Video Reviews, March 15, 2011
Mar 15, 2011FICTION
Dirty Tricks. color. 146+ min. Paul Seed, Little Bird Prod., dist. by Acorn Media, www.acornonline.com. 2010. DVD ISBN 9781598285215. $29.99. SDH subtitles. F
This two-part miniseries based on the late Michael Dibdin’s 1991 novel could aptly be described as black comedy. Edward (Martin Clunes) teaches English as a Second Language to adults in Oxford and seems normal enough when we first meet him. It doesn’t take long, however, to realize that he is a cad. After accidently (or so it seems) killing his friend’s wife, with whom he has been having a torrid affair, he marries a wealthy widow. The romance soon cools as Martin is attracted to another, wealthier woman. Meanwhile, his wife turns up dead—did he murder her, too? Part mystery, part comedy, Dirty Tricks is a roller-coaster ride as the lies and the bodies stack up. Winner of a 2001 International Emmy for best drama, this program contains nudity, strong language, and graphic sexual situations. Extras include cast filmographies and an author bio. For public libraries where British programming is popular.—Joan Greenberg, Warminster, PA
The Oxford Murders. color. 109+ min. Álex de la Iglesia, Tornasol Films, dist. by Magnolia Pictures, www.magpictures.com. 2011. DVD UPC 876964003391. $26.98; Blu-ray UPC 876964003407. $29.98. Rated: R. F
Renowned Oxford math professor Arthur Seldom (John Hurt) and grad student Martin (Elijah Wood) join forces to hunt down a Zodiac-style serial killer who uses mathematical symbols to mark his trail. Based on Guillermo Martinez’s 2003 best seller, The Oxford Murders is a whodunit for intelligentsia—a two-hour exercise in analytic deduction steeped in Hitchcockian flair and embellished with a dollop of Da Vinci Code complexity. Cult director de la Iglesia (A Sad Trumpet Ballad) tries to blend the scholarly with the suspenseful, but the result is too highbrow to be engaging and too restrained to be thrilling. Hurt is magnificent as the crotchety professor, and Wood gives a credible performance as the obsessed grad student, but their pedantic extrapolations concerning the Pythagorean theorem, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, and the Fibonacci series make for a dense, puzzling film in which the solution to the mystery is secondary to the intellectual debate.—Jeanne Bogino, New Lebanon Lib., NY
Poldark. Series 2. 4 discs. color. 683 min. Philip Dudley & Roger Jenkins, BBC Television/London Film Prods., dist. by Acorn Media, 888-870-8047; www.acornmedia.com. 2010. DVD ISBN 9781598284362. $69.99. SDH subtitles. F/TV
Those who enjoyed the first set of this BBC series (LJ 5/1/10) will be captivated by the ongoing adventures of Ross Poldark (portrayed heroically by Robin Ellis), his vivacious wife, Demelza (Angharad Rees), and the rest of the cast of characters originally created by novelist Winston Graham (1908–2003). Each episode is complete unto itself but closes with the next episode about to roar onto the screen. In Series 2, the 18th century is coming to an end, and things are moving fast. The Revolution rages across the Channel in France, and at home in Cornwall, the economy suffers. Jobs are scarce, and the chasm between rich and poor is wider than ever. Villain George Warleggan has married cousin Francis Poldark’s widow and taken over her lands. He plots to expand his wealth and power but, most of all, to outwit and defeat Ross Poldark. Highly recommended for public libraries.—Sheila S. Intner, Emerita, Simmons GSLIS at Mt. Holyoke Coll., South Hadley, MA
ARTS & HUMANITIES
Candlemaking: A Beginner’s Guide. color. 82 min. Larry Withers, On Air Video, 215-885-2828; www.onairvideo.com. 2010. DVD UPC 881303000283. $16.95. CRAFTS
The multitalented Sharyn Pak is back with another first-class instructional video (e.g., Mosaic Basics: 5 Great Projects), this time focusing on making candles. Candlemaking requires few specialized tools, and most projects can be accomplished relatively quickly. Pak takes viewers through half a dozen styles, from cold-poured candles using granulated wax to hand-dipped models, the most complicated of the projects. For each, she explains the tools and supplies required and moves step by step through the process, including variations on the basic candle. Pak’s explanations are clear, and viewers can see exactly what to do and how to do it. Bonus features include a materials/ tools list, troubleshooting tips, and directions on making a drying rack. For most craft collections.—Joan Greenberg, Warminster, PA
Directors: Life Behind the Camera. 2 discs. color. 4 hrs. American Film Inst., Media Entertainment, dist. by First Run Features, 800-229-8575; www.firstrunfeatures.com. 2010. DVD UPC 720229914444. $29.95. FILM
This program consists of excerpts from interviews with 33 established American movie directors, divided by topic into eight sections. The segment names, e.g., “Everyone Has To Start Somewhere” and “The Art of Writing & Choosing Scripts,” would suggest that Directors is intended as a teaching aid, but the interviews, featuring such luminaries as Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Wes Craven, Clint Eastwood, Ron Howard, and Penny Marshall, are too short on practical advice to be useful for this purpose. Each section is independent of the others, requiring fans who might wish to focus on a single director to navigate a tiring succession of menus. Finally, although it is possible to watch individual portions straight through, the interviews are gracelessly stitched together in a seemingly arbitrary order, making for frustrating viewing. Recommended only (and with reservations) for libraries serving populations of aspiring filmmakers who might find inspiration in hearing their favorite directors talk about their chosen profession.—Andrew R. Horbal, Univ. of Pittsburgh Lib.
