DVD Review: The Illustrated Man, OldBoy, Restrepo

Chris Vannoy
Poet and artist

I recommend the 1969 film The Illustrated Man, starring Rod Steiger and Claire Bloom and based on Ray Bradbury’s 1951 book of the same name. Steiger puts in a stellar performance in this collection of Bradbury short stories that take you from the past to the future as Steiger’s character looks for the woman that covered him in skin illustrations. It took a team of more than a half dozen make-up artists hours a day to apply all the tattoos to Steiger’s body.

The Illustrated Man (USA) 1969, Warner Brothers
List price: $19.97

Daniel Stafford
IT Support

Though most people find Alejandro Jodorowsky’s films to be pretentious and strange, I find this director’s movies to be a most exciting puzzle of visual symbolism that’s begging to be challenged. Even if viewers find these films to be terrible, I feel that no matter what, it can be agreed that his films are some of the most visually striking ever made. Check out his box set.

OldBoy is the movie that introduced me to Korean cinema. The most obvious thing I noticed in OldBoy is the professionalism of the actual product: the cinematography, the editing, the direction — it was all so well done. Then the story drew me in.

The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky (Mexico) 1970, Anchor Bay
List price: $40.98

OldBoy (South Korea) 2003, Tartan
List price: $29.99

Josue Guerrero
Senior, Mount Miguel High School

If you like mixed martial arts, avoid the straight-to-DVD movies featuring MMA stars — they’re fighters for a reason. UFC Presents WEC: Aldo Vs. Faber includes what’s considered the 2010 fight of the year between Leonard Garcia and Chang Sung Jung. It’s also great because it encompasses every aspect of MMA.

Restrepo is a war documentary that follows a platoon’s 15-month deployment to Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. It’s interesting in that it doesn’t show military generals or political figures. It focuses entirely on soldiers and how they cope with daily firefights in probably the most dangerous area of Afghanistan.

UFC Presents WEC: Aldo Vs. Faber (USA) 2010,
Image Entertainment
List price: $14.98

Restrepo (USA) 2010,
Virgil Films
List price: $19.99