Max’s Best Blu-ray and DVD Picks – July 2012
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 birthday 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 figure 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.
P.S. I thought you’d like to know I appreciate my master so much, I gave him a big marrow bone for Father’s Day.
Everyone’s so busy these days, I keep my recommendations brief. Here goes for what I think you’ll like on DVD this month.
THE ARTIST
The silent black and white movie that won the Best Picture Academy Award. I loved it, especially the dog which now has his
paw prints on the Hollywood Walk of Fame along with Lassie and Rin Tin Tin. Love those doggies. The DVD is from Sony Pictures,
but don't adjust the color sound because it's in black and white and silent. As if you didn't know!
FOOTNOTE
The complicated, competitive relationship (no, not between a dog and its master), but a father and a son, both of them eccentric Jewish professors of Talmudic studies. The father is a stubborn purist who has never been recognized for his work, and fears the establishment. His son is an up-and-coming star in the field who seeks recognition the way I seek marrow bones. One day everything changes when the father is to be awarded the Israel Prize, the highest honor in the country. In an ironic twist, it puts the son’s career advancement up against his father’s recognition. In Hebrew with English subtitles, nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign language film, this is a “wise and playful comedy” (says the Wall Street Journal). Rated PG (parental guidance) because of brief nudity, strong language, and smoking. On both Blu-ray and DVD from Sony Pictures.
SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS
Is there no end to the new movies about the famous sleuth? I guess not, because they keep coming, in films and on television. This is the second pairing of Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Doctor Watson, more handsome and dashing than anyone has ever played him before.
They investigate some anarchist bombings that could plunge France and Germany into war in 1891, and suspect their old nemesis Professor Moriarty is behind it all. It’s good mystery fun on Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Bros.
CLASSIC ON DVD
HONDO
One of John Wayne’s best westerns, now available on Blu-ray from Paramount. In the 1953 fim he plays an 1870 Army rider who comes to the secluded ranch of Geraldine Page and her 6-year-old son, Lee Aaker. Her husband ran off during an Apache raid and she tries to run the place herself. In another Apache raid, Aaker proves himself to be brave and the Indians vow not to return to harm them. Wayne goes to a nearby fort where he meets Page’s cowardly husband, they fight, the husband is killed, and it ends with… but I won’t tell that. A rousing old-fashioned western that was first shown in 3-D but just gets the restored Blu-ray treatment this time around.
From TV to DVD
ENDEAVOUR
Those Brits really know how to put out a good mystery. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Inspector Morse television series they offer two new DVD releases, both available on Blu-ray and DVD. This one is a prequel to the series, taking us back to when Morse was a neophyte to detective work. Shaun Evans does a nice job playing Constable Endeavour Morse who is bored with police work and almost quits, until a murder maybe only he can solve. He’s an unlikely sleuth, an Oxford University dropout in the 1960s who loves crossword puzzles and opera more than the Beatles. But when others are baffled about the crime, he follows clues that lead to the killer and high-level corruption to boot. It’s a 90-minute movie on one DVD from PBS Distribution.
INSPECTOR LEWIS 5
The second Inspector Morse anniversay DVD focuses on his former sidekick, Robert Lewis. Kevin Whately returns as Lewis, with help from his young partner, played by Laurence Fox, to solve more mysteries in the university city of Oxford, England. In “The Soul of Genius” a botanist digs up the recently buried body of a man possessed with solving a riddle by Lewis Carroll, author of “Alice in Wonderland.” Was that quest why he was killed? “Generation of Vipers” makes Lewis suspect that an Internet dating blog can determine whether he is investigating a woman’s murder or her suicide. In “Fearful Symmetry” Lewis investigates the murder of a babysitter, and in “The Indelible Stain” an American professor is found strangled, perhaps due to politics, ambition, or vengeance. If you like your mysteries bloodless but fascinating, this new entry in the Inspector Lewis series could be your cup of tea. Two DVDs running a total of 360 minutes, also from PBS Distribution.
