This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

"Network"

DVD, Blu-Ray Movie Review

Directed by Sidney Lumet, Written by Paddy Chayefsky, 121 minutes, Rated R.

By our guest blogger, Matthew Schimkowitz

Ever wonder what an episode of Mary Tyler Moore might look like had it been written by Kurt Vonnegut? Well, look no further than "Network." Just out on Blu-ray disc, director Sidney Lumet's satire about a failing television station leaves no stone unturned, tearing into the stars, the executives, and the audience with a sharp comic edge and a dark sense of humor.

"Network" is about a failing television station called UBS. More specifically, it chronicles the consequences of having lousy ratings. No one learns this lesson more so than longtime news anchor Howard Beale (Peter Finch), who after 15 years behind the desk is cast out from the network in lieu of more contemporary programming. Mad as hell and not going to take it anymore, Howard hijacks the camera during his final broadcast and vents about the grotesque state of humanity and actually makes a connection with the audience.

The rest of the network is flabbergasted, save for the new station programmer Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway). Diana spent the better part of her time at UBS searching out angry television. With the country in the heart of a recession and the dream of the '60s dead, she’s sees a demand for volatile shows that channel this rage--and Howard Beale becomes her poster child.

Things escalate quickly as Howard becomes the host of his own televangelist talk show. Howard's close friend and longtime partner, Max (William Holden), watches in horror as the show leads to the downfall of the news department, a cult-like viewership, television show's developed by political radicals and terrorist organizations, and the decline of the American family unit.

"Network" is a product of the sum of its parts. The snappy script rattles-off jokes and call-backs with ease. The cast plays along, making sure the audience never misses a moment of just how stupid everything at the network actually is. Finally, Lumet's directing keeps things feeling lighthearted -- even when the subject matter is darkly insulting. Lumet reduces those in the business to sniveling money grubbers and raving lunatics, and the audience -- brainless sheep, willing to eat up anything the executives feed them.

For all of its strange idiosyncrasies, "Network" remains sharply satirical with a keen eye for detail. It's easy to get wrapped up in these people's lives, even if, as Max so appropriately points out, they act as if they're reading from a script. "Network" has little respect for the phony television generation, and through its scathing perception of it, it's easy to understand why.

Grade: A

"Network"

DVD, Blu-Ray Movie Review

Directed by Sidney Lumet, Written by Paddy Chayefsky, 121 minutes, Rated R.

By our guest blogger, Matthew Schimkowitz

Ever wonder what an episode of Mary Tyler Moore might look like had it been written by Kurt Vonnegut? Well, look no further than "Network." Just out on Blu-ray disc, director Sidney Lumet's satire about a failing television station leaves no stone unturned, tearing into the stars, the executives, and the audience with a sharp comic edge and a dark sense of humor.

"Network" is about a failing television station called UBS. More specifically, it chronicles the consequences of having lousy ratings. No one learns this lesson more so than longtime news anchor Howard Beale (Peter Finch), who after 15 years behind the desk is cast out from the network in lieu of more contemporary programming. Mad as hell and not going to take it anymore, Howard hijacks the camera during his final broadcast and vents about the grotesque state of humanity and actually makes a connection with the audience.

The rest of the network is flabbergasted, save for the new station programmer Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway). Diana spent the better part of her time at UBS searching out angry television. With the country in the heart of a recession and the dream of the '60s dead, she’s sees a demand for volatile shows that channel this rage--and Howard Beale becomes her poster child.

Things escalate quickly as Howard becomes the host of his own televangelist talk show. Howard's close friend and longtime partner, Max (William Holden), watches in horror as the show leads to the downfall of the news department, a cult-like viewership, television show's developed by political radicals and terrorist organizations, and the decline of the American family unit.

"Network" is a product of the sum of its parts. The snappy script rattles-off jokes and call-backs with ease. The cast plays along, making sure the audience never misses a moment of just how stupid everything at the network actually is. Finally, Lumet's directing keeps things feeling lighthearted -- even when the subject matter is darkly insulting. Lumet reduces those in the business to sniveling money grubbers and raving lunatics, and the audience -- brainless sheep, willing to eat up anything the executives feed them.

For all of its strange idiosyncrasies, "Network" remains sharply satirical with a keen eye for detail. It's easy to get wrapped up in these people's lives, even if, as Max so appropriately points out, they act as if they're reading from a script. "Network" has little respect for the phony television generation, and through its scathing perception of it, it's easy to understand why.

Grade: A

DVD, Movie Review

"The Bride of Frankenstein"

Directed by James Whale, written by William Hurlburt, not rated.

By our guest blogger, Jonathan Walton

Near the start of Wes Craven’s playful slasher movie “Scream 2,” there’s an ironic film school debate, led by horror movie geek Randy Meeks, about sequels that surpass their predecessors. In Meeks’ opinion, sequels, “by definition alone, are inferior films.” As the group try to derail his argument, Randy knocks them down one by one, only giving recognition to “The Godfather Part II” as a possible exception to the rule. Given Meeks’ and director Wes Craven’s predilection for the horror genre, there is one glaring oversight in Randy’s theory--“The Bride of Frankenstein.” James Whale’s 1935 follow up to “Frankenstein” is that rare exception--a studio-produced sequel that surpasses its original in every way.

Whale himself was originally averse to the idea of directing a second film in the series, stating: “I squeezed the idea dry on the original picture and never want to work on it again.” However, he eventually gave in to studio pressure to direct the film, and the resulting movie was largely considered to be Whale’s masterpiece, popular amongst audiences, critics and filmmakers alike.

The film begins inauspiciously with an unnecessary prologue, featuring a discussion between Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley and Lord Byron, which provides the audience with a brief plot summary of the first film. The scene is ridiculously theatrical in tone, and is one of the film’s few weak elements, which even Whale’s editor, Ted Kent, argued against, stating, “it was a horror picture and I wanted to get on to The Monster.” It’s a momentary glitch, and the film proper soon hits the ground running, picking up at the exact point where the first instalment ended, with a baying mob burning down an old mill where The Monster has sought refuge. Our first glimpse of Boris Karloff as The Monster immediately establishes the menacing tone of the film. Hiding in the waters beneath the mill, he savagely drowns a villager and his wife before making his escape. The violence is fleeting but shocking in its spontaneity as The Monster hits out with malevolent force.

However, we soon learn that Karloff’s Monster is not the same lumbering hulk that grunted his way through the first film, killing anyone who got in his way. Whale developed the character of The Monster in the second film, giving him a human side that encouraged audiences to engage with him on an emotional level. There are several brief moments in the film where we get to see The Monster’s childlike innocence, such as when he wanders happily through an idyllic woodland setting. Later, we feel pity for him, as he can’t bear to look at the reflection that stares back at him as he drinks water from a lake. Despite the fact that The Monster kills women and children in moments of pure evil, Whale forces us to acknowledge that somewhere in this scientific perversion of God’s nature is a human soul.

One sequence that perfectly embodies the dual nature of The Monster is where he befriends a blind hermit in the woods. Attracted by the hermit’s violin playing, The Monster enters the old man’s house, and the two outsiders form an unlikely friendship. The Monster wants to be accepted and treated with kindness, not fear and hate, whilst the blind man simply wants a companion. The two men share a moment of friendship and tenderness, as the hermit teaches The Monster words like “bread,” “wine,” “smoke” and most importantly, “friend.” It’s a beautiful scene that forces us to empathise with The Monster and recognise his humanity--a heart-breaking moment of compassion that displays The Monster’s childlike yearning to be loved and accepted. It’s also the subject of one of the great parodies in cinema history, lovingly spoofed by Peter Boyle and Gene Hackman in Mel Brook’s brilliant “Young Frankenstein.”

“The Bride of Frankenstein” is no stranger to humour itself. Whale employed a blend of comedy and horror, constantly undercutting the terror with comic moments, as he had done in his previous films “The Invisible Man” and “The Old Dark House.” Key to this was the role of Minnie, Dr. Frankenstein’s housekeeper, played brilliantly by Una O’Connor, who repeatedly serves to break through the tension with her comical rantings. Prone to hysteria, she shrieks her way through the film, delivering some great one-liners in the process, such as her putdown of The Monster, “he’s a nightmare in the daylight.”

In addition to the black humor, there are elements of the fantastical which lift the film above generic horror pictures. In a film rich with the powers of Whale’s imagination, one scene of pure cinematic magic stands out above all the rest. The macabre Dr. Pretorious invites Frankenstein to his laboratory to show the doctor his own experiments in creating human life--“a new world of Gods and Monsters.” Pretorious, played with delightful relish by Ernest Thesiger, is a twisted megalomaniac whose goal is to join Dr. Frankenstein in creating a man-made race. He displays several jars, which once uncovered reveal a series a miniature human figures that he has created and cultivated from seed. There is a king, a queen, an archbishop, a devil, a ballerina and a mermaid. It’s an extraordinary sequence with some of the finest effects photography in cinema history--a moment of visual wonder that could only be achieved through the medium of film.

The film’s finale, during which Pretorius and Frankenstein combine forces to create a mate for The Monster, is another extraordinary sequence. Whale’s expert combination of music, editing and cinematography builds up the tension and anticipation to a crescendo that results in the coming to life of The Bride. Cinematographer John J. Mescall used tilted angles, distorted close-ups and expressionistic lighting to give a sense of the ghoulish world of Pretorius’ depraved experimentation.

The Bride herself is another testament to Whale’s powers of imagination, a character that has become almost as iconic as The Monster for whom she is created. She is a surreal incarnation--an unearthly cross between a Man Ray photograph and Marge Simpson, with two streaks of white lightening through her hair. The Bride’s grotesque beauty is embodied perfectly by Elsa Lanchester, who employed abrupt robotic mannerisms and an unnatural hissing sound to bring the character to life.

One of the most important elements of Whale’s film is Franz Waxman’s diverse score. The music acts to embody the contrast between the humor and horror, beautifully reflecting the film’s shades of light and dark. At times playful, romantic, innocent, foreboding and sinister, the music expresses the complex nature of Whale’s story, and heightens the emotion of the film.

It’s the combination of all these elements that distinguish “The Bride of Frankenstein” as more than just another monster movie from Universal’s conveyor belt of horror features in the 1930s. Whale’s serious approach, combined with his affinity for the subject and his compassion for the characters, ensure that the film has gone on to transcend the genre within which it was created. It’s a masterpiece of the imagination and one of the finest examples of how cinema can give life to the dreams and nightmares of the mind.

View the original trailer for "Bride of Frankenstein" below. Thoughts?

DVD, Movie Review

"The Bride of Frankenstein"

Directed by James Whale, written by William Hurlburt, not rated.

By our guest blogger, Jonathan Walton

Near the start of Wes Craven’s playful slasher movie “Scream 2,” there’s an ironic film school debate, led by horror movie geek Randy Meeks, about sequels that surpass their predecessors. In Meeks’ opinion, sequels, “by definition alone, are inferior films.” As the group try to derail his argument, Randy knocks them down one by one, only giving recognition to “The Godfather Part II” as a possible exception to the rule. Given Meeks’ and director Wes Craven’s predilection for the horror genre, there is one glaring oversight in Randy’s theory--“The Bride of Frankenstein.” James Whale’s 1935 follow up to “Frankenstein” is that rare exception--a studio-produced sequel that surpasses its original in every way.

Whale himself was originally averse to the idea of directing a second film in the series, stating: “I squeezed the idea dry on the original picture and never want to work on it again.” However, he eventually gave in to studio pressure to direct the film, and the resulting movie was largely considered to be Whale’s masterpiece, popular amongst audiences, critics and filmmakers alike.

The film begins inauspiciously with an unnecessary prologue, featuring a discussion between Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley and Lord Byron, which provides the audience with a brief plot summary of the first film. The scene is ridiculously theatrical in tone, and is one of the film’s few weak elements, which even Whale’s editor, Ted Kent, argued against, stating, “it was a horror picture and I wanted to get on to The Monster.” It’s a momentary glitch, and the film proper soon hits the ground running, picking up at the exact point where the first instalment ended, with a baying mob burning down an old mill where The Monster has sought refuge. Our first glimpse of Boris Karloff as The Monster immediately establishes the menacing tone of the film. Hiding in the waters beneath the mill, he savagely drowns a villager and his wife before making his escape. The violence is fleeting but shocking in its spontaneity as The Monster hits out with malevolent force.

However, we soon learn that Karloff’s Monster is not the same lumbering hulk that grunted his way through the first film, killing anyone who got in his way. Whale developed the character of The Monster in the second film, giving him a human side that encouraged audiences to engage with him on an emotional level. There are several brief moments in the film where we get to see The Monster’s childlike innocence, such as when he wanders happily through an idyllic woodland setting. Later, we feel pity for him, as he can’t bear to look at the reflection that stares back at him as he drinks water from a lake. Despite the fact that The Monster kills women and children in moments of pure evil, Whale forces us to acknowledge that somewhere in this scientific perversion of God’s nature is a human soul.

One sequence that perfectly embodies the dual nature of The Monster is where he befriends a blind hermit in the woods. Attracted by the hermit’s violin playing, The Monster enters the old man’s house, and the two outsiders form an unlikely friendship. The Monster wants to be accepted and treated with kindness, not fear and hate, whilst the blind man simply wants a companion. The two men share a moment of friendship and tenderness, as the hermit teaches The Monster words like “bread,” “wine,” “smoke” and most importantly, “friend.” It’s a beautiful scene that forces us to empathise with The Monster and recognise his humanity--a heart-breaking moment of compassion that displays The Monster’s childlike yearning to be loved and accepted. It’s also the subject of one of the great parodies in cinema history, lovingly spoofed by Peter Boyle and Gene Hackman in Mel Brook’s brilliant “Young Frankenstein.”

“The Bride of Frankenstein” is no stranger to humour itself. Whale employed a blend of comedy and horror, constantly undercutting the terror with comic moments, as he had done in his previous films “The Invisible Man” and “The Old Dark House.” Key to this was the role of Minnie, Dr. Frankenstein’s housekeeper, played brilliantly by Una O’Connor, who repeatedly serves to break through the tension with her comical rantings. Prone to hysteria, she shrieks her way through the film, delivering some great one-liners in the process, such as her putdown of The Monster, “he’s a nightmare in the daylight.”

