With great excitement, Videology brings you a team of Brooklyn comedians called the Raspberry Brothers. Their assignment: to mock the crap out of Hollywood films.  And they do it every Tuesday night at the Knitting Factory…for free.

The Raspberry Brothers cast consists of writers and performers who also contribute to SNL and the Onion. And lead Raspberry Brother, Jerm Pollet, performed with this comedy format since 2000 in Austin at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

Each show includes drinking games, and audience participation for prizes, like free Videology rentals and free adult beverages.  The Raspberry Brothers have drink specials they create for every show.  For Back To the Future 2 there was a drink called the Time Machine.  It was a Miller High Life and a shot of banana liqueur (since the professor throws a Miller High Life and a banana peel in the tank to fuel the Delorean).  For Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles it was a toxic waste colored green drink called the Teenage Mutant Ninja Cocktail.  And when they do their Star Trek party on Tues. Aug 10th they will have Romulan Ale and Klingon-blood Wine. 

“You’ll love this show, where classic bad movies are screened while three comedians heckle it for the crowd’s enjoyment.” -NY. Daily News

“Where comedy is concerned, it’s hard to go wrong with a cast of writers whose credits include both SNL and the Onion. The bros bring their movie-commentary A-game.” -Flavorpill, NYC

August 10 - SHAT BALL 2: The Spocksuckers Cotillion (special star trek themed event!!!!!): featuring the Raspberry Brothers commentary over the classic dud, directed by William Shatner, Star Trek 5.  This show will also feature Start Trekkin, NYC’s incredible Star Trek improv comedy troupe (they make up a ST episode on the spot based on a suggestion).  And there will be a contortion show called YOGA TREK by The Amazing Amy, who promises To Boldly Stretch Where Few Fifty-Plus Year Olds Have Stretched Before!  Dressed in a barefoot variation of a classic Star Trek uniform, to theme music from the film versions of the famous TV series, I do a spaced-out 6-7 minute long contortion act that will generate as many laughs as it does amazement. 

This show costs $8 for general admission and $5 for those in Star Trek costume/uniform

There will be audience participation for the best Captain Kirk and Spock impersonations, Kirk-aoke and the Spock-Off! 

August 17 - XANADU: Stars Olivia Newton John, Gene Kelly, and Michael Beck (Warriors).  This is the story of two men- a lonely clarinetist and his depressive sidekick- who both love the same mysterious girl in a peasant dress, leg-warmers, and rollerskates, who glows with thin neon outline like a Dallas skyscraper come to life. There’s plenty of song and roller-dance as the three team up together to create the world’s greatest disco parlor, Xanadu!

August 24th- SLOPPY SUPERHEROES: The Raspberry Brothers vs. Hollywood Comic Book Movies: The Raspberry Brother boys take a look under Batman’s hood and Superman’s cape as they take on clips from the live action duds, Daredevil, Wolverine, Batman and Robin, Spiderman, and MORE!

August 31- TERMINATOR: The Terminator franchise has survived a quarter of a century now, enduring lame sequels, bad reviews, and a TV series. Our only salvation is to go back in time to when killer robots from the future looked like the Governor of California.

This movie is a cross between Metropolis, A Boy and His Dog, and, uh, Guy Maddin.

What is it?

A little movie called The American Astronaut, directed by Cory McAbee. (see trailer below)

And now, by the same director, a brand new movie, Stingray Sam.
 

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

What holiday is truly complete without Charlie Brown and the gang imparting a gentle lesson about its true meaning? Here, they tackle turkey day at Chuck’s house: a musket is fired, jelly beans are served, and, of course, Snoopy comes to the rescue.

Hannah and Her Sisters

Beginning and ending with Thanksgiving dinners, Hannah and Her Sisters follows three sisters as they negotiate marriage and family, loyalty and betrayal. The eldest daughter of show-biz parents, Hannah is a devoted wife, loving mother and successful actress. A loyal supporter of her two aimless sisters Lee and Holly, she’s also the emotional backbone of a family that seems to resent her stability almost as much as they depend on it. But when Hannah’s perfect world is quietly sabotaged by sibling rivalry, she finally begins to see that she’s as lost as everyone else.

Home for the Holidays

In a span of 36 hours Claudia Larson has managed to lose her job, make out with her boss and learn that her daughter is planning to go all the way. But Claudia’s fortunes actually take a turn for the worse when she flies home to endure an even more grueling trial: the family Thanksgiving. Beset by a neurotic mother, kooky father, eccentric brother, and compulsively “normal” sister, Claudia struggles to maintain her calm. 

Pieces of April

Rebellious daughter April Burns has offered to host an elaborate Thanksgiving dinner for her suburban clan in her Lower East Side apartment. but her attempts to create an unforgettable feast go awry when she discovers that her oven doesn’t work. Now, as her weary family makes its way to the city, April must rely on the kindness of strangers to pull off the perfect meal… and the perfect memory.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Neal Page is an advertising executive who just wants to fly home to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with his family. But all Neal Page gets is misery. Misery names Del Griffith - a loud mouthed, but nevertheless lovable, salesman who leads Neal on a cross-country, wild goose chase that keeps Neal from tasting his turkey.

The Ice Storm

Suburban Connecticut, 1973. While the Watergate hearings blast from the TV, the wayward Hood and Carver families try to navigate a Thanksgiving break simmering with unspoken resentments, sexual experimentation, and cultural confusion. With crystalline clarity, characteristic subtlety, and even a dose of wicked humor, Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee adapts Rick Moody’s acclaimed novel of American malaise into a trenchant, tragic portrait of lost souls.

With all the documentaries made every year, it’s easy to miss a bunch of the good ones that haven’t made the headlines. So I’m going to round up five of my favorite fairly recent docs that weren’t up for Oscars.

Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus
I originally stumbled upon this after a comparison of the opening credits of True Blood to this film. I was immediately struck by the music and the imagery, which is partly what this entire film is about. Part travelogue, part poem, part musical (three parts!), Andrew Douglas weaves an engrossing story of the South, a very real and sometimes sad look at closed off lives in the open country. Along the way, he runs into some haunting musical travelers like Johnny Dowd, the Handsome Family, Lee Sexton and, weirdly, writer Harry Crews. The soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal and the imagery that goes along with it will stay with you. It’s also probably enough to scare New Yorkers into staying up North.

My Kid Could Paint That
Not an unknown film by any means, some people may have skipped out on this movie because, frankly, the news of a little girl selling abstract art for thousands of dollars tends to turn stomachs. However, this doc is notable because of its eventual degradation of the actual filmmaker. In his quest to simply follow little Marla’s success, he’s suddenly conflicted by a single exchange between the girl and her father. The question of Marla’s authenticity becomes a dramatic one, eventually leading director Amir Bar-Lev to place himself in the picture.

You’re Gonna Miss Me
Did you see the Devil and Daniel Johnston? Did it make you depressed? Either way, You’re Gonna Miss Me is like its sadder older brother. The film tells the story of Roky Erickson, famed leader of the 13^th Floor Elevators (if you’re scratching your head, their famous hit was the opening track in High Fidelity). An amazing voice, guitarist, and lyricist, Roky’s history of drug abuse and schizophrenia has turned the father of “psychedelic rock” into a shadow of what he once was. While maybe too much of the movie focuses on who’s to blame for Roky’s current condition, it’s still a fascinating downward spiral to watch and, unsurprisingly, the music is great.

No Maps For These Territories
I’m going to be up front with you; this is just author William Gibson in a limo talking to the camera. Okay, Bono shows up on the JumboTron in Times Square too. Nevertheless, even if you’re not a huge fan of Gibson’s work (he the author of Necromancer and Spook Country), the stuff that guy says in this thing is brain-tingling. This is highly recommended for fans of science fiction, cyberpunk, and writing in general. Gibson’s take on society and his own craft is something to pay attention to.

American Teen
Hey, this made a big deal at Sundance last year! I kept seeing the trailer for this with that greasy-faced kid! When the crap is this coming out? The answer, Sally, is that it’s been out for a while. But because distribution companies make zero sense, this is currently only being sold at… Target. Seriously. Not even online. But we have it, so you should rent it. Why? Because it’s super entertaining. And that’s about it. There’s no hidden meaning in any of these kids, no controversy, nothing is staged, it’s just following a year in the lives of High School seniors and watching their weaving social lives crisscross until, finally, none of it really matters because school is over and college is next. You’ll end up hating some (Megan) and loving others (Hannah), maybe even miss those ugly lockers a bit, but no matter what you’ll get caught up in the drama. Also be sure to check out the extras. The most frustrating goodnight kiss ever is in there. I feel like punching a puppy just thinking about it.

Here’s another recommendation for fans of low-key, quasi-surreal suspense (also see Keane, my recommendation from December): La Moustache.

There’s no point in giving away too much. All you need to know is this: Marc (Vincent Lindon) shaves his mustache. No one, not even his wife, notices. In fact, when confronted, they’re all quite sure that he’s never even had a mustache. Things get weirder from there.

Emmanuel Carrere, who wrote the book on which the movie is based, also directs. See trailer below.

For anyone who’s read Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, you probably remember that in Part II of the book (”Pastoral Grass”) Pollan visited a bucolic farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. There, a farmer named Joel Salatin and his family have a high-tech system of low-tech farming that involves rotating crops and livestock in a constant harmonious process of renewal. Hard to believe? Want to see it for yourself? Check out The Polyface Farm DVD. Spend 2 hours seeing how it all works - meeting the cattle, pigs, chickens and turkeys, all raised in a sustainable and natural environment. Trailer below.

