MCN Columnists
Gary Dretzka

By Gary Dretzka Dretzka@moviecitynews.com

The DVD Wrapup: Goats, Where Do We Go Now?, My Trip to Al Qaeda, Loved Ones, Titanic 3D, Nympho Divers, AbFab, Spartacus … More

Goats: Blu-ray
In the world of independent filmmaking, a very thin line separates dysfunctional families from those merely offbeat, quirky and unconventional. In “Goats,” director Christopher Neil and writer Mark Poirier straddle that razor-thin barrier for most of its 94 minutes, while also attempting to convince us that a child born into such a family could survive to manhood uncorrupted by his parents’ selfish behavior. The young man in question here, Ellis (Graham Phillips), has lived with a desperately New Age-y mother in the desert outside Tucson for most of his 14 years on Earth. Wendy (Vera Farmiga) has led him to believe that his estranged father, Frank (Ty Burrell), is a total prick, who made her life a living hell and abandoned them, emotionally, if not financially. In the absence of positive role models, Ellis’ well-being and education has been entrusted to a scruffy botanist, Goat Man (David Duchovny), who cares for Wendy’s desert garden, cleans the pool, tends to the family’s goats and stays high on home-grown pot. Ellis accompanies Goat Man on his vision-quest treks, during which the bearded wise man shares hippy-dippy philosophies and bong hits with the boy. We meet this atypical family, just as Ellis is about to travel east to attend the same prep school as his dad and learn to exist in an infinitely more traditional world of privilege and excess. At Thanksgiving break, he will reconnect with the father he’s learned to hate and his new, exceedingly sweet and pregnant wife (Kerrie Russell).

The only thing wrong with this scenario – and it’s something of an indie cliché, by now — is how well Ellis manages to adapt to his new environment. He’s remarkably self-sufficient, an A-student and generous to a dweeb roommate who demonstrates why early exposure to booze and parental neglect is far more harmful than early exposure to marijuana and parental neglect. To suggest that Ellis is more mature, at 14, than his parents ever were is only to point out the obvious. Neither is it too far-fetched to think Goat Man ultimately will emerge as the better father figure than Frank or Wendy’s new lover, a self-centered gigolo who panders to her Sedona-based theories on spiritual health. I don’t think Neil and Poirier mind comparisons to “The Royal Tenenbaums,” the Wes Anderson masterpiece that launched a couple dozen lesser dramas about familial dysfunction. By staying close to the Tenenbaum’s New York home, Anderson could focus more on the individual family members than the physical distance between them. The same applies with Campbell Scott’s vastly underappreciated “Off the Map,” in which Joan Allen plays a woman whose post-hippy isolation isn’t governed by fads and crystal-gazing philosophies. Her daughter was allowed to leave the nest, as well, but off-screen.

There’s simply too much to absorb in too short a time in “Goats.” Nevertheless, for those who enjoy such family dramedies – with the accent on drama, here – there are solid performances by the principle actors, beautiful scenery and, of course, goats. The Blu-ray arrives with a couple of deleted scenes and background featurettes, but’s nothing special. It’s probably worth noting, as well, that Neil is linked to Hollywood royalty by being Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola’s nephew and the son of a special-effects cameraman on a pair of “Star Wars” movies. Although “Goats” marks his debut as a director, he’s worked on several Coppola-family projects and “Star Wars: Episode III.” – Gary Dretzka

Where Do We Go Now?
In this bittersweet fable about life in the boonies of war-torn Lebanon, director-actress Nadine Labaki’s suggests that sectarian violence can be as much a product of too much information as too little compassion. “Where Do We Go Now?” is set in a village so remote that the residents have yet to learn that Christians and Muslims are supposed to hate and fear each other, instead of co-exist in peace as they have for centuries. It isn’t until a television and big-city newspapers are introduced to the village that news of the troubles in Beirut and south Lebanon prompt young people with too much time on their hands to play pranks inspired by the faraway tensions. The adult males mistake these pranks for the bitter fruits on intolerance and begin to plot against each other. The women, who jointly mourn the deaths of loved ones now lying in segregated cemeteries, concoct a scheme to defuse the increasingly volatile situation. One involves the importation of a troupe of exotic dancers from the Ukraine to channel the men’s sexual energy. Another has the women dosing the men’s food with powerful hashish. If this sounds far-fetched, so, too, must the belief that a common God sanctions the violence that’s spoiled the peace that once exemplary nation.

