A View from the Id: February 2012

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Above Suspicion Is Above Reproach

Oh, how we love our British crime dramas. One type centers on cozy killings, laced with comedy, that are best described as murder-lite. They are not so much about murder, but more about the person solving the crime and his or her acquaintances. In most cases, viewers do not see anyone get killed, only see bodies that are fully dressed (usually not in morgues, and definitely not cut in half), and never go to autopsies or have to look at maggots. If the solvers are acquainted with the killers, it is not a close friendship of long standing. Several examples spring to mind--Rosemary and Thyme, Pie in the Sky, and Midsomer Murders.

Then there are the dramas that critics tend to call “dark,” “gritty,” “realistic,” “intense,” and “powerful.” These shows do not romanticize murder or death; there is blood, there are dismemberments, and—worst of all—there are maggots. Battered corpses on gurneys, bodies sprawled out in streets revealing graphic signs of torture, and the bloated long-dead are common sights. Seldom are the investigators familiar with the perpetrators on anything but a professional level¸ and those perps are often evil and/or sociopathic. On March 6, 2012, Acorn Media will release the dark, gritty, realistic, intense, and powerful Above Suspicion – Set 1 on DVD.

Starring Kelly Reilly as newly-assigned London DC Anna Travis, Above Suspicion (from Prime Suspect creator Lynda La Plante) focuses on the nastiest of crimes committed by the sleaziest of characters. Not sleazy in the sense of “skanky,” but in the sense of depraved--people who torture others because they enjoy it ever so much, yet they don’t seem out of the ordinary…at least not by much. DC Travis’ inauspicious first day on the job sees her mucking around in high heels when wellies would have been more appropriate, vomiting at the sight of a decomposing body, and fainting at a post mortem. Travis may be vulnerable, but she is determined. She learns from her mistakes and her astute observations lead to solutions.

There are two “feature length dramas” on Above Suspicion’s two discs, and viewers are warned the set “contains violence, graphic images, coarse language, and nudity.” The first story, Above Suspicion, relates the case of a serial killer who may have switched his m.o. from killing prostitutes to picking random victims. In pursuing the case, Travis finds herself involved with the most likely suspect.

The second story, The Red Dahlia, centers on some especially kinky murders in which the killer copycats California’s “Black Dahlia” murderer. The killer sends letters and other items to a newspaper, and Travis, in another romantic faux pas, becomes involved with the reporter covering the case. Evidence points to a family defined by its dysfunction, but determining who—if any among them—is the killer is complicated by the very dysfunction that binds the family together.

Most entertainment writers are not qualified to comment on the “realism” of Above Suspicion--how many of them are actually attending autopsies, hanging out in situation rooms, or viewing mangled corpses when they’re not viewing DVDs and keyboarding their assessments? However, Above Suspicion is nothing if not intense. It is dark, seamy, discomforting, and all those other descriptors of superior crime drama. Viewers who have “seen it all” may find themselves turning from the screen at times, and more sensitive viewers may find Above Suspicion more than they wish to experience.

Kelly Reilly is surrounded by a capable cast that includes Shaun Dingwall, Daniel Caltagirone, Michelle Holmes, and Amanda Lawrence. Of particular note is co-star Ciarán Hinds as DCI Langton, Travis’ gruff superior whose interest in her goes beyond professional. Will DC Travis’ next faux pas involve DCI Langton? We’ll have to wait for Set 2 of this excellent series to find out.

Above Suspicion Is Above Reproach - Technorati Entertainment

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Close-up of an American Activist: Oscar Hammerstein II – Out of My Dreams

You've got to be taught To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught From year to year,
It's got to be drummed In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!

The year, 1949. The song, “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught.” The lyricist, Oscar Hammerstein II. The show, South Pacific. Musical theater is so often associated with lavish costumes, memorable songs, and clever dialogue that we can forget that there is a history of social commentary woven through many of its narratives.

Oscar Hammerstein II is so commonly associated with splashy musicals and witty lyrics that we can forget that he was a social activist who didn’t just talk about social injustice; he brought the fight against it into his life and work. In an absorbing profile of Hammerstein, Oscar Hammerstein II – Out of My Dreams, viewers meet the sincere, optimistic man behind such legendary shows as Oklahoma!, Show Boat, Carousel, The King and I, and The Sound of Music. Part of PBS special programming, it will be shown on PBS stations beginning March 3 (check local listings).

