Flick Picks returns from a brief hiatus with a bumper crop of DVDs, rich in number and variety. Let's jump right in....
Feature Films
WOMAN IN GOLD
Somewhat loosely based on real events, W
oman in Gold dramatizes the attempt of Maria Altman to reclaim the Klimt painting
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, which had been confiscated from her family by the Nazis prior to World War II. The ever-reliable Helen Mirren plays Ms. Altman, whose case against the Austrian government was ultimately carried to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The case of Maria Altman has been the subject (exclusively or in part) of no less than three documentaries, two of which can be found at the Glencoe Library.
ADELE'S WISH is a 2008 documentary about the case, while the fascinating
RAPE OF EUROPA considers the entire spectrum of art stolen or put in emperiled by the Nazis, the theft of the famous Klimpt painting included.
WHILE WE'RE YOUNG
Director Noah Baumbach's happy period continues. Well...everything is relative. But with
While We're Young, Baumbach has delivered one of his more blatantly comedic efforts, even if the aftertaste is wistful as ever. Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts play a childless, 40-something couple who begin to hang out with and even emulate a pair of young New York hipsters.
'71
Almost universally acclaimed,
'71 is the story of a young British soldier left behind by his unit in Belfast during the violent "Troubles." Jack O'Connell (Unbroken), stars as the soldier, who must negotiate a night in Belfast on his own to find his way to safety. If you're looking for something smart and thrilling (as summer fare goes, about as rare as snow in July),
'71 might be the film for you.
A good period for horror films (e.g., the recent
BABADOOK and
SPRING) continues with the DVD release of
It Follows. Director David Robert Mitchell reminds us what it is to skillfully develop and maintain tension, as opposed to the disposable thrills in Dolby Surround Sound that can be had so cheaply at the multiplex. With
It Follows, it's as much about the waiting for the dreaded thing as it is the actual confrontation with the mysterious presence that is passed from one young person to the next in a kind of very sinister tag. Mitchell creates a palpable sense of dread and utilizes some haunting locations around the Detroit area (he's a native).
Also recently added: Kristin Wiig stars as a lonely woman who parlays a lottery jackpot into her own unusual talk show in
WELCOME TO ME.
5 FLIGHTS UP offers the very likable pairing of Diane Keaton and Morgan Freeman as a couple contemplating a move from their Brooklyn apartment. A prison-bound Will Ferrell tries to get some survival tips from Kevin Hart in
GET HARD. Al Pacino stars as an aging pop star in
DANNY COLLINS. Sean Penn is
THE GUNMAN, on the run and revisiting the scene of one of his crimes.
CAMP X-RAY stars Kristen Stewart as a new guard at Guantanamo Bay.
Series
HOUSE OF CARDS, SEASON 3
Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright return as power couple Frank and Claire Underwood, now first couple of the land. The ruthless Underwood (Frank) quickly discovers how uneasily lies the head that wears the crown as he launches into the first term of his presidency. Thank heavens our real political situation is always so civilized and honorable....
NEW WORLDS
Set during the tumultuous period of the colonization of America,
New Worlds focuses on four young characters trying to make their way on either side of the Atlantic.
HELLO LADIES, SEASON 1
Yes, irony. The lanky Steven Merchant (co-creator of the British version of The Office and Extras) is a web designer in Los Angeles, chasing beautiful women with, shall we say, something less than complete success.
Also recently added:
HILL STREET BLUES, SEASONS 1 - 7
MANH(A)TTAN, SEASON 1
A PLACE TO CALL HOME, SEASON 2
RECTIFY, SEASON 2
Foreign Film
WINTER SLEEP
Winner of the Palm d'Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival,
Winter Sleep is the latest from Turkish master Nuri Bilge Ceylan. As usual, Bilge us up to serious business, examining the gap between the rich and poor, the powerful and powerless in contemporary Turkey.
Ceylan's films are usually striking, if rather ponderous. His work is not for all tastes, but patience and attention are certainly rewarded. If you would like to see other films from one of the world's preeminent directors, we have two other examples: O
NCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA and
THREE MONKEYS.
Documentary
A documentary of post-Holocaust generations examining their family histories,
Farewell Herr Schwartz offers echoes of another documentary,
THE FLAT. In the case of
Farewell Herr Schwartz, filmmaker Yael Reuvany discovered a strange family history in which two Jewish siblings managed to survive the Holocaust, only to be separated after the war. Michla Schwartz moved to the soon-to-be-founded Jewish state of Israel, while her brother, Feiv'ke (assumed dead), almost inexplicably remained not far from the site of his suffering, marrying a German woman and living in what would become East Germany.
Farewell Herr Schwartz was the winner of the Best Documentary Prize at the Haifa International Film Festival.
ALEXANDER CALDER
This the DVD release of the PBS American Masters profile of the sculptor best known as the inventor of the mobile, examples of whose exuberant work can be found all over Chicago, inside and out.
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MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE (1985) features Daniel Day Lewis' breakout performance as a street punk who becomes the romantic partner of a young Pakistani man living in London, who aspires to open an upscale laundrette. Stephen Frears' revered film considers with wit and insight issues as weighty as homophobia, class and racism against the backdrop of Margaret Thatcher's Britain of the 1980's.
