Video

Blogging: Serious Media or Just a Rant? color. 25 min. Ben Pederick, dist. by VEA, Inc., 866-727-0840; www.veavideo.com. 2006. $129.95. Public performance. COMPUTERS

Blogging takes a look at Australia's media forum, which is ruled by several powerful conglomerates that in essence control the media, its content, and what Australians read and view on a daily basis. The world's smallest continent is also its sixth-largest country, with an estimated 15.3 million Internet users as of 2006. Is blogging serious media or just a rant? Or is it someplace in cyberspace where you can explore all the topics you care about and discuss them in an open forum where you can connect to people who share your interests and contribute to the issue(s) at hand? Blogging illustrates the possibilities of melding the newsroom and the community, which can have a profound long-term effect on both. Recommended.—LaRoi Lawton, LRC, Bronx Community Coll., CUNY

The Key of G sleeve promises a story of how "G and his friends strive to build a meaningful life together." But the reality is far more complex. G is Gannet, a young man with multiple serious disabilities. His friends are caregivers, paid through social service programs to make it possible for G to live independently. And the meaningful life is built and defined moment by moment. The film follows Gannet's transition from his mother's home to an apartment and chronicles his typical days, emphasizing the small victories rather than overall prognoses or exposition. The result is a brief but honest glimpse into the lives of G and his caregivers. Because of its neutral approach, The Key of G would likely be illuminating for families of people transitioning to independent living and for those thinking of becoming caregivers. Recommended for both social service education and public libraries.—Courtney Deines-Jones, Grimalkin Group, LLC, Silver Spring, MD

In this production, seen on public television stations and focusing mainly on the Midwest, host Amy Freeman chats with reporters who introduce brief segments on a number of sustainable subjects: a home made of recycled materials, hybrid cars, wood stove technology, a green interior renovation, insulation made of cotton scraps, and an urban ecology center, among others. Unfortunately, the episodes offer only superficial information on these worthy topics. Viewers must go online (www.healthystyleshow.tv) for follow-up. The show's site has some helpful background pieces, but mainly it provides more links to the people and organizations mentioned on the DVD. The production displays a cheerful, low-budget enthusiasm, but Freeman never gets a chance to connect the segments. Not recommended.—David R. Conn, Surrey P.L., BC

In the same vein as Super Size Me and Fast Food Nation, King Corn exposes the viewer to little-known facts about the American food industry. The film follows friends Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis as they decide to plant one acre of corn in Iowa and track the results through the harvest and beyond. They are coached by local farmers in the process, which includes the use of pesticides and herbicides, and come to the dawning realization that their corn is inedible and will primarily be used for high-fructose corn syrup and animal feed. The film also looks at the state of factory farming, governmental farm subsidies, and the decline of the traditional family farm. Easy to watch film and interwoven with quirky animation; recommended for any library, but especially those in areas with a high interest in sustainability and environmentalism.—Manya Shorr, Omaha P.L.

Sisters Hannah and Marian grew up on a Mennonite family farm near Goshen, IN. Their relationship was shattered when their mother was murdered 20 years earlier when their home was invaded. Marian stayed in the community, married, and continues to live on a farm with her husband and young daughter. Hannah left Mennonite life and became a successful author in Chicago. When Marian's six-year old daughter is badly injured in an accident, Hannah returns. Through flashbacks, viewers learn what drove the sisters apart and witness a new struggle as a book threatens to dredge up the family's history. The focus here is the strength the sisters derive from their family, their community, and their faith. Pearl Diver is beautifully filmed and contains moving, understated performances by Joey Honja and Amy Jean Johnson. The DVD extras on this award-winning program include deleted scenes and a trailer. Combination family drama, murder mystery, and love story; highly recommended.—Tom Budlong, Atlanta

Storm clouds gathered many years before the formal start of the Civil War, and nowhere were those clouds darker than in the newly created Kansas Territory in the 1850s, the setting for Bad Blood. The question of the expansion of slavery convulsed the societal, political, and economic lives of all Americans who hoped for a Solomon-like compromise to save the Union. This dramatic, intensely captivating documentary brilliantly blends vintage photographs, artwork, and graphics with striking live re-creations of what became a brother-against-brother struggle countrywide. The high-definition disc includes historian commentary and behind-the-scenes footage. Closed captioning and a chapter selection option are available.