Left to their own devices, the villagers could have lived in peace for another century, at least. As the war and news of it encroach even closer on the town square – where a church and mosque stand side by side — it seems as if only a miracle can prevent further strife. Although censored in some countries, “Where Do We Go Now?” played very well in the Mideast and was selected by Lebanon to be its entry for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Category. This, after winning the People’s Choice Award at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Labaki (“Caramel”) takes full advantage of the sheltered rural setting and coaxes excellent performances from the largely amateur cast. She balances the potentially tragic realities of war with comedic interludes and songs. Anyone who can’t get their head around the horrors of daily life in the Mideast war zones – and who can, really? – ought to check out some of the films being released by filmmakers attempting to make sense of them, as well. If only such dialogues were possible in real life, we all could sleep easier. – Gary Dretzka

My Trip to Al-Qaeda
I may not be 100 percent sure why it is that we’re still fighting a losing battle against rabid religious fundamentalists in Afghanistan – and with killer drones in Pakistan and Yemen – but, after watching “My Trip to Al-Qaeda“, I understand why our endgame could resemble what finally happened in Vietnam. There are few more celebrated documentary makers than Alex Gibney, who’s won an Oscar for “Taxi to the Dark Side” and was nominated for “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.” His other credits include “Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer,” “Casino Jack and the United States of Money” and “Freakonomics.” “My Trip to Al-Qaeda” is his interpretation of a 2006 one-man performance piece by journalist Lawrence Wright, which itself was based on more than 600 interviews and 4,100 pages of notes with a broad cross-section of interested parties. They include former CIA operatives, torturers, torturees, historians, clerics and, even, the late brother-in-law of Osama Bin Laden. The production is further informed by maps, photographs, news footage and charts, covering a period from the assassination of Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat, through 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In it, Wright uses Bin Laden’s own words to show how, simply by drawing the U.S. and its allies into a “crusade” against Islam, Al Qaeda had succeeded in its mission. In effect, then, the terrorist attacks on 9/11were calculated to draw the west into areas deemed “sacred” by Muslims, who, theoretically, would rise up against the Great Satan. That didn’t happen, of course, but President Bush’s determination to kill Saddam Hussein gave Al Qaeda the gift of time. The Taliban used it to regroup, expand and argue that the infidels were there to stay. Can the new democracies hold up against religious fundamentalists – and, as we’ve seen this week, the rabble-rousers — who teach that paradise awaits those who die in the service of Allah? Stay tuned. – Gary Dretzka

The Loved Ones
The Complete Hammer House of Horrors
Australia may be known best for its kangaroos, koalas, killer sharks and bushy blond surfers, but it’s also become a reliable exporter of highly imaginative and genuinely frightening horror and crime thrillers. Unlike the low-budget Ozploitation flicks described in Mark Hartley’s wonderfully twisted documentary, “Not Quite Hollywood,” recent genre pictures have benefitted from larger budgets, better acting and writing, and a decreasing reliance on T&A to sell the action. Sean Byrne’s “The Loved Ones” debuts on DVD after securing some excellent reviews from festival screenings. If it fails to meet your standards for twisted behavior and storytelling, I suggest having yourself committed … immediately.

Although not at all geeky or unpleasant to look at, mousy wallflower Lola (Robin McLeavy) has a history of being rejected and dissed by the cool crowd at school. Instead of throwing a pity party for herself or leaving herself open to humiliation, a la “Carrie,” Lola simulates dating situations with the boys her nutzo father rounds up and brings home for their mutual pleasure. Such is the case with Brent (Xavier Samuel), a troubled young man who accidentally killed his father while trying to avoid a naked teenage boy standing in the middle of the road, bleeding. When Lola approached Brent for a prom date, he had already committed to attending with the likely queen, Holly. There was nothing personal in his rejection of Lola’s offer, but it was sufficient cause for Daddy (John Brompton) to hunt down the boy and bring him home for a simulated prom. I don’t care how crappy your prom might have been, this one will be difficult to erase from your memory. Since the release of “The Loved Ones,” in 2009, McLeavy has been cast in “Hell on Wheels” and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” while Samuel has appeared in “The Twilight Saga” and “Anonymous.”

