Video

By Staff -- Library Journal, 2/1/2007

Fabulous: The Story of Queer Cinema. color & b/w. 82 min. Lisa Ades & Lesli Klainberg, dist. by Wolfe Video, 21570 Almaden Rd., San Jose, CA 95120; 800-GETWOLFE; www.wolfevideo.com. 2006. DVD $19.95. FILM STUDY

Produced by and originally broadcast on the Independent Film Channel, Fabulous: The Story of Queer Cinema discusses the history of gays and lesbians in film. As such, it must be compared with The Celluloid Closet (1996), the landmark documentary on the subject based on the equally important book by Vito Russo. More than an "instead of," Fabulous is "in addition to." Rather than academically inclusive, Fabulous features well-known GLBT critics, filmmakers, writers, etc., who reveal their personal experiences with queer films, with the innovative and cutting-edge works of Andy Warhol, Chantal Ackerman, and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. After the Sixties, Stonewall, and Gay Liberation, the Seventies brought lesbian sexploitation, John Waters, Rocky Horror, and television window dressing. Video stores of the Eighties allowed individual choice of titles, many portraying modern gay and lesbian characters for the first time. New queer cinema was born when it became experimental in nature and did not just switch hetero characters with gays and lesbians. Cutting-edge evolved into Nineties over the edge. Straight actors are now winning awards for playing gay and lesbian characters. What was avant- garde has gone Hollywood and mainstream, and queer cinema has gone underground. Fabulousis highly recommended for all collections.—Gerald A. Notaro, Univ. of South Florida Lib., St. Petersburg

Kaplan's excellent documentary, The Boy Inside, provides a vivid portrait of Asperger Syndrome, a milder form of autism, and the toll that it takes on the family. The filmmaker's subject is her own son, Adam (12 years old during production), who serves as the narrator of part of the film. In addition to having great production values, this program shows us numerous elements and aspects of growing up with Asperger's. Middle school can be difficult, as classmates' more nurturing attributes wane to show a meaner side, including bullying. Watching Adam fail to interact with his peers makes for a heartbreaking but powerful perspective. Kaplan switches focus to an autism conference in suburban Chicago (far from their Canadian home) to showcase interviews with others who have autism or are the parents of autistic children. She also captures Adam's meltdown when he is not allowed to go to downtown Chicago by train. The story succeeds because it shows the audience that despite sufferers having language skills, Asperger's can be a debilitating condition for the individual and the family. Strongly recommended for all libraries.

Diagnosis Asperger's is the story of 27-year-old Nick Dubin, who was diagnosed just prior to the making of this documentary. While Nick had problems as a child, he was not tagged as someone with autism because of his grasp of language and his exceptional memory. The film is fairly well done and incorporates a great deal of family footage of Nick growing up. The best parts of the film recount events in Nick's teens when he was an acclaimed high school tennis player and his appearance on the TV Show The Price Is Right (footage included). Unfortunately, the interviews with Nick, his parents, neighbors, teachers, bosses, and the professionals whom he sought for help, while relating a solid story, are somewhat monotonous, going back to the same location time after time. This program will be useful to adults who are (or potentially are) on the autism spectrum but were never diagnosed as children. Recommended for comprehensive autism collections.Normal People Scare Me was codirected by Keri Bowers and her 17-year-old son, Taylor Cross. Taylor is a charming young adult who was introduced to film by Joey Travolta. Producer Travolta, who takes a far greater role in the film itself, met Taylor at his program introducing special needs children to filmmaking. While the film itself goes over the top with gimmicks, especially fades from one speaker to the next and the use of black-and-white vs. color photography, the more important story manages to come through. The interviews with children and young adults with varying forms and degrees of autism are especially revealing, demonstrating that both verbal and nonverbal children have essentially the same condition. This reviewer wishes the filmmakers had had greater faith in their subjects and eliminated the distracting production tricks. Despite its shortcomings, as a forum for the different voices of autism, this film is recommended for comprehensive collections.—Corey Seeman, Kresge Business Administration Lib., Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor

The hurdles Jamaican bobsledders overcame to compete in the Olympic games pale in comparison to the travails of the Palestinian soccer team as they competed in the 2006 World Cup. Possibly the most diverse sports team ever, the group had 30 days to gather and train for a match against Uzbekistan. Players arrived in Egypt from New York, Chile, Syria, and Lebanon to meet with their Austrian coach. Ironically, the players who actually lived in Gaza and the West Bank had the most trouble traveling through checkpoints and closed roads and borders, and not all of them were able to participate. As few as four players attended some of the practices, and the team remained divided not only by language but by differing national styles of play. This documentary is less successful as a sports story than as a rare look into the conditions Israeli occupation imposes on Palestinians. As such, it can be recommended for all libraries.—John Hiett, Iowa City P.L.

