DVD Review: Real Heroes

Real Heroes is a cute comedy about some lesser-known superheroes taking part in a “reality” television show in order to boost their images. It opens, of course, with the audition sequence, which offers the opportunity for lots of silliness with rejected heroes. Some of this is rather stupid, but the man hitting the rejected applicants with a large stick had me laughing. Sable’s audition is particularly good, because she fights back when the guy with the stick attacks her, and kicks his ass. That makes the producers re-think Sable’s rejection. As the assistant points out, “It would great if we had someone on the show who could actually fight.”

And soon the show is cast. One of those superheroes that makes the cut is a hot Aquaman imitator (which is funny in itself; after all, Aquaman was definitely the weakest member of the Justice League, so why would anyone want to imitate him?). In addition to Water Warrior, there is also Big Shot, Malibu Action Girl, Sable, The Vixen (Sable’s unwilling daughter), and Psychic Sam. While I like the idea of the unwilling daughter being dragged into the show, I do wish they’d cast someone a bit younger to play Vixen. This woman seems old enough to be on her own and not have to rely on her mother. It just doesn’t work when she pouts or talks about doing homework, as they need someone who looks fourteen or fifteen to pull that off.

The style of the film is like that of those so-called “reality” shows, including interviews with the superheroes with their thoughts on what we’ve been seeing. And of course they all live together in a “secret” base, reminding us of shows like The Real World and Big Brother. Mixed in with the footage of our heroes are funny, but cool animated sequences that are narrated, bringing to mind television programs we grew up on, such as Super Friends. And these segments add a great deal of style to the film, and are a big part of what makes it effective. One of my favorite animated interruptions is when Malibu Action Girl asks two guys to help her move her stuff into the base. The film cuts to an animated sequence of her with an enormous stack of boxes, and the voice over tells us, “Malibu Action Girl comes with everything you see here,” a clever reference to the toy commercials of our youth.

There are some really funny moments and elements, like the super computer that lets Malibu Action Girl know what outfit is appropriate for any given set of circumstances. Also, I love when they go to a bar to pick up sidekicks. It cuts to Big Shot saying: “I hate these pickup situations. You never know what you’re getting into. I mean, some of the guys are heroes, and some of them are obviously sidekicks, but some of them look like they could go either way.” That’s just one of the many plays on sexuality in the film.

This film comes as a welcome change from those terrible, big-budget comic book superhero movies that have taken over Hollywood in recent years. (Hell, I’d love to see a movie where Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-man, all the X-Men and all the Avengers have to live in the same house and share a bathroom.) However, some of the movie falls flat. And there’s no real plot (at least not until the last twenty-five minutes or so), which is a shame. We sort of hear what Sable is doing (for a while she’s the only one actually following up on the clues provided by the show’s producer), and it sounds great, with Nazis and Hitler’s brain and all that, but we don’t see any of it. And while that is clearly part of the joke, part of the point, it also makes it difficult to sustain the engagement with the audience and maintain the audience’s interest. All of the real action is done in the short animated, narrated pieces.

Special Features

The DVD contains several bonus features. The Sidekick Mystique is eleven minutes’ worth of footage from the interviews with the sidekicks, who reveal that when they were younger they too were superheroes. It also includes a bit with the sidekicks hanging over a lava pit, waiting to be rescued.

The Water Warrior Workout has Water Warrior leading viewers in a superhero workout, and reminding people to “Stay away from giant robots and saturated fats.” This feature is approximately seven minutes.

Desperately Seeking Sidekick is eleven minutes of Big Shot’s personal ads for a sidekick.

Meet The Heroes! is fifteen minutes of interviews with cast members talking about their characters, as well as interviews with some key crew members. And Things We Did For Money is ten minutes of promotional material used to raise money for the film.

The special features also include the film’s trailer and an artwork slideshow.

Real Heroes was directed by Keith Hartman, and as released on DVD on October 2, 2014.