With “The Complete Hammer House of Horror,” Synapse Films continues to mine the rich vein of horror gold found in the archives of the legendary British studio. In 1980, the Hammer team went on location to the old Hampden Manor House, where it produced an anthology series of 13 stories to air on ITC television. Not surprisingly, the tales of suspense and terror were populated with such Hammer stalwarts as Peter Cushing (in “The Silent Scream”), Anthony Valentine (“Carpathian Eagle”) and Denholm Elliott (“Rude Awakening”), as well as such familiar faces as Pierce Brosnan, Brian Cox, Simon MacCorkindale and Diana Dors in less prominent roles. The Synapse package presents the complete series in its original airdate order, with all-new introductions, featurettes and a stills gallery. – Gary Dretzka

Titanic 3D: Limited Edition: Blu-ray
When it comes to 3D and hi-def, consumers can always count on James Cameron to deliver the goods. His instincts may add a few shekles to a production budget, but ultimately it’s to the consumer’s benefit.  Just as he pushed the theatrical release of “Titanic” from July to December of 1997, he waited until everything was right before releasing the epic period romance on 3D and 2D Blu-ray. I doubt if many “Titanic” obsessives were unhappy that Cameron didn’t adjust his schedule to make the Blu-ray launch coincide with the centennial celebration, which already was overcrowded with shipwreck-themed films. If fans felt deprived, they simply could re-watch their VHS or DVD copies and anticipate how much better “Titanic” would look and sound in Blu-ray. They needn’t have worried. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that sales of 3D-ready televisions jumped after the first glowing reviews of the new release were published. It’s the kind of game-changing product that lifts all boats.

Only the most deep-pocketed of fans need consider the Amazon-exclusive “Titanic Collector’s Edition,” which, for around $240, offers a souvenir book, passenger dossiers and postcards, in addition to the exhaustive amount of bonus material in the standard Bu-ray editions. In addition to the three commentary tracks borrowed from the 2005 DVD edition, the new material includes documentaries, “Reflections on ‘Titanic’” and “‘Titanic’: The Final Word With James Cameron,” both in 1080p and at a combined length of more than 2½ hours; an hour’s worth of deleted and extended scenes, in 1080p; 60 behind-the-scenes featurettes in standard definition; a digital copy of the film; marketing material; stills galleries; and “Titanic” parodies. With it, stocking-stuffer season has officially arrived. – Gary Dretzka

Nympho Divers: G-String Festival
Female Teacher: Dirty Afternoon
Karate-Robo Zaborgar
Western fans of the movies in Impulse Pictures’ Nikkatsu Erotic Films Collection typically are drawn first to crazy titles and, then, to the promise of lurid, if abysmally censored sex. The new additions to the series are reliably gonzo, even though pubis-disguising techniques have improved. (That prohibition would be lifted, in part because of the importation of adult videos from abroad, in the 1990s.) “Nympho Divers: G-String Festival” not only is more humorous than most of the “pink” films I’ve seen, but it also extends the “girl diver” sub-genre of Japanese exploitation flicks (a.k.a., “ama”). Here, a once-thriving Japanese coastal village is experiencing a shortage in divers to go after oysters, abalone, octopi and clams. The local talent has moved to the larger cities for higher paying jobs, so the mayor’s son is assigned to go to Tokyo to hire pretty young women to lure tourists, as well as bivalves, to the town. Naturally, the girl divers are wildly promiscuous and seemingly insatiable. It doesn’t take long for them to wear out the elderly men in the village, who are as interested in muff-diving as they are in pearl diving. The ladies also are required to compete in a thong-bikini contest, during which the sumo-like G-strings cause excruciatingly painful wedgies. Curiously, the cash-short producers decided there was no need to waste money on underwater scenes when a good cat fight or perverse sexual coupling are all that’s needed to keep viewers’ attention.