Documentaries
NOVA: WHY SHIPS SINK
Are modern cruise ships safe? On the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the “unsinkable” Titanic, this NOVA special answers that question for the 20 million people who take cruise ship vacations each year, vacationing aboard “floating cities” with swimming pools, shopping malls, ice skating rinks and gourmet restaurants. Some engineers are worried about the giant ships being unstable. The hour-long DVD is from PBS Entertainment.
AMERICAN MASTERS: JOHNNY CARSON, KING OF LATE NIGHT
My master said he watched Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show” almost every night and wanted me to see why he loved him and his show so much. This 2-hour documentary profiles the life and career of the Great Carson and now I know why he is Numero Uno with my master. Kevin Spacey narrates the documentary which follows Carson and “The Tonight Show” over 30 years and 4,531 episodes with 23,000 guests. In a 2007 poll, Americans voted Carson the greatest icon in the history of television. Don’t miss this one, to learn about why Carson was the greatest on TV and also was such a great human being. One thing even my master learned was that Carson kept his philanthropy secret, while he gave away millions to help others. On both Blu-ray and DVD from PBS Distribution.
INSPECTOR MORSE’S OXFORD
To celebrate the 25th anniversay of this popular British detective series that starred John Thaw, PBS Television has brought out this special which takes a tour of the places and buildings in and around Oxford University that played background roles. Kevin Whately who played Inspector Lewis and then continued in that spinoff series goes along with Morse scholar Antony Richards in this 84 minute travel documentary from BFS Entertainment.
FRENCH CHEF: JULIA CHILD’S FRENCH CLASSICS
Everyone’s favorite television chef with the raspy voice and chicken pot full of charm is back in six episodes from her famous television cooking series in the 1960s. She shows what she learned while studying at Le Cordon Blue in paris and years of work on her groundbreaking book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Among her cooking tips are how to choose and prepare cuts of meat, shop and saute onions, achieve the perfect simmer, and the safest way to flambe. She does this by whipping up French onion soup, Quinche Lorraine, Chocolate Mousse, French Apple Tarts, and many more mouth-watering French dishes. The DVD honors her for what would have been her 100th birthday this August 15. Three hours of great culinary entertainment on DVD from PBS Distribution. “Bon appetit!” and don’t forget to leave me the bones.
INSIDE NATURE’S GIANTS: GIANT SQUID and CAMEL
I really liked these two wildlife documentaries and think you will, too. They don’t focus on animal behavior, but you’ll learn about the largest animals on the planet as scientists explore their anatomy, reveal their intricate inner working, and uncover their evolutionary secrets. Veterinary scientist Mark Evans and comparative anatomist Joy Reidenberg flew to New Zealand to join a team dissecting a rare specimen of a giant squid and a bizarre octopus who lived more than a half mile down intro the ocean’s “midnight zone.” Evans and Reidenberg also take us to the Australian outback to explore the ultimate desert survivor, the camel. Camels were brought to Australia by settlers a century ago and their numbers continue to increase “down under.” Each DVD runs a hour and is from PBS Distribution.
FRONTLINE: MONEY, POWER, AND WALL STREET
You remember money, don’t you? It was spread around for years, until now mostly the top 2 percent of Americans have most of it. This documentary tells how that happened in the inside story of the origins of the financial meltdown and battle to save the global economy. Looked into are key decisins, missed opportunities, and unprecedented moves made by government and banking leaders that put big bucks into a few pockets and left the rest of us with chopped liver. The 4-hour-long documenteary is on two DVDs from PBS Distribution.
MARTIN LUTHER KING: THE ASSASSINATION TAPES
As seen on the Smithsonian Channel on TV, this terrific documentary is the story of the last days of Dr. King, told through rare radio and televisio news accounts, many of them not seen or heard since his death in 1968.
Films reconstruct his shooting on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Mephis, Tenn., his final days, and his famous “Mountaintop speech,” through his murder and its aftermath. The DVD is from Inception Media Group.
FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR.
If you haven’t seen this new series on PBS Television, you’re missing great entertainment as the Harvard University professor explores race, culture, and identity through genealogy and genetics of some currently famous people. This DVD traces the origins of 25 people including Harry Connick, Jr., Samue L. Jackson, Barbara Walters, Branford Marsalis, Condoleezza Rice, and others.