DVD Review: Alive Inside

Alive Inside is an incredibly moving documentary showing the powerful effect of music on those suffering from dementia and other maladies. It opens with an interview with a ninety-year-old woman. When she’s asked what life was like when she was a little girl, the woman answers: “I’ve forgotten so much. I’m very sorry.” The interviewer tells her he’d like to try an experiment, to let music take her back into her memories. He plays a recording of Louis Armstrong, and the woman begins to recall how her mother told her not to listen to him. And through a quick montage, we see that memories come flooding back to her. And with those memories, it’s like her life has come back to her. Her energy is remarkable, as is the transformation.

We meet several other people suffering from dementia, including a man named Henry who has been in a nursing home for a decade. And we see him really come to life when the music is turned on. The music brings him out of his shell; he is suddenly alert and engaged in the world around him.

The film does delve into the reasons why music has such a strong effect. Dr. Oliver Sacks, a neurologist, says: “Music is inseparable from emotion, so it’s not just a physiological stimulus.” He later adds: “The parts of the brain which are involved in remembering music and responding to music are not affected too much by Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias.” The film’s narrator tells us: “When we are young, music records itself in our motions and emotions. Luckily, these are the last parts of the brain touched by Alzheimer’s.” There is also an interesting section about human development and its connection to rhythms. The narrator tells us: “Researchers have studied the sounds of newborns and discovered that in their cries are patterns that reflect their mother’s speech. This means that even before we’re born, we are learning how to sing with another human being.”

The filmmaker followed Dan Cohen, who after discovering the effect that playing one’s favorite music had on patients, has devoted his energy to trying to bring music to people in nursing homes. And it doesn’t just help dementia patients. The film introduces us to Steve, who has multiple sclerosis, and who talks about how music was always important to him. “When I ended up here, I lost all of my music. My world became this facility.”

There are moments in this film that are tremendously touching, as when one patient suddenly tells his loved one he realizes it hasn’t been an easy life for her and then tells her he loves her. Or the moment a woman pushes away her walker to dance. I don’t mind telling you this film had me in tears at times. Sure, near the end it almost becomes an advertisement for itself, but that’s part of its attempt to spread the message and spread the music. Because, hey, we’re all getting older. None of us is immune, and so this film should provide some hope and inspiration to us all – first, to help those elderly people in our own lives, and then perhaps, if necessary, to receive such help ourselves.

Special Features

This DVD contains several special features, including approximately thirty-six minutes of deleted scenes. The deleted scenes include more on the effect of music on patients, as well as information on the aging baby boomers and how the elderly in the United States are over-medicated. Much of this footage is with Dr. Bill Thomas.

There is an interview with Dan Cohen, in which he talks about what people can do to help, and the effect the documentary has had on what he’s trying to achieve. There is some interesting information on a study that was conducted to test the effect of music on people with dementia. This interview is approximately fourteen minutes. There is also an interview with director Michael Rossato-Bennett, who talks about what drove him to make the film. His passion is clear in this interview, which is approximately nineteen minutes.

The special features also include a look at the film’s music, with printed words from composer Itaal Shur about specific pieces as those pieces play. This feature is approximately thirty-one minutes. The film’s trailer is also included.

The DVD also includes a commentary track by director Michael Rossato-Bennett, who talks about how he originally started this project by creating content for Dan Cohen’s website. It was going to be one day’s work. He says that he filmed Henry that first day, and that without Henry there would be no film. He also talks about a study that was conducted over a three-year period, which resulted in a drastic decrease in the need for medication. Michael says music “can basically send us into the part of our being that’s actually very happy to be alive.”

Alive Inside was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 18, 2014.

DVD Review: Finding Joy

Finding Joy is a quirky, sweet comedy about a writer whose life is not going well, and who soon has no alternative but to move back in with his family. Things continue to go poorly until he meets an odd neighbor who presents him with an even odder task.

The film opens with Kyle (Josh Cooke) stepping toward camera, and stepping into focus, to read from his book. His reading is not well attended (but hell, at least he’s published, so I can’t feel too sorry for the guy). He comes home to find his belongings on the street, after his friend has kicked him out. No one else is willing to put him up, which of course calls into question his character. Clearly he has no true friends. He lives in his car until it’s towed. So he finally goes to his father’s house, where a street sign not-so-subtly tells him “Dead End.”

