In This Issue:

April 2009

What's New on DVD

Boy A (2007)

Drama/Foreign/Mystery/Suspense. Intense/Moving/Spine-tingling.
Color. 106 mins. Rated Unrated. Directed By John Crowley. Starring Peter Mullan and Andrew Garfield.
Based on a novel by Jonathan Trigell, John Crowley's gutsy, hard-hitting drama tackles the question of whether we are prepared to forgive our youngest offenders. Mullan's character believes in Jack ... Read More >
 

Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)

Drama/Romance. Intense/Moving/Scenic.
Color. 171 mins. Rated Unrated. Directed By John Schlesinger. Starring Peter Finch, Terence Stamp, Alan Bates and Julie Christie.
John Schlesinger ("Billy Liar," "Marathon Man") marshals a hugely talented cast to enact the multiple-suitor scenario in this sterling adaptation of Thomas Hardy's class-conscious novel. The ace up ... Read More >
 

Flamenco (1997)

Documentary/Foreign/Musicals.
Color. 107 mins. Rated Unrated. Directed By Carlos Saura.
Technically a documentary, but more a one-of-a-kind performance film, "Flamenco" pays tribute to a 500-year-old dance tradition in the only way that makes sense: letting the artform speak for itself. ... Read More >
 

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

Comedy/Romance. Farr-cical.
Color. 112 mins. Rated Unrated. Directed By Nick Stoller. Starring Jason Segel, Russell Brand and Mila Kunis.
The basic premise of this hilarious relationship comedy might be old hat, but in the hands of producer Judd Apatow ("Knocked Up") and writer-star Segel, the well-earned belly laughs are tempered with ... Read More >
 

Mishima (1985)

Drama/Foreign. Brainy/Scenic.
Color. 120 mins. Rated R. Directed By Paul Schrader. Starring Ken Ogata.
This unusually vibrant biopic by "Taxi Driver" writer Paul Schrader is told in episodic fashion, tracing Mishima's eventful life from childhood to his violent, self-inflicted death in protest, ... Read More >
 

The Boys in the Band (1970)

Drama. Moving/Offbeat/Witty.
Color. 119 mins. Rated R. Directed By William Friedkin. Starring Kenneth Nelson, Frederick Combs, Leonard Frey and Cliff Gorman.
William Friedkin's groundbreaking "Band" was one of the first Hollywood films to directly address the issue of homosexuality, a verboten topic even in the late '60s. Adapted from Mart Crowley's ... Read More >
 

War/Dance (2007)

Documentary. Moving/Tuneful.
Color. 107 mins. Rated PG-13. Directed By Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine.
It's a clichι to say that music is a healing force, but in this incredibly moving doc about three Ugandan war orphans on the road to self-renewal, we bear witness to the role the arts can play in ... Read More >
 

Theme of the Month: Earth Day Movies

On April 22nd we celebrate Earth Day and this month we focus on movies that celebrate the beauty of our natural world, and, directly or indirectly, illustrate the pressing need to protect it.

An Inconvenient Truth (2006)

Documentary. Brainy.
Color. 96 mins. Rated PG. Directed By Davis Guggenheim. Starring Al Gore.
Essentially a big-screen version of the PowerPoint presentation Gore has been presenting to politicians, activists, college students, and concerned citizens around the world for over a decade, ... Read More >
 

Baraka (1993)

Documentary. Brainy/Scenic/Wholesome.
Color. 104 mins. Unrated. Directed By Ron Fricke.
Juxtaposing scenes of incredible natural beauty with the corrosive detritus of our "civilized" world, this feature employs a technique similar to "Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance," and meets that ... Read More >
 

Darwin's Nightmare (2004)

Documentary. Intense/Moving.
Color. 106 mins. Rated Unrated. Directed By Hubert Saupert. Starring .
Sauper's harrowing, Oscar-nominated doc takes us into the sickened heart of Tanzania, where the economy revolves around the processing of Nile perch, a species introduced by foreigners that has ... Read More >
 

Gorillas in the Mist (1988)

Drama. Scenic/Intense/Moving.
Color. 150 mins. Rated PG-13. Directed By Michael Apted. Starring Bryan Brown and Sigourney Weaver.
Set in the 1970s, Michael Apted's reverential biopic about the life and murder of primatologist and animal-rights activist Dian Fossey is compelling for one reason only: Sigourney Weaver's ... Read More >
 

Grass (1925)

Documentary/Silents. Fast-paced/Intense/Scenic.
Black & White. 71 mins. Rated Unrated. Directed By Ernest B. Schoedsack. Starring Haidar Khan and Maguerite Harrison.
It's hard to convey just how mind-blowing it is to watch these ancient people, led by the courageous Haidar Khan, surmount obstacles that would stop seasoned adventurers in their tracks. One of the ... Read More >
 

Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance (1982)

Documentary. Brainy/Offbeat/Scenic.
Color. 87 mins. Rated Unrated. Directed By Godfrey Reggio. Starring .
Revolutionary in its time, as much for its ingenious use of slow-motion and amped-up visuals as for its eco-conscious message, Reggio's "Koyaanisqatsi" takes its name from a Hopi Indian word that ... Read More >
 

Louisiana Story (1948)

Documentary. Moving/Intense/Brainy.
Black & White. 77 mins. Rated Unrated. Directed By Robert J. Flaherty. Starring .
Flaherty's brilliant, stark camera exposes civilization encroaching on nature, and the result is visual poetry. A rich meditation on how these opposing forces must interact, it makes the viewer ... Read More >
 

March of the Penguins (2005)

Documentary/Family. Moving/Scenic.
Color. 80 mins. Rated G. Directed By Luc Jacquet. Starring .
Not only is "Penguins" visually arresting (as you'd expect from a National Geographic production), it is emotionally involving, transcending its genre to become a family-friendly crowd-pleaser with ... Read More >
 

The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)

Comedy/Foreign Language/Family. Scenic/Offbeat/Farr-cical.
Color. 109 mins. Rated PG. Directed By Jamie Uys. Starring N!xau, Marius Weyers and Kate Thompson.
One of the highest grossing foreign films ever released in the U.S., Uys's endearing satire of modern life and consumption is a mix of slapstick gags, cross-cultural confusion, and hoot-inducing ... Read More >
 

The Man Who Planted Trees (2004)

Documentary/Family/Longer Films/Film Series/Collections. Moving/Scenic/Wholesome.
Animation. 315 mins. Rated Unrated. Directed By Frederic Back. Starring .
The artistry of Frederic Back is magic worth discovering. This four DVD set contains re-mastered versions of nine short films from this brilliant Canadian animator, including the Oscar-winning "The ... Read More >
 

With Byrd at the South Pole (1930)

Documentary. Scenic/Wholesome/Brainy.
Black & White. 83 mins. Rated Unrated. Directed By . Starring .
Seventy-five years after the fact, this remains a fascinating visual testament to human persistence and the awesome variety of our world. At times it's difficult to believe the sheer daring of ... Read More >
 

Spotlight

• March 31st – John hosted a private screening party of "Hachiko" a movie directed by Lasse Hallstrom starring Richard Gere. Both were in attendance at the Avon Theatre in Stamford, CT. "Hachiko" will be released later this year.
• April 22nd – John leads a discussion with Maria Cooper Janis, Gary Cooper's daughter at a private club in New York City.
• April 24th – John hosts a private screening at a club on Long Island, New York.
• May 13th – John hosts a Q&A and book signing with film critic Molly Haskell at the Avon Theatre. For tickets, contact the box office at (203) 967-3660.