MCN DVD Reviews: June 23, 2009

The Wrap Up ...

	..MCN Review
	..MCN Weekend

Waltz with Bashir

Awards junkies intrigued by the Motion Picture Academy and its often baffling nominating procedures will recall the drama surrounding the treatment of Ari Folman’s much-lauded animated documentary, Waltz With Bashir. First, it was denied a place in the feature-documentary category, based rules too byzantine to explain in a brief review. Neither did Folman’s agonizing study of wartime trauma make the cut in the animated-feature category, which inexplicably is limited to three entries each year.

Finally, a finalist in the category of Best Foreign Language Film – and heavy favorite – it lost to the little-known Japanese entry, Departures. Waltz With Bashir documents Folman’s journey to recover his memory of the events that led to the slaughter at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in 1982. Hundreds of Palestinian men, women and children died at the hands of Christian Falangist militia, while Israeli troops were ordered to stand by and watch.

Part of the controversy surrounding the documentary involved the animation, which was similar to that employed in the making of Waking Life and Chicago 10. Events typically depicted in newsreel footage looked as if they might have been stenciled from photographs and animated to somehow intensify the drama. The same process was used to illustrate Folman’s interviews with fellow soldiers, psychiatrist and civilian friends, and illuminate recurring visions in his dreams and nightmares. The massacres at Sabra and Shatila weren’t the only atrocities that occurred during the Lebanese civil war, and no faction could claim the higher ground.

These stood out because the same Israeli army that had taken control of West Beirut after the assassination of Bashir Gemayel was rendered powerless when Falangists entered the camps and indiscriminately killed refugees. They were ordered to hold their positions overlooking the camps, even as their flares turned the nighttime skies from black to white. They even prevented Palestinians from exiting at check points. Meanwhile, Israeli generals covered their own asses by staying away from the actual conflagration and refusing to allow subordinates at the scene to elaborate on what they were witnessing below. Providing tacit support for the slaughter proved to be too much of a burden for some soldiers. Memories failed civilians, as well.

Years later, Phalangists leader Elie Hobeika would be elected to the Lebanese Parliament and be appointed a cabinet minister. In 2001, then-defense minister Ariel Sharon was the people’s choice to become prime minister of Israel, even though he was implicated in massacres. Not all of Waltz With Bashir takes place in and around the camps. There are sequences of great intensity – and surprising beauty – that reflect the experiences of those interviewed. They include a midnight swim to escape PLO fighters and a frightening gun battle that played out in the streets of Beirut, as if for the amusement of residents of high-rise apartment buildings. The bonus materials that accompany the brilliant Blu-ray presentation include interviews with the filmmaker and extensive making-of material. - Gary Dretzka

..MCN Review

Inkheart
Phoebe in Wonderland

Pity the poor movie that dares to engage children and adults … critics will treat it as if it were written specifically for their approval, while kids will wonder why only half of it makes any sense. Neither will the film’s distributors have the vaguest clue how to market the darn thing. For every Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia that arrive pre-sold, there are a dozen smaller pictures – Stardust and Ella Enchanted come immediately to mind – that struggle to get noticed among such animated fare as Up and Shrek.

If it weren’t for DVD, it’s difficult to imagine anyone taking a shot on such iffy titles as Inkheart and Phoebe in Wonderland, both of which took a critical drubbing, before disappearing at the box office. (I suppose that the same could be said about the hyper-budgeted, star-studded and product-placed, Lemony Snicket, Mr. Magorium and Golden Compass.) Neither Inkheart nor Phoebe in Wonderland could be considered gimmies. At the heart of Inkheart, based on a novel by Cornelia Funke, is an appreciation for the power of books and a lifelong devotion to the characters that have populated the literary classics.

Brendan Fraser plays Mo “Silvertongue” Folchart, a bibliophile who inherited the gift of being able to conjure real characters -- including several from The Wizard of Oz and The Arabian Nights -- from the pages of literary classics. The downside of such a talent, however, is revealed after his wife (Sierra Guillory) literally is sucked into the pages of the Inkworld and forced to serve the masters of a medieval village. Her abduction prompted Silvertongue to stop reading to his daughter (Eliza Hope Bennett), who also possesses the gift. The unexpected discovery of a copy of the long out-of-print “Inkheart” at a book fair gives Silvertongue new hope for locating his wife. To this end, he enlists characters from other novels who found themselves trapped in Silvertongue’s world.