Hammerstein is best remembered for his collaboration with composer Richard Rodgers, but it was a song he wrote the day Paris fell to the Nazis that earned him an Academy Award in 1941 as “Best Song.” His collaborator was Jerome Kern; the song was “The Last Time I Saw Paris.” It was also with Kern that Hammerstein created Show Boat in 1927, a musical that addressed prejudice, oppression, and miscegenation.

Oscar Hammerstein II – Out of My Dreams offers a plethora of film clips from Hammerstein’s greatest musicals, archival interviews, and interviews with Stephen Sondheim (who was mentored in his teens by Hammerstein), Harold Prince, Shirley Jones, Mitzi Gaynor, family members, biographer Hugh Fordin, and others. The program is hosted by Matthew Morrison, “who starred in the 2008 Tony-winning revival of South Pacific.

Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the words for more than 1000 songs and will be remembered as a great lyricist; Oscar Hammerstein II – Out of My Dreams reminds us that he was also a humanitarian and political activist. It is a refreshing look at a man who was both a legendary entertainer and an inspiring advocate.

Close-up of an American Activist: Oscar Hammerstein II – Out of My Dreams - Technorati Business

The Story of the Costume Drama: The Greatest Stories Ever Told Remembers 50 Years of British TV History

Costume drama was long a staple of American television (particularly Westerns), when BBC Television adapted a series of novels by John Galsworthy and revolutionized the genre. The Forsyte Saga was introduced in 1967, ushering in a new age of lush, opulent costumes and sets, and dramatic, romantic soap operas that incorporated historical events into their storylines.

Beginning March 3, 2012 (check local listings), PBS offers special programming, including the broadcast of The Story of the Costume Drama: The Greatest Stories Ever Told, a documentary that illustrates changes within the genre over a half century. Clips from twenty-one different series are included and their impact on television and audiences is discussed. Don’t look for The First Churchills, somehow they didn’t make the cut. The absence of that memorable program is made up for by the inclusion of such greats (and audience favorites) as Brideshead Revisited; Upstairs, Downstairs; I, Claudius; Pride and Prejudice; and Bleak House.

Television journalists and critics, directors, screenwriters, location managers, and actors (Susan Hampshire, Timothy West, Derek Jacobi, John Hurt, Anthony Andrews, Alex Kingston, Art Malik ) contribute their on- and off- camera memories of the shows to The Story of the Costume Drama: The Greatest Stories Ever Told. Other series included in the retrospective are Vanity Fair, A Family at War, Poldark, Edward VII, Edward & Mrs. Simpson, Hard Times, Lillie, The Jewel in the Crown, Lost Empires, Piece of Cake, Tenko, Moll Flanders, Emma, Sense & Sensibility, and Cranford. All of these shows were terribly popular—many still are, as they are available in boxed sets on DVD.

The Story of the Costume Drama, narrated by Keeley Hawes, reveals controversies various programs engendered, including complaints from the Royal Family and American censorship. It is a brief history of a genre that continues to thrive, and provides interesting glimpses of behind-the-scenes happenings, as well as events (fire, death, strikes) that affected production of some of the shows. The Story of the Costume Drama is an engaging scrapbook of television memories costume drama fans won’t want to miss.
Read more: http://technorati.com/entertainment/tv/article/the-story-of-the-costume-drama/#ixzz1ni2n2sBGRead more: http://technorati.com/entertainment/tv/article/the-story-of-the-costume-drama/#ixzz1ni22vGY9 The Story of the Costume Drama: The Greatest Stories Ever Told Remembers 50 Years of British TV History - Technorati TV

PBS Offers Big Band Vocalists (My Music) in March

Many of them became stars on big and small screens, the subject of long-distance crushes, and toast-of-the-town celebrities. They were the vocalists who sang with the big bands (Harry James, Stan Kenton, Ted Weems, Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey) in the 1940s, becoming recording stars with fans clamoring for their records. During the month of March, PBS celebrates these artists with Big Band Vocalists (My Music), airing on PBS stations beginning March 3.

