After
Tiller (2013/Oscilloscope
DVD)/Alexander Calder
(1998/First Run DVD)/The
Booker (2012/IndiePix
DVD)/Civil War 360
(2013/Smithsonian/Cinedigm DVD)/Peter
Simon's Through The Lens
(2014/MVD DVD)/Hitler &
The Nazis (2011/Cinedigm
DVD)/Secrets Of The Third
Reich
(2014/Smithsonian/Cinedigm DVD)
Picture:
B-/C/C-/C+/C+/C/C+ Sound: B-/C+/C-/C+/C+/C+/C+ Extras:
B/C/D/C+/C+/D/D Main Programs: B/B-/C-/B-/B/B/B
Here's
a serious new selection of documentary material you should be aware
of...
Martha
Shane and Lana Wilson co-direct After
Tiller
(2013) a stunning look at one of the most under-reported stories of
recent decades, the politically assassination of Dr. George Tiller in
2009 after a campaign (with the chant Tiller
The Killer)
by certain dark political segments, ultra Right Wing interests and
even a few national TV networks and even more AM radio interests who
wanted him to be killed, hoping a lone nut would do the job for them.
The cowardly scheme worked (again).
This
rich, vital and never-long-enough 88 minutes shows the human being,
legitimate medical professional and pro-female medical care Dr.
Tiller was, helping women and doing what was totally, 100% federally
legal in all aspects of his career. That this happened and all we
got was silence and no backlash adds up disturbingly with the weird,
odd and suddenly explicit ultra Right Wing campaigns against women in
everything from working right, maternal leave, birth control and
every other thing they lost on the in 1960s. At least that is
starting to slowly get a backlash. There are some great interviews
here too and add all that to other surprises and that makes After
Tiller one of the best documentaries of the last few years.
Extras
in their fine slipcase packaging include a DVD-ROM downloadable
resource guide, interview with the co-directors, Sundance Film
Festival Q&A where the co-directors are joined by doctors, One
of Four
interview with Dr. Susan Robinson and vintage interview with Dr.
Tiller from Physicians For Reproductive Health.
Roger
Sherman's Alexander
Calder
(1998) may be the oldest program here, run only an hour and be from
TV, but it more than holds its own in its portrait of the innovative
artist and sculpture who is still not as know as he should be for all
of his influence. I had seen this one a long time ago and it not
only holds up well, but is long overdue for discovery, especially for
those interested in art and architecture. Why are there not more
programs on this man?
Extras
include a Photo/Art Gallery, Roger Sherman text bio and about six
minutes of Sherman on Calder.
Michael
Perkins' The
Booker
(2012) wants to be a serious look behind the scenes of wrestling with
Mickey Rourke credibility, but it is a sloppy, wacky mess that shows
us nothing we have not seen before, much we ought to avoid and does
this by taking its digital video and making it into sloppily edited
faux black and white. This 96 minutes of torture starts bad and just
becomes more and more excruciating. Yikes is this one bad.
There
are no extras.
Civil
War 360
(2013) is the first of three Smithsonian-produced entries, here
splitting yet another look at the war into three parts with three
hosts: Ashley Judd, Dennis Haysbert and Trace Adkins (a better host
than actor so far) with their own separate episodes to show the war.
Its not bad for a played out subject, but a little can go a long way
for some like this writer h=who has seen this almost rendered trivial
by so many programs on it.
The
program Lincoln's
Nation At War
is the only extra.
Peter
Simon's Through The Lens
(2014) is a double-DVD set where the longtime photographer goes
through his archives with thousands of often amazing still
photographs that make this into the video version of what Simon often
holds and refers to throughout his explanations of his career and
this artform, a high quality coffee table book. Those interested in
film, the counterculture, music and US history will really enjoy the
set up and all the details. I even liked the chapters.
Two
sets of 10 commonly asked questions are the extras.
We
conclude with two strong mini-series n WWII that run long, but tend
to be impressive for all the material here and how often this subject
has been covered before. Hitler
& The Nazis
(2011) runs 268 minutes, while the Smithsonian-produced Secrets
Of The Third Reich
(2014) runs 184 minutes with better editing and less overlap.
Unknowns wrote and narrate both, which do a solid job of sticking to
their subject matter and both deserve to be added to a master list of
titles on the subject that all libraries should have.
There
are no extras on either set.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on Tiller
edges out the rest of the releases here with the cleanest and most
consistent presentation, followed by 360,
Lens
and Right,
also with the same widescreen type. Hitler
has more flaws in the same 1.78 X 1 presentation too often tied for
third place by the older 1.33 X 1 analog NTSC Calder. The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 would-be black & white image on
Booker
is sloppy, hideous and to be avoided. All the discs offer lossy
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (Calder
in monophonic) and about about even save Tiller
just that much more well recorded and Booker
sounding as bad as it looks with shrill, poor location audio, plus
compression and mixing issues.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
