Max’s Best DVD and Blu-ray Picks – December 2011

Hi, I’m Max. best friend of Walt Oleksy (waltmax@comcast.net), and I review new DVD and Blu-ray releases each month. We don’t care for most of the new stuff out of Hollywood. We’ve seen more than enough thrillers, car chases, men and women in their birth-day suits, and comedies the critics say are “hilarious” but which just aren’t funny unless you’re two years old (I’m nine and my master admits to being “over thirty-nine.” We don’t watch anything with vampires in it, except the original “Dracula.” We like movies that tell a good story and maybe we learn something from it. We figured you can read about the new so-called blockbuster films everywhere else, so we look for flicks that are worth seeing but get little publicity and are not seen in most mall theaters.

Everyone’s so busy these days, I keep my recommendations brief. So here goes for what I think you’ll like this month.

Let’s start by recommending our favorite movie on DVD this past year:

DOWNTON ABBEY

The British television miniseries won lots of awards and we agree. It has everything… drama, comedy, great performances, sets, costumes, cars, and always keeps you guessing. It’s a new take on the classic old “upstairs, downstairs” story, taking place in a country manor house just before the start of World War 1. I won’t tell you more if you haven’t already seen it, because you’ll enjoy discovering its many charms as you watch it. From PBS Distribution in both DVD and Blu-ray. If you have seen it, see it again to prepare for Downton Abbey 2 which is coming on PBS Television in January.

Others I think you’ll like:

THE COMPLETE INSPECTOR LEWIS

Mystery fans will welcome this boxed set of all 20 episodes of the series through series four which were all spun off from the Inspector Morse novels by Colin Dexter. From PBS Distribution.

THE LEGACY COLLECTION: KIRK DOUGLAS

Kirk made some great movies and was named one of the 25 greatest male American screen legends of all time by the American Film Institute. Inception Media Group has put together a DVD tribute to Douglas with some of his lesser films and television appearances. Films on the 3-disc set include “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers” (1946), “My Dear Secretary” (1948), “The Big Trees” (1952).

DAHLING: A TRIBUTE TO ZSA ZSA GABOR

Merv Griffin called her “glamour personified,” the beautful Hungrian actress who graced dozens of films and television shows. Inception Media Group has compiled some of her films and television appearances in a disc that her fans will love. Included are full-length movies “Mooch Goes to Hollywood” (1971) and “Frankenstein;s Great Aunt Tillie (1984). Granted they are not classics, but lots of fun anyway. Also seen are her appearances on the Milton Berle Show (1950), and The G.E. True Theater feature “The Honest Man (1956).

Documentaries

DOGS

Forgive me for recommending this series of PBS Television specials on my favorite subject, but it’s the best thing about us adoreable, loyal, loving, man’s and woman’s best friends. The boxed set of four DDs includes “How Smart Are Animals,” “Dogs Decoded,” “Through a Dog’s Eyes,” and “Dogs and More Dogs.’ From PBS Disdtribution.

RADIOACTIVE WOLVES

My ancestors are the stars of this documentary about some packs of wolves and other wildlife that are (thankfully) thriving today in the “dead zone” that still surrounds the remains of the devastating nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, Soviet Union, 25 years ago. In Blu-ray and DVD from PBS Distribition

LIDIA’S CHRISTMAS KITCHEN: Nonna Tell Me a Story

Just in time for the holiday, Lidia Bastianich delights us with a mix of Christmas storytelling, and cooking instructions, sharing special family moments in her home, especially the kitchen. On DVD and Blu-ray from PBS Distribution.

FRONTLINE: FAITH AND DOUBT AT GROUND ZERO

The award-winning television series explores how the spiritual lives of Americans who are both believers and nonbelievers have changed sine the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Most wonder how God could have allowed such a disaster, some gaining strength from their faith and others doubting the existence of a higher being. The thought-provoking two-hour DVD is from PBS Distribution.

COAST

A wonderful armhair journey along Britain’s coastline and inland, an award-winning documentary in 16 episodes, hosted by experts on history, architecture and other subject. The adventure following relationships between the coastal communities and their neighbors goes from prehistoric times to World War II and later. My master especially enjoyed the section tht helped him remember catching a ferry from Belgiu and crossing the English Channel to Dover when he was a G.I. in Germany in 1957. See the complete coastal journey all in a few evening gulps or ration the 16 hours to one or two a night. From BFS Entertainment.

TOO IMPORTANT TO FAIL

Television host Tavis Smiley reports on the alarming nearly 50 percent high school dropout rate among young black males in America in this segment of Tavis Smiley Reports. He suggests the root cause of the problem and what can be done to reverse it. From PBS Distribution.