And, yes, at first, this scenario is every bit as confusing as it sounds. Patient viewers, though, will be rewarded by some wonderfully conceived action sequences in the ancient realm. Entracque, a picturesque village that sits on the border of Italy and France, provided director Iain Softley and his design team all the atmospheric charm they required for the exterior shots. The overly complicated screenplay doesn’t do younger viewers any favors, though. Parents are more likely to enjoy the references to books they read in the pre-Internet era and actualization of so many beloved characters.

If Inkheart inspires parents to introduce their kids to the same books, so much the better. The cast also includes Helen Mirren, Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly, Andy Serkis and Jim Broadbent. The BD-Live enabled Blu-ray edition adds background featurettes with the cast and crew (including the dog that played Toto), a mini-profile of the author, deleted scenes and a passage from the book read by Bennett.

Freshman writer-director Daniel Barnz probably bit off more than he could chew with Phoebe in Wonderland, a message film that could prove as troubling for adults as it likely would be for kids. In another terrific acting turn, Elle Fanning plays an imaginative 9-year-old who can’t control her frustrations when pressed by parents, teachers and classmates. As played by a twitchy, raven-haired Felicity Hoffman, Phoebe’s mom has always encouraged her to be “different,” but not the kind of different that manifests itself in angry, uncontrolled outbursts and spitting. Her dad (Bill Pullman), also an author, may be more patient with his daughter’s behavior, but he’s no less tortured by it.

Naturally, Phoebe finds a kindred spirit in the school’s drama teacher (Patricia Clarkson, who can do no wrong these days) and other kids considered out of the social loop. The girl gets so absorbed in the production of “Alice in Wonderland” that she starts seeing the fantasy characters on and off stage. Although teachers and therapists sympathize with Phoebe’s undiagnosed problem, they can only devote so much time to her. For her part, the drama teacher might be guilty of cutting Phoebe too much slack.

Barnz makes the right choice by allowing the drama to play out without the histrionics and moralizing on display in Lifetime movies and after-school specials. Phoebe in Wonderland is rated PG-13, which probably is a tad misleading. It hardly belongs in the same category as the bulk of Hollywood’s bro-mances, rom-coms and action-adventures. Despite the sunny artwork on the cover, though, some parental guidance is required by the nature of Phoebe’s ailment (an early onset of Tourette syndrome). The film’s overriding message of tolerance, patience and understanding is delivered in a way children can understand, especially if they’re seated alongside their parents while watching at home, on DVD, and can ask questions.

The film’s acting and production values are solid enough to recommend it as something a step or two higher than similar cable-movie fare. A featurette on Tourette syndrome, especially as it presents itself in kids, would have been a worthwhile addition to the package.- Gary Dretzka

Confessions of a Shopaholic

No one who’s seen The Devil Wears Prada and the inaugural season of Sex and the City – or read the books upon which they were based – will find anything new in Confessions of a Shopaholic. Isla Fisher, the delightfully fresh scene-stealer from Wedding Crashers, plays New York fashion victim and obsessive shopper Becky Bloomwood. Like too many young men and women, Becky celebrated her 18th birthday by applying for as many credit cards as the American banking industry would grant her. By the time she graduated from college and landed her first job, Becky had accrued the kind of debt that would have sent her parents and grandparents insane. Instead of panicking, however, Becky becomes a shopping columnist for a glossy fashion magazine.

While she does agree to join a 12-step program for people addicted to mindless spending, director P.J. Hogan and screenwriters Tracey Jackson, Tim Firth and Kayla Alpert treat the participants in the same insensitive way as Dr. House might treat a marathon runner with sore feet. (After Becky’s first Shopaholics meeting, for example, the background music is Amy Winehouse's "Rehab.")

The debt collector assigned to Becky’s case is treated as if he were Deputy Dawg, instead of a seasoned pro or sleazeball lawyer. Because the magazine’s handsome editor (Hugh Dancy) takes a shine to his irrepressible young writer, most of the intrigue in Confessions derives from efforts to sabotage their budding romance by a jealous co-worker. It probably would have been too much to ask of the producers to create a Days of Wine and Roses for today’s generation of self-destructive consumers.

