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PERFECT STRANGERS

Brilliant British playwright Stephen Poliakoff scores big in this fascinating story that aired on British television in 2001. Michael Gambon, one of the finest actors in movies today, stars as the slightly kooky head of a family in a role that won him the British TV Best Actor award. Incredibly talented and beautiful Lindsay Duncan co-stars as a loving surrogate mother to three beautiful children whose lives are adversely changed by a tragedy that befalls one of them. Handsome young newcomer Matthew Macfadyen more than holds his own as Gambon’s impressionable son who is eager to fall in love and also to solve some very puzzling family mysteries. It all takes place on a weekend family reunion in London during which members who may not know each other discover secrets of their and each other’s past. It’s totally original, engrossing, enormously entertaining with clever dialog and characters who always keep our interest. The only problem is, neither a DVD nor a video is available of this exceptional film in the United States. My master searched Google and got a DVD of it from a London online store. The two discs are in Region 2 DVD which can only be played on a U.S. DVD player that will convert the signal. Such a player is the Philips DVP642 DVD player, which my master recently bought. It sells for only about $50 at U.S. stores or online, and it plays DVDs from anywhere in the world. It’s well worth buying, just to see PERFECT STRANGERS, but it also will open up for you a world of wonderful foreign movies on DVD that are not available in this country. Max’s rating for PERFECT STRANGERS: Five paws up, if I had them, so it will have to be four paws up and my tail wagging like a car windshield on a very rainy day. I love this movie and bet you will, too. From BBC Worldwide Ltd.

Foreign Films of the Month

BERKELEY SQUARE

Step back into London at the turn of the 20th Century in this warm-hearted family drama and follow the adventures of three young working girls who become best friends grappling with poverty, love, and everything else that makes life interesting, not to mention challenging. The London Daily Mail said “The long search for another ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’ may be over with ‘Berkeley Square.’ TV’s Holy Grail may have been rediscovered.” The BBC production really is that good. The 3-disc boxed set is from BFS Video. Max’s rating: Two paws up, tail wags, and three “Woo Woo’s!”

LA DOLCE VITA
The Federico Fellini masterpiece, a 1961 Oscar winner for best foreign film, is now on DVD in a beautiful restoration. Marcello Mastroianni is a Rome tabloid reporter covering the jet set’s lifestyle of the rich and famous, with beautiful Anouk Aimee and Anita Ekberg. The DVD package includes an 8-page collector’s booklet; audio commentary by movie historian Richard Schickel; interviews with Fellini, Mastrioianni, and Ekberg; and some never-before-seen Fellini short films. From Fox Lorber. Max’s rating: Two paws up and some Woo! Woos! For the pretty ladies in the film.

THE BEST OF FRIENDS
Maybe a movie based on the real-life relationships of a nun, a playwright, and a museum curator doesn’t sound like it could be of any special interest. How about if the playwright was George Bernard Shaw, as played by Patrick McGoohan, and the nun is portrayed by the great Wendy Hiller (PYGMALION and MAJOR BARBARA) and their mutual friend the curator of a great museum in Cambridge is played by the incomparable John Gielgud? Sound good? It is, very good. Definitely, if you like your British cup of tea with witty dialogue on subjects ranging from the existence of God to the finer points of tango dancing. As the promo material says, “This brilliantly literate, warm-hearted film captures the unique nature of an amazing friendship.” A Masterpiece Theatre presentation from BFS Video. Max’s rating: Two paws up, and lots of tail wags.

 

ALAN KING: INSIDE THE COMEDY MIND
Ten comedy legends including George Burns, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, and Carl and Rob Reiner pay tribute to another great in this 4-hour comedy documentary. Lots of laughs and insight into how comedy is written and performed. From American Home Treasures. Max’s rating: I laughed until I had to tinkle (outdoors, of course.)

 

 

AMERICAN JOBS
Concerned about jobs moving to low-wage countries? Filmmaker Greg Spotts was, so he hit the road with a video camera to interview some of the three million people who lost manufacturing jobs between 2000 and 2003. Visiting 19 cities and towns during this entirely self-funded film, he saw firsthand the effects of global outsourcing of American jobs that put both white-collar and blue-collar jobs at risk. “A powerful new documentary,” says National Public Radio of this critically acclaimed documentary. The DVD is released by KOCH Vision of Canada. Max’s rating: Two paws up.

Mystery of the Month

KAVANAGH Q.C.

John Thaw, known best as Inspector Morse in the popular British TV mystery series, dons powdered wig and black robe to match wits with prosecutors, defense attorneys, and criminals as British barrister James Kavanagh in this excellent mystery series. The Q.C. after his name comes from him being a top member of the Queen’s Counsel. The 2-disc boxed set holds four one-hour-plus mysteries. The supporting cast includes Ewan McGregor who later became a very engaging movie star in MOULIN ROUGE and other hits.

From Granada and BFS Video. Max’s rating: “Woo woo!”

 

Oldies and Goodies

 

Some of my master’s favorite movies from the 1940s-1950s are finally out on DVD this month in restored picture and sound. He can’t wait to show me what he means by these being prime examples of “When movies were movies.” They include RANDOM HARVEST (1942) with Ronald Colman and Greer Garson not letting his amnesia get in the way of their happiness; THE LETTER (1940) with Bette Davis accused of murdering her lover on a rubber plantation; IVANHOE (1952) with Robert Taylor jousting for the love of a very young and beautiful Elizabeth Taylor in Merry Olde England; and KING SOLOMON’S MINES (1950) with Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr in love on safari in Africa, when they should be watching out for the wildlife.

And the THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT series of 3 discs with song-and-dance show stoppers from the great MGM musicals with Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, Frank Sinatra, and dozens more. Max’s ratings for all of these: Two paws up and lots of tail wags.

 

Bones to Pick

 

Whatever happened to “safe” children’s movies? Hollywood keeps making them wilder, more violent, and psychologically sick each year. The two movies aimed at young people I can least recommend this month are SPIDERMAN 2 and RETURN TO OZ. The first Spiderman flick was fun, the sequel is very violent and scary. Even adult clerks at Blockbuster said they thought it was scary for adults, much less kids. The sequel to THE WIZARD OF OZ has Aunt Em thinking Dorothy’s dreams of Oz are nightmares, so she whisks her off to a quack shrink who straps Dorothy onto a gurney and wheels her through hospital hallways to an operating room where she will be hooked up to electrical machines. Hey, I’ve been through the gurney and hospital hallway thing, and it’s scary. RETURN TO OZ will make any child afraid to go to the doctor’s, much less a hospital for an operation.

My advice to parents and kids: stay clear of SPIDERMAN 2 and RETURN TO OZ. Max’s rating: Woof! Woof! Grrrrrr!

I bet you didn't know, but besides reviewing movies, I sing opera. Click here to see and hear me rehearsing the Barcarolle from "Tales of Hoffman."

Maybe you would like to visit my master's web site with highlights of his huge collection of old movie magazines, Bijou Follies
Two more web sites I recommend are: Errol Flynn and Jeffrey Hunter