Shortly after arriving in Iraq in early 2003, army ranger Jeremy Feldbusch was hit by a piece of shrapnel above his right eye; it damaged his brain and left him blind. This Showtime documentary shows how he and his parents and two brothers cope with his injury at home in Blairsville, PA. A notable accomplishment is his bagging a deer during hunting season. Feldbusch becomes involved in the Wounded Warrior Project, and he and other veterans are shown lobbying for financial assistance for wounded military personnel and their families. The film presents an objective view of how one ordinary family deals with an injured veteran. It fails, however, to get beyond the surface lives of the reserved Feldbusches. This would be an acceptable if not compelling free broadcast, but, at $350, it is hard to give it more than a tepid recommendation and then only for very large collections.—Lawrence R. Maxted, Gannon Univ., Erie, PA

Words of My Perfect Teacher is a charming and riveting look at Khyentse Norbu Rinpoche (b. 1961), one of today's most eminent Buddhist teachers. The film centers on three individuals (including filmmaker Patten) who follow Norbu as students. They journey from London and New York, cities beautifully contrasted with the breathtaking austerity of Bhutan, where Norbu was raised after his family escaped from Tibet following the Chinese invasion. Called Rinpoche (literally "precious jewel"), Norbu comes from an illustrious family of Buddhist scholars, yet he is fully immersed in modern culture. This documentary brilliantly showcases his humor and humanity as well as the sly and subtle ways he leads those who follow him on a path of spiritual growth. Each person responds to Norbu in a way that ultimately shows the viewer more about them than their teacher. This film is highly recommended for both entertainment and educational purposes in all libraries.—Catherine Gilmore, NPS Pharmaceuticals, Salt Lake City

August in the Empire State covers the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City from two different perspectives that highlight the divisions in contemporary American politics. Members of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign and its coordinator, Cheri Honkala, marched from the UN to Madison Square Garden to protest President George Bush and the Republican Party's economic and political policies. They didn't have a permit and were arrested by the police. Paul Rodriguez was a businessman and aspiring politician vying for a Congressional seat in a heavily Democratic district. He attended the convention to support President Bush and make contacts that might help his political career. The disc includes additional footage and deleted scenes, updates on the film's subjects, and the featurette Billionaires for Bush; recommended for all collections.

One Bright Shining Moment is a biography of Sen. George McGovern. It traces his life growing up in South Dakota, service in World War II, early involvement in politics, and time in the U.S. Senate, where he was regarded as one of the most honest individuals who served in that branch of government. McGovern's 1972 long-shot run for both the Democratic nomination and the presidency against Richard Nixon ended in defeat, but his candidacy energized many young Americans. Director Vittoria weaves in interviews with Howard Zinn, Gore Vidal, Gloria Steinem, Warren Beatty, Ron Kovic, and Dick Gregory. Also included are the short film Vietnam Storyteller, an interview with narrator Amy Goodman, and deleted scenes. A fascinating film; recommended for all collections.—Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Lib., Parkersburg

What started out as a documentary about an antigovernment militia's plot to kill government officials in Kalispell, MT, instead became a study of a city seething with intolerance and fear. Kalispell, like most cities, deals with race relations, the effects of rapid growth and development, and the balance between land use and environmental impact. Racism, intimidation, and violence fuel the dysfunctional interactions between locals and special interest groups. Each side has its own agenda and sometimes a very different interpretation of events. Images of the town and the surrounding area are juxtaposed with interviews from government officials, locals, right- and left-wing extremists, human rights activists, and talk radio personalities. Offering no solutions and only a brief follow-up, this program is a starting point for discussion on communication and tolerance. Recommended for academic and public libraries.—Beth Traylor, Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libs.