It Came from Kuchar. color. 86+ min. Jennifer M. Kroot, IndiePix & Tigerlily Pictures, dist. by IndiePix, www.indiepixfilms.com. 2010. DVD UPC 845637000920. $24.95. FILM
Twins George and Mike Kuchar were raised in 1950s Bronx, NY, where as ingeniously resourceful kids armed with an aunt’s 8mm camera they began to express creatively their fascination with high-production Hollywood melodramas through unabashedly low-production dramas shot in their neighborhood. They went on to establish a humorously offbeat contribution to the 1960s American underground film movement with campy, disarmingly sincere explorations of psychosexual themes found in popular melodrama (I Was a Teenage Rumpot, Sins of the Fleshapoids, and Hold Me While I’m Naked, to name a few). George currently is the more active of the two, producing films with his students at the San Francisco Art Institute. Affectionately made by Kroot, one of George’s former students, this documentary spans the brothers’ joint and separate careers. It features many candid interviews with them, reflections by friends and admirers—among them filmmakers John Waters and Guy Maddin, satirist Buck Henry, and cartoonist Bill Griffith—and a copious array of clips from their work over the past four decades. Bonus features include an audio commentary with the brothers and Kroot, and additional scenes. Recommended especially for patrons with interests in popular culture and film history.—Robert A. Sica, Eastern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Richmond
Le Sel de la Semaine: Jack Kerouac. 30 min. DVD $248.
Le Sel de la Semaine: Henry Miller. 58 min. DVD $375.
ea. vol: b/w. In French w/English subtitles. dist. by Icarus Films, 800-876-1710; www.icarusfilms.com. 2010. LIT
Consider these two black-and-white, French-language interviews on Quebec’s preeminent TV talk show with a pair of authors at odds with their legacies. Jack Kerouac in 1967 wanted nothing to do with beatniks. Henry Miller, interviewed in 1969, declared himself completely uninterested in his obscenity trials and disgusted with a readership keen on erotica. (His Tropic of Cancer, published in France in 1934, found an audience only during World War II, when American soldiers bought it, thinking it pornography.) Sadly, interviewer Fernand Seguin can muster little rapport with the sullen, twitchy Kerouac, and the interview is a dud. Academic libraries with deep pockets might find the Miller title useful.—John Hiett, Iowa City P.L.
Bach & Friends. 2 discs. color.
116+ min. Michael Lawrence Films, mlfilms.com. 2010. DVD UPC 804879154891. $39.95 + $4 s/h. Public performance.
In Search of Beethoven. 2 discs. 139 min. DVD UPC 880198108296.
In Search of Mozart. 128 min. DVD UPC 880198102591.
ea. vol: color. Phil Grabsky, Seventh Art Prods., dist. by Microcinema, 415-447-9750; www.microcinema.com. 2010. $40. MUSIC
These three films offer in-depth looks at three of the world’s most iconic classical composers. Bach & Friends is less a straightforward biography than it is a chronicle of Johann Sebastian Bach’s life and the development of his creativity and music through interviews and performances by significant contemporary artists such as Joshua Bell, Bobby McFerrin, Philip Glass, The Swingle Singers, Peter Schickele, and many others. The emphasis is on Bach’s technical innovations in his own era and how adaptable his music has proved over time through many formats, instruments, and artists, both classical and popular. The highlight here is the wonderful 90-minute bonus disc featuring 18 complete performances that demonstrate how truly varied and adaptable is Bach’s music. Subtitles in English, Spanish, German, Italian, and Japanese; very highly recommended for all music lovers.
