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vidlib@videolibrarian.com
 Updated January 31, 2012 |
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The Middle: Season 2  Warner, 3 discs, 528 min., not rated, DVD: $44.98 
Another school year in the life of the frazzled Hecks of Orson, IN, finds overwhelmed parents Frankie (Patricia Heaton) and Mike (Neil Flynn) ill equipped to “get out in front of it.” “Why do we have to go looking for trouble?” Mike asks in the season opener when Frankie tries to put the family on a schedule. “I’m pretty sure it knows our address.” And so they make do as best they can with limited resources. Firmly rooted in these dire economic times, The Middle is a kinder, gentler Roseanne crossed with the absurdity of Malcolm in the Middle. Elder son Axl (Charlie McDermott) is a sullen and thoughtless simpleton; middle child Sue (Eden Sher) is as indefatigably overeager as she is socially awkward; and the youngest, Brick (Atticus Shaffer), is “quirky special.” Heaton’s former costar from Everybody Loves Raymond, Doris Roberts, is in a class by herself in a couple of episodes as Brick’s third-grade teacher, Mrs. Rinsky, with whom Frankie butts heads. Most story threads take the family to the brink, only to reassuringly and heartwarmingly pull them back. The writing is smart, funny, and well-observed; the show earns both its laughs and more movingly heartfelt moments. Compiling all 24 episodes from the 2010–11 second season, DVD extras include deleted scenes and a gag reel. Kind of an overlooked gem, this is recommended. (D. Liebenson)
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Going Places  Kino, 118 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.95, Blu-ray: $29.95 
This 1974 film that made a star of Gérard Depardieu plays like a 1970s response to ’60s rebel road movies, with aimless, amoral twentysomethings embracing criminality simply because it’s more fun than going straight. Depardieu (all thuggish charm and studly swagger) is Jean-Claude, and Patrick Dewaere is his buddy Pierrot; they’re joined by Marie-Ange (Miou-Miou), who transitions from hostage to becoming the third leg of this bohemian ménage-a-trois, content to drift along with the guys from one scam to the next. Despite the jaundiced view of humanity and the social culture of the era, director Bertrand Blier (who adapted his own novel) has a soft spot for these childish blowhard punks, an attitude reinforced by the comic presentation of their criminal antics and the lighthearted score by jazz violin legend Stephane Grappelli. Blier seemed determined to toss in something to offend everyone, and Going Places still has the power to shock with its explicit nudity and rape scenes that border or even cross the line. Extras are limited to a stills gallery. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)
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Visions of Eight Olive, 110 min., G, DVD: $24.95 
This 1973 feature from acclaimed documentary producer David Wolper chronicles the 1972 Munich Olympics as seen through the lens of eight major directors, although Visions of Eight is ultimately less of a sports documentary than a survey of impressions from noted filmmakers. “I am not interested in sports, but I am interested in obsessions,” explains Mai Zetterling before her segment, “The Strongest,” which follows weightlifters from the training room to the contest, zeroing in on their preparation and focus. Arthur Penn watches high-jumpers and pole-vaulters in slow motion and silence, capturing the grace and wonder of men in flight in “The Highest,” while Kon Ichikawa does the same for sprinters in “The Fastest.” John Schlesinger breaks the singleminded emphasis on athletes and competition with the only glimpses of the tragic terrorist kidnapping of the Israeli competitors that year in the most compelling and revealing segment, “The Longest,” which is framed by the perspective of a single marathon runner. Other directors include Yuri Ozerov (“The Beginning”), Michael Pfleghar (“The Women”), Milos Forman (“The Decathlon”), and Claude Lelouch (“The Losers”). Visions of Eight serves up no statistics and no list of winners, merely scenes of individuals in preparation, competition, and at rest—in victory and defeat. Winner of a Golden Globe, this is recommended. (S. Axmaker)
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Zombie  Blue Underground, 2 discs, 92 min., not rated, DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray: $39.98 
Italian goremeister Lucio Fulci’s most famous film—released in 1979 to cash in on the popularity of George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead—revolves around a silly story of tropical-island experiments gone wrong, opening with an abandoned boat drifting into a New York harbor with bloodthirsty undead aboard. The vessel belonged to Dr. David Menard (Richard Johnson), whose daughter, Anne (Tisa Farrow, Mia’s sister), attempts to find out what happened to her dad, traveling with investigative reporter Peter West (Ian McCulloch) back to where he was last seen—the Caribbean isle of Matool. Here, Menard is busy battling a disease that is turning all of the inhabitants—dead or alive—into flesh-eaters. A pretty sloppy movie with nothing to show beyond pure exploitation, Zombie’s fame rests on a few gruesome sequences, including an underwater battle between a zombie and a shark and possibly the most famous eye-gouging scene in horror history (the film was originally rated X during its U.S. release for its sadistic violence and gratuitous nudity). This new Blue Underground edition features audio commentary, cast and crew interviews, and archival promo material. An optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)