The movie was adapted from British writer Sophie Kinsella's first two Shopaholic books, both of which were written at a time when the financial bubble didn’t look as if it would ever burst. Now that it has, however, pretending that such a crisis could be cured with laughter seems particularly absurd. The bonus Features include bloopers, deleted scenes and the music video, “Stuck With Each Other.” It should have come with a warning label, as well. - Gary Dretzka

Pink Panther 2

As long as there was some tread left on the Pink Panther franchise, it was inevitable that someone at MGM would take it out for another ride. Three years ago, Steve Martin assumed the role of the hapless, if unwittingly successful Inspector Clouseau. Even if critics dismissed the eighth sequel – or ninth, depending on who’s counting -- as unnecessary and uninspired, it made substantially more money than most of the other “PP” titles and probably did OK in DVD.

The second Steve Martin version was pretty much deemed unnecessary by the public, too. How much one will enjoy “PP2” is directly related to how much one likes Martin in his slapsticky roles. Here, not only has the Pink Panther diamond been stolen, but the Magna Carta, Shroud of Turin and papal ring, as well. Even though he’d recently been assigned to the parking-enforcement detail, Clouseau was assigned to an international dream team of investigator searching for a mastermind known as the Tornado. You can guess the rest.

The film's greatest asset is its all-star cast, including John Cleese, Jeremy Irons, Lily Tomlin, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Alfred Molina, Andy Garcia and Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai. All will live to see better roles. Indeed, I’d love to see all of them again in a movie that challenged their acting abilities. Re-pairing Martin and Rai in a smart romantic comedy would be OK, too. The Blu-ray arrives with three behind-the-scenes featurettes, a gag reel, 27 “PP” cartoons and a separate digital disc. - Gary Dretzka

Rockers: Blu-ray

Before the 1973 release of The Harder They Come, most of what people outside Jamaica and England knew about reggae music could fit in the hole of a 45rpm record. Americans had embraced a few pre-reggae pop songs -- Desmond Dekker’s “The Israelites,” Millie Small’s “My Boy Lollipop,” Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now” – but nothing tied their success to a thriving Jamaican music scene.

That would change with Eric Clapton’s cover of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” and concert tours by Wailers in the mid-1970s. Shot at the height of the international reggae frenzy, Rockers is the other great movie about rastas, rude boys and Kingston’s cutthroat record business. If anything, it’s even more authentic than The Harder They Come, which benefitted from a discernible storyline.

Basically, Rockers tells the story of a drummer and record hustler, who swears revenge on the people who stole his beloved motorbike (noteworthy for the Lion of Judah on its gas tank). Written and directed by Theodoros Bafaloukos -- a Greek drawn to Jamaica by the music -- Rockers is so lushly atmospheric it’s difficult to resist the temptation of lighting up a spliff and ordering out for some jerk chicken. In The Harder They Come, most of the music is heard as it’s being produced in the studio. In Rockers, the reggae sounds come from record players, radios and juke boxes, while the cast is comprised of several of the island’s biggest recording stars, including Jacob Miller, Gregory Isaacs, Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, Richard "Dirty Harry" Hall, Big Youth, Robbie Shakespeare, Winston Rodney and Lester “Dillinger” Bullock.

Another thing Rockers shares with The Harder They Come is the necessity for non-Jamaicans to use the subtitle option and keep the “patois” glossary handy throughout.- Gary Dretzka

Ghostbusters: Blu-ray

At the ripe old age of 25, Ghostbusters is a movie that needs no introduction. It remains fresh and funny, even after repeat viewings and probably will do as well in Blu-ray as it has in every other video incarnation. Eventually, Ghostbusters III will kick ass, too. Here’s what makes the Blu-ray edition special: players with BD Live functionality can link viewers in different locations, via CineChat, and allow to pre-select the features they want to watch during playback, thanks to Blu-Wizard; the disc’s Slimer Mode frames the movie with a special façade, while also providing picture-in-picture interview and making-of segments; a series of pop-up trivia tidbits; a pair of hi-def pieces on the Ecto-1 vehicle; a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the upcoming video game; deleted scenes and mini-docs, in standard definition; and storyboards of key scenes.- Gary Dretzka

Last Year at Marienbad: Criterion Collection
Diary of a Suicide

One of the more severe rites of passage for any collegiate film buff in the ’60s was to attend a screening of Alain Resnais’ notoriously vague Last Year at Marienbad and debate its meaning over coffee and cigarettes. More than any other picture, it separated the men from the boys – and, I suppose, the women from the girls – when it came to pursuing dreams of becoming a film critic or creator of arthouse fare.

