DVD Staff Favorites Archive

THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS
directed by JORGEN LETH
I can't imagine what persuaded visionary Danish filmmaker Jorgen Leth to agree to this "collaboration" with his fellow countryman Lars Von Trier (Dancer in the Dark, Dogville), but fans of either artist will be thankful that he did.  The Five Obstructions draws on the creativity of both men, as Leth is challenged to remake his 1967 classic short The Perfect Human five times according to strict guidelines laid down by the eccentric Von Trier, who cites the film as a motivating force behind his own art.  Part filmic one-upmanship, part exploration of a strained friendship, the interplay of the old and the new in Danish avant-garde cinema is fascinating stuff, and rather affecting. Brian Hodgdon

BARAKA
directed by RON FRICKE
Ron Fricke displayed his eye for the lingering nature shot as cinematographer of the 1983 wordless polemic Koyaanisqatsi.  Released a decade later, his film Baraka runs in the same vein, combining drifting studies of natural and cultural beauty with a soundtrack no less worldly than its visual components.  But while the images in the earlier film spoke of impending doom hurried along by Phillip Glass's score, the pace and movement of Baraka are more placid, the subject matter inviting more awe than ire. The film is not without its stark scenes, but the unspoken message is a paean to the wealth of unspoiled nature and lasting raw tradition still thriving around the globe. Brian Hodgdon

THE BEST OF YOUTH
directed by MARCO TULLIO
Spanning more than three decades in six hours, this wonderfully engaging Italian epic follows brothers Matteo and Nicola along their diverging paths from adolescence through middle-age. From the flood of Florence to the Red Brigades, we witness the last forty years of Italian history. The experience of a growing and deteriorating family is linked intimately with these events yet retains its own narrative identity enough to not be witnesses themselves. The level of subtlety, complexity, and restraint achieved by this long-form film is astounding and well worth the run-time. Jon Huntington

MONDOVINO
directed by JONATHAN NOSSITER
Mondovino examines the conflict between traditional wine production and the more technologically dependent methods saturating the market. Filmed in seven different countries, this documentary addresses the threat of globalization, the loss of terroir, and the pressure for small vintners to adjust centuries-old recipes to suit a changing market. It also spotlights the personal dynamics in some of these wine producing families, from the prominent Mondavis in California to feuding Florentine wine barons to the small, struggling merchants in Burgundy and Argentina. Rachel Shuman

WILLIAM EGGLESTON IN THE REAL WORLD
directed by MICHAEL ALMEREYDA
William Eggleston is famous for his intense color photographs of unspectacular, random, ephemeral stuff – billboards, household objects, toys. Documentary director Michael Almereyda follows Eggleston at work and spends intimate time with the photographer, looking for insight into the artist’s remarkable ability to imbue commonplace objects and ordinary people with beauty and mystery. Virginia Harabin

CRUMB
directed by TERRY ZWIGOFF
A personal friend of Robert Crumb, Zwigoff was allowed access to some of the most private details of the legendary cartoonist’s life, creating an almost uncomfortably intimate portrait. Through interviews with Crumb and his family, Zwigoff exposes his subject’s psychological make-up. We meet brothers Max and Charles, whose stories are likewise captivating and unusual. R. Crumb responded to the film, saying, “After I saw it I had to go for a walk in the woods, just to clear my head. I took my favorite hat off, this hat that I've had for 25 years, and I threw it off a cliff. I don't want to be R. Crumb anymore." Rachel Shuman

STALAG 17
directed by BILLY WILDER
This is one of the films that I watch over and over. It’s about a hustler named Sefton played brilliantly by William Holden who, through bribes and scrounging, has the run of the camp. When two of his fellow prisoners are killed and the Germans are clued in on other secrets, fingers start pointing at the man with connections. Sefton has to find the traitor or else. What he finds provides an explosive climax to one of Billy Wilder’s best films. Wilder and Holden were nominated for Oscars; Holden won. Deb Morris

BEFORE STONEWALL
directed by JOHN SCAGLIOTTI and GRETTA SCHILLER
I have never before seen a documentary and been so affected. I had the profound sense that I was watching my own history. From the scenes of life in the 1920’s, when having a matching handkerchief and bow tie was a secret sign, to the courageous solidarity of lesbians in Eisenhower’s military, this movie renewed my belief in nurturing communities. Before Stonewall is a blueprint of how to survive and even thrive in landscapes of utter oppression. Beck Levy

FINGERSMITH
directed by AISLING WALSH
The movie version of Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith is great! It is the story of two young women, both orphans. Sue is raised in the home of Mrs. Sucksby, a house of thieves. Maud is taken from the asylum where her mother died into the home of her uncle. A young gentleman comes to the Sucksby household with a plan for getting Maud’s fortune. He plans to install Sue as her maid, have her talk him up, and he would marry the desperately lonely Maud. Then he’d chuck her in an asylum and keep the money. As they say, the best laid plans often go awry and this one does in a surprising ways. It’s wonderfully acted, and director Aisling Walsh provides a visual feast of Dickensian England. Deb Morris

ROMAN HOLIDAY
directed by WILLIAM WYLER
This film with Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert is one of my favorites. Hepburn stars as Princess Ann who gets tired of her royal duties so she stages a rebellion and runs away. She gets a little drunk and ends up spending the night in the home of reporter, Joe Bradley (Peck). Once he realizes who she is, he knows he has a sensational story in the making. Setting off with his photographer friend (Albert) in tow, he shows her the city. Rome provides the perfect backdrop for her adventure. It’s Hepburn’s first major film and her first Oscar-winning performance. William Wyler directs. You can’t do any better than that. Deb Morris

KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS
directed by ROBERT HAMER
Something about the way old dark comedies so jovially blur the lines between right and wrong has always appealed to me. This is one as my favorites of the genre. The protagonist is a nefarious serial killer who murders the eight relatives standing between him and the dukedom, but he is so winsome and so vindicated in his mission that one cannot help but feel sympathetic towards him. All eight relatives are portrayed by the esteemed Alec Guinness. Rachel Shuman

THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL
directed by JUDY IRVING
Mark Bittner is an unemployed musician living in the Telegraph Hill area of San Francisco where he has avoided paying rent for years and gets free food from the café down the street. What really makes him a compelling figure, however, is his relationship with the parrots that fly wild in San Francisco. Some of the cherry-headed conures are escaped or abandoned pets, but most were born free from captivity. They visit Mark Bittner regularly. He feeds them, names them, and keeps track of their relationships. Rachel Shuman

THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED
directed by JACQUES AUDIARD 
In this French remake of the American film Fingers, a young Parisian thug rediscovers his passion for concert piano. As he becomes more involved in resurrecting his love of music, the contradictory forces in his life intensify and spiral toward uncertainty. In what could in lesser hands become the typically sappy story arc of redemption through art, The Beat That My Heart Skipped is an intense character study told subtly by director Audiard and illuminated by a gripping performance by Romain Duris, the centerpiece of the film. Jon Huntington

GRIZZLY MAN
directed by WERNER HERZOG
The obsessive and mysterious Timothy Treadwell is the subject of Werner Herzog’s new documentary. Treadwell distinguished himself as a passionate and reckless companion to wild grizzlies whom he regarded as friends. He captured strikingly intimate footage of the bears before being mauled and eaten. Using Treadwell’s own footage, Herzog explores Treadwell’s manic romanticism, antic charm, and ultimate self-destruction in this fascinating film. Virginia Harabin

RIVERS AND TIDES
directed by Thomas Reidelsheimer
Rivers and Tides moved me to tears; however, they were not tears of joy or sadness but tears flowing forth from an unspoken understanding of the images shown on screen, from a sudden realization that there is life in rock and water as there is life in leaves and grass. The art of Andy Goldsworthy is an exercise in impermanence. We are lucky to observe these creation rituals orchestrated by this modern mystic who uses natural elements. Javier Rivas

THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU
directed by Wes Anderson
Aging oceanographer and filmmaker Steve Zissou leads the crew of the Belafonte in a quest to hunt down and kill the mysterious and beautiful Jaguar Shark responsible for eating his friend, Esteban. Zissou is accompanied by the type of characters that Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tennenbaums) has become famous for: a young Kentucky Airline pilot believed to be Zissou’s son, a bondsman, his estranged wife, some disenchanted interns, his arch nemesis, and a pregnant reporter who formerly idolized Zissou. Before battling the shark, Zissou must fight bankruptcy, pirates, kidnapping, Jeff Goldblum, and his own waning popularity. Michael Link

THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART—INDECISION 2004
This is an incomparable three-disc package chronicling the Daily Show’s exhaustive coverage of the 2004 Presidential Election. Included in this ten-episode set is the coverage of the first Bush-Kerry debate, John Edwards’s official Presidential Campaign Announcement (made on the Daily Show), the eight episodes covering the rival campaigns, and the Election Night episode entitled “Prelude to a Recount.” Also on hand are some incredible new segments and commentary from some of the Daily Show’s Senior Correspondents. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart—Indecision 2004 is a perfect way to reminisce over last year’s pundit pageantry, and proves why the Daily Show deserved its 2005 Peabody Award for Media Excellence. (And no, Bill O’Reilly still hasn’t won one). Michael Link

THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES
directed by Walter Salles
Adapted from accounts written by Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara and Alberto Granada, The Motorcycle Diaries is the story of the young men’s nearly seven-month journey from their native Argentina through the Southern Cone and up to Venezuela. The film beautifully captures a distinctive Latin American landscape and culture that both engages and entertains travelers and viewers alike. While the motorcycle proves problematic, this trip of curiosity and self-fulfillment ends with a plane ride home. Like Che and Alberto, viewers will come away impassioned and inspired. Mike Giarratano

THE AGRONOMIST
directed by Jonathan Demme
This passionate, tragic-comic tale documents the story of one of Haiti’s most radical populist journalists and radio personalities whose life ends in assassination. Through the eyes of its protagonist, Jean Dominique, the viewer gets a look into a journalist’s quest for truth and freedom in the wake of the Duvalier regimes. Jean Dominique reflects on the struggles to found and maintain Haiti’s oldest radio station both when he is in Haiti and during periods of exile in New York City. One also witnesses the rise of the charismatic leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and the internal and external problems facing Aristide’s Haiti. This movie will move you and make you think about the meanings of speech, democracy, and political freedom. Neil Roberts

IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL: The Mystery of Henry Darger
directed by Jessica Yu
Henry Darger lived most of his years in complete isolation. Never fully able to connect with society at large, he spent his days quietly performing his janitor duties and his nights transcribing the fantasy world that occupied his mind. Cleaning up his small rented room after his death, his landlady made an amazing discovery: an illustrated epic novel over fifteen thousand pages long with three hundred accompanying paintings. Through the use of animation and other creative storytelling methods Oscar-winning director Jessica Yu brilliantly portrays the inner world of a man completely resigned to his imagination. Jon Huntington

KIKUJURO
directed by Takeshi Kitano
'Beat' Takeshi steps away from his popular gangster and samurai films to offer a simple story of a lonely boy named Masao who is accompanied on a journey by “Mister” (Kikujiro). This odd couple takes you through adventures full of laughter and tears as they encounter a cast of strange, quirky characters. Takeshi’s character is a wanna-be gangster who begins to ease out of his tough guy attitude when his fondness grows for the young boy. This film is subtle, beautiful, and sincere paired with an award- winning musical score by Jo Hisaishi. Christine Stone Martin

RED CHERRY
directed by Daying Ye
I’ve been watching a number of films about China recently. Red Cherry, by director Daying Ye, was a revelation. I’ve seen any number of movies about World War II, but this one tells the unusual story of two Chinese students, Chuchu and Luo, who find themselves trapped in Russia when the war breaks out. The school they attend is closed by the Nazis, the camp destroyed, and the boys and their fellow students are left to fend for themselves. Separated by the war, the friends struggle to survive. Daying Ye’s graphic depiction of the events that tragically shape Chuchu and Luo’s lives makes this film gripping. Deb Morris

ROBOT STORIES
directed by Greg Pak
Greg Pak's Robot Stories uses robots as characters to compute the complexities of the human equation. The anonymous setting and minimal dialogue leave the viewer to sort out what humans look like when we are dealing with love, loss, parenthood, sex, death, and the afterlife. Thad Ellerbe

