DVD Review: Art House

My girlfriend and I have been talking lately about the kind of house we’d like to one day live in. For now, it’s more a matter of trying to make our current apartments seem less horrible and more home-like. The artists who are the subject of the documentary Art House made their living spaces works of art, and are inspiring me to take a more serious – and more joyful – look at the way I’m living and at my goals for changing my living space to better suit my personality. It may very well have the same effect on you.

Art House is divided into several sections, each section dedicated to the living space of one artist (or group of artists). It begins with Russel Wright, and his home, named Manitoga. The camera gently, respectfully moves in on details of the home and the area surrounding it, the images set to music, allowing us to take it all in, to develop our own opinions without much narration to guide our thoughts. There is just a little information on each artist, presented as title cards before we see the living spaces.  Alastair Gordon does provide a bit of narration at certain moments throughout the film, but not much. Other information is given from short interviews with family members and apprentices, these interviews coming after we’ve seen some of the images. Ann Wright, Russel Wright’s daughter, talks about the long process of construction of the home. Russel thought of it as his personal living space, and it’s a bit sad when Ann tells us, “I feel like I was a person in his living space” (though she kind of laughs as she says it). I love the way nature and natural things are incorporated into the design of Manitoga. It’s beautiful.

Cosanti, the living and work space of Paolo Soleri, is a remarkably different type of space with a different feel, in part because of the difference in location. Again, this film allows us the time to take it in before anyone speaks of the artist’s work. The first building constructed is called Earth House, and it has a strong relation to the natural surroundings. The film is like a meditation, on possibilities for living. At least, that’s how it feels to me. This documentary is not so much about the artists’ biographies as it is about the spaces where these people lived and worked.

Some of the homes seem more personal than others, such as that of Raoul Hague, perhaps because of the photos and other artifacts displayed on the walls. (All those clocks would have driven me insane. I’ve never understood the passion some people have for clocks.) Eliphante, the home built by Michael Kahn and his wife, Leda Livant, was created from repurposed materials, and is beautiful, even kind of magical (though slightly twisted too). I want to see more of this structure. That’s perhaps my only complaint about this film. I wish the camera would take us through every room of these structures.

Certain spaces and rooms and structures shown in this film have more of an impact on me than others. I’m particularly drawn to the spiral staircase of Wharton Esherick’s home. It has a natural and eternal feel. And there is a room in Crow House – the home of architect and painter Henry Varnum Poor – that I absolutely love. It’s the kind of place I want to create (or find) for my girlfriend and myself. There are dark beams against white in the ceiling, with a warm red archway.

Art House is based on the book Artists’ Handmade Houses by Michael Gotkin and Don Freeman. Don Freeman directed the film, and also was the director of photography, still photographer, editor and producer of the film.

Special Features

The DVD contains a photo gallery, with the subject of each photograph identified clearly on the side of the screen. There are also short written biographies of the artists, of the documentary’s director, and of Alastair Gordon.

Art House was released on DVD on April 19, 2016 through First Run Features.

DVD Review: Summer Of Fear

Down A Dark Hall was the book that turned me on to author Lois Duncan when I was in fifth grade. But Summer Of Fear was my favorite. I watched the made-for-television film when it was re-broadcast (I was too young the first time around, in 1978), though then under the title Stranger In Our House. While I don’t think I realized it had been directed by the same guy that made Last House On The Left (yes, I saw that movie when I was quite young), I certainly realized it starred the same girl that was in The Exorcist, and that was part of the film’s appeal. But the larger part of the appeal was its suspenseful tone, which felt faithful to the book. And now I’m finally getting another chance to enjoy Wes Craven’s film version of Summer Of Fear, thanks to the new DVD release by Doppelganger Releasing and Music Box Films.

Summer Of Fear tells the story of a young woman named Rachel (Linda Blair), whose life is upended by the arrival of her cousin Julia (Lee Purcell) after the sudden deaths of Julia’s parents. Julia is a stranger in her home, as Rachel, her parents and her siblings haven’t seen her in ten years. While they all try to accommodate who they assume is a grief-stricken relative, it isn’t long before Rachel begins to have her doubts about Julia.

Upon her arrival, Julia immediately starts complimenting Rachel on her possessions, running her fingers over the photograph of Rachel’s boyfriend. It could be innocent, but there’s a creepy vibe right from the start, with that shot of her fingers almost caressing the photo, lingering over it, and Rachel has to take the photo away from her. And then Julia lies down on Rachel’s bed, making herself at home, even after verbally turning down Rachel’s offer of that bed. While Rachel’s brother clearly has a crush on his cousin, not everyone is so happy to have the new houseguest. Sundance, Rachel’s horse, attacks her. And when Rachel discovers a human tooth among her cousin’s possessions, she begins to wonder about her. Rachel comes down with a sudden illness, and so has to miss a dance she’d been looking forward to. Julia takes her place, the dress that Rachel made strangely fitting her better than it had fit Rachel. Rachel makes some other discoveries, and it’s not long before she suspects her cousin might be up to no good.