In addition to the black humor, there are elements of the fantastical which lift the film above generic horror pictures. In a film rich with the powers of Whale’s imagination, one scene of pure cinematic magic stands out above all the rest. The macabre Dr. Pretorious invites Frankenstein to his laboratory to show the doctor his own experiments in creating human life--“a new world of Gods and Monsters.” Pretorious, played with delightful relish by Ernest Thesiger, is a twisted megalomaniac whose goal is to join Dr. Frankenstein in creating a man-made race. He displays several jars, which once uncovered reveal a series a miniature human figures that he has created and cultivated from seed. There is a king, a queen, an archbishop, a devil, a ballerina and a mermaid. It’s an extraordinary sequence with some of the finest effects photography in cinema history--a moment of visual wonder that could only be achieved through the medium of film.

The film’s finale, during which Pretorius and Frankenstein combine forces to create a mate for The Monster, is another extraordinary sequence. Whale’s expert combination of music, editing and cinematography builds up the tension and anticipation to a crescendo that results in the coming to life of The Bride. Cinematographer John J. Mescall used tilted angles, distorted close-ups and expressionistic lighting to give a sense of the ghoulish world of Pretorius’ depraved experimentation.

The Bride herself is another testament to Whale’s powers of imagination, a character that has become almost as iconic as The Monster for whom she is created. She is a surreal incarnation--an unearthly cross between a Man Ray photograph and Marge Simpson, with two streaks of white lightening through her hair. The Bride’s grotesque beauty is embodied perfectly by Elsa Lanchester, who employed abrupt robotic mannerisms and an unnatural hissing sound to bring the character to life.

One of the most important elements of Whale’s film is Franz Waxman’s diverse score. The music acts to embody the contrast between the humor and horror, beautifully reflecting the film’s shades of light and dark. At times playful, romantic, innocent, foreboding and sinister, the music expresses the complex nature of Whale’s story, and heightens the emotion of the film.

It’s the combination of all these elements that distinguish “The Bride of Frankenstein” as more than just another monster movie from Universal’s conveyor belt of horror features in the 1930s. Whale’s serious approach, combined with his affinity for the subject and his compassion for the characters, ensure that the film has gone on to transcend the genre within which it was created. It’s a masterpiece of the imagination and one of the finest examples of how cinema can give life to the dreams and nightmares of the mind.

View the original trailer for "Bride of Frankenstein" below. Thoughts?

“The Exorcist: Extended Director's Cut”

Directed by William Friedkin, written by William Peter Blatty, based on his novel, 132 minutes, rated R.

By Christopher Smith

In 1973, smack in the middle of a tumultuous political environment that saw the fall of a U.S. president and our country caught in the throes of war, came William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist,” a horror film like none other that would go on to be denounced by Billy Graham, championed by the Catholic church, embraced by film critics and finally by the Academy Awards, where it won two of 10 nominations.

The film came during the last golden age of Hollywood--a time when it wasn’t rare for artistry to take precedence over box office receipts--and it was groundbreaking, a movie that shook audiences with its depiction of Regan (Linda Blair), a sweet 12-year-old girl whose soul is gradually--then violently--possessed by the devil.

“The Exorcist,” just re-released again, this time on DVD and Blu-ray in an "Extended Director's Cut," is about the discovery of one’s religious faith--that’s its core. Everything that happens to Regan--the head spinning, the projectile vomiting, the levitations, the infamous “spider walk,” those blasphemous, bloody plunges with the crucifix and her remarkably raunchy mouth (beautifully dubbed by Mercedes McCambridge)--is windowdressing.

This film isn’t so much about Regan’s transformation as it is about the transformation of her mother and the priest who eventually comes to help them.
Played superbly by Ellen Burstyn, Regan’s mother, Chris MacNeil, a popular movie star shooting a film on location in Georgetown, is a woman who finds herself caught between the concrete world of medical science and--to her--the more foreign world of religion, which she only turns to once she’s sought the help of “88 doctors” and is desperate to try anything to save her daughter.

When it’s suggested to her that Regan should have an exorcism, a stunned Chris turns to Father Karras (Jason Miller), a man fighting his own demons after his mother died alone in her home. With its relationships established, the film then becomes Chris and Karras’ journey into themselves with Regan’s possession used as the catalyst for change and personal reawakening.

Besides the performances, which are uniformly strong, especially Linda Blair’s, which borders on brilliance (consider the range she displays as Regan), what’s so terrific about “The Exorcist” is how the film is in no hurry to get to the meat of its horror. It isn’t exploitative. First and foremost, it’s about its characters, people we come to care about before their lives are viciously torn apart on screen.

This is one of the reasons the film became a classic. Before Regan ever blew pea soup out of her mouth or flipped about on a bed, audiences had a strong sense of who she and her mother were. For those who believed in what they were seeing--and there were those in 1973 who absolutely believed--there was the lingering, creepy sense that this could happen to them.

This new, extended version does add to the experience, particularly in the excellent three-part documentary on the movie's production and its legacy, which allows us behind the scenes. But beyond all the extras in this set--and there are many--“The Exorcist” remains a must see because it changed movies forever. It stands as that rare original, a movie whose influence continues to be seen even if today's modern directors don't fully understand the reasons why this terrific movie worked.

Grade: A

“The Exorcist: Extended Director's Cut”

Directed by William Friedkin, written by William Peter Blatty, based on his novel, 132 minutes, rated R.

By Christopher Smith

In 1973, smack in the middle of a tumultuous political environment that saw the fall of a U.S. president and our country caught in the throes of war, came William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist,” a horror film like none other that would go on to be denounced by Billy Graham, championed by the Catholic church, embraced by film critics and finally by the Academy Awards, where it won two of 10 nominations.

The film came during the last golden age of Hollywood--a time when it wasn’t rare for artistry to take precedence over box office receipts--and it was groundbreaking, a movie that shook audiences with its depiction of Regan (Linda Blair), a sweet 12-year-old girl whose soul is gradually--then violently--possessed by the devil.

“The Exorcist,” just re-released again, this time on DVD and Blu-ray in an "Extended Director's Cut," is about the discovery of one’s religious faith--that’s its core. Everything that happens to Regan--the head spinning, the projectile vomiting, the levitations, the infamous “spider walk,” those blasphemous, bloody plunges with the crucifix and her remarkably raunchy mouth (beautifully dubbed by Mercedes McCambridge)--is windowdressing.

This film isn’t so much about Regan’s transformation as it is about the transformation of her mother and the priest who eventually comes to help them.
Played superbly by Ellen Burstyn, Regan’s mother, Chris MacNeil, a popular movie star shooting a film on location in Georgetown, is a woman who finds herself caught between the concrete world of medical science and--to her--the more foreign world of religion, which she only turns to once she’s sought the help of “88 doctors” and is desperate to try anything to save her daughter.

When it’s suggested to her that Regan should have an exorcism, a stunned Chris turns to Father Karras (Jason Miller), a man fighting his own demons after his mother died alone in her home. With its relationships established, the film then becomes Chris and Karras’ journey into themselves with Regan’s possession used as the catalyst for change and personal reawakening.

Besides the performances, which are uniformly strong, especially Linda Blair’s, which borders on brilliance (consider the range she displays as Regan), what’s so terrific about “The Exorcist” is how the film is in no hurry to get to the meat of its horror. It isn’t exploitative. First and foremost, it’s about its characters, people we come to care about before their lives are viciously torn apart on screen.

This is one of the reasons the film became a classic. Before Regan ever blew pea soup out of her mouth or flipped about on a bed, audiences had a strong sense of who she and her mother were. For those who believed in what they were seeing--and there were those in 1973 who absolutely believed--there was the lingering, creepy sense that this could happen to them.

This new, extended version does add to the experience, particularly in the excellent three-part documentary on the movie's production and its legacy, which allows us behind the scenes. But beyond all the extras in this set--and there are many--“The Exorcist” remains a must see because it changed movies forever. It stands as that rare original, a movie whose influence continues to be seen even if today's modern directors don't fully understand the reasons why this terrific movie worked.

Grade: A

"Red Desert"

DVD Movie Review (Criterion Collection)

By our guest blogger, Aidan Thomas

Antonioni is the cinematic master of depicting isolation and alienation. His films and characters are so vividly disconcerted that it’s hard to keep from wondering why you're contented with your own circumstances. Sitting in an apartment watching a flat screen TV as his characters struggle to come to grips with modernization can be incredibly unsettling.

Ultimately, Antonioni’s films are successful because they make you question what you take for granted. In "Red Desert," recently remastered and digitally restored by the Criterion Collection, Antonioni explores the effects of modernization and industrialization on our sensory perception of the world. The result is bleak, as natural noises like birds, bugs, and even human interaction are replaced by the ambient otherworldly noise emitted by factories and other technological "advancements." I say "advancements" because throughout his films, Antonioni appears to question the concept itself and "Red Desert" is no exception.

In the film we see Giuliana (played by the always wonderful Monica Vitti) attempt to navigate the ever-changing landscape. Human interaction is no longer the defining characteristic of life. Now, in the modern world, our experience with industrialization seems to define our experience. The reach, noise and effects of industrialization are far reaching and Giulina’s attempts to escape them are feeble at best.

The film’s cinematography, arguably Antonioni’s best, is striking. Each shot paints an unsettling and dark picture of the intersection of technology with modern human experience. During one of the film’s most affecting scenes we see two people lose each other, both visually and aurally, as smoke erupts uncontrollably at the factory they are in. In "Red Desert," Antonioni seems to suggest that Industrialization has infiltrated our visual, aural and conceptual perception and the consequences are dire. Giuliana is alienated and lonely. She has a hard time keeping or holding a conversation with anyone else. Throughout the film, she says that she is "sick." Sick with what? In the film, Antonioni seems to suggest that modernization is the sickness, but what is the cure?

Antonioni’s own trust in film as a means of communication allows the audience room for interpretation. As a product of modernization, film offers Antonioni the opportunity to make "Red Desert" and explore these preoccupations. So can modernization be all bad? Maybe we just need to come to grips with the modern world and accept and embrace the changes modernization has wrought.

Whether you are for or against modernization and industrialization, the film’s motif is poignant. In the modern world, the noise of modernization has become ubiquitous. We take the screech of tires, the hum of refrigerators and buzz of the buzz of cell phones for granted. In fact, the absences of these noises, true silence, is unsettling. The world Antonioni portrays in "Red Desert" has been realized.

What are its consequences for the modern human experience?

Grade:  A

"Red Desert"

DVD Movie Review (Criterion Collection)

By our guest blogger, Aidan Thomas

Antonioni is the cinematic master of depicting isolation and alienation. His films and characters are so vividly disconcerted that it’s hard to keep from wondering why you're contented with your own circumstances. Sitting in an apartment watching a flat screen TV as his characters struggle to come to grips with modernization can be incredibly unsettling.

Ultimately, Antonioni’s films are successful because they make you question what you take for granted. In "Red Desert," recently remastered and digitally restored by the Criterion Collection, Antonioni explores the effects of modernization and industrialization on our sensory perception of the world. The result is bleak, as natural noises like birds, bugs, and even human interaction are replaced by the ambient otherworldly noise emitted by factories and other technological "advancements." I say "advancements" because throughout his films, Antonioni appears to question the concept itself and "Red Desert" is no exception.

In the film we see Giuliana (played by the always wonderful Monica Vitti) attempt to navigate the ever-changing landscape. Human interaction is no longer the defining characteristic of life. Now, in the modern world, our experience with industrialization seems to define our experience. The reach, noise and effects of industrialization are far reaching and Giulina’s attempts to escape them are feeble at best.

The film’s cinematography, arguably Antonioni’s best, is striking. Each shot paints an unsettling and dark picture of the intersection of technology with modern human experience. During one of the film’s most affecting scenes we see two people lose each other, both visually and aurally, as smoke erupts uncontrollably at the factory they are in. In "Red Desert," Antonioni seems to suggest that Industrialization has infiltrated our visual, aural and conceptual perception and the consequences are dire. Giuliana is alienated and lonely. She has a hard time keeping or holding a conversation with anyone else. Throughout the film, she says that she is "sick." Sick with what? In the film, Antonioni seems to suggest that modernization is the sickness, but what is the cure?

Antonioni’s own trust in film as a means of communication allows the audience room for interpretation. As a product of modernization, film offers Antonioni the opportunity to make "Red Desert" and explore these preoccupations. So can modernization be all bad? Maybe we just need to come to grips with the modern world and accept and embrace the changes modernization has wrought.

Whether you are for or against modernization and industrialization, the film’s motif is poignant. In the modern world, the noise of modernization has become ubiquitous. We take the screech of tires, the hum of refrigerators and buzz of the buzz of cell phones for granted. In fact, the absences of these noises, true silence, is unsettling. The world Antonioni portrays in "Red Desert" has been realized.

What are its consequences for the modern human experience?

Grade:  A

"Black Narcissus"

DVD, Blu-ray Review

Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Written by Powell and Pressburger, 100 Minutes, Not Rated

By our guest blogger, Rob Stammitti

The filmmaking duo of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger have long been among the most highly regarded filmmakers to come out of the United Kingdom. They're well known for the pure spectacle of their productions, and their fantastic 1947 film, "Black Narcissus," is a fine display of what brought the pair such universal notoriety.

A young English nun, Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr), is tasked with leading a new nunnery in an abandoned palace in the middle of a Himalayan valley. Accompanied by four others, Sister Philippa (Flora Robson), Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron), Sister Briony (Judith Furse) and Sister Honey (Jenny Laird), Clodagh accepts the job, despite urges to stay away from Mr. Dean (David Farrar), the only British proprietor of the nearby village. The nuns have been invited by an old general who leads the village, and they are one of many groups who have come and gone from the fortress, for reasons unknown.

As we're introduced to Clodagh and her new surroundings, we also meet a variety of other colorful characters. There's the general's charismatic and gentle grandson, known simply as the Young General, who seeks an education under the nuns despite their vow to only teach children and young girls. Mr. Dean requests that the nuns take in Kanchi, a young woman of the village who has not yet taken on a husband and requires a home and education. A romance develops between Kanchi and the Young General that serves as a more positive backdrop to the bleak and troubling events surrounding Clodagh and her convent.