Likewise, Nikkatsu produced a series of “Female Teacher” titles that satisfied viewers’ cravings for movies about “lusty schoolmistresses.” (Where were they when I was growing up?) In “Female Teacher: Nasty Afternoon,” a teacher, Sakiko Kurata (Yuki Kazamatsuri), is surprised by a call from jail by a vaguely remembered former student. The girl is accused of prostitution, even though she freely surrenders her physical gifts to strangers. As tendentious as the student-teacher connection is, it causes Sakiko to recall an event from her past – she was raped by a masked man who “smelled of paint thinner” – that may have resulted in the conviction of the wrong person. This revelation haunts the teacher to the point where she seeks redemption through illicit sexual encounters of her own. Both DVDs arrive with the theatrical trailers and liner notes.

American viewers unfamiliar with the Japanese sci-fi/fantasy genre tokusatsu – live-action, effects-heavy dramas in which humans interact with superheroes – probably would be completely baffled by “Karate-Robo Zaborgar,” especially if they picked it up for their Transformers-crazy kids. (Not a good idea.) Older geeks, however, might recognize it as a completely freaked-out parody of – or, perhaps, tribute to – the 1974 TV series, “Denjin Zaborger,” in which a bionic vigilante avenges the death of his creator by rebooting a transforming robot/motorcycle invention and targeting his rage at an evil organization led by the wheelchair-bound cyborg and his robotic army. After establishing the backstory, “Karate-Robo Zaborgar” abruptly flashes forward 25 years, to the recession plagued present and another threat to mankind.

This is truly crazy stuff, not at all appropriate for kiddies with a Transformers fixation. But, then, what else might one expect from Noboru Iguchi, creator of “The Machine Girl,” “Mutant Girls Squad,” “Robo Geisha” and “Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead”? Here, cyber-babes use their breasts as weapons and command such transformers as the Diarrhea Monster. I know just enough about Japanese fantasy to have found Iguchi’s new movie far more entertaining than I expected it to be and several degrees more insane. For connoisseurs of fart jokes, there’s a doozy near the movie’s climatic battle between Zarborgar and a giant transformed woman in a bikini.  The DVD adds the short film, “Go, Zaborgar Go!” and coming attractions from Sushi Typhoon, Japan’s answer to Troma. – Gary Dretzka

Cleanskin: Blu-ray
6 Bullets
After almost 30 years in the biz, Sean Bean has emerged as one of the most dependable action stars on the virtually-direct-to-DVD circuit. He also continues to do interesting work in non-genre projects, of course, but Bean’s fanbase has grown steadily since his work in the “Sharpe’s …” saga and “Red Riding” trilogy. In “Cleanskin,” he plays a ready-to-retire secret-service agent, Ewan, who’s agreed to accept one last mission for his old counter-terrorist boss (Charlotte Rampling). It requires him to take out a deeply entrenched terrorist cell, using the same license granted to James Bond and other 00- agents. At first, Ewan is perfectly willing to do his duty for Queen and country. After a while, though, he begins to sense that his mission is serving an entirely different purpose. Hadi Hajaig’s film gives ample time to the antagonists, whose motives for provoking violence go further back than last week’s rant by a bloodthirsty mullah. “Cleanskin” is best, however, when Hajaig lets the tick-tock action dominate the story. The DVD adds a making-of featurette.