This story is still frightening. The idea of someone taking over your life, your world, while those around you don’t see it is terrifying. Especially when you’re young, and you have no one to turn to, because the source of the horror is in your home, and those people you’d expect to protect you – your parents – deny the problem. This film is quite suspenseful. Also, it features an early performance by Fran Drescher. She plays Rachel’s friend, Carolyn. And there is a stunt with a horse that is still stunning to watch.

Special Features

The DVD includes a commentary track by Wes Craven and executive producer Max Keller. Max talks about how he started the project, and how they needed to have Linda Blair attached to it. That was why they changed the dog in the book to a horse for the film, as Linda Blair was fond of riding. Wes talks about how important this film was in his career, this being the first time he was able to shoot on 35 mm, and this being the film that got him into the Director’s Guild. Max mentions the two different versions of the film – the international theatrical edition is what is on this DVD, with the TV version sporting the other title, Stranger In Our House. It’s actually a really good commentary track, with plenty of interesting anecdotes, like about losing the horse footage on the day of shooting. And of course they discuss that crazy horse stunt. Wes says, “It was not planned for the horse to fall on top of her, but that’s what ended up happening.” Holy moly!

There is also a new interview with Linda Blair, in which she talks about the project, and about the process by which she gets a role. She talks about working with Wes Craven, and about her fellow cast members on this film. She mentions that the slap from Carol Lawrence (who plays her mother in the film) was real. She also talks about that stunt with the horse.

The special features also include a photo gallery and the trailer.

Summer Of Fear was released on October 10,2017 through Doppelganger Releasing and Music Box Films.

DVD Review: Lewis Black: “Black To The Future”

The world is a putrid, absurd, horrid mess at the moment. Everyone is aware of this, perhaps no one more so than comedian Lewis Black. Known for his rants, Lewis Black is – in my opinion – the best living comedian, and his particular bent, his particular humor is exactly what we need these days. He can express the anger we all feel in a way that eases tension rather than increases it. His new DVD, Black To The Future, captures a live performance that Lewis Black did at The Marquis Theater in New York last year during the time of the election, and in it he addresses both major candidates, as well as a variety of other topics. The DVD also includes a bonus performance from 2014, in which he fields questions from fans.

Lewis Black wastes no time and opens his show by reading a poll that said 13% of potential voters would rather have the world destroyed than have either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump become president. “The only good thing that has come out of this election cycle, quite honestly, is that it has made time seem longer.” Many people have commented on the fact that reality has gotten so far out of whack that satire almost seems unnecessary, that we are actually living the fucking joke. Lewis Black touches on this idea early on in the performance: “To be honest, having spent this year watching what’s going on, I have no idea what my job is anymore. Everyone in this room already has thirty Trump jokes that are probably better than any one that I thought of. What the fuck do you need me for?”

But of course we do need him, maybe now more than ever before. He addresses several important subjects, including guns and mental illness. He says: “I believe that we all learned about mental illness the same way that I did. I think we did that through dating.” Yes, absolutely. And he points out a sign of a widespread mental illness: “I read a while back that six hundred forty million dollars was spent by Americans purchasing Valentine’s Day gifts for pets. That’s the sign something’s fucking wrong.” Toward the end, he returns to the election, with some due dread. He rips into the risible idea that Donald Trump is a masterful businessman. “He bankrupted a casino,” he reminds the crowd. “I mean, that’s impossible, unless you locked the door and just stood in front.” I love when he tells the audience directly, “If you vote for Donald Trump, you’re going to go to hell.” And, yes, he talks about Hillary Clinton and offers his opinion on why everyone dislikes her.

The performance is approximately fifty minutes, and during the closing credits there is a shot of Lewis Black addressing someone who is leaving. I wish that whatever led to that moment was included. By the way, Grateful Dead fans will be interested to know that this special was directed by Justin Kreutzmann, Bill’s son.

Bonus: The Rant Is Due

The DVD includes a second performance in which he answers questions from his fans, moderated by Kathleen Madigan, who sits off to the side, drinking wine. Lewis Black says, “I can’t drink because then the anger becomes real.” Before fielding questions, he talks about trying to get his 95-year-old mother to watch the special online. “My mother can’t sleep at night because she’s trying to rearrange the universe in her own image.” The first question he’s asked is about social media, which sets him off on a delightful rant, one which I especially appreciate. He points out that Facebook and Twitter aren’t media. “A newspaper is media. This is like a collection of fucking scrapbooks and shit.” He also answers questions about marijuana, teaching, different countries and running for political office. This performance was filmed at The City Winery in Napa, California in 2014, and is approximately fifty minutes.

Lewis Black: Black To The Future was released on October, 13, 2017 through MVD Visual.