DVD A VICTORIAN WORLD OF BUNNIES AND DUCKS.Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor "Miss Potter," starring Renee Zellweger as the children's book author of such beloved stories as "The Tales of Peter Rabbit," may be treacly, but in the end its whimsy whim·sy also whim·sey n. pl. whim·sies also whim·seys 1. An odd or fanciful idea; a whim. 2. A quaint or fanciful quality: stories full of whimsy. has enough gravity to make it affecting. When we first meet Beatrix Potter, she is corseted in the Victorian England around the turn of the 20th century. A feisty but somewhat obedient sort already in her mid-30s, she has driven away the many suitors her upper-class mother (Barbara Flynn) has continually tried to foist foist tr.v. foist·ed, foist·ing, foists 1. To pass off as genuine, valuable, or worthy: "I can usually tell whether a poet . . . on her and lives instead in a world of bunnies and ducks -- the stories she makes up and illustrates. (In a charming touch, Potter's characters come to life on the page as she talks with them.) When she tries to sell one of her books -- "Peter Rabbit" -- after years of rejection, a pair of brother publishers surprisingly accepts. They have no confidence in the book, of course, nor in their younger brother, Norman Warne (Ewan McGregor), who they pawn it off to shepherd it through, but the book becomes a best seller in 1902, which leads to a string of hits. Her success hardly assuages her mother, who is genuinely oblivious to the fact her daughter is a celebrity (the J.K. Rowling of the time) and is still hoping for a suitable match. This is where the story hardens a bit, and Potter's feisty (feminist) side asserts itself over her be-the-good-daughter impulse. Directed by Chris Noonan ("Babe"), "Miss Potter" is both a bit of a tearjerker tear·jerk·er n. Slang A grossly sentimental story, drama, or performance. tear  -jerk and a bit inspiring. Perhaps
a darker tale could have been attempted, but we're not talking
about Virginia Woolf here. The film benefits from a winning cast.
Zellweger -- and don't ask if her accent works or not -- gives the
author the right balance of sweetness and determination. McGregor is
affecting as a man trying to assert himself, and Emily Watson opens
things up as Norman's decidedly un-Victorian sister Millie.
If Beatrix Potter escaped from her stuffy society through imagination, the two children in "Bridge to Terabithia" create their own fantasy world. Based on Katherine Paterson's Newberry-winning novel, "Bridge," -- while boasting some special effects -- is more the story of friendship. Jess Aarons (Josh Hutcherson) is a sixth-grader with four sisters, and talents for drawing and getting picked on by the school bullies. He strikes up a friendship with a new student, Leslie (AnnaSophia Robb). The two eventually create a magical world together -- she with words and he with illustrations -- that they escape into. Directed in his first feature by Gabor Csupo, one of the creators of "Rugrats," "Bridge" is a delightful family film that may not have the razzle-dazzle of some but has a sweetness that focuses on the power of imagination in child's life. The power of imagination, of course, plays an important role in "Simon Schama's Power of Art Power of Art is a BBC documentary series written and presented by Simon Schama. The series was broadcast in October and November 2006 on BBC2. As of June 2007 it is airing on PBS HD in the US and Canada and on TVNZ in New Zealand. ," which premiered on Monday on PBS PBS in full Public Broadcasting Service Private, nonprofit U.S. corporation of public television stations. PBS provides its member stations, which are supported by public funds and private contributions rather than by commercials, with educational, cultural, . The DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. set begin with the story of the life of Italian Renaissance painter Michelangelo Caravaggio, who made his religious paintings all too earthy, with his models often taken from the streets and brothels BROTHELS, crim. law. Bawdy-houses, the common habitations of prostitutes; such places have always been deemed common nuisances in the United States, and the keepers of them may be fined and imprisoned. 2. . Like many of the artists in this eight-part series, he was arrogant -- but brilliant and often put himself in his own painting, including one of his last, as the head of Goliath being held by David. It is an amazing image that immediately captures your attention. Schama's storytelling verges on being over the top but is immensely compelling. These artists' lives were hardly the tales of the meek. Italian Renaissance sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini, for instance, was a vainglorious type and friend of Pope Urban VII Pope Urban VII (August 4, 1521 – September 27, 1590), born Giovanni Battista Castagna, was Pope for thirteen days in September 1590. He was of Genoese origin, although born in Rome. , who nearly beat his younger brother to death for having made the mistake of sleeping with his married mistress. As for the mistress -- the model of one of Bernini's most famous work -- the artist sent a thug to slice up her face -- and she was imprisoned im·pris·on tr.v. im·pris·oned, im·pris·on·ing, im·pris·ons To put in or as if in prison; confine. [Middle English emprisonen, from Old French emprisoner : en- . Bernini's punishment was to marry a beautiful woman. It was only after he miscalculated on the Vatican bell towers, which cracked and had to be destroyed, and Urban died, that Bernini got in trouble. His response was "The Ecstasy of St. Theresa," an extraordinary sculpture that floats between the sacred and the carnal carnal adjective Referring to the flesh, to baser instincts, often referring to sexual “knowledge” . The other artists profiled are Rembrandt, Jacques-Louis David, J.W.M. Turner, Van Gogh, Picasso and American Mark Rothko, a major abstract expressionist. But no matter what your taste in art, the "Power of Art" will open your eyes. Before he was Al Swearinger of "Deadwood Deadwood, city (1990 pop. 1,830), seat of Lawrence co., W S.Dak.; settled 1876 after discovery of gold. A Black Hills tourist center, it is also a trade hub for a lumbering, stock-raising, and mining region. ," Ian McShane was an irascible i·ras·ci·ble adj. 1. Prone to outbursts of temper; easily angered. 2. Characterized by or resulting from anger. [Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin antiques dealer and sometime detective in the BBC BBC in full British Broadcasting Corp. Publicly financed broadcasting system in Britain. A private company at its founding in 1922, it was replaced by a public corporation under royal charter in 1927. series "Lovejoy." Not earthshaking earth·shak·ing adj. Of great consequence or importance. earth shak but certainly enjoyable,
"Lovejoy" has a lot of colorful locations, but as expected,
McShane is the series' most colorful asset.
