November 2009
	by Max (with Walt Oleksy)	view previous issues here

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WHATEVER WORKS

Finally, a new movie that is really funny, and intelligent, for adults. Woody Allen wrote and directed it, but isn't in it. The part he might have taken is played by Larry David, a caustic TV comedian in real life, and he's perfect in it, as a lovable curmudgeon. It's a modern romantic comedy that pokes fun at everything, and yet has a heart. Evan Rachel Ward is also perfect as the teenage runaway who finds love in at least one of the oddest places; and so are Patricia Clarkson as her bewildered mother learning how to live after divorce and fifty, and Henry Cavill as a handsome younger man in the teenager’s life. Surprise, there’s no nudity or profanity in the film and yet it is as up-to-the-minute as my next-door neighbor’s new chocolate Lab puppy. Really delightful entertainment from Sony Pictures Classics.
Max’s rating: Two paws up and lots of "woo woo’s!"

LITTLE DORRIT

The BBC Masterpiece Theatre miniseries that won the Emmy for the best in that category is a true masterpiece. It may be long and a tad slow-moving at times, but it holds your interest and tells a whale of a story with a magnificent cast and 1800s British period costumes and sets; Charles Dickens’ classic of rags-to-riches-to-rags-to riches is dramatized by Andrew Davies who wrote the script for Bleak House and has given us so many wonderful films based on Jane Austen novels; it’s long (did I mention that), in 12 half-hour episodes and two hour-long ones. Newcomer Claire Foy plays the innocent diminutive ingénue Amy Dorrit like a pro, aided by Matthew McFadden, a young Brit actor still not given the acting credit he deserves, and the venerable Tom Courtenay who looks older than he did in Doctor Zhivago as Lara’s first love but is superb as Little Dorrit’s father. Judy Parfitt does another turn as a shrew, and nobody does it better; while Alun Armstrong plays a villain to rival all villains (even his name, Jeremiah Flintwinch, is enough to scare a Halloween black cat). This is heavy drama and light comedy all in one wonderful period piece well worthy of a string of nightly viewings. From BBC television.
Max’s rating: The highest; lots of good story bones to chew on.

UNDER THE GREENWOOD TREE

My master and I discovered this gem by accident and want to shout how good it is.
A 2005 British television movie adapted from a Thomas Hardy novel, it stars Keeley Hawes as a young woman who moves to a small 1800s British town to look after her ailing father and become the local school marm; the story centers on a guessing-game: which of three suitors will she accept? One is the town’s richest and much older man, another is the younger town parson who can’t seem to get his nose out of a hymnal, and the town’s poorest but handsomest young man who operates a horse-drawn delivery business. Finding Mr. Right is not easy for our heroine, whose name is Fancy Day, and it’s fun to see her try. The town, its people, the main characters are all wonderful to visit for two hours and we really liked Miss Hawes and her youngest suitor, warmly played by James Murray who in today’s vernacular is hot. Ladies, you’ll love the smootchful ending. A small gem of a gentle romantic comedy from WGBH Boston Video that will make you confident that love is truly back again and here to stay.
Max’s rating: Two paws up and tail wags for a “sleeper” that kept me wide awake.

MIDSOMER MURDERS, SET 13

Queen Elizabeth and Johnny Depp are among its many fans, so we are in good company watching this newest set of the best British mystery television series, based on the contemporary mystery novels of Caroline Graham set in the fictional village of Midsomer. John Nettles returns as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, ably aided by Jason Hughes as his young protégé, as they try to solve mysteries that would befuddle even Miss Marple. Four full-length mysteries are about a search for the girlfriend of a young man who dies of asphyxiation in a vintage automobile, a man who goes missing just before a visit from his niece who reportedly died in a plane crash three years before, family feuding at a glassworks, and the village’s music festival hits a sour note when someone murders the featured rock stars. The four-DVD boxed set that will keep you guessing is from Acorn Media, and they were never shown on U.S. television.

INSPECTOR LEWIS, Second Season

Seven more contemporary mysteries are tackled by Oxford’s Inspector Robert Lewis, played by Kevin Whately, who was the protégé of the famous Inspector Morse, played by John Thaw. James Hathaway helps him as a detective sergeant in this popular Masterpiece Mystery series. Mysteries involve art and forgery, the mysterious death of a German history scholar, who is murdering members of a religious group?, and other mind-puzzlers. Lots of plot twists in these mysteries from WGBH Boston Video.

