Cooked:
Survival By Zip Code
(2018/Bullfrog DVD)/The
Dog Doc
(2019/FilmRise*)/El
Duce Tapes
(2019/Arrow*)/Helter
Skelter: An America Myth
(2020/Warner Archive DVD)/Nomad:
In The Footsteps Of Bruce Chatwin
(2019/Music Box Blu-ray)/Punk
The Capital
(2021/Passion River/*all MVD Blu-rays)/Salvador
Dali: In Search Of Immortality/That
Click: The Legendary Photography Of Douglas Kirkland
(both 2021 Film Movement DVDs)/Visions
Of Eight
(1973/Criterion Blu-ray)
Picture:
C+/B+/B/B-/B/B-/C+/C+/B Sound: C+/B+/B/B-/B/C+/C+/C+/B-
Extras: D/C/B/D/C/C+/D/C/B- Main Programs: B/B+/C/B/B+/B-/B-/B/B
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Helter
Skelter: An American Myth
DVD is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner
Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.
And
now for a huge new batch of documentaries....
We
start with a very heart and soul entry, Judith Helfand's Cooked:
Survival By Zip Code
(2018) where the director, also serving as narrator, asks why so many
people have to die in a heat wave. Then she starts to discover other
things that make it worse. What made her rightly disturbed is why
and how 739 people died in the 1995 Chicago heatwave, then the worst
heat disaster in U.S. History (though as we post this, the West Coast
states might outdo this.
As
she started to investigate, including talking to people she knew, a
pattern started to develop. It turns out it affected poorer
neighborhoods. Even when some of these persons had working air
conditioners, they were afraid to put them in their window because
they feared someone would push it in (the correct installation would
present that in most cases, for instance) and rob or kill them!
Thus,
it is fear and a lack of outreach to help people to help themselves,
but that does not stop it from being a crisis and the longer this
goes on, the better she is able to make her heart-felt points without
any illicit appeals to pity and fully being able to express how this
can and must change. Now more relevant than when it arrived a few
years ago, it is also based on the book Heat
Wave: A Social Autopsy Of Disaster In Chicago
by Eric Klinenberg, baking her up all the more. One of the best
entries here, I highly recommend this one!
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image can be rough and has some 1.33
X 1 moments, but is well paced and edited, while the lossy Dolby
Digital 2.0 Stereo mix has rough location audio in parts and can even
go monophonic, but captures what we need to hear the best it can.
There
are sadly no extras.
How
good are our veterinary medicines and doctors? Dr. Marty Goldstein
believes medicine can be taken further with a more holistic care, a
mix of modern medicine, home remedies and therapy. He often takes in
terminal cases, in which doctors have given up and modern medicine
alone has failed. With an overall hope does not just heal the body,
but help the body immune system and not replace, overcome, fight
against it in Cindy
Meehl's The
Dog Doc
(2019).
What
are doctors today? Today it seems like doctors are highly educated
people that follow only science proven drugs and treatments and
follow the simplest of the doctor's creed 'Do no harm'. Most have
the idea, that if science doesn't have a cure, no one does. A doctor
would give a vaccine and just wait to see if there is any change,
they forget to mention vaccine helps strengthen a healthy body, but
it also weakness if the body is already compromised. Surgery is just
cutting out the problem and hope for the best. A big problem with
doctor's education and when people see science fails, they believe
are no other options and no hope, because of 'science' that they
remain closed to all outside possibilities and closed to non-science
backed ideas, but what Dr. Goldstein proposes is an evolving medicine
that includes non-science and tradition methods.
This
documentary was an eye opener and reminder that science is not always
set in stone, but like all things in life there is a risk. The show
showed some of their greatest success cases, but they also had their
share of failure cases, but their treatment is also about treating
the animals is always ongoing, learning and evolving and treats
animals with dignity and respect.
The
1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer can show the
range of materials used, but they are not too variant, while the
audio is here in decent, lossless DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) 5.1 and less-engaging 2.0 Stereo mixes, but this is
very well recorded and more than expected.
Extras
include photo gallery, deleted scenes and trailer.
A
documentary centered on El Duce, who was the brain behind an
offensive Shock Rock band from the 1990s known as The Mentors, has
now been released. The
El Duce Tapes
(2019) is from the Rodney Ascher and the creators of Room
237
and The
Nightmare and
features VHS shot interviews and live performances by Ryan Sexton -
an actor in Hollywood who met El Duce himself and formed a bond and
decided to make this crude documentary about him. This sort of band
wouldn't fly as well at the moment with cancel culture at its height
and the offensive and de-womanizing things this man said on stage is
SURE to offend most. The documentary itself is a chore to sit
through unless you are really into Shock Rock or this band for some
reason.
The
El Duce Tapes
is presented by Arrow Video in 1080p high definition for the first
time and has a full frame 1.33 X 1 aspect ratio with lossless English
LPCM 2.0 Mono and DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 mixes, which stays in
line with Arrow's high standards for technical presentations. I
guess it looks as good as it can considering the aged look of the VHS
format, but it suits the subject fine as this guy was obviously a
shaky and disturbing character.
