Flick Picks 7/10/2015: Woman in Gold, While We're Young, '71, It Follows

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, Woman 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.

IT FOLLOWS

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:  ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA and THREE MONKEYS.  

Documentary

FAREWELL HERR SCWARTZ

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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Flick Picks 6/26/2015: Run All Night, Zero Motivation, The Duff

Poor Liam Neeson  Always having to exact revenge on one villain or another.  Never a moment's rest.  And now he's made to run all night.  The poor man could use a vacation.  In addition to Mr. Neeson's latest travails, we have dispatches from that even more daunting battlefield - high school. This in the form of the likable teen comedy, The Duff.  If this classic summer fare offers less substance than you're looking for, consider a couple of excellent foreign films, Timbuktu and Zero Motivation.     

Feature Films

RUN ALL NIGHT

So, yes.  The big guy is running away this time instead of pursuing the bad guys.  In a plot reminiscent of Road to Perdition, Liam Neeson plays Jimmy Conlong, a.k.a, The Gravedigger, a mob hit-man on the run with his estranged son, trying to outwit an assassin hired by his former boss and friend.  

THE DUFF

Bianca is trying to navigate her senior year of high school.  She reluctantly attends a party only to find out that's she been invited as a "DUFF" - Designated, Ugly Fat Friend.  Never mind that Bianca is really neither of these things  Will Bianca find happiness and acceptance?  Aren't we really all "DUFF's" in our way?  Watch, find out and ponder.  We have The Duff in both Blu-ray and regular DVD.    

Foreign Film

ZERO MOTIVATION

The most successful Israeli film of 2014, Zero Motivation follows the lives of a group of young women performing their required military service at a remote base.  The dreariness of their administrative work is alleviated by extended sessions of Minesweeper, dreaming of transfer to Tel Aviv and occasionally brandishing staple guns like automatic weapons.  A black comedy that deftly balances its lighter and more serious moments, Zero Motivation is the impressive first feature by Talya Lavie (Best Director winner at the Ophir Awards, the Israeli Oscars).  

TIMBUKTU

Almost universally praised and nominated for Best Foreign Language film at the 2015 Academy Awards, Timbuktu is based on the 2012 occupation of the Malian city (Timbuktu) by Islamists. Despite the weighty subject matter, this protest film has been described by critics as graceful, poetic, even witty.  

Series

RIPPER STREET, SEASON THREE

It's now 1894 in the season three of the British series which began six months after the Jack the Ripper murders in London's Whitechapel neighborhood.  Many of the series principal characters are reunited by a train accident in the beleaguered district of the city as the third season begins.   

Flick Picks will be on hiatus next week, but will return with lots of new DVD news on July 10.



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Flick Picks 6/19/2015: The Newsroom, Wild Tales, Chappie

Conflict, conflict and more conflict this week.  Some dark, some light.  Some funny, other instances...not so much.  If you get a little too worked up, we also have a good bit of music to calm the savage breast.  

Foreign Film

WILD TALES

Revenge is a dish best served cold?  If the film Wild Tales is any indication, the preferred manner of serving in Argentina is piping hot.  Wild Tales was a box office sensation in its home country.  Not so surprising, given the difficult decades that have beset the once great nation.  There's all sorts of instant karma to be had for the outraged in this black comedy, even as the tone of the six vignettes ranges from serious to the outlandishly comic, culminating with a wronged bride running absolutely amok at her own wedding.  If your sensibilities aren't too delicate, this is great, smart fun.   

Series

THE NEWSROOM, COMPLETE THIRD SEASON

Jeff Daniels has become the grouch laureate of American film and television in the past decade or so.  This applies to any number of film roles in which Daniels plays smart, wisecracking types that do not suffer fools gladly, if at all.  Such is also the case in Aaron Sorkin's HBO series, The Newsroom.  Here Daniels is Will McAvoy, controversial anchor for the fictional Atlantis Cable News.  Like any Aaron Sorkin series, the verbiage comes fast and in great abundance as behind-the-scenes intrigues play out for the McAvoy, his colleagues and the fictional network itself. Featuring an excellent ensemble cast, The Newsroom by most accounts was at its best in season three.  