Interestingly, he’s not the only son who is forced to live at home. His brother Marshall (Tyler Bunch) lives in the house, along with his wife and daughter. These characters are also unhappy, with Marshall’s wife suspecting Marshall of infidelity. At one point she breaks down to Kyle: “I was prom queen, Kyle. I was destined to be blissfully happy forever.” Also living in the house is Gloria (Lainie Kazan), his father’s lover. Kyle’s father is played by Barry Bostwick, who makes even the weak lines about erectile dysfunction work. His natural delivery is just what is needed to ground this film in a reality. Though of course his character is not without his own problems. Since his wife’s death, he has not been out of the house.

Soon Kyle meets Joy (Liane Balaban), who now lives in the house next door. Joy reveals to Kyle that she recently learned she’s going to die soon and asks him to write her obituary. She tells him, “I don’t want the last thing that people read about me to be some grammatically incorrect piece of crap.” He points out that he doesn’t know her, so she says they’ll have to spend some time together. And this awkward friendship soon inspires Kyle to start writing again.

Though there are small individual moments that don’t work, this is a film that overall hits the mark. There are moments that made me laugh out loud, sometimes little things like when Kyle tells his brother to keep the engine running while he takes care of something. The car in question is in need of repair and often has trouble starting, so that line comes off as delightfully funny. And the moment when Kyle’s father takes his first step outside couldn’t be funnier. The film is also often surprisingly touching, and has quite a lot of heart.

There are good performances from the entire cast, particularly by Barry Bostwick as Alan, and also by Arielle Hoffman as Mel, Marshall’s daughter.

Finding Joy was directed by Carlo De Rosa, and is scheduled to be released on DVD on December 9, 2014 through Inception Media Group. The DVD includes the film’s trailer.

DVD Review: Martial Arts Double Feature: Kung Fu Girl/Whiplash

The new Martial Arts Double Feature DVD includes two mid-1970s films starring Pei-Pei Cheng, whom you might recall from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and They Wait. These films contain plenty of excellent fight scenes, and are quite a lot of fun. Both films are presented in their original Mandarin, with optional English subtitles.

Kung Fu Girl

The first film, Kung Fu Girl, is the better of the two, and this DVD includes the full 119-minute version, which has previously not been available in the United States. The print used for this release bears the title None But The Brave, and no, the print isn’t entirely pristine, but you don’t want it to be. For me, part of the joy of watching this DVD comes from the old feel of it.

The film begins with a woman named Chen Xiaoying (Pei-Pei Cheng) leading a group of men in a fight. She’s quick to fight, and even quicker to smile, and I’m not sure which I enjoy seeing her do more. Yang Gang, from the School of Fists and Fury, arrives, thinking that Xiaoying is Lei Tianbao’s little sister. He wants to use her to get to Lei’s brother in order to find out the location of Mr. Cai, who is locked away. The sister is dead, so Xiaoying offers to pose as Lei Yuying herself in order to uncover this information.

The plan works well, but her fight with some Japanese men causes problems. I have to laugh when the Japanese ruffians play Rock Paper Scissors. And of course the sounds used for hits to the body are hilarious, and are almost always the same. In one scene, kicking someone in the abdomen makes the same sound as kneeing him in the ribs or punching him in the face or hitting him in the knee. Again, it’s all part of the charm. And speaking of charm, Pei-Pei is so bloody adorable and delightful when she tags along with Lie Tianbao to his post. And later she fights off a whole squadron while dressed as a lump-of-coal salesman, in what is a totally enjoyable scene.

This film takes some interesting, unexpected turns, and it just gets better and better. I was surprised by just how damn good this film is.

Whiplash

The second film, Whiplash, isn’t nearly as good as Kung Fu Girl, but is still enjoyable. It’s quite a strange film. It begins with an old man who has found ancient treasures in the mountains and reported it to the local government. Now he’s leading a team up to retrieve the loot, and he speaks of a nagging daughter who has a temper. He says, “She’s like a wild tigress.” And so he’s nicknamed her Whiplash.

