The Wrap Up ...
The Painted Veil Breaking and Entering The Secret Life of Words	These three dramas are representative of an increasingly sad sub-class of movies that are made to be savored by adults, but are rushed into release in the weeks and days before New Year's Day for the sole purpose of garnering awards nominations. Full-page ads in big-city newspapers boast of the titles being accorded special limited engagements in select theaters. In translation, this means the distributor is betting on the come that nominations and critics polls will help contain marketing expenditures when the picture goes wide. Because this strategy craps out more often than it pays off, many excellent films are virtually abandoned after nominations fail to materialize. A spring or fall release probably would have made more sense, but the notoriously short memories of academy members now demand such fragile arthouse pieces open in December. The pedigree of the London-set heart-tugger Breaking and Entering couldn't be more impressive. It stars such awards-bait talent as Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, Robin Wright Penn and Ray Winstone, as well as the astonishing newcomer, Vera Farmiga. It was directed and written by Anthony Minghella, whose credits include The English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley and Cold Mountain. It is an intelligent film, splendidly photographed by Benoît Delhomme, which worked on several levels but was considered a near-miss by critics. The story focuses on such issues as trust, honesty, guilt, ambition, survival and the complexities of raising troubled children. Law plays Will, an architect whose relationship with his Swedish partner, Liv (Penn), is taxed mightily by the emotional limitations of their gymnast daughter. His investigation into a series of burglaries at his firm's King's Cross headquarters leads Will to the home of a half-Bosnian, half-Serb boy who's part of a gang of immigrant thiefs. Will fixates on the boy's mother (Binoche), who thinks all will be better if only she can return to Sarajevo and allow him to follow in his engineer father's footsteps. Will loves Liv, but the distance between them allows time for an affair and fatherly interest in getting the boy back on the right track. Farmiga plays a skanky neighborhood hooker with a mischievous personality and sense of humor that also appeals to Will. Breaking and Entering probably needed a bit more fire built into its evenly paced narrative, but that shouldn't stop literary-minded audiences from enjoying it. Based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham, The Painted Veil also seemed to have everything going for it, including terrific performances by Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber, Toby Jones and Diana Rigg. It also was enhanced by an intriguing story and the Chinese's government's permission to use locations along the wonderfully scenic Li River in Guangxi province. The critics generally reacted favorably to The Painted Veil, but it simply got swamped in the shuffle of Christmas-week releases. Norton plays a dedicated bacteriologist who meets Watts' frivolous socialite Kitty Fane at a London party and marries her soon thereafter. They relocate to Shanghai, where she engages in an ill-considered affair with a married British diplomat. By way of perverse revenge, the cuckolded doctor demands that his wife accompany him to a remote village that is in the twin throes of a cholera epidemic and incipient peasant revolt. They both see it for what it is, a death sentence, but one that inevitably offers an opportunity for redemption through hard work and sacrifice. In the film version, the focus is primarily on Kitty's evolution from shallow party girl to saint, and Watts does an amazing job. Given a second chance on DVD, Painted Veil deserves to find a much more enthusiastic audience. Isabel Coixet's The Secret Life of Words also was crippled by the decision to release it on Christmas week. The strategy at play here was based on the very real possibility the wondrous Canadian actress Sarah Polley would receive an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of an emotionally reclusive and nearly deaf care-giver. There's no way anyone would have denied Helen Mirren an Oscar this year, but Polley's performance deserved recognition, as well. The Secret Life of Words is best described as a cross between Lars Von Triers' Breaking the Waves and Pedro Almodovar's Talk to Her (the Spanish maestro and his brother, Pedro, served as executive producers here). Hanna has worked for four years in a Northern Ireland factory without taking