Movie Junction

2009 has been a mixed year for documentaries. After having seen a couple of documentaries this year, I can’t think of one that stood out from the rest, or at least left a lasting impression on me. That changed when I received a copy of Megumi Sasaki’s “Herb & Dorothy” (2009), a documentary that did not receive any critical attention. In a year where environmental and politically charged documentaries (Iraq and Afghanistan wars) outnumbered documentaries in any other category, “Herb & Dorothy” was a pleasant surprise. At its core, “Herb & Dorothy” tells a simple tale of Herb and Dorothy Vogel, who managed to amass a huge art collection on meager incomes. Herb Vogel worked as a USPS postal worker and Dorothy worked as a librarian in New York City. They set aside Herb’s income to buy art and used Dorothy’s income for living expenses. Between the two, Dorothy was the spokesperson in dealing with the media and artists. Surprisingly enough, none of the Vogels’ co-workers were a

The impact of deep-sea fishing on marine life has been a subject of intense controversy and countless debates over the last few years. Environmental activists argue that deep-sea fishing not only endangers various species, but it also renders certain species to a point of extinction. This fact is supported by the evidence that as a result of commercial fishing, certain species of fish like orange roughy, hake, eel, and skate, and mammals such as whales and dolphins are at a brink of extinction. On the contrary, lobbyists of the fishing industry claim that this evidence is skewed and that nature is taking its normal course. As a result, they continue to fish and explore in deep oceanic waters with questionable practices. The director of 2009’s “The Cove,” Louie Psihoyos, along with his friend, Jim Clark, formed the Ocean Preservation Society (OPS) in 2005. Both of them have been professional deep-sea divers for almost thirty years now. According to Psihoyos, the degradation of ocea

“The Rolling Stones” are one of the most influential rock bands in the history of Rock N’ Roll. They have sold more than 200 million records worldwide, and their concerts have amassed record receipts, with “Steel Wheels” tour as one of the highest-grossing tours of all time. Ever since they formed back in the early 1960s, “The Rolling Stones” have been an undisputed force in the world of rock n’ roll. They came right at the point when “The Beatles,” “Pink Floyd,” and “Led Zeppelin” were leading the British music invasion around the world. Not only did their songs talk about sex, drugs, and relationships, they also succinctly represented the tumultuous cultural times of the ‘60s and ‘70s. So, what exactly is “Gimme Shelter” (1970)? Is it a concert film or a documentary or a mix of both? Amy Taubin in her essay (included with the disc) rightly points out that “Gimme Shelter,” in fact, is a film within a film and rightly so. “Gimme Shelter” is a film on “The Rolling Stones” that is di

Christopher McQuarrie has an interesting love-hate relationship with Hollywood. After having won an Academy award for the screenplay of “The Usual Suspects” (1995), he approached various studios for a solo directing project with full artistic control. However, he was repeatedly turned down on his new proposals by studios. After a five-year hiatus, under the Artisan banner he was able to write and direct his first movie, “The Way of the Gun” (2000), only to disappear again for eight years. He is most known for writing screenplays for movies directed by Bryan Singer (“The Usual Suspects,” “X-Men,” “Valkyrie”). Even after directing “The Way of the Gun” and writing, “Valkyrie,” McQuarrie is still searching for that elusive movie he can create on his terms. The story begins with two troublemakers, Longbaugh (Benicio Del Toro) and Parker (Ryan Philippe), on a lookout to make quick money. One day on a trip to a sperm-donation clinic, they overhear a conversation in which the surrogate mo

I vividly remember the day I first received a DVD copy of the “Frailty.” I think I may have won a contest on a DVD Web site. I am glad I watched the movie and happy to have it now on Blu-ray disc. “Frailty” was hardly profitable during its theatrical run in 2002, but it garnered generally positive reviews. Bill Paxton’s debut directorial effort, “Frailty” was one of the best movies of 2002. I dare say that it is one of the best in the horror genre The story begins with Fenton (Matthew McConaughey) appearing at FBI headquarters claiming to know a killer’s identity and demanding to see the FBI detective, Doyle (Powers Boothe). He claims his brother, Adam (Levi Kreis), is the God’s Hand killer that investigators have been looking for. From that point onward, it becomes a cat-and-mouse game between him and Doyle as he narrates his childhood story. The two young boys, Fenton and Adam, were told by their father (Bill Paxton) one day that the God’s angel had spoken to him about slayin

Co-written by Shane Black, who also wrote “Lethal Weapon” (1987) and “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” (2006), “The Monster Squad” (1987) over the years has developed into something of a cult classic. Upon its initial theatrical release, “The Monster Squad” bombed at the box-office, earning a meager $4 million on a budget of $12 million. As a result, “The Monster Squad” was only released in a VHS edition for home video, not until much later on DVD.  In 2007, to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the movie’s release, Lionsgate finally issued an elaborate two-disc edition that was long overdue (since the DVD format was launched in 1997). Now, Lionsgate with the Blu-ray release of “The Monster Squad” has given its fans a chance to experience this cult classic in hi-def. The story is straightforward. Count Dracula comes back from the dead to retrieve an ancient amulet that will give him more powers. However, he only has until midnight to execute his plans. In order to fulfill his rogue plan

Criterion set up a voting mechanism for the first time in April, 2009, through the Amazon.com Web site asking its fans to vote for a future Blu-ray release.  Five titles were up for the vote:  Louis Malle’s “Au Revoir Les Enfants” (1987) , Jim Jarmusch’s “Down by Law” (1986), James Ivory’s “Howards End” (1992), Masaki Kobayashi’s “Kwaidan” (1964), and Peter Weir’s “Picnic at Hanging Rock” (1975).  As a fan of Peter Weir’s works, I voted for “Picnic at Hanging Rock.”  So when “Howard’s End” was selected as the final choice, I was crushed.  I thought “Picnic at Hanging Rock” was in need of a proper restoration and it not getting selected meant there was no special-edition release in the foreseeable future.  To me, “Howard’s End” was an odd final choice, nevertheless…. I was introduced to the world of Merchant-Ivory films when I saw “Shakespeare Wallah” (1965), “The Guru” (1969), and “Bombay Talkie” (1970).  One can conclude that their filmmaking career is divided into two parts.  The

Bella Fleck is a well-known American banjo artist who has won nine Grammy awards. More so, he has been nominated in more categories than any other artist in the history of Grammy nominations. Sascha Paladino’s documentary “Throw Down Your Heart” is an adventure trip that Bella and his crew undertake to various countries in Africa to understand the heritage of the African Banjo and its influence on the music community. Moreover, it is Bella’s quest to reach out to musicians at the grassroots level to produce new music. The first destination on the trip is a remote village, Jinja, in Uganda, a country in the Eastern region of Africa sharing its borders with Kenya and Tanzania. Here Bella meets a local musician and the two of them jam for a few minutes, where the latter uses a unique violin-like instrument. Soon after, he is welcomed by his friend, Haruna Walusimbi, who takes him to a village named Nakisenyi for another jamming session. On reaching the village of Nakisenyi, Bella wit