Meanwhile a band of bandits, including a midget, attempts to steal Whiplash’s wine and meat. She recognizes the tobacco bag and knife that the band’s leader, Big Garlic, carries as being her father’s possessions. And this is where the film starts to get weird. It suddenly becomes a musical. Seriously. She and the guys sing a song about tigers and drinking, with one of the men engaging Whiplash in a verse about eating a tiger’s penis. After the men all pass out, Whiplash sings about having her revenge on whichever man killed her father. She then ties them up and forces them to guide her to the ravine where they say they saw her father. And though it ceases to be a musical, the men occasionally do sing a bit of a refrain of that one song.

The movie is incredibly goofy and odd, and even includes a pooping scene. Actually, two pooping scenes. And there are some cartoon sound effects. Of course, there is a lot of intense fighting at the end, through when characters land on the sand it sounds like they’re hitting a wrestling mat.

Martial Arts Double Feature: Kung Fu Girl/Whiplash is scheduled to be released on DVD on December 2, 2014 through Shout! Factory. The DVD contains trailers for both films.

DVD Review: The Last Sentence

The Last Sentence tells the true story of Torgny Segerstedt, a Swedish journalist who wrote against Hitler during World War II, questioning and possibly endangering his country’s status of neutrality. It is presented in black and white, and begins with Torgny (Jesper Christensen) watching a newsreel about Hitler taking power, but focuses on the journalist’s personal life, particularly his relationships with women. There is a quote from Torgny himself at the start of the film: “No human can withstand close scrutiny.” And with that in mind, this movie takes a close look at the last decade or so of Torgny’s life.

The film begins in 1933, with Torgny reading a piece he’s written about Hitler: “It is an insult to all sense to force such a leader on a great people.” He then speaks at a dinner party of the crimes being committed in Germany. His wife, Puste (Ulla Skoog), fears her husband is unfaithful, and she’s right. You immediately feel for her, which is interesting, as it is the husband who is the subject here. It’s an excellent choice to be introduced to the man’s flaws so early in the film. This film isn’t some worship piece.

The film focuses on the domestic lives of Torgny and his wife. There’s a heartbreaking moment where Puste begins to play the piano. We see from a servant’s reaction that it’s been a while since she last played. And for a moment Puste is happy. But her playing is almost immediately interrupted by a car horn. And she sees through the window, as do we, her husband getting into a car where his mistress waits. His mistress is Maja, who is married to Torgny’s friend Axel (Bjorn Granath). (Maja is played by Pernilla August, whom Star Wars fans will remember as Shmi Skywalker.) At one point Puste tells her husband, “Sometimes I wish you were more like you write, Torgny.”

I like that the film has a somewhat light, even celebratory feel near the beginning. There is a scene where the paper receives a telegram from Hermann Goring, asking how the issue of Torgny’s writing will be handled in the future, with a slightly veiled threat of retaliation of some kind if the writing continues. And those at the newspaper are all proud that the writing elicited such a response, considering it a success. They talk of framing the telegram.

What’s interesting is that we as viewers get so involved in the personal relationships that we almost forget about the war. Torgny doesn’t hide his relationship with Maja, and is cruel to Puste, publicly humiliating her at times. But it’s not just Puste who is sad. Torgny clearly is as well, and often thinks of the past and has visions of his dead mother.

And then the second half of the film is more about the increasing threat of the Nazis and the Russians, with the danger of Sweden being pulled into the war, as Torgny continues his writing. The film boasts a very impressive cast, with excellent performances by the four leads, particularly by Jesper Christensen as Torgny and Ulla Skoog as Puste.

Special Features

The DVD includes A Close Scrutiny: Behind The Scenes Of The Last Sentence, a forty-five minute documentary by Yohanna Troell, who is the daughter of director Jan Troell and who plays a small role in The Last Sentence. She narrates this documentary in English. Interestingly, much of this film is presented in black and white as well, though there is also some color footage. There are interviews with her father and with cast members Jesper Christensen, Pernilla August, Ulla Skoog and Bjorn Granath. Jan Troell talks about his experiences as a child during World War II, specifically about being evacuated at age eight. Pernilla August talks about Maja’s addiction to morphine. There is lots of behind-the-scenes footage, including the table read, the first day of production, and even a bit of the dog audition.

The theatrical trailer is also included.

The Last Sentence was directed by Jan Troell, and was released on DVD on October 21, 2014 through Music Box Films. It is presented in Swedish with optional English subtitles.