a break, a fact that astonishes her supervisors and disturbs co-workers. Instead of using her forced vacation to relax, Hanna volunteers to treat an off-shore oil-rig worker (Tim Robbins) who's been blinded in an explosion. Once on the platform and in the company of a handful of similarly alienated characters, Hanna slowly begins to open up. It isn't until her patient is close to death, however, that she reveals the horror that prompted her to tune out the world by turning off her hearing aid when outside noises grew too loud. Like Binoche's character in Breaking and Entering, Hannah retains the scars incurred years earlier in the civil wars that divided Yugoslavia. The Secret Life of Words is hampered by pacing that tests the patience of its audience throughout most of the film's 115 minutes. Those who stick around to the end, however, will be rewarded with a very satisfying series of revelatory events. Although not plentiful, the bonus features add to the enjoyment of each picture. -- Gary Dretzka
Because I Said So Catch and Release Music and Lyrics	Three rather anemic romantic comedies of the variety often referred to as chick flicks were released at approximately the same time earlier this year -- on and around Valentine's Day --to little acclaim and poor-to-middlin' box-office results. It's likely Catch and Release, Music and Lyrics and Because I Said So all were green-lit with the highest of expectations, but, somewhere along the way, they appear to have been compromised by deep-thinkers at the studio hoping to imitate the success of Something's Gotta Give, Four Weddings and a Funeral, My Best Friend's Wedding and About a Boy. Instead, they more closely resembled such high-profile duds as Hanging Up, The Story of Us, Alex & Emma and Must Love Dogs. No genre has taken a deeper creative collapse since the days of Ernst Lubitsch, Preston Sturges, Frank Capra and early Woody Allen than the one encompassing romantic comedies. That's probably because the new target demographic is comprised of teen- and college-age girls, not the adults who might actually understand the inherent complexities -- and frequent absurdities -- of courtship, love and marriage. In Catch and Release, Jennifer Garner plays Gray Wheeler, the fiancé of' an outdoorsy guy who dies on the eve of their marriage. Conveniently, the same friends and relatives who gathered for the wedding remain on hand for the funeral. While sad, the cancellation of the wedding probably saved the couple the trouble of getting divorced when Gray discovered her fiancé's laundry list of lies and cover-ups, not the least of which was the existence of an illegitimate son. After being thrown out of her own home and being insulted by the woman who would have been her mother-in-law, Gray moves in with her fiance's best friends, Sam (Kevin Smith), Dennis (Sam Jaeger) and Fritz (Timothy Olyphant), a Malibu playboy with some extra time on his hands. It isn't until the arrival of the kooky massage therapist (Juliette Lewis, in a spot-on performance) and the son Gray's fiancé hid from her that Catch and Release finally comes to life. Neither the romance nor the comedy are strong enough to sustain the inertia, however, and the second half of the film is saved mostly by the interplay between Smith and Lewis, a few interesting plot twists and some spectacular mountain scenery. And, while Garner is perfectly believable as the victim of cruel circumstance, she lacks the movie-star chops to stand out from the crowd. Neither does it help that her lips appear to have been stung by a whole swarm of collagen bees. Still, Catch and Release is the best of the three DVDs. In Music and Lyrics, Hugh Grant plays a washed-up refugee from the Brit power-pop scene of the '80s. Somehow, he lands a gig that requires him to produce on a tight deadline a song for a teen queen not unlike Christina Aguilera. Out of touch with the current generation, Alex is saved from his writer's block momentarily, at least, by the young woman hired to keep his plants alive, Sophie. Her lyrical contributions are embraced by both Alex and the singer, but the collaboration is hamstrung by the sort of personal issues that wouldn't be a hassle for anyone in the real world. Will they meet the deadline, or will their squabbles get in the way of Alex's comeback and Sophie's creative breakthrough? One guess. Bringing Alex to life isn't much of a stretch for Grant, and Barrymore does cute and bubbly as well as anyone. Haley Bennett, as the sexy diva, is the only actor who brings something fresh to the proceedings. Music and Lyrics might satisfy fans of the co-stars, but most others will find