Feature Films

CHAPPIE

With District 9 and the subsequent Elysium, South African Neil Blommkamp became the preeminent purveyor of science fiction at the movies, with big ideas to match all the big action on screen.  His latest, Chappie, is about a population fighting back against a mechanized police force, aided by Chappie, a police droid stolen and reprogrammed to think and feel for itself.  We have Chappie in Blu-ray, with a couple of copies in regular DVD on the way.   

Also new:  Johnny Depp adds to his collection of accents, playing an unscrupulous art dealer and swindler working on the right side of the law in the comedy MORTDECAI.

Documentary

THE WRECKING CREW

Here, another documentary spotlighting little-known contributors to some of the biggest hits in rock and roll and American popular music.  In this case, the Wrecking Crew was a name given to Los Angeles studio musicians who played on everything from  t.v. theme songs to film scores to advertising jingles.  And of course, almost every genre of music, backing up artists as diverse as The Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra and Bing Crosby.  

We also have several of those aforementioned documentaries about other not-so-famous contributors to songs we all know so well.  Even music afficiandos will pick up lots of rich nuggets of American musical history by watching these absorbing films.  

20 FEET FROM STARDOM

This Oscar-winning documentary focuses on the backup singers whose importance to countless rock and pop classics can hardly be overestimated.  Darlene Love, Merry Clayton and others are featured, singers who never quite became stars themselves or quite consciously avoided the spotlight.   

MUSCLE SHOALS

"Now muscle shoals has got the Swampers/And they've been known to pick a song or two."  So goes the bit of homage in Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" to the ace musicians in a sleepy town on the Tennessee River.  The Swampers were the studio musicians at FAME Studios in the unlikely musical Mecca of Muscle Shoals, Alabama.  FAME and the eventually competing Muscle Shoals Sound Studio (run by those same Swampers) were a font of hits for artists from Aretha Franklin to The Rolling Stones.  Every bit (and usually more) charismatic than any of the musical luminaries in Muscle Shoals, FAME Studios co-founder Rick Hall presides, one of those grand southern characters like Sun Studios founder Sam Phillips.  

STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN

There was a little more to the Motown magic than the star power of The Supremes, Smoky Robinson, The Temptations and Marvin Gaye.  Standing in the Shadows of Motown shines a light on the studio musicians hand picked by Motown founder Barry Gordy, affectionately known as The Funk Brothers.  

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Flick Picks 6/12/2015: Kingsman; The Secret Service, Focus, Justified Final Season

A very quiet week for DVD releases is highlighted by Kingsman:  The Secret Service.

Feature Films

KINGSMAN:  THE SECRET SERVICE

You've seen Colin Firth play the proud Darcy.  Battle for Bridget Jones Love.  Portray the stammering George VI of England.  Even dance and sing in Mamma Mia.  But have you seen him decimate a gang of toughs in an English pub using only his fists and a very special umbrella?  Well, here's your chance.  In "Kingsman," Firth plays veteran Agent Galahad, battling evil-doers and shepherding budding agent Gary "Eggsy" Unwin.  Like Firth, Samuel Jackson plays amusingly against type in "Kingsman," as lisping billionaire philanthropist Richmond Valentine, who has no stomach for blood or violence, despite the fact that he's intent on liquidating a good portion of the Earth's population.  The violence is hard to avoid in "Kingsman."  But much as the body count is very steep, the mayhem grows increasingly cartoonish as the film approaches its mad crescendo.  There's some fun to be had here if you don't think too much.

FOCUS

There's more light, summer fun to be had with Focus.  Will Smith plays an experienced con-man whose relationship with a young female grifter extends rather beyond that of  mentor and student.

Also new...