LIFE ON MARS, Series Two

A British detective is knocked unconscious by a hit-and-run motorist in 21st century Manchester and wakes up in 1973. The world he enters is like another planet to him, but it doesn’t stop him from going to work solving 1970s mysteries in this police procedural drama with time-travel twists. Trapped in the past, he wonders where his future lies in this four DVD boxed set of mysteries from Acorn Media.

ANGEL AND THE BADMAN

A remake of the 1947 John Wayne western has Lou Diamond Phillips in the saddle as an injured gunfighter who hides out on the ranch of a Quaker family. As the outlaw’s heart softens toward the beautiful young Quaker daughter, his former partner in crime, played by Luke Perry, is determined to keep him in his former life of crime in the saddle. A good new-fashioned western from Lionsgate and Barnholtz Entertainment.

PARIS 1919, a not-to-be missed docudrama tracing and re-enacting events that framed the conditions the victorious Superpowers placed on defeated Germany in revenge for World War I that set in motion the Nazi Germany retaliation of World War II. From the best-selling book by Margaret MacMillan, an insight into the past that is very relevant in even today’s world of terrorism that we all need to know about in dealing with those who are or would be enemines of peace. Multi-award winning documentary drama with deserved praise from the National Film Board of Canada, released on DVD by BFS Entertainment.

THREE SHEETS: Seasons 1-3 is a globe-trotting adventure of a television series in which comedian Zane Lamprey travels the world to belly up to the best and often most outrageous local beverages in the best watering holes
from the Orient to Rio, the Philippines, and elsewhere. An enjoyable trip around the world, one strange brew at a time, from Infinity Entertainment
Group and In Demand Networks.

MUMMIES: SECRETS OF THE PHARAOHS, an Imax feature film, takes us into a modern-day Indian Jones adventure in search of the lives and deaths of legendary Egyptian kings who became mummies. Christopher Lee, star of countless spooky movies including the 1959 film The Mummy, narrates the mysterious story as it unfolds from noted archaeologists. From Image Entertainment.

HAPPINESS 101 helps us in our quest for lifelong happiness. Harvard University lecturer and author Tal Ben-Shahar shows how, with scientific research and practical tips, we can be happier in our every-day lives. He doesn’t say it can be achieved by getting a dog, but otherwise his suggestions sound okay. From PBS Television.

THE BOTANY OF DESIRE is a hot title for a DVD from Michael Pollan’s best-selling book in which he gets to the root of our connection to plants. Like most dogs, I like to sniff and chew as well as tinkle on most plants, but Pollan digs deeper than that and finds some interesting horticultural bones for us to chew on. He explores the natural history of four plants – the apple, tulip, potato, and marijuana – and tells how they correspond to human desires including sweetness, beauty, and intoxication. Give this one alook, it’s really worth sniffing out. From PBS Home Video.

THE ENGLISH SURGEON is a fascinating true-life story from PBS television. It tells of British brain surgeon Henry Marsh’s efforts to save lives in the Ukraine of the former Soviet Union. Marsh spent 17 years saving lives of patients in a Ukraine hospital and trying to improve conditions there.
Inspirational, from PBS Video.

YOUR LIFE, YOUR MONEY was a PBS television program about money management aimed at young adults, but it’s also worth watching for older audiences. Young people tell their financial lives and get advice from experts on investments, budgeting, insurance, and self-employment. Celebrity insights from hip-hopper Russell Simmons and R&B pop singer D. Woods make the arithmetic easier on the head. From PBS Video.

INVENTING L.A.: THE CHANDLERS AND THEIR TIMES is a documentary on the Chandler family of Los Angeles and their powerful and influential newspaper, The Los Angeles Times. It’s an engrossing look into the lives of a dynasty that created one of the nation’s most important newspapers and how their empire was brought down by a family feud. A true story of the rich and powerful from PBS Video.

DINOSAURS ALIVE! is a spectacular Imax look at dinosaurs by leading paleontologists, narrated by actor Michael Douglas. Learn everything you ever wondered about dinosaurs… where they came from, how big they were, what they ate, how they died off. Great history and entertainment for the whole family, from Image Entertainment.

BEER! Now that I have your attention, I can recommend THE AMERICAN BREW, a documentary on the foamy history of the ever-popular beverage with a head on it. My master says he loves wine and margaritas, but nothing quite satisfies as a tall cold glass of beer. This DVD explores beer’s history and the art of beer-making past through present. Heady stuff from PBS Video.