Kentucky, a slave state but one that didn't secede from the Union, played a vital role in the Civil War strategies of both sides at The Battle of Perryville. As a border state in all senses of the term, it was a geographical prize, but its population was sharply divided on the question of slavery and provided troops, support, and allegiance to the North and the South. A stunning compilation of visual effects reconstructs events leading up to the battle; the October 2006 re-creation that took place on the actual site, clean and clear graphics, and a striking collection of still photos enhance the crisp narration. Extras include tours of the battle sites and the chapter selection option, though no closed-captioning. The degree of detail and specificity is outstanding. Both programs are highly recommended.—Dwain Thomas, formerly with Lake Park H.S., Roselle, IL

This highly stylized and subtly informative exposé of labyrinthine corruption, decadence, and social inequality in contemporary Brazil fittingly earned both the Grand Jury Prize and the Excellence in Cinematography Award at last year's Sundance Film Festival. Recalling the powerfully inventive documentaries of Errol Morris (Thin Blue Line, Fog of War), for whom he worked for several years, first-time director Kohn similarly (but by no means imitatively) uses the production values characteristic of fictional films to intensify the exploration of a complex nonfictional theme whose initially incongruous parts are interwoven into a gradually unifying and revelatory whole. Among the many such parts is a host of interviews with kidnap victims and kidnappers, law enforcement officers, an innovative plastic surgeon who specializes in restoring the severed ears of kidnap victims, and an attorney general. What emerges is an unforgettable and searing portrait of systemic inequality from both ends of a society sharply polarized between a wealthy minority and a bitterly disenfranchised underclass. Extra features include the director's commentary. Highly recommended for all libraries.—Robert A. Sica, Eastern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Richmond

Every Israeli citizen is required by law to serve in the military. This documentary looks at some of the 1600 Israelis who have refused to participate in select military operations such as those directed against Palestinian civilians in the occupied territories. Termed refuseniks, they are mostly willing to fight in the defense of Israel, but they believe that they shouldn't have to join in actions they view as immoral and inhumane. Though the documentary is generally sympathetic to the views of the refuseniks, it does include criticism of them. A balanced view of the refuseniks' dilemma, but considering the narrowness of the subject, this film is recommended only for larger libraries comprehensively collecting on Israel or conscientious objectors.—Lawrence R. Maxted, Gannon Univ. Lib., Erie, PA

Danny, now in his 50s, has spent most of his adolescent and adult life on antipsychotic medication. Although this documentary promotes itself as his "journey and struggle to get off…antipsychotic drugs," viewers may find his story relates only incidentally to the film's focus: the pharmaceutical industry's self-serving agenda to create different generations of medications to treat various mental illnesses. That development is not necessarily a bad thing, but the filmmakers present the case against new medications that they say don't have any better efficacy and have significantly more toxic side effects than older drugs. Most of the patients, psychiatrists, and others featured here refer to this as the "chemical lobotomy" approach. Many mental health practitioners would take exception to the perspectives they put forward. The inclusion of special visual and sound effects that supposedly emulate the impact of drugs on the senses doesn't succeed from a viewer perspective. An interesting premise, poorly executed; for comprehensive consumer affairs and medical collections only.—Warren Hawkes, New York State Nurses Assn., Latham

The late Richard Farnsworth's Best Actor Oscar® nomination for The Straight Story (1999) was the crowning achievement of a long career and a reminder that he spent much of that time as a stuntman and then a character actor. Like Farnsworth, the actors interviewed here have made their living in showbiz for decades, out of the limelight. This short documentary looks at why these folks consider themselves to be amply successful and fortunate. With a structure that is simple and effective, the film unfolds like a brisk conversation, and the viewer is left with a strong sense of the joy and pain of being a professional actor. Suitable for all audiences; recommended for performing arts collections and especially to anyone remotely considering acting as a career.—J. Osicki, Saint John Free P.L., NB

Rather than a film about the Queens, NY, suburb of Kew Gardens, this is a very personal film from novelist Lieberman (The Last Boy), who grew up in the neighborhood, about his reconnections with old schoolmates, neighbors, and family. He makes some interesting observations along the way, discovering how his generation of mostly sons and daughters of Jewish refugees and Holocaust survivors have grown up to be overachievers still bearing the scars of their parents' experience. But the film is a messy, disjointed ramble of finding these folks. Everyone seems very nice but not terribly interesting, and the introspective interludes with Lieberman are a bit too self-important. A documentary about Kew Gardens would have been more appealing, maybe told through memories of the people we met here.—Ellen Druda, Half Hollow Hills Community Lib., Dix Hills, New York

This no-nonsense, no-frills, low-budget video introduces youth hockey coaches to a wide variety of skating, shooting, and passing drills that can be used to develop individual skills while encouraging teamwork. Players of various ages perform while the activities are explained by an almost distractingly monotonous narrator. In addition to the 22 practice drills, three key skills are described and demonstrated—the slap shot, the wrist shot, and passing. This video never addresses goaltending; rather, it focuses solely on skaters' movement. Coaches, especially novices, looking for creative, efficient practice drills that will keep all players engaged will find much of value here. Neither introductory nor comprehensive, this is a useful complement to other reference tools. Recommended where youth hockey is popular.—Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia