MAX'S BEST DVD AND BLU-RAY PICKS

MAX’S BEST DVD AND BLU-RAY PICKS – FEBRUARY 2011

Picks of the month:

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

Woody Allen is back again with a very entertaining comedy that is also very sentimental and touching. Allen does not appear in but wrote and directed the film which stars Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, and Naomi Watts. It tells of two oddball married couples who seek love in some of the wrong places, while one of the ladies falls under the spell of a charlatan fortuneteller’s predictions. Welcome back, Woody, this is fun. On Blu-Ray and DVD from Sony Pictures Classics.

A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Soup

This latest film from Chinese director Zhang Yimou (Ju Dou and Raise the Red Lantern) is based on Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1985 cult classic, Blood Simple. The serio-comic drama involves romance, murder, and a Chinese noodle shop. It’s intense and may disturb some viewers, but for fans of Yimou and the Coens, it could be very satisfying.

From Sony Pictures Classics.

The Darling Buds of May

Critics call it the most popular British television series ever. Lovable yet quirky Pop Larkin, played to perfection by David Jason, is the head of a most dysfunctional family living by their wits on a small farm in 1950s England They eat a lot, Pop and Mom drink a lot, and they all become involved a lot in other people’s business, helping in their own way. It was hugely popular when first shown on British television between 1991 and 1993 and launched the career of Catherine Zeta-Jones who shines as Pop’s eldest daughter. It’s funny and heartwarming and long – seventeen hours, in a boxed set of three DVDs and worth watching every minute of it. The early stories are based on the novels by T.E. Bates, while the later stories are based on his characters. The complete series is now in a boxed set of DVDs from PBS Television and BFS Entertainment. My master and I loved every minute of it.

Documentaries

LEWIS AND CLARK: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery

Ken Burns and The American Experience bring to life the most important exploration mission in American history in this remarkable documentary seen on PBS Television and now on DVD. It vividly and engrossingly tells of the expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark into the unknown interior of North America all the way to the Pacific Ocean from 1804 to 1806. We follow them and their men, called the Corps of Discovery, as they made their way by foot and boat on a mission from President Thomas Jefferson who wanted the new territory to be explored after the United States doubled its size with the Louisiana Purchase from France. They were to try to find a Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean and the source of the Missouri River, as well as conduct geographical surveys and record the human, plant, and animal life west of the Missouri River. They frequently encountered Native Americans who helped them on their journey and were very fortunate to get the help of their adept teenage female Indian guide, Sacagawea. The expedition did discover the source of the Missouri river in the mountains of the west, and reached the Pacific Ocean, but failed to find a northwest water route to the Pacific. The Lewis and Clark documentary is immensely enjoyable as adventure but should also have special interest to students, historians, educators, botanists, and zoologists. Narrated by Hal Holbrook, the documentary was directed by Ken Burns and written by him and Dayton Duncan. The DVD is from PBS Home Video.

Max’s rating: Two paws up and lots of tail wags.

The Calling

A four-hour documentary following seven men and women -- Muslims, Catholics, Evangelical Christians, and Jews –-

on their journey to become professional clergy. Viewers are taken into the little-known world of seminaries to experience compelling personal stories of those who are called to the religious life in the modern world. A two-DVD set from Independent Lens and PBS Television.

Robert E. Lee

The man behind the statue in countless towns and cities across the American South. Another in the terrific PBS series, The American Experience, this is a fascinating portrait of the leading Confederate general of the American Civil War. Even after losing the war, he was elevated to almost god-like status by his admirers after his death.

Highly recommended viewing, from PBS Television and WGBH Boston Video.

Dinosaur Wars

A fascinating documentary about two scientists who disagreed greatly about dinosaurs in North America on their travels in the 1800s. Paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh traveled to the greatest dinosaur burial ground of all time in 1869. This led to a rivalry with other leading paleontologists of his generation, mainly with Edward Drinker Cope. They uncovered the remains of dozens of prehistoric animals including 130 dinosaur species, but their professional rivalry led to espionage, destruction of fossils, and political battles that ultimately left both men isolated and almost penniless. The story of their professional rivalry and debate about their discoveries is well worth watching. The DVD is from PBS Distribution.

Panama Canal

The exciting story of one of the greatest engineering fetes of all time and the men who were involved in it, from President Theodore Roosevelt to thousands of workers, some of whom lost their lives on it. Rare archival photographs and films, as well as first-hand accounts of life in the Canal Zone, are woven into a fascinating 90-minute documentary from PBS Distribution.

Lost Ships of Rome

Explorers examine the wrecks of five ancient Roman ships centuries ago that were found in pristine condition off the rocky sea coast of Ventotene. The ships sank to the seabed intact and upright with their cargo of wine, olive oil, and a condiment, garum, highly prized among ancient Romans. the exploration reveals how ancient Romans lived and the island’s past. Part of PBS Television’s series Secrets of the Dead, the DVD is from PBS Distribution.

Azorian: Raising of the K-129

A revealing study of the Soviet ballistic missile submarine that sank in the central north Pacific in 1968. America’s Central Intelligence Agency raised the sub in 1974, at the height of the Cold War, gaining unique intelligence ranging

from Soviet nuclear weapons technology to a chance to break into Soviet spy systems. The documentary reveals long-secret details of one of the longest, most massive, and expensive covert operations in CIA history. The DVD is from PBS Distribution.

After the Wall -- A World United

A documentary about events that followed after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, including diplomatic efforts to examine how the relationships among world leaders determined the outcome to end the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Also, East German leaders tell how they oversaw the unexpected end of their 40-year-old experiment in socialism. From PBS Distribution.

The Longoria Affair

A documentary about how an incident in the small Texas town of Three Rivers grew into a civil rights movement that changed the lives of millions of Latinos. The movement began after the death of a U.S. private of Latino extraction, Felix Longoria who was killed fighting the Japanese in the Pacific during World War II. When his body was returned to his home town of Three Rivers, it was refused burial in the town’s only funeral parlor because “whites wouldn’t like it.” The aftermath became history.

From PBS Distribution.

Elsa’s Legacy: The Born Free Story

Animal lovers, conservationists, and wildlife enthusiasts will love this NATURE documentary marking the 50^th anniversary of the publication of the book Born Free in which Joy and George Adamson told of their relationship with an orphaned female African lion cub, Elsa. Not-to-be-missed documentary from PBS Distribution.