Archive for category DVD

Core Fusion: Boot Camp– DVD review

Posted by Amy Steele in DVD on January 5, 2011

Title: Exhale: Core Fusion Boot Camp
Running time: 60 minutes
Release date: December 28, 2010
Studio: Acadia Lifestyle

Wife and husband trainer team Elisabeth Halfpapp and Fred DeVito have developed DVD exercises based on the duo’s popular Core Fusion and Core Fusion Sport classes that attract Heidi Klum, Cameron Diaz and Kate Hudson, among others.

Boot camp classes have become very popular at gyms. People do circuits of different exercises. Core Fusion Boot Camp doesn’t quite work for the DVD format utilized by Core Fusion. The heart gets pumping and the muscles and core are certainly working but I like the format of other DVDs in the overall Core Fusion collection. Core Fusion Boot Camp consists of five ten minute segments: Cardio Flex; Cardio Sun Salutations; Jump Backs part 1; Jump Backs part 2; Abdominal Curl. Bonus segments include: stretch with ball and thigh core with ball.

You also need an exercise ball and weights. I’m not a fan of using a ton of extra equipment. If you want to own a Core Fusion DVD, this is not the best choice from the vast collection. If you want to add to a variety of exercise DVDs you already have, this might mix things up for you.

Leave a comment

WORLD AIDS DAY: DECEMBER 1–Films about HIV/AIDS

Posted by Amy Steele in DVD on December 2, 2010

CDC stats for United States

–more than 1 million people are living with HIV in the United States.
–one in five (21%) of those people living with HIV is unaware of their infection.
–an estimated 56,300 Americans becoming infected with HIV each year.

Films About HIV/AIDS:

**I highly recommend each of the following films.**

Longtime Companion (1989)
–follows a group of Manhattan friends in the 80s when AIDS is first brought into the national spotlight
–starring Campbell Scott, Patrick Cassidy, Mary-Louise Parker
Longtime Companion

Angels in America (2003)
–Emmy-award winning miniseries based on Pulitzer winning play by Tony Kushner about the AIDS crisis during the mid-eighties
–starring Emma Thompson, Patrick Wilson, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeffrey Wright, Justin Kirk, Al Pacino, Meryl Streep
Angels in America

RENT (2005)
–based on Pulitzer and Tony Award winning musical about the challenges of life, love and AIDS on Bohemians in the East Village of New York City
–starring Taye Diggs, Rosario Dawson, Adam Pascal, Idina Menzel, Tracie Thoms, Jesse L. Martin
Rent (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)

And the Band Played On (1993)
–focuses on the discovery of AIDS and its impact on scientific community
–starring Matthew Modine, Alan Alda, Glenne Headly, Anjelica Huston
And the Band Played On

It’s My Party (1996)
–man dying of AIDS decides to kill himself and have a party to say goodbye to friends
–starring Eric Roberts, Margaret Cho, Bruce Davison, Marlee Matlin
It’s My Party [Special Edition]

Jeffrey (1995)
–a gay man decides to become celibate but then meets his dream guy and faces a dilemma
–starring Steven Webber, Michael T. Weiss, Christine Baranski, Patrick Stewart, Sigourney Weaver
Jeffrey