Powell and Pressburger are best known for the vibrancy of their productions, and it serves a very distinct purpose beyond spectacle in this film. The beauty of their landscapes (which are actually just painted backgrounds on sets), the warmth and color of the townspeople and their jewels and clothing, and even things as simple as the make-up on Kanchi or some of the other female characters outside of the convent serve as a reminder of how colorless a life the nuns live. They are forced to stare out into the landscapes of the Himalayas, reminded of the lives and beauty they've left behind, and it slowly but surely drives them mad.

It seems at first that Mr. Dean's insistence that the nuns not open a convent in the palace is a purely selfish one--that he's happy with the simplicity of the villagers and he can revel in his pure hedonism without distraction. But early on it becomes clear that Dean is acting from experience--we're told that other spiritual groups have come to the palace and left rather quickly, and eventually it makes sense. The palace and its surroundings too easily shake to the core those who are weak enough in their faith that they doubt the vows they've taken. Clodagh and the other sisters come from a plain and simple convent into this lush and otherworldly place and the culture of the villagers is quick to make them doubt the foundations of their beliefs.

The film is really an emotional powerhouse, and the distinctive set design and style often acts as its own character within the ever-spiraling psychodrama. The performances, while simple and low-key (outside of Byron's rather hammy performance), are very moving, and the performances mixed with the unbelievably gorgeous direction and sets forms into a perfect mold. Pure Hollywood spectacle, despite being made outside of the U.S. and the studio system of the time.

Grade: B+

"Black Narcissus"

DVD, Blu-ray Review

Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Written by Powell and Pressburger, 100 Minutes, Not Rated

By our guest blogger, Rob Stammitti

The filmmaking duo of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger have long been among the most highly regarded filmmakers to come out of the United Kingdom. They're well known for the pure spectacle of their productions, and their fantastic 1947 film, "Black Narcissus," is a fine display of what brought the pair such universal notoriety.

A young English nun, Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr), is tasked with leading a new nunnery in an abandoned palace in the middle of a Himalayan valley. Accompanied by four others, Sister Philippa (Flora Robson), Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron), Sister Briony (Judith Furse) and Sister Honey (Jenny Laird), Clodagh accepts the job, despite urges to stay away from Mr. Dean (David Farrar), the only British proprietor of the nearby village. The nuns have been invited by an old general who leads the village, and they are one of many groups who have come and gone from the fortress, for reasons unknown.

As we're introduced to Clodagh and her new surroundings, we also meet a variety of other colorful characters. There's the general's charismatic and gentle grandson, known simply as the Young General, who seeks an education under the nuns despite their vow to only teach children and young girls. Mr. Dean requests that the nuns take in Kanchi, a young woman of the village who has not yet taken on a husband and requires a home and education. A romance develops between Kanchi and the Young General that serves as a more positive backdrop to the bleak and troubling events surrounding Clodagh and her convent.

Powell and Pressburger are best known for the vibrancy of their productions, and it serves a very distinct purpose beyond spectacle in this film. The beauty of their landscapes (which are actually just painted backgrounds on sets), the warmth and color of the townspeople and their jewels and clothing, and even things as simple as the make-up on Kanchi or some of the other female characters outside of the convent serve as a reminder of how colorless a life the nuns live. They are forced to stare out into the landscapes of the Himalayas, reminded of the lives and beauty they've left behind, and it slowly but surely drives them mad.

It seems at first that Mr. Dean's insistence that the nuns not open a convent in the palace is a purely selfish one--that he's happy with the simplicity of the villagers and he can revel in his pure hedonism without distraction. But early on it becomes clear that Dean is acting from experience--we're told that other spiritual groups have come to the palace and left rather quickly, and eventually it makes sense. The palace and its surroundings too easily shake to the core those who are weak enough in their faith that they doubt the vows they've taken. Clodagh and the other sisters come from a plain and simple convent into this lush and otherworldly place and the culture of the villagers is quick to make them doubt the foundations of their beliefs.

The film is really an emotional powerhouse, and the distinctive set design and style often acts as its own character within the ever-spiraling psychodrama. The performances, while simple and low-key (outside of Byron's rather hammy performance), are very moving, and the performances mixed with the unbelievably gorgeous direction and sets forms into a perfect mold. Pure Hollywood spectacle, despite being made outside of the U.S. and the studio system of the time.

Grade: B+

DVD Movie Review

"M"

Directed by Fritz Lang, Written by Lang, Thea von Harbou, Paul Falkenberg and Adolf Jansen, 110 minutes, Not Rated

By our guest blogger, Rob Stammitti

Fritz Lang often referred to his first sound film "M" as his masterpiece. Like many of Lang's films, it served as an archetype for its genre--the serial killer thriller, in this case--and most elements in the film have been recycled in most genre films since.

In the film, little girls in Berlin begin going missing, and as the local papers start getting mysterious Zodiac-esque letters threatening more kidnappings and murders, the city goes completely mad, with random men being arrested simply for speaking with young girls and bars getting raided every night. As Berlin becomes a police state, the criminal underworld takes matters into their own hands and employs local beggars to keep an eye out for the mysterious serial killer. And so begins a race between the cops and criminals to find the murderer.

Meanwhile, the killer himself, Hans Beckert (played by Peter Lorre in what is generally considered his breakout role), roams around being creepy like only Peter Lorre can be.

The script is really quite clever, such as when one of the criminals spots Beckert and slaps a proverbial scarlet letter (the "M" of the title) on his back so that the rest of the goons can follow him without knowing his face, or when Beckert is finally captured and he stands trial in front of a room of thieves, mobsters and murderers with the worst of the bunch acting as the judge.

Even better is the direction. Even as early as 1931, there is a lot of "modern" style on display here, especially in Lang's excellent use of shadow, reflections and zooms. One of the film's most thrilling moments comes when Beckert is slapped with the "M" and, as he notices the letter in his reflection and sees someone following him, flees through alleyways, with gorgeous overhead shots combined with claustrophobic and unsettling zooms perfectly conveying his sense of hopelessness and fear. Lang does a good job of making Beckert wholly reprehensible and then forcing the audience to put themselves in his shoes.

Like all older films that served as an inspiration for modern genre films, though, much of the film when viewed by an audience unfamiliar with its context will find it rather tame and predictable by today's standards. The film can be a bit slow in the first act as well, and until its climax, most of the film is hit-or-miss.

But there definitely is enough to like here to make up for the occasional dullness. Of course, the writing and direction is great, as are leads Lorre and Gustaf Grundgens as the criminal "judge." Lorre's performance is so perfect that the poor guy (originally a comedic performer) was typecast as creeps for the rest of his life (you may recall him from "Casablanca" and "The Maltese Falcon").

And as far as Lang goes, he may think this is his masterpiece, but "Metropolis" is a better film.

As a massive inspiration and a quick thrill, "M" definitely works. But it may come off as quite dated to a new audience if they don't give it a chance.

Grade: B-

DVD Movie Review

"M"

Directed by Fritz Lang, Written by Lang, Thea von Harbou, Paul Falkenberg and Adolf Jansen, 110 minutes, Not Rated

By our guest blogger, Rob Stammitti

Fritz Lang often referred to his first sound film "M" as his masterpiece. Like many of Lang's films, it served as an archetype for its genre--the serial killer thriller, in this case--and most elements in the film have been recycled in most genre films since.

In the film, little girls in Berlin begin going missing, and as the local papers start getting mysterious Zodiac-esque letters threatening more kidnappings and murders, the city goes completely mad, with random men being arrested simply for speaking with young girls and bars getting raided every night. As Berlin becomes a police state, the criminal underworld takes matters into their own hands and employs local beggars to keep an eye out for the mysterious serial killer. And so begins a race between the cops and criminals to find the murderer.

Meanwhile, the killer himself, Hans Beckert (played by Peter Lorre in what is generally considered his breakout role), roams around being creepy like only Peter Lorre can be.

The script is really quite clever, such as when one of the criminals spots Beckert and slaps a proverbial scarlet letter (the "M" of the title) on his back so that the rest of the goons can follow him without knowing his face, or when Beckert is finally captured and he stands trial in front of a room of thieves, mobsters and murderers with the worst of the bunch acting as the judge.

Even better is the direction. Even as early as 1931, there is a lot of "modern" style on display here, especially in Lang's excellent use of shadow, reflections and zooms. One of the film's most thrilling moments comes when Beckert is slapped with the "M" and, as he notices the letter in his reflection and sees someone following him, flees through alleyways, with gorgeous overhead shots combined with claustrophobic and unsettling zooms perfectly conveying his sense of hopelessness and fear. Lang does a good job of making Beckert wholly reprehensible and then forcing the audience to put themselves in his shoes.

Like all older films that served as an inspiration for modern genre films, though, much of the film when viewed by an audience unfamiliar with its context will find it rather tame and predictable by today's standards. The film can be a bit slow in the first act as well, and until its climax, most of the film is hit-or-miss.

But there definitely is enough to like here to make up for the occasional dullness. Of course, the writing and direction is great, as are leads Lorre and Gustaf Grundgens as the criminal "judge." Lorre's performance is so perfect that the poor guy (originally a comedic performer) was typecast as creeps for the rest of his life (you may recall him from "Casablanca" and "The Maltese Falcon").

And as far as Lang goes, he may think this is his masterpiece, but "Metropolis" is a better film.

As a massive inspiration and a quick thrill, "M" definitely works. But it may come off as quite dated to a new audience if they don't give it a chance.

Grade: B-

ReFocus: Movie Review

"Double Indemnity"

By our guest blogger, John Shannon

Editor's Note: With new movies coming out every Friday, new DVDs every Tuesday, and nearly 100 years worth of film history to draw from, it’s easy for some titles to get lost in the shuffle. With this in mind, we present “ReFocus,” a weekly column detailing a film that for one reason or another deserves revisiting. Whether it’s simply providing further context or taking a second look at a misplaced classic, we’re here to continue the conversation and give films their proper view.

This week…

"Double Indemnity"

There are many genres and sub-genres when it comes to the classic era of filmmaking. Some are clear-cut and safe, such as the adventure film or the romantic comedy. Some are a little darker yet still fall in the “good guy prevails” scenario. Only one genre is as dark and as oppressive as film noir. The term translates to “black film,” and it is rightfully named. Noir explore the deep and dark spaces where most happy-go-lucky films don’t dare to go. The pictures include moral ambiguity and a sense of desperation, and there are rarely any happy endings. While a list of classic noirs may include such titles as “The Maltese Falcon,” “Blade Runner,” “Chinatown,” “The Big Sleep” and “Memento,” it would most certainly include Billy Wilder’s “Double Indemnity.”

Noir to its very bones, “Double Indemnity” practically defines the genre.

The film tells the tale of a corrupt insurance salesman, Neff (played against type by Fred McMurray), who aids Mrs. Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) in killing her husband and exploiting the double indemnity clause in his life insurance policy. While they succeed at the job, getting the money becomes difficult when Neff’s partner, Keyes (Edward G Robinson), looks deeper into the details of Mr. Dietrichson’s death.

The film has all the classic elements of a film noir. A morally ambiguous protagonist, a femme fatale, corruption, fraud, murder and a muddled ending that, while morally satisfying, isn’t exactly a crowd pleaser. Based upon a book by James M Cain and written by Wilder himself, the screenplay breaks nearly every rule in the book. Voiceovers. Flashbacks. Wilder did what he had to in order for the story to work properly and adhere to the strict regulations of the Hayes code, and the finished product makes it seem as though the rules should be broken more often.

The character of Neff is a classic noir protagonist--his moral ambiguity is perfectly tailored to the story. He enjoys his job, but feels he is smarter than everyone else in the office. Part of the reason he commits the fraud is to run away with the sexy Mrs. Dietrichson, but one could argue that a larger part of it is to show off his own cunning and to prove to Keyes that he is the smarter man. Why else would he sit back and record a confession in Keyes’ office once the jig is up? He wants Keyes to know that he did the deed and that he had it all planned from the beginning.

In any other genre, Keyes would be the main character, the protagonist who is searching to get to the bottom of things, and we would discover the clues and events and piece the puzzle together in the order that he does, slowly unraveling the mystery. But this is a noir, so instead, we see all the cards right from the beginning, and can only watch as Keyes comes closer and closer to discovering the truth. And as he comes closer, we almost wish he wouldn’t find out. We almost want the murderous couple to get away with it.

And speaking of the couple, here we come to the most crucial part of any film noir--the femme fatale. Barbara Stanwyck assays Mrs. Dietrichson as the ultimate femme fatale, a beautiful, sexy and dangerous woman who always had it in her head the notion to kill her husband, but couldn’t see the proper way of doing it until Neff walked through her door. It is heavily implied that she has been planning to take down Dietrichson for all he’s got for some time--her stepdaughter believes she killed the former Mrs. Dietrichson by leaving the window open and contributing to her illness. The relationship between her and Neff also is a bit fishy. While we see them flirt heavily upon the first encounter--with some of the greatest double entendres ever written--once they have had their first night together, they seem to care less and less for each other. It doesn’t help that once the deed is done, they are forced to spend less and less time together to avoid suspicion. But one can’t help feeling that she is just using Neff and his inside knowledge of the way insurance works as a means to an end.

The story and characters are beautifully brought to the screen by cinematographer John Seitz. Seitz uses crisp black and white photography and plenty of shadows to keep the characters and the audience in a muddled sense of whereabouts. A frequent theme of characters entering the frame from lit areas and moving toward darkness is used, and continuing that motif, Keyes is the only character seen to move from the dark toward the light. The lighting of each scene is designed to conceal as much as it is to reveal. Seitz also employs deep focus photography when appropriate, creating some truly great compositions. One stand out example of this technique’s execution is a tense moment when Keyes is leaving Neff’s apartment while Mrs. Dietrichson hides behind the opened door. Neff is aware of her presence, and stands in the way, holding the door open just enough so that Keyes doesn’t see a thing. It’s an incredible, white-knuckle scene, and it is played out in one literally breathtaking shot.

With top notch performances and cinematography, and a screenplay crafted exactly to his liking, Billy Wilder almost makes it look easy as he crafts together his film. His influence on the writing, acting, shooting and editing pushes the film to the top of the pile of film noir greats, and even beyond that to earn it a place among some of the greatest films of all time. It’s a beautifully crafted work, but it isn’t too stuffy as to become inaccessible to the casual viewer. There is no reason for a remake or reimagining of any kind. Any attempt to revamp it would be as foolhardy as a remake of “The Godfather” or “Casablanca.” For each and every subsequent viewing, the film endures and appears to be more and more layered. “Double Indemnity” is, without question, a masterpiece.

Next Week on ReFocus: “The Dark Crystal”

ReFocus: Movie Review

"Double Indemnity"

By our guest blogger, John Shannon

Editor's Note: With new movies coming out every Friday, new DVDs every Tuesday, and nearly 100 years worth of film history to draw from, it’s easy for some titles to get lost in the shuffle. With this in mind, we present “ReFocus,” a weekly column detailing a film that for one reason or another deserves revisiting. Whether it’s simply providing further context or taking a second look at a misplaced classic, we’re here to continue the conversation and give films their proper view.

This week…

"Double Indemnity"

There are many genres and sub-genres when it comes to the classic era of filmmaking. Some are clear-cut and safe, such as the adventure film or the romantic comedy. Some are a little darker yet still fall in the “good guy prevails” scenario. Only one genre is as dark and as oppressive as film noir. The term translates to “black film,” and it is rightfully named. Noir explore the deep and dark spaces where most happy-go-lucky films don’t dare to go. The pictures include moral ambiguity and a sense of desperation, and there are rarely any happy endings. While a list of classic noirs may include such titles as “The Maltese Falcon,” “Blade Runner,” “Chinatown,” “The Big Sleep” and “Memento,” it would most certainly include Billy Wilder’s “Double Indemnity.”

Noir to its very bones, “Double Indemnity” practically defines the genre.

The film tells the tale of a corrupt insurance salesman, Neff (played against type by Fred McMurray), who aids Mrs. Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) in killing her husband and exploiting the double indemnity clause in his life insurance policy. While they succeed at the job, getting the money becomes difficult when Neff’s partner, Keyes (Edward G Robinson), looks deeper into the details of Mr. Dietrichson’s death.

The film has all the classic elements of a film noir. A morally ambiguous protagonist, a femme fatale, corruption, fraud, murder and a muddled ending that, while morally satisfying, isn’t exactly a crowd pleaser. Based upon a book by James M Cain and written by Wilder himself, the screenplay breaks nearly every rule in the book. Voiceovers. Flashbacks. Wilder did what he had to in order for the story to work properly and adhere to the strict regulations of the Hayes code, and the finished product makes it seem as though the rules should be broken more often.

The character of Neff is a classic noir protagonist--his moral ambiguity is perfectly tailored to the story. He enjoys his job, but feels he is smarter than everyone else in the office. Part of the reason he commits the fraud is to run away with the sexy Mrs. Dietrichson, but one could argue that a larger part of it is to show off his own cunning and to prove to Keyes that he is the smarter man. Why else would he sit back and record a confession in Keyes’ office once the jig is up? He wants Keyes to know that he did the deed and that he had it all planned from the beginning.

In any other genre, Keyes would be the main character, the protagonist who is searching to get to the bottom of things, and we would discover the clues and events and piece the puzzle together in the order that he does, slowly unraveling the mystery. But this is a noir, so instead, we see all the cards right from the beginning, and can only watch as Keyes comes closer and closer to discovering the truth. And as he comes closer, we almost wish he wouldn’t find out. We almost want the murderous couple to get away with it.

And speaking of the couple, here we come to the most crucial part of any film noir--the femme fatale. Barbara Stanwyck assays Mrs. Dietrichson as the ultimate femme fatale, a beautiful, sexy and dangerous woman who always had it in her head the notion to kill her husband, but couldn’t see the proper way of doing it until Neff walked through her door. It is heavily implied that she has been planning to take down Dietrichson for all he’s got for some time--her stepdaughter believes she killed the former Mrs. Dietrichson by leaving the window open and contributing to her illness. The relationship between her and Neff also is a bit fishy. While we see them flirt heavily upon the first encounter--with some of the greatest double entendres ever written--once they have had their first night together, they seem to care less and less for each other. It doesn’t help that once the deed is done, they are forced to spend less and less time together to avoid suspicion. But one can’t help feeling that she is just using Neff and his inside knowledge of the way insurance works as a means to an end.

The story and characters are beautifully brought to the screen by cinematographer John Seitz. Seitz uses crisp black and white photography and plenty of shadows to keep the characters and the audience in a muddled sense of whereabouts. A frequent theme of characters entering the frame from lit areas and moving toward darkness is used, and continuing that motif, Keyes is the only character seen to move from the dark toward the light. The lighting of each scene is designed to conceal as much as it is to reveal. Seitz also employs deep focus photography when appropriate, creating some truly great compositions. One stand out example of this technique’s execution is a tense moment when Keyes is leaving Neff’s apartment while Mrs. Dietrichson hides behind the opened door. Neff is aware of her presence, and stands in the way, holding the door open just enough so that Keyes doesn’t see a thing. It’s an incredible, white-knuckle scene, and it is played out in one literally breathtaking shot.

With top notch performances and cinematography, and a screenplay crafted exactly to his liking, Billy Wilder almost makes it look easy as he crafts together his film. His influence on the writing, acting, shooting and editing pushes the film to the top of the pile of film noir greats, and even beyond that to earn it a place among some of the greatest films of all time. It’s a beautifully crafted work, but it isn’t too stuffy as to become inaccessible to the casual viewer. There is no reason for a remake or reimagining of any kind. Any attempt to revamp it would be as foolhardy as a remake of “The Godfather” or “Casablanca.” For each and every subsequent viewing, the film endures and appears to be more and more layered. “Double Indemnity” is, without question, a masterpiece.

Next Week on ReFocus: “The Dark Crystal”

Reflections on "Rashomon"

By our guest blogger, Kicia Sears

Because film is such a rich medium, it is, to say the least, extremely difficult to get everything just right in order to create a masterpiece. Even films that are great have significant inadequacies that drag down the rest of the movie. Then there are films like "Rashomon," which have so many amazing things going on at once that it’s hard to find something that doesn’t work.

A lot has been said about "Rashomon" since its 1950 release; there are entire film courses on Akira Kurosawa’s work. However, from everything that contributes to this film’s greatness–the trailblazing cinematography; the expressive, symbolic use of light, which creates a breathtaking palette that is difficult to achieve with black-and-white film; and Kurosawa’s unique perfectionism–there are two elements that stand above everything else and help to elevate "Rashomon" from a great movie to a film classic in the eyes of scholars and audiences alike.

The first is the source material and Kurosawa’s interpretation of it ("Rashomon" is inspired by Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s short stories “In a Grove” and “Rashomon,” though from the latter only the setting is borrowed). The second is Toshiro Mifune, without whom the film would have been entirely different.

"Rashomon" is a masterpiece because it is both a simple folktale and a microcosm of a complex aspect of human relationships. It makes a serious statement about the nature of ‘man’ without punching the audience in the face with its message. There is a tendency in modern cinema to assume the audience’s stupidity and present an obvious story with an obvious idea behind it. And just in case anyone missed it, some films even put their message in a character’s mouth. (Example: "Saved!") Instead of the character, you hear the director or the writers speaking, and it feels alien and uncomfortable. As an audience, it is invigorating to watch something that might have a few meanings, or to be asked to take something from the film that is your own. As to what actually happened in "Rashomon" that led to the murder of the samurai, there is no way to know. Kurosawa refuses to give us the answer. In doing so, he not only elegantly creates a mystery onscreen but also allows us to reflect on the uncertainty of human nature.

As for the brilliance of Toshiro Mifune, who portrays Tajomaru in the film, Mifune not only brings natural talent and unique style to each film in which he acts, but a deep dedication to a story and its characters. In "Rashomon," his portrayal of Tajomaru the bandit is especially chilling. When Tajomaru explodes into a laughing fit, he seems to cross into something utterly inhuman. It is said that this is because at Kurosawa’s request Mifune studied footage of lions in Africa in order to prepare for the role.

Kurosawa praised him for his efficiency and diligence in his book "Something Like an Autobiography," which is worth quoting at length: “The ordinary Japanese actor might need ten feet of film to get across an impression, Mifune needed only three feet. The speed of his movements was such that he said in a single action what took ordinary actors three separate movements to express.” Mifune appeals to audiences with his quick-witted delivery and the way he allows his characters to be flawed but still awe-inspiring at times. He understands the complexity of human beings, and his characters are multi-layered not necessarily because of the writing, but because of the way he hints at these layers through movements and facial expressions. Mifune’s performance makes us, as an audience, laugh with disbelief as we find ourselves wanting to believe Tajomaru’s innocence even though he is a known rapist and murderer. Rashomon was Mifune’s first exposure outside of Japan, but it is his dedication and ability to express emotion as quickly and complexly as it appears in life that caused him to retire as one of the greatest actors of all time.

Oddly, "Rashomon" was popular with European and American audiences while it was all but a flop in Japan when it was first released. There is a lot of speculation as to why Japanese audiences weren’t impressed with the film, but the truth likely will never be known. Akira Kurosawa achieved greatness with "Rashomon" not because it was noticed by the Western world but because it is beautiful, nuanced, innovative and resonant. We all watch movies for a reason, and filmmakers make movies for a reason, too. Perhaps it is to convey a moral message or make a political statement, or perhaps it is an attempt to control a part of life. In the words of the Commoner, who is a character in the film, “We all want to forget something, so we tell stories.”

"Rashomon" makes one thing abundantly clear--if Akira Kurosawa is telling the story, we’d better listen.

Reflections on "Rashomon"

By our guest blogger, Kicia Sears

Because film is such a rich medium, it is, to say the least, extremely difficult to get everything just right in order to create a masterpiece. Even films that are great have significant inadequacies that drag down the rest of the movie. Then there are films like "Rashomon," which have so many amazing things going on at once that it’s hard to find something that doesn’t work.

A lot has been said about "Rashomon" since its 1950 release; there are entire film courses on Akira Kurosawa’s work. However, from everything that contributes to this film’s greatness–the trailblazing cinematography; the expressive, symbolic use of light, which creates a breathtaking palette that is difficult to achieve with black-and-white film; and Kurosawa’s unique perfectionism–there are two elements that stand above everything else and help to elevate "Rashomon" from a great movie to a film classic in the eyes of scholars and audiences alike.

The first is the source material and Kurosawa’s interpretation of it ("Rashomon" is inspired by Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s short stories “In a Grove” and “Rashomon,” though from the latter only the setting is borrowed). The second is Toshiro Mifune, without whom the film would have been entirely different.

"Rashomon" is a masterpiece because it is both a simple folktale and a microcosm of a complex aspect of human relationships. It makes a serious statement about the nature of ‘man’ without punching the audience in the face with its message. There is a tendency in modern cinema to assume the audience’s stupidity and present an obvious story with an obvious idea behind it. And just in case anyone missed it, some films even put their message in a character’s mouth. (Example: "Saved!") Instead of the character, you hear the director or the writers speaking, and it feels alien and uncomfortable. As an audience, it is invigorating to watch something that might have a few meanings, or to be asked to take something from the film that is your own. As to what actually happened in "Rashomon" that led to the murder of the samurai, there is no way to know. Kurosawa refuses to give us the answer. In doing so, he not only elegantly creates a mystery onscreen but also allows us to reflect on the uncertainty of human nature.

As for the brilliance of Toshiro Mifune, who portrays Tajomaru in the film, Mifune not only brings natural talent and unique style to each film in which he acts, but a deep dedication to a story and its characters. In "Rashomon," his portrayal of Tajomaru the bandit is especially chilling. When Tajomaru explodes into a laughing fit, he seems to cross into something utterly inhuman. It is said that this is because at Kurosawa’s request Mifune studied footage of lions in Africa in order to prepare for the role.

Kurosawa praised him for his efficiency and diligence in his book "Something Like an Autobiography," which is worth quoting at length: “The ordinary Japanese actor might need ten feet of film to get across an impression, Mifune needed only three feet. The speed of his movements was such that he said in a single action what took ordinary actors three separate movements to express.” Mifune appeals to audiences with his quick-witted delivery and the way he allows his characters to be flawed but still awe-inspiring at times. He understands the complexity of human beings, and his characters are multi-layered not necessarily because of the writing, but because of the way he hints at these layers through movements and facial expressions. Mifune’s performance makes us, as an audience, laugh with disbelief as we find ourselves wanting to believe Tajomaru’s innocence even though he is a known rapist and murderer. Rashomon was Mifune’s first exposure outside of Japan, but it is his dedication and ability to express emotion as quickly and complexly as it appears in life that caused him to retire as one of the greatest actors of all time.

Oddly, "Rashomon" was popular with European and American audiences while it was all but a flop in Japan when it was first released. There is a lot of speculation as to why Japanese audiences weren’t impressed with the film, but the truth likely will never be known. Akira Kurosawa achieved greatness with "Rashomon" not because it was noticed by the Western world but because it is beautiful, nuanced, innovative and resonant. We all watch movies for a reason, and filmmakers make movies for a reason, too. Perhaps it is to convey a moral message or make a political statement, or perhaps it is an attempt to control a part of life. In the words of the Commoner, who is a character in the film, “We all want to forget something, so we tell stories.”

"Rashomon" makes one thing abundantly clear--if Akira Kurosawa is telling the story, we’d better listen.

DVD Review

"Harvey" (1950)

Directed by Henry Kostner, written by Mary Chase and Oscar Brodney, not rated.

By our guest blogger, Lauren Bull

It recently was reported that Steven Spielberg walked away from directing a remake of “Harvey,” the 1950 film starring James Stewart as Elwood P. Dowd, a man whose best friend is an invisible rabbit over six feet tall. Whether the rumor is true that Spielberg backed off because of difficulty finding the perfect leading man is irrelevant.  I’m more interested in whether he would have found the right tone.