Special
Features include:
New
feature length audio commentary track
The
Ryan Sexton Tapes
- 34-minute illustrated audio conversation between Ryan Sexton and
producer Tim Kirk about the shooting of the original VHS footage
The
Nilbog Tapes
- Video of the band recording the original score for the film
More
El Duce Tapes
- A free-standing alternate assembly of unused material, sort of a
sideways sequel
Tape
2: Hollywood Reservoir
- A piece of raw tape providing a peek behind the scenes of the
process of shooting the footage and a candid document of El Duce and
Ryan's rapport
El
Duce Stories
- A humorous cut-up of a few of El Duce's famously long aimless
stories into one completely incomprehensible and endless word salad
Return
to Rape Rock Mountain
- A brand new interview with Steve Broy, aka Dr. Heathen Scum of The
Mentors
Reality
Check presents the all-female El Duce tribute band The Womentors
Reversible
sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by John Pearson and
reverse art by Benjamin Marra
and
First
Pressing Only:
Illustrated collectors' booklet featuring new writing by Manish
Agarwal.
If
you're down the rabbit hole with serial killer documentaries and
particularly intrigued by the Charles Manson murders, then you may
want to check out Helter
Skelter: An American Myth
(2020), which is an updated six episode mini-series that originally
premiered on the Epix Network. The series is interestingly edited
and shot and is very informative on the subject with lots of archival
material that makes you feel like you are transported back to the
scene of the grisly crimes. The series tells the 'untold story' of
Charles Manson and his intense followers and features newly unearthed
footage, photos, and interviews.
Six
episodes span two standard definition DVDs and include Charles
Manson is Your Brother, The Seed, Nobody Joins a Cult, Some Bad
Mistakes,
and The
Legend of Helter Skelter.
The
film is presented in anamorphically enhanced, standard definition on
DVD with a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy 5.1 Dolby
Digital mix. Some of the footage is of varied quality as it is
archival, but it is still fine for the nature of the film. There are
some compression issues that are evident in the format but this is a
fine presentation.
No
extras.
Who
was Bruce Chatwin? Chatwin traveled the world, searching and
studying extinct animals, people and culture. Before man and Western
Civilization came to be, how was history, culture discovered? Like
the dinosaurs, we find bones, fossils, fragments, cave paintings and
without written word, we can only guess how things ended. Chatwin
studied extinct animals, aboriginal cultures, monoliths like Easter
Island and early pictures of dead tribes and cultures, and wondered
...what happened to them and what has stood the test of time.
In
Werner Herzog's Nomad:
In The Footsteps Of Bruce Chatwin
(2019),
we learn that Bruce Chatwin was a man with questions and upon
discovering a dead fossil he started wondering, what else has existed
and is now gone? Looking back throughout history, written
history has only existed a few thousand years, but other things,
animals, people, places had existed millions of years before. Who
knows how much existed pre-mankind? Bruce asks the questions of what
will exist or be remembered post mankind? That all things past
through time and what will be their legacies for others to find?
Toward the end of his own life, he and other people take on a
different view and what will history say of us?
This
was an interesting film which takes on the views of a dying nomadic
man, for some reason historians has saved and recorded the studies
and writings of Bruce Chatwin, his views, poetry on how we should be
asking more questions than finding answers. In some sense, Bruce's
life and views were also like a nomad, a different view from most
men. The film retells the story and life of Bruce Chatwin through
vistas, pictures with inspirational music, along with the few people
who knew him and felt that with his passing mankind had lost
something irreplaceable.
The
1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer is consistent
for a new HD shoot, but can be on the flat side and any archive
footage is fine, while the only audio track is a lossless DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Stereo track with limited surrounds that is
recorded well if not spectacular.
Extras
include A
Conversation with Werner Herzog
and trailer.
James
June Schneider, Paul Bishow and Sam Levine have co-directed Punk
The Capital
(2021) on how the Punk scene in its original incarnation man aged to
rise, thrive and leave a permanent mark on the genre and history ion
Washington D.C., of all places. Key acts that resulted include Bad
Brains, Minor Threat, The Slickee Boys, The Cramps and The Richard
Sales Band. Running 89 minutes, it crams a ton of interviews, songs,
rare footage, rare stills and other information that brings the
period alive well enough.
Even
if you are not a fan of the genre, it is pretty thorough and
informative, plus it can be entertaining one way or the other. It is
also in line with other releases on the subject, so it should fit
well with other such Punk releases in telling an under-told history
more important top preserve and understand than ever. Its worth a
look.
The
1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image has ts share of rough
analog video and other rough sources, but is as good as can be
expected, while the newly shot footage is fine. Also expect some
1.33 X 1 footage. Oddly,
the sound here is lossy Dolby Digital 5.1, when the music deserves a
lossless source at least.
Extras
include a 50 minutes of short films, extended interviews and never
before seen footage that would not fit into the documentary.
David
Pujol's TV documentary
mini-series Salvador
Dali: In Search Of Immortality
(2021) is a three-part work focusing on one of the greatest artists
of all time, albeit one who claimed he was a 'fascist' and was also a
surrealist, something that has some contradiction to it, but also
shows the idea that he wanted serious control over the world around
him. That is why the focus on what else he was seeking is no
surprise.
