LJ Best DVDs of 2009: 10 Titles

Library Journal Best DVDs of 2009: Food, Inc., Every Little Step & More

By Jeff T. Dick -- Library Journal, 12/17/2009

For his list of the best docs (and one foreign film) to release on DVD in 2009, Jeff Dick, LJ’s indie film guru, took into account the following criteria: films that garnered Oscar, film festival, or critical recognition, including in LJ, and those offering remarkable insights and/or emotional engagement that lingers beyond their final frames. His top picks tackle a wide variety of subject material, from the death penalty to a tale of survival against all odds.

At the Death House Door. color. 94 min. Peter Gilbert & Steve James, Kartemquin, dist. by Cinema Guild. ISBN 978-1-56580-849-2.
A Texas prison chaplain and death penalty advocate has a wrenching change of heart after ministering to an apparently innocent man.

Every Little Step. color. 93 min. Adam Del Deo & James D. Stern, dist. by Sony Pictures. UPC 0-43396-30962-3.
Dancers auditioning for the revival of Broadway’s A Chorus Line work with the show’s original creators to rekindle a classic tale of showbiz dreams.

Food, Inc. color. 91 min. Robert Kenner, dist. by Magnolia Pictures. UPC 8-76964-00216-5; Blu-ray UPC 8-76964-00260-8.
A food-industry exposé that serves up an eye-opening (and sometimes stomach-churning) look at profit-fattening but unhealthy agribusiness practices.

I.O.U.S.A.: One Nation. Under Stress. In Debt. color. 85 min. Patrick Creadon, dist. by PBS Home Video. ISBN 978-0-7936-7047-5.
This informative and accessible chronicle of America’s exploding national debt sounds a wake-up call about looming economic disaster. (LJ online 6/18/09)

The Order of Myths. color. 80 min. Margaret Brown, dist. by Cinema Guild. ISBN 978-0-7815-1268-8.
Segregation still reigns at the Mardi Gras in Mobile, AL, until the 2007 celebration tentatively breaks from the "separate but equal" tradition. (LJ 4/1/09)

Pray the Devil Back to Hell. color. 72 min. Gini Reticker & Abigail E. Disney, dist. by Passion River. UPC 8-44667-01992-6.
Inspiring Liberian women—Christian and Muslim—unite to halt a deadly civil war and help elect Africa’s first female head of state.

Sin Nombre. color. 96 min. In Spanish w/English subtitles. Cary Fukunaga, dist. by Universal. UPC 0-25192-01807-7.
In search of a better life, South Americans Sayra (Paulina Gaitan) and Willy (Edgar Flores) cross paths stealing a train ride in this moving drama.

Stranded. color & b/w. 126 min. In Spanish w/English subtitles. Gonzalo Arijón, dist. by Zeitgeist. UPC 7-95975-11133-1.
Survivors of a 1972 plane crash in the Andes reflect on their harrowing 72-day ordeal that forced them to resort to cannibalism.

Trouble the Water. color. 96 min. Tia Lessin & Carl Deal, dist. by Zeitgeist. UPC 7-95975-11183-6.
The onslaught and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 is captured by intrepid New Orleans resident Kimberly Rivers in effective home-movie style. (LJ online 2/9/09)

Trumbo. color & b/w. 95 min. Peter Askin, dist. by Magnolia Pictures. UPC 8-76964-00239-4.
Blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Johnny Got His Gun) is profiled primarily via compelling readings of his letters from prison.