“Harvey” has that screwball comedy element where characters constantly are cutting each other off because if they were able to complete their sentences, everything would be resolved in minutes. Early on in the film, when Dowd’s concerned sister, Veta (the brilliantly manic Josephine Hull), tries to bring him to the sanitarium, a series of miscommunications leads to her being committed. This kind of zany mishap has to happen in order to maintain the film’s inner struggle--Dowd is a serious alcoholic who talks to an invisible rabbit, all of which comes across as sweet and enviable. He’s a popular guy in town, the one who gives genuine compliments and invites strangers to dinner.

The word “charm” often is assigned to films such as this, which sometimes feels as though it’s being used as a synonym for “simple.” How many would really entertain Dowd’s relationship with Harvey? And for how long? Spielberg probably was the best choice to make a film that would be a fraternal twin of the original, not an identical one, but the challenge is still great in the wake of the original. What’s so wonderful about “Harvey” is that while the film might make light of the situation, the rabbit definitely is not treated as a joke. Notice how few close-ups there are; so much of it is extended master shots. Though not visible, Harvey rarely is out of frame.

When we get to the gorgeous and melancholy scene outside the local bar, where Dowd admits some people have been alienated by Harvey, the filmmakers refuse to let science resolve things. Dr. Sanderson asks Dowd if he ever has known anyone else named Harvey (his father, a childhood friend, etc.). Dowd says, “No, not one, doctor. Maybe that’s why I always had such hopes for it.” Modern, practical psychology won’t get the best of him, but it might have gotten the best of Spielberg.

The “Harvey” DVD doesn’t offer much in the way of extras (no director’s commentary or deleted scenes on this one), but my favorite bit of production trivia was playwright Mary Chase’s request to have the rabbit visible to the audience in the closing shot, a quick glance that would have changed everything tonally. Director Henry Koster turned her down. Maybe he thought it was the kind of mistake you save for someone else to make.

DVD Review

"Harvey" (1950)

Directed by Henry Kostner, written by Mary Chase and Oscar Brodney, not rated.

By our guest blogger, Lauren Bull

It recently was reported that Steven Spielberg walked away from directing a remake of “Harvey,” the 1950 film starring James Stewart as Elwood P. Dowd, a man whose best friend is an invisible rabbit over six feet tall. Whether the rumor is true that Spielberg backed off because of difficulty finding the perfect leading man is irrelevant.  I’m more interested in whether he would have found the right tone.

“Harvey” has that screwball comedy element where characters constantly are cutting each other off because if they were able to complete their sentences, everything would be resolved in minutes. Early on in the film, when Dowd’s concerned sister, Veta (the brilliantly manic Josephine Hull), tries to bring him to the sanitarium, a series of miscommunications leads to her being committed. This kind of zany mishap has to happen in order to maintain the film’s inner struggle--Dowd is a serious alcoholic who talks to an invisible rabbit, all of which comes across as sweet and enviable. He’s a popular guy in town, the one who gives genuine compliments and invites strangers to dinner.

The word “charm” often is assigned to films such as this, which sometimes feels as though it’s being used as a synonym for “simple.” How many would really entertain Dowd’s relationship with Harvey? And for how long? Spielberg probably was the best choice to make a film that would be a fraternal twin of the original, not an identical one, but the challenge is still great in the wake of the original. What’s so wonderful about “Harvey” is that while the film might make light of the situation, the rabbit definitely is not treated as a joke. Notice how few close-ups there are; so much of it is extended master shots. Though not visible, Harvey rarely is out of frame.

When we get to the gorgeous and melancholy scene outside the local bar, where Dowd admits some people have been alienated by Harvey, the filmmakers refuse to let science resolve things. Dr. Sanderson asks Dowd if he ever has known anyone else named Harvey (his father, a childhood friend, etc.). Dowd says, “No, not one, doctor. Maybe that’s why I always had such hopes for it.” Modern, practical psychology won’t get the best of him, but it might have gotten the best of Spielberg.

The “Harvey” DVD doesn’t offer much in the way of extras (no director’s commentary or deleted scenes on this one), but my favorite bit of production trivia was playwright Mary Chase’s request to have the rabbit visible to the audience in the closing shot, a quick glance that would have changed everything tonally. Director Henry Koster turned her down. Maybe he thought it was the kind of mistake you save for someone else to make.

Hawaii Five-O: Seventh Season
The challenge is obvious--how to make each episode as energetic as Morton Stevens' iconic theme song? For this seventh season of the long-running series, the good news is that most episodes are. Set in Hawaii, the show finds Jack Lord bringing back the heat and the cool as Steve McGarrett, the pompadoured leader of an elite four-man police team that finds Chin Ho Kelly (Kam Fong) and Danny "Danno" Williams (James McArthur) working to bring down the evil Chinese agent Wo Fat. Among others. Highlights include “The Two-Faced Corpse,” “Right Grave, Wrong Body” and “I’ll Kill ‘Em Again.” With any luck, look for the show to reprise its run--with an all new cast--should a new pilot currently in production pass muster with CBS. Grade: B+







Monsoon Wedding: Criteron Collection
An arranged marriage in Dehli causes a whirlwind of hysteria that rivals that of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” With the bride already involved with a married man and the groom wanting to date before he rushes down the aisle, what ensues is a monsoon of emotions--Bollywood style. In this special Criterion Collection, look for many extras, including a restored high-definition digital transfer, audio commentary from director Mira Nair, three short documentaries from Nair, as well as four fictional short film, the best of which is 2007’s “Migration.” Rated: R. Grade: A-.





The William Castle Film Collection
B-movie bumps in the night. This excellent collection from Sony sets the mood to camp, arrives just in time for Halloween, and features several stand-out horror movies from the 1960s, such as an ax-wielding Joan Crawford as poor Lucy Barbin in the incomparable “Strait-Jacket,” as well as “13 Frightened Girls,” “13 Ghosts,” “Homicidal,” “The Old Dark House,” the hilarious “Mr. Sardonicus,” Vincent Price in “The Tingler” and “Zoltz!” It’s unfortunate that “Macabre” and “The Night Walker” weren’t included, but this otherwise impressive set does include an insightful documentary on Castle in “Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story.” Grade: B+


Also on DVD and Blu-ray disc

Several television are available, the best of which is the seventh season of Girlfriends, a fine option for those seeking an alternative to Sex and the City. The show isn’t as daring or as baring (it didn’t, after all, appear on HBO), but its humor is cheeky and it does tackle similar issues, with its four female leads fighting to make it in Los Angeles. Also available is the fine final season of The L Word, the first season of the action-drama Flashpoint, and the fifth season of the FBI drama Numb3rs, which solves crimes with the help of…algebra!





On Blu-ray, beware three colossal wrecks--the horror movie Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead, which is suitably titled; the horror movie The Craft, which ironially lacks a trace of craft itself; and Kevin Costner’s triumphant flop, Waterworld.









Savin,g the week is the terrific Blu-ray release of Stop Making Sense which focuses on the Talking Heads in concert at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in 1983 (David Byrne was in his prime--and it shows); the DVD and Blu-ray release of Red Dwarf: Back to Earth; Tracy Morgan hosting the amusing Scare Tactics: Season Three; and Warner’s boxed set of Peanuts 1970s Collection, Vol. 1, which includes such memorable shorts as “It’s a Mystery, Charlie Brown,” “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” and “It’s the Easter Beagle,” among others.






Finally, don’t miss TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams Collection, Vol. 2, as it features six Williams films, including “Fiesta,” “Pagan Love Song,” “Easy to Love,” “This Time for Keeps,” “Thrill of Romance” and the best of the lot, “Million Dollar Mermaid.”

Hawaii Five-O: Seventh Season
The challenge is obvious--how to make each episode as energetic as Morton Stevens' iconic theme song? For this seventh season of the long-running series, the good news is that most episodes are. Set in Hawaii, the show finds Jack Lord bringing back the heat and the cool as Steve McGarrett, the pompadoured leader of an elite four-man police team that finds Chin Ho Kelly (Kam Fong) and Danny "Danno" Williams (James McArthur) working to bring down the evil Chinese agent Wo Fat. Among others. Highlights include “The Two-Faced Corpse,” “Right Grave, Wrong Body” and “I’ll Kill ‘Em Again.” With any luck, look for the show to reprise its run--with an all new cast--should a new pilot currently in production pass muster with CBS. Grade: B+







Monsoon Wedding: Criteron Collection
An arranged marriage in Dehli causes a whirlwind of hysteria that rivals that of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” With the bride already involved with a married man and the groom wanting to date before he rushes down the aisle, what ensues is a monsoon of emotions--Bollywood style. In this special Criterion Collection, look for many extras, including a restored high-definition digital transfer, audio commentary from director Mira Nair, three short documentaries from Nair, as well as four fictional short film, the best of which is 2007’s “Migration.” Rated: R. Grade: A-.





The William Castle Film Collection
B-movie bumps in the night. This excellent collection from Sony sets the mood to camp, arrives just in time for Halloween, and features several stand-out horror movies from the 1960s, such as an ax-wielding Joan Crawford as poor Lucy Barbin in the incomparable “Strait-Jacket,” as well as “13 Frightened Girls,” “13 Ghosts,” “Homicidal,” “The Old Dark House,” the hilarious “Mr. Sardonicus,” Vincent Price in “The Tingler” and “Zoltz!” It’s unfortunate that “Macabre” and “The Night Walker” weren’t included, but this otherwise impressive set does include an insightful documentary on Castle in “Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story.” Grade: B+


Also on DVD and Blu-ray disc

Several television are available, the best of which is the seventh season of Girlfriends, a fine option for those seeking an alternative to Sex and the City. The show isn’t as daring or as baring (it didn’t, after all, appear on HBO), but its humor is cheeky and it does tackle similar issues, with its four female leads fighting to make it in Los Angeles. Also available is the fine final season of The L Word, the first season of the action-drama Flashpoint, and the fifth season of the FBI drama Numb3rs, which solves crimes with the help of…algebra!





On Blu-ray, beware three colossal wrecks--the horror movie Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead, which is suitably titled; the horror movie The Craft, which ironially lacks a trace of craft itself; and Kevin Costner’s triumphant flop, Waterworld.









Savin,g the week is the terrific Blu-ray release of Stop Making Sense which focuses on the Talking Heads in concert at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in 1983 (David Byrne was in his prime--and it shows); the DVD and Blu-ray release of Red Dwarf: Back to Earth; Tracy Morgan hosting the amusing Scare Tactics: Season Three; and Warner’s boxed set of Peanuts 1970s Collection, Vol. 1, which includes such memorable shorts as “It’s a Mystery, Charlie Brown,” “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” and “It’s the Easter Beagle,” among others.






Finally, don’t miss TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams Collection, Vol. 2, as it features six Williams films, including “Fiesta,” “Pagan Love Song,” “Easy to Love,” “This Time for Keeps,” “Thrill of Romance” and the best of the lot, “Million Dollar Mermaid.”

“Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!” Blu-ray
You know it’s an unusually good week when Warner releases on Blu-ray three thowback classics, two of which involve a certain Dr. Seuss and one of which involves a certain Willy Wonka, and when Disney releases on Blu-ray “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” You could probably beat that, but you’d likely faint from the effort. First up is 1970’s “Horton Hear’s a Who,” which neatly captures the bizarre quirkiness Seuss created in this timeless, 1954 book. That book might have been created by Seuss as a reaction to McCarthyism (true!), but its strengths nevertheless exist in imagination, which director Chuck Jones, working from Seuss’ script, captured beautifully. Unrated. Grade: A

“Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!” Blu-ray
You know it’s an unusually good week when Warner releases on Blu-ray three thowback classics, two of which involve a certain Dr. Seuss and one of which involves a certain Willy Wonka, and when Disney releases on Blu-ray “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” You could probably beat that, but you’d likely faint from the effort. First up is 1970’s “Horton Hear’s a Who,” which neatly captures the bizarre quirkiness Seuss created in this timeless, 1954 book. That book might have been created by Seuss as a reaction to McCarthyism (true!), but its strengths nevertheless exist in imagination, which director Chuck Jones, working from Seuss’ script, captured beautifully. Unrated. Grade: A

“Monsters Vs. Aliens” DVD, Blu-ray
First, here is what you need to know about what’s happening in the film industry, and how it affects you. The following information came directly from an insider with Paramount who spoke to me under the condition of anonymity: In a quiet new marketing strategy that will kneecap their bottom line when film critics start to refuse to cover their titles (it’ll happen--and there goes their free press), Paramount only was willing to release screeners of “Monsters vs. Aliens” to those critics who gave the movie’s theatrical release a positive review (I and many others didn’t). Their thinking is this--in an effort to increase sales, they want to pound the masses only with hype and good news. Sound fair to you? Sounds like propaganda and an uninformed public to me. And so, given these limitations, let’s revisit the original review and reinforce why you shouldn’t bother buying or renting the movie. All the great animation and swell 3-D effects in the world can't save a film if it’s sandbagged by an uninspired storyline that nods broadly at a wealth of better-known films. That’s the case here and the results are so benign, the movie might as well be called “Puppies vs. Kittens.” From its opening moments, it’s easy to be wowed by the advances in 3-D technology. But like any movie focused purely on fueling such a gimmick, the technology becomes just windowdressing if there isn’t anything there to bolster it up, which is the case here. Five writers wrote the script (with Crayons?) and throughout, the cinematic echoes are obvious. The movie’s focus is Susan (voice of Reese Witherspoon), who is struck by a meteorite on her wedding day and starts to grow large. Really large. Within moments, the government is involved (cue the “Men in Black” references!), and they take Susan to a test facility where other monsters are held. Things is, like Susan, none of these oddities are harmful (cue the “Monsters, Inc.” references!). They’re just misunderstood creatures in a movie that eventually employs them in an effort to save the world when aliens attack the planet. Who do you think wins that battle? If you don’t know, you’re likely 5, can’t read yet, and so this movie might appeal to you. But with the exception of a few clever scenes, “Monsters vs. Aliens” fails to leave the mark its title promises. Rated PG. Grade: C-

“How I Met Your Mother: Season Four” DVD, Blu-ray
A sitcom too far on the fringe to be fully mainstream, which is part of its appeal. The show bills itself as “a love story in reverse,” and it continues to fill a niche left in the wake of “Friends,” which it fills well. The show follows five friends living in New York City, with Ted (Josh Radnor) looking back upon his life and telling his two kids how he met their mother 25 years earlier. That might sound like a sappy premise to some, but for the most part, the show resists it. Fine performances follow from Radnor, Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan, Neil Patrick Harris and Cobie Smulders, all of whom make for one of the better ensemble casts on television. Grade: B