QUEEN & COUNTRY
A documentary honoring Britain’s Queen Elizabeth’s 60 years as monarch last month. Newman Sir Trevor McDonald reports on the customs surrounding the monarchy, from the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace to the queen’s royal visits which take us inside some of the greatest historic royal places.
A four-hour special on two discs, on both Blu-ray and DVD from PBS Distribution.
NATURE: CRACKING THE KOALA CODE
The adorable mammal from Australia is studied in this documentary that reveals their world is far from cute and cuddly, but rather is filled withsocial pressure, conflict, diseas, overcrowding, and living dangrously in the forests and busy suburbs of Brisbane. The hour-long documentary is on both Blu-ray and DVD from PBS Distribution.
HIDDEN INDIA: THE KERALA SPICELANDS
A unique southwest corner of India is explored in this documentary. Called the Venice of South Asia, Kerals has fabulous cultural and food traditions, the birthplace of black pepper, ginger, and cinnamon. It also is a place where Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Jews all have lived together in peace and harmony for centuries. Far from being isolated, for at least 3,000 years the small region has attracted merchants, fisherman, and settlers from other countries. It’s a very interesting hour-long documentary on DVD from PBS Distribution.
MEXICO: THE ROYAL TOUR
President Felipe Calderon hosts a tour of his beautiful and historically rich country. With travel editor Peter Greenberg, we visit ruins of lost civilizatons by foot and hot air balloon, watch whales in Baja California, and go rappelling into a seemingly bottomless pit, among other adventures. The hour-long documentary is from PBS Distribution.
THE AUTISM ENIGMA
Scientists examine the causes of the disorder that strikes many children and has increased 600 percent in the last 20 years. They suspect it is not a hereditary disorder but is triggered by our toxic environment. The hour-long documentary from Canada is on DVD from PBS Distribution.
See you at the same fire hydrant next month. Woo woo! And stay cool!
Max’s Best Blu-ray and DVD Picks – July 2012
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 birthday 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 figure 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.
P.S. I thought you’d like to know I appreciate my master so much, I gave him a big marrow bone for Father’s Day.
Everyone’s so busy these days, I keep my recommendations brief. Here goes for what I think you’ll like on DVD this month.
THE ARTIST
The silent black and white movie that won the Best Picture Academy Award. I liked it but have to say the subject was done much better in
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN in 1952. The best thing about THE ARTIST is the dog.
FOOTNOTE
The complicated,
competitive relationship (no, not between a dog and its master), but a father
and a son, both of them eccentric Jewish professors of Talmudic studies. The
father is a stubborn purist who has never been recognized for his work, and
fears the establishment. His son is an up-and-coming star in the field who
seeks recognition the way I seek marrow bones. One day everything changes when
the father is to be awarded the Israel Prize, the highest honor in the country. In an ironic
twist, it puts the son’s career advancement up against his father’s
recognition. In Hebrew with English
subtitles, nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign language film, this
is a “wise and playful comedy” (says the Wall Street Journal). Rated PG
(parental guidance) because of brief nudity, strong language, and smoking. On
both Blu-ray and DVD from Sony Pictures.
SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME
OF SHADOWS
Is there no end to the
new movies about the famous sleuth? I guess not, because they keep coming, in
films and on television. This is the second pairing of Robert Downey Jr. as
Holmes and Jude Law as Doctor Watson, more handsome and dashing than anyone has
ever played him before.
They investigate some
anarchist bombings that could plunge France and Germany into war in 1891, and suspect their old nemesis Professor
Moriarty is behind it all. It’s good mystery fun on Blu-ray and DVD from
Warner Bros.
CLASSIC ON DVD
HONDO
One of John Wayne’s best westerns, now available on Blu-ray from Paramount.
In the 1953 fim he plays an 1870 Army rider who comes to the secluded ranch of
Geraldine Page and her 6-year-old son, Lee Aaker. Her husband ran off during an
Apache raid and she tries to run the place herself. In another Apache raid,
Aaker proves himself to be brave and the Indians vow not to return to harm
them. Wayne goes to a nearby fort where he meets Page’s cowardly husband, they
fight, the husband is killed, and it ends with… but I won’t tell that. A rousing old-fashioned western that was
first shown in 3-D but just gets the restored Blu-ray treatment this time
around.
