Max’s Best Blu-ray and DVD Picks -- March 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.
I’m happy to “Woof!” that there are some exceptionally fine films on DVD to recommend to you this month.
Picks of the Month
DOWNTON ABBEY, Season Two
If you loved the first season, you will probably feel the second is as good or even better as the British manor house “upstairs downstairs” story continues into World War II. Class struggles and romances continue with lots of suspense and intrigue. All the characters from the first season resume their roles and several new ones arrive. I won’t give away any of the plot so you can enjoy it all as it unfolds, but assure you that Maggie Smith gets in more sarcastic wit. And the upstairs dog goes missing in an episode that kept me panting. It’s on both Blu-ray and DVD from PBS Entertainment.
Max’s rating: Two paws up and lots of tail wags.
HUGO
A wonderful movie that is also full of wonder and won several Academy Awards last month. Set in 1930s Paris, a boy named Hugo tries to complete the restoration of an automaton that his father was working on before dying. He lives in the Paris train station, and that’s about all the plot I’ll tell you. You’ll love the unfolding of the story as it takes you to several mysteries and surprises in an adventure about the early years of moviemaking and the genius who now is considered the father of motion picture special effects. If you’ve seen AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (1956) you will learn about the filmmaker of the opening segment in which the Man in the Moon is hit in the eye by a large shell from Earth. Martin Scorsese directed Hugo and he grew up much like the boy, entranced by the world of early moviemaking. It’s on DVD and Blu-ray, as I saw it, and also in 3-D from Paramount Pictures. It’s a family-friendly film, but I doubt anyone younger than a teenager or a very smart dog like me would understand it.
THE MILL AND THE CROSS
This film from Poland is unlike any I’ve seen before, and I highly recommend it not only for art lovers and those seeking movies with some religious themes, but for anyone who likes to think and be amazed. It is an attempt to bring to life the famous 1564 painting by Pietr Breugel in which Jesus has collapsed under the weight of carrying the cross, and the event is witnessed by a miller from atop his mill and God who looks down from heaven. A masterpiece from writer-director Lech Majewski. The New York Times said about it, “Lush and hypnotic! An inspiring, alluring meditation about imagery and storytelling.” On DVD from Kino Lorber.
Max’s rating: Two paws up and lots of “Woo! Woos!”
MOZART’S SISTER
You may not have heard of this new French film, but I also highly recommend it. While child protégée Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his parents and teenage sister Maria Anna, five years older than he, traveled by coach to royal courts across Europe in 1763, his compositions astounded royalty. But his also very talented sister was forced to just accompany him on the harpsichord or violin and forbidden by their father to write music of her own because women then were not considered composers of serious music. A special treat for classical music lovers, the film has been called “Gorgeous!” and “Luminous,” and I agree, from the costumes and sets as well as the glorious music and performance by Marie Feret as Mozart’s sister. Teenage girls should love it. On DVD and Blu-ray from Music Box Films Home Entertainment.
Max’s rating: Two paws up and lots of “Woo! Woos!”
Also recommended this month:
FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD
A new Masterpiece Classic telling of the classic novel by Thomas Hardy.Paloma Baeze stars as the beautiful and fiercely independent heroine who loves not wisely nor well. Nathaniel Parker, Jonathan Firth, and Nigel Terry also star in this strong romantic drama seen on PBS Television and now on DVD from PBS Distribution.
THE INDIAN DOCTOR
I’ve enjoyed several movies set in India during the years of British rule, so this is an interesting change. A Delhi-graduate doctor goes to work in a Welsh coal mining village in 1963 and everyone experiences culture shock. It’s from the BBC Television series, on two DVDs from BFS Entertainment.
LAND GIRLS, Series 3
Further adventures of three young British women working on a farm in the Women’s Land Army in rural England during World War II. In this series, Lady Ellen turns Hoxley manor into a hospital after a local military hospital is bombed (shades of DOWNTON ABBEY). On two DVDs from BBC Television and BFS Entertainment.