for more information on HIV/AIDS

, , , , , , , ,

Leave a comment

INDIE FILM on DVD: Coco Avant Chanel

Posted by Amy Steele in DVD, Film on November 21, 2010

Coco Avant Chanel is a stunning film and an inspirational story about a young Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel [Audrey Tautou] and the impetus for her foray into the male-dominated world of fashion design. She and her sister are left at an orphanage by their father as young girls. Fifteen years later, the duo makes money singing and dancing in bars. Coco dreams of moving to Paris. Her sister [Marie Gillain] falls in love with a Duke and moves to Paris with him. Left on her own, Coco travels to the home of Etienne Balsan [Benoît Poelvoorde] who fancied her despite the intense sparring. He is wealthy and breeds and trains race horses. When he entertains guests, he keeps Coco hidden. Coco will not bind herself with an uncomfortable corset as is the fashion at the time. She prefers to wear comfortable clothing. One day she decides to teach herself to ride a horse. Instead of riding side saddle like all the other women, she rides astride. She dresses like a boy a lot of the time. And with her un-made up face and lack of bobbles and jewels, she looks fresh and different from everyone else. She soon ends up mixing with Balsan’s friends and becomes close friends with an actress. Coco starts to make hats for some Balsan’s. The pivotal moment for Coco is when she falls deeply in love with an Englishman, Arthur Capel [Alessandro Nivola]. However he is keeping something from her and Balsan reveals it to her. Balsan tries to control and uncontrollable Coco and Capel recognizes her artistic talents and independent spirit. That is why he adores her so much. Coco declares that she never intends to marry anyone [and Coco Chanel never does]. She tells Balsan one day that she plans to move to Paris. He scoffs and says that it is silly and she cannot afford it and will not be able to support herself. Capel on the other hand encourages her entrepreneurial attitude and says he will lend her the money she needs to start a design shop to make and sell hats.

Audrey Tautou [who most remember for the sprite, cheerful Amelie] shows depth, intensity and determination in this role. You cannot take your eyes off of her beauty and strength as Coco for one moment. She is the young and determined, scrappy Coco Chanel who intends to make a name for herself. As Capel, Nivola is handsome, charming and irresistible. And a triple threat—an American known for his period British characters now acts in perfect French in a French film. His chemistry with Tautou is electric from the moment they make eye contact. At one point she even tells her now lover Capel, that he could have married a celebrity but he chose money instead. What a strong woman. Coco Chanel is a role model. Under the direction of Anne Fontaine, this film is stunningly shot. Each scene is beautifully crafted and planned. I didn’t want the film to end. I adored every moment of Coco’s journey to the final scene where she exhibits her first clothing collection that features the signature Chanel suit.

,

Leave a comment

INDIE FILM on DVD: HAPPY-GO-LUCKY

Posted by Amy Steele in DVD, Film on November 13, 2010

Written and directed by Mike Leigh [Secrets and Lies], Happy-Go-Lucky reminds me a lot of Voltaire’s Candide with a protagonist who enters every situation thinking that everyone is wonderful and no one is dishonest or hurtful. However, Poppy [Academy-award nominee Sally Hawkins], a North London schoolteacher, is much less naïve than Candide. She knows about the world and its darkness. She just chooses to ignore the evils most of the time. Poppy remains the ultimate optimist regardless of the situation she finds herself in.

She shares a flat with a friend, makes little money as a school teacher, and has not had a date in quite some time. What may be routine to some proves comfortable to Poppy. She and her roommate Tash [Sarah Niles] have lived together for a decade and each weekend, they frequent the same bars and clubs. Poppy never appears bothered that she’s single. In most films, if there’s a single gal, inevitably, there comes that scene where the woman breaks down and eats junk food or stays in bed for days to portray social inadequacy. Poppy just goes on with it and enjoys her friends and her sister and her job.

In the first few minutes of the film her bike is stolen and she laughs it off and decides to learn to drive a car. When a boy at school seems to be having problems, Poppy deals with it in stride and ends up meeting a cute social worker. The main drama in the film comes during her driving lessons with an angry, bigoted man who develops a crush on a blissfully unaware Poppy. At times her lessons get downright nasty and on several occasions Poppy finds herself in true danger. Despite the urgings of her roommates to report her driving teacher to the police, Poppy deals with him on her own unflappable terms.

Sally Hawkins plays bubbly from head to toe with this character. Poppy never gives up. We never see a moment where she’s not smiling or glimmering. It takes remarkable acting skills to consistently play this happy, this content, and this resolutely optimistic. In the end, Poppy is not a caricature but is a fleshed out and credible person. Poppy’s not too sugary, but just right in her sweet demeanor and charming in her persona. She’s not beautiful but lovely. We can easily share in the journey with Poppy.

