From Russia, with love

WHAT: The 9th Company (9 Рота) [imdb]

WHERE: In the book "The Great Gamble"

WHY (do I want to see this): I read the book recently; really good. It described how the war in Afghanistan had been reimagined as a victory (or as a good cause) by the new nationalist powers in Russia (ie, Putin). This movie was cited as an example: an Afghan-era plot mixed with 21st-century American action movie effects (and lack of plot and characterization, probably). That sounds like a weird, fun mix to me. "They stood together while their country fell apart." Right.

CLIP:

We're going to need a MUCH bigger boat

WHAT: Sharktopus [imdb]

WHERE: The Awesomer site (again)

WHY (do I want to see this):
Hot on the heels (or fins? or tentacles?) of "Megashark vs. Giant Octopus" is this new combo platter. Starring Eric Roberts and produced by Roger Corman! Impossible to hate this, no matter how crappy it might be.

CLIP:

The magic of magic

WHAT: The Illusionist [imdb]

WHERE: The Awesomer site

WHY (do I want to see this):
Loved "The Triplets of Belleville." And storyline -- an old-school magician fighting the encroachment of modern entertainment -- seems to mirror real life.

CLIP:

WHAT: Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai [imdb; wikipedia]

WHERE: Geeta Dayal's blog via Daily Swarm site

WHY (do I want to see this):
I love to see American culture interpreted through international eyes. This unabashed ode to Saturday Night Fever (at least, I think it is) seems like pure fun.

CLIP:

No Humongous, but plenty of bikes

WHAT: Stone [imdb]

WHERE: WFMU's Beware of the Blog

WHY (do I want to see this):

If you love Mad Max or Road Warrior (and, no, we don't need another hero), you should want to see this. A "timeless Australian cult film about a bunch of renegades riding Kawasaki 900s." And I love the font on the poster!

CLIP:

A true horror movie

WHAT: The Effects of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

WHERE: VBS.TV (Vice magazine) blog

WHY (do I want to see this):
The fact that a Japanese cameraman was filming almost immediately after the nuclear bombings attests to the power of film. This is also a part of the history of WWII that is rarely mentioned and even less often shown.

CLIP:

Will they do a US remake and ruin it?

WHAT: Who Killed Captain Alex? [official website]

WHERE: VBS.TV (Vice magazine) blog

WHY (do I want to see this):
The special effects. The sped-up dialogue in the trailer. C'mon -- it's Uganda's first action movie!

CLIP:

Good morning, penis

WHAT: Goodnight Vagina [imdb; allmovie]

WHERE: Skull Swap blog

WHY (do I want to see this):
Great cast -- Gary Cole, Cheryl Hines and Magda Szubanski (loved her as Sharon in "Kath and Kim"). It's short. The subject matter is, ah, interesting. And, really, with that title, why not?

CLIP: