UPDATED w/3 word Wall-E review. Comment gumbo, new releases posted on website

Quick 3 word Wall-E review. Idiocracy for kids.

The reviews referencing Chaplin aren't far off either. Visually, some shots would be envied even if compared against future films like Blade Runner or a Terry Gilliam film. Why is it in the same weekend, the "hard" R-rated film Wanted has lines like "kill one, save thousands" and is mainly childish, while the Pixar film Wall-E is by and large one of the most subversive films this year, and its sneaking by for kids? Why is Pixar making more mature films than the films targeted to grown ups? Easily some of the best and most entertaining social commentary all with barely any dialogue to weigh it down for the most part.

Sam Fuller's Steel Helmet has a south korean character, a young kid, nicknamed short round who follows the lead actor around........short round, sound familiar? Damn you Steven Speilberg and George Lucas!

Meanwhile, one of the "local arthouse" cinemas is showing Get Smart, Sex and the City, and an indie film that is already out on dvd. Things are going well.

So George Carlin died. And I have to stare at his face everytime I walk into the New release corner on his boxset. A huge loss for pretty much everyone breathing.

On the up side, its raining heavily and that means you should be renting movies. New releases for july have been posted on the website. We have a slew of new stuff to the floor.

And despite the movie ripoff summer season of '08 being a doozy, we've still got over 6,000 movies that should wet your visual whistle.

Until the Dark Knight comes out in theaters next month, there isn't much playing, so come in and return/rent some movies. Take a sticker, buy a button, tell a friend.

Any shelf ideas for our middle room? Give us a shout.

Ice cream back in stock. Drinks will be swapped out next month for an undecided mix of beverages. But root beer will be back.

Don't forget we can order films to buy.

Remember to please update your information if you move or change numbers.

If you missed out on the email, these are new to the store floor.

Planet Earth
Cities of the Underground s. 1
Rififi - Will be remade stateside soon! See this one first!
Devils on the doorstep
Psych s. 1
5 Charlie Chaplin films
Infernal Affairs 2-3
Innocence
Orlando
Great Yokai War
Chushingura
Kwaidan

Indy 4 (national treasure 3?) - 3 word review

Apocalypto meets Stargate.

If I take a zero carbon footprint ’eco’ dvd case and litter with it, does 2+2=5?

Why do the new 'eco' lightbulbs contain mercury that requires actual special disposal?
Does that mean they aren't eco-friendly and just easily marketable?

Anyway, watching an episode of LOST from Season 3 or 4 when you haven't watched any of the other seasons is like eating flour then a raw egg and expecting delicious chocolate cake.

We are once again renewing our call for volunteers who would be willing to work every so often for free rentals (no new releases, sorry, dems the rules). Our vetting process is at best eccentric and at worst like reading microwaveable soup instructions from another planet. 99% of the work is stuff you pick up over time, so the training period can be hectic, didn't anyone watch GI Jane? It's like that. Anyone interested drop us your name and phone, it helps if we know who you are or your already a renter.

Furthermore, in the I wonder what he did to warrant a specific mention, we are looking for a one Joshua Skidmore, who we would like to disembowel, k?

Furtherest nevermore, let us kindly remind college students not to run off at semester end with our movies, and NEVER leave with someones promise that they are going to return them once your gone, they never ever ever never never never ever do.

Additionally amore, a few new movies from this month we skipped mentioning on the mailing list (should really signup at bestplaceever.com) -

New release - I want someone to eat cheese with

Criterion - Wages of Fear

Wholphin Issue 5 - including a 20 some minute short adapted from a Michael Chabon story starring Paul Rudd and Zooey Deschanel. Also, a blind rubiks cube champion.

Thanks for reading, you've been really great, and so have I.

Blog posts in future to be 20% meatier

I had a thought, in celebration of Michel Gondry's new film Be Kind Rewind, would it be a good idea to have a film contest where people have to shoot their own versions of popular or random films totally from their memory?

Just tossing it around. Totally just in our heads at the moment.

We would also like to say we have room in our hearts for as many framing stores in Des Moines as possible. I would frame my own right arm if I could part with it. No matter who you are, you have to be crazy to own your own business in this day and age.