Perhaps overshadowed in retrospect because of Malcolm McDowell's success in "A Clockwork Orange" a couple of years later, director Lindsay Anderson's 1968 "If --" made the actor the face of English rebellion. Set in a British public school, McDowell plays Mick Travers, whose minor indiscretions draw the ire of the stern headmaster (Robert Swan). What begins as a small power struggle eventually turns into a full-blown war, which reflected the conflicts between the counterculture coun·ter·cul·ture n. A culture, especially of young people, with values or lifestyles in opposition to those of the established culture. coun and the powers that be at the time. "If--" is an entertaining and provocative film and well worth the time. The Criterion DVD includes commentary by film critic and historian David Robinson and actor McDowell. Two other Criterion releases of note are by Yugoslavian filmmaker Dusan Makaveje -- the newly restored 1971 "WR: Mysteries of the Organism," and the 1974 "Sweet Movie," both art-house shockers. "WR" begins as a documentary about controversial psychologist and philosopher Wilhelm Reich and moves into an exploration of a beautiful young girl's sexual liberation. "Sweet Movie" digs into every taboo it can think of, including a gynecological gynecological /gy·ne·co·log·i·cal/ (-kah-loj´i-k'l) gynecologic. beauty pageant and an unpleasant food orgy. Rob Lowman (818) 713-3687 robert.lowman@dailynews.com the prices NEW FILMS "Bridge to Terabithia" (Walt Disney; $29.99, $34.99 for Blu-ray) "Gray Matters" (Fox; $27.98) "Miss Potter" (Weinstein; $28.95 "Reno 911! -- Miami" (Fox; $29.99) TELEVISION "Simon Schama's Power of Art" (BBC Warner; $49.98) "Longford" (HBO Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) A form of oxygen therapy in which the patient breathes oxygen in a pressurized chamber. Mentioned in: Ozone Therapy ; $26.98 "Picket Fences -- Season 1" (Fox; $59.98 ) "Lovejoy -- The Complete Season 1" (BBC Warner; $49.98) "Perry Mason -- Season 2, Vol. 1" (Paramount; $38.99) "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea -- Season 3, Vol. 1" ( Fox; $39.98 "Pinky and the Brain This article describes both the animated television series, and the characters from that series. Pinky and the Brain (sometimes abbreviated PatB or P&tB) are cartoon characters who have starred in the American animated television series , Vol. 3" (Warner; $44.98) "Animaniacs, Vol. 3" (Warner; $44.98) "The Powerpuff Girls -- The Complete First Season" (Turner; $26.98) "Daniel Boone -- Season Four" (Goldhil; $49.98) "Silver Spoons -- The Complete First Season" (Columbia; $29.95) OLDER FILMS "If ..." (Criterion ; $39.95) "WR: Mysteries of the Organism" (Criterion; $39.95 ) "Sweet Movie" (Criterion; $39.95 ) "Lucille Ball Film Collection" ("Dance Girl Dance"/ "The Big Street"/ "Du Barry Was a Lady"/ "Critic's Choice"/ "Mame") (Warner; $49.98) "The Panic in Needle Park" (Fox; $14.98) "Die Hard Collection" ("Die Hard"/ "Die Hard 2 -- Die Harder"/ "Die Hard With a Vengeance"/ "Inside Look: Live Free or Die Hard" (Fox; $39.98) "Author! Author!" (Fox; $14.98 ) "The Secret of NIMH -- Family Fun Edition" (MGM MGM in full Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. U.S. corporation and film studio. It was formed when the film distributor Marcus Loew, who bought Metro Pictures in 1920, merged it with the Goldwyn production company in 1924 and with Louis B. Mayer Pictures in 1925. ; $19.98) "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh -- The Friendship Edition" (Walt Disney; $29.99) CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1) Renee Zellwegger is the obedient but still feisty author of the "Peter Rabbit" books in "Miss Potter." (2 -- 4) no caption (dvds) |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion