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3 items from 2012

23 May 2012 8:40 AM, PDT | GreenCine Daily | See recent GreenCine Daily news »

by Steve Dollar

Something like the Dead Sea Scrolls of 1960s (and '70s) underground comedies, the five films assembled in the new Criterion Collection Eclipse set Up All Night with Robert Downey Sr. have been out of sight for so long that their release this week marks a major rediscovery. Deliriously imaginative and madly subversive, black-and-white romps like Babo 73 and Two Tons of Turquoise to Taos Tonight deploy manic pacing and counter-cultural absurdity to critique Mad Men-era America while inhaling deeply on their own stoned grooviness. "I've paid my dues," exclaims one of Downey's impish observers, played by actor friends or maybe someone he met at a phone booth, "why should I pay my debts?"

The best-known feature, Putney Swope, achieved cult status for its outrageous satire of Madison Avenue, proposing what happens when a white, patrician agency is taken over by a black militant who renames it "Truth and Soul Inc. »

4 May 2012 11:05 AM, PDT | Pop2it | See recent Pop2it news »

We hope Susan Downey isn't giving her husband, Robert Downey Jr., too much of a hard time over his actions on "The Tonight Show" Thursday (May 3).

Because really, when you're a new dad, it's hard not to share photos of your child. That's what "The Avengers" star did with Jay Leno and the audience, showing two pictures of his and Susan's infant son Exton, who was born Feb. 7.

Downey explains in the clip below that the last time he was on Jay Leno's show, he got in trouble for revealing the baby's gender. It's Ok now, though -- "as long as I don't show a picture of the kid," he says.

Cue two adorable pictures of Exton, one with his mom and one rocking a striped hoodie.

The video also features a clip from Downey's first-ever screen performance, in his dad's 1969 movie "Putney Swope," but no talk about "The Avengers »

- editorial@zap2it.com

3 May 2012 9:03 AM, PDT | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »

Well we're back again with the bumper crop of must-have DVDs and Blu-rays for the month of May – from historic Italian epics to underground American sensations to a chilly, expressionistic film noir to movies where Raquel Welch plays a Vegas showgirl fleeing a murderer – we’ve got them all hear for you. So look on below to see what's worth your money this month....

"1900" (1976) Blu-ray

Why You Should Care: At the time of its release, Bernardo Bertolucci's historical epic was said to be the most expensive (requiring the financial commitment of three major studios – 20th Century Fox, Paramount, and United Artists) and ambitious ever mounted in Italy. It's a tale of two friends (played by Robert De Niro and Gerard Depardieu), born on the same day at the dawn of the 20th century, and the way that their lives crisscross, intersect, and diverge wildly over the rocky course of history. »

- Drew Taylor

3 items from 2012