In 1964, a remarkable documentary experiment began based on the Jesuit saying, "Give me the child until he is seven, and I will give you the man." A young Apted interviewed a socially diverse group of seven-year-olds from all over England, asking about their hopes and aspirations. He has presented another documentary every seven years on most of the same children, who are now 49. Clips of the seven-year-olds, with their prejudices, optimism, dreams, and sometimes terrible loneliness, are interspersed with clips from the later films and all are compared with the middle-aged participants today. Their basic personalities are essentially unchanged, though they have been through divorces, multiple jobs, child rearing—like all of us. The interviewees are fascinating precisely because they are so ordinary and real. Several of them seem to resent Apted's recording of their lives, yet curiously they still participate. The one person who catches the heart of every viewer is Neil, always a loner, who later goes a bit mad and becomes homeless. After 42 Up (LJ 2/1/01), this reviewer was almost certain Neil would not be around at 49. In a truly heartening reveal, Neil has turned his life around and now serves as a local politician. Still, as always, he questions his place in the world. The editing here is superb, making it unnecessary to have viewed previous installments. Viewers are bound to rejoice in the victories and satisfaction so many of the participants have found, to identify with the hard lessons learned, and to wonder if one's own personality is so established by age seven. Highly recommended for all libraries.—B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Memorial Lib., Sag Harbor, NY

This DVD showcases six episodes of filmmaker Moore's 1999–2000 cable TV series The Awful Truth. Some segments, such as the Salem-style witch hunt following the release of the Starr report on the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal, now seem dated, but the confrontation with an HMO highlights an ongoing concern. In fact, Moore's next feature-length documentary, Sicko, examines healthcare issues and is due out in early 2007. Each broadcast combines brief documentaries of various topics with Moore's interaction with a studio audience. The documentary segments all demonstrate Moore's characteristic combination of satire, confrontational interviews, and staged gimmicks, such as holding a mock funeral in front of an HMO's headquarters. Moore's political episodes, including the show on running a fichus plant for office, are provocative as well as funny and provide food for serious dialog on the American political system. Perhaps the high point here is the spot from the 2000 Presidential election, where Moore sought out all the candidates from both parties and offered them an endorsement in exchange for surfing a traveling mosh pit (Alan Keyes won that round). Recommended where interest warrants.—Rosemary Arneson, Univ. of Montevallo Lib., AL

Sure to be a NASCAR fan favorite, the Biography Channel release of season one of NASCAR: Driven To Win highlights the young, up-and-coming drivers on the NASCAR circuit. Drivers such as Kyle Busch, Steven Wallace, and Kasey Kahne are seen through the eyes of family members as well as in interviews with these new stars themselves. Family photos, home movies, and reminiscences show drivers' early racing experience, from big wheels to motocross. Don't look for any in-depth analysis here; NASCAR is appealing to its young, star-struck fans. The seasoned drivers, deserving of their own set of programs, are mentioned in passing as role models. NASCAR public relations and the Biography Channel have put together a good, clean show. Recommended for school and public libraries.—Debbie Rzepczynski, Lake Cty. P.L., Merrillville, IN

This 1989 documentary has been broadcast on the A&E network here and as The Heat Is On in Europe and Great Britain. Its long life and wide distribution attest to the global appeal of its subject, the musical Miss Saigon. Based on Madame Butterfly, it was one of megaproducer Cameron Macintosh's "super" musicals, along with Les Misérables, Evita, Phantom of the Opera, and Cats. This was Broadway's British invasion. The all-male international creative team finds its perfect Kim in Manila in the person of Lea Salonga and hopes she isn't too good to be true. Graphic artists explain how the now famous helicopter and face poster were developed; set designers play with spatial stages before unveiling models for the cast to envision their movement. Dances are rehearsed, scenes blocked, and sets constructed, and the production moves from bare rehearsal halls to stage. All the intricacies of piecing together such a complex technical feat are beautifully depicted. The fourth wall of both stage and film is broken when an angry stage director, using less than delicate language, finds the players filming around the piano for the documentary rather than rehearsing on stage. The backstage excitement of London's opening night finds chorus boys harmonizing "Over the Rainbow" to warm up and a gorgeous Salonga on the cusp of international stardom. In The Making of Miss Saigon, the production is truly the star, and we get an inside peek. Great viewing, whether the audience is familiar with the show or not. Recommended for all libraries.—Gerald A. Notaro, Univ. of South Florida Lib., St. Petersburg