DVD Review: A Coffee In Berlin

A Coffee In Berlin is a wonderful film about a young man who is forced to evaluate his life while on the search for a simple cup of coffee. It’s presented in black and white, and is a touching mix of comedy and drama. We follow Niko Fischer (in a really good performance by Tom Schilling) throughout the course of a day in Berlin.

The first shot is a through a doorway as Niko gets dressed. The camera is still, and the shot immediately brings to mind Woody Allen, especially as jazz music plays. I’m a big Woody Allen fan, and there are some other moments early on that make me think of him (and of a couple of other directors), but fairly soon this film immerses the viewer in its own world, and comparisons to other filmmakers fall from mind. The woman sits up, asking why Niko has to leave so early, and suggests they get together that night. He says he has a lot to do, but is not specific, and his not answering suddenly makes her realize that he is saying plenty. As she exits the frame, leaving Niko alone, the jazz tune ends. It’s an excellent introduction to his character.

We then see he’s moved into his own place (though hasn’t yet unpacked), and has dropped out of law school, and is basically doing nothing. But sometimes doing nothing is much more difficult than doing something. When he attempts to order a regular coffee at a coffee shop and then finds he can’t pay for the expensive coffee, he’s insulted by the woman there, though in a light, non-aggressive manner. What’s interesting is that throughout the film he has to deal with authority figures, including his father, and in a way this coffee shop clerk treats him in a similar fashion.

The first authority figure he must confront is a psychologist regarding having his driver’s license reinstated. It’s a crazy scene, and the psychologist strongly reminds me of warped military authoritarian types who thrive on their tiny power and on showing superiority however they can. Later Niko must deal with more crazy authority types at the subway (I had a similar experience once, and totally appreciate this scene).

Niko is alone, and interestingly it is often during these interactions with other people that he seems the most alone, because the rest of the world seems needlessly difficult in its attitude toward him. And not just need people, but machines work against him. The ATM eats his card. There’s a great moment where he puts his change in the cup of a sleeping homeless guy before using the ATM, then goes to retrieve his coins after his failure with the machine.

But through more human interactions, Niko comes to evaluate himself and his life, particularly in relation to Julika, a girl he runs into at a restaurant and whom he used to tease in school when they were children. She says she even tried to kill herself – “No hard feelings” – and invites him and his friend Matze to her performance art piece that night. Later Niko says to Julika: “You know when you get the feeling that the people all around you are kinda strange somehow? But when you think about it a little longer, you realize it’s not the others but you who’s the problem?” Sure, that line is a bit on the nose, but it functions to let us know what all of these interactions and this day in general have led him to consider.

And it all leads to a poignant encounter with an old man in a bar, a very touching scene with a man who feels more distant and cut off from the world than Niko does. This movie kind of sneaks up on you, and by the end you find you’re completely emotionally involved. (It’s interesting too to learn that Berlin is a city still coming to terms with World War II, as is shown in a few separate scenes.)

Special Features

This DVD contains quite a lot of bonus material, including an interview with director Jan Ole Gerster conducted by film critic Ignatiy Vishnevetsky. Jan Ole Gerster talks about his earlier draft, about a deleted scene, about the character of Niko, about the use of black and white, and about the low budget (some actors worked for free). He says, “I had the idea of some kind of road movie that never leaves Berlin.” He also tells some interesting anecdotes regarding the film’s music. This interview is approximately forty minutes, and was conducted in English. By the way, during the interview both men drink from promotional Music Box Films mugs, one of which seems very deliberately positioned.

There is also a short feature on the music itself, with footage of the jazz band as well as the solo pianist performing the music during the recording process in June, 2012. And there are two deleted scenes. The first is a brief scene where Niko meets Dr. Motte on the street, and we’re treated to several takes of it. The second is the scene where Niko meets a boy at a lake, and it’s this scene that the director speaks of in the interview.

The special features also include a Julika screen test (the scene where they meet in the restaurant), an improvisation with Tom Schilling and Marc Hosemann, ten minutes of outtakes, and the theatrical trailer.

A Coffee In Berlin was released on DVD on October 21, 2014 through Music Box Films. It is presented in German, with optional English subtitles.

