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THE DUCHESS OF DUKE STREET
Gemma Jones stars as Louisa Leyton who, through hard work and culinary magic, realizes a dream of rising out of the servant class to become the finest cook in 1890s-1900s London and own her own hotel with the best restaurant in England. The Masterpiece Theater series was a sensation on PBS Television in 1976 and Season One is finally on DVD in a beautifully restored 5-disc boxed set. The other seasons are to follow. Based on the true story of Rosa Lewis who became owner of the esteemed Cavendish Hotel, the first season takes us through 781 minutes of romance and intrigue in the Edwardian era. The TV series was created by John Hawkesworth of “Upstairs, Downstairs,” and among the co-stars is Christopher Cazenove as Louisa’s main love interest. This is story-telling at its finest, beautifully recreating a period in costume, sets, cars, etc. From Time-Life and Acorn Media.
Max’s rating: Two paws up – the very highest -- and lots of tail wags.

CRUTCH
Your mother is a suicidal alcoholic, your father gives up and leaves home, your older brother and sister drop out of the dysfunctional family, and you try to cope at home, while at school your gorgeous young male drama coach turns on to you and makes you wonder about your identity when you’re too young to handle it. What’s a 15-year-old boy to do? Rob Moretti shows and tells all in his autobiographical first movie as writer, director, co-producer, and editor, and also stars as the coach who made him confront his sexuality while also introducing him to drugs. Orson Welles couldn’t have tackled a more complex and challenging project, but independent filmmaker Moretti boldly goes where very few Hollywood types would dare. It is the most “European” American movie I’ve seen in years, if ever, in that it bravely tackles relationships with a very raw edge. Not a pretty movie, not a “feel-good” movie, sometimes a roller-coaster ride of emotions, but a very good, honest, and important yet barely known film by multi-talented Moretti. Eben Gordon plays him as a teenager in a very effective performance. The New York Times called it “A nicely structured drama… a note of real anguish.” A very brave film worth seeing from Ardustry.
Max’s rating: Two paws up and lots of howls.

ALEXANDER – DIRECTOR’S CUT
Oliver Stone’s biopic of the world’s youngest conqueror (no, not GW Bush), gets a second chance to wow audiences in this shorter DVD version after the longer one did yawning business in theaters. I didn’t see the longer one, but this one satisfies. “Newly-inspired, faster-paced, and even more action-packed” than the theatrical film, this edition required hundreds of edits and re-positioned sequences.
“We shot a mountain of new material,” said Stone. “Each represents a different approach to a very tall mountain.”
Colin Farrell stars as the youthful Macedonian warrior, with Angelina Jolie as his doting mother and Val Kilmer as his bearded father. The 2-disc set includes commentary by Stone and an Alexander historian, Robin Lane Fox, as well as other behind-the-scenes reports. A DVD-ROM web link takes you to the online world of Alexander the Great. Not many epics coming out of Hollywood these days, so don’t miss this one, from Warner Home Video.
Max’s rating: Two paws up and tail wags.

Also recommended this month:


FINGERSMITH

The odd name refers to petty thieves in Victorian England. A beautiful young woman raised in a den of fingersmiths teams with a young con man to defraud a wealthy heiress.
Trouble is, she falls in love with the target. An unusual period tale that I believe will keep you watching to its climax, as it did audiences who saw it last March on BBC Television and gave it high viewer ratings. From Fremantle Media and Acorn Media.

 

THE BALLAD OF JACK & ROSE
Perfect end-of-summer and early fall viewing in this “hauntingly beautiful” (Entertainment Weekly) coming-of-age story set on a remote East Coast island. Daniel Day-Lewis, Catherine Keener, Camilla Belle, and Beau Bridges star in this romantic drama that deserved more attention that it got in theaters. From Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

 

MIDSOMER MURDERS – SET SIX
Did the inventor of a secret invention commit suicide or was he murdered? The answer may lie in some valuable falcon eggs. Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby (John Nettles) and his sidekick, Sgt. Troy, try to solve the mystery in just one of five 100-minute stories about lawbreaking in the cozy villages of Midsomer County, from the novels by Caroline Graham. Set six continues the popular British TV mystery series, with guest stars Susan Woolridge, Honor Blackman, and Christopher Good. From All3Media International and Acorn Media.

INSPECTOR LYNLEY MYSTERIES 3
Murder and other dastardly deeds are afoot in this new series of four mysteries starring Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small as Scotland Yard detectives. What makes the four murder puzzles especially of interest to the team is how they reflect goings-on in their own lives. Another delve into British television mysteries from WGBH Boston.