A
biography as well, the hour-long shows are divided into three parts:
The
Youth Diaries
(1904 to 1929,) The
Secret Life Of Portlligat
(1929 to 1982) and The
Refuge Of The Visible Woman
(1982 to 1989) to see how this particular obsession (he had many) was
so important to him. There is some slight overlap and if you know
Dali, you may have seen more of this than you expect, but there is
plenty here to see that is new and different. Overall, I do not see
this as a definitive biography, but it will still tell you much as it
missed much (three hours is not long enough) and in any case, it is
worth a look. Just make sure you have the time to sit, because it is
a good bit of material in a small amount of time.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on the episodes is loaded with
old stills and vintage film footage of all kinds, well edited, then
obviously finished in HD. It looks good for the most part, while the
sound is lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo that suffices, but is nothing
spectacular.
There
are no extras, though the episodes are loaded with all kinds of
items.
Luca
Severi's That
Click: The Legendary Photography Of Douglas Kirkland
(2021) is a fine look at the great work of an artist known for many
classic photochemical portraits of some of the biggest names in pop
culture and the entertainment business. If you know anything about
beauty and star power, he's the man who has captured it. This runs a
tight 90 minutes, but of course, could have gone on much longer since
the work was nonstop for over 60 years!
Besides
great archival footage, interviewees include Sharon Stone, Nicole
Kidman, Andy Garcia, Michelle Williams and many other admirers
(whether you know them or not) who share their stories and great
experiences with a man who had one of the best eyes in the history of
still photography. A very pleasant surprise, I definitely recommend
this one!
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is not bad for the format and
looks nice enough, though this work deserves 4K, while the sound is
here in passable, lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 and less-effective 2.0
Stereo mix is added.
Extras
include a look Backstage at the making of this release and an
Original Theatrical Trailer.
Finally,
we have the remarkable film about the 1972 Munich Olympics, Visions
Of Eight
(1973) where the ceremonies would have eight different films made by
eight different directors with different angles on the matter.
Though only the last film on track deals with this, this was the
Olympics where Israeli athletes were kidnapped and killed for
political reasons, marring and haunting the events (Spielberg's
underrated drama Munich
(reviewed elsewhere on this site) is about what happened) and playing
against the ideas that the games are supposed to be a peaceful event
bringing the world together.
Of
course, that has not always been the case (this film was issued in a
huge mage Blu-ray box with dozens of films on the Olympics over the
years hardcore fans might want to pick up) and this remains one of
the worst incidents ever. Still, the games continued and as Producer
David L. Wolper started this project, some big name directors were
interested and nearly signed on, but a few dropped out for scheduling
reasons.
The
eight solid segments
that make the film up include The
Beginning
by Juri Ozerov, The
Strongest
by Mai Zetterling, The
Highest
by Arthur Penn, The
Women
by Michael Pfleghar, The
Fastest
by Kon Ichikawa, The
Decathalon
by Milos Forman, The
Losers
by Claude Lelouch and The
Longest
by John Schlesinger. Everyone comes up with some amazing footage and
honest, purely cinematic moments, which is why the film works so
well, though if you think they are just on a lucky roll, it becomes
apparent that it is going to continue to be amazing when Penn's
segment arrives.
The
many networks of NBC do a great job of covering the event, as does
The Olympics Channel, which is great, but films like this take the
coverage and grasp of the events to a higher, more remarkable level.
That is why especially now that the latest, delayed games are finally
upon us, I strongly recommend seeing this because the honesty you see
here applies as much now as ever and hopefully, the pandemic will be
the only problem this time and the events will be violence-free.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer is a new 4K
scan of the original 35mm camera negative and looks great from the
detail to the color, while the
PCM 2.0 Mono has been remastered from a combination of magnetic and
optical sound master sources and sounds good.
Extras
include another high quality,
illustrated booklet on the film including informative text with a
1973 article by author George Plimpton, excerpts from David L.
Wolper's 2003 memoir, and a new reflection on the film by novelist
Sam Lipsyte, while the disc adds an Original Theatrical Trailer, new
audio commentary by podcasters Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey, and
Chris Ryan of the website The
Ringer,
new documentary featuring director Claude Lelouch; supervising editor
Robert K. Lambert; Ousmane Sembene biographer Samba Gadjigo; Munich
Olympic Games historian David Clay Large; producer David L. Wolper's
son, Mark Wolper; and director Arthur Penn's son Matthew Penn, which
also includes behind-the-scenes footage from the film and material
from Sembene's uncompleted short film and On
Location with 'Visions of Eight'
short promotional film.
To
order the Warner Archive Helter
Skelter: An American Myth
DVD, go to this link for it and many more great web-exclusive
releases at:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/ED270804-095F-449B-9B69-6CEE46A0B2BF?ingress=0&visitId=6171710b-08c8-4829-803d-d8b922581c55&tag=blurayforum-20
-
Nicholas Sheffo, Ricky Chiang (Dog,
Nomad)
and James Lockhart (Duce,
Helter)
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/