In Search of Mozart and In Search of Beethoven both follow strictly chronological time lines of the composers’ lives, tracking their musical development along with biographical events. Each film features commentary and performances representing many of the world’s leading musical artists (such as conductor Claudio Abbado and pianist Emanuel Ax on Beethoven; soprano Renée Fleming and pianist Lang Lang on Mozart), musicologists, historians, and orchestras. Rich visuals from throughout Europe, particularly of scenes from Mozart’s many travels, and excerpts from the subjects’ writings and correspondence provide comprehensive coverage of their lives and music. Subtitles are in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. Both have director commentaries; the Beethoven program includes a bonus disc with complete movements, deleted scenes, and additional information. Ideal introductions to the lives of these two giants in any music history class, for both their educational and their entertainment value.—Tom Budlong, Atlanta
P-Star Rising. (Independent Lens). color. 86+ min. Gabriel Noble, Noble Arts & Tru Films in assoc. with IndiePix, dist. by PBS Home Video, shoppbs.org/education. 2010. DVD ISBN 9781608832156. $24.99. Closed-captioned. MUSIC
New York City, 2 a.m. It’s an open mic night in Harlem, and taking the stage is the last artist: a self-confident, swaggering star in the making who, without a trace of nervousness or hesitation, proceeds to rock the house. Her name is Priscilla Diaz, but she calls herself P-Star—and she is nine years old. Filmmaker Noble’s captivating documentary introduces us to the entire Diaz clan: father Jesse, whose own aspirations of hip-hop success took a backseat to single parenthood; Priscilla’s sister, Solsky, grappling with schoolwork and desperate to reunite with her drug-addicted mother; and Priscilla herself, a winsome performer and self-assured artist but still a child, who begins each day watching Winnie the Pooh in the shelter where they live. It’s a roller-coaster ride of struggle, success, and more struggle, and it’s never less than fascinating. Jesse is both an overzealous manager and a caring father. Priscilla is a child-star diva and on occasion the most forward-thinking of the family. And there is never a doubt as to her talent—the performances are all wonderful. Bonus features include studio raps, interviews, and a music video. Recommended for all music collections.—Bill Baars, Lake Oswego P.L., OR
Richard Margison: The Folk Singing Opera Star. color. 50 min. Michael Maitland, Harbinger Films /Pan Prods., dist. by Hiline Videoworks, 877-660-8477; www.hilinevideoworks.com. 2010. DVD UPC 056303039773. $39.95. Public performance. MUSIC
Delightfully entertaining, this film focuses on the singing career of one of the world’s leading operatic tenors and most unassuming celebrities. A native of Victoria, BC, Richard Margison as a youth enjoyed writing songs and performing them in local coffeehouses and pubs, aspiring to become the next Gordon Lightfoot or Stan Rogers. His plans were diverted by his voice teacher, who felt he was destined for greater roles and venues. Viewers get a glimpse of Margison through interviews with the artist himself, his sister Jennifer, his voice teacher, and others and are treated to a variety of musical selections, including “Lovers in a Dangerous Time,” “Pussywillow, Cattails,” and Puccini’s “Nessum Dorma.” Each musical piece is included in its entirety as a bonus feature. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a wide range of musical genres and for all types of libraries, especially those with strong music collections.—Stephen Allan Patrick, Jonesborough, TN
Rock Prophecies. color. 80+ min. John Chester, Rockdoc, LLC, dist. by PBS Home Video, shoppbs.org/education. 2010. DVD ISBN 9781608832965. $24.99; with limited public performance $44.95. SDH subtitles. MUSIC
Chester’s third documentary (after Lost in Woonsocket and Random 1) tells the story of music photographer Robert Knight, whose career spans four decades and shows no signs of slowing as he embarks on a journey to find the next guitar legend. Inspired by the tragic 1990 death of friend and guitar wizard Stevie Ray Vaughn, Knight set for himself a goal of helping the careers of fresh acts, including upstart Australian band Sick Puppies and teenaged Texas phenom Tyler Bryant. Chester devotes too much of his tale to Knight’s seemingly self-promoting attempts to find the next generation of music stars, leaving scant time for the more compelling tale of Knight’s long and storied career. But Knight is much more interested in looking forward than in self-reflection. Bonus features include a commentary track and additional interviews. The film features plenty of informative conversations between Knight and rock and blues guitar luminaries such as Slash, Carlos Santana, and Jeff Beck. Guitar aficionados will need it, music fans will enjoy it, and photography students and pros will learn much from Knight’s plight.—Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia
SOCIAL SCIENCES