Nothing keeps Poppy from persevering and that’s what makes this character adorable and intensely likable. She cares deeply for the contentment and welfare of those around her. It’s such an admirable trait. She’s faithful and true and honest. There’s nothing sappy about Happy-Go-Lucky. Films about spirited, well-intentioned individuals are few and far between. It’s nice to go to the theatre to escape into Poppy’s world of sunshine and smiles and feel like you’re getting hugged. Mike Leigh has created a genuine treasure in Poppy and Happy-Go-Lucky is a joyous film.

,

Leave a comment

Overlooked FILM on DVD: The Namesake and Goldfish Memory

Posted by Amy Steele in DVD on October 22, 2010

The Namesake

Impeccable acting, a stellar cast and directing by Mira Nair [Monsoon Wedding and Vanity Fair] propels this best-seller by Jhumpa Lahiri. The story revolves around Gogol, a mid-twenties architect who has been fighting against his traditional Indian family and heritage. He gets pulled back in by an unforeseen family crisis and it changes his outlook and future forever. Kal Penn is remarkable in this role. He easily moves Gogol from defiant to thoughtful and the audience truly cares about his journey. The stunning and expressive Bollywood star Tabu plays Gogol’s mother. From Brooklyn to Manhattan to India, Gogol attempts to discover his individuality and to reconcile his new self with the old fashioned ideology of his immigrant parents.

Goldfish Memory

I don’t really like to use words like love. I love you really means, do you love me and I own you and all that crap.
Clara to lover Angie

This witty, thoughtful and comical film revolves around a group of 20 and 30-somethings in Dublin. Their paths cross as they weave in and out of relationships. While each has a different idea of what is right and good for them (one week fling, marriage, long term live-in situation), they all believe that love is an important component in their lives. It kicks off when Clara (Fiona O’ Shaughnessy) sees her boyfriend (a poetry Professor who is constantly falling for his students) kissing another woman. Clara then dates television reporter Angie (Flora Montgomery) but really is not quite sure whom she wants to date and at 22, would like to keep her options open. Angie wants a long-term relationship and soon finds one and starts to plan for a child. Her best friend Tom (Sean Campion) is trying to lure a guy away from the woman he has been dating. There are definitely unexpected twists in this well-written film. The dialogue is sharp and rings true for those currently navigating the choppy waters of a new or not-so-new relationship in all its intricacies, flaws and challenges. In the same vein as Intermission or Love Actually, Goldfish Memory jumps back and forth between characters, connects them all in some way and then rounds out full circle. One grows to really like these characters and care about them at the end. Goldfish Memory is a sparkling gem of a film.

, , , ,

Leave a comment

DVD: Halloween Suggestions

Posted by Amy Steele in DVD on October 21, 2010

BUG
Aggie [Ashley Judd] is a waitress at a lesbian club in Oklahoma. She is all “stay away/ don’t mess with me” tough on the outside and vulnerable/ “I’ll crack at any moment” on the inside. Ashley Judd plays these types of characters with such an innate ability to give the audience something from a dismal character. Aggie has a lousy ex-husband [Harry Connick, Jr.] who has just gotten released from jail. She lost her son a decade ago. Aggie bemoans her “miserable existence of laundromats, grocery stores, marriages and lost children.” This woman is so lonely that she asks a Gulf War veteran [Michael Shannon] she just met to stay with her? Are we to believe this? Turns out he spent years in a hospital [in the mental ward of course] and believes he was tested on. Bug literally crawls under your skin and takes hold of your mind as you figure out what is it about this film. This dim setting is not likable or relatable. At first, it just pricks you, then it burrows.

The acting and story makes it credible and the film quickly turns into a paranoid vision of terror and oblivion. The sighting of a bug turns into a big cover-up, an issue of trust or consequences and a genuine fear. It connects bugs to the CIA, the military, Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and Jim Jones Temple’s People! Sometimes funny and sometimes downright creepy and bizarre, Bug is not a film for everyone. I laughed out loud at the absurdity and cringed at the possibilities. It is that effective and completely original.