WOMEN, WAR & PEACE

This documentary focuses on the untold stories of women’s strategic roles in global conflict and peacemaking. The women focused on will give you new insight into women today in modern warfare. Narrating the stories are movie stars Alfre Woodard, Matt Damon, Geena Davis, Tilda Swinton. The DVD is fom PBS Distribution. “This ground-breaking series must be seen,” says one critic, and I agree.

H.M.S. PINAFORE

On the lighter side, I loved this new staging of the Gilbert and Sullivan classic operetta in the Guthrie Theater production. Ite’s a fresh comic treatement of the show loved for its songs, story, and satire. Nearly four hours of musical joy on a DVD from PBS Distribution.

For Puppies and Kids

FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB: FRESH FOOD 101 teaches kids about good nutrition and eating right in this new animated DVD. Professor Fizzy and his friends prepare tasty snacks and tell kids the difference between healthy and bad food. Kids also learn what happens once the food they eat goes into the body. The learning segments are short and sometimes funny, an easy way for kids to digest the information. From PBS Distribution.

See you next month at the same fire hydrant, and have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Max's Best DVD and Blu-ray Picks, November 2011

Max’s Best DVD and Blu-ray Picks – November 2011

Hi, I’m Max. best friend of Walt Oleksy (waltmax@comcast.net), and I review new DVD and Blu-ray releases each month. We don’t care for most of the new stuff out of Hollywood. We’ve seen more than enough thrillers, car chases, men and women in their birth-day suits, and comedies the critics say are “hilarious” but which just aren’t funny unless you’re two years old (I’m nine and my master admits to being “over thirty-nine.” We don’t watch anything with vampires in it, except the original “Dracula.” We like movies that tell a good story and maybe we learn something from it. We figured you can read about the new blockbuster films everywhere else, so we look for flicks that are worth seeing but get little publicity and are not seen in most mall theaters. So here goes for what we think you’ll like this month.

Good grief, where did the long, hot summer go? Now Halloween’s over and we’re thinking about turkey and then Christmas. Well, one holiday at a time, I always say. Here are a few movies and documentaries that are not mindless, like most of the new films from Hollywood again this month, but are on strong subjects worth spending your time with.

Max’s rating for the first three films: Two paws up and several loud “Woo woo’s!”

GLORIOUS 39

Not new but recently released on DVD, a very interesting 2009 British television movie about how British aristocracy was divided on whether to appease Hitler as the Nazi dictator began to gobble up Europe at the start of World War II. Some hoped he would leave England alone, or at least them. The story starts in 1939 when an upper-class family enjoyed its last idyllic summer. Then a young adopted daughter’s discovery of some phonograph records in the great house leads to revelations about the family’s secret political sentiments. That in turn leads to catastrophy. This one will keep you guessing and intrigued, as do all the other works by British writer and director Stephen Polikoff . It stars Romola Garai, Bill Nighy, Eddie Redmayne, Jeremy Northam, David Tennant, and in small parts in the ensemble, Julie Christie and Jenny Agutter. I love movies about lesser-known aspects of the war. The DVD is from EI Entertainment. And if you haven’t seen it yet, do see Polikoff’s ALMOST STRANGERS which takes another look at a family impacted by many things including World War II.

LAND OF THE BLIND

Everyone is in euphoria over the populist movement in the Middle East that is overthrowing political tyrants. We all hope things will be better in those countries after decades of authoritatian rule, but what if they aren’t? This film, though no romp in the park off-leash on a sunny day, tells what happens when one such tyrant is exterminated in a revolutionary coup. Ralph Fiennes, to me the best actor working today, stars as a prison guard loyal to the political establishment who gradually aids the revolution’s leader, played by Donald Sutherland. The despot, played by Tom Hollander, is killed, and then the revolutionary leader becomes as bad or worse. Food for thought, from writer-director Robert Edwards. Critics virtually ignored the film and it showed on only a few screens when it was released in 2006, but it is well worth seeing. On DVD from Vivendi Visual Entertainment.