It wasn’t a fair exercise. Any professor who claimed to understand what was going on in Marienbad was as full of baloney as the detractors who dismissed it out of hand, simply because Brigitte Bardot didn’t make a cameo in the first reel. Trying to make sense of it from what could be discerned via a scratchy 16mm print – which is how it was presented after the original release -- was the ultimate exercise in futility.

The Criterion Collection’s new Blu-ray edition sparkles with clarity and precision, making the audio-visual end of the experience a pleasure, at least. Even if the more cerebral stuff remains as enigmatic as ever, the commentary and background material allows for greater understanding. Watching Marienbad from a distance of nearly 50 years also permits a more mature examination of the film’s central mystery, which involves perceptions of time, reality and memory. How could anyone in their 20s understand the tricks memory plays on lovers and other strangers?

Like Rashomon, Resnais’ masterpiece forced us to question how different people interpreted the same thing. In Marienbad, though, even the actuality of the event – the rendezvous in the splendidly mirrored chateau – was uncertain. The poetry in the narration, at first maddeningly repetitive, ultimately serves the same purpose as an MRI, slicing layers of tissue so thin as to be invisible. It may not have been Casablanca, but who said all movies ought to fit a particular mold or entertain the mass audience? And, even if it was art for art’s sake, where was the harm in that? The high-definition digital transfer was supervised and approved by Resnais. The package also contains a new interview with the director; a new documentary on the making of the film; an interview with film scholar Ginette Vincendeau; two short documentaries by Resnais, Toute la mémoire du monde (1956) and Le chant du styrene (1958); the theatrical trailer; an optional unrestored French soundtrack; improved subtitle translation; a booklet featuring essays by critic Mark Polizzotti and film scholar François Thomas; and writer Alain Robbe-Grillet’s introduction to the published screenplay and comments on the film.

Compared to Stanislav Stanojevic’s beyond enigmatic Diary of a Suicide, however, Marienbad might as well have been Casablanca. Made in 1973, but never shown in the U.S., Diary owes less to Resnais than to the films by Antonioni, tonally and structurally. The fact that it starred the lead actress in Marienbad, Delphine Seyrig, along with Sami Frey (Black Widow) and Marie-France Pisier (The Phantom of Liberty), suggests that the project was taken seriously in France, despite it being Stanojevic’s debut film. In it, Frey plays a tour guide on a ship that cruises the Mediterranean. Seyrig accompanies him on the shore visits, translating the historical information into English for the tourists.

The handsome guide is frustrated by the pretty translator’s refusal to be seen without sunglasses – there’s a good reason, but it isn’t revealed until the end of the film – and is further irritated by hearing his words endlessly repeated. Finally, she agrees to open up to the guide, but only if he tells her a “beautiful” story, which is anything but beautiful. Diary of a Suicide is a difficult film, by anyone’s standards. At 95 minutes, though, adventurous viewers could come away from the experience exhilarated. The set includes a hour-long interview with Stanojevic.- Gary Dretzka

The Old Fairy Tale: When Sun Was God
At the Death House Door
On the Beat
Tales of a Terror Cult: A/A2

Adapted from a novel by Jozef Ignacy Kraszewski as a mini-series for Polish television, The Old Fairy Tale borrows from 9th Century legends of Slavic tribes who controlled the territory later known as a Poland. It was a time when swords and sorcery were employed in equal measure against invaders and enemies of tribal potentates. Here, King Popiel and his cruel wife must face the wrath of a peasant militia after the Duchess murders the entire ruling assembly to ensure the succession of her son. The revolt would lead to the formation of the Piast Dynasty, the first true Polish royalty. The production was directed by the estimable Jerzy Hoffman and featured an all-star cast of Polish actors. Beyond that, it’s well made, action-packed and completely at home in its natural settings.