Want to know how Monsanto is ruining agricultural practices worldwide? Did you know that you can patent seeds, and that Monsanto has over 11,000 seed patents? Find out why monocultures are bad, and why heirloom varieties are good in The Future of Food.

Finally, industrial corn is in almost every processed food in the form of corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, and in almost all industrial meat (cows, pigs and chickens) fed industrial corn on farms and in feedlots. Even farm-raised fish are now eating corn instead of their natural diets. How did this all happen? Watch King Corn and find out.

There are a lot of great food movies out there: Babette’s Feast, Eat Drink Man Woman, Like Water for Chocolate, Big Night, Mostly Martha and, most recently, Ratatouille. But the greatest food movie ever is Juzo Itame’s 1988 masterpiece, Tampopo. I think I’ve seen it upwards of 30 times. Billed as “the first noodle Western,” the framework of the plot does indeed sound like an old horse opera: a vulnerable widow (Itame’s wife, Nobuko Miyamoto) struggles to keep her ramen shop in a rough-n-tumble neighborhood while being strong-armed by local thugs… until a gruff but kind stranger (Tsutomu Yamazaki) rolls into town and lends a hand, showing her

But what makes Tampopo so special is how it frequently strays away from the main plot into digressive skits about Japan’s obsessive food culture. The number of amazing, funny, sexy, perceptive, mouthwatering scenes are almost too many to count, though two set-pieces starring eggs are probably the film’s highlights. (One involves making an omelet; the other a raw yolk.) It helps if you’re into food (and a carnivore) but Itame’s genuine love of his subject comes through in every frame. If you don’t finish the film craving a big bowl of ramen, you don’t like to eat or you weren’t paying attention.

And when you meet that craving head-on, I have some suggestions:

Ippudo
65 Fourth Ave. (at 10th St.) | 212-388-0088
The first American branch of a popular Japanese chain, Ippudo has been hyped incessantly since opening in early 2008 and there’s rarely an hour when there isn’t a wait for a seat. The $13 price tag for a bowl of noodle soup may seem steep, but only till you taste the super-porky tonkatsu broth that powers their signature Shirumaru and Akamaru Modern ramens. Seriously delicious.

Ramen Setagaya
141 First Ave (btwn St. Marks and 9th) | 212-529-2740
34-A St. Marks Place (between 2nd and 3rd) | 212-387-7959
The two East Village outposts of another Japanese chain, Ramen Setagaya specializes in shio ramen, which is salt-based (as opposed to miso or soy sauce) and lighter and maybe more complex than it’s more well-known tonkatsu cousin. But equally tasty.

Menchanko-Tei
43-45 W. 55th St. (btwn 5th and 6th) | 212-247-1585
131 E. 45th St. (btwn Lex and 3rd) | 212-986-6805
Five years ago if you wanted good ramen in NYC you had to go to Midtown, and king of the roost was Menchanko-Tei who still serve up scrumptious soup at their two locations.

Minca Ramen Factory
536 E. 5th St. (btwn aves A and B) | 212-505-8001
Like real ramen joints in Japan, this tiny East Village spot doesn’t offer much in the way of atmosphere the place stays packed. Also one of the few places to offer vegetarian ramen.

Bonjin Ramen at Dokebi
199 Grand Ave (btwn Bedford and Driggs) | 347-429-0329
Shockingly, Williamsburg doesn’t have a ramen joint yet (though there is talk of a Momofuku coming to the neighborhood) but if you don’t mind eating late, Korean restaurant Dokebi lets some talented Japanese ladies take over the kitchen from Midnight to 4am. Bonjin makes a variety of tasty dishes but their signature ramen is why most people go. It might be a little overstuffed for purists (you’ll find corn and arugala in there along with the noodles, scallions, bamboo shoots, and a big chunk of pork belly) but it is no doubt satisfying.

And some advice on how to eat it from Tampopo:

One last ramen note: Brittany Murphy is starring in the upcoming movie Ramen Girl, which looks like a cross between Tampopo (whose Tsutomu Yamazaki features as “the ramen master”) and The Karate Kid, probably taking the noodles from the former and the sap from the latter. Here’s the trailer:

Sometimes it takes us a bit too long to add movies to our collection after they come out on DVD. To wit, our top 5 of this past year:

5. BMX Bandits (1983)

It came out on DVD in 2005, but we didn’t add BMX Bandits, starring a 16 year-old Nicole Kidman, to our collection until this past February. When we saw the cover we knew we had to have it. We hope you agree.

4. Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992)

This was released to DVD in 2004 but we didn’t get it until this past March. There’s no excuse, really. Just the title is enough, but add Sylvester Stallone and Estelle Getty, and you’ve got yourself a winner. Okay, honestly, we have no idea what this film is about.

3. Riding the Bus with My Sister (2005)

A Hallmark Hall of Fame movie starring Andie MacDowell, and Rosie O’Donnell as her mentally challenged bus-riding sister. We should have had this long out-of-print DVD in our collection much sooner. We’re sorry. Rent it now. (Ask us about the Riding the Bus with My Sister drinking game!)

2. 101 Dalmations (1996)

Oh, the vault, the wretched Disney vault! 101 Dalmations (the live action version with Glenn Close) was released on DVD in 2000 and then quickly put back in the “vault,” and there it stayed. We kept waiting and waiting, hoping it would be let out soon, but no luck. We finally broke down and added the out-of-print version to our collection in June (oh, and then it was finally re-released by Disney in September, so there you go).

1. Barfly (1987)

Another long out-of-print title, this one was released to DVD back in 2002 and then quickly disappeared from store shelves. Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway star, the script was written by Charles Bukowski, and it was directed by Barbet Schroeder. In September we decided we’d waited long enough for it to come back in print, and we broke down and added the out-of-print version to our collection.

5. Antonio Gaudi and Pierrot Le Fou (tie)

Antonio Gaudi (1984), directed by Japanese director Hiroshi Teshigahara (Woman in the Dunes), is a slow, methodical, lingering panorama through some of Gaudi’s best known buildings: Teshigahara has created a film equivalent of Gaudi’s undulating and graceful designs. Released to DVD on March 18th (Criterion).

Five years after Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 seminal French Wave classic Breathless came this rather more complicated and sophisticated tale of crime, passion and postmodernism. Pierrot le Fou was released by Criterion on February 19th.

4. The Red Balloon

A French film about a boy and his wandering balloon, another Criterion release (April 29th). Long available only on VHS, this delightful children’s film was given the Criterion treatment and released in a newly restored version.

3. Spaced

Simon Pegg’s 1999 British television series. The humor is pop-culture-absurdist at its best. This series was only available in a Region 2 version until this July, when the entire series was released by the BBC in a 3 disc set to the US market. Included on the discs are commentary tracks by Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes (nee Stevenson) and guests Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Bill Hader, Matt Stone, Patton Oswalt, and Diablo Cody. For fans of Shaun of the Dead, the British Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development, and the comedy genre in general.

2. Frederick Wiseman Documentaries

Wiseman’s documentary style came about at the same time as the Direct Cinema and Cinema Verite movements (Pennebaker, Maysles, etc.), and shares some of the same aspects (such as lack of both narration and narrative, an unobtrusive camera, etc.). Long unavailable to the home market, these important documentaries could only be found occasionally at repertories and in the classroom. Then, early this year, copies were made available by his distribution company, Zipporah Films, for both the home and rental market, and we were able to add 10 of them to our collection: High School, High School 2, Juvenile Court, Law and Order, Manoeuvre, Meat, Missile, Public Housing, Titicut Follies, and Welfare.

1. Lost Highway

David Lynch’s masterpiece. For years this was only available in a pan-and-scan import DVD and a widescreen VHS. We carried the widescreen VHS (because the pan-and-scan version might as well have been another movie) until a proper version was finally released to DVD by Focus Features on March 25th. I know a lot of people find Mulholland Drive to be more accessible, and the old-school David Lynch fans think Blue Velvet is still his best, but Lost Highway has a strange, creepy, dream-logic that gets under your skin. As a whole, its structure doesn’t feel as disjointed as Mulholland’s patchwork of characters and themes, and it’s far more strange and through-the-rabbit-hole than Blue Velvet. See it now.

After playing the festivals at Cannes, Toronto and Telluride, among others, Lodge Kerrigan’s 2004 film “Keane” was released without fanfare into theaters in late 2004. It played on just 5 screens, and barely made over $30K. A sad beginning for such a complex and enigmatic film.

Damian Lewis stars (a British actor, here playing American: you may remember him as Jonesy from Stephen King’s “what next!?” sci-fi-horror extravaganza “Dreamcatcher”), and he is backed by Amy Ryan (of recent “Office” fame, and nominated for best supporting actress for “Gone Baby Gone”) and Abigail Breslin (you know, “Little Miss Sunshine”). Lewis plays William Keane, who is looking for his missing 7-year old daughter, hanging out at the Port Authority, and losing his grip on reality. Its pacing is slow but steady, and it is going somewhere, but I think it’s best to leave most of the story up to the storyteller, so I’ll end my description at that. It’s a good pick for anyone who’s a fan of very understated and psychological suspense (although it’s not really a suspense movie, so there you go).

Below is a trailer if you feel the need to know more.