July 2006
	by Max (with Walt Oleksy)	view previous issues here

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SYRIANA

The plot is simple: how the oil industry works to control the world, including the United States and, yes, you. The execution is not so simple. Even Roger Ebert, who earns millions figuring out complex movies like this, admits he didn’t understand it. “The movie’s plot is so complex,” he reported, “we’re not really supposed to follow it, we’re supposed to be surrounded by it.“ But, like Ebert, I highly recommend seeing it because it is important. Very important. Be cautioned, though. It’s a very strong movie with terrorism and other violence. One quote from the movie gives a little idea of why many people -- and not only American businessmen, politicians, and lobbyists -- are in the oil business: Says one oil-opportunist in the film: “It’s like someone put a giant ATM on our front lawn.” The screenplay is episodic, the stock in trade of Stephen Gaghan, who wrote TRAFFIC, with the oil industry as the backdrop rather than the drug trade. One critic said “The drug trade is the less sleazy of the two because it does not exist with the façade of legitimacy that surrounds the oil industry.” Some say the film is not left-wing and is actually a-political and not anti-American, but you decide that for yourself. It is very thought-provoking, which alone makes it stand head and shoulders above most other new films from Hollywood. George Clooney won a best supporting actor Oscar for his role, and the strong ensemble cast includes Matt Damon, William Hurt, Christopher Plummer, and Chris Cooper. From Warner Brothers.

Max’s rating: Two paws up.

NANNY McPHEE
I loved this fantasy and recommend it highly for the whole family. Emma Thompson wrote the screenplay from Christianna Brand’s book about a widower in Victorian times whose mischievous seven children cause seventeen nannies to flee the house and never come back. Who you gonna call? Nanny McPhee! As played by Emma the Great herself, made up with warts and hang-toothed, is the governess a wizard, a witch, or what? The fun goings on will keep kids roaring and parents wishing they had such a nanny to help them restore order to the house. Ever-popular Colin Firth plays the beleagured father charmingly and Angela Lansbury is wonderful as a rich aunt with a heart of granite. The kids are all lots of fun. No dogs in it, alas, but a hilarious dancing donkey. It’s pure magic for all ages. From Working Title Films and Three Strange Angels, distributed by Universal Pictures.     Max’s rating: Two paws up and lots of tail wags.

EIGHT BELOW

I may be a bit prejudiced, but I loved this dog movie about eight sled dog huskies trying to survive after being abandoned by their human caretakers in an Antarctic winter. Paul Walker ably plays the sled-dog handler who tries desperately to return to find and rescue the dogs over many months. He was probably cast because he’s so good-looking, but he seems to really care about the dogs. To please his female fans, he actually appears shirtless outdoors in an early scene, despite it being about 5 below zero. The movie was inspired by a Japanese film, ANTARCTIA, which was based on the real-life adventures of a team of nine sled dogs that unfortunately didn’t end as happily as this new telling of the story. I recommend it for teenagers and adults but not for the very young or those especially disturbed by violence to animals because of a few scenes that could well have been left out. Mercifully, sled dogs have been banished from the South Pole since the 1990s. Produced by Mandeville Films and released on DVD by Walt Disney Pictures.        Max’s rating: Lots of tail wags and “Woo woo’s!”

HOUSE OF ELIOTT, SERIES 3

Further adventures in the fashion business with friends Bea and Evie as the Roaring Twenties come to a close in England. Will ready-to-wear be the death of their cutting-edge couture line and high fashion standards? And can the girls, wonderfully played by Stella Gonet and Louise Lombard, be successful in both business and their love lives? Created by Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins who gave us UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS, this hit BBC Television series in a 4-DVD boxed set is from Acorn Media.

ANDRE’S MOTHER

This excellent film is about a woman who has lost her son and a young man who has lost his lover. The deceased happens to be the same young man who died of AIDS, so it is a story of gay prejudice and efforts toward reconciliation. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Terrence McNally, it was first seen on PBS’ American Playhouse and was named the Outstanding Television Movie by the National Board of Review. Sada Thompson stars as the mother and Richard Thomas as her son’s lover, with legendary actress Sylvia Sidney in a supporting role.  From WGBH Boston Video.

MURDER IN SUBURBIA

A “smart and sassy” new mystery series from Granada and BBC Television. Caroline Catz and Lisa Faulkner star as bickering and bantering criminal investigators in suburban London. They both fear and are infatuated with their handsome boss, played by Jeremy Sheffield. It’s a little different, the plots are interesting, and the acting good. Six episodes on 2 DVDs in a boxed set from Acorn Media.

INCANTATO

My pick for best foreign film of the month on DVD, this is a touching Italian comedy about a shy and clumsy professor who searches for love. Pupi Avati won the Italian equivalent of our Academy Award for the movie which is set in Rome and Bologna during the 1920s. “A poignant love story, laced with tenderness and gentle humor,” said a critic for the Los Angeles Times. From Wellspring.

