Boom Varietal: The Rise Of Argentine Malbec (2011/First Run DVD)/Duch: Master Of The Forges Of Hell (2011/First Run DVD)/JFK: New World Order (2013/Mill Creek
Blu-ray w/DVDs)/Robert Williams: Mr.
Bitchin’ (2013/Cinema Libre DVD)/Venus
& Serena (2012/Magnolia Blu-ray)
Picture: C/C+/B-
& C+/C+/C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C/D/B-/C/B Main Programs: B-/B/B/B/B
Now for a
fine set of new documentary releases…
Sky
Pinnick and Kirk Ermisch examine the recent international interest in the
Malbec grape and the wine it produces in Boom
Varietal (2011), examining how a grape native of and from Argentina is an
inexpensive sensation in wine production and on wine shelves. Is it a fad, a trend, a flavor that is here
to stay, a period that will be considered a disaster in the years to come or
will it be around for the long haul and even affect the wine world permanently?
With the
best wines ever expensive, the fact that a trend could be so popular, really
enjoyed by so many people and be so affordable adds a new layer to a world
where the best of this alcoholic beverage is not just for the richest people
around. It likely will not destroy the
integrity (or the like) or wine being seen as a drink (for snobs?), but it is a
key development in the history of wine and this 72-minutes long program (which
could have been longer) does a decent job of covering the story.
Extras
include a Behind The Scenes featurette, text filmmaker bios and even (???) a
Music Video.
Rithy
Panh’s Duch: Master Of The Forges Of
Hell (2011) is the unexpected follow-up documentary to the brilliant,
landmark documentary S21: The Khmer
Rouge Killing Machine (2003) by the same director that we reviewed years
ago upon its release at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2155/S21:+The+Khmer+Rouge+Killing+Mac
Though
not as shocking and powerful, it is shocking, powerful and stunning enough to
be more than worth of the original as Pahn interviews the title torturer about
how the tortures were done, who they went after, how they targeted anyone who
showed the least bit of individuality and Kaing Guek Eav (aka Duch) just keeps
talking, incriminating himself with graphic detail of his crimes against humanity
with the leisure you would talk about a trip to a supermarket or clothing
store.
It adds
on to what we had already seen and knew, how they went as far as the Nazis,
Japanese Imperialists, Soviet Stalinists or extremists today do in destroying
life, culture, people, the world and for what?
Stupid extremist ideology that kills and destroys everything in its way,
the kind that continues to plague the world lacking of anything sustainable and
is bound to failure, but not before leaving a permanent path of death all
around.
It is a
must-see program, but it is also extremely graphic, so approach it with
caution.
There are
no extras, but the main program will be more than enough for most.
JFK: New World Order (2013) is the latest release
examining the life, history, legacy, influence, permanent changes and haunting
murder of President John F. Kennedy, but this is one of the first on Blu-ray
and the 8 nearly half-hour episodes include plenty of rare archive footage that
alone makes this a must-see program that has new interviews hold the footage
and some stills together. Though there
are some weak spots and obvious overlap on the subjects that have been and
continue to be discussed, it is pretty insightful overall and worth going out
of your way for.
Mill
Creek can claim one of their best home video releases to date with this title
and the content is definitely of reference quality.
Extras
include four programs on a bonus DVD: the entire Kennedy Vs. Nixon Debate fro
TV, a propaganda film on the assassination that goes with the single
shooter/bullet theory, extended Funeral Services footage and the John
Ford-produced propaganda film Vietnam! Vietnam! narrated by Charlton
Heston that is highly erroneous in telling young male viewers that the war is
like any other and protesting against it is not patriotic, especially since
Vietnamese fighting against the VietCong need our help. Very one sided and embarrassing, y9u have to
see it to believe it.
Mary C.
Reese’s Robert Williams: Mr. Bitchin’
(2013) is a very effective examination, biography and telling of the rise of
one of the most important artists of the 20th Century and into the
next one, starting with his unique approach to drawing that landed up being
part of the early 1960s Hot Rod culture, to the counterculture, to Rock music
and so much more, Williams is one of the most underrated artists of our time
and he still thrives making some of the most provocative, cutting edge work
around.
These
interviews also show he is a very smart, personable, insightful, honest,
realistic, nice guy who has what he has in part due to being himself and not
letting anything get in his way. His
work is also very influential and it is still amazing to me (and himself as
well) that he has not found himself ultra wealthy from so much amazing,
original work. There is something wrong
with that, which this documentary makes a point of without trying or even
implicitly addressing, even when Williams does.
Best of
all, he is an American Original and at a time where that is being whittled down
and taken apart, he and his work are more refreshing and important than ever
before. Debbie Harry, Artie Shaw,
Anthony Kiedis (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) and vintage footage of the
original (and only) Guns N Roses are included here.
A Trailer
and Photo Gallery are the only extras.
Last but
not least is another co-directed documentary that works, Venus & Serena (2012) about the ultra-successful tennis playing
Williams Sisters in a program that wants to examine their phenomenon and success,
but as the makers join the ladies, they are both having difficulties with their
lives, their physical health and thus, their careers. As a result, the editing strategy, which
works, has us going back and forth between their problems now (2011 is when this
was all taped) and vintage video of their beginnings as young child prodigies
out of Compton, California who were guided by their father to be
successful. It worked!
We also
get to see some honest moments about both, about tennis, about racism, about
sexism, about media and about family throughout and even if you are not a fan
of the sport of even the Williams, this is grade-A work that manages to do a
great job of capturing two groundbreaking figures and how they keep going
against all odds. Though we hear much
about them, it is never specific, so the makers get to the heart of things and
a major untold side of their lives and story are presented thoroughly in a way
that is long overdue for these legends to be.
Impressive!
Extras
include a great set of Deleted Scenes that include a few clips that really
should have stayed in the body of the documentary, but some of which seems to
have had location audio issues and were omitted, an Original Theatrical
Trailer, AXS-TV look at the release and separate on-camera interview with each
Director.
The 1080p
1.78 X 1 (listed as 1.85 X 1) digital High Definition image on JFK is the best video presentation of
all on the list here, with the anamorphically enhanced DVD version not as good,
but both look fine considering the age of the various sources throughout. The same 1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High
Definition image on Venus is of
newer footage for the most part, but the older analog video looks really weak
and the newer HD footage has slightly muted color throughout it should not
have. As a result, the JFK DVD and anamorphically enhanced
1.78 X 1 images on the Duch and Robert can more than compete, yet the
same presentation on Boom is much
weaker, softer and has more motion blur throughout despite having the most new
footage.
The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix on Venus should be the sonic champ here, but between the simple stereo
of the location audio, audio issues, old monophonic sound of the archive
footage (sometimes barely stereo at that) cannot take advantage of any mix
possibilities because this is really a stereo production, so the lossy Dolby
Digital 2.0 Stereo on the rest of the DVDs and JFK Blu-ray are all its equal and equal to each other.
- Nicholas Sheffo