PAGE EIGHT

An exciting new British thriller from a screenplay by David Hare who wrote THE READER, THE HOURS, PLENTY, and DAMAGES. Bill Nighy plays an MI5 intelligence officer who has to take over an explosive foreign relations investigation when his boss and best friend (Michael Gambon) dies. It involves a top secret MI5 file regarding the alleged U.S. government’s policy of using torture to get “the truth” from terrorist suspects. I’ve wondered why anyone would believe anything someone says when they’re tortured. Didn’t we learn anything from the Spanish Inquisition and the Salem witch hunts? The film’s title refers to that page of the file. Does the British Prime Minister (played by Ralph Finnes) know of the file, or is the U.S. government keeping it a secret from him? Exposure of the file could endanger the entire MI5 organization and be very damaging to British-U.S. diplomatic relations, not to mention endangering Nighy’s own life. The poilitical drama is played out simultanerously with Nigy’s personal life which is in a shambles because of two divorces and a grown daughter who paints very emotionally disturbing pictures he can’t stand. I couldn’t either. Can he trust anyone, including his beautiful political activist neighbor (Rachel Weiss) who may have her own agenda? He doesn’t even have a dog, so he can’t trust it. The strong supporting cast also includes two great actresses of recent years, Judy Davis, Marthe Keller. It’s an intelligent, tense drama straight out of today’s headlines and typically a British television “good show.” My master suggests that afterwards, just watch something lighter before bedtime or you may not get to sleep. In both DVD and Blu-Ray from PBS Disdtribution, made by HeyDey Films, Carnival Films and being shown this month on U.S. television on PBS’s Masterpiece Contemporary.

FATHER VS. SON

A screwball comedy in which a father and son compete for the love of the same woman. Paul Wolff plays a newly-divorced father and Josh Dean his easily-embarrassed son, both smitten by Heather Stephens (she could walk my leash anytime). Adding laughs is Eric Stonestreet of the tv series Modern Family. From Osiris Entertainment.

Documentaries

PROHIBITION

Ken Burns’ new documentary, this one with Lynn Novick, tells more than you ever thought you would ever know about the banning of alcohol in the U.S. in the 1920s. The three-part series tells how the movement began, impacted the nation, and finally ended with repeal of the 18^th Amendment to the Constitution. The journey will remind you of modern parallels including the influence of big business on government and politics, and dangers of one issue dominating politics. Filled with photos and film clips and interviews with those who lived through the era. It was all new to me, but my master says his parents were among those who bought “bathtub gin” from friends who profitted from the liquor ban. It’s a good reminder that whatever the government bans will only make people want it more, and no good can come from legislating morality. A fascinating docmenteary from PBS Distribution.

ROYAL UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS

If you enjoyed the British television miniseries Upstairs, Downstairs (and most of those in the world with a television set did, including my master and me), you will also like this documentary series that captivated audiences on BBC last spring. An antiques expert couple visited country houses or castles which had been visited by Queen Victoria in the 1800s, and tell how a royal visit affected both those living upstairs and their downstairs servants. All 20 episodes of the series about the queen’s visits are included in a new DVD from PBS Distribution. Jolly good entertainment from our British cousins. Did I tell you my best friend, Annie, is an English Lab? Beautiful, smart, and as playful as a puppy even though she’s now nine.

THESE AMAZING SHADOWS: THE MOVIES THAT MAKE AMERICA

A wonderful documentary seen on PBS Television exploring the history of the National Film Registry and the powerful influence of movies on American and even world culture. It includes clips from the most-beloved American films, with Library of Congress and other archivists and guest stears telling how they reflected our culture and even changed lives. On both Blu-ray and DVD from PBS Disdtribution. The 550 films already inducted into The National Film Registry have been deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress and must be at least 10 years old to even be considered for possible induction. The current list of films includes selections from every genre – documentaries to home movies, Hollywood classics, avant-garde, musicals, newsreels, silent films and even commercials felt to be culturally significant. The documentary includes footage from classic films such as “Star Wars,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “The Deer Hunter,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Blade Runner,” and “The Wizard of Oz,” among many, many others. Film lovers will love this documentary and the special features not shown on television, such as a deeper look into film restoration and preservation and how the music score for the documentary was made. On both Blu-ray and DVD from PBS Distribution.

ROUGH CUT, Woodworking with Tommy Mac, Season 2

Tommy MacDonald, the fine craftsman woodworker is back showing how he makes 13 new projects including a mirror and coat rack and a clock and potting station. The amiable and capable hunk is also eye candy for ladies who like handsome blond young men in black T-shirts showing biceps most men would die for. If I wasn’t a dog, I could go for him, too. Woof, woof! Each half-hour episode shows him building a project and offering tips on techniques. Woodworking, that is. The DVD is from PBS Distribution.

