WHITE LIGHTNIN'

This is the EPICALLY -effed up TRUE STORY of Jesco White, aka THE OUTLAW DANCER. Was he driven by demons? Or just screwed up from all that GLUE SNIFFING?! His Pa tried to set him on the right path, and passed his legendary HILLBILLY DANCE MOVES on to young Jesco. Deep love and severe imbalance led Jesco to avenge his Pappy's senseless murder.

Not for the faint of heart but highly successful, WHITE LIGHTNIN' is recommended for fans of that REBEL YELL spirit. Edward Hogg (BUNNY AND THE BULL) deserves special praise for his committed portrayal. Gritty filmmaking techniques and great tunes by HASIL ADKINS set this one off. YOU MUST ALSO SEE THE REAL JESCO IN  "THE OUTLAW DANCER" -- ask us at LDV!!!

CEDAR RAPIDS

OK folks, it may not look like it, but SUMMERTIME's here. That means more camp-outs and more time for stupid comedies. DAILY SHOW alum Ed Helms is our wide-eyed Insurance Man protagonist, whose world is turned upside down after being sent to represent his company at the national convention.

Admittedly this starts out like a Steve Carrell kind of affair, but CEDAR RAPIDS manages to deepen its characters instead of beating them to death. As usual, John C. Reilly knocks it out of the park on this one, as the bad-boy with a heart of gold. You could do way worse, as far as modern comedies are concerned!!!

ANOTHER YEAR

People who know Mike Leigh movies, love Mike Leigh movies. Maybe not ALL of them -- he has covered some ground after all. Early faves are ABIGAIL'S PARTY and NUTS IN MAY. But of all the working UK directors out there, no one does humanism better. And for that, we almost want to call the man a saint. This is human drama, small and vibrant, full of little moments and heaps of delusion- plain and simple.

AMERICAN: THE BILL HICKS STORY

First off, BILL HICKS is one of the best stand-up performers since LENNY BRUCE. And it saddens, not surprises, me that more people care about him in England... he doesn't even speak their language.

Secondly, this could have been a little better in terms of its execution as a documentary. But what you get is no small joy. It is the love filled stories of Bill from the people who knew him best- his best buddies and his parents, coupled with instructive doses of Hicks' on stage brilliance. A must see.

THE WILD HUNT

You don't have to love LARP-ing (or even know what LARP-ing is) to appreciate THE WILD HUNT. This film is about that moment in everyone's life, when they man-up and fight for what they desire, and just how far some would go. If that all sounds heavy, it's not.

This is a comedy/horror where a guy has to go to this camp where people pay to role play like it's the dark ages (yes, they really do that in real life -- it's called LARP-ing!!), and with the help of his stupid older brother- win back the Princess. This one is a treat, with teeth!

WE ALSO ENJOYED THESE FILMS...

• RUBBER Imagine THE RED BALLOON, only it's a car tire, and instead of following a kid around, it blows things up with its... mind?! From French Electronic Musician MR.OIZO!!
• KORKORO A new film from GYPSY filmmaker Tony Gatlif. Lush visuals, sumptuous soundtrack!
• KILL THE IRISHMAN The true story of an outspoken Cleveland informant and an attempt on Dennis Kucinich's life! Stars Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer.
• CARANCHO Great customer feedback on this Thriller from ARGENTINA.
• SUCKER PUNCH Ok, Aimee HATED it! Merrick thought it was a glorious train wreck of psychotronic teensploitation! If you liked REPO: A GENETIC OPERA, watch this!