African American Lives 2 - Buy from Amazon
A four-part series from PBS that takes a look at the lives of a dozen African-Americans, tracing their heritage from today to as far back as records will allow, and thanks to DNA, even farther.

Many of the people profiled are from the entertainment industry with athletes, actors, comics, and singers, as well as authors, radio personalities, and even one lady who was chosen as part of a contest. I would have liked to see more professionals profiled and less entertainers: business leaders, doctors, scientists, etc. (For instance, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson would have been a perfect person to profile, since he works at PBS. A little cross-promotion never hurts.) The media makes it seem that the only way for an African-American to succeed is to be a singer, actor, or athlete, so it bugs me shows aimed directly at this audience perpetuate this myth. Perhaps I'm overstating the problem thanks to an overdeveloped sense of liberal guilt, and maybe this isn't an issue with the target audience. But it is something I felt the need to bring up.

Episode 1 - The Road Home
There was mass migration in the earlier part of the 20th century from the south to the north to escape institutionalized racism that was rampant. This episode looks at some of the specific reasons that drove some families north, from the lack of educational opportunities to horrible miscarriages of justice.

Episode 2 - A Way Out of No Way
A look at the Civil War and the emancipation of the slaves, but not all slaves were freed by the Civil War, not were all African-Americans slaves at the start of the Civil War. Here we find out that not only were African-American lives changed by the Civil War, but many of the people profiled have direct forebears who fought in the war. However, we also learn that emancipation was not the end of the struggle, but just another step.

Episode 3 - We Come from People
A look at the link to slavery, which includes some very shocking revelations (which I won't reveal here). As the host, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. states, our view of slavery is overly simplistic and this program certainly was the most educational, at least for me.

Episode 4 - The Past is Another Country
Using DNA, they are able to trace these people's lineage all the way to Africa... or Europe, as the case might be. I've seen the same technology used in the program, The Journey of Man, which I highly recommend. Because I've seen what it can do, I was not as wowed the second time around, but it is still a fascinating episode.

There are no extras on this DVD. I would have loved to see an update or two on some of the stories uncovered, but I'm not surprised there are none.

African American Lives 2 looks at the pasts of 12 African-Americans and what their families went through to get to where they are now. Easily worth checking out for anyone in the target audience, or people who are just fascinated by genealogy. However, without any extras, for most a rental will suffice.

Asssscat! - Buy from Amazon
From the people who brought us Upright Citizens Brigade. This DVD features the game they developed to hone one's improv skill. The setup is simple, they take the first suggestion from the audience and have a monologist run with the idea. Afterwards, the 8 improv artists create a series of skits that are loosely associated with the story told by the monologist. Given the success of this show, which has been running for 10 years now, one would expect a lot of laughs here. That's not really the case.

That is not to say the show is weak, it is just below expectations and sadly average. Unfortunately, improv as a comedic genre is very, very difficult to get right and tends to amplify any weakness in the performers. Scripted shows can at least filter out certain problems. Some bits sound funny at first, but can't be turned into a fully formed idea. Others work, but without refinement can go on a bit too long. (Granted, over-thinking the comedy can become a problem, which is why improv is so appealing to so many in the first place.) I've mentioned in a previous review that there are few things I find less funny that bad improv. In fact, I find bad improv to be physically painful to watch. That was not the case here, but the hour-long program wasn't as funny as the series was.

Extras on the DVD include a 30-minute Bonus Round, which includes more monologues and skits, just like the main feature. The hit to miss ratio is actually a little better, which was surprising. Additional extras include an audio commentary track on the main feature, which goes into the history of the show, the rules of the show, improv tips, etc. (Like sometimes saying the most logical thing is the funniest thing to say. Taking a bizarre concept and trying to ground it in reality can be a lot funnier than taking a bizarre concept and adding more and more bizarre aspects to it.) Next up is an interview with the four members who talk about the history of the show, where the name came from, a old horror movie called The Entity that is not based on real life events, no matter what the producers of that movie claim. Monologous Interruptus shows what can happen when an audience member becomes part of the act. We Love Our Audiences gives more face time to the audience while The ASSSSCAT Theme is a rather pointless loop of the theme song.

Fans of The Upright Citizens Brigade will certainly want to check out Asssscat!, as it presents more of the troupe's trademark humor and there are certainly enough extras to warrant purchasing for those who enjoyed the hour-long show. However, it is not as strong as the TV series and I would recommend renting first.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead - Buy from Amazon
This film earned excellent reviews, opened with a per theater average in the mid-$30,000 range, but then just couldn't maintain that momentum as it expanded, nor did it become a major player during Awards Season like many expected. It's hard to dissect the film and figure out why this was.

