May 2008
	by Max (with Walt Oleksy)	view previous issues here

The emphasis this month is recommending new movies and television shows now on DVD from England, Canada, Ireland, and Scotland. Max’s ratings: Lots of “woof woof!s” with a British accent.

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THE WATER HORSE

It’s 1942, and a Scottish boy, winningly played by Axel Etel, who starred in the sleeper MILLIONS, waits with his mother and sister for his father to come back from World War II. His bleak world turns into an adventure when he finds a small sea creature under a rock. It grows and grows into a sea monster that changes everyone’s lives. Reminiscent of E.T., it’s very entertaining and inspirational, from Sony Pictures.

BON COP BAD COP

An odd couple of Canadian detectives provide excitement and laughs in this Canadian award-winning film. Colm Feore and Patrick Huard star as law enforcement officers, one in Montreal and the other in Ontario. They cross more than borders to hunt down a serial killer. From American Home Treasures and BFS Entertainment.

STATE OF PLAY

There is top-notch story-telling and acting in this six-part British political thriller miniseries from 2003. Bill Nighy, James McAvoy, and John Simm head a strong cast as journalists drawn into political intrigue and suspense. David Morrissey plays a member of Parliament who may be more involved than he pretends, and Polly Walker plays his sensual wife. See it before it becomes a movie with Russell Crowe so you get the full picture. From BBC Television.

A ROOM WITH A VIEW

The E.M. Forster romantic novel set in Florence and Rome, Italy in 1912 was made into an excellent movie a few years ago, but this longer version for Masterpiece television is in some ways even more satisfying. Elaine Cassidy plays the British girl discovering Italy and romance for the first time, with Rafe Spall as the suitor. There’s a surprise ending that wasn’t in the movie. From WGBH Boston Video.

THE GRAND: COMPLETE COLLECTION

A wonderful British television miniseries in the period drama tradition of Upstairs, Downstairs and The Duchess of Duke Street. The action centers around a fashionable hotel in Manchester during the Roaring ’20s, so there is plenty of opportunity for that decade’s costumes, sets, and music to showcase the scandals, romance, and intrigue. There’s all that in the script written by Russell T. Davis who wrote the DOCTOR WHO and TORCHWOOD TV series. Three-time Emmy-winner Susan Hampshire heads a strong cast in the 18-episode series produced in 1997 and 1998. The boxed set of DVDs is from Acorn Media.

THE ADAMS CHRONICLES

Not the new television series, but the acclaimed 1976 miniseries tracing 150 years of American history through the lives of John Adams and his heirs. Produced for America’s bicentennial, the series was based on more than 300,000 pages of historical documents, had a cast of 1,100 actors, and had 250 studio and location sets. Starring George Grizzard as John Adams, it featured William Daniels as John Quincy Adams, and won four Emmys and a Peabody Award.
Vivid history from Acorn Media.

AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’

Robson Green, who usually stalks killers in British movies, does a subtle comic turn in this very entertaining 3-part TV series set in London during World War II involving “air raids, gangsters, big bands, and bombs.” He plays a singing draft-dodger who gets teamed as band vocalists with a Royal Air Force hero, played by Jerome Flynn. The two make a great comic team as they try to escape from and uncover black marketeers. Good wartime songs, too. From BBC Television and Acorn Media.

MY BOY JACK

Rudyard Kipling, a staunch supporter and chronicler of British colonialism in his fiction, itches in real life for his 17-year-old son to volunteer to fight the Germans at the start of World War I. Jack is blind without his glasses, but nonetheless determined to go to war to prove himself a man and also win his father’s approval. Father Kipling pulls enough strings to get the boy accepted into the army upon just turning 18. The ensuing battlefield recreations are horrifyingly realistic and the drama does not have a happy ending, but is well worth seeing. David Haig stars as the famous author in his own screenplay and Daniel Radcliffe
plays the son, proving he has a career after Harry Potter. The Masterpiece television production is on DVD from BBC Television.

AMONGST WOMEN

This family drama set in 1950s Ireland is about an embittered ex-IRA soldier, a widower alienated from his sons and daughters. Based on the John McGehern novel, it was named best television drama by the Irish equivalent of the Academy Awards and also won honors for its star, Tony Doyle.
Very strong drama well worth watching, from BFS Entertainment.

THE AMBASSADOR, SERIES 2

Pauline Collins reprises her role as a British ambassador to Ireland in the second of the popular 1988 Brit television series. While trying to reconcile the political differences of both governments, her son blames her for the death of her husband who was murdered. Interesting drama from BBC Television.

DNA

Tom Conti stars as a criminologist who leads Manchester, England’s crack forensic investigations unit, using science to catch killers. Lots of procedural details and plot twists in this suspense series from Granada. Five episodes are in the complete series one and two in a 2 DVD boxed set from Acorn Media.

DA VINCI’S INQUEST

Nicholas Campbell plays a cop turned crusading coroner in Vancouver, Canada to discover “the manner and cause of death” in any suspicious accident or crime. If you like U.S. television series CSI and Law & Order, you will probably like this Canadian series that blends tough detective work with sophisticated science. From Program Partners and Acorn Media.

Three comedy classics from Paramount Pictures are now available on DVD: EASY LIVING (1937) with Jean Arthur and Ray Milland; THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR(1942) with Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland; and MIDNIGHT (1939) with Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche, and John Barrymore.

In EASY LIVING, a delightful screwball comedy written by Preston Sturges, poor office worker Arthur is riding on top a double-decker bus when she’s hit on the head with an expensive fur coat. Millionaire Edward Arnold tossed it out the penthouse during an argument with his wife. Arnold hires Arthur to pretend they’re lovers so as to make his wife jealous. Things really get complicated when Milland, who is Arnold’s son, falls for Arthur. The chaotic scene in the automat is lots of laughs. The film helped Arthur along the way to becoming one of the screen’s best comediennes.

THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR, written by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett, was Wilder’s directorial debut. It’s a breezy World War II farce in which Rogers masquerades as a minor to get a lower-priced train ticket, and Army Major Milland comes to her aid. Ginger’s notorious real-life “stage mother” plays a nice cameo as her mother in the movie. The comedy is a total delight.

Bracket and Wilder’s MIDNIGHT is set in Paris with Colbert as a struggling showgirl, Barrymore as a wealthy lothario, and Ameche as a taxi driver who falls in love with Colbert. Mary Astor plays Barrymore’s wife. She and “The Great Profile” had been lovers in real life, 20 years earlier. To further complicate matters, Barrymore’s wife, Elaine Barrie, also was in the cast. Astor recalled later, “He was sick and old” during the filming, “and couldn’t remember his lines, so he worked off cue cards. He still acted rings around anyone else.”

BETTE DAVIS COLLECTION

Six films from the not-quite 4-star library of Davis dramas is available in the BETTE DAVIS COLLECTION VOL. 3. They include THE GREAT LIE, WATCH ON THE RHINE, IN THIS OUR LIFE, DECEPTION, ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO and THE OLD MAID. There’s mostly soap opera in the films, but when Bette lathers up, it’s quality soap. Mary Astor won the best supporting actress Oscar trying to take George Brent away from Bette in THE GREAT LIE. From Warner Bros.

EAST L.A. MARINE

You may have seen the 1960 movie HELL TO ETERNITY in which handsome, blue-eyed Caucasian actor Jeffrey Hunter portrayed Guy Gabaldon, a young Marine who single-handedly captured 1,500 Japanese prisoners on Saipan during World War II. Based on the real-life heroism of Gabaldon, the movie didn’t get it quite right. Gabaldon was actually of Hispanic descent, growing up in East Los Angeles with many Japanese-American friends. Although his heroism lies somewhere between Sergeant York and Audie Murphy in prisoners captured during wartime, Gabaldon has thus far been denied the Congressional Medal of Honor. After seeing this documentary, the untold story of Guy Gabaldon, you may want to join a number of Senators, Congress persons, civic leaders, and military who would like to see this injustice corrected by signing a petition at www.getguythemedal.com. An inspiring documentary from Arts Alliance America.

CASANOVA’S LOVE LETTERS

Patrick Bergin plays “the world’s greatest lover” in this docudrama tracing the life and exploits of the international playboy and adventurer. Maybe he was more than just a lover after all. From BFS Entertainment.

WEIR’S WAY

Explore Scotland’s history and scenery with Tom Weir, who walked the country for twenty years. Highlights of his adventures which were televised for two decades are in a 2-disc set from BFS Entertainment. It’s a wee pleasant journey you’ll be glad you took. And don’t forget to take the dog along!

GREEN ON DVD

A series of three new environmentally-friendly documentaries are on DVD from WGBH Boston Video. BUILDING GREEN is an exploration of green building techniques and alternatives. CAR OF THE FUTURE shows hybrid automobiles that plug into an electric outlet and an electric sports car that goes from zero to 60 in four seconds. BECOMING GREEN: GROWING ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS tells how the movement began and gained momentum and what we can do to save our planet, from NOVA and American Experience television series.

SECRETS OF THE PARTHENON

A team of architects and engineers investigate the mysteries of the Greek landmark that for 25 centuries has been shot at, set on fire, rocked by earthquakes, looted for its sculptures, and disfigured by misguided restorations. A fascinating documentary from NOVA and WGBH Boston Video.

MAHATMA GANDHI

The life and times of the Indian leader whose belief in civil disobedience and passive resistance inspired future struggles in the cause of civil rights and freedom. The documentary includes archival film footage, rare photos, and commentary for new insights into Gandhi’s life and influence. From Kultur.

WHEN THE MOORS RULED IN EUROPE

A fascinating two-part documentary spanning the 700-year history of Islamic rule on the Iberian Peninsula. British historian Bettany Hughes takes us on an exploration of a long-buried chapter of European history, the rise and fall of Islamic culture in what is now Spain and Portugal. Rich history from Acorn Media.

LITTLE DEVIL

Ten-year-old Ollie tries to keep his parents’ marriage together in an unique way. Instead of being good, he becomes very, very bad. The results are “a delight to watch,” says one critic, and I agree. Robson Green stars.
From American Home Treasures and BFS Entertainment.

STARGATE INFINITY

The complete series of 26 episodes of the animated television series for young viewers, inspired by the feature film and its two popular television spin-offs, is available on four DVDs in a boxed set from Shout Factory. It’s a Star Wars-type space adventure featuring young cadets in many adventures.

GRIZZLY TALES

Kids aged 6 to 12 should like these spooky tales from Granada International and PorchLight Home Entertainment.
There are laughs amid the life lessons based on the books by English author Jamie Rix.

FUNKY VALLEY

Kids aged 2 to 5 can go down on the farm in this animated animal adventure from Granada and PorchLight. The 13 episodes of funny, simple fables should keep preschoolers amused and occupied for a while.

I turn this section over to George Carlin this month, agreeing with him 100 percent. We’re talking new movies based on TV series such as “The Incredible Hulk” and “The Brady Bunch.” Says Carlin: “If you're going to insist on making movies based on crappy old television shows, then you have to give everyone in the Cineplex a remote so we can see what's playing on the other screens. Let's remember the reason something was a television show in the first place is that the idea wasn't good enough to be a movie.”