ZATT
The 1970s science fiction-horror cult classic has been restored in high definition in a special DVD/Blu-ray combo pack from Film Chest on the CULTRA and HD Cinema Classics labels. It’s about a mad scientist who believes he can transform humans into fish. He tries this by using himself as the guinea pig, becoming part man, part walking catfish. Okay, pretty far out, I agree, but it was fun to watch.
BEHIND YOUR EYES
A young couple embark on a weekend visit to meet the husband’s parents. Along the way, things start taking a bad turn when they are kidnapped and held hostage. As they are held captive, secrets from the past unfold. It’s not for children or teenagers, but adults who like thrillers may enjoy it. On DVD from Osiris Entertainment.
Golden Oldies on Blu-ray
Two classics released this month, restored in the amazing sharpness of Blu-ray:
WINGS (1927), the first movie to win an Academy Award for best picture, is beautifully restored. Richard Alen and Charles “Buddy” Rogers star as best friends, pilots during World War I, and silent film queen Clara Bow adds love interest. The aerial scenes are still among the best ever filmed. Though silent in dialogue, two soundtracks are on the disc, an organ and a full orchestra. From Paramount.
CASABLANCA
Of course you remember this, a kiss between Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Berman is still a kiss and a sigh will always be a sigh. Now the beloved movie is available in a special edition 3-disc 70th anniversary boxed set from Warner Home Video. It’s in both Blu-ray and DVD with extras including more than 14 hours with three documentaries (two of them new), a 60-page production art book, and a set of four drink coasters from “Rick’s Café Americain.” What, no dog bowl?
Documentaries
PEOPLE ARE FUNNY
My master said he laughed a lot listening to the 1940s radio game show and then the television version hosted by Art Linkletter, so he was happy to introduce me to the show on DVD from Film Chest. There are 16 full-length episodes of the digitally-restored show from season one. Lots of laughs for the whole family. My master said that when Linkletter was 80 years old, an interviewer asked him what was the greatest change he had noticed in the past years, and he said, “The lack of civility.” And that was twenty years ago! Like, you know, if you will.
SOLARTAXI
This is about an 18-month trip Louis Palmer made around the world in a home-made car powered only by the sun. Along the way, he met princes, movie stars, politicians, scientists, and ordinary people, showing them that solar energy is functional, efficient, and most importantly, reliable. If only our government would get behind this and other forms of energy and get us off our dependence on gas and oil, especially from the Middle East and its endless wars.
FRONTLINE: NUCLEAR AFTERSHOCKS
A series correspondent, Miles O’Brien, takes us to three continents to explore the debate about the safety of nuclear power and the option for alternative energy sources. Also covered are questions about whether a disaster could hit the U.S. like the one at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex.
NATURE: RACCOON NATION
Dogs are not the subject of this documentary about how smart, adaptable, and omnivorous city-dwelling raccoons are, but we could have been. Raccoons’ busy little hands open doors, get into attics, and raid even secured garbage cans to find food and shelter, and are especially fond of big cities as raccoon populations grow in cities such as New York, Chicago, and Toronto. The DVD of the show seen on PBS Television is from PBS Distribution.
NOVA: SEPARATING TWINS
Twin girls, born joined at the head, were abandoned shortly after their birth at an orphanage in Bangladesh. They were taken to Australia by an aid worker, and after two years battling for life joined together, they underwent a series of operations to allow them to live separate lives. This incredible story was seen on PBS Television and now is a NOVA DVD from PBS Distribution.
NATURE: FORTESS OF THE BEARS
This documentary is about the largest group of grizzly bears in the world, at Alaska’s Admiralty Island. About 1,800 grizzlies live in an area half the size of Yellowstone National Park, living on salmon in the area’s streams. Their habitat depends on an uncertain balance between fish, trees, and the weather. This fascinating nature documentary runs one hour and is on both DBD and Blu-ray from PBS Distribution.
