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

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BOBBY

Actor Emilio Estevez wrote and was one of the stars of his first directorial effort, a dramatization of the last day of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, assassinated June 5, 1968 in a kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. It is a powerful movie with many parallels to present day political and social conflicts -- a bad economy, joblessness, an endangered environment, and an unpopular war (Vietnam then, Iraq now). Excellent cameo performances by Helen Hunt, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Fishburne, William H. Macy, Elijah Wood, and Harry Belafonte, among many others. What struck me and my master most in the film were the stirring excerpts from Kennedy’s speeches which sound like they could have been given last night. Well worth seeing from the Weinstein Bros., Bold Films, and Genius Products.

Max’s rating: Two paws up.

DARK BLUE WORLD

This World War II aerial drama from the Czech Republic is one of the best movies about comradeship I’ve ever seen. Franta, a seasoned Czechoslovakian pilot, and a boyish protégé, Karel, form a strong big brother-kid brother friendship flying for the British Royal Air Force after their own country is occupied by the Nazis in 1939. Both fall in love with a beautiful British woman whose husband is missing in action and presumed to be dead. The love triangle strains the men’s friendship until events prove, through tragedy and sacrifice, that it will endure. The two leads are excellent… Ondrej Vetchy as Franta and Krystof Hadek as Karel. The 2001 film was directed by Jan Sverak who directed the Oscar winning KOLYA a few years ago as best foreign film, and the screenplay was written by his son, Zdenek Sverak. The movie also tells us how, after the war, the Soviets imprisoned the Czech pilots who served so bravely, punishing them for their heroism because it benefited the Western Allies. Released on DVD by Sony Pictures.

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

EDEN

This excellent, very moving 1996 film showed in only a few theaters when it was released in 1998, but I discovered it on DVD and highly recommend it. Other reviewers agree: Joel Siegel of Good Morning America said “It was so beautiful, I cried.” Janet Maslin of the New York Times said “Nostalgic and sweetly ethereal.” If motion pictures are supposed to move, that should mean more than car chases and rockets going off. This movie moves because it is packed with emotion. But it is hard to describe. Joanna Going plays a crippled 1960s New England housewife and mother of two small children. She is suffering from Multiple Sclerosis and a prep school teacher husband who thinks putting pressure on her and his students is the answer for them to overcome any obstacle to becoming all they can be. Dylan Walsh plays the husband who is baffled when his wife begins to believe she can escape her physical and marital problems by sleeping, because then she dreams herself into a happier world. It’s called astral travel. Only one of her husband’s teenage students, who has a crush on her, warmly played by Sean Patrick Flanery, even tries to understand her. It might be hard to believe, but there is a happy ending, which you probably need to know in order to stay with this sensitive and intellectually challenging movie which explores themes rarely encountered in movies today, especially from Hollywood. All three leads are outstanding, but Going is a revelation. If critics had seen this movie, she should at least have been nominated for a best actress Oscar, and Walsh for best supporting actor. I will certainly watch more of their earlier films and eagerly await their new ones. I also will look for the future films of Howard Goldberg, who both wrote and directed this one, his first. From Edenstreet Productions and BMG Independents, distributed by Legacy Releasing Corp. It can be bought or rented from Netflix or Blockbuster.

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

TIME FOR MURDER

Six suspenseful tales of murder by some of Britain’s finest writers makes this an engrossing collection in a 2-disc boxed set from Acorn Media. The writers gave us Upstairs Downstairs, the House of Eliott, and other classics. Stories range from the darkly humorous to the truly macabre, with stars including Charles Dance, Trevor Howard, Amanda Root, and Jane Asher.

LOVE MY WAY

The winner of many Australian awards, this very popular television series from Down Under follows the lives of two families that are full of both tears and laughter. “Beautifully shot, written and acted, a show that gets its hooks into you and won’t let go,” said the Sydney Morning Herald. A 3-disc boxed set from BFS Entertainment.

THE NAMESAKE

A suburban New York teenager, the son of Indian immigrants, struggles to strike a balance between age-old traditions and modern-day life. This family saga "brims with intelligence, compassion, and sensuous delight" (Chicago Tribune. Kal Penn (Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle) stars as the boy. A very insightful movie about culture clash. Directed by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding). From Fox Searchlight Pictures.

CRYSTAL RIVER

I recommended this excellent romantic drama last month, but an email from a co-producer, Brandon St. Cyr, reminded me that I failed to mention it was the first directorial work of Brett Levner and produced by Spring Street Films. It stars Emily Carpenter, who also co-wrote and produced the film, as a wife whose previous miscarriages make her fear she will remain childless. Her marriage takes a turn when she becomes attracted to a new neighbor, played by Sean Patrick Flanery. It’s a gentle yet powerful film with excellent performances.

THE REAL McCOYS, SEASON 3

Audiences laughed at the antics of the McCoy clan for six seasons (1957-1963) as it relocated from the hills of West Virginia to sunny California. Walter Brennan starred as Grampa Amos and Richard Crenna as Grandson Luke. All 39 episodes of season 3 of the classic television sitcom, digitally remastered for picture and sound quality, are in a 5-disc boxed set from Infinity Entertainment Group.

ROUTE 66, FIRST SEASON

The popular television series in which two young man get their kicks driving a Chevrolet Corvette across the country has been digitally remastered for DVD. Martin Milner and George Maharis burn up the highway as road buddies who often disagree as they go from adventure to misadventure. From Infinity Entertainment Group.