it undernourished. Because I Said So is blessed with a cast that includes Diane Keaton, Lauren Graham, Piper Perabo and Mandy Moore. As the meddlesome mother of three very different daughters, Keaton appears to be parodying her work in every movie she's done since The Godfather: Part III. In an attempt to find a suitable mate for her socially awkward youngest daughter, Milly (Moore), Daphne resorts to on-line personal ads for perspective candidates. Naturally, this ploy backfires on both mom and Milly, who, of course, wasn't consulted before being set up to meet an appropriately rich and successful architect. Meanwhile, Milly suddenly blossoms as a woman, discovering the pleasures of romantic love with not one, but two men, including the architect and a guitar-playing hipster. The musician even has a handsome single dad (Stephen Collins) who manages to light a sexual spark in the sixty-something Daphne. By the time Millie figures out that mother doesn't know best, at least when it comes to inserting herself into the private lives of her daughters, it's almost too late. Moore, Perabo and Graham do their best to enliven the proceedings, but Keaton's lack of control sucks the air out of every scene they share. The saddest thing about Because I Said So is learning it was directed by Michael Lehmann, who, in 1989, gave us the exceptional black comedy Heathers. None of these DVDs arrives with much in the way of bonus features, which is just as well. -- Gary Dretzka
Fur An Imaginary Portrait Of Diane Arbus	MCN Review: Several false starts preceded this paragraph on Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus, the second collaboration, after girl-popular S&M soaper Secretary, between director Steven Shainberg (Hit Me) and writer Erin Cressida Wilson. (None of them are imaginary but all were more splenetic than this one.) Drawing from Patricia Bosworth’s biography of the famed photographer and suicide (for which Shainberg’s uncle, Lawrence Shainberg, was a major source), Shainberg and Wilson work up phantasmagorical versions of the artistic libel that Arbus’ work is about cruelty and perversion. (Arbus’ estate denied any employment whatsoever of her imagery, but there are Mary Ellen Mark and Matt Mahurin photographs strewn about.)
Deliver Us From Evil	Those who believe they've heard enough about the behavior of pedophilic priests as they can possibly stand, and don't need any more information to pass judgment, will learn from Deliver Us From Evil that only the tip of the iceberg has been revealed. Journalist and documentarian Amy Berg effectively argues that incumbent church leaders in Los Angeles and northern California continue to stonewall investigators examining how such demonic felons as Father Oliver O'Grady were allowed to lead parishioners in several different cities, even after being exposed as molesters, elsewhere. It describes collusion between Church officials and local police departments to contain controversies by assigning the cases to police chaplains. In addition to going to Ireland to interview O'Grady, who's already served a prison sentence, Berg has acquired video depositions of current Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahoney, who was O'Grady's superior when the crimes occurred. She also convinced some of O'Grady's victims -- now adults -- to appear before her cameras and allow the filmmaker to travel with them and an activist priest to Rome. They wanted to present a document to Cardinals in the Vatican debating how to deal with pedophilia, a by-product of celibacy that has plagued the Church and been covered up for centuries. As horrific and difficult to absorb as Deliver Us From Evil may be, it also is an important reminder that not everyone in the Church is working to eliminate the problem. -- Gary Dretzka MCN Review: Pedophile priest documentaries, like the current wave of Iraq documentaries, begin to seem ubiquitous after a while. It is said that more than 100,000 American children have been molested by these broken souls. The church chooses to cover up endlessly. And so it makes for an obvious source of inspiration. The last great pedophile priest documentary was Kirby Dick's Twist of Faith, which told the story of a firefighter in his 40s with a family and kids who is forced to confront what happened to him as a child when the priest moves to a nearby home. The victim, Tony Comes, still showed his pain, however much he had become the idealized picture of manhood. And by focusing on him and not the priest - who was neither available nor explicable - the film became greater than a simple attack. It reeked of a raw, agonized humanity.