The Last Truck: The Closing of a GM Plant. color. 41 min. Steven Bognar & Julia Reichert, HBO Films, dist. by Films for the Humanities & Sciences, www.films.com; store.hbo.com. 2010. DVD ISBN 9781616166977. $169.95. Public performance; closed-captioned; home video $19.98. BUS/ECON
Bringing a human dimension to the headlines of plant closings, this documentary gives voice to some of the 2500 workers at the General Motors truck assembly plant in Moraine, OH, following its December 23, 2008, shutdown notice. It features commentary from dozens of workers, men and women, talking singly and in small groups about the closing, their lives at the plant, and what the future may hold. The film counts down the days, with workers expressing increasing anxiety and sadness over the loss of both income and their sense of shared coworker community. Its defining sequence comes during the plant’s last day, as a crowd of workers, having finished their own tasks, follow the last truck down the assembly line to witness simultaneously its completion and the end of a way of life. The film is emotional without being maudlin. All audiences will find it a moving testament to the thousands of similar plant closings that have become all too common across America.—Lawrence R. Maxted, Gannon Univ. Lib., Erie, PA
Monarchy: The Complete Series. 5 vols. color. 776+ min. David Wilson & others, Granada for Channel 4, dist. by Athena Learning, 888-870-8047; www.athenalearning.com. 2010. DVD ISBN 9781598284546. $79.99. SDH subtitles. HIST
This 16-part series chronicles through sequential entertaining and informative lectures the history of the kings and queens of England from the earliest Anglo-Saxon rulers to Queen Victoria’s reign. Historian David Starkey (Crown and Country), acting as storyteller and teacher, compellingly explains a unique and fascinating institution to general nonacademic audiences. The survey of well-known and long-forgotten individuals combines dramatic reconstructions of events and personages with exquisitely photographed landscapes, architecture, artwork, artifacts, and regalia. Each segment solidly introduces both the gore and the glory of British history while also conveying the vitality and adaptability of the royal tradition. Bonus features include a small instructional booklet with time line, short biographies of 20th-century monarchs, and a pictorial gallery of royal residences. For public libraries with large history sections.—Linda Frederiksen, Washington State Univ. Lib., Vancouver
Four Seasons Lodge: Survival Was Just the Beginning. color. 97+ min. Andrew Jacobs, Rainlake Prods., dist. by First Run Features, 800-229-8575; www.firstrunfeatures.com. 2010. DVD UPC 720229914369. $24.95. Closed-captioned. HOLOCAUST STUDIES/GERONTOLOGY
This winning and affecting film, based on Jacobs’s own 2005 New York Times article, profiles a number of incredibly vigorous and wise Holocaust survivors. In particular, it reveals the curtain-drawing season of a Catskills, NY, community, affectionately called the “Colony,” where survivors have gathered each summer for nearly 25 years. Not related by blood, the Colonists have formed strong bonds and deep relationships cemented by the shared horrors of their past. Viewers will be surprised by the zest and humor that marks their daily interactions as they first arrive for another summer, the physical struggles and property annoyances they overcome, and the happy communal dinners and parties. The film moves in a deliberate manner, allowing viewers to get to know these people. Bonus features include director commentary and Holocaust testimonials. Viewers seeking a film about positive ways to age despite past travesties will find some thought-provoking material here. Jacobs’s work doesn’t whitewash the issues but raises the challenges in a wise and discerning way. Recommended.—Paul Kaplan, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., IL
Kimjongilia: The Flower of Kim Jong Il. color. 74+ min. letterboxed. In English & Korean with Korean/English subtitles. N.C. Heikin, Green Garnet Prods., dist. by Lorber Films, 800-562-3330; www.kinolorber.com. 2010. DVD UPC 705105268415. $29.95. INT AFFAIRS
In this beautiful, heartrending, yet horrifying film, North Koreans tell their stories of imprisonment, sexual slavery, torture, murder, and escape to China or South Korea during the nearly 50-year regime of Kim Il Sung (1912–94). The interviews are illustrated through the interspersion of dance sequences, archival news footage, and drawings. Particularly interesting are the North Korean propaganda films celebrating Kim Il Sung as God and showing in the face of mass starvation happy workers, elaborate military displays, and the creation of a new flower in 1988 in honor of the 46th birthday of Kim’s son and successor, Kim Jong Il. A valuable time line traces 20th-century events in Korea. Bonus features include previously unreleased footage of camp refugees. This mesmerizing film displays excellent production values and is highly recommended for Asia collections.—Kitty Chen Dean, formerly with Nassau Community Coll., Garden City, NY
Loot. color & b/w. 86+ min. Darius Marder, dist. by Carnivalesque, www.carnivalesquefilms.com; Midwest Tape, www.midwesttapes.com. 2010. DVD UPC 616892099260. $99. Public performance; home video $24.95. SOC SCI