What would it take to get someone who has no idea who Agnes Varda or Bernardo Bertolucci to rent the new criterion editions of his The Last Emperor, or her Criterion boxset? The Last Emperor has the best under the covers giggling since spaceballs. Agnes Varda's Cleo from 9 to 5 is the best movie with 9 and 5 in the title since 9 to 5.

On the online front, the 'store', using that term in the most humble way possible, will have an 'adopt-a-movie' section if anyone wants to give certain orphaned (ie stolen) movies a second chance at life.

BPE wins best place to rent a movie 2008

So we were voted Best Place to Rent a Movie for the 2nd straight year by Cityview. Thank you to those who voted.
Next year: Best place to make out, and best nachos. Let's make it happen. Someone buy us a nacho machine and start making out, possibly with nachos.

A note of correction from that issue: despite the article, we have been in existence longer then 2 years. In fact, since 2003.

We came up 2nd in Best locally owned store.

Some have asked in response "who won? what is Des Moines' best kept locally owned secret?!"

That's right, Frank Stallone.
Sorry, bad SNL norm macdonald joke.

It's actually, drum roll, Deck the walls?

That's right, the local franchise of the national corporate chain of framing establishments located in the mall.

Now, before it sounds like sour grapes because I'm sure the Deck the Walls people are nice and whose ever heard of a seedy frame shop anyway, I only mention it because in a bizarre twist, I actually have a locally owned framing store opinion, which I never thought would ever come up in any conversation ever for any reason.

Dot's Framing on the southside who we like to visit time to time, and who also framed much of what hangs on Cup O'Kryptonite's walls. They do good work.

Again, thanks to all.

4 Year Anniversary shirts from December will be on sale in perpetuity till our stock is gone. While not final, we'll probably put them for sale at $6-8. Check instore next week sometime.

A Beta version of a paypal fuelled online store page will be up end of march hopefully. Nothing huge, just a place to sell posters, shirts, used stuff, and whatever knick knacks and things we can think of. It is totally in the air, and may end up being something or nothing at all, we'll see.

For those who were looking for the TV Show The Wire, we got in all 4 seasons recently.

Best of lists, Hours/Pricing change (UPDATED 1/31)

A modest Price change coming early February:

It's been years since we've touched them but it is necessary to stay open and pay the bills, afford that huge indoor block of ice we keep for no reason.

New releases and regular criterions will be 3.25
Regular Titles will be 2.75
New/Multi-disc Criterions will follow suit.

Also, we will be trying out New Weekday hours starting Feb 4th.

Monday thru Thursday our new hours will be 2-12.
Friday and Saturday are the same - Noon to Midnight.
Sunday hours are 12-10.

2007 is over, our movie picks for '07!

All movies seen for the first time in 2007. We are trying to avoid putting movies that came out theatrically only very late in the year, since most critics year end lists have included movies that will get awards (oscars for instance) in 2008 or no one outside Festivals have seen yet, so bear with it. "There will be Blood" JUST opened here, yet its on many 2007 year end lists.

TJ

No Country for Old Men
Angel-A
Ghosts of Cite Soleil
13 Tzameti

Adam

The Ten
Eastern Promises
LOST Season 3 (Hurley Explodes)
The Wind that Shakes the Barley

Grant

3:10 to Yuma
Seeing the films of Andrei Tarkovsky for the first time
Hot Fuzz
Best American Drama you've never seen: Apart From That
BBC's Dr. Who relaunch
After this Our Exile
Criterion's release of La Jetee/Sans Soleil
Songs from the Second Floor
The Fountain (in perpetuity)

Please vote for us!

It's time once more for Cityview's Annual Best of Des Moines Survey.

Please take a moment to Vote us "Best Place to Rent a Movie" and "Best Locally Owned Store".

Go to Cityview's Homepage and click on the top right corner.
Or go directly.

Getting a team of people to vote on a bank of supercomputers a plus, but not required. Family, Friends, co-workers, random unattended laptops whose owner could return at any moment, all fair game.

Don't forget all the other amazing local stores, coffeeshops named after planets that are in town.