LJ Best DVDs 2010
By Jeff T. Dick, Davenport, IA
Longtime LJ film reviewer/Fast Scans columnist Jeff T. Dick picks his top-ten favorites from among the past year's most critically heralded home-video releases of documentaries and foreign, indie, and classic films.
The Art of the Steal. color. 101 min. Don Argott, IFC Films, dist. by MPI Home Video. DVD UPC 030306983394.
A group of philanthropists, politicians, and charitable foundations "steal" a $25 billion private art collection for exhibition in the Philadelphia Museum of Art in this riveting polemic. (LJ 12/10)
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Casino Jack and the United States of Money. color. 118 min. Alex Gibney, dist. by Magnolia Home Entertainment. DVD UPC 876964003131. Rated: R.
The Academy Award–winning director of Taxi to the Dark Side (2007) hits the jackpot with this scathing look at the corrupting influence of money and lobbying in the nation's capital. (LJ 12/10)
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Everlasting Moments. color. 131 min. In Swedish w/English subtitles. Jan Troell, Criterion Collection, dist. by Image Entertainment. DVD ISBN 9781604652840; Blu-ray ISBN 9781604653038.
Photography initially provides escapism but later an essential creative outlet for an early 20th-century housewife (Maria Heiskanen) stuck in an abusive marriage in this poignant drama based on life of Maria Larsson. Extras include an hourlong documentary on director Troell, a "making of" featurette, and a collection of photographs by Larsson. (LJ 8/10)
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Gasland. color. 107 min. Josh Fox, Docurama Films, dist. by New Video Group. DVD UPC 767685236680.
The noxious environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing (or "fracking")—a process used to extract natural gas from shale—gets an incendiary exposé from a first-time filmmaker. Shortlisted for an Oscar; extras include deleted scenes and interviews.
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Good Hair. color. 95 min. Jeff Stilson, HBO films, dist. by Lionsgate Home Entertainment. DVD UPC 031398118336. Rated: PG-13.
Comedian Chris Rock gives viewers a funny yet sobering look at the lengths a large number of African Americans will go to in pursuit of chemically straightened tresses.
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Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. color. 84 min. In English w/English & Spanish subtitles. Ricki Stern & Annie Sundberg, IFC Films, dist. by MPI Home Video. DVD UPC 030306956091; Blu-ray UPC 030306186795.
Like her or not, tireless comedienne Joan Rivers deserves kudos for sheer tenacity—a feat gratefully recognized in this amazingly revealing (and very R-rated) portrait of a tough yet insecure performer.
The Kids Are All Right. color. 107 min. Lisa Cholodenko, dist. by Focus Features. DVD UPC 025192066856; Blu-ray UPC 025192066863.
The search by the son of a lesbian couple (Julianne Moore, Annette Bening) for his sperm-donor dad (Mark Ruffalo) leads to the (re)formation of a funny and touchingly unconventional family. (Video NewsBriefs, LJ 11/15/10)
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The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers. color. 94 min. Judith Ehrlich & Rick Goldsmith, Kovno Communications & InSight Prods., dist. by First Run Features. DVD UPC 720229914383.
Military strategist Daniel Ellsberg's leak of classified documents exposing government deception about the Vietnam War provides a lasting lesson in moral courage in this Academy Award–nominated documentary. (LJ Online 3/2/10)
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The Red Shoes. 2 discs. color. 134 min. In English w/French & English subtitles. Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, Criterion Collection, dist. by Image Entertainment. DVD ISBN 9781604652895; 1-disc Blu-ray ISBN 9781604652888.
The tragic tale of a gifted ballerina (Moira Shearer) faced with a choice between her promising career or the man she loves boasts a breathtaking digital restoration of this 62-year-old classic. Extras include audio commentary by film historian Ian Christie, a "making of" featurette, an interview with director Powell's widow, Thelma Schoonmaker, and a gallery of publicity stills and behind-the-scenes photos. (LJ 9/15/10)
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Restrepo. color. 93 min. Sebastian Junger & Tim Hetherington, Outpost Films, dist. by Virgil Films & Entertainment. DVD UPC 829567073322; Blu-ray UPC 829567074220. Rated: R.
Embedded with an army platoon in the most dangerous part of Afghanistan, the filmmakers capture a gritty, grunt's-eye view of fighting against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. (Video NewsBriefs, LJ 3/1/10)
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