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke star as two bothers, Andy and Hank, who are both in deep financial trouble for different reasons. Andy has been embezzling money to support a drug habit and wants to run away to Rio with his wife, while Hank is behind in his child support payments and wants to run away... also with Andy's wife. Andy, who is clearly the Alpha personality here, comes up with a plan to get them the money they need to get back on track. They will rob a Mom & Pop jewelry store. Specifically, their Mom & Pop's jewelry store. Things go horribly wrong and we watch the pieces fall where they may.

The movie was described as a melodrama by the director, which may have hurt the film at the box office. Melodramatic is an insult, but the origins of the word, 'melodrama' is not derogatory. Essentially in a drama the characters drive the plot, but in a melodrama the plot drives the characters, and this is certainly the case here. Most of the time spent examining, and re-examining what led to the robbery at the beginning and the fallout, with the characters not getting as much time for character development as they would have in a straight up drama. However, this is not an insult or in anyway a slight against the performances, which were uniformly amazing. Of the awards we track on this site, it was only able to earn a couple of Independent Spirit Award nominations, but the whole cast could have been nominated, especially for SAG, which has a category for ensemble casts. It just slipped through the cracks, hopefully that won't happen again on the home market.

Extras on the DVD are on par with most limited releases with an audio commentary track featuring Sidney Lumet, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Ethan Hawke. The three men maintain a brisk pace and balance information and entertainment very well. It does tend to lean more to the former than the latter, but it is never dull and is certainly worth listening to. Directed by Sidney Lumet: How the Devil Was Made is a making-of featurette that runs just over 24 minutes. It is very in-depth and not in the least bit fluff. It even gets into digital vs. film, as Sidney Lumet has made the transition into the new technology and here he explains why. ... I'm not sure I trust his scientific explanation of energy, but I do agree with his assessment of High Definition digital filmmaking. The technology gives a director better control and it is less cumbersome, which allows the director to get closer to his subjects. While there are only two extras on the DVD, both have very high replay value.

This DVD came out a couple weeks ago, but the screener arrived late so this is the first opportunity to do a full spotlight review on it, and I'm glad I got that chance. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is one of the best movies from last year on every level: the writing, the directing, the acting. Extras add to the overall experience and bring enough replay value that it is certainly worth purchasing over just renting and I can be very enthusiastic with that recommendation.

Big Ideas for a Small Planet - Season Two - Preview
A couple of weeks ago, Season 1 of Big Ideas for a Small Planet. Now the second season is playing on TV and we have a preview of the new episodes.

Already aired was Gen Y and Food, while upcoming episodes deal with Fashion, Gadgets, Transport, and others. Each episode presents three ideas that are helping change the environment for the better. Some of these ideas are pretty big and far into the future, like the folding, electric car seen in Transport, and seem a little out there. Other ideas, like the idea of schools growing their own food for the cafeteria, can be done right now. In fact, everyone should trying a grow a little bit of food for themselves, as well as buy locally grown foods. Eating local food not only helps the environment, it helps the local economy, it saves you money, and it is healthier for you. It's truly a win-win situation. (Actually, a win-win-win-win situation.)

One thing that caught my eye was from the Gadget episode when they profile a young lady, Elizabeth Redmond. She is trying to invent a flooring system that uses piezoelectric materials to produce electricity whenever you walk on it. She admits the technology is a long way from being sold, however, I immediately thought that it would be easier to put this technology in your shoes rather than in the sidewalk. You could walk and charge your iPod, cell phone, laptop battery, etc. at the same time. I think this would be very easy to do and it would certainly take less work to get it into the marketplace.

Big Ideas for a Small Planet is currently airing every Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. on the Sundance Channel. This week Fashion is airing while over the next few weeks we have Recycle, Grow that is about adding and improving green spaces where we live, Transport, and others. It is certainly worth checking out, and fans of the show should check out Season 1 on DVD.

I'm Not There - Buy from Amazon
Definitely not your typical biopic.

The first authorized biography of Bob Dylan, this is hardly a typical entry into this genre. In the film, six actors play different aspects of Bob Dylan's life, his persona, his career. There is a true diversity in these actors, who include a 11-year old black actor named Marcus Carl Franklin making his theatrical debut, to Richard Gere, and even Cate Blanchett all playing the same role. Given the subject, and the style, this film had Awards Season buzz thrust upon it from the very beginning and this built up the expectations to a point where they were simply too high to sustain. That is not to say it did poorly with the critics as 77% positive is better than most films can dream of, but it was lower than expectations and that hurt it with award voters. It wasn't shut out, and did earn a number of nominations and a few wins, mostly for Cate Blanchett's performance.