THE FABRIC OF THE COSMOS

Physicist and author Brian Greene hosts an exploration of space, time, the universe, and the nature of reality in this new NOVA television special. Wow, that’s quite a bone to chew on, isnit it! The PBS television series was shown recently in four one-hour segments. The programs are now on two discs in both Blu-ray and DVD from PBS Distribution. This is heavy stuff for me, and since my doggie head does not have a science degree, I’ll just qute from the publicity release: “THE FABRIC OF THE COSMOS lets viewers in on a secret: we’ve all been deceived. Our perceptions of time and space have led us astray. Much of what we thought we knew about our universe – that the past has already happened and the future is yet to be, that space is just an empty void, that our universe is the only universe that exists – just might be wrong.: Greene takes viewers on a journey to the frontiers of physics to see how scientists are piecing together the most complete picture yet of space, time and the universe. With each step, audiences will discover that just beneath the surface of our everyday experience lies a world we’d hardly recognize – a startling world far stranger and more wondrous than anyone expected.” This one can really space you out.

NATURE: “MY LIFE AS A TURKEY”

Before you have your Thanksgiving dinner, be sure to see this NATURE documentary. A man named Joe Hutto tells how he raised some wild turkey hatchlings in Florida’s Flatwoods and how he learned more from them than he ever expected. In fact, they changed his life, and for the better. He became so involved that he began speaking with them even before they hatched, and bonded with them as they emerged from their shells. Then, day after day, he lived as a turkey mother, taking on the fulltime job of raising 16 turkey chicks. He learned their individual idiosyncrasies and voices, and became especially fond of two he named Sweet Pea and Turkey Boy. Based on Hutto’s illustrated book, Illumination in the Flatwoods, the documentary is from Passion Pictures, Thirteen, BBC Television, and the Blu-ray and DVD are from PBS Distribution.

NATURE: JUNGLE EAGLE

Another terrific NATURE documentary, this one focuses on Harpy eagles, the most powerful birds of prey. Until recently, scientists knew very little about them. Wildlife filmmaker Fergus Beeley and his team of cameramen locted a nest and documented the lives of these elusive birds in Venezuela’s Orinoco River jungle. The hour-long documentary is from PBS Distribution.

FRONTLINE: TOP SECRET AMERICA

FRONTLINE producer Michael Kirk and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Dana Priest investigate the question, “are we any safer after all of the changes that have taken place throughout the country (after the 9/11 tererorist attacks)?” They reveal the little-known creation of a vast maze of clandestine government and private agencies designed to hunt terrorists and prevent future attacks on the United States. Over one hour, the film examines the history of the dark side of America’s “war on terror.” From the creation of black site prisons abroad and super-secret facilities here in America, to targeted killings and covert wars waged by special forces, to a multibillion-dollar terrorism industrial complex, the researchers ask how a decade of fighting terrorism has reshaped the country and whether it has made us any safer. The fascinating DVD is dfrom PBS Distribution.

FRONTLINE: THE MAN WHO KNEW

This documentary explores the life and death of former FBI top counterterrorism agent John O’Neil who insisted on doing away with Osama Bin Laden before the devastating attack was launched on the US by Al Qaeda. O’Neill investigated the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Africa and the attack on the USS Cole, and joined then-national security counterterrorism co-coordinator Richard Clarke in believing that the United States should kill Osama bin Laden before Al Qaeda launched a devastating attack on America. Speaking in his first major interview, Clarke talks about O’Neill’s battles with the FBI top brass who took objected to O’Neill’s James Bond style job performance. Forced out of the job he loved, O’Neill took a new position in the private sector — as head of security at the World Trade Center, where he was killed on September 11, 2001. The story of O’Neill’s life and death provides a rare glimpse inside the FBI and helps answer the question: What did the government know? The DVD is from PBS Distdribution.

LIDIA CELEBRATES AMERICA:

HOLIDAY TABLES & TRADITIONS”

and “THE BEST OF LIDIA: PASTA”

Enough about war and terrorism, already. Let’s think about food. I always find that thinking about food is one of the best things I can do for myself. Chef, restauranteur, and cookbook author Lidia Bastianich knows how to dish up some tasty meals, some especially for Christmas, in these two delicious DVDs from PBS Distribution. Actor Stanley Tucci joins Lidia in New York as they take part in a traditional Christmas Eve feast. Then she travels to San Antonio, Texas, to be with four generations of an Hispanic-American family as they celebrate Christmas. She then goes on to San Francisco and the largest Chinese New Year outside of Asia. Finally, she returns to New York to celebrate Passove with two of Manhattan’s most traditional and historic families. The disc on pasta contains more than a dozen of Lidia’s favorite dishes from her book Lidia’s Italy in America. Are you ready for some

spaghetti alla carbonara, linguini with white clam sauce, and spaghetti with garlic and oil? I sure am!