It’s an hour of nostalgia hosted by Peter Marshall and Nick Clooney (who can’t refrain from singing a few verses themselves). Performances are taken from long-forgotten forties’ and fifties’ film footage, including movie clips, and the songs focus on love and romance, though there are a few songs (“Big Noise from Winnetka,” “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” “Cow Cow Boogie,” and “God Bless America”) deviating from the theme. Marshall and Clooney supply biographical tidbits about the singers and bands throughout the program.

A very young (“boy singer”) Perry Como performs “I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now” in an arrangement made comical by his back-up singers and bandleader Ted Weems, and the Andrews Sisters cut up with Shemp Howard when they sang “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree.” Most of the other performances are somewhat more reserved and elegant.

Singers highlighted include: Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Rosemary Clooney, Nat King Cole, Doris Day, Peggy Lee, Dinah Shore, and Kate Smith, among others. In all, there are 21 “crooners” and “canaries,” providing a taste of the music the Greatest Generation held dear, shared with their Baby Boomer kids, and still enjoy on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Big Band Vocalists (My Music) is a simple production—performance films cobbled together with comments from the hosts—but one that fans of the Big Band Era will find immensely entertaining.

PBS Offers Big Band Vocalists (My Music) in March - Technorati TV

Monday, February 27, 2012

It’s March Musical Madness—The B-52’s on PBS

If you’re lucky enough to catch the B-52’s in concert, you probably won’t see them in outrageous costumes and hairstyles. But if that’s what you’re looking for, you need only check out the audience.

The B-52’s with the Wild Crowd! Live in Athens, GA will be seen in March (beginning March 3) on PBS stations as part of March’s special programming. Athens is the band’s hometown and this performance was filmed in February 2011 to commemorate the 34th anniversary of their first-ever live show. Three decades have not diminished the iconic group's eccentric, unique style which Fred Schneider describes: “We just did our own thing, which was a combination of rock ‘n roll, funk, and Fellini, and game show host, and corn, and mysticism.”

Audience members attended the concert wrapped in feather boas, wearing mile-high pink hair and pound upon pound of sparkles, and accenting their look with cat’s eye glasses and other accessories the B-52’s popularized among their cult of followers.

Viewers must be patient until the last quarter of the program to hear “Rock Lobster” and “Love Shack,” both worth the wait. Other songs performed include: “Roam,” “Give Me Back My Man,” “Funplex,” “Planet Claire,” and “Private Idaho.” Band members Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland, and Cindy Wilson may—like their fans—be marked by some of the effects of time, but their show in Athens is dynamic and high-energy.

It’s March Musical Madness—The B-52’s on PBS - Technorati Music

Saturday, February 25, 2012

See 11-Oscar Nominee Hugo (2011) on Home Video February 28

Martin Scorsese’s Hugo is a finely-crafted adventure enveloping a love letter to movies, film preservation, and pioneer filmmaker Georges Méliès. The story of an orphaned and abandoned boy living in the clockworks of a Paris train station, Hugo lovingly creates a time and place that is as real as today, but could only exist in the imagination.

Hugo’s time is post-World War I, setting is the train station and its close environs, and denizens are the people who work in the train station shops. Hugo (Asa Butterfield) Cabret’s father was an industrious clockmaker (Jude Law) who dies in a fire. Hugo’s gruff, hard-drinking uncle (Ray Winstone) is employed to keep the train station clocks running; he whisks the boy away to the clockworks to do his job for him, then abandons Hugo to fend for himself. Hugo steals croissants from a café and small mechanical parts from an imperious toy seller’s (Ben Kingsley) shop, which he needs to repair an automaton he and his father had been rebuilding at the time of his father’s death. Sacha Baron Cohen is Gustav, the uniformed, officious station inspector ever on the lookout for trespassing orphans and Mademoiselle Lisette (Emily Mortimer), the flower seller. (Watch for Christopher Lee in a stunning turn as a bookseller.)

The intentionally-vague synopsis of Hugo, “Welcome to a magical world of spectacular adventure! When wily and resourceful Hugo discovers a secret left by his father, he unlocks a mystery and embarks on a quest that will transform those around him and lead to a safe and loving place he can call home,” reveals little of a film that combines those elements with three love stories, the vexation of a frustrated genius, and the flowering of an adventurous friendship between two orphaned children (Butterfield and Chloë Grace Moretz).

Scorsese was awarded this year’s Golden Globe for Best Director, Motion Picture, for Hugo, and the film has been nominated for eleven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. Magically inventive and beautifully realized, Hugo is a film for everyone, not just a movie but a film experience.