"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" Blu-ray
Early in Marcus Nispel’s remake of Tobe Hooper’s low-budget, 1974 cult classic horror film, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” a dazed young woman--beaten, bloody and bruised--sits in the back of a van, mumbling about the horror she’s just witnessed to the five sweaty hippies surrounding her. When she stops suddenly to pull out a gun and blow off her head, the camera, seeking inspiration, follows the bullet—and her scattered brains--through the back of her head, through the van’s rear window, and into the heavy open air. This is one of the film’s lighter moments. What ensues turns increasingly harsh, ugly and wearying. It’s an exploitative gorefest, a slasher flick that’s merciless in its bloodletting. Unlike Zack Snyder’s remake of “Dawn of the Dead,” which works because of its sharp jolt of dark humor and because its violence is cartoonish, the only goal of “Chainsaw” seems to be to test one’s limits. It’s a complete misreading of the original, whose blood violence mostly was implied and whose famed, chainsaw-wielding Leatherface was played by Northeast Harbor resident, Gunnar Hansen. This film is reduced to sideshow of doughy, dirty hillbillies filling out the film’s periphery and adding surreal interest but no psychological depth. They’re here to be ridiculed, not feared, which is just one of the reasons why this bum remake fails. Rated R. Grade: D

“The Unit: Season Four” DVD, Blu-ray
This strange, off-beat hybrid from David Mamet melds elements of “The Shield” and “24” with flashes of “Desperate Housewives.” For the most part, it works. Dennis Haysbert is Jonas Blane, the head of the Army’s Delta Force, a top-secret Special Forces unit that enlists in all sorts of bullet-biting bravery. Scott Foley is Bob Brown, who takes on terrorists while his wife, Kim (Audrey Marie Anderson), takes on a few of her own--the wives of the other Unit members. The dialogue can be very good--it has energy. So do the storylines, which are swift. The problem? Sometimes, those qualities come at the cost of developing the characters, which must be fleshed out. Grade: B-



“The Wizard of Oz: 70th Anniversary Edition” Blu-ray
The limited edition boxed set of the great 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz,” now available on Blu-ray disc, is the week’s best new release. Warner came to the table to play, knowing that fans would expect nothing less than the best when it came to this film, and they delivered in a major way. The movie--well, you know the movie. You know how great Judy Garland is as Dorothy, how memorable the rest of the cast is, how terrific Victor Fleming’s direction is, and that the film’s themes of the importance of home have helped it to resonate throughout the decades. But beyond the movie, whose transfer into the high-definition format is so clean, you’ve never seen or heard it like this, are the extras that come with the boxed set. Highlights include a limited edition watch, a reproduction of the original 1939 campaign book, a 52-page commemorative book called “Behind the Curtain of Production 1060,” and even a replica of the original movie’s budget. On the four discs that come with the set, you’ll fine over 16 hours of extras, the best of which is the 6-hour documentary “MGM: When the Lion Roars” and an insightful documentary on Victor Fleming. Need more? The set also includes a bonus digital copy of the movie, which allows you to download it onto your computer. Grade: A+

Also new on DVD and Blu-ray this week:

New and additional titles Paramount tucked away from critics this week include the Blu-ray releases of several films. That studio is hoping you’ll stumble blindly into stores and seek them out. At least the other studios get it--and can take it on the chin if their movie or television show isn’t well received. What are recommended this week are such titles as the second season of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” (DVD, Blu-ray), which refines and deepens what came before it; the terrific third season of “Ugly Betty,” with America Ferrera continuing to broaden her range; and the first season of the detective show, “Castle.”

Three titles from A&E also are worth a look, such as excellent three seasons of “The Universe” on Blu-ray, as well as the first season of “How the Earth Was Made” and the 20 discs tucked within the creepy “The Haunted Histories Collection.” From the BBC, look for four television series that don’t disappoint, including “People Like Us,” “Clatterford: Complete Season Two,” the first season of the drama “New Tricks” and the biting comedy, “The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle,” which stars Jennifer Saunders (“Absolutely Fabulous”) as a talk show host with zero sense and who apparently knows no bounds. Which is just how we like the actress.

The fourth season of “Ghost Whisperer” is available, with Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Melinda Gordon talking to the dead in ways that the actress might soon be talking to her own career if the show doesn’t pull itself together and improve. While this season does tone down the treacly sentiment of previous seasons, Hewitt’s limitations as an actress have yet to be overcome. The same can’t be said for Patricia Arquette in the fourth season of “Medium,” a superior series in which Arquette’s Allison Dubois, a psychic, solves crimes via the assistance of her unsettling dreams. Fine writing and performances drive the series, as do some intriguing storylines.

Two other crime-related shows are recommended, the best of which is the seventh season of “CSI: Miami,” with David Caruso and crew keeping the series nicely on edge--there’s no screen fatigue here. Same goes for the fourth season of “Criminal Minds,” in which Joe Mantegna’s David Rossie leads a crack team of FBI profilers whose personal lives, as with so many of these crime-related shows, are embroiled in the sort of turmoil few ever would want to face--unless, of course, it’s on their television sets in the comfort of their own living rooms.

From A&E, try “Mysteries of the Freemasons,” a documentary that explores Masonic history via a handful of experts on the subject. Live-action re-creations abound, as they do in these series from the History Channel, with the core revelation being that within the brotherhood of the Masonry, it’s up to the individual to mine the truth of their own secret. Details on Freemasonry are light and interspersed. In the end, the set is best recommended as a fine primer on the subject.

On Blu-ray, look for four martial arts movies--Jet Li and Maggie Cheung in 2004’s “Hero,” Jackie Chan in 1994’s very good “The Legend of Drunken Master,” Jean Wang and Tsang Sze Man in 1993’s unrelenting, Quentin Tarantino-produced “Iron Monkey” and Takeshi Kitano in his own, 2004 award-winning movie, “Zatoichi.” The latter is the best of the lot, which is saying plenty since every one of these films are excellent examples of the genre.

Rounding out the week are several standouts, beginning with the second season of the quirky comedy series “The Big Bang Theory.” Also worth noting is “Bonanza: First Season, Vol.1 and Vol. 2,” each sold separately; the complete first season of the sci-fi powerhouse, “Sanctuary”; the Blu-ray release of 1981’s excellent comic horror movie, “An American Werewolf in London”; and “Gigantor: The Collection, Vol. 2.” Less involving fare includes the first season of the television thriller “Harper’s Island,” the third season of that cloying throwback “Mr. Belvedere,” and the first and second seasons of the energetic but cliché-ridden television show, “Fame.”

“Monsters Vs. Aliens” DVD, Blu-ray
First, here is what you need to know about what’s happening in the film industry, and how it affects you. The following information came directly from an insider with Paramount who spoke to me under the condition of anonymity: In a quiet new marketing strategy that will kneecap their bottom line when film critics start to refuse to cover their titles (it’ll happen--and there goes their free press), Paramount only was willing to release screeners of “Monsters vs. Aliens” to those critics who gave the movie’s theatrical release a positive review (I and many others didn’t). Their thinking is this--in an effort to increase sales, they want to pound the masses only with hype and good news. Sound fair to you? Sounds like propaganda and an uninformed public to me. And so, given these limitations, let’s revisit the original review and reinforce why you shouldn’t bother buying or renting the movie. All the great animation and swell 3-D effects in the world can't save a film if it’s sandbagged by an uninspired storyline that nods broadly at a wealth of better-known films. That’s the case here and the results are so benign, the movie might as well be called “Puppies vs. Kittens.” From its opening moments, it’s easy to be wowed by the advances in 3-D technology. But like any movie focused purely on fueling such a gimmick, the technology becomes just windowdressing if there isn’t anything there to bolster it up, which is the case here. Five writers wrote the script (with Crayons?) and throughout, the cinematic echoes are obvious. The movie’s focus is Susan (voice of Reese Witherspoon), who is struck by a meteorite on her wedding day and starts to grow large. Really large. Within moments, the government is involved (cue the “Men in Black” references!), and they take Susan to a test facility where other monsters are held. Things is, like Susan, none of these oddities are harmful (cue the “Monsters, Inc.” references!). They’re just misunderstood creatures in a movie that eventually employs them in an effort to save the world when aliens attack the planet. Who do you think wins that battle? If you don’t know, you’re likely 5, can’t read yet, and so this movie might appeal to you. But with the exception of a few clever scenes, “Monsters vs. Aliens” fails to leave the mark its title promises. Rated PG. Grade: C-

“How I Met Your Mother: Season Four” DVD, Blu-ray
A sitcom too far on the fringe to be fully mainstream, which is part of its appeal. The show bills itself as “a love story in reverse,” and it continues to fill a niche left in the wake of “Friends,” which it fills well. The show follows five friends living in New York City, with Ted (Josh Radnor) looking back upon his life and telling his two kids how he met their mother 25 years earlier. That might sound like a sappy premise to some, but for the most part, the show resists it. Fine performances follow from Radnor, Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan, Neil Patrick Harris and Cobie Smulders, all of whom make for one of the better ensemble casts on television. Grade: B



"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" Blu-ray
Early in Marcus Nispel’s remake of Tobe Hooper’s low-budget, 1974 cult classic horror film, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” a dazed young woman--beaten, bloody and bruised--sits in the back of a van, mumbling about the horror she’s just witnessed to the five sweaty hippies surrounding her. When she stops suddenly to pull out a gun and blow off her head, the camera, seeking inspiration, follows the bullet—and her scattered brains--through the back of her head, through the van’s rear window, and into the heavy open air. This is one of the film’s lighter moments. What ensues turns increasingly harsh, ugly and wearying. It’s an exploitative gorefest, a slasher flick that’s merciless in its bloodletting. Unlike Zack Snyder’s remake of “Dawn of the Dead,” which works because of its sharp jolt of dark humor and because its violence is cartoonish, the only goal of “Chainsaw” seems to be to test one’s limits. It’s a complete misreading of the original, whose blood violence mostly was implied and whose famed, chainsaw-wielding Leatherface was played by Northeast Harbor resident, Gunnar Hansen. This film is reduced to sideshow of doughy, dirty hillbillies filling out the film’s periphery and adding surreal interest but no psychological depth. They’re here to be ridiculed, not feared, which is just one of the reasons why this bum remake fails. Rated R. Grade: D

“The Unit: Season Four” DVD, Blu-ray
This strange, off-beat hybrid from David Mamet melds elements of “The Shield” and “24” with flashes of “Desperate Housewives.” For the most part, it works. Dennis Haysbert is Jonas Blane, the head of the Army’s Delta Force, a top-secret Special Forces unit that enlists in all sorts of bullet-biting bravery. Scott Foley is Bob Brown, who takes on terrorists while his wife, Kim (Audrey Marie Anderson), takes on a few of her own--the wives of the other Unit members. The dialogue can be very good--it has energy. So do the storylines, which are swift. The problem? Sometimes, those qualities come at the cost of developing the characters, which must be fleshed out. Grade: B-



“The Wizard of Oz: 70th Anniversary Edition” Blu-ray
The limited edition boxed set of the great 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz,” now available on Blu-ray disc, is the week’s best new release. Warner came to the table to play, knowing that fans would expect nothing less than the best when it came to this film, and they delivered in a major way. The movie--well, you know the movie. You know how great Judy Garland is as Dorothy, how memorable the rest of the cast is, how terrific Victor Fleming’s direction is, and that the film’s themes of the importance of home have helped it to resonate throughout the decades. But beyond the movie, whose transfer into the high-definition format is so clean, you’ve never seen or heard it like this, are the extras that come with the boxed set. Highlights include a limited edition watch, a reproduction of the original 1939 campaign book, a 52-page commemorative book called “Behind the Curtain of Production 1060,” and even a replica of the original movie’s budget. On the four discs that come with the set, you’ll fine over 16 hours of extras, the best of which is the 6-hour documentary “MGM: When the Lion Roars” and an insightful documentary on Victor Fleming. Need more? The set also includes a bonus digital copy of the movie, which allows you to download it onto your computer. Grade: A+

Also new on DVD and Blu-ray this week:

New and additional titles Paramount tucked away from critics this week include the Blu-ray releases of several films. That studio is hoping you’ll stumble blindly into stores and seek them out. At least the other studios get it--and can take it on the chin if their movie or television show isn’t well received. What are recommended this week are such titles as the second season of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” (DVD, Blu-ray), which refines and deepens what came before it; the terrific third season of “Ugly Betty,” with America Ferrera continuing to broaden her range; and the first season of the detective show, “Castle.”

Three titles from A&E also are worth a look, such as excellent three seasons of “The Universe” on Blu-ray, as well as the first season of “How the Earth Was Made” and the 20 discs tucked within the creepy “The Haunted Histories Collection.” From the BBC, look for four television series that don’t disappoint, including “People Like Us,” “Clatterford: Complete Season Two,” the first season of the drama “New Tricks” and the biting comedy, “The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle,” which stars Jennifer Saunders (“Absolutely Fabulous”) as a talk show host with zero sense and who apparently knows no bounds. Which is just how we like the actress.

The fourth season of “Ghost Whisperer” is available, with Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Melinda Gordon talking to the dead in ways that the actress might soon be talking to her own career if the show doesn’t pull itself together and improve. While this season does tone down the treacly sentiment of previous seasons, Hewitt’s limitations as an actress have yet to be overcome. The same can’t be said for Patricia Arquette in the fourth season of “Medium,” a superior series in which Arquette’s Allison Dubois, a psychic, solves crimes via the assistance of her unsettling dreams. Fine writing and performances drive the series, as do some intriguing storylines.

Two other crime-related shows are recommended, the best of which is the seventh season of “CSI: Miami,” with David Caruso and crew keeping the series nicely on edge--there’s no screen fatigue here. Same goes for the fourth season of “Criminal Minds,” in which Joe Mantegna’s David Rossie leads a crack team of FBI profilers whose personal lives, as with so many of these crime-related shows, are embroiled in the sort of turmoil few ever would want to face--unless, of course, it’s on their television sets in the comfort of their own living rooms.