For kids and puppies

WINNIE THE POOH

The lovable teddy bear is back in his first feature film after 35 years. Christopher Robin is in danger so his friends Pooh, Rabbit, Piglet, Kanga-Roo, and Eeyore go to his rescue in this wonderful 73-minute animated film. The DVD is from Disney.

PBS KIDS:

PBS Distribution has released DVDs of two top-rated PBS KIDS’ television programs, "Arthur: Hooray for Health," "Arthur: The Good Sport," both teaching pre-school kids about health and good sportsmanship. Arthur the aardvark tells about chicken pox and how to eat right, not just pigging out on hot dogs and candy. In the sports DVD, kids learn about being good sports playing baseball and bicycle-riding. PEEP: AND THE BIG WIDE WORLD: “Star Light, Star Bright," and "Seasons of Adventure." Pre-school kids learn about science subjects in this Emmy award winning series, and have fun at the same time. They’re all on DVD from PBS Distribution.

“Th-th-th-at’s All, F-f-f-olks!”

See you next month at the same fire hydrant.

Max's Best DVD and Blu-ray Picks, October 2011

Max’s Best DVD and Blu-ray Picks, October 2011

The best movies I can recommend this month are oldies. Both the complete Star Wars series (first episodes shown in 1977), from 20^th Century-Fox, and Ben-Hur (1959) are out on Blu-Ray and they are wonderful adventure films as you’ve never seen them before on your home television. There are enough extras on the Star Wars Blu-ray set to keep you watching the whole fall and winter ahead. Some purists are critical of the Star Wars Blu-ray discs because George Lucas made some changes to some parts of the original films and they think he should have kept them as they were first seen and remembered. Now they’re in spectacular high definition with the purest digital sound in the galaxy!

Ben-Hur (originally from MGM but now from Warner Bros.) looks great in Blu-ray but the wide-screen ratio is still too condensed. There are lots of extras, especially on the Blu-ray sets. For Charlton Heston fans (I’m not one of them) there is a 78-minute documentary with home movies of the actor taken at the time of the Ben-Hur filming. Just what I always wanted!

More oldies released this month: The Caine Mutiny (1954) on Blu-ray with Humphrey Bogart going bananas as a naval commander faced with mutineers Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray, and Jose Ferrer, and (wow!) Cobra Woman (1944) on DVD with Maria Montez fang-vamping Jon Hall and Sabu on a South Seas island.

Some other oldies released this month are also among my master’s and my favorites:

Genevieve

A British comedy about two couples, classic car lovers who take part in the annual London-to-Brighton classic car rally. One of the couples challenges the other by racing them in a 1904 roadster they call Genevieve. What starts out as friendly sometimes turns more intense, but it’s still really all in fun and a great movie for anyone in need of some laughs, and today that means everyone. John Gregson and Dinah Sheridan play the couple with Genevieve. Their friendly rivals of the road are played by Kenneth More and Kay Kendall. Those four could tickle anyone’s funnybone. The movie won the Best British Film of the Year award in 1953. It’s released on DVD and Blu-ray by VCI.

The Incredible Shrinking Man

One of the best sci-fi films ever, about a young man who gets an accidental dose of nuclear radiation on a boat and begins to physically shrink. He gets so small that even a cat looks like a hungry giant to him as his home world shrinks to the size of a dollhouse, then a matchbox. Grant Williams plays the unlucky hero and you’ll never forget him or his plight. On DVD but not Blu-ray, from Universal.

New releases recommended this month:

Justice

A new British television crime series in which a new judge weighs justice in a tough town in Liverpool in northern England. Robert Pugh stars in cases involving violence, drugs, anti-social behavior and other contemporary issues in cases that are often very surprising. When you think you’ve figured out a case, a new development can make you think again. Fans of modern detective work will enjoy this fast-paced series from PBS Distribution that avoids visual brutality of most American crime films.

A Passionate Woman

In the 1950s, a bored British housewife falls in love with her neighbor, a charming (read “hot”) Polish fellow. His wife finds out and does him in with a handgun. But the housewife is carrying his baby, so what does she do? She keeps the passionate affair to herself for thirty years, then tells it to her son (he’s her child by her husband) as the young man is about to be married. How this is all resolved makes for what some critics call “brilliant, fantastic, fabulous.” From BFS Entertainment.

