DVD Staff Favorites

IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS
directed by James Longley
Through stunningly vivid cinematography and an immersive audio track, filmmaker James Longley has created a piece of visual poetry that is as important as a piece of art as it is a work of ethnographic journalism. What is particularly striking about the film is not only the beautiful editing and camera work but also the fly-on-the-wall portraits of Iraqis that Longley achieves. That a western filmmaker could produce portraits of such intimacy is astounding. The film begins its three portraits of Iraqi life by following a young impoverished Sunni boy who has taken an apprenticeship with an abusive garage owner. The narrative continues on to Sadr city as members of the Mahdi army enforce Islamic law by raiding a market and finishes with a Kurdish family of farmers who welcome the US occupation. Simply put, this is one of the best documentary films, about Iraq or not, that I have seen. recommended by Jon Huntington

PHANTOM MUSEUMS
directed by The Quay Brothers
Modern American masters Stephen and Timothy Quay have consistently defined and redefined stop-motion animation and puppetry with their obsessively constructed and plotted films. Best known for Street of Crocodiles, selected by Terry Gilliam of The Guardian as one of the Ten Best Animated Films of All Time, the Quay Brothers’ films are steeped in a palette of nostalgic longing and childhood dreams. Phantom Museums is the best compilation of their work to date, and includes thirteen of their films; including Street of Crocodiles, Stille Nacht I-IV, and The Phantom Museum, extras, interviews, and a booklet. recommended by Michael Link

INSIDE MAN
directed by Spike Lee
Spike Lee’s foray into the heist genre is an incredibly slick and well plotted film that briefly touches on a number of social issues without becoming bogged down. Clive Owen and Denzel Washington form the core of the film, with veteran actors Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, and Willem Dafoe providing a rich backdrop for the principle actors. Inside Man is a very smart film that rescues the caper film from the comedies that have recently dominated the genre. recommended by Michael Link

JESUS CAMP
directed by Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady
Here’s a film for those of us wondering why we now have to debate our birth control decisions with eight year olds. This documentary gets us very close to the kids, the educators, and the money-makers dedicated to forming an army of little foot soldiers for the Republican Party. The kids are confident, ambitious, earnest, and in most cases pretty likable. Look for a truly nasty appearance by the prelapsarian Rev. Ted Haggard giving away more than he bargained for. Virginia Harabin

SHUT UP AND SING
directed by Barbara Kopple
“We’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.” Dixie Chicks singer, Natalie Maines’s rueful comment from the stage was met with wild applause that reflected mass sentiment against the invasion of Iraq. But what better way to say “I heart America” than a good old fashioned witch burning? The Dixie Chicks became the target of a hate campaign – banned from CW playlists, their records smashed, stomped, and burned, and they were even subjected to threats of torture and death. Koppel’s wonderful film documents their spirited refusal to back down, and their triumphant comeback. They were right, and had the guts to say so. It’s an inspiring story. Virginia Harabin

ME AND YOU AND EVERYBODY WE KNOW
directed by Miranda July
Populated with endearing characters, Miranda July’s screenwriting/directing/acting feature debut is a collection of moments that stay with you. Central to the story is Richard, a single father struggling to create a relationship with his two young sons, and Christine, a video artist and driver of a cab for seniors enamored with the idea of love, but unsure how to find it. Following an almost Dickensonian narrative of interconnected characters, Me and You and Everybody We Know is a study of individual interactions and relationships in world at times made isolating by modern technology. Michael Link

GLENGARRY GLENROSS
directed by James Foley
"I'm here on a mission of mercy."
Head Office's Alec Baldwin certainly grabs the attention of a sluggish sales force with this pin-dropping ultimatum; put that coffee down and start closing deals - or face the axe.
"Nobody can close these leads."
Watch the malfunctioning sales team of Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin and Kevin Spacey first protest, then panic, then turn on each other, in this rarest of beasts: a movie that surpasses the play.
"Will you go to lunch?"
Shane Cagney

ALL THE REAL GIRLS
directed by David Gordon Green
A delightfully sappy female coworker of mine insisted that we throw this movie on an hour and a half before closing the video store where I was working about three years ago. The motley collection of employees and customers that emerged from the store 20 minutes later than mandated by the sign on the door were variously saddened, invigorated, pensive or ebullient, but all were satisfied. Director David Gordon Green (George Washington) wrote and directed this pitch-perfect depiction of the ups and downs of young love. The restiveness and simple beauty of small-town life come across in the lingering cinematography and meandering dialogue, but it is the quiet talent radiating from Paul Schneider and Zooey Deschanel that gives this film the sincerity that sustains it and us. Brian Hodgdon

CHARADE
directed by Stanley Donen
Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant are so superbly paired in this classic suspense film, it’s a shame this is their only picture together. The dialogue is often hilarious, creating an artful contrast to the characters’ perilous situation. Grant and Hepburn exude an abundance of charm in these roles. Their performances are natural and convincing. The plot is filled with many exciting surprises, always keeping the viewer guessing. Rachel Shuman

TOUCING THE VOID
directed by Kevin Macdonald
Getting to the top of a remote, treacherous, rocky and ice-encrusted mountain in high winds and subfreezing temperatures is one thing, but getting back down is really hard. Two audacious climbers decided to take on the 21,000 foot Siula Grande, which had not been scaled before. The two climbers were roped together, but when one suffers a devastating fall, they are lost to each other. The survivor has to face the agonizing decision to cut the rope in order to save himself. Imagine his surprise to meet up with his companion back at camp! The ethics of this decision was widely debated among climbers. This spellbinding documentary dramatically traces their attempt to come to terms with this experience. Virginia Harabin