The bouncing back-and-fourth between different times of the musician's life give the film a style that drew in a lot of moviegoers, but also turned off many. In fact, it may have turned off more than it drew in. At times the movie seems confused; I can guarantee that even some of Bob Dylan's biggest fans will come away not understanding all the movie is trying to say. I think the voiceover is there to help alleviate some of these issues, but a stronger narrative would have been better. Those looking for an experimental film, a film made for the sake of art should be happy. Those looking to learn more about the life of Bob Dylan will likely walk away deeply disappointed.

Extras on the 2-disc set are also mixed. On disc one we have an audio commentary track with writer / director Todd Haynes who provides a wealth of information, including facts on Bob Dylan's life that probably should have been included in the biography. There are also four essays on the characters, how the film was made, how it differs from a typical biopic, etc.

Over on disc two there are a number of sections starting off with Trailer Gallery. Normally I don't consider trailers to be real special features on the DVD, however, this one includes several unreleased trailers that used the Subterranean Homesick Blues motif and are worth checking out. From the Edit Room includes audition tapes, deleted and extended scenes, outtakes, and a short behind-the-scenes tribute to Heath Ledger, who tragically died shortly after making this film. A Look Back starts with a very short featurette on the Red Carpet premiere, Making the Soundtrack runs 21 minutes and it is exactly what it sounds like, while A Conversation with Todd Haynes is equally self-explanatory and twice as long. Finally, Dylanography contains several more essays on the movie and the man, as well as a image gallery.

I'm Not There is more of an art house film than a traditional biopic. Those looking for some experimental filmmaking will be happy, while those looking to learn more about Bob Dylan will be disappointed. But even the latter group should give the DVD a rental.

Sam & Max - Freelance Police - The Complete Animated Series - Buy from Amazon
Sam, a dog, and Max, a rabbit, are two freelance police that take on the cases the regular police can't. Cases that involve demon possessed refrigerators, molemen bent on world conquest, killer robots, invading aliens, and others. The series only lasted one season, but it built up a cult following while it was on and these fans have been waiting a long while to get it on DVD. So I guess the extra two months for the review isn't too bad.

This series was based on an underground comic that was certainly surreal and dark. The resulting cartoon lost some of the darker elements, but held on to the surreal edge. It is definitely a show that kids can watch and is no more violent than most TV cartoons... Okay, it's a little more violent than most. ... A lot more violent, but in a cartoony way. Most of the episodes are divided into two 10-minute episodes that parody a large number of films, most of which will appeal more to adults than kids, which is why it earned such a cult following. Granted, the show is toned down for TV, which annoyed some of the hardcore, old school fans, but let's be realistic, there was no way they would be able to do the most extreme things on a kids show. But they still kept the surreal nature from the comic strip, which should please most fans.

On a side note, if I were to describe the show to someone who had never seen the show, I saw call it The Tick, but on acid.

Extras on the three-disc set are almost entirely limited to the third disc. There is an Easter Egg on disc one, but I leave it up to the viewer to find. (It is very easy to do so.) Over on disc three there are a few bonus shorts that run a total of six minutes, but most are seen as part of the episodes. There is an interview with the creator of the duo, Steve Purcell, a look at the games, concept art, and a few PC extras like the series bible and playable game demo.

Sam & Max - Freelance Police - The Complete Animated Series is a show made for adults, that was marketed to kids. Fans of the comic should have a great time here, as will fans of similar shows like The Tick, or indeed the Adult Swim lineup. I would have liked to have an audio track or two here, but the extras presented are better than most cartoons have and the overall value is a solid purchase.

Shall We Dance? - Blu-ray Edition - Buy from Amazon
The latest Disney catalogue Blu-ray release. Well, technically it's a Miramax release, but that's one of Disney's labels.

Richard Gere stars as John Clark, a middle-aged man who seems to have it all. A great job, a loving wife, two great kids, etc. He's just missing something. He thinks he finds it one day riding the train home from work when he sees Pauline standing in the window of a dance hall and that sets off an itch that he doesn't quite know how to scratch.

Shall We Dance? was a remake of a Japanese film of the same name. That movie earned outstanding reviews and made nearly $10 million at the box office, which is a huge amount for a foreign language import. This movie earned only mediocre reviews and while it opened with more than the original made in total, he wasn't as big of a hit as many were expecting. Part of the problem was translating the film to our culture. In Japan, ballroom dancing is just not socially acceptable and if the main character was caught, he would lose face, which is a much bigger deal than it is here. In this version, it was changed to Richard Gere having to deal with admitting one is not happy with their life while Stanley Tucci deals with how dancing is not considered a masculine hobby. Overall, this is a better movie than its Tomatometer score would indicate and if you have never seen the original, is is a great film. It can't live up to the original, but that's a tall order and shouldn't prevent someone from watching this version.