2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films	Those not living near a theater that previewed the short films that made the final cut in this year's Academy Awards -- a very welcome new mini-fest that attracts enthusiastic crowds each February -- ought to check out the clumsily, if precisely titled, A Collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films. This DVD is comprised of the five short docs, including the delightful winning entry, West Bank Story; two of the nominated animated shorts, including the whimsical winner, The Danish Poet; and a half-dozen shorts that just missed joining the nominated quintet. (The major studios held back their animated shorts, so they could be included as extras in other DVDs.) -- Gary Dretzka About the Shorts
John Wayne John Wayne Collection: Vol. 1 and 2 The John Wayne Film Collection John Wayne: Screen Legend Collection	As we approach the centennial of John Wayne's birth on May 26, 1907, the floodgates of video memorabilia have begun to open. First out are several collections from the Republic Pictures archives, via Lionsgate, of the Duke's westerns and war pictures. The titles in the first package are Rio Grande, A Lady Takes a Chance, The Fighting Kentuckian and Dakota, while the second adds The Quiet Man, Sands of Iwo Jima, Flying Tigers and The Wake of the Red Witch. In special double-feature packages can be found, as well, Flame of Barbary Coast and Santa Fe Stampede, In Old California (with Dakota), The Fighting Seabees (with Wake of the Red Witch), Westward Ho (with The Fighting Kentuckian) and Dark Command (with A Lady Takes a Chance). They come in full-screen versions, with upgraded sound and digital re-mastering, and some making-of material. Even for those who pay the full retail price of $25, the packages represent good value, with the double-features selling from between $13-15. On May 22, Warner Home Video and Paramount Home Entertainment are pooling their resources to bring out several new packages and special editions. Among them are The John Wayne Film Collection, with Without Reservations, Allegheny Uprising, Tycoon, Reunion in France, Big Jim McLain and Trouble Along the Way; The John Wayne Century Collection, with Big Jake, Donovan's Reef, El Dorado, Hatari!, Hondo, In Harm's Way, Island in the Sky, McLintock!, Rio Lobo, The High and the Mighty, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Sons of Katie Elder, True Grit and The Shootist. This monster collection has been subdivided into western and adventure packages. Deluxe editions of True Grit, The Cowboys and Rio Grande can be purchased as stand-alones and as part of the collections. Additionally, on June 12, Universal raises the ante with John Wayne: Screen Legend Collection, and the titles Reap the Wild Wind, Rooster Cogburn, The Hellfighters, The War Wagon and The Spoilers. By any standard, Wayne enjoyed a long and fruitful career. He appeared in great movies, as well as lesser efforts ground out like links of sausage. Although he was admired for his acting, his outspokenness during the Vietnam War divided his fan base and, sadly, alienated an entire generation of movie lovers. By now, however, most of detractors have let Saigons by bygones. This collections deserve to cherished by longtime fans and kids who have never seen a Western. - David Poland
Dirty Dancing: 20th Anniversary Edition To Catch a Thief: Special Collector's Edition Fletch: The Jane Doe Edition An Officer and a Gentleman: Special Collector's Edition Parenthood/Harry and the Hendersons: Special Editions Dirty Dancing is an example of a modern classic that probably will be re-released in special editions every two or three years until the end of time. Not only does the 20th Anniversary Edition represent the fourth or fifth version of the cult hit in DVD, but it is also marks its arrival in the BluRay arena. This version adds a few new interviews, videos and background pieces, but it isn't likely to make any owner of the Ultimate or Collector's editions want to run out and plunk down another $19.98. If, on the other hand, the 20th Anniversary Edition would be a first-time purchase of Dirty Dancing, it would represent a very decent deal, indeed. The same pretty much holds true for the new incarnations of To Catch a Thief, Fletch, An Officer and a Gentleman and Parenthood. The Harry and the Hendersons: Special Edition is special primarily because it is new to DVD. As with all products, read the labels carefully before committing to a purchase. For newcomers, however, newer DVDs almost always are the better bargain. -- Gary Dretzka