Ashley Judd is phenomenal. I love every film she does, every role she takes. This gorgeous, self-assured woman is able to become the most desperate of characters [please put Come Early Morning on your netflix queue]. She delves in and does not let go. She embodies this icky, questionable woman and makes her complex and layered. Aggie is a survivor.

It is not that Bug is super deep or philosophic or existential. At the beginning I was even thinking “what is going on?” and then bang! It blows up and out and over and it’s fantastic.Bug is just a satisfyingly good psychological thriller.

Grace
This one is much more cerebral. Grace is creepy. It’s also feminist to its core. Grace manages to tap into women’s issues as it hones in on a woman’s bond with a child. How far is a woman willing to challenge morality to provide her baby with the most basic of needs: food, shelter and safety? Jordan Ladd is excellent in her transformation from the easy-going, hippie chick to the anemic, obsessed, and unwaveringly devoted mother. Grace is truly disturbing and will make you think for days after you watch it.

Blood Car
Killing people for fuel is not racist, it’s patriotic. It’s all about making a sacrifice to fuel our cars, mow our grass, grill our steaks . . .
It’s the (near) future and a cute vegan [Mike Brune] plans to use wheatgrass for fuel as gas prices are $30/gallon. [Wheatgrass is green and alternative energy is the green movement] Anna Chulmsky [looking exactly the same as she did in My Girl! except she now has boobs], the spunky wheatgrass vendor, seems the perfect match. But he starts hooking up with the hot girl who sells meat. [How’s that for ironic?] Blood Car provides a thinly veiled commentary about consumerism, automobiles and American culture. The film’s literal message is human blood as fuel source. It’s immensely clever, kitschy and fun.

Let the Right One In
Wonderful. Quiet, haunting and mesmerizing. This is a vampire film done right.

Lakeview Terrace
This is one of those films that smolders. It starts with a few off-handed remarks that might or might not be racist. A few incidents that could be construed as annoying or bordering on threatening perhaps. Director Neil LaBute [In the Company of Men, The Shape of Things] knows discomfort and how to make you squirm in the theater. Lakeview Terrace succeeds by turning an idyllic suburbia into a creepy nightmare. Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington, and Patrick Wilson are all quite good.

Other suggestions:

Open Water

The Orphanage

Dead Again

,

Leave a comment

Overlooked Films on DVD: Bright Star and In the Loop

Posted by Amy Steele in DVD, Film on October 14, 2010

Bright Star, written and directed by Jane Campion (The Piano) is wondrously languid, romantic and exquisitely filmed. It tells the story of the tender and tragic love affair between poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and his muse and love Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) as told through her eyes. She lives with her mother and two younger siblings. Quite popular among men, Fanny is known as a flirt and she has yet to settle into an arranged marriage like many of her peers. Love seems much more important to Fanny than money, even though her family is not a rich one. Fanny meets Keats when he and his boorish benefactor, Charles Brown (Paul Schneider), rent rooms at Fanny’s family home. At first, she’s unsure about Keats and even the value of poetry. She reads his first book of poems and finds that the young man has some promise. The more time the two spend together, the more fond they grow of each other. Unfortunately, Keats has no fortune and makes no money from his poetry. Fanny’s friends tell her that she should not spend so much time with Keats but the two complement each other and she’s already fallen for his charming demeanor and virtuous nature. Their pure and honest love gently grows and the bond between the two becomes powerful and enviable. In Bright Star, as Fanny, Cornish portrays nearly every emotion and it is a revelatory, refreshing and devastatingly stunning performance. Fanny is an independent woman, for that era, who needs no man to be happy yet finds the love of her life right in her own home, right under her own roof. Fanny sews her own clothes and is quite the fashionista among her circle of friends. She knows that she could even sell her clothes if she needed to make money. Fanny alternates between being achingly supportive and gently provocative. She remains extremely devoted to her family (her younger brother and sister often accompany Keats and Fanny on outings) despite the ongoing relationship. In his portrayal of Keats, Whishaw (Brideshead Revisited) turns in an introspective, yet commanding performance. His Keats is eyes and voice and empathy. Cornish and Whishaw have simmering chemistry. Campion has created an idyllic, artistic film which appears as beautiful as a watercolor painting. Each scene is so carefully executed and painstakingly acted that the audience shares in Fanny’s genuine journey with Keats. Bright Star is a serene, perfectly crafted film about the power of love.


