Greetings!  As if there wasn't enough to spend money on this week with the Fair, the Twins and Vikings in town and school starting in Mpls., there are some new films and some interesting discs hitting the stores.  Please subscribe to this and the vintage vinyl page.  It's free to have both emailed directly into your life.  Feel free to comment.  Thank you!

RIVERVIEW THEATRE THIS WEEK; FRI., SEPT. 3-THURS., SEPT. 9:  "TOY STORY 3", 10:45 A.M., 3 & 7:10 P.M., Fri.-Mon.;  "DESPICABLE ME", 1 & 5:05 p.m., Fri.-Mon.; "GROWN UPS", 9:15 p.m.; Fri.-Mon.

"DESPICABLE ME", 5:05 p.m., Tues.-Thurs.; "TOY STORY 3", 7:10 p.m., Tues.-Thurs.; "GROWN UPS", 9:15 p.m., Tues.-Thurs.

E. 38th St. at 42nd Av. S., Minneapolis, 612.729.7369.  Tix: Adult evening-$3; Kids 11 & under, seniors 62+ & all shows on Tues.-$2.

FIRST RUNS, WED., SEPT. 1:

"THE AMERICAN": from Focus Features.  Dir.: Anton Corbijn.  Writer: Rowan Joffe.  Stars: George Clooney, Thekla Reuten, Violante Placido.

Suspense Thriller: R (vilence, sexual content, nudity). www.TheAmericanmovie.com

Jack (Clooney) is an assassin whose latest job in Sweden goes awry, forcing him underground in Italy.  When he decides to take another job too quickly, he gets into even worse trouble.  Clooney is not the stereotypical action figure which is why this is so exciting.  Clooney is always good.j

FIRST RUNS, FRI., SEPT. 3:

"GOING THE DISTANCE": from New Line (WB).  Dir.: Nanette Burstein.  Writer: Geoff La Tulippe.  Stars: Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Christina Applegate.

Romantic comedy: R (sexual content, language, drug use, brief nudity).  www.Going-The-Distance.com

The story of a long distance relationship.  Great music and an interesting performance by Applegate who has finally lost Kelly Bundy.  Otherwise, it's just typical with Barrymore doing the part that Jennifer Aniston probably auditioned for.

"MACHETE": from 20th Century Fox.  Dir.: Robert Rodriguez; Ethan Maniquis.  Writer: Rodriguez.  Stars: Danny Trejo, Jessica Alba, Robert DeNiro, Michelle Rodriguez, Lindsay Lohan, Cheech Marin, Jeff Fahey, Steven Seagal, Don Johnson.

Action: R (Violence, sexual content, language, nudity).  www.VivaMachete.com

Machete (Trejo), a renegade former Mexican Federale, has several real bad days of fighting, betrayal, fighting,, running and fighting.  Trejo has excelled at this type of ultra-violence and Rodriguez excels at filming it.  This will not be for every DeNiro fan.  It's shallow and predictible but it's good action and mindless violence with loud music and several consecutively-strung lucid moments by Lohan.

ON DVD, TUES., SEPT. 7:

"BOY MEETS WORLD", SEASONS 1, 2 & 3":  The early years before Corey and Topanga became barfingly sweet.  Cheapest at Best Buy.

"HE'S YOUR DOG, CHARLIE BROWN": These are always fun and shouldn't cost much more than ten bucks.

"KILLERS": This is the Ashton Kutcher/Katherine Heigl piece of rubbish.  It's still a piece of rubbish and always will be.  Check Half Price Books next Thurs. or Fri. for one of the many many used copies.

"THE OFFICE, SEASON 6": Still and always funny.  Check Best Buy first.

"THE PHANTOM": The two-part tv mini-series.  It'll be a lot better on disc without the commercial interruptions advertizing sandwiches and feminine hygiene products.  It'll also be just as dull as it was on broadcast.  Stop by Walgreen's for some NoDoz or coffee.  Not to advocate OTC drug use but if you fork out 20 bucks for this you should at least be awake.

"TCM GREATEST CLASSIC FILM COLLECTION: HAMMER HORROR: ("HORROR OF DRACULA", "DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE"; "THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN"; "FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED").  These films don't surface that often so completists should latch onto this package quickly.  It'll cost between 18-22 bucks but it's worth it.  This company does a great job of cleaning up the prints and remastering the sound.  Target might have a really good price on this item.