From A&E, try “Mysteries of the Freemasons,” a documentary that explores Masonic history via a handful of experts on the subject. Live-action re-creations abound, as they do in these series from the History Channel, with the core revelation being that within the brotherhood of the Masonry, it’s up to the individual to mine the truth of their own secret. Details on Freemasonry are light and interspersed. In the end, the set is best recommended as a fine primer on the subject.

On Blu-ray, look for four martial arts movies--Jet Li and Maggie Cheung in 2004’s “Hero,” Jackie Chan in 1994’s very good “The Legend of Drunken Master,” Jean Wang and Tsang Sze Man in 1993’s unrelenting, Quentin Tarantino-produced “Iron Monkey” and Takeshi Kitano in his own, 2004 award-winning movie, “Zatoichi.” The latter is the best of the lot, which is saying plenty since every one of these films are excellent examples of the genre.

Rounding out the week are several standouts, beginning with the second season of the quirky comedy series “The Big Bang Theory.” Also worth noting is “Bonanza: First Season, Vol.1 and Vol. 2,” each sold separately; the complete first season of the sci-fi powerhouse, “Sanctuary”; the Blu-ray release of 1981’s excellent comic horror movie, “An American Werewolf in London”; and “Gigantor: The Collection, Vol. 2.” Less involving fare includes the first season of the television thriller “Harper’s Island,” the third season of that cloying throwback “Mr. Belvedere,” and the first and second seasons of the energetic but cliché-ridden television show, “Fame.”

"Coach Carter" Blu-ray
Samuel L. Jackson as a high school basketball coach who could find work preaching at a pulpit. What do you suppose the odds are that he's here to turnaround a team trotting in the wrong direction? It's how he does so that generates interest--he benches the whole team when a few get out of line. When controversy unfolds, as it must, it does so within a true story patted into shape by formula. Jackson and the rest of the cast are key. Without their good performances, this movie would have been suffocated by cliches. Rated PG-13. Grade: B-



"Dead Silence"
Features a ventriloquist’s dummy named Billy who comes to life in crashes of thunder and lightning to savagely eat the tongues of those who come too close to it. So right away, you know if the movie is for you. For others, things are predictably bleak. The film sends out rays of stupidity. It’s pointless, it's shabbily produced, it isn't scary, it fears humor. It just is, which isn't enough. What it misses is what the “Child’s Play” franchise embraced. If you’re going to feature a killer doll in your horror film, you better let loose and have a little fun. Otherwise, you've somehow taken this way too seriously and cut your own throat. That's the case here. "Dead Silence" couldn't make a clown happy. Rated R. Grade: F



“The George Eliot Collection"
From the BBC, a set of five films for the retro Victorian--or the curious Edwardian--all derived from the works of George Eliot, whose real name was Mary Ann Evans, so you can imagine the complications he/she was able to compose. “Middlemarch,” “Daniel Deronda,” “Adam Beed,” “The Mill and the Floss” and “Silas Marner” all are assembled here and they're just fine, with many themes reflecting Evans own life as an outsider. The highlight here is “Middlemarch,” with the eight-part miniseries “The Mill and the Floss” offering major insight into Eliot’s own life as Evans. Grade: B+



"Gods and Generals: Blu-ray"
With its reams of endless speeches, forced emotion, whitewashing of history and interminable length, Ron Maxwell's insufferable Civil War epic is a bloated bust, failing on almost every level to live up to its 1993 predecessor "Gettysburg," a better movie that wasn't nearly as self-conscious or as self-important. This nearly four-hour prequel is the second in a planned trilogy. God help us all if the next film is as dull as this. Instead of focusing on one major battle, as he did in "Gettysburg," Maxwell focuses on three--the Battle of Manassas (Bull Run), the Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Chancellorsville--while also telling the stories of the three most influential men behind those battles: Confederate Generals Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (Stephen Lang) and Robert E. Lee (Robert Duvall) for the South and Maine's own Lt. Col. Joshua Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels) of the 20th Maine Regiment for the North. And yet with his purple script in hand, Maxwell sandbags his characters with such florid sentiment, you'd swear that Hallmark got screwed out of a writing credit. And maybe they did, because nobody--nobody--talks as archly as these people. Faring better are the battle scenes. Each is given its due with grand re-enactments comprising 7,500 real-life Civil War buffs. Unfortunately, for the most part, Maxwell sabotages a good deal of the combat scenes by not getting behind them. His camera is literally a stick in the mud, panning and shooting the action while only occasionally plunging into the heart of it. Rated PG-13. Grade: D-

“Manchurian Candidate” Blu-ray
Jonathan Demme’s remake of John Frankenheimer’s jittery, 1962 cold-war classic about political brainwashing arrives on Blu-ray disc to slay the political process as well as corporate America, with big business viewed here as the real threat to our country, much in the same way that the communists were feared in the original film. Gulf War vet Maj. Bennett Marco (Denzel Washington) discovers that during the war, he and other members of his platoon were implanted with computer chips that have brainwashed them into remembering events that never occurred. Of chief concern to Marco is Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber), the vice presidential candidate backed by a vicious, powerful mother played by Meryl Streep, and also controlled by Manchurian Global, a mysterious corporate giant that has, shall we say, special interests in making sure that Shaw gets into the White House. As ever, Washington is so good, you almost take him for granted. Same goes for Streep. While the movie doesn’t match the raw, satirical power of the original, it nevertheless scores for being prescient, relevant and beautifully acted. Rated R. Grade: B+

“17 Again” DVD, Blu-ray
We’ve been here before--most recently in “Freaky Friday” and “13 Going on 30”--but now we’re going there with men, specifically Matthew Perry as a 37-year-old man named Mike who is so far in the dumps with his wife (Leslie Mann), his kids and his bum career, he’d like to do it all over again. Thanks to a magic janitor (of course), he gets his chance and becomes the 17-year-old version of himself, here played by an appealing Zac Efron. The movie is slight and predictable, but it does say something about the glory days some experienced in their youth, how they peaked too early, and thus were set up for a lifetime of disappointments. Thanks to Efron, tween girls likely will pass out in front of their televisions while watching it. All others will question the sanity of wanting to return to puberty in a movie that glosses over most of its many potholes. Rated PG-13. Grade: C

“The Shirley Temple Collection, Vol. 6”
Sinking ship. The set includes three films--the 1936 musical “Stowaway,” in which Temple’s “Ching-Ching” leaves Shanghai to work her magic in keeping Robert Young and Alice Faye together; John Ford’s 1937 movie “Wee Willie Winkie,” a so-so retelling of Rudyard Kipling’s story that finds Temple’s Priscilla Williams fighting the good fight in Colonial India; and 1940’s “Young People,” which was Temple’s final film with Fox. After making dozens of films with Temple, the studio decided that at the tender age of 12, she was too long in the tooth to play the roles that had made her a star. And so, for viewers armed with this knowledge, it’s now something of a curiosity to watch Temple launch into the title song’s telling lyrics: “We’re not little babies anymore! We don’t play with dollies on the floor! We know how to act our age! We have passed the infant stage! That’s why we are in a rage! We think children are a bore!” Poor Shirley. The suits at Fox knew they were finished with her long before they hung her out to dry with this movie and that song. Grade: C

"The Warrior"
Asif Kapidia's debut film mines a sort of derivative beauty. Set in ancient India, the film is laced with inspiration and redemption. The inspiration comes from Akira Kurosawa, from whom Kapidia has learned plenty in staging and style. The redemption comes from the central character, Lafcadia (Irfan Khan), who has chosen to remove himself from a life of violence. It’s a decision that leads him to a spiritual awakening, one dramatically heightened when an assassin takes chase in an effort to chop off Lafcadia's head. Some moments are undeniably powerful, while others languish. Still, a fine, recommended first effort. Rated: R. Grade: B

"Coach Carter" Blu-ray
Samuel L. Jackson as a high school basketball coach who could find work preaching at a pulpit. What do you suppose the odds are that he's here to turnaround a team trotting in the wrong direction? It's how he does so that generates interest--he benches the whole team when a few get out of line. When controversy unfolds, as it must, it does so within a true story patted into shape by formula. Jackson and the rest of the cast are key. Without their good performances, this movie would have been suffocated by cliches. Rated PG-13. Grade: B-



"Dead Silence"
Features a ventriloquist’s dummy named Billy who comes to life in crashes of thunder and lightning to savagely eat the tongues of those who come too close to it. So right away, you know if the movie is for you. For others, things are predictably bleak. The film sends out rays of stupidity. It’s pointless, it's shabbily produced, it isn't scary, it fears humor. It just is, which isn't enough. What it misses is what the “Child’s Play” franchise embraced. If you’re going to feature a killer doll in your horror film, you better let loose and have a little fun. Otherwise, you've somehow taken this way too seriously and cut your own throat. That's the case here. "Dead Silence" couldn't make a clown happy. Rated R. Grade: F



“The George Eliot Collection"
From the BBC, a set of five films for the retro Victorian--or the curious Edwardian--all derived from the works of George Eliot, whose real name was Mary Ann Evans, so you can imagine the complications he/she was able to compose. “Middlemarch,” “Daniel Deronda,” “Adam Beed,” “The Mill and the Floss” and “Silas Marner” all are assembled here and they're just fine, with many themes reflecting Evans own life as an outsider. The highlight here is “Middlemarch,” with the eight-part miniseries “The Mill and the Floss” offering major insight into Eliot’s own life as Evans. Grade: B+



"Gods and Generals: Blu-ray"
With its reams of endless speeches, forced emotion, whitewashing of history and interminable length, Ron Maxwell's insufferable Civil War epic is a bloated bust, failing on almost every level to live up to its 1993 predecessor "Gettysburg," a better movie that wasn't nearly as self-conscious or as self-important. This nearly four-hour prequel is the second in a planned trilogy. God help us all if the next film is as dull as this. Instead of focusing on one major battle, as he did in "Gettysburg," Maxwell focuses on three--the Battle of Manassas (Bull Run), the Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Chancellorsville--while also telling the stories of the three most influential men behind those battles: Confederate Generals Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (Stephen Lang) and Robert E. Lee (Robert Duvall) for the South and Maine's own Lt. Col. Joshua Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels) of the 20th Maine Regiment for the North. And yet with his purple script in hand, Maxwell sandbags his characters with such florid sentiment, you'd swear that Hallmark got screwed out of a writing credit. And maybe they did, because nobody--nobody--talks as archly as these people. Faring better are the battle scenes. Each is given its due with grand re-enactments comprising 7,500 real-life Civil War buffs. Unfortunately, for the most part, Maxwell sabotages a good deal of the combat scenes by not getting behind them. His camera is literally a stick in the mud, panning and shooting the action while only occasionally plunging into the heart of it. Rated PG-13. Grade: D-

“Manchurian Candidate” Blu-ray
Jonathan Demme’s remake of John Frankenheimer’s jittery, 1962 cold-war classic about political brainwashing arrives on Blu-ray disc to slay the political process as well as corporate America, with big business viewed here as the real threat to our country, much in the same way that the communists were feared in the original film. Gulf War vet Maj. Bennett Marco (Denzel Washington) discovers that during the war, he and other members of his platoon were implanted with computer chips that have brainwashed them into remembering events that never occurred. Of chief concern to Marco is Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber), the vice presidential candidate backed by a vicious, powerful mother played by Meryl Streep, and also controlled by Manchurian Global, a mysterious corporate giant that has, shall we say, special interests in making sure that Shaw gets into the White House. As ever, Washington is so good, you almost take him for granted. Same goes for Streep. While the movie doesn’t match the raw, satirical power of the original, it nevertheless scores for being prescient, relevant and beautifully acted. Rated R. Grade: B+

“17 Again” DVD, Blu-ray
We’ve been here before--most recently in “Freaky Friday” and “13 Going on 30”--but now we’re going there with men, specifically Matthew Perry as a 37-year-old man named Mike who is so far in the dumps with his wife (Leslie Mann), his kids and his bum career, he’d like to do it all over again. Thanks to a magic janitor (of course), he gets his chance and becomes the 17-year-old version of himself, here played by an appealing Zac Efron. The movie is slight and predictable, but it does say something about the glory days some experienced in their youth, how they peaked too early, and thus were set up for a lifetime of disappointments. Thanks to Efron, tween girls likely will pass out in front of their televisions while watching it. All others will question the sanity of wanting to return to puberty in a movie that glosses over most of its many potholes. Rated PG-13. Grade: C

“The Shirley Temple Collection, Vol. 6”
Sinking ship. The set includes three films--the 1936 musical “Stowaway,” in which Temple’s “Ching-Ching” leaves Shanghai to work her magic in keeping Robert Young and Alice Faye together; John Ford’s 1937 movie “Wee Willie Winkie,” a so-so retelling of Rudyard Kipling’s story that finds Temple’s Priscilla Williams fighting the good fight in Colonial India; and 1940’s “Young People,” which was Temple’s final film with Fox. After making dozens of films with Temple, the studio decided that at the tender age of 12, she was too long in the tooth to play the roles that had made her a star. And so, for viewers armed with this knowledge, it’s now something of a curiosity to watch Temple launch into the title song’s telling lyrics: “We’re not little babies anymore! We don’t play with dollies on the floor! We know how to act our age! We have passed the infant stage! That’s why we are in a rage! We think children are a bore!” Poor Shirley. The suits at Fox knew they were finished with her long before they hung her out to dry with this movie and that song. Grade: C

"The Warrior"
Asif Kapidia's debut film mines a sort of derivative beauty. Set in ancient India, the film is laced with inspiration and redemption. The inspiration comes from Akira Kurosawa, from whom Kapidia has learned plenty in staging and style. The redemption comes from the central character, Lafcadia (Irfan Khan), who has chosen to remove himself from a life of violence. It’s a decision that leads him to a spiritual awakening, one dramatically heightened when an assassin takes chase in an effort to chop off Lafcadia's head. Some moments are undeniably powerful, while others languish. Still, a fine, recommended first effort. Rated: R. Grade: B