At the Death House Door examines the death penalty from two unique points of view, those of Carroll Pickett, who served as minister to death-row inmates in Texas for 15 years, and condemned inmate Carlos de Luna. Pickett and De Luna crossed paths in Huntsville, where one was about to be executed and the other was about to lose his conviction that the state was right in playing God. The documentary was made by Steve James and Peter Gilbert, also responsible for Hoop Dreams. Among those interviewed are a pair of reporters for the Chicago Tribune who spent countless hours researching the death penalty, especially as it’s applied in Texas, where executing innocent people is treated like it’s an occupational hazard.

Fans of American and European cop movies likely have never seen a movie quite like Ning Ying’s On the Beat. Most policiers from that part of the planet involve some form of martial arts and lots of gunplay. On the Beat is a procedural without a major crime to solve and nary a gun in sight … except for the ones toted by American cops on the crappy station-house television. (Members of the Beijing squad envy the fact that American crooks commit the kind of crimes that would necessitate the use of guns.) These cops ride their beat on bicycles and regularly confer with neighborhood groups dedicated to preserving Socialist ideals. No crime is too small to require a lecture based on the teachings of Chairman Mao and abuses of power are treated as affronts to the state. Made in 1993, it’s entirely possible that the workplace described in On the Beat no longer exists and residents old enough to remember the Long March are few and far between.

In Tales of a Terror Cult, documentarian Tatsuya Mori detailed the inner workings of the notorious Aum Shinrikyo, the quasi-religious group that in 1995 released sarin gas into the Tokyo subway, killing 12 and injuring scores more. It also assassinated public officials. Even so, it wasn’t until these atrocities occurred that the government ordered Aum Shinrikyo to be stripped of its official status as a legal "religious entity.” Mori benefited from unprecedented access to the sect, but his broader goal was to “show how Japanese society has deteriorated.” – Gary Dretzka

Alice's House

Shot on location in a crowded São Paulo apartment and downscale beauty salon, Alice’s House fits neatly alongside those movies whose titles begin with, “Diary of a Mad …,” and end with something like “Housewife” and “Black Woman.” If A Casa de Alice had been made in America, in the 1970-80s, Gena Rowlands would have played the beleaguered Brazilian manicurist. If Rowlands’ performance equaled the one turned in here by 50-year-old newcomer, Carla Ribas, she might have three Oscar nominations to her credit, instead of two.

As it was, Ribas was named Best Actress at five of the six film festivals at which Alice’s House was shown. Writer-director Chico Teixeira’s background as a documentary maker brought an intimacy to Alice’s predicament that a traditional dramatist might not have achieved. Imagine this, ladies: Alice is the mother of three nearly adult slacker sons and wife of a cab-driving Lothario, all of whom co-exist somehow in an apartment owned by her aging mother. The beauty parlor serves as an escape valve for Alice and many of the women whose nails she polished.

Among them is the wife of a former lover, who has insinuated himself back into Alice’s life. He’s a nice guy, but it remains an open question as to whether he’ll ultimately be the one who rescues his lover from an overdose of testosterone. A Casa de Alice has been compared to a 92-minute soap opera, and, indeed, it probably could be adapted into a good one. The reason to rent Alice’s House, instead of waiting for the telenovella, is to savor Ribas’ brilliant performance. Indeed, that’s enough. The DVD adds a couple of decent interviews and a making-of piece.- Gary Dretzka

The Code

How bad could any heist thriller that starred Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas, Radha Mitchell and Robert Forster actually be? Not all that horrible, really. Why, then, was The Code accorded a theatrical release in a dozen countries around the world, but forced to debut on DVD in the U.S.? The sad fact is that Mimi Leder’s movie probably wouldn’t have made enough money in its opening weekend to cover the prints and marketing nut it would have required, and, well, why bother? DVD renters will be attracted to the marquee talent, and, if nothing else, The Code looks very much like a real movie, especially in Blu-ray.

Makes you wonder, though, how the stars and off-screen talent involved in such dumped projects feel when they hear the bad news. More to the point, does going direct-to-video negatively impact what an agent can demand for a client? It has to. In any case, the participants in The Code (a.k.a., Thick as Thieves) are hardly alone in this regard, and the movie isn’t completely lacking in entertainment value. Truth is, though, the screenwriter didn’t do any of them any favors. The movie is so complicated, and occasionally contradictory, that to go into any detail on the storyline is to reveal a multitude of spoilers.