NANKING

This powerful docudrama dramatizes the Japanese invasion of China’s then-capital city in 1939. Some 200,000 men, women, and children were killed within six weeks, and 20,000 young women and girls were raped. The outside Western world paid no attention to the horror, but within Nanking a small number of European businessmen and missionaries created a safe zone in the city that saved about 250,000 lives. Interviews with some of the Chinese survivors and also Japanese soldiers who took part in the war crimes add strong personal recollections of the tragedy. From ThinkFilm.

HOWARD GOODALL’S BIG BANGS

A nearly 3-hour course in better understanding Western classical music -- how it began, where it has been going, and where it may go from here. With intriguing anecdotes and witty humor, composer Howard Goodall presents five innovations in European musical history which have overwhelmingly changed its course: Notation: the journey from plain chant in medieval times to symphonic works and improvisation; Equal Treatment (a universal tuning, scale and key system): from the discoveries of Pythagoras to J.S. Bach; Opera, where music interfaces with real life with love, death and politics; The Piano, an instrument unique to European culture; and Recorded Sound, from Caruso to world music and sampling. A 2-DVD set from Kultur International Films Ltd.

AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN

Chris Kimball and his culinary team demonstrate 26 new recipes for home cooks from season 8 of the highly acclaimed and most watched cooking show on public television. The 4-disc boxed set includes Rainy-Day BBQ Pork Chops, Italian-American Classics, Asian Take-Out at Home, Pizza Party,
Fish on the Grill, and Easy Skillet Suppers, among others. From WGBH Boston Video.

SIMPLY PAINTING

Frank Clarke, one of Ireland’s most popular television personalities, hosts a series of DVDs teaching his own courses in water color painting. He combines art instruction with travel. The latest 2-dvd set takes budding artists on a trip painting landscapes in the American South and Southwest, with stops in Florida, Arizona, Nevada, and
New Mexico. From Kultur.

TREASURY OF 100 STORYBOOK CLASSICS

Some of the most award-winning children’s picture books of recent years are faithfully adapted and brought to life in this incredible boxed set of 16 DVDs from Scholastic Video Collection. From the Maurice Sendak classic Where the Wild Things Are to the beloved adventures of Curious George and Corduroy, they are stories about friendship, courage, growing up, just having fun, rediscovering favorite folk tales, and even slightly scary stories. Of course one of my favorites is Harry the Dirty Dog. Celebrity narrators include Meryl Streep, James Earl Jones, Pete Seeger, Forest Whitaker, Rob Reiner, and Anthony Edwards. The collection runs a whopping 881 minutes. If you’re looking for a very special gift for a child aged 2 to 9, this would delight him or her.

THE MOUSE AND THE MOTORCYCLE -- Ralph, a mouse with a nose for adventure, takes a ride on a boy’s toy motorcycle in the Beverly Cleary picture book brought to life on a DVD from Scholastic Storybook Video Collection. It’s a fun ride for pre-schoolers. A second story tells about a Scottish boy who can’t decide between being a farmer and a hunter.

ADVENTURES FROM THE BOOK OF VIRTUES -- The best-selling book teaching children important life lessons comes to DVD from Torchlight Home Entertainment. The animated series includes Adventures in Honesty, Courage, and Faith, each separately or in a boxed set.

HIP HOP FOR KIDS: SCHOOL HOUSE HOP! -- Hip Hop star Roger G. and his friends get kids at a high school hopping by showing them stretching and dancing routines. The new title in the award-winning series for ages 5-14 is from Jumping Fish Productions.

BOB THE BUILDER: LET’S BUILD THE BEACH -- Bob and his crew finish building the Bobland Bay promenade in time for its grand opening. Fun animated building projects for pre-schoolers from Hit Entertainment, distributed by Lionsgate.

FIREMAN SAM: TO THE RESCUE -- Sam and his fire brigade help residents of Pontypandy Village in both funny and suspenseful situations during a dangerous blaze. Animated adventure from Hit Entertainment and Lionsgate.

I not only didn’t like THE GOLDEN COMPASS, I detest it and do not recommend it. First of all, despite excellent special effects, it is both confusing and boring. Most other critics agree on that. They also point out that it is a cop-out, and I agree on that. It comes from a best-selling British novel that suggests there can be mind-control in organized religion. Heaven forbid we think such a thing. But the movie transforms that possibility into “Beware of Big Brother controlling your mind,” in the form of robed and hooded demons who may be devils or Soviets. That could easily translate to the Bush Republicans, but doesn’t even do that clearly. So I consider the movie to be an intellectual and moral cop-out. Be something, say something, stand for something. Dakota Blue Richards, the little girl heroine, is about the only actor in the movie who knows how to act. Certainly not Nicole Kidman. Daniel Craig hardly has enough to do in his cameo role to count in the cast. Roger Ebert liked the movie, even though he admits he didn't understand it. I agree with another reviewer who said, “It has no soul.” I don't think even teenagers would understand what's going on, although they might like the fantasy parts. Younger kids might be scared or just totally confused. The producers are already threatening to make two sequels. I can smell them already. I look upon this movie with the same distaste as I did for THE DA VINCI CODE. Both the book and the movie were marketed to make everyone want to read and then see it, regardless that both forms are intellectual doggie-doo. Beware of a threatened prequel to THE DA VINCI CODE. I’ve lost whatever respect I had for Tom Hanks who starred in it and Ron Howard who directed the clunker. Yes, I am an opinionated dog.