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Recent DVDs ReviewsFriday, November 20 2009
ZNow is the right time to revisit Costa-Gavras' response to the defeats of 1968, all shot through with allusions to a burgeoning transnational revolutionary solidarity. Death in the GardenBuñuel made so many masterpieces in his near 50-year career that those films of his that are merely very good tend to be overlooked. Death in the Garden is just such a film. People Like UsThis series acted as a springboard for an astonishing plethora of British talent such as Julia Davis, Tamsin Greig, Robert Webb, David Tennant and Bill Nighy. Thursday, November 19 2009
In a DreamA portrait of a muralist who’s spent his life filling buildings with mosaics is also a family drama and a primer on successfully coping with mental illness. The IT Crowd: The Complete Third SeasonThe IT Crowd: The Complete Third Season brings back Moss, Roy, Jen and Mr. Reynholm for more of the sharpest computer-centric comedy around. Wednesday, November 18 2009
Chinatown (Centennial Collection)Despite bringing film noir into the daylight and into color, this is among the darkest of Southern California tales. Capturing Reality: The Art of Documentary“Real life is so much more interesting and so much more bizarre than anything you can make up”. Red HeatSchwarzenegger and Belushi team up as two cops who... well, you know the drill. Tuesday, November 17 2009
My Effortless BrillianceThere is something deeply affirming in believing that saving a friendship is a worthy pursuit, even for stubborn adults who have a hard time articulating love and regret. thitysomething: The Complete First SeasonThe last American television series before Mad Men to treat the world of advertising seriously was this more satisfying, actual period piece. Numb3rs: Season FiveThis is undone by the same thing that plagues all CBS crime show lineups: many episodes are centered around tension-filled scenarios involving the characters, all of whom will always escape just fine. Monday, November 16 2009
The ExilesAt once profound, seedy, sweeping and intimate, The Exiles chronicles a particular (and often ignored) moment in mid-20th century American history. Natural Born Killers: The Director’s CutStone's pedigree secure, the Hollywood maverick turned on the system itself; tarring sensationalism, public bloodlust, and judicial entropy, seemingly with the same brush. The Accidental HusbandMediocrity should never be a filmmaker's loftiest goal, and yet it's the best-case scenario for The Accidental Husband. Friday, November 13 2009
Monsoon Wedding (The Criterion Collection)A family drama, as mosaic of modern, globalizing India, as a love story that sneaks up on you, and as a discourse on post-modernity and tradition. The Art Star and the Sudanese TwinsThis gives us ample reason to resist the person, the artist and her work.Yet as performed by Beecroft and choreographed by the filmmakers, it is difficult not to be moved. Thursday, November 12 2009
Pray the Devil Back to HellPray the Devil Back to Hell vividly conveys the pain endured and resistance mounted by women of diverse backgrounds and faiths during Liberia's civil war. The Secret Policeman Rocks!It pains me to suggest that watching The Secret Policeman Rocks! is akin to swallowing a tablespoon of humanist medicine... Wednesday, November 11 2009
The Human ConditionIt’s a testament to both Kobayashi’s work and the feelings of the Japanese people after WWII that such a harsh attack on Imperial Japan was made at all, let alone that it succeeded at the box office. Man Stroke Woman: The Complete SeriesThis is an hilariously off-kilter sketch comedy filled with often unexpected payoffs and utterly hysterical visual gags -- in addition to its wickedly funny cast. Zorro: The Complete First and Second SeasonsThanks to Disney's desire to preserve its heritage for future generations to enjoy, these limited edition box sets are like stepping back in time and witnessing the series premiere as it originally aired. Tuesday, November 10 2009
Fawlty Towers: The Complete Collection RemasteredA TV gem from decades ago finds itself compiled in a DVD set that will delight its viewers, whether they've seen "The Germans" a thousand times before, or have never been anywhere near a Flying Circus. North by NorthwestThis is thrilling, sexy, funny, fresh, inventive, exhilarating, and ultimately, a first-class illustration of the "they don't make them like they used to" adage. White Christmas and It’s a Wonderful LifeWhile they might be right out of the Saturday Evening Post with their Norman Rockwell-esque moralizing and message, one cannot deny how thoroughly entertaining and iconic they both are. Monday, November 9 2009
You Weren’t There: A History of Chicago Punk 1977–1984If this smart, long-winded documentary proves anything, it’s that there are a lot of scars left from those bruising early days of the Chicago scene, and few are ready to stop scratching at them. Merry Sitcom: Christmas Classics From TV’s Golden AgeThe overarching theme among these stories is an often unacknowledged tension between affluent postwar consumer culture and a more austere mode of living. Note By Note: The Making of the Steinway L1037The attention to detail and sheer amount of time devoted to building a piano is extraordinary, and Niles makes a compelling case for Steinway’s approach. Friday, November 6 2009
Adult Swim in a BoxThis is a compilation for that large demographic that yearns for narratives about a large, talking milk shake ordering a wife from Chechnya, or the micronauts going on a breast-climbing expedition. You know who you are. The 39 StepsIn Hitchcock's world, we don't write the play; we just have to know when to act. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (Those Aren’t Pillows Edition)it's safe to say that John Hughes has a secure legacy in Hollywood laughfests. No matter the age bracket, this film stands as one of his very best. Thursday, November 5 2009
The Stepfather (1987)Unlike Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees, the monstrous title character of The Stepfather is both plausible and a rich metaphor. Wednesday, November 4 2009Doctor Who: The Next DoctorAnother one of Davies' overwrought space melodramas winds up imploding on itself, but the DVD special feature is a treat worth savoring. 
Girlfriends: The Seventh SeasonLike Sex and the City, to which it is often compared, Girlfriends is more product and champion of a pro-sex "postfeminist" culture than it is a relic of the past. Tuesday, November 3 2009Doctor Who: The Deadly AssassinHeavily based on The Manchurian Candidate, the political intrigue here makes this one of the best Doctor Who adventures ever filmed -- no, really. 
All Tomorrow’s PartiesThis more often than not pays proper attention to the artistic prowess on display, which saves it from playing too laboriously like someone else's vacation slideshow. Monday, November 2 2009Doctor Who: Delta and the BannermenIt's not that this particular story was bad -- we've just been lead to expect much, much better from this sci-fi warhorse. |
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