism. This second season is even sharper, edgier and more affecting than its predecessor. Extras: featurette, interviews.
Also Available
The Reader (Alliance) This movie should be remembered best for its confounding Best Picture Oscar nomination over the likes of The Wrestler, Rachel Getting Married and Doubt. The Reader’s performances are adequate (Kate Winslet, who won the best actress Oscar for it, was better in her actual lead role in Revolutionary Road) but its cinematic ingenuity is barren and the script average. Extras: numerous featurettes, deleted scenes.
The Spirit (Maple) Frank Miller’s campy, clunky superhero flick, a fetishistic panel-for-panel aestheticization of Will Eisner’s graphic novel, feels as predictable as the genre itself. Crude attempts at ironic self-awareness make Watchmen seem all the more insightful. Extras: commentary, multiple featurettes, alternate ending storyboard, more. Blu-ray extras: interactive blog tool set.
American Swing (Mongrel Media) This lively, insightful documentary dives into the rise and fall of Manhattan’s long-gone sex club, Plato’s Retreat. The movie also even-handedly observes the impact casual sex had on men, women and couples, including the club’s legendary owner, Larry Levenson. Extras: a dozen deleted scenes involving the New York Blackout of ’77, “Ron Jeremy’s Recollection Collection” and more.
Who is KK Downey? (Koch) Down-on-his-luck Theo attempts to publish his novel about a young male prostitute under a pseudonym while his friend poses as the alleged author. If any of this sounds familiar, that’s because it is: the Montreal-made comedy is clearly inspired by the JT LeRoy ruse. Extras: commentary, deleted scenes, outtakes.
My Best Friend is a Vampire (Lionsgate) A young Robert Sean Leonard plays a shy high schooler and freshly bitten vampire in this once-lost ’80s teen comedy. Extras: pop-up video–style trivia track.
Lowlight of the Week
Going Down Under (Maverick Entertainment Group) American Pie meets Orgazmo when a young Aussie attempts to make love to a meat slicer and winds up losing his beloved appendage. Wait, it gets worse: a porn star drops dead and the boy receives a massive-dick transplant. Extras: featurettes.
Available Next Week
Ram Jam thank you ma’am; Searchers meet Tremors; Frost meets Nixon; Pinhead in a puzzle box; no-no-no Notorious; Criterion expands its sci-fi catalogue.