U.S. Government staff filled with a “Master race of highly gifted toddlers.”

Hysterical, witty, brash British comedy the imagines the days behind closed doors at Downing Street and in other offices of the British and U.S. government leading up to the Iraq War. Basically the U.S. President and the British Prime Minister are gung ho [as history shows] to go to war but not everyone working for them is in agreement or in such a hurry to send the troops into harm’s way. In the Loop is about politicians who appear to be self-composed and put together and full of the perfect sound bites and then they collapse under pressure or are completely different away from the public and media. In the Loop is fast-paced and provides an insight into British politics as well as a bit of a viewpoint into what the Brits think of Americans [we are Rock Stars! in their eyes apparently]. Directed by Armando Iannucci and written by Jesse Armstrong and Simon Blackwell. An impressive cast includes: Peter Capaldi [Skins, Torchwood], Tom Hollander [The Soloist, Valkyrie], James Gandolfini [The Sopranos, The Mexican], Gina McKee [Atonement], Steve Coogan [Hamlet 2, Tropic Thunder], Anna Chulmsky [all grown up star of My Girl, Blood Car].

, , , ,

Leave a comment

Overlooked FILM on DVD: Choke and Breaking and Entering

Posted by Amy Steele in DVD, Film on October 4, 2010

Choke

Choke is very funny, bizarre, outrageous at times and just completely unique. Victor, a well-meaning, yet selfish sex addict [Sam Rockwell, always good] scams people in restaurants by pretending to choke. A devoted son, despite a childhood that sent him from foster home to foster home, is doing this to keep his mom [Angelica Houston– who has never looked more beautiful in flashbacks], who suffers from advanced Alzheimer’s, in a nice nursing home. The plot has crazy twists with a doctor who is actually a patient and has a plan to get Victor to impregnate her to use the embryo to “cure” his mother and “return” her to normal. The film is fast paced, funny and really a great film to see.

Breaking and Entering

Breaking and Entering lyrically addresses the intertwining lives of people in London who might normally never interact-landscape architect, a Bosnian immigrant, a cleaning lady, a prostitute, a rebellious teenager. It is the meshing of those that live in posh areas of North London and those that live in the notoriously “dicey” area of King’s Cross that makes for this provocative and insightful portrait.

Will [Jude Law] is a partner in a landscape architect firm located in King’s. While his professional life is booming, his personal life is withering. When his firm suffers mysterious series of break-ins, Will decides to investigate it. This causes his long-term relationship with his Swedish girlfriend Liv [Robin Wright] and their autistic daughter to suffer and the emotional chasm between them grows as does the couple’s inability to communicate.

After a break-in, Will follows one of the thieves home and becomes intrigued by the teenager’s mother, Amira [Juliette Binoche]. Their lives become entangled and deception lingers amidst the passion. Breaking and Entering focuses on the effect a crime has on someone personally whether to destroy or to mend. Anthony Minghella uses the break-in as a tipping point for tearing down metaphoric walls and for shattering preconceived notions about people.

This is Law’s best role to date. He simultaneously exudes compassion and self-doubt. Binoche is brilliant in showcasing the nuanced difficulties of being an immigrant. Through simply a look or mannerism, Wright Penn silently screams disconnected woman so remarkably. Once again, Minghella has written a lovely and compelling film.

, , , ,

Leave a comment

Overlooked Films on DVD: Soldier’s Girl and The Painted Veil

Posted by Amy Steele in DVD on September 24, 2010

Soldier’s Girl

Unforgettable, disturbing yet beautiful love story that is based on true events. Pvtfc Barry Winchell (Troy Garity) dates and falls in love with pre-operative transsexual Calpernia Addams (Lee Pace) to the distain of his homophobic platoon. The story is about unconditional love. Winchell loved Calpernia as she was; it was simple and honest. I don’t even know if he was gay, as it was portrayed in the film (or he was shown to be very confused over his attraction to Calpernia). That proves irrelevant as he fell in love with Calpernia as a person not a transsexual. Winchell was nominated Soldier of the Month but never received his award. It’s terribly sad that such hate crimes persist. This only happened in 1999 and little has changed. In the end, homophobia, fear and hatred show their ugliness and prove the intolerance of the military as well as others for the personal lives of people.