Suffice it to say, that Freeman and Banderas play a pair of master thieves who’ve set their sights on an exhibition of Fabrege eggs in New York. Freeman is being manipulated somehow by a mysterious Russian mobster, while Banderas is in league with an equally mysterious blond. Of course, the safe in which the treasures are stored each night is proclaimed to be impregnable, without knowledge of the proper codes and tripwires. This insurmountable obstacle is surmounted almost immediately by the thieves, who are required deal with all manner of deceit and backstabbing. It’s fun, but only in the same way as a good made-for-cable can be simultaneously diverting and imminently forgettable. For their parts, Mitchell proves once again that she can play the femme fatale as convincingly as the girl next door, and Forster is every bit the sly police veteran. - Gary Dretzka

Table for Three

At the beginning of this often creepy little romantic comedy, a needy young man nearly simultaneously loses the woman he wants to marry and the roommate whose share of the rent allows him to afford a groovy loft apartment. Near the end of his meet-and-greet with prospective renters, Scott (Brandon Routh) meets an attractive yuppie couple that not only finishes each other’s sentences but also shares the same overabundance of unsubstantiated optimism. They’re cheerleaders for their own team and virtually demand that Scott come along for the ride.

When, instead, Scott falls for a very nice woman, his roommates conspire to keep him for themselves. Instead of turning to horror, as in “SWF,” writer-director Michael Samonek chose something more in the realm of black comedy. As the renters, Jesse Bradford and Sophie Bush get so far into character that one wonders if they might not be exactly as obnoxious in real life. Let’s chalk it up to good acting, though. As guilty pleasures go, Table for Three” might work for young adults facing the prospect of searching for roommates themselves someday. - Gary Dretzka

Catlow

Based on a novel by Elmore Leonard, who had yet to make the move from oaters to mysteries, Catlow is the kind of western that couldn’t have been made any time after the release of such pictures as Silverado, Pale Rider and Lonesome Dove. For that matter, it’s difficult to imagine finding any traction in the wake of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and other spaghetti westerns.

Released in 1971, Catlow was a traditional American western, filmed in Spain, with Italian sensibilities. Bijah Catlow (Yul Brynner) and Ben Cowan (Richard Crenna) are old friends, operating on opposite sides of the law. Like any of Leonard protagonists, Catlow and Cowan share a strong sense of honor, as well as a willingness to bend it to suit their purposes. In this case, it’s a treasure in stolen Confederate gold. A post-Vulcan Leonard Nimoy shadows both men, along with some Spaniards mocked up to look like Apaches and Mexican soldiers. They don’t. - Gary Dretzka

The Charles Dickens Masterworks Collection
World War II: Behind Closed Doors

When it isn’t repeating the same half-dozen Pledge Month specials, over and over again, PBS has given over its “Masterpiece Theater” slot to BBC adaptations of the works of Charles Dickens. The new collection from BBC Warner contains vintage presentations of Oliver Twist, The Old Curiosity Shop, Bleak House, Little Dorrit and Great Expectations.

Among the actors represented are Gillian Anderson, Charlotte Rampling, Timothy Spall, Derek Jacobi and Matthew Macfadyen. Before purchasing a set from a used-DVD store or obscure Internet site, though, be aware that some purchasers have complained about skipping, probably caused by clumsy packaging. Take a good look at the discs ahead of time. Otherwise, it’s a splendid set.

Part documentary and part dramatization, World War II: Behind Closed Doors describes how decisions made by Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt during and immediately after the war in Europe led not only to an Allied victory but also to the enslavement of countless millions in the Cold War. Anyone looking for heroes here might best save their applause for the soldiers who actually fought the battles. Their leaders deserve little praise for the betrayal of Poland, especially, and setting the wheels in motion for the lowering of the Iron Curtain, construction of the Berlin Wall and willingness to maintain the colonization of Vietnam, Algeria, the Congo and other Third World countries.

Stalin is portrayed as the evil tyrant, but the decisions made to appease Uncle Joe don’t put Churchill and FDR in a negative light, as well. This is version of history not taught in classrooms. The series was compiled from the research of documentarian Laurence Rees. - Gary Dretzka