Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

South Bay physical media pull with Kurt Russell, Scorsese’s Rolling Stones, and a Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western

Mined from We Lend More Inc., Roberto’s Jewelry and Pawn, and Express Pawn

Dark Blue: Kurt Russell is never better than in this Discovery of the Month.
Dark Blue: Kurt Russell is never better than in this Discovery of the Month.

Things your ever-diligent physical media hound sleuthed out while making the rounds of the South Bay region.

Dark Blue (2002)

Sponsored
Sponsored

Video:

Dark Blue trailer

We Lend More Inc. had a copy with my name on it. In the days before the reading of the Rodney King verdict, a police commander with a badge the color of tarnish (Brendan Gleeson) instructs two ex-cons — qualified crud he keeps on call for just such occasions — to relieve a corner store of a safe containing $150,000 that’s walled in the apartment above. What should have been a simple smash-and-grab leaves four dead and our superior officer calling in two of his dirtiest (Kurt Russell and Scott Speedman) to handpick a pair of fall guys who best match the fabricated evidence. This is the only picture that the reliable Ron Shelton directed but did not write. Any artist capable of guiding this sportsophobe through a series of ball-boosting films (Best of Times, Bull Durham, White Men Can’t Jump, Cobb) only to have me come back begging for more is, in my estimation, a genius. If things appear notably darker here than in the sports pics, there’s good reason: crepuscular wordsmith James Ellroy provided the story, which he and David Ayer turned into a screenplay. There’s no evidence of the film opening in San Diego. Had I seen it before my interview with Kurt Russell, a good chunk of the time allotted would surely have been spent in praise of his unparalleled performance.

Shine a Light (2008)

Video:

Shine a Light trailer

A trip to Roberto’s Jewelry and Pawn brought closure; until last month, this was the only Scorsese film not in my video vault. Collector that I am, there was clearly no hurry on my part to complete the set. The main title is ushered in with a swift stroke of Keith Richards’ pool cue. This time, the color of money was much greener, with Scorsese playing groupie for hire. The director wanted an intimate concert film; the lead singer demanded bigger performance venues and an IMAX release. Mick Jagger’s meddling didn’t stop at format selection. He refused to hand over a playlist until moments before the band took to the stage. At one point, he questions the necessity of placing moving cameras on the stage for band mates or roadies to stumble over. The look on Scorsese’s face when neophyte Mick broaches the subject of screen direction earns the film’s biggest laugh.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Video:

Once Upon a TIme in the West trailer

The blu-ray disc caught my eye while scanning the shelf at Express Pawn. In the fourteen years it took to direct seven films, Sergio Leone invented his own, spectacularly unique cinematic language. Nobody manipulates reel time with more sensuality, certainty, and a fierce movie-lover’s sensibility than Leone. With the Dollars Trilogy behind him and the Spaghetti Western a dying commodity, Leone set out for Monument Valley, Arizona and fashioned a revisionist masterwork. Only a madman would dare crib John Ford’s sacred location, and only a maverick genius could bring forth a masterpiece. Originally, Leone wanted to begin the film with Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef awaiting Charles Bronson’s arrival by rail. When the actors were told that they would be done away with — during the most spectacular credit sequence ever filmed — the good, the bad and the ugly decided to take a pass. With the exception of Mr. Eastwood, no one has even come close to making a great Western since Mr. Leone passed.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader 1st place writing contest winner gets kudos

2nd place winner not so much
Dark Blue: Kurt Russell is never better than in this Discovery of the Month.
Dark Blue: Kurt Russell is never better than in this Discovery of the Month.

Things your ever-diligent physical media hound sleuthed out while making the rounds of the South Bay region.

Dark Blue (2002)

Sponsored
Sponsored

Video:

Dark Blue trailer

We Lend More Inc. had a copy with my name on it. In the days before the reading of the Rodney King verdict, a police commander with a badge the color of tarnish (Brendan Gleeson) instructs two ex-cons — qualified crud he keeps on call for just such occasions — to relieve a corner store of a safe containing $150,000 that’s walled in the apartment above. What should have been a simple smash-and-grab leaves four dead and our superior officer calling in two of his dirtiest (Kurt Russell and Scott Speedman) to handpick a pair of fall guys who best match the fabricated evidence. This is the only picture that the reliable Ron Shelton directed but did not write. Any artist capable of guiding this sportsophobe through a series of ball-boosting films (Best of Times, Bull Durham, White Men Can’t Jump, Cobb) only to have me come back begging for more is, in my estimation, a genius. If things appear notably darker here than in the sports pics, there’s good reason: crepuscular wordsmith James Ellroy provided the story, which he and David Ayer turned into a screenplay. There’s no evidence of the film opening in San Diego. Had I seen it before my interview with Kurt Russell, a good chunk of the time allotted would surely have been spent in praise of his unparalleled performance.

Shine a Light (2008)

Video:

Shine a Light trailer

A trip to Roberto’s Jewelry and Pawn brought closure; until last month, this was the only Scorsese film not in my video vault. Collector that I am, there was clearly no hurry on my part to complete the set. The main title is ushered in with a swift stroke of Keith Richards’ pool cue. This time, the color of money was much greener, with Scorsese playing groupie for hire. The director wanted an intimate concert film; the lead singer demanded bigger performance venues and an IMAX release. Mick Jagger’s meddling didn’t stop at format selection. He refused to hand over a playlist until moments before the band took to the stage. At one point, he questions the necessity of placing moving cameras on the stage for band mates or roadies to stumble over. The look on Scorsese’s face when neophyte Mick broaches the subject of screen direction earns the film’s biggest laugh.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Video:

Once Upon a TIme in the West trailer

The blu-ray disc caught my eye while scanning the shelf at Express Pawn. In the fourteen years it took to direct seven films, Sergio Leone invented his own, spectacularly unique cinematic language. Nobody manipulates reel time with more sensuality, certainty, and a fierce movie-lover’s sensibility than Leone. With the Dollars Trilogy behind him and the Spaghetti Western a dying commodity, Leone set out for Monument Valley, Arizona and fashioned a revisionist masterwork. Only a madman would dare crib John Ford’s sacred location, and only a maverick genius could bring forth a masterpiece. Originally, Leone wanted to begin the film with Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef awaiting Charles Bronson’s arrival by rail. When the actors were told that they would be done away with — during the most spectacular credit sequence ever filmed — the good, the bad and the ugly decided to take a pass. With the exception of Mr. Eastwood, no one has even come close to making a great Western since Mr. Leone passed.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Centennial Salute to San Diego’s Military, East Village Block Party, Birding Basics Class

Events March 29-March 30, 2024
Next Article

Nation’s sexy soldiers stage protest at Pendleton in wake of change in Marine uniform policy

Semper WHY?
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.