Hugo, filmed in 3D, will be available on demand, for digital download, as a single DVD, in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, and in a Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. The Blu-ray combo packs include “Shoot the Moon (The Making of Hugo),” “The Cinemagician, Georges Méliès,” “The Mechanical Man at the Heart of Hugo,” “Big Effects, Small Scale,” and “Sacha Baron Cohen: Role of a Lifetime.” Release date: February 28, 2012.

See 11-Oscar Nominee Hugo (2011) on Home Video February 28 - Technorati Film

Friday, February 24, 2012

American Experience Presents The Amish, February 28

With breathtaking cinematography, The Amish is a deeply affective exploration of Amish people and communities throughout the United States. American Experience (PBS) will broadcast The Amish on Tuesday, February 28, 2012, 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. (check local listings). The program is also available on DVD.

Participants in the program include Amish men and women in anonymous voice interviews, former members of the Amish church, anthropologists, historians, sociologists, and others who have professional experience with various communities (such as a coroner, an assistant public defender, a former commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police). The documentary, written and directed by David Belton, explores daily life, religious ideals, personal philosophy, and the relationship of the Amish with surrounding communities.

Bucolic views of farms and countryside are interwoven with surprising scenes of Amish children at play on a trampoline and teens at a local festival enjoying popular music and socializing among their non-Amish neighbors. Providing a brief history of the Amish Church, The Amish focuses on Amish life and the struggle to maintain steadfast values in a changing world.

The Amish was filmed over the course of a year, and it is divided into four segments by the seasons. It addresses many of the questions and myths Americans have about the Amish community, its traditions, and its place in the world, not of the world. Adults and teenagers discuss their lives and aspirations, and give voice to their religious commitment which includes “strict adherence to 300-year-old traditions.”

The notorious October 2, 2006, Nickel Mines classroom tragedy (in which ten girls were shot, five killed, by a non-Amish milk truck driver holding them hostage) and ensuing events are also described, with attention given the forgiveness extended by Amish community members, including the parents of the dead girls. It is a moving record of loss and clemency.

The Amish is available as a single DVD, or as part of a two-DVD combination with The Power of Forgiveness (examining “the healing power of forgiveness and the critical role it played in the 2006 Nickel Mines tragedy”). It is a remarkable historical analysis and view of contemporary life that raises questions about freedom of religion in American life.

American Experience Presents The Amish, February 28 - Technorati TV

Discover The Lost Temple of Java on DVD

Believed to be the most sophisticated structure of its time, predating classic European architecture by centuries, Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple ever constructed. Work began on the temple around 780 A.D. and was finished in the ninth century. Many consider it worthy of being named “eighth wonder of the world,” and the history of its rediscovery is detailed in The Lost Temple of Java (A BBC Time Watch production), scheduled to be released on DVD February 28, 2012, by Seventh Art.

The temple itself is incredible—it’s a solid structure with no inner chambers, shaped like a pyramid with four square terraces leading to three circular terraces, and covered with three miles of sacred carvings (there are 1460 reliefs). At the top level there are 72 stupas, each housing a statue of Buddha, surrounding a central dome. 1.6 million blocks of volcanic stone were used in the construction of Borobudur. The intricacy of the carvings and the complexity of the architecture suggest a culturally- and sociologically-advanced civilization.

It is believed that Borobudur was abandoned in the fourteenth century, and gradually became the underpinnings of a hill, covered in volcanic ash, soil, and vegetation, and obscured by jungle. It wasn’t until Thomas Stamford Raffles of London’s India Trading Company was installed as governor of Java in the early-19th century, following a British takeover, that the temple again saw the light of day. Raffles authorized an expedition into the center of Java after hearing rumors and seeing sketches of the legendary temple.

With the participation of historians, archaeologists, and Buddhist monks, The Lost Temple of Java is a fascinating, inspiring look at the history of Borobudur, and an intriguing glimpse into the life of Thomas Stamford Raffles, who was not the typical colonial governor (he rejected slavery and embraced self-government), which led to his early dismissal from the post. He would go on to found the city of Singapore.