JUSTICE: WHAT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO? is a documentary in the form of a lecture by Harvard University Prof. Michael Sandal on good, evil, and our perception toward humanity and moral reasoning. A lot of fancy words that boil down to an analysis of what we think about moral decisions in these times of greed, self-importance, and ethical corner-cutting. Worth watching, and thinking about, from PBS Video.

JUDY! JUDY! JUDY! Two television specials starring Judy Garland from the 1960s:

THE JUDY GARLAND SHOW, VOL. TWO, featuring the legendary singer-actress and guest stars Ethel Merman, Jane Powell, Barbra Streisand, the Smothers Brothers and others from her weekly television series; and THE JUDY GARLAND
HOLIDAY SPECIAL, her 1963 Christmas show with Jack Jones, Mel Tome, and daughters Liza Minnelli and Lorna Luft. Great songs from great entertainers hosted by one of the very greatest. From Infinity Entertainment Group. Sing it, Judy!

ROCK OF AGES: An Unauthorized Story on the Rolling Stones. The story of the legendary rock band is told in this documentary charting the band’s nearly 50-year history. From Infinity Entertainment Group.

LATIN MUSIC, USA traces the Latin music beat from jazz to rock to pop and R&B and Latin musicians’ impact on American music and culture. The four-part documentary reprises the rise of Latin jazz, the reinvention of Cuban and Puerto Rican rhythms, the Chicano Wave of artists such as Ritchie Valens and Freddy Fender, and the superstars of today such as Ricky Nelson and Gloria Estefan. A Latin music fiesta from PBS Video.

IN SEARCH OF SANTA CLAUS, just in time for Christmas, shows how the jolly old man spends Christmas in various guises and under many different names around the world, from Armenia to Turkey, India to China, and elsewhere. Delightful pre-Christmas entertainment for the whole family from Smithsonian Networks and Infinity Entertainment Group.

PLAYMOBIL: THE SECRET OF PIRATE ISLAND is the first feature-length, interactive computer animated adventure based on the popular Playmobil Pirates playsets. In an interactive storyline, brother and sister Jack and Amelia stow away on a pirate ship headed for mysterious Pirate Island and an adventure with pirates that has 27 different possible story combinations. Kids can put their imaginations to good use twisting and turning the story in directions they want it to go. Ninety minutes of fun from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

SCHOLASTIC STORYBOOK TREASURES make a terrific Christmas present for kids. SCHOLASTIC VIDEO COLLECTION is a boxed set of 16 DVDs containig a whopping 100 classic award-winning children’s picture book stories by leading authors including Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and the beloved adventures of Curious George. Narrated by actors Meryl Streep, Pete Seeger, James Earl Jones, Sarah Jessica Parker, and dozens of others. Parents say their children love these story books that come alive on DVD and the read-along features help the young ones learn to read. Wonderful educational entertainment from Scholastic.

THE MR. MEN SHOW is special fun for kids, following Little Miss Sunshine, Mr. Tickle, and other citizens of Dillydale in the first two volumes from Cartoon Network’s popular series. Family-friendly entertainment from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

CHRISTMAS STORY tells the fanciful tale of how a boy grew up to be Santa Claus. A heart-warming Christmas fable originating in a remote Lapland village as an orphan boy shows how giving can bring everyone a heart full of Christmas cheer. A very nice addition to the holiday treasure-chest from Lightning Media.

SciQ is a new 2-volume set of DVDs from Smithsonian Networks showing teenagers how science can be fun while they’re learning. In volume 1, a trio of teen hosts check into a school for Crime Scene Investigation, learn how technology helps catch spies, how science helps Hollywood make new movie magic, and how musical science can make you a rock star. Volume 2 takes the trio on scientific adventures underwater, in the skies, and in a winter wonderland of snow and ice. Excellent learning-entertainment from Smithsonian.

LIONSGATE has holiday special three-pack DVDs featuring Thomas and Friends, Barney, and Bob the Builder that will help put kids in the Christmas spirit. They tell of trips to the North Pole, and other winter and holiday adventures, with sing-along caroling, from Lionsgate and HiT Entertainment. Barney has another of his own new DVDs besides, in We Love Our Family, having fun with parents, cousins, and grandparents.

JACK BROWN GENIUS is a sci-fi fantasy tale co-written and produced by Academy Award winner Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings. A boy inventor, Jack Brown, reconstructs an ancient winged machine to help an imprisoned monk escape to freedom. A delightful world of fantasy and adventure for kids to discover, from Lionsgate and Barnholtz Entertainment.