Reading Mat’s Pick of the Week column over the years, it’s quite clear that he is a horror-movie fan. Personally, I have always found myself more attracted to comedy. From great wit to utter silliness, there’s just something so appealing about being brought to fits of laughter.
Albert Brooks has a great comic sensibility. The third film he directed, Lost in America, is a comedy classic about David and Linda Howard (Brooks and Julie Hagerty), a married couple that rejects the modern life of the ’80s by dropping out “like in Easy Rider” and traveling the country in an RV. Unfortunately, their plans get sidetracked after a night in Las Vegas when they lose their nest egg.
If that wasn’t enough, Lost in America is being released by the Criterion Collection, with bonus material that includes new interviews of Brooks, Hagerty, executive producer Herb Nanas, and filmmaker James L. Brooks.
Also out this week that looks interesting:
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm: Batman: The Animated Series was a great success during the ’90s, and this story found its way to the silver screen. I didn’t think much of it when seeing it on its initial release, but since it has received such praise over the years, I am curious to revisit it.
Dragon Ball Super: Part One: The latest series in the Dragon Ball line retells the stories from the films Battle of Gods and Resurrection ‘F’. This release includes the first 13 episodes as Goku and the others do their best to protect the Earth.
Silkwood: Starring Meryl Streep, Mike Nichols films tells the story of Karen Silkwood, who mysteriously died in a car accident while investigating her place of employment, the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant.
The Complete Billy Jack Collection: Shout Factory! is releasing the quartet of films featuring the counterculture hero Billy Jack, who was half-Indian and a Green Beret Vietnam veteran. Tom Laughlin starred and directed The Born Losers (1967), Billy Jack (1971), The Trial of Billy Jack (1974), and Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977).