IN AMERICA
directed by Jim Sheridan
In America is a compelling story of immigrant experience told through the eyes of children. With her camcorder, the older sister of a newly emigrated Irish family captures simple, yet magical, moments of their lives. Her infectious hope aids their parents with the difficult task of finding happiness in America. Jim Sheridan directs a remarkable cast; it’s hard to believe these are actors, as every internalized emotion is witnessed in the slightest change of expression, captured both by the family camcorder and Sheridan’s intimate camera work. Molly Bloom

BIRD PEOPLE IN CHINA
directed by Takasi Miike
A straight-laced businessman is sent by his company to locate a vein of jade in a secluded province in China. He is joined by a manic-depressive yakuza who is collecting the company’s debts and a whacked-out hippie who acts as a sort of tour guide. Miike provides beautiful landscapes as the trio stumbles upon a hidden culture where a young girl is studying the secrets of her ancestors. A moral choice then arises: does the businessman bring material wealth to the hidden culture, or does he immerse himself into the secrets of the bird people? Todd Martin

TRIUMPH OF THE SPIRIT
directed by Robert M. Young
This powerful story chronicles the life of Greek Jewish Olympic boxer, Salamo Arouch, (played by Willem Defoe) who survives Auschwitz by using his boxing skills in battles with his fellow inmates for the entertainment of the SS. Each victory has the repercussion of sending the loser to the gas chamber, making each match truly a life and death struggle. Shot on location at Auschwitz, this film portrays life in a Nazi death camp with a realism rarely achieved in cinema. Jason Brown

UMBERTO D.
directed by Vittoiro De Sica
This neo-realist masterpiece has scenes that always seem to pop in your everyday consciousness. Kindness of any sort has seemingly escaped Italy’s booming postwar society. Umberto, a struggling pensioner, can’t make ends meet anymore. Perhaps modernization has no room for human dignity, especially for Umberto and his dog, Flike. Todd Martin

WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE
directed by Todd Solondz
This film is an indie classic. Sure, it is a humorous look at the life of a seventh-grader as she copes with the horrors of teenage life, but Solondz often asks the viewer some harder questions. Are we empathizing with the awkwardness of the teenage experience or are we laughing and pointing at the characters themselves? Where do we find ourselves here? Todd Martin

HIS GIRL FRIDAY
directed by Howard Hawks
Cary Grant is at his wisecracking, ad-libbing best and Rosalind Russell just shines in Howard Hawks’ hilarious remake of The Front Page. Casting Russell as Hildy Johnson (originally a male role) Hawks transforms the hyper-kinetic, madcap newspaper story into a comedy of manners as exes Grant and Russell spar both romantically and professionally. Here is a great script and actors and director at the peak of their talents. Mark Laframboise

KITCHEN STORIES
directed by Bent Hamer
In the 1950s, a group of Swedish efficiency experts descended on a small Norwegian town to study the kitchen habits of single men, with the hope of designing the perfect kitchen for the bachelor. Nilsson, the Swedish observer, is forbidden to interact with Isak, his Norwegian subject, in any way, and is supposed to remain stationed in a wooden lifeguard chair in the corner of the kitchen. The evolution of the relationship of Nilsson and Isak forms the core of Kitchen Stories, a quiet, incredible satire that picks up on the impossibility of the situation, including the many degrees of interaction and friendship it offers, and the emotions left simmering between Sweden and Norway following World War II. Michael Link

NAPOLEON DYNAMITE
Directed by Jared Hess
Napoleon Dynamite takes the familiar teen movie archetypes and refurbishes them with a distinctly mid-nineties (though it takes place in 2002) rural Idaho flavor. The result is a band of hilariously peculiar characters deftly portrayed by relatively new talents and one grossly underrated veteran (John Gries). At best, this movie is an epic of misfit genius, and, at worst, it’s highly quotable fun and enjoyment to be shared with all. Heather Dannenfelser

BLOOD SIMPLE
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
Blood Simple is a taut psychological thriller. What makes it stand out are the stylized visual tics and darkly weird characterizations that will become trademarks in later Coen Brothers films. This movie still makes me watch from the edge of my seat, and even after many viewings, there are still moments that make me laugh and cringe. Mark Laframboise