From TV to DVD
ENDEAVOUR
Those Brits really know how to put
out a good mystery. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the
Inspector Morse television series they offer two new DVD releases, both available on
Blu-ray and DVD. This one is a prequel to the series, taking us back to when Morse
was a neophyte to detective work. Shaun
Evans does a nice job playing Constable Endeavour Morse who is bored with
police work and almost quits, until a murder maybe only he can solve. He’s an
unlikely sleuth, an Oxford University dropout in the 1960s who loves crossword puzzles and opera more than
the Beatles. But when others are baffled about the crime, he follows clues that
lead to the killer and high-level corruption to boot. It’s a 90-minute movie on
one DVD from PBS Distribution.
INSPECTOR LEWIS 5
The second Inspector Morse
anniversay DVD focuses on his former
sidekick, Robert Lewis. Kevin Whately returns as Lewis, with help from his
young partner, played by Laurence Fox, to solve more mysteries in the
university city of Oxford, England. In “The Soul of Genius” a botanist digs up the recently buried body of
a man possessed with solving a riddle by Lewis Carroll, author of “Alice in Wonderland.” Was
that quest why he was killed? “Generation of Vipers” makes Lewis suspect that
an Internet dating blog can determine whether he is investigating a woman’s
murder or her suicide. In “Fearful Symmetry” Lewis investigates the murder of a
babysitter, and in “The Indelible Stain” an American professor is found
strangled, perhaps due to politics, ambition, or vengeance. If you like your
mysteries bloodless but fascinating, this new entry in the Inspector Lewis
series could be your cup of tea. Two DVDs running a total of 360 minutes, also
from PBS Distribution.
Documentaries
NOVA: WHY SHIPS SINK
Are modern cruise ships safe? On
the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the “unsinkable” Titanic,
this NOVA special answers that question for the 20 million people who take
cruise ship vacations each year, vacationing aboard “floating cities” with
swimming pools, shopping malls, ice skating rinks and gourmet restaurants. Some
engineers are worried about the giant ships being unstable. The hour-long DVD is from PBS Entertainment.
AMERICAN MASTERS: JOHNNY
CARSON, KING OF LATE NIGHT
My master said he watched Johnny
Carson’s “The Tonight Show” almost every night and wanted me to see why he
loved him and his show so much. This 2-hour documentary profiles the life and
career of the Great Carson and now I know why he is Numero Uno with my master. Kevin Spacey
narrates the documentary which follows Carson and “The Tonight
Show” over 30 years and 4,531 episodes with 23,000 guests. In a 2007 poll, Americans
voted Carson the greatest icon in the history of television. Don’t miss this one, to learn about why Carson was the greatest on
TV and also was such a great human being. One thing even my master learned was
that Carson kept his philanthropy secret, while he gave away millions to help
others. On both Blu-ray and DVD from PBS Distribution.
INSPECTOR MORSE’S OXFORD
To celebrate the 25th
anniversay of this popular British detective series that starred John Thaw, PBS
Television has brought out this special which takes a tour of the places and
buildings in and around Oxford University that played background roles. Kevin
Whately who played Inspector Lewis and then continued in that spinoff series
goes along with Morse scholar Antony Richards in this 84 minute travel
documentary from PBS Distribution.
FRENCH CHEF: JULIA
CHILD’S FRENCH CLASSICS
Everyone’s favorite television
chef with the raspy voice and chicken pot full of charm is back in six episodes
from her famous television cooking series in the 1960s. She shows what she
learned while studying at Le Cordon Blue in paris and years of work
on her groundbreaking book, Mastering the
Art of French Cooking. Among her cooking tips are how to choose and prepare
cuts of meat, shop and saute onions, achieve the perfect simmer, and the safest
way to flambe. She does this by whipping up French onion soup, Quinche Lorraine, Chocolate Mousse,
French Apple Tarts, and many more mouth-watering French dishes. The DVD honors her for what would have
been her 100th birthday this August 15. Three hours of great
culinary entertainment on DVD from PBS Distribution. “Bon appetit!” and don’t forget to leave me
the bones.