Discover The Lost Temple of Java on DVD - Technorati Film

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Puss in Boots (2011) Capers onto Home Screens February 24

He’s romantic. He’s heroic. He’s…a cat? Yes, he’s Puss in Boots, and after making a $500-million (+) killing in theaters in 2011, he is headed for home--yours. The much loved character from the Shrek franchise (it’s hard to choose a favorite between Puss and Donkey) embarks on an adventure-filled course in the self-titled Puss in Boots with Antonio Banderas again providing his voice. It is currently an Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature.

Joining Banderas are Salma Hayek as the beautiful but dangerous Kitty Softpaws, Zach Galifianakis as the duplicitous Humpty Dumpty, Bill Bob Thornton as Jack, and Amy Sedaris as Jill. The story revolves around a quest to steal a goose that lays golden eggs by procuring magic beans and growing a humongous beanstalk. Using guilt and playing on Puss’s sympathies, Humpty Dumpty convinces Puss to join him in making this dream come true, despite bad blood between the two.

Like many of our feline friends, Puss in Boots doesn’t always live up to the graceful reputation cats have somehow managed to maintain over the years, but his occasional graceless landings and collisions make him even more appealing (more human?). Puss makes up for his few flaws with an overabundance of confidence, a spirit of fair play, and the biggest, most liquid cat’s eyes since Pity Kitty (which he uses more effectively). He meets his match in the larcenous Kitty Softpaws, a she-cat who may be immune to his charms. Jack and Jill are the heavies who have possession of the magic beans and mean to steal the goose (actually gosling) for themselves. They are an unattractive, obnoxious couple in the tradition of animated villains.

Continuing with pop culture references for which Dreamworks is famous, Puss in Boots is a fun-filled adventure that tells the tale of Puss’s valiant, heroic, and hilarious deeds before he met up with Shrek. Adults will enjoy it as much as younger audiences if simply because they “get” things kids don’t. The beautiful, highly-detailed visuals and the entrancing story make Puss in Boots a rewarding viewing experience.

Puss in Boots is available in double DVD and Blu-ray combo packs, as well as two-disc and three-disc Blu-ray 3D/DVD/digital combinations. The second title in the pack is Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos, which picks up where Puss in Boots leaves off. Puss teams with three very bad little kittens in a short film that lacks the subtlety of Puss in Boots as it tells of a quest for a jeweled heart stolen from a princess. The humor is broader and the plot lacks detail, as would be expected in an eleven-minute film. Both discs have a variety of special features, including making-of videos, shorts, deleted scenes, and printables.

Puss in Boots (2011) Capers onto Home Screens February 24 - Technorati Film

Monday, February 20, 2012

Joan Rivers Sparkled on "That Show"

If you’re twenty-something, you may think that Joan Rivers is the United Nations Ambassador to Plastic Surgery. You may not be familiar with her work as a stand-up “comedienne” or the host of several television shows. If you’re thirty-something, you may remember when you were a tot your parents watched The Joan Rivers Show, a popular talk show way back in the nineties. Baby boomers may remember that Rivers hosted That Show, a syndicated, weekday talk show, in the late sixties.

On February 21, 2012, Synergy Entertainment releases ”That Show” with Joan Rivers 1968, a three-disc collector’s set that includes eighteen full episodes. The programs begin with a Rivers’ dialogue related to the day’s topic which is followed by a conversation with her guests, heavily-laced with Rivers shtick. In an episode featuring decorator Nick Grande and an impossibly young Joel Gray, the topic explores how single women can attract men through their home décor. Surprisingly, although the topic is dated, much of the decorating advice that both Grande and Gray dispense is still valid.

Imagine my delight when I found that two episodes feature my first heartthrob, Soupy Sales. In one, Soupy admits that he knows nothing about the topic—women's hats—much to the dismay of hat designer Mr. John who was so serious while Joan and Soupy continuously cracked jokes. Alas, Mr. John’s attempts to focus on the seriousness of hat fashion failed.

Among the guests featured on That Show are Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett, Florence Henderson, and Jerry Lewis. Today’s audiences will be amused to see guests lighting up and smoking on camera. Topics covered include nudism, cosmetic surgery, hypnosis, catering, teenagers today, “Do you need a maid?,” fan magazines, and men’s furs.

In 1968, Joan Rivers’ comedy was self-deprecating and relationship-based, particularly on her relationship with her husband. Because the humor is not topical, and because some things never change, it holds up well.

Joan Rivers Sparkled on That Show, Now on DVD - Technorati Entertainment