BILLY ELLIOT
Directed by Stephen Daldry
In a world where men go off to work in the mines, and boys must learn to become that man, Billy Elliot is an eleven-year-old boy, whose heart is leading him in another direction. Billy hangs up his boxing gloves and secretly puts on his ballet shoes. He begins a journey discovering his natural talent and passion for dance. More than a coming-of-age story, Billy Elliot is a film about healing, growth, family, and learning to follow your heart. Christine Stone Martin

INCIDENT AT LOCH NESS
Directed by Zak Penn
A mockumentary that is equally humorous and disastourous, Incident at Loch Ness confirms Werner Herzog’s ability to challenge his audience with ease. Herzog and director Zak Penn craft a tale that pokes fun at Herzog’s manic reputation (see Aguirre: The Wrath of God) while maintaining deft touches of the fantastical and ridiculous. Here, Herzog focuses his attention on the idea of monsters and their value in the human imagination. His skepticism regarding the Loch Ness creature brings him to Northern Scotland where the production of his newest documentary quickly unravels and transforms from the slapstick to the horrific. Cleve Corner

NETWORK
Directed by Sidney Lumet
“I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it any more!” People all over America scream in unison as major television networks go to war. The prize: TV ratings, and the ante is upped with each passing moment. Faye Dunaway’s Academy Award-winning performance as the frigid executive who exploits the evening news is chillingly prescient. Screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky’s scathing satire is as fresh, insightful, and clever now as it was when it won the Oscar in 1976. Karen Maloy

THE STATION AGENT
Directed by Thomas McCarthy
Not only do you get to know loveable characters that are unlikely in Hollywood tales, but you get to see beautiful parts of New Jersey that aren’t in travel guides. This film has great characters and beautiful scenery. Thad Ellerbe

THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
Directed by George Roy Hill
Even if you’re too young to remember Bea Lillie as Mrs. Meers, this is a delicious film. The moment when Carol Channing is shot from a cannon, and Julie Andrews says, “Oh, she lives such a full life,” is perfect. The then young James Fox sings and dances! and Mary Tyler Moore is demure. Jeanie Teare

RAY
Directed by Taylor Hackford
There are knock-out performances in Ray from Regina King to Kerry Washington and Jaime Foxx's channeling of Ray Charles. And there's the music. Need I say more? Deb Morris

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE
Directed by Kar Wai Wong
In part, inspired by a Liu Yo-chang short story, “Dui Dao” or “Intersection,” which is included in the booklet for this Criterion Collection release, this film can be seen as an exploration of the usually hidden and unknowable aspects of the labyrinth of love. We are invited into intimate physical, psychological and cultural spaces of two characters, which ultimately lead into the quest for our place in history and the universe. “Tête-Bêche,” another title of the original story, is a term for a pair of postage stamps, one inverted in relation to the other. Javier Rivas

ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD
Directed by Tom Stoppard
Written and directed by playwright Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is a raucous masterpiece. Secondary Shakespearian characters upstage their more famous counterparts, weaving in and out of Hamlet, thereby creating a more interesting narrative. Stoppard crafts the visual presentation as deftly as the rapid-fire dialogue, and he fleshes out his characters with an amazing cast including Tim Roth, Gary Oldman, and Richard Dreyfuss. Michael Link

SLAM
Directed by Marc Levin
Real-life slam poet Saul Williams portrays street poet Raymond Joshua in Mark Levin’s film Slam. Joshua is incarcerated for drug possession, then released back onto the streets of D.C. Slam is an honest, harrowing portrait of prison and street life, accompanied by Williams’s own brand of energetic verse. Check out the cameo performance by Marion Barry as the proselytizing judge! Katherine Broadway

THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE UGLY
Directed by Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone’s epic masterpiece radically re-writes the classic Hollywood notion of the standard “western.” By departing from common archetypes and tired themes, Leone unfolds a different type of western, with the main themes being greed, betrayal, and murder. Leone negates any previous cowboy romanticism or simplified plots. The movie’s focus shifts among three characters (Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Lee van Cleef) racing each other to retrieve a buried treasure of gold. The action is set against the background of the one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Freed from Hollywood conventions, Leone uses minimal dialogue and music - in essence using film as a giant moving canvas - to paint a picture of the Old West that shatters all previous attempts to represent it. Ennico Morricone delivers one the most beautiful and powerful scores of music ever used in a movie. Jason Brown