2005

A History of Violence 2005 DVD
A History of Violence is a 2005 American crime/thriller film directed by David Cronenberg, and written by Josh Olson, based on the graphic novel of the same name by John Wagner and Vince Locke. The film features Viggo Mortensen as the owner of a diner who is thrust into the spotlight after killing two robbers in self-defense.
The film was put into limited release in the United States on September 23, 2005, and wide-release on September 30, 2005. It has the distinction of being the final major Hollywood motion picture released on VHS.
William Hurt was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, while Josh Olson was nominated for Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay).
Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is a local restaurant owner in the fictional small town of Millbrook, Indiana, who lives peacefully with his lawyer wife Edie (Maria Bello), his teenage son Jack (Ashton Holmes) and younger daughter Sarah (Heidi Hayes).

One night two robbers come into Millbrook and stop at Tom's restaurant as he is closing it. The robbers attempt to rob the restaurant, but Tom defends himself and his restaurant patrons by killing both robbers. Overnight, Tom Stall becomes a nationwide celebrity.

Tom is soon visited by a scarred gangster named Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris), who alleges that Tom's real name is not Tom Stall, and that he is not even from Indiana. Fogarty claims Tom is actually a gangster named Joey Cusack, who used to run with him in the local Irish Mob in Philadelphia. Tom denies these accusations and claims he has never been to Philadelphia, but Fogarty continues to stalk the Stall family. Under pressure from Fogarty and his newfound fame, Tom's marriage and relationship with his son, Jack, become strained.



Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy 2005 DVD
Documentary about the great 1940s horror movie producer Val Lewton who made some of the scariest horror films of all time finally gets a documentary about his life and the movies. It quickly (but fully) covers his early life and explains how he got to work for RKO Pictures and produce "The Cat People", "I Walked With a Zombie", "Bedlam", "The Body Snatcher", "The Leopard Man", "Isle of the Dead", the long unseen "Ghost Ship" and "The Seventh Victim". "Curse of the Cat People" is pretty much ignored but that's understandable--it's not really a horror film despite the title. They talk to coworkers, relatives, friends, other horror directors and film historians who get into how he made the films and why they're so important. What I find most interesting is that the studios GAVE him the titles and told him to make a story out of the title! It's incredible what classics he made with no money and just a title to work on. If you're a fan of his horror films (like me) you'll find this absolutely riveting. At 53 minutes it also doesn't wear out its welcome.