AMERICA GOES TO WAR
This is an excellent report on the home front as Americans lived during World War II. The 10-episode series hosted by journalist Eric Sevareid on PBS Television is on DVD from PBS Distribution. Wartime newsreels are interwoven with narrative to reveal the trials and triumphs of this era in American history. My master recalled being a boy in those difficult and dangerous times and said he could have gotten through them better if he had had a dog. A dog like me, I am sure.
ROUGH CUT, Season 2
More new episodes of the popular PBS Television series on how to be a home-grown master woodworker, hosted by likable fTommy MacDonald. Projects include a dressing mirror, coat rack, shaded clock, and gardener’s potting station. Diagram booklet and instructions are included. The DVD is from PBS Distribution.
ANGELIQUE KIDJO AND FRIENDS: SPIRIT RISING
“Africa’s premier diva,” the Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter stars in a live concert paying tribute to her home town of Benin in this musical special seen on PBS Television. Guest stars include Josh Groban, Dianne Reeves, Branford Marsalis and Ezra Kidjo,singing her songs and familiar classics from rock and roll, reggae, Broadway and other sources. The DVD is from PBS Distribution.
SLAVERY BY ANOTHER NAME
Slavery in America ended when Abraham Lincoln signed The Emancipation Proclamation in 1865, right? Wrong. This 90-minute documentary explores the little-known history of another form of slavery in the United States – forced labor. Narrated by actor Laurence Fishburne, the report is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Douglas A. Blackmon, a senior writer for the Wall Street Journal. Thousands of African-Americans, often guilty of no crime, were arrested, compelled to work without pay, repeatedly bought and sold, and forced to obey their owners. Tolerated by both the North and South, forced labor by African-Americans lasted well into the 20th century. Seen on PBS Television and an official selection by the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, the DVD is from PBS Distribution. A strong dose of history that everyone should see.
NOVA: THE MYSTERY OF A MASTERPIECE
Art detectives study stolen and fake art as methodically as crime detectives, in this documentary about a painting of a young woman in Renaissance dress that made world news in October 2009. Bought by an art collector two years earlier for about $20,000, was it an undiscovered masterwork by Leonardo da Vinci worth more than $100 million? Art forensic experts sought to answer the question in this documentary seen on PBS Television and now on DVD from PBS Distribution.
NATURE: KANGAROO MOB
Over the past fifty years, kangaroos have moved out of the bush and been inhabiting Canberra, Australia’s capital city. Their population has exploded from a few hundred to tens of thousands today, forced from drought-stricken hills and hungry, they find food in city and suburban parks and neighborhoods. Can the country’s icon animal be controlled or relocated? Another fascinating documentary seen on PBS Television and now on DVD from PBS Distribution.
NOVA: LINCOLN’S SECRET WEAPON
It was President Abraham Lincoln’s Civil War Ironclad The U.S.S. Monitor, an armored combat vessel that opened a new chapter in naval warfare. The documentary re-enacts the March 1862 battle between the North’s Monitor and the South’s well-armored Merrimack that changed the course of the war. Now the Monitor rests in the nation’s first marine sanctuary, where a team of Navy divers attempt to recover priceless artifacts. An excellent historical documentary seen on PBS Television and now on DVD from PBS Distribution.
THE BEST OF BLUEGRASS UNDERGROUND
Lovers of grass-roots American music will treasure this DVD of a series of live concerts below ground in the Volcano Room of Tennessee’s 32-mile long Cumberland Caverns. The music ranges beyond traditional Bluegrass to serve as a showcase for acts in the genres of Neo-folk, Gospel, and Blue/Jazz/Jamgrass. The DVD is from PBS Distribution.
THE TRAGEDY OF BATAAN
A documentary about the fall of the Philippines and the Bataan Death March in the early months of World War II. Actor Alec Baldwin narrates the documentary which includes first-person accounts by U.S. military and Filipino survivors and never-before-seen Japanese propaganda film footage. As seen on PBS Television, the DVD is from PBS Distribution.