First Light

The true story of the experiences of the youngest Spitfire pilot to fight in combat in the Battle of Britain in 1940. Geoffrey Wellum, only 18 at the time, recalls at age 89 the harrowing adventure that still haunts him. If you’re looking for reality television, this fills the bill. Sam Heughan plays Wellum who went to war as a boy and came back a battle-scarred man. Powerful drama from PBS Distribution. I also recommend a new documentary marking the 70^th anniversary of that historic air war, titled The Battle of Britain in which Colin McGregor recalls his experiences as a Royal Air Force pilot who was one of “the Few” who flew in that battle. Aerial films from the sky war enhance the powerful documentary.

Wuthering Heights

More about the creepy British moors. A new British television Masterpiece Theatre version of the Emily Bronte gothic love story that tells more of it than previous versions. Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy star as the tragic lovers, beautiful and willful Catherine Earnshaw and brooding Heathcliff. My master showed me the 1939 version with Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier which most viewers consider the best, as I do, but I still found myself engrossed in the new and longer version. On Blu-ray from PBS Entertainment.

Mansfield Park

A new version of Jane Austen’s novel stars Fanny Price as a young woman who goes to life with wealthy relatives at Mansfield Park and finds intrigue and romance in the mansion there. It would spook me out. Not everything is as it seems to her, and we wonder if she will ever understand its occupants or her place with them, not the least of which is will she find her true love there? A Masterpiece Theatre production on Blu-ray from PBSW Distribution.

Northanger Abbey

Another Masterpiece Theatre re-telling of the Jane Austen novel about a girl who reads so many gothic novels or romance and murder, she has trouble not concluding that both are at the bottom of a mystery at a medieval country mansion. Is the young son of the master of Northanger Abbey part of a plot to cover up a murder in which his father may be the murderer? I’ll never tell, but recommend you see this excellent mystery-romance on Blu-ray from PBS Distribution.

Masterpiece Mysteries: The Complete Inspector Lewis

My master and I have faithfully watched this new British television series and are very glad that it is now on DVD. Inspector Robert Lewis (Kevin Whately) and his partner, Detective Sergeant James Hathaway (Laurence Fox) pit their wits against the top criminals of Oxford, England. All twenty mysteries through series four are on a 10-disc boxed set from PBS Distribution.

Documentaries

I look everywhere for old bones in the back yard, but also love watching with my master Antiques Roadshow on television where people bring their treasures to experts who tell the what they’re worth. Now the best of the series is in a three-disc set from PBS Distribution. Some are found in attics or basements of old houses, some at garage sales, while others are family heirlooms. Items range from a 1795 Massachusetts-made pair of Federal-style side chairs valued up to $50,00, a rare 1800s Rhode Island rifle and power horn values up to $120,00, to posters from the American women’s suffrage movement valued at up to $15,000. One disc focuses solely on political treasures while another shows those rescued from rubbish heaps, dumpsters and demolition sites that are valued now at up to $100,000. Fun antiquing from PBS Distribution.

American Experience: Houdini

Harry Houdini was perhaps the world’s greatest illusionist (not sure if he was a Republican or a Democrat) and escape artist, freeing himself as he tempted fate by performing acts involving drowning or suffocating. His greatest escapes are brought to life through archival films and dramatic recreations performed by Bob Fellows, a modern-day Houdini. The hour-long documentary is from PBS Distribution.

PBS Explorer: Ancient Marvels

A fascinating trip back in time to some of the world’s most amazing ancient wonders.
Ghosts of Machu Picchu takes us to the “Lost City of the Incas,” discovered in 1911, the most famous archaeological ruin in the Western hemisphere. “Riddles of the Sphinx” is a visit to Stonehenge in southern England, perhaps the best-known and most mysterious relic of prehistory. “Secrets of the Parthenon” is a NOVA special about the Greek government’s restoration project that takes us into the minds of the ancient Greeks. “Easter Island/China Bridge” complete the five disc set from PBS Distribution.

The War of 1812

Most of us know little about it, but it is called the war that helped shape the destiny of North America. Next year will be its 200th anniversary, so it’s a good time to watch this fascinating documentary. From 1812 to 1815, Americans battled against the British, Canadian colonists, and native warriors. This two-hour documentary from PBS Television uses re-enactments, animation, and commentary of historians to reveal little-known sides of an important war that reassured America’s freedom and expanded its boundaries.

Jacques Pepin: Essential Pepin

The famous American chef with the French-sounding name shares more than 125 recipes from his long and legendary career that included 26 episodes on television. The three-disc set includes his “The Complete Pepin” and “Jacques Pepin: Fast Food My Way,” from PBS Distribution. Julia Child called Pepin “the best chef in America,” and now you can learn his secrets for a perfect apricot and pistachio soufflé or basic french fries, chocolate truffettes, and simple chicken with tarragon butter. My mouth is watering.