SERENA

 Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper combine their talents for a third time (after Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle) in SERENA, as a couple running a timber business in Depression-era North Carolina.




JUPITER ASCENDING

The Wachowskis (of Matrix fame) lose themselves in space with JUPITER ASCENDING.



PROJECT ALMANAC

A precocious high school student his friends discover the blueprints for a device with almost unlimited powers.  What could possibly go wrong?  Find out in PROJECT ALMANAC

Series

JUSTIFIED, FINAL SEASON

The story of a tough U.S. Marshal keeping the peace in and around his hometown of Harlan, Kentucky concludes with its sixth season.   Timothy Olyphant is Marshal Raylan Givens in the FX series set in eastern Kentucky, which has been nominated for eight Primetime Emmy Awards.




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Flick Picks 6/5/2015: Black Sea, McFarland, USA, The Last Five Years

This week we take you beneath the Black Sea in a submarine.  Running with a high school cross-country team in arid California.  Singing through the ups and downs of a young couple's relationship.  We hang out a last time with the gang from Parks and Recreation.  And then delve into some very serious and a decidedly lighthearted foreign film.  Around the world.  You'll laugh. You might sing.  Hopefully you won't cry.  But we should have more than enough to keep you entertained.

Feature Films

BLACK SEA

Jude Law continues an interesting transition from leading man roles to somewhat more character-driven work.  In Black Sea, Law plays an out of work submarine captain, convinced to take on a mission to salvage a Nazi U-boat, thought to be full of gold.  His patchwork crew is half British and half Russian, the tension between the two groups being just one of the problems facing the mission and Captain Robinson (Law).  A well made undersea thriller from director Kevin Macdonald.  We have copies of Black Sea in regular DVD and Blu-ray.

MCFARLAND, USA

Very much an audience favorite, McFarland, USA is based on the the true story of the McFarland High School cross-country team that won the California state championship in 1987.  Kevin Costner plays the coach who starts a cross-country team at the predominately Mexican-American high school.

THE LAST FIVE YEARS

While we won't have Pitch Perfect 2 on DVD for a while, fans of the delightful Anna Kendrick can enjoy her acting and singing in The Last Five Years.  Based on the Broadway musical of the same name (which actually premiered at Chicago's Northlight Theater in 2001), The Last Five Years tells its story almost entirely in song.  A young couple's five-year relationship plays out in songs sung in reverse chronological order by Cathy (Kendrick) and forward from their first meeting by Jamie (Jeremy Jordan).



SPRING

Looking for something a little different?  A period of intelligent horror films (e.g., The Babadook, the upcoming DVD release of It Follows) continues with Spring, the story of a young American back-packing along the Italian Coast who meets an enchanting native.  What could possibly go wrong? Check out Spring and find out.




Also new this week - Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore star in the fantasy film,  SEVENTH SON.

Series

PARKS AND RECREATION, THE FAREWELL SEASON

Yes, one last go round with the large and talented cast of the NBC series, Parks and Recreation.

Also new:  MAJOR CRIMES, THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON
                  RAY DONOVAN, SEASON TWO
                  RIZZOLI AND ISLES, THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON

Foreign Film

Konstantinos Gavras, commonly known as Costa-Gavras, has been making intelligent political thrillers for more than 40 years.  Recently, the Criterion College added two of Costa-Gavras' early 1970's films to their redoubtable library.  Both films star French actor and singer Yves Montand.      

CONFESSION

In the riveting Confession, Montand plays a Czech dignitary abducted and imprisoned by the country's ruling Communist party.

STATE OF SIEGE

Yet again, Montand plays a man kidnapped in State of Siege.  This time he's an American official, abducted by a South American guerilla group, outraged at U.S. involvement  in their country's politics.  

The library also has what many consider to be Costa-Gavras' finest film, Z.