The Painted Veil

British doctor Walter Fane [Edward Norton] discovers his unsatisfied, bratty wife’s affair and drags her to an isolated Chinese village to tackle a Cholera outbreak. Disheartened and world-weary Kitty [Naomi Watts] ends up discovering that she’s more than a pretty face. The film also serves as a case study in epidemiology as Fane battles Chinese customs and various infidels [“I didn’t come here with a gun, you know. I came here with a microscope.”] to eradicate the disease. Watts always impresses with desperate and heartbroken characters. She and Norton produced the film and her real-life boyfriend Liev Schrieber plays her arrogant lover. The beautiful setting balances W. Somerset Maugham’s tragic love story.

,

Leave a comment

Overlooked Films on DVD: Broken English and Lonesome Jim

Posted by Amy Steele in DVD, Film on September 18, 2010

BROKEN ENGLISH

Broken English is the story of Nora [formidable, immensely talented Parker Posey], who finds herself stuck in a rut, both personally and professionally. Nora has become complacent and settled at her hotel job. She is beginning to delve into the Bell Jar after years of seeming to know what she wanted and now being at the age where she feels she should already be there. Date after date leads to further frustration until she meets a French man, Julien [Melvil Poupaud]. He might really like her or just be another guy leading her on. Is it a merely a charming façade or is he being honest with Nora?

Posey turns out a tour-de-force performance under the direction of Zoe Cassavetes. At times darkly reminiscent of Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Broken English does not look through rose-colored glasses but tackles Nora’s issues head-on. Her best friend Audrey [a solid performance by Drea de Matteo] is happily married and is supportive, understanding and concerned about her friend. Their conversations and connection are aptly real. Nora’s chemistry with Julien is palpable, enviable and genuine. The film does not gloss over anything from Nora’s morning-after bed head hair to her depressive, insecure moments. Nora and Audrey travel to Paris in hopes of finding Julien and Nora discovers herself, as cliché as that may sound.

Parker Posey, one of my favorites, is a brilliant actress. The film is raw, real and honest. Cassavetes’s spot on, direct, honest script captures this woman’s fears, disappointments and frustrations.

LONESOME JIM

Nothing screams of loneliness more than having to move in with your parents when you are almost 30-years-old. What a mark of failure it seems to be. As the 27-year-old Jim, Casey Affleck brilliant plays self-deprecating and wallowing in misery to the point that you cannot take your eyes off of him. Then you want to hug him and be his friend. He steals your heart. His vulnerability. His hopelessness. His ennui. The aspiring writer returns home to Indiana after failing in New York. Lonesome Jim is an honest, realistic portrait of a mid-mid-life crisis and its often funny, often sad effects.

He ends up working at the family factory when his depressed brother (Kevin Corrigan) is hospitalized. Jim has an overprotective mom (Mary Kay Place) who makes cookies and called him her “pretty boy,” and apathetic father (Seymour Cassel) and a druggie uncle. When he meets Anika, a nurse at the local hospital (Liv Tyler in yet another sweet, understanding single mom role) , he starts to move away from his melancholies and to re-examine how he fits into the world. Anika is non-judgmental, caring, and empathetic. Everything a guy could want. Especially a guy in Jim’s precarious situation. He could easily just flounder or he could really delve into the depths of darkness. Or he could accept just being in the moment as Anika encourages him to do.

Jim: I sort of came back to have a nervous breakdown.
Anika: What’s wrong with you?
Jim: Chronic despair.

Director Steve Buscemi does a great job of digging into people’s souls. Of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary little moment to examine, to analyze, to dwell in. Lonesome Jim is a gem of a film.

Leave a comment