 

MURDER AT THE PRESIDIO
The only homicide to be committed on the San Francisco military base is the subject of this drama starring Lou Diamond Phillips, Victoria Pratt, and Jason Priestly. A sergeant’s wife is stabbed to death in her quarters on the base, and Phillips tries to find out who did it. Good mystery viewing from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

 

 

Documentaries

Michael Moore strikes again, this time in “This Divided State,” showing what happened after Utah Valley State College student body representatives invited him to speak on campus two weeks before the 2004 Presidential election. Uproar spread in conservative Mormon country that led to Sean Hannity, a pro-Republican Fox News pundit to speak on campus just prior to Moore’s visit. If you like excursions into political conflicts like The Civil War, check out this modern-day skirmish that generated intense debate over politics, ideology, religion, and Free Speech (remember that?) A gutsy DVD release from The Disinformation Company that won the best documentary award 2005 at the Santa Cruz (California) Film Festival but was not very well-received at the Bush ranch in Texas.
Going back a few centuries to other troubled times abroad, “King Arthur’s Britain” comes alive in British archaeologist/author Francis Pryor’s DVD analysis of what happened to Britain after the Romans left in 410 A.D.
Fascinating new views on ancient British history are offered in this three-part series based on Pryor’s book.
From Acorn Media.

Science comes alive in a fabulous 5 DVD set, “A Science Odyssey – The Journey of a Century.” Parents should turn off the TV and have the kids of all ages take time-out from the computer and video games to watch (maybe an hour a night) this 5 DVD set that tells of the invention or discovery of air travel, penicillin, organ transplants, psychoanalysis, the atomic bomb, volcanoes, and even the computer. My master says one of the main problems with education today, and uneducated graduates of our schools, is the woeful lack of general knowledge. Here is a wonderfully painless way to correct a lot of that, at least involving science. Dramatized effectively and narrated by award-winning journalist Charles Osgood, the adventure into knowledge is from WGBH Boston Video.

It’s a little easier exercising at home or business with “Dance Fitness for Beginners: Daily Quickies 10 Minute Workouts.” Designed for women, the programs work well for men, too, delivering a maximum high-intensity workout in minimal time. The routines include two cardio Hip Hop routines, a fat blaster workout for gluteal muscles, upper body toning exercises and, not for women only – belly dance workouts. The claim is to lose weight and burn fat in 10 minutes. Okay, let’s try it. From Goldhill Entertainment’s Health and Fitness line.

For Kids and Puppies

 

VINTAGE MICKEY

Early black and white Mickey Mouse cartoons have everyone’s favorite mouse working as a hot dog vender, a steamboat driver, and a construction worker whistling to tunes of the period… the 1920s and 1930s. Children and cartoon lovers will enjoy these classics on DVD from Buena Vista.

 

Kids and lovers of magic tricks will welcome “Penn & Teller’s Magic and Mystery Tour” into their homes. The illusionists take us to Egypt, China, and India to see the magic tricks performed there and show those people the best of their own. Indian snake-swallowers, Indian rope tricksters, and Egyptian “cup and ball” tricks are among those witnessed.

“The Adventures of Raggedy Ann & Andy,” who have delighted generations of 50 million children, come to DVD in entertaining stories that also teach the basic values of love, compassion, and generosity. From the Saturday morning television series and New Video Group.

Preschool Prep Company’s award-winning DVD series teaches babies as young as 15 months about letters, numbers, and shapes. Half-hour shows use colorful animation, humorous characters, and a gentle repetitive style.

Bones to Pick

 

So now it looks like the movie studios and makers of high-definition DVD players and recorders cannot agree on one format, so we will be getting two. Mistake. It looks like a repeat of the stupid decision to go for both VHS and Betamax video players. Some industries just never learn.

Movie theater box office receipts are drastically down.

Studios wonder why ticket-buyers aren’t flocking to the multiplexes to see their latest creations. The same is true of studios hawking new movies on DVD and movie rental stores who complain that sales and rentals are down dramatically. Maybe it’s because most new movies are mindless and aimed at 2-year-olds who do not buy tickets.

And Blockbuster wonders why its rentals are down. I rent from a local Blockbuster in a north Chicago suburb and rarely find any classic movies on DVD, even John Wayne’s much-awaited “The High and the Mighty.” They stock 50 copies of any new, mindless trashy movie, but not one copy of any classic. I often walk out of Blockbuster empty-handed, and see shoppers over 30 doing the same. They ask the same question as I: What does Blockbuster have against classic movies and older customers? Do you have to be under 25 and have a kindergarten mentality to find something to rent at Blockbuster?

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