As for the extras, there is an audio commentary track, deleted / alternate scenes, making of featurette, featurette on the music, and more. However, none of this is new compared to the DVD and nothing in High Definition. Sadly, this is an all too common occurrence for a catalogue release.

Simply put, Shall We Dance? is a good movie that was the remake of a great movie. Its Blu-ray debut is a typical catalogue release that doesn't do enough with the technology to be worth the $20 to upgrade. That said, it is one of a number of new releases from Disney that come with a $10 mail-in rebate for those that own the movie on DVD and $10 is the perfect price for the upgrade. As for those who have never seen it before, they should check it out, while most of those who do will want to add it to their Blu-ray collection.

Teeth - Buy from Amazon
This movie earned great reviews and opened reasonably well in limited release. However, it was never able to really expand and at its widest it was only playing in a mere 16 theaters. What can explain this performance, and will this hurt the DVD?

Jess Weixler stars as Dawn, a young high school student who is the most active member of the school's abstinence organization, The Promise. When her boyfriend, who is also a member of The Promise, won't take no for an answer, she learns she is the living embodiment of the Vagina Dentata myth. Already a stranger to her own body thanks to years of sexual repression, she now has to deal with a strange mutation, which soon starts building up quite a body count.

I think I've figured out why this movie struggled at the box office. First of all, what genre is it? Is it a horror film, a comedy, a horror comedy, a dark comedy? It certainly has a sense of humor to the film, but calling it a straight-up comedy is not 100% accurate. It is either a dark comedy or a horror comedy, neither of which are genres that do exceptionally well at the box office, especially in limited release. Secondly, it also deals with a subject matter that is very difficult to market. Dealing with sexuality, especially female sexuality is not something that is common in entertainment today. Any film that does deal with it in a frank, if not a 100% realistic manner, is bound to have troubles reaching a mainstream audience. That said, this is a film that should be seen by more.

Moving onto the extras, they are better than average for a limited release and start with an audio commentary track with the writer / director, Mitchell Lichtenstein. There are too many dead spots in this track for it to be completely effective and I think it would have benefited greatly if Jess Weixler and some of the other cast had joined him. Other extras include a handful of deleted scenes, also with optional audio commentary, and a nearly 30-minute behind-the-scenes / making of featurette.

Teeth is a movie that didn't find the audience that it deserved. Fortunately, the DVD has all of the usual features for a limited release and is worth picking up over just renting.

The Tomorrow Show With Tom Snyder - John, Paul, Tom & Ringo - Buy from Amazon
A 2-disc set featuring three complete episodes from The Tomorrow Show where Tom Snyder interviews three of the members of The Beatles, including the last interview John Lennon would give on TV.

John Lennon Tribute
Original Broadcast Date: April 25th, 1975
Rebroadcast: December 9th, 1980
This is an historically significant interview as it was recorded just before John Lennon's self imposed media blackout and it is the last TV interview he did. Sadly, it is memorable for almost entirely that reason alone. Tom Snyder was not a particularly good interviewer and I rarely got the sense he was probing for deep insight; in fact, more than once I got the impression that he wasn't actually paying attention to what John Lennon was saying. There are some interesting topics discussed, including the perils of fame, why the Beatles broke up, his immigration status and others. But overall it is just average. After the John Lennon interview, Tom Snyder interviews Lisa Robinson, who was the last person to interview John Lennon, and music producer Jack Douglas, who produced his last album.

Paul & Linda McCartney Interview
Original Broadcast Date: December 20th, 1979
The weakest of the three interviews, as Tom Snyder seemed more interested in the new technology that made the satellite interview possible than his two subjects, Paul & Linda McCartney. Topics include the possibility of a Beatles Reunions (Paul says there is none), The Wings, why Linda is in the band (she doesn't have an answer), home life, etc. There's very little energy here, and Paul and Linda have trouble even pretending to be fully engaged.

Ringo Starr Interview
Original Broadcast Date: November 25th, 1981
Much better than the last interview, with Ringo Starr being interviewed live, and poolside, there's more energy in Tom Synder's delivery and more engagement between the two (or three when Barbara Bach joins in partway through). They talk about his new record (and even show a clip from his music video), the last time he talked to John Lennon, how being 40 is different than what he thought it would be like, etc. The interview is only roughly 20 minutes long and the rest of the episode is taken up with an interview with Angie Dickinson.

There are no extras on this 2-disc set.

Tom Snyder's informal, conversational style of interviewing is better than some out there, especially those with pre-approved questions meant only to promote the interviewee's latest movie, album, etc. However, while this style should help get more personal details out of his subjects, these three interviews don't highlight that. John, Paul, Tom & Ringo doesn't have the energy to entice non-Beatles fans, and ever hardcore fans will be frustrated with much of the interviews here. For fans of the musicians, it is worth checking out, but even for those, a rental will suffice.