Things to Do This is one low-budget Canadian import that wears its influences on its sleeve, and doesn't really seem to care who knows it. Anyone who can imagine what a hybrid of My Name Is Earl and Sunshine State might look like, with a smidgen of Office Space and Napoleon Dynamite thrown in, as well, would have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Things to Do. Introduced at Slamdance, in 2006, Theodore Bezaire's unpretentious comedy follows a traumatized big-city refugee as he reacquaints himself with family, friends and former classmates in his hometown. It doesn't take long to realize little has changed … a thought that further depresses him. Inspired by a kooky old classmate, he agrees to put together a list of things he would like to accomplish before getting too much older. There's nothing too difficult on the list, but it occupies their time and our's. Given the miniscule budget and 16-mm look, Things to Do is several times better than it had any right to be, and probably will appeal to the same folks who dig the aforementioned titles. If the producers had any money, they would have cast Rhys Ifans and Jeremy Davies in the leads. -- Gary Dretzka
Violette Comedy of Power At a time when the life cycle of American movie stars can be measured in months instead of decades, the fact that Isabelle Huppert remains at the top of her game after nearly 35 years in the business borders on the miraculous. That she's also being offered substantial roles in important works is doubly remarkable. But, then, European audiences have always accorded their favorite actors time to mature and mellow like fine wines, and wear the years on the their faces. Huppert has collaborated with auteur Claude Chabrol a half-dozen times, the first time in 1978 on Violette and last year, again, in Comedy of Power. This more than qualifies her for the distinction of muse. In Violette, Huppert was assigned to portray Violette Nozière, the real-life daughter of a respectable middle-class couple who gets her kicks hanging out at night with Parisian hoodlums. To demonstrate her allegiance to a sleazeball lover, Violette initiates a plot to murder her parents for inheritance money. In another based-on-a-true-story thriller, Huppert plays a dogged examining magistrate on the trail of oil-company executives and politicians she suspects of embezzling funds. It clearly was inspired by France's Elf affair, which begged the question of where corruption ends and business-as-usual begins. It's a David-vs.-Goliath confrontation, in which Huppert's wee do-gooder is pitted against the giants of French industry and politics. Naturally, she's perfect for the part. -- Gary Dretzka
Linda Linda Linda Nobuhiro Yamashita's J-poppy tale of an all-girl rock band forced to scramble to replace a lead singer in time for a high-school competition would, at first glance, seem to appeal primarily to the crowd that fancies Hello Kitty accessories and anime cartoons. The minimalist charms of Linda Linda Linda have won over festival crowds around the world, however, and could find a cult following in DVD. It helps that the Korean exchange student recruited to sing Japanese lyrics is played by rising international star Doona Bae (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, The Host) and the soundtrack was provided by ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha. More than anything else, Linda Linda Linda draws a closely observed portrait of teenage life that will be recognizable to kids and parents well beyond the boundaries of Japan. -- Gary Dretzka
The Tower 638 Ways to Kill Castro Fans of Showtime's excellent mini-series, The Tudors, can extend the experience by checking out The Tower. Through re-enactments, interviews and computer-generated re-creations, the eight-part, 324-minute series documents the 900-year history of the Thames-side castle, which served as a royal palace, fortress, prison and treasure house. It is where, in a few weeks (or next season) the foxy Anne Boleyn will be executed for some of the treachery she's beginning to display in the mini-series. The United States has no similar dwelling, thank goodness, but that only amplifies the legend and history of the Tower of London. As one might expect, the truth here is so incredible, there's no need for embellishment by a screenwriter. Several American presidents have approved operations they hoped would lead to the assassination of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. In fact, as documentarian Dollan Cannell asserts, more than 600 separate strategies have been discussed or employed to oust and/or kill the Communist lead. They've included dosing him with LSD before a speech, poisoning his cigars, defoliating his face and hiring Mafia thugs. You'd think, by now, the CIA would have given up and let nature take its course, but how would that satisfy the bloodlust of Cuban-American voters in one county of one populous and famously corrupt Southern state. In addition to demonstrating the futility in this fruitless exercise, 638 Ways to Kill Castro also points to contradictions in our Cuban policy, which suggests that not all terrorists are equally evil … our's, it turns out, are OK. The bonus features include extended versions of interviews shown in the documentary. -- Gary Dretzka