DVD Review: InRealLife

InRealLife is a documentary exploring the effect that constant internet access has on children and their development. I find this such an intriguing subject, and the documentary does offer some interesting information on it. But it also spends a lot of time on other subjects that aren’t quite related.

It opens with some voice over: “About a year ago, I realized that every time I looked at a teenager, they had an electronic device in their hand, a device that was connected to the internet.” The film immediately adopts a very serious and even dark tone, as if it’s uncovering a mystery or crime. The narrator says: “I always have and always will believe that the internet could be the instrument by which we deliver the full promise of human creativity. But perhaps it’s time we ask ourselves, Have we outsourced our children to the internet?”

The first teenagers the film introduces us to are two boys who enjoy watching internet porn. They are looking at a list of porn categories and explaining them, which is interesting in itself, for they assume the adults behind the camera have not heard of such things as bondage. And they talk about how masturbating to internet porn is part of their daily routine. The film spends quite a bit of time on this subject, the interviewer even asking questions about specific images on the boys’ computer screens. But teenagers have always looked at porn. That’s not the question. The question is how their being online affects their lives and development. The boys talk about their own perceptions of how sex on the internet has affected the way they look at girls in real life. But what the film fails to address is how this is any different from, say, looking at pornographic magazines in the 1980s. What is it specifically about these images being online rather than in magazines or on a videocassette that has created a change in teenagers?

The film gets more on track with its next subject, a fifteen-year-old named Page (although she is presented in shadow, so perhaps that isn’t her real name). Page talks about how so much of her daily schedule is online activities, such as continually changing her social network status. What is interesting is that she became so depressed when she lost her phone that she essentially became a whore in order to purchase another one. “That’s how much my phone means to me,” she says. Are we to believe that she is representative of many teenagers in this extreme attitude?

The film gets off track again with its next subject, a nineteen-year-old named Tobin. Tobin is addicted to playing video games, which is quite a bit different from being online. And there is an interview with a game designer about attempting to make the games as realistic as possible. Again, that has nothing to do with how Facebook and Twitter are affecting how children and teenagers interact with each other and with the real world.

The most endearing and personable of the film’s teen subjects is Tom, a fifteen-year-old boy who has a boyfriend online that he hasn’t met. He talks about coming out on Twitter, which is interesting. This is where the film really seems to hit the mark, for this boy is exploring his sexual identity online rather than in the real world. (By the way, near the end of the film, they do meet.)

There is also some material on the origins of the internet. And title cards provide some statistics, such as “40% of teenagers spend more time with their friends online than in real life” and “90% of the world’s data has been created in the last two years” (which is amazing) and “2.5 billion pieces of content are shared on Facebook every day.” Some of the statistics are questionable. For example, one title card tells us “We look at our phone an average 150-200 times a day.” That sounds like an alarming statistic until you factor in the fact that phones have replaced watches as time devices. So how many of those 150-200 times are simply someone checking the time? Also we are told: “What you choose to ‘like’ on Facebook can be used to predict your sexuality with 88% certainty.” Again, that sounds impressive, until you think about it. Less than ten percent of the population is gay or bisexual. So if Facebook simply guessed “straight” for all of its users, it would be correct at least 90% of the time.

Some of the information provided by adult interview subjects is much more interesting than that provided by the teenagers. One professor, for example, talks about how websites constantly run tests on their users to determine what causes them to return to the sites. And the material regarding privacy issues is certainly interesting, particularly about how the commercially driven glorification of sharing everything on social networks isn’t something most of the users really think about. And Professor Clifford Nass (of Stanford University) has interesting things to say regarding how people let Facebook and Amazon define them, how people can construct an identity based on what the websites tell them about themselves. There is also some unsettling footage of some sort of internet personality gathering. I’m not sure what to make of it, especially as there is no narration or explanation of what precisely it is, or how it came about.

The film doesn’t really provide solutions, but rather gives a sort of overview of the potential problems of teenagers using the internet constantly, and provides interviews with some key people. Clearly, more needs to be done in this area, because it’s really about the future of human interactions, as well as dealing with privacy issues and so on.

InRealLife was directed by Beeban Kidron, and is scheduled to be released on DVD on December 2, 2014 through First Run Features. The DVD contains no special features.