MERCHANT OF FOUR SEASONS

No lightweight himself, German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder was the enfant terrible of New German Cinema.  The filmmaker managed to create as much provocative work as controversy in a career cut short by death at the age of 37.  Another recent release from the Criterion Collection, Merchant of Four Seasons deals with the plight of a fruit peddler living in 1950's West Germany who is driven to madness by what he sees as an uncaring society.

THAT MAN FROM RIO

Too much seriousness, you say?  As if there's not enough disturbing things going on in the real world?  Fair enough.  So...Adrien Dufourquet to the rescue!  And who, one might reasonably ask, is Adrien Dufourquet?  As it turns out, there have been James Bond spoofs about as long as the character of the British secret agent has been in the popular consciousness.  This early French spoof (as opposed to the later OSS 117 films) from 1964 stars the handsome and cheeky Jean-Paul Belmondo as airman Dufourquet, drawn into international intrigue.  As with the Bond films, the pace is quick and the photography in several locations around the world striking.

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Flick Picks 5/22/2015: American Sniper, Fifty Shades of Grey, Leviathan

Serious business, serious business and a bit of, uh...monkey business?  this week.  The top grossing film of 2014 has arrived on DVD in the form of American Sniper.  We also have the much-praised Russian film Leviathan.  Not to mention the cinematic adaptation of that publishing sensation known as Fifty Shades of Grey.  Need a stiff drink after all of that?  Understandable, much as we can't help you.  But if you need some more carefree entertainment, try the first two seasons of Inside Amy Schumer, or the final go-round of  t.v. powerhouse Glee.  

Feature Films

AMERICAN SNIPER

A major success for director Clint Eastwood, American Sniper is based on the life and autobiography of Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history.  Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper plays Kyle, whose return to domestic life is nearly as daunting as the tense and deadly work of his military tours of duty in Iraq.  We have several copies of American Sniper in regular DVD and one in Blu-ray.

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

Based on the novel by Dostoyevsky...er, E.L.James, Fifty Shades of Grey is now available in regular DVD and Blu-ray.

Series

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK,SEASON TWO

Orange is apparently still the new black for the second season of the very popular Netflix series.  Learn more about what put Piper behind bars, not to mention the back stories of more the female inmates at the Litchfield Federal Prison.

GLEE, FINAL SEASON

After 121 episodes and a whopping 728 musical performances, the New Directions Glee Club and all the students and faculty at William McKinley High School have exited stage (or t.v. screen) left. Catch up with or relive the final season of Glee.

INSIDE AMY SCHUMER, SEASONS ONE & TWO

Comedian and actress Amy Schumer stars in this Comedy Central series, a mix of sketch comedy, stand-up and street interviews.  The general consensus is that the entertaining show really hits its stride in season two.  Very much one for adults, Inside Amy Schumer is the winner of a 2015 Peabody Award.  

Also new:  CALL THE MIDWIFE, SEASON FOUR

Foreign Film

LEVIATHAN

An Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language film, Leviathan has a setting in contemporary Russia, but undertones and storylines which some see as biblical.  Things are not going well for Kolya.  As a corrupt mayor eyes his property, life promises to get more difficult.  He calls upon an old army buddy and lawyer to help him, but with friends like Kolya's....A bracing satire of contemporary Russia set in the rugged and beautiful landscape along the Barents Sea.

GIRLHOOD

No, Girlhood is not a French, female remake of Richard Linklater's Boyhood.  Instead, Girlhood is thoughtful a coming-of-age story focusing on Marieme, fleeing a difficult home life in the outer suburbs of Paris to join a group of free-spirited girls.   

Classics

DAY OF THE OUTLAW

Can those perpetual adversaries -  cowboys and ranchers - unite to save a town against a gang of outlaws?  Such is the conflict in Andre de Toth's stylish western Day of the Outlaw, which stars Robert Ryan and Burl Ives.

Also new:  Alred Hitchcock's last British film, JAMAICA INN.

Documentary 

THE CASE AGAINST 8

The Case Against 8 offers a behind-the-scenes look inside the historic case to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage.

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