Cook’s Country, Season 4

Filmed in a renovated 1806 New England farmhouse, family-friendly recipes back then are re-imagined for today’s home cook. All 13 episodes from the fourth season of the television series are in a two-disc set from PBS Distribution. Recipes include banana pudding, apple dumpling, Nashville Hot Chicken, and St. Louis BBQ Pork Steak. A bonus feature are printable versions of 27 recipes.

History Detectives: Season 9

My master and I love this television series as people with something old ask experts to find out their history and authenticity. This new three DVD set shows again how modern technology and search methods can shed new light on historical objects. Included are objects from the American Civil War and the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

NOVA: Engineering Ground Zero

The award-winning science series explores the rebirth of the World Trade Center in New York City after the 9-11 terrorism disaster. The site has become one of the largest and most complex restoration objects on the planet. NOVA crews capture behind-the-scenes struggles of architects and engineers to make the buildings safe and highly secure. The program includes interviews with architects, Mayor Michael Bloomberg who is chairman of the 9-11 Memorial Foundation, and Michael Arad, creator of the concept for the 9-11 Memorial.

Craft in America: Family

Four craft artists discuss their creativity. Former President Jimmy Carter meets Philip and Matt, son and grandson of Ed Moulthrop, a Georgian known as the “father of modern woodturning,” who are both carrying on the family tradition. In another segment, Paul Marioni and his son Dante tell about their sculptural and kinetic glass making,. Other segments show Cliff and Holly Lee showing their two sons their craft combining traditional Chinese techniques with modern in creating porcelain vessels and metal art. Lis Sorrell creates fine-crafted custom cowboy boots, one of the few women in this field, and shows her two teenage daughters her skills so they can carry on the craft as a family tradition. Excellent arts and crafts documentary from PBS Distribution.

The Craft in America Collection

All three seasons of the Peabody-award winning television series dedicated to the exploration, preservation, and celebration of craft and its impact on American cultural heritage. The three-disc set tells of the origins of the American craft movement and then advances to how crafts artists tell a story, prove a point, or bring attention to social, political, or historical issues. A wonderful exploration of the many facets of craft artwork in America, from PBS Distribution.

For puppies and kids

RIO

My master and I watched this animated film with some neighbor kids and we all laughed and loved it. If you don’t know, Blu is the hero, a Macaw who never learned to fly while living with his owner and best friend Linda in a small town in Minnesota. Linda thinks Blu is the last of his kind, but then learns there is a female macaw living in Rio de Janeiro, so they go there to find her. Their adventures are exciting and fun for kids and the whole family to watch together. From 20^th Century-Fox.

Spooky Buddies

Don’t you just love puppies? I do! These talking puppies are back in an all-new movie that takes them far across town to a mysterious mansion where something very spooky is going on. In a race against a no-good hound, the Buddies and their new friends, Pip, Zelda, Rodney and Skip, must stop Warwick the Warlock and save the world from his dastardly deeds. It’s a fun doggie adventure for kids and the whole family from Walt Disney.

That’s all for October, movie fans. See you next month at the same fire hydrant.

Woo! Woo!

Max's Best Picks on Blu-ray and DVD, September 2011

We hope you survived Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene, but if you are suffering from it, our prayers are with you.

Where did summer go? It was fun but went too fast, even though my master and I had lots of outings to parks and daily walks. Now the neighborhood kids are back in school, but we get to see them after school and on weekends. I saw some good movies on DVD with my master but we skipped most of the new ones because most of them are for dumb dogs. Once again, as in most previous months, we recommend a few foreign films, mainly because so many of them tell good stories.

IN A BETTER WORLD

“Magnificent. Exceptional. Richly humanistic Extraordinary!” These are some of the critics’ raves for this Danish drama that won this year’s Academy Award and Golden Globe for best foreign language film. It’s a powerful story of two ten-year-old boys and their fathers who are all victimized one way or another by others and have to decide between revenge and forgiveness. A theme seldom explored in films and a very contemporary dilemma in this often violent world. I don’t want to give away the plot but highly recommend this film which keeps you guessing and in suspense up to the very end. Directed by Susanne Bier from her story and the screenplay by Anders Thomas Jensen, with a cast that is unfamiliar to American audiences but which is perfect. The boys are especially terrific actors. In Danish with English subtitles. A Blu-ray/DVD combo pack from Sony Pictures Classics.

Max’s rating: Two paws up and lots of “Woo woo’s!”

THE HARMONISTS

I missed this when it came out a few years ago, but highly recommend it. It’s based on the true story of six men who formed a singing group called the Comedian Harmonists in Germany in 1927. With their blend of humor and harmony, they quickly became national favorites and a kind of Beatles phenomenon, their fame spreading all over Europe. Then the rise of Hitler’s Nazi regime forced them into being banned in 1934 because three of the Harmonists were Jewish. It’s a fascinating film and has some great music, German-Austrian-made, in German with English subtitles, the DVD from Miramax. All the singing is from remastered recordings of the original Harmonists concerts. The film won awards at several film festivals when audiences cheered it as it smartly captures the details of a jazzy, uneasy age of European cabaret and theater in the shadow of a dark history. A real surprise for DVD watchers, with its message that “friendship is the most cherished gift of all.”

Max’s rating: Two paws up and lots of tail wags.

Also recommended:

INSPECTOR LEWIS 4

Four new mysteries to be solved by the masterful inspector:

one involves murders at an all-female college, another about the poisoning of a bishop, a third is about a clinical trial, and the fourth involves a sinister blackmail plot. Inspired by the Inspector Morse novels of Colin Dexter, they will be seen this month and next on PBS Television’s Masterpiece Mysteries series and are on both Blu-ray and DVD from PBS Distribution.

A Blu-Ray Treasure:

CITIZEN KANE

It’s in black and white, but what a picture, and even more terrific in Blu-ray. The 1941 Orson Welles classic, which tops the American Film Institute’s list of greatest films of all time, has been remastered from the original nitrate elements. The boxed 3-DVD set of the 70th Anniversary Collector’s Edition includes three hours of bonus content including deleted scenes, interviews with film critics, one of the film’s stars, Ruth Warrick, and editor Robert Wise. Also, a 48-page photo book, a 20-page reproduction of the original 1941 souvenir program, lobby cards, and reproductions of rare correspondence related to the film. This is a classic you must see on Blu-ray. From Warner Home Video.

Documentaries:

3-D SAFARI AFRICA

Hosted by Emmy award winner Hunter Ellis (of television’s reality series SURVIVOR), this is an amazing travelogue of up-close encounters with the lions, elephants, zebras, giraffes and other wildlife of the African Savannahs. See it in Blu-ray or Blu-ray 3D all on one disc, from Wild Eyes Productions and Millennium Media. This is a 90-minute adventure for the whole family.

DOGS AND MORE DOGS

My favorite subject stars in four DVD specials from the PBS Explorer Collection, first seen on television as NOVA science specials. DOGS: MAN’S BEST FRIEND tells of the origins and history of dogs and their many varieties. DOGS DECODED tells how dogs respond to human emotions. DOGS AND MORE DOGS tells how dogs evolved from wolves to playful pets. HOW SMART ARE ANIMALS? introduces a dog with a vocabulary of more than 1,000 words! THROUGH A DOG’S EYES shows how dogs are helpmates to people with disabilities. These four DVDs cover just about everything you ever wanted to know about dogs. Each disc is an hour long and of course I highly recommend you see the complete collection. Watch it with your dog. If you don’t have one, what are you waiting for? The collection is from PBS Distribution.

NOT IN OUR TOWN, LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

This strong documentary about a hate crime killing traces a New York state community’s reaction to a fatal attack on a local immigrant resident. Stunned by the violence, diverse citizens openly confront the crime and the divisive atmosphere, and take actions to prevent future hate crimes and intolerance. The film provides a message of hope, as civic leaders, students, grandmothers, librarians and store owners take action to repair a culture that has been torn apart by bigotry and fear. A strong subject worth viewing, from PBS Distribution.

SCOTLAND EXPLORED

Tom Weir takes armchair travelers on a wonderful walking journey in Scotland, visiting scenic villages, historic monuments, beautiful lochs and landscapes. A bonnie good 2-DVD set from BFS Entertainment.

OZ & JAMES’ BIG FRENCH WINE ADVENTURE

James May, a beer drinker, knows zilch about wine, so award-winning wine writer Oz Clarke gives him an education about the grape. You’ll learn more about wine too, following the odd couple as they travel through France’s most beautiful wine regions. A 2-DVD set from BBC and BFS Entertainment.

For puppies and kids:

ARTHUR’S MAGIC JAMBOREE

Arthur the aardvark, a favorite of millions of children watching PBS Kids on television will enjoy this 100-minute DVD of eight fun-filled episodes from the series that helps kids develop an interest in reading and writing, and encourage positive social skills. Special features on the DVD include printable coloring pages and activities. The DVD comes just in time for back-to-school. From PBS Distribution.

See you next month at the same fire hydrant, and stay dry!