SLINGS AND ARROWS

Paul Gross, who played a stalwart Royal Canadian Mountie in Chicago in DUE SOUTH, stars as the leader of a group of actors in this terrific backstage comedy from Canada. “Sentimental and full of heart,” said the Hollywood Reporter about the goings-on at a struggling, dysfunctional Shakespearean theatre group, and I agree. Six episodes on 2 DVDs from Rhombus and Acorn Media.

HETTY WAINTHROPP INVESTIGATES

The complete fourth series of the popular British television hit in which Patricia Routledge stars as a beloved matron of mystery shrewdly solving crimes in rural England. Her sleuthing takes her to an iron mine, a country mansion, and an historic coastal fishing village, always aided and abetted by her young partner Geoffrey and doting husband Robert. Always interesting and entertaining, from Acorn Media.

Some of the best movies ever made are newly-restored and released on DVD this month: John Ford, four-time Oscar winner as best director, is honored with two boxed sets:The John Ford Film Collection (The Lost Patrol, The Informer, Mary of Scotland, Sergeant Rutledge, and Cheyenne Autumn), and The John Wayne-John Ford Film Collection (The Searches, Stagecoach, Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, They Were Expendable, 3 Godfathers, and The Wings of Eagles.) Not every one is a classic, but most are close to it. Also be sure to see The Clark Gable Collection (San Francisco, Boom Town, China Seas, Wife vs. Secretary, and Dancing Lady). All three boxed-sets from Warner Brothers.

CHICKA CHICKA 123

The award-winning children’s counting book comes to musical life in a Scholastic Video Collection. The focus is on early math concepts, especially important for children ages 2 to 6. Kids are bound to be entertained while learning their numbers in this delightful DVD.

FLY GIRLS
A long-overdue tribute to the more than a thousand women who left their homes and jobs to become the first female pilots to fly for the U.S. military during World War II. Rare archival films show them facing both danger and discrimination, while 38 gave their lives for their country. The fascinating story of the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), led by America’s most accomplished aviatrix, Jacqueline Cochran, did a heroic job for their country but it wasn’t until 1977 that they were even recognized by Congress as veterans. Written, produced, and directed by Laurel Ladevich. Very highly recommended, first seen on PBS’ American Experience, the DVD is from WGBH Boston Video.

SHARK ATTACK, filmed off the coast of Hawaii, and KINGDOM OF THE SEAHORSE in which biologist Amanda Vincent takes us into the complex and beautiful world of this little-known sea creature, are two natural history documentaries that uncover deep-sea secrets. From WGBH Boston Video.

GHOSTS OF THE BALTIC SEA
Hosted by renowned undersea explorer Robert Ballard, tells of the events that claimed more than 20,000 lives in 1945 when three German evacuation ships were attacked, sinking deep into the Baltic Sea. Four survivors give new insight into what is called one of the greatest maritime disasters of our time. First seen on the National Geographic Channel, the adventure also was featured in the National Geographic Magazine. The DVD release is from Wellspring.

THE VIKINGS
Those horn-helmeted Norsemen naughties of the sea in the late 8th century may have gotten bad press since then because of reportedly being ruthless in their quest for riches and power (early versions of today’s CEOS and politicians?), but this documentary says they also had their good sides. They are said here to have been uncanny merchants, expert shipbuilders, superb artisans, and bold colonizers of far-off lands. They also landed in North America 500 years before Christopher Columbus. The 2-hour documentary is from WGBH Boston Video.

THE HEROES

A 2-hour special telling the real-life stories of men and women who get little recognition yet protect people worldwide from the ravages of diseases, saving countless lives and giving renewed hope for poor communities around the globe. The DVD contains highlights from the 6-hour documentary series Rx for Survival -- A Global Health Challenge which was televised on PBS, produced by WGBH Boston Video and NOVA Science Unit and Vulcan Productions.

ANTONE’S HOME OF THE BLUES Many of the legendary blues musicians and singers performed at Clifford Antone’s Austin, Texas club over the years. Performance footage includes gigs by B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, and Sue Foley. The 99-minute documentary from Silverstar Entertainment Group and ETC Films is released on DVD from Koch Vision.

SHIVA REA YOGA TRANCE DANCE

An exercise DVD from Acacia that is a joyful fusion of yoga and dance from Shiva Rea, who has been teaching the dance form worldwide for more than 10 years. The DVD is from Acorn Media.

ADVENTURES IN AMERICA’S WESTERN PARK

A series of six DVDs first seen in high-definition on the Travel Channel. Each disc is over an hour long, taking us to Yellowstone, Glacier and Zion and Bryce, The Great Southwest, Hawaii and Alaska, Great Train Rides, and the Canadian Rockies. Wonderful stay-at-home and save gas vacations from Questar Home Video.

See you next month at the same fire hydrant.