Tsunami: The Aftermath Melrose Place/Beverly Hills 90210: The Second Season The Hee Haw Collection: George Strait and the Statler Brothers Best of the Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters Show Everybody Loves Raymond: The Complete Eighth Season The 4400: The Complete Third Season Finding Oprah's Roots, Finding Your Own Celebration of Gospel: Taking You Higher The Rockabilly Legends: A Tribute to My Friends The devastation visited upon Greensburg, Kansas, by a killer tornado, should remind us of the unfinished business of recovery in New Orleans and the toll paid by the victims of tsunamis in Thailand and, more recently, the Solomon Islands. To that end, the very good HBO/BBC mini-series Tsunami: The Aftermath has just been released in DVD, and, although not promoted nearly as heavily as The Sopranos and Entourage, remains a very powerful document. The mini-series followed a group of archetypal characters from shortly before the giant waves crashed upon the shores of Thailand's resort district through the chaos that dominated the next few days' worth of crisis management. They include victims and survivors, both local and foreign; relief workers; government officials and diplomats; reporters and photographers; monks and soldiers; and opportunistic executives of resort chains. The filmmakers employed several familiar mini-series conventions to juice the narrative, but Tsunami looks and feels painfully accurate. The sad news comes in the realization that tourists already are flocking back to Phuket Island, while New Orleans may never recover. Even Greensburg will heal before the Lower 9th Ward is re-populated. And, as the Bush administration reminds us, this discrepancy has nothing at all to do with racism. As guilty pleasures go, it would be difficult to top a double-feature of Melrose Place and Beverly Hills 90210, which are entering the second season in their DVD incarnation. It's entirely possible that there's a direct link from the launch of these two series to the petitions being sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to spare Paris Hilton the indignity of going to jail. Some will argue that Hee Haw is an even greater guilty pleasure than all of Aaron Spelling's series put together. The show was launched on CBS in 1969 as a country cousin to NBC's Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. The normally shameless Fred Silverman dropped the cornpone variety show from the network two years later, but it would enjoy a life in syndication that didn't end until 1991, which is more than can be said for the former CBS boss. Its continued popularity in DVD is partially attributable to the guest appearances of nearly every top country star of the last 40 years. Here, they include regular visitors George Strait, the Statler Brothers and Barbara Mandrell, who headlined a variety show of her own. In 1980, Mandrell was just about the hottest country singer in the country, and her instrument-playing sisters provided a nice complement to her appealing personality. The show's guest list included a who's who of Nashville talent, and even attracted Andy Kaufman. The highlights of Season 8 of Everybody Loves Raymond came in watching Robert's new wife attempt to cope with her meddlesome mother-in-law. The extras include commentary on eight episodes, bloopers and deleted scenes, a Museum of Television & Radio panel discussion with creator Phil Rosenthal and staff writers. Diehard fans of The 4400 argue that the sci-fi series' third season was the beginning of its end. One of the show's established characters, Jordan Collier (Billy Campbell), took a powder for half the season, but his return boosted the energy level. As well, the head of 4400 Center (Patrick Flueger) begins a relationship with Isabelle. In his PBS documentary series on African-American genealogy, Henry Louis Gates Jr. used the tracing of Oprah Winfrey's lineage as an example of what can be accomplished when certain steps are followed, primarily listening to the stories of older relatives and family friends. Gates also suggests DNA testing as a means of locating ties to ethnic groups in Africa. The newest edition of BET's annual Celebration of Gospel showcase features appearances and performances by Grammy Award-winners Kirk Franklin and Yolanda Adams, Fantasia, Pastor Shirley Caesar and Fred Hammond. It also adds a special tribute to actor/writer/director Tyler Perry. Jerry Naylor, the singer who took over for Buddy Holly in the Crickets, has made a second career out of showcasing the music, stars and history of the Rockabilly era in collections such as A Tribute to My Friends. While terrifically entertaining, the audio and video specials are only available on the Internet, through infomercials and as premiums during PBS pledge months, which now seem to fill an entire year's calendar. Besides your local PBS station, the collections can found at www.jerrynaylor.com. -- Gary Dretzka