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Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy: Volume One History, 2 discs, 376 min., not rated, DVD: $19.99 
Hitting the roads and backwaters à la Charles Kuralt, famed “blue-collar comic” Larry the Cable Guy takes a page from Borat to visit American cultural sites and enclaves—generally two or three per episode in this History Channel series—deemed “all the things that makes this country great.” The guitar chords twang as Larry improvs shtick and bits of edu-tainment at widely divergent locations nationwide, including a moonshine-whiskey mecca, a family-run fireworks factory (which shot off writer Hunter S. Thompson’s ashes in a special memorial), the NRA’s gun museum and firing range, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, a greyhound racetrack, a soapbox derby hub, and Mark Twain’s frog-jumping capital of Calaveras County, CA. He also rides with the Hell’s Angels, drops in on a NASA site, impersonates himself in Las Vegas, catches an alligator, checks out Florida’s Weeki Wachee mermaids, and visits a mule farm. The approach breaks no new ground, but Larry is amusing, even inspired at times (he seems most enthusiastic at a rodeo). Overall, this is more entertaining than the star’s scattered feature-film showcases, but given Larry’s uncouth persona and potty humor, it’s a pity his manner-makeover at the Emily Post Institute in Vermont happens early on; it would have made a cute season closer. Compiling 10 episodes from the 2011 first season, this is recommended. (C. Cassady)
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Bones: The Complete Sixth Season Fox, 1,004 min., not rated, DVD: 6 discs, $59.98, Blu-ray: 4 discs, $69.98 
Bones adds buddy-movie byplay, nerdy humor, and romantic tension to the usually cheerless forensic crime show formula and scores a hit, thanks largely to the cast chemistry and playful approach to science, murder, and gooey corpses. Emily Deschanel plays the socially awkward but brilliant forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan, sharing star billing with David Boreanaz, whose FBI agent Seeley Booth has a sense of humor equal to his sense of duty and loyalty. This season opens with an affirmation that Brennan and Booth, as well as the entire squad of “squints” and specialists, will go to the mat for one another. Personal storylines running through the various cases include a new love interest for Booth; the pregnancy of Brennan’s best friend, Angela (Michaela Conlin); and the hunt for a former Army sniper gone rogue (guest star Arnold Vosloo), which becomes a personal mission for Booth. While Bones sports little violence, the show pushes its re-creations of human remains to extremes for the sake of gallows humor. Compiling all 23 episodes from the 2010–11 sixth season, extras include select audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a gag reel. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)
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Kuroneko Criterion, 99 min., in Japanese w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95 
The translated title of Kaneto Shindô’s ferocious tale is Black Cat, but rather than felines, this 1968 film centers on the vengeful ghosts of a mother, Yone (Nobuko Otowa), and her daughter-in-law, Shige (Kiwako Taichi), who were raped and murdered by rogue samurai in feudal Japan. The specters are driven to revenge themselves on warriors— whom they lure to their house in a bamboo forest perpetually shrouded in fog and shadow—but the women become conflicted when faced with Gintoki (Kichiemon Nakamura), a loved one sent to dispatch them. This is a work of mesmerizing imagery and eerie atmosphere; Yone and Shige float through the picture with spooky grace, and even their mysterious dwelling resembles a supernatural creature, while the tranquil woodland becomes enveloped in doom and dread with the coming of night. One of the best Japanese ghost stories—full of feminist rage and visual grace—Kuroneko was almost forgotten on this side of the ocean until a 2010 theatrical revival resurrected interest in the film. Extras include new and archival interviews, and a booklet. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)
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V: The Complete Second Season Warner, 2 discs, 425 min., not rated, DVD: $39.98, Blu-ray: $49.99 
The second and final season of this modern reboot of the 1980s sci-fi hit continues the existing storyline, with FBI agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell) leading the resistance against the seemingly benign arrival of an alien armada hovering over the Earth, while ruthless Visitor queen mother Anna (Morena Baccarin) advances the scheme to absorb the human race. The players line up accordingly behind these warrior women, becoming involved in conspiracies, family crises, and melodramatic complications in a series that also features secret experiments on human subjects and lots of things blowing up, all presented at a furious pace. While V was never a particularly smart show, it was quite entertaining as a big B-movie serial with a network TV budget and actors who brought gravitas and grit to pulp fiction roles. The second run simply ups the ante by expanding the conflict while adding a number of personal plot contrivances. Among the numerous story threads in this set is the ongoing battle between Erica and Anna over the loyalty of Erica’s troubled teenage son, Tyler (Logan Huffman). Offering a mere 10 episodes per season—not enough to build an audience—the show was cancelled after this 2011 run, so viewer interest will likely be limited to hardcore science-fiction and action TV fans. Extras include two behind-the-scenes featurettes, unaired scenes, and bloopers. Optional. (S. Axmaker)
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