INSIDE NATURE’S GIANTS:
GIANT SQUID and CAMEL
I really liked these two wildlife
documentaries and think you will, too. They don’t focus on animal behavior, but
you’ll learn about the largest animals on the planet as scientists explore
their anatomy, reveal their intricate inner working, and uncover their
evolutionary secrets. Veterinary scientist Mark Evans and comparative anatomist
Joy Reidenberg flew to New Zealand to join a team dissecting a rare specimen of
a giant squid and a bizarre octopus who lived more than a half mile down intro
the ocean’s “midnight zone.” Evans and Reidenberg also take us to the Australian
outback to explore the ultimate desert survivor, the camel. Camels were brought
to Australia by settlers a century ago and their numbers continue to increase
“down under.” Each DVD runs a hour and is from PBS Distribution.
FRONTLINE: MONEY, POWER,
AND WALL
STREET
You remember money, don’t you? It
was spread around for years, until now mostly the top 2 percent of Americans
have most of it. This documentary tells how that happened in the inside story
of the origins of the financial meltdown and battle to save the global economy.
Looked into are key decisins, missed opportunities, and unprecedented moves
made by government and banking leaders that put big bucks into a few pockets
and left the rest of us with chopped liver. The 4-hour-long documenteary is on two DVDs from PBS
Distribution.
MARTIN LUTHER KING: THE
ASSASSINATION TAPES
As seen on the Smithsonian Channel
on TV, this terrific documentary is the story of the last days of Dr. King,
told through rare radio and televisio news accounts, many of them not seen or
heard since his death in 1968.
Films reconstruct his shooting on
the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Mephis, Tenn., his final days,
and his famous “Mountaintop speech,” through his murder and its aftermath. The DVD is from Inception Media Group.
FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH
HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR.
If you haven’t seen this new
series on PBS Television, you’re missing great entertainment as the Harvard University professor explores race, culture, and identity through genealogy and
genetics of some currently famous people. This DVD traces the origins of 25 people
including Harry Connick, Jr., Samue L. Jackson, Barbara Walters, Branford
Marsalis, Condoleezza Rice, and others.
QUEEN & COUNTRY
A documentary honoring Britain’s Queen Elizabeth’s 60 years as monarch last month. Newman Sir Trevor
McDonald reports on the customs surrounding the monarchy, from the Changing of
the Guard at Buckingham Palace to the queen’s royal visits which take us inside
some of the greatest historic royal places.
A four-hour special on two discs,
on both Blu-ray and DVD from PBS Distribution.
NATURE: CRACKING THE
KOALA CODE
The adorable mammal from Australia is studied in this documentary that reveals their world is far from
cute and cuddly, but rather is filled withsocial pressure, conflict, diseas,
overcrowding, and living dangrously in the forests and busy suburbs of Brisbane. The hour-long
documentary is on both Blu-ray and DVD from PBS Distribution.
HIDDEN INDIA: THE KERALA SPICELANDS
A unique southwest corner of India is explored in this documentary. Called the Venice of South Asia, Kerals has fabulous cultural and
food traditions, the birthplace of black pepper, ginger, and cinnamon. It also
is a place where Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Jews all have lived together
in peace and harmony for centuries. Far from being isolated, for at least 3,000
years the small region has attracted merchants, fisherman, and settlers from
other countries. It’s a very interesting
hour-long documentary on DVD from PBS Distribution.
MEXICO: THE ROYAL TOUR
President Felipe Calderon hosts a
tour of his beautiful and historically rich country. With travel editor Peter Greenberg, we visit
ruins of lost civilizatons by foot and hot air balloon, watch whales in Baja California, and go rappelling into a seemingly bottomless pit, among other
adventures. The hour-long documentary is from PBS Distribution.
THE AUTISM ENIGMA
Scientists examine the causes of
the disorder that strikes many children and has increased 600 percent in the
last 20 years. They suspect it is not a hereditary disorder but is triggered by
our toxic environment. The hour-long documentary from Canada is on DVD from PBS Distribution.
See you at the same fire
hydrant next month. Woo woo! And stay cool!
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