Great stuff this week out on DVD: five classic Catherine Deneuve films in Lionsgate's terrific box set, a powerful documentary about Iraq's only heavy metal band, and Taiwanese filmmaker Tsai Ming-Liang's The Wayward Cloud.
1. Catherine Deneuve Collection (1968)
Lionsgate
It's hard to get enough of Catherine Deneuve. This years at Cannes, the jury created a special Prix de 61st Festival award to recognize the vast achievement of the luminous actress, who recently starred in Arnaud Desplechin's A Christmas Tale. Lionsgate terrific 3-disc box set contains five classic Catherine Deneueve films made in the year of 1968: Manon 70, Le Choc, Le Sauvage, Hotel des Ameriques, and Fort Saganne.
2. Heavy Metal in Baghdad (2007)
Arts Alliance America
Eddy Moretti's documentary Heavy Metal in Baghdad follows journalists Suroosh Alvi and Eddy Moretti as they attempt to track down the one and only heavy-metal band in Iraq, Acrassicauda. In a riveting turn of events, the filmmakers helps the band put on a show and record a demo, but life as Acrassicauda knew it becomes just another victim of the Iraq War.
3. The Wayward Cloud (2005)
Strand Films
Set against the backdrop of the city of Tapei, a jaded adult movie star daydreams in elaborate, erotic musical fantasies. Award-winning film director, Tsai Ming-Liang weaves fascinating, colorful musical numbers into a tale of sexual voyeurism. When sexual fantasies and realities collide, the line blurs, creating an outrageous tale of obsession and watermelon juice.