DOWN BY LAW
directed by Jim Jarmusch
Jim Jarmusch’s offbeat tale of an antagonistic trio of misfits whose lives converge in a Louisiana jail-cell remains one of my most satisfying film-viewing experiences. The DVD case does not lie; the two main assets of the film are the knock-out performances by the three leading men, and the stirring black and white cinematography. Benigni is a perfect comic foil to Waits’s and Lurie’s affected hard-case demeanor. The special features on this Criterion edition are impressive, most notably the Director’s phone calls to his stars. Benigni is a show-stopper. Brian Hodgdon

THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT
directed by Alexander Makendrick
In this politically astute satire, Alec Guinness stars as Sidney Stratton, a scientist in a textile company who creates a fabric that never gets dirty and never wears out. Instead of being lauded as a genius, he becomes the most hated man in Britain. Both the rich barons of the textile industry and the lower class workers in their factories rise up against Sidney, fearing the economic consequences of his invention. Guinness, as always, is superb as the naively optimistic title character, whose good intentions bear disastrous results. Joan Greenwood also delivers an enticing performance as his sultry companion. It is one of the cleverest Alec Guinness comedies ever made. Rachel Shuman

49 UP
directed by Michael Apted
How many filmmakers spend 42 years making the same film? Director Michael Apted has done so with his series of Up documentaries, and the latest is one of the most engaging films that I have seen in quite a while. The premise is simple: Apted has been filming the same group of people every seven years since they were seven years old, showing us the scope of their lives as they journey from childhood to middle-age. I have always enjoyed documentary films, but I was particularly moved by the experience of witnessing these lives presented so skillfully and so lovingly. This film made me think about family, politics, love, culture, aging, my own life, and so much more. I can’t wait until they all turn 56. David Quick

WAIT UNTIL DARK
directed by Terence Young
As a blind woman terrorized by a trio of hoods desperate to find a stash of heroin, Audrey Hepburn justly garnered her fifth Oscar nomination for her performance. However, it's Alan Arkin's masterful turn as the slick and insidious Roat that set a new precedent for the glib and sadistic villains of suspense films to follow. The film culminates in a struggle for survival that plays out in nearly complete, and very effective, darkness. Wait Until Dark leaves the viewer with a thudding pulse and a completely satisfied appetite for suspense. Heather Dannenfelser

DOG WHISPERER
with Cesar Millan
Don’t just be your dog’s best friend; he needs a calm, assertive leader of the pack. In each episode of Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan brings hope to problem dogs and troubled owners. Cesar works miracles on a tyrannical little Chihuahua who bites, a lunging aggressor who threatens other dogs, a leash-phobic, a twirler and a neurotic light chaser –to name just a few. He begins by watching how people interact with their dogs and listening to how they describe their relationships to their pets. Cesar’s graceful confidence and implacable calm are mesmerizing, and his work is absolutely amazing to watch. Virginia Harabin

BRICK
directed by Rian Johnson
Set in Any Suburb U.S.A. (aka Concrete Wasteland) the central male character played by Jason Gordon-Levittt (Third Rock from the Sun, Roseanne) is disturbed by a frantic phone call from his recent ex, who ends up dead the next day in a notorious teen debauchery spot. Levittt turns into a hardboiled detective who goes on a selfless search to find out who killed his friend, and the result is a violent dive into the high school social strata. Brick is a stunningly beautiful film, shot in a style that reminds one of Fredrick Elmes, stark and morbid but with clean lines and striking color. Robert Downey

PARADISE LOST II: REVELATIONS
directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
This documentary continues its investigation of the mutilation and murder of three little boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. Impatient to get this sordid crime solved, prosecutors targeted three young teens: Damien Echols, a thoughtful Goth introvert with an interest in Wicca and his two learning-disabled buddies, all of them big Metallica fans, but probably not Satanists. The first film, ParadiseLost exposes the hysterical and irrational atmosphere in which these kids were indicted, and this follow-up looks closely at the far more likely perpetrator of these awful crimes. Virginia Harabin

SWAN LAKE
directed by Matthew Bourne
This ballet is definitely not Petipa! Matthew Borne offers a clever, updated story line which varies from the traditional Swan Lake. We still have a prince looking for love; however, Borne’s swans are men who boldly dance about the stage with a modern flair. For Borne, the swan represents freedom, and offers the prince what everyone desires in life: to be held, to be loved. If you have seen Billy Elliott, you will recognize the principal dancer, Adam Cooper. The story is intense; the dancing is amazing, and the choreography exceptional. Don’t miss this rich, beautiful interpretation of Swan Lake. Christine Stone Martin

AGUIRRE: THE WRATH OF GOD
directed by Werner Herzog
This epic film epitomizes Herzog’s talent for encapsulating human futility. It tells the story of a group of Spanish conquistadors searching for the legendary El Dorado. They fight exposure, starvation, and hostile Indians as they explore the Peruvian rainforest. Klaus Kinski’s performance as the mad Aguirre, the leader of the group, is captivating. Much of the scenes were unrehearsed and the actors were genuinely reacting to the severity of the environment during filming. The imagery is beautiful and the story is haunting. Rachel Shuman

THE TENANT
directed by ROMAN POLANSKI
Polanski made this eerie work of psychological horror in the era when he made his great films Chinatown and Rosemary’s Baby. Polanski plays the timid new tenant of a spooky Paris apartment who previous occupant seems to have committed suicide. Despite his efforts to accommodate the harsh and suspicious attitudes of his landlords (played with brio by Shelly Winters and Melvyn Douglas) his paranoia mounts until he is utterly undone. This is classic Polanski : poignant, disturbing and mordantly funny. Virginia Harabin