MISTER ROGERS AND ME
During his years as host of one of children’s television’s favorite series, Mister Rogers summered in a modest house on a quiet corner of Nantucket Island. MTV television producer Benjamin Wagner’s mother rented the cottage next door. After Mr. Rogers’ death in 2003, Wagner and his brother, Christofer, spoke with others who knew him and the result is this report about his values which encouraged him and everyone to lead “deeper, simpler” lives. A wonderful documentary seen on PBS Television and on DVD from PBS Distribution.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: BILLY THE KID
The wonderful PBS Television series focuses on the life and legend of the young man who, orphaned at the age of 15 and alone in a tough mining town, became the most notorious outlaw of the Old West. My master and I have seen just about every movie ever made about Billy the Kid, some of them classics, but this apparently tells the true story of his rise and fall. An especially exciting entry in the American Experience series seen on PBS Television and on DVD from PBS Distribution.
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO
The world’s first globe-trotter traveled from Venice to China and back and then wrote about his adventures which were largely not believed. Two modern-day adventurers, Denis Belliveau, a wedding photographer, and Francis O’Donnell, an artist and former Marine, spent two recent years retracing Polo’s route to film this wonderful documentary in an attempt to see what Polo saw and learned what he must have felt on his journey. As seen on PBS Television, now on DVD from PBS Distribution.
SURVING HITLER: A LOVE STORY
This true-life documentary follows two young lovers whose lives are changed forever during Nazi control of Germany in the 1940s. The teenage girl, Jutta, discovers she is Jewish, then joins the German resistance and meets Helmuth, an injured German soldier. They fall in love and become co-conspirators in a daring plot to assassinate Hitler. In old 8mm films taken by Helmut, Jutta tells their story for what you will be glad to learn is a happy ending. First aired on BBC Television, the documentary is from Osiris Entertainment.
RECONCILIATION: MANDELA’S MIRACLE
A fascinating profile of Nelson Mandela, South African leader who saved his country from bloody civil war and ended the system of apartheid (separation of white and black people) not through a spirit of revenge for injustice but of reconciliation. His message and example led to a peaceful transition from apartheid to a democracy. The documentary examines the political, moral, and spiritual legacy of Mandela. First seen on PBS Television, the DVD is from PBS Distribution.
For children and puppies:
PUSS IN BOOTS
Young children ought to enjoy this family-friendly tale based on the swashbuckling, boot-wearing cat from the fable by Charles Perrault. In this adventure, Puss (voiced by Antonio Banderas) is a fugitive trying to clear his name. This takes him to trying to steal some magic beans from Jack and Jill and helping Humpty Dumpty so he, Puss, can get to a Giant’s castle in the sky and steal the goose that lays golden eggs. Lots of nonsense, but fun for kids. On DVD, Blu-ray and in 3-D from Dreamworks.
WORDGIRL: THE RISE OF MISS POWER
Nobody likes being bullied – not even dogs. This new Emmy award-winning animated series from Scholastic Media, a division of Scholastic, the children’s publishing and education company, follows the life and adventures of intergalactic WordGirl as she fights crime and adds to kids’ vocabularies. In this episode, with guest star Jane Lynch, WordGirl tackles the topic of bullying in a 70-minute DVD that was first seen last month on PBS KIDS GO! television. A special birthday party for WordGirl is also on the disc, along with an interactive game, video shorts, and coloring pages, from PBS International. The series is exciting and fun for kids.
ARTHUR’S TRAVEL ADVENTURES
Kids’ favorite cartoon aardvark learns about the ocean, a farm, and more in his travels that help kids to love to read and learn social skills.A star of PBS Kids, Arthur’s adventures are on DVD from PBS Distribution.
PEEP AND THE BIG WIDE WORLD
Peep, a newly-hatched chicken, and his friends Chirp, a robin, and Quack, of course a duck, star in two new adventures, BRINGING SPRING and FINDERS KEEPERS. Kids love these characters on PBS Television and will enjoy seeing them on this DVD from PBS Distribution.
See you again next month at the same fire hydrant.