“Race to Witch Mountain” DVD, Blu-ray
A tepid remake of 1975’s “Escape to Witch Mountain,” which the brass at Disney now are calling “Race to Witch Mountain,” a title that makes perfect sense since the movie itself appears to have been made in a rush. The film is a bland retelling of the already so-so source material. In it, Dwayne Johnson is Jack Bruno (of course, he is), a Las Vegas taxi driver with former ties to the mob (not to mention to prison) who finds himself protecting two alien children. They are Seth (Alexander Ludwig, awful) and Sara (AnnaSophia Robb, horrible), two white, blond-haired, blue-eyed youths who are so creepy, they suggest that Hitler, were he alive, might have been responsible for the casting call. Since FBI agent Henry Burke (Ciaran Hinds) is after them, it’s up to Jack to keep them out Burke’s hands while also figuring out a way to get them to Witch Mountain, where their space ship is being held for examination. If they don’t reach their ship and make it back home in time, trouble will ensue for all of us since Seth and Sara’s peeps are planning to take over Earth. Naturally, all of that can be prevented if Jack, Seth, Sara and a sexy scientist (Carla Gouging)…race to Witch Mountain! Unfortunately, that exclamation point isn’t really deserved, particularly given the lax direction, which shows no finesse for moving the action forward at the quick clip it deserved. The best part of the movie turns out to be Johnson himself, who once again comes through with a game performance, but beyond him, nothing here is remarkable, nothing especially worth recommending. It’s just an old relic with new clothes and a weaker heart. Rated PG. Grade: C-

“Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 2”
Forbidden? There was a time when some wanted them to be, but those people likely now are dead and these hardboiled movies live on, proving just as necessary as ever. The five films comprised in this blue collection from Warner all came before the Hays Code began its corrupt squeeze of censorship. As such, these films are more racy, free and entertaining than many that came after it. Included are Norma Shearer in 1930’s “The Divorce” and 1931’s “A Free Soul,” with Shearer winning the Academy Award for the former; 1931’s harrowing “Night Nurse,” with Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Blondell and a sleazy Clark Gable taking each other out; and 1932’s “Three on a Match,” in which Blondell appears opposite Anne Dvorak and an impossibly good-natured Bette Davis. Rounding out this satisfying set is 1933’s “Female,” with Ruth Chatterson taking her share of male secretaries to bed, and then coldly ditching them to the curb when she’s finished with them. Lovely woman. Fine collection. Commentaries abound. Grade: B+

“Literary Classics Collection”
Six movies, all adapted from their respective books--1962’s “Billy Budd,” with Peter Ustinov successfully tackling Melville; 1950’s “Captain Horatio Hornblower,” with Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo drenched amid the swashbuckling madness; and the 1937 and 1952 versions of “The Prisoner of Zenda," the latter of which is a shot-for-shot, Technicolor remake of 1937's "Zenda." (The former is the classic.) Also included is 1948’s burlesque version of “The Three Musketeers” with Gene Kelly, Lana Turner and Angela Lansbury, and Vincente Minnelli's 1949 version of “Madame Bovary," with Jennifer Jones, of all people, battling famously against Bovary's unwanted provincial life. Every one of them holds up. Grade: B+


“Sculptures of the Louvre”
For those who have visited Paris' sprawling Louvre Museum only to come away feeling as if a bottle of absinthe is in order, this set is for you. For those who haven't visited but always have wanted to, this set also is for you. This seven-part series offers a satisfying look into some of the most famous sculptures housed in one of the world's most chaotic, comprehensive museums--it allows for a measure of clarity to cut through the clutter and the hype. If there ever is a museum that needs the focus, clarity and steadiness offered here, it’s the Louvre. Grade: A-





“Sling Blade” Blu-ray
In this rich, deeply moving film, Billy Bob Thornton is Karl Childers, a man released from an Arkansas mental institution 25 years after he committed two violent, bloody crimes. Now, having done his time, Karl is forced to face his freedom with enormous trepidation--how can he possibly survive in a world he knows so little about? With the help of Frank (Lucas Black), a young boy he befriends by accident; the boy’s kind-hearted mother, Linda (Natalie Canerday); and her gay friend, Vaughan (John Ritter), Karl finds his way. But he also finds himself thrown in the middle of Linda’s abusive relationship with Doyle (Dwight Yoakam), a raging alcoholic who beats and threatens this family Karl has come to love--and will protect at any cost. With strong performances from all members of the cast, “Sling Blade” is a triumph of humanity over evil. It shakes by stripping away the surface of our society and exposing the rotten marrow at its core. Rated R. Grade: A-

“The Tennessee Williams Film Collection”
Five films, some among our best, all inspired by the great playwright, Tennessee Williams. Included are 1951’s “A Street Car Named Desire,” with Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh; 1958’s “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” with Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and Burl Ives’ Big Daddy faced with big secrets among an ongoing run of mandacity; 1964’s “The Night of the Iguana” with Richard Burton, Ava Gardner and Keborah Kerr; Elia Kazan’s 1956 film, “Baby Doll,” with Karl Malden; 1961’s “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone,” which smolders with Vivien Leigh and Warren Beatty; and 1962’s “Sweet Bird of Youth,” with Paul Newman, Geraldine Page and Rip Torn. Includes a bonus DVD, “Tennessee Williams’ South,” that makes great strides in getting to the core of a complicated, fascinating man. Grade: A

Also on DVD and Blu-ray disc:

Given the dated, unbridled kitsch that is “The Love Boat: Season Two, Vol. 2,” there’s no waiting for this series to hit its stride. Amid the romantic dilemmas offered by those love-pushing pimps--sorry, the cheerful staff--of the Pacific Princess, the show has lost none of its corny, Club-Med vibe. The guest appearances are a throwaway of has-beens, and they are reason enough to watch. In this edition, look for Bob Denver, Cyd Charisse, Sonny Bono, Nanette Fabray, Ethel Merman, Randoph Mantooth and Abe Vigoda, among others, to take to the high seas for messy adventures in love, limbo and loss, all of which naturally are fueled by the incessant grind of the show’s looping laugh track.




Beyond this, on Blu-ray disc, several titles are just out, the least of which is Adam Sandler’s low comedy “The Waterboy”--skip it--and “The Soloist,” a tepid drama that goes for the heart strings and pulls so hard, they snap. Based on a true story, the film stars Jamie Foxx as the homeless and mentally ill musician Nathaniel Ayers and Robert Downey Jr. as the writer who comes to champion him in his columns for the Los Angeles Times. Their good performances are undone by a sodden script.

Better fare can be found in the full-length feature “Prison Break: The Final Break,” which likely will appease fans unhappy with the series’ final season as it ties a ribbon on its loose ends. Two titles from the BBC are especially noteworthy. First is “Wild Pacific,” a gorgeously shot documentary the explores the world’s largest ocean and all the riches actively at unrest within its niches. Typical of the BBC, the photography is stunning.

Second is “Torchwood: Children of Earth,” a suspenseful, well-done sci-fi extension of the “Torchwood” series in which the end of humanity is nigh as every child on Earth suddenly stops. Just…stops. It’s up to John Barrowman’s Capt. Jack and his team of alien investigators to save the world--and its children--from certain extinction. The result is brisk and intense, with the show’s exploration of human sexuality deftly complicating matters in ways that will alienate some, and likely titillate others.

“Race to Witch Mountain” DVD, Blu-ray
A tepid remake of 1975’s “Escape to Witch Mountain,” which the brass at Disney now are calling “Race to Witch Mountain,” a title that makes perfect sense since the movie itself appears to have been made in a rush. The film is a bland retelling of the already so-so source material. In it, Dwayne Johnson is Jack Bruno (of course, he is), a Las Vegas taxi driver with former ties to the mob (not to mention to prison) who finds himself protecting two alien children. They are Seth (Alexander Ludwig, awful) and Sara (AnnaSophia Robb, horrible), two white, blond-haired, blue-eyed youths who are so creepy, they suggest that Hitler, were he alive, might have been responsible for the casting call. Since FBI agent Henry Burke (Ciaran Hinds) is after them, it’s up to Jack to keep them out Burke’s hands while also figuring out a way to get them to Witch Mountain, where their space ship is being held for examination. If they don’t reach their ship and make it back home in time, trouble will ensue for all of us since Seth and Sara’s peeps are planning to take over Earth. Naturally, all of that can be prevented if Jack, Seth, Sara and a sexy scientist (Carla Gouging)…race to Witch Mountain! Unfortunately, that exclamation point isn’t really deserved, particularly given the lax direction, which shows no finesse for moving the action forward at the quick clip it deserved. The best part of the movie turns out to be Johnson himself, who once again comes through with a game performance, but beyond him, nothing here is remarkable, nothing especially worth recommending. It’s just an old relic with new clothes and a weaker heart. Rated PG. Grade: C-

“Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 2”
Forbidden? There was a time when some wanted them to be, but those people likely now are dead and these hardboiled movies live on, proving just as necessary as ever. The five films comprised in this blue collection from Warner all came before the Hays Code began its corrupt squeeze of censorship. As such, these films are more racy, free and entertaining than many that came after it. Included are Norma Shearer in 1930’s “The Divorce” and 1931’s “A Free Soul,” with Shearer winning the Academy Award for the former; 1931’s harrowing “Night Nurse,” with Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Blondell and a sleazy Clark Gable taking each other out; and 1932’s “Three on a Match,” in which Blondell appears opposite Anne Dvorak and an impossibly good-natured Bette Davis. Rounding out this satisfying set is 1933’s “Female,” with Ruth Chatterson taking her share of male secretaries to bed, and then coldly ditching them to the curb when she’s finished with them. Lovely woman. Fine collection. Commentaries abound. Grade: B+

“Literary Classics Collection”
Six movies, all adapted from their respective books--1962’s “Billy Budd,” with Peter Ustinov successfully tackling Melville; 1950’s “Captain Horatio Hornblower,” with Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo drenched amid the swashbuckling madness; and the 1937 and 1952 versions of “The Prisoner of Zenda," the latter of which is a shot-for-shot, Technicolor remake of 1937's "Zenda." (The former is the classic.) Also included is 1948’s burlesque version of “The Three Musketeers” with Gene Kelly, Lana Turner and Angela Lansbury, and Vincente Minnelli's 1949 version of “Madame Bovary," with Jennifer Jones, of all people, battling famously against Bovary's unwanted provincial life. Every one of them holds up. Grade: B+


“Sculptures of the Louvre”
For those who have visited Paris' sprawling Louvre Museum only to come away feeling as if a bottle of absinthe is in order, this set is for you. For those who haven't visited but always have wanted to, this set also is for you. This seven-part series offers a satisfying look into some of the most famous sculptures housed in one of the world's most chaotic, comprehensive museums--it allows for a measure of clarity to cut through the clutter and the hype. If there ever is a museum that needs the focus, clarity and steadiness offered here, it’s the Louvre. Grade: A-





“Sling Blade” Blu-ray
In this rich, deeply moving film, Billy Bob Thornton is Karl Childers, a man released from an Arkansas mental institution 25 years after he committed two violent, bloody crimes. Now, having done his time, Karl is forced to face his freedom with enormous trepidation--how can he possibly survive in a world he knows so little about? With the help of Frank (Lucas Black), a young boy he befriends by accident; the boy’s kind-hearted mother, Linda (Natalie Canerday); and her gay friend, Vaughan (John Ritter), Karl finds his way. But he also finds himself thrown in the middle of Linda’s abusive relationship with Doyle (Dwight Yoakam), a raging alcoholic who beats and threatens this family Karl has come to love--and will protect at any cost. With strong performances from all members of the cast, “Sling Blade” is a triumph of humanity over evil. It shakes by stripping away the surface of our society and exposing the rotten marrow at its core. Rated R. Grade: A-

“The Tennessee Williams Film Collection”
Five films, some among our best, all inspired by the great playwright, Tennessee Williams. Included are 1951’s “A Street Car Named Desire,” with Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh; 1958’s “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” with Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and Burl Ives’ Big Daddy faced with big secrets among an ongoing run of mandacity; 1964’s “The Night of the Iguana” with Richard Burton, Ava Gardner and Keborah Kerr; Elia Kazan’s 1956 film, “Baby Doll,” with Karl Malden; 1961’s “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone,” which smolders with Vivien Leigh and Warren Beatty; and 1962’s “Sweet Bird of Youth,” with Paul Newman, Geraldine Page and Rip Torn. Includes a bonus DVD, “Tennessee Williams’ South,” that makes great strides in getting to the core of a complicated, fascinating man. Grade: A

Also on DVD and Blu-ray disc:

Given the dated, unbridled kitsch that is “The Love Boat: Season Two, Vol. 2,” there’s no waiting for this series to hit its stride. Amid the romantic dilemmas offered by those love-pushing pimps--sorry, the cheerful staff--of the Pacific Princess, the show has lost none of its corny, Club-Med vibe. The guest appearances are a throwaway of has-beens, and they are reason enough to watch. In this edition, look for Bob Denver, Cyd Charisse, Sonny Bono, Nanette Fabray, Ethel Merman, Randoph Mantooth and Abe Vigoda, among others, to take to the high seas for messy adventures in love, limbo and loss, all of which naturally are fueled by the incessant grind of the show’s looping laugh track.




Beyond this, on Blu-ray disc, several titles are just out, the least of which is Adam Sandler’s low comedy “The Waterboy”--skip it--and “The Soloist,” a tepid drama that goes for the heart strings and pulls so hard, they snap. Based on a true story, the film stars Jamie Foxx as the homeless and mentally ill musician Nathaniel Ayers and Robert Downey Jr. as the writer who comes to champion him in his columns for the Los Angeles Times. Their good performances are undone by a sodden script.

Better fare can be found in the full-length feature “Prison Break: The Final Break,” which likely will appease fans unhappy with the series’ final season as it ties a ribbon on its loose ends. Two titles from the BBC are especially noteworthy. First is “Wild Pacific,” a gorgeously shot documentary the explores the world’s largest ocean and all the riches actively at unrest within its niches. Typical of the BBC, the photography is stunning.

Second is “Torchwood: Children of Earth,” a suspenseful, well-done sci-fi extension of the “Torchwood” series in which the end of humanity is nigh as every child on Earth suddenly stops. Just…stops. It’s up to John Barrowman’s Capt. Jack and his team of alien investigators to save the world--and its children--from certain extinction. The result is brisk and intense, with the show’s exploration of human sexuality deftly complicating matters in ways that will alienate some, and likely titillate others.