This is the story of two World War II veterans and their partnership with an amateur treasure hunter to find the loot that each hid during the war. While deployed in the Pacific, Andrew Seventy looted Samurai swords and jewels and hid them in the Philippines. Darrel Ross fought in Europe and absconded with 20 pounds of jewels, which he secreted in the attic of an Austrian farmhouse. Sixty years later, the vets meet Lance Larson, who wants to help them recover their treasure. Wonderfully filmed, this documentary highlights the quirks of all three men. Ross is a nearly blind Mormon bishop living in Utah, Seventy is also blind and lives in a trailer park in Nevada, and Larson is an entrepreneur and self-proclaimed “rainbow chaser” who bonds with the vets over the hunt and the problems he’s having with his son. Winner of the Best Documentary Award at the 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival, Loot was shot over two and a half years on three continents. Although the overall production quality is excellent, more explanatory subtitles indicating time and place would have been beneficial, as the chronology can be difficult to follow. Several graphic war scenes are included. More at www.lootmovie.com. Recommended for high school and university libraries.—Rod Bustos, Augusta State Univ. Lib., GA
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
The Asperger’s Difference. color. 31 min. w/guide. Ctr. for Spectrum Svcs., www.centerforspectrumservices.org. 2010. DVD ISBN 9780615335162. $49.95.
A Mother’s Courage: Talking Back to Autism. color. 103 min. w/guide. Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Frontier Filmworks in assoc. with Klikk Prods., dist. by First Run Features, www.firstrunfeatures.com. 2010. DVD UPC 720229914475. $27.95. Closed-captioned.
Oops, Wrong Planet! Understanding Asperger’s Syndrome. color & b/w. 55 min. Stephen Ramsay, Beyond Entertainment, dist. by Films for the Humanities & Sciences, www.films.com. 2010. DVD ISBN 9781616166991. $149.95. Public performance; closed-captioned. HEALTH
Hoping to find answers to living with autism, A Mother’s Courage introduces severely autistic ten-year-old Keli Ericsdottir. His mother, Margret, determined to find a way to communicate with her son, embarks on a sojourn across the globe, traveling from their native Iceland to interview autism experts. As the latest information and research about this complex condition is uncovered, viewers begin to understand what is happening inside the autistic mind. Margret brings Keli to Austin, TX, to begin HALO (Helping Autism Through Learning and Outreach) therapy, and the results are impressive. Keli begins to communicate—in English, no less! Among the experts interviewed are Simon Baron-Cohen, Temple Grandin, and David Amaral. Originally aired on HBO, the film is technically first-rate and features a hauntingly beautiful score by Sigur Rós and Björk. The sole drawback is the film’s length—at 103 minutes, it is a bit long for use in an educational setting; however, it does have chapter options. Margret’s voyage of discovery makes for compelling viewing; a worthwhile addition to public and academic libraries.
Similar in approach, Oops, Wrong Planet! finds director Ramsay suspecting he may have Asperger’s syndrome. On a quest for answers, he interviews experts and researchers (many of them also featured in A Mother’s Courage), as well as other Asperger’s sufferers, to uncover the wide range of symptoms and possible causes of the condition. Ramsay correlates the link between Asperger’s and some of history’s artistic and scientific geniuses, among them Hans Christian Andersen. Bringing this trait to light is interesting, but the director spends too much time analyzing Andersen’s fairy tales and their possible representation of his affliction. This is indicative of the rambling feeling of the film, which would have benefited from tighter editing. That said, it is a solid introduction to Asperger’s.
Moving on to teenage sentiment, The Asperger’s Difference presents the world of three “Aspies”—Annie, 13; Noah, 16; and Jeffrey, 18. As they relate their everyday experiences living with a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome, a cogent presentation of the characteristics, behaviors, and impact of the disorder takes shape. Divided into eight chapters, beginning with the question, “What is Asperger’s?,” the film continues through every aspect of Aspie life, from social skills and communication to the diagnosis, being bullied, and self-advocacy. An accompanying pamphlet includes details from each chapter in the form of questions. The three teens are engaging, charming, and proud to promote the positive side of being an Aspie. The content is top-notch and up-to-date, making this winner of a film an effective introduction to the topic for both Aspie and non-Aspie teens. It will also serve well as a training film for college-level health sciences audiences. All three programs provide answers to the daunting and mysterious worlds of these conditions.—Lori Widzinski, Health Sciences Lib., Univ. of Buffalo