After emerging briefly from the straight-to-DVD arena in “The Expendables 2,” Jean-Claude Van Damme has returned to the cheap-and-dirty world of action thrillers with “6 Bullets.” Once again, he’s joined here with his children, Kristopher Van Varenberg and Bianca Bree, as well as “Assassination Games” director Ernie Barbarash. He plays a veteran mercenary – duh – who specializes in child abductions. While in Eastern Europe, the teenage daughter of a MMA fighter is kidnaped by white slavers and JCVD is recruited to show him the finer points of tracking down hoodlums in Russia. Not surprisingly, the action is fast, furious and not remotely credible. Who really cares about credibility, though, when the Van Dammes are in the house? – Gary Dretzka

Play in the Gray
It would be far too easy to portray the Boston-based dance, music and performance troupe, All the Kings Men, as simply a highly evolved drag act. Comprised of a half-dozen multi-talented lesbian artists, ATKM has built on its drag-king foundation to probe the limits of gender identity and breaking down the barriers that limit sexual choice. It does so through the use of satire and crowd-pleasing comedy. In “Play in the Gray,” we meet the women, listen to their stories and watch as they transform themselves into a variety of different characters. Some of their observations are directly on-point, while others float in from left field. For performer Katie Allen, “Drag is putting on a skirt and high heels to give me long hair and being a girl.” Karin Webb allows, “When I put on the mask of a character, when I’m performing drag, the comment that I’m making can be any comment. There are comments that I care about, there are comments that I hope the audience gets out of it, but I’m also really not interested in dictating what those comments are or should be.” On stage, ATKM is a little bit of a lot of entertaining things. Off stage, we follow the women along on tour stops and visits to relatives, some of whom are still coming to grips with their sexuality. Kaitlin Meelia’s direction is unobtrusive, observant and not locked into any one letter in the initialism, LGBT(Q,U,I, P,TS,C,A). – Gary Dretzka

Absolutely Fabulous: 20th Anniversary Specials
It was entirely appropriate for Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley to jointly carry the Olympic torch through the streets of London, a day before the lavish Opening Ceremony two months ago. It might have been even more appropriate if Lumley had lit a cigarette off the sacred flame while trotting along. After all, long before Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and the Middleton sisters set the standards for British fashion, Edina Monsoon and the chain-smoking Patsy (Saunders, Lumley) defined what it means to be a fashionista. After 20 years, the AbFab girls may have a few more well-camouflaged wrinkles, but they can still party-hardy and make complete fools of themselves, without realizing – or caring — how foolish they look. The three specials that comprise “Absolutely Fabulous: 20th Anniversary Specials” – “Identity,” “Job,” “Olympics” — were produced both to celebrate their anniversary and piggyback on the country’s Olympics Fever. Also back for the ride are long-suffering Saffron (Julia Sawalhe), Mother Monsoon (June Whitfield) and the wonderfully ditzy Bubble (Jane Horrocks). The DVD package also includes “AbFab Does Sports Relief” and a behind-the-scenes featurette. And, yes, of course, Patsy lights her cigarette off the flame for the “AbFab” audience. – Gary Dretzka

TV to DVD:
Spartacus: Vengeance: Blu-ray
Terra Nova: The Complete Series: Blu-ray
The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Third Season
The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Fifth Season
Roseanne: The Complete Fifth/Sixth Season
Grounded for Life: The Complete Series
Kojak: Season 5
Among the many unexpected things that can happen to a popular TV series between seasons is the loss of a key character due to the actor’s contract disputes, bloated ego, incarceration or health problems. “Two and a Half Men” survived the departure of Charlie Sheen, who many people, including Charlie, believed was the sole reason viewers tuned into the show. Between the first and second season of Starz’ decidedly adult gladiator series, “Spartacus,” the actor playing the title character succumbed to non-Hodgkin lymphoma. To fill the gap between seasons, Starz ordered the six-episode prequel, “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.” It told the story of Gannicus, the original champion of the House of Batiatus. Another Aussie hunk, Liam McIntyre, replaced the late Andy Whitfield in “Spartacus: Vengeance,” without creating too many ripples in the water. It picks up after the gladiator rebellion and subsequent bloodbath that capped Season One, “Blood and Sand.” The rebels present a growing threat to the empire, so Gaius Claudius Glaber and his Roman troops are sent to Capua to crush the growing band of freed slaves under Spartacus’ leadership. Glaber, of course, betrayed the Thracian warrior at the beginning of “B&S,” separating Spartacus from his wife and condemning him to death in the arena. Among the returning veterans are Lucy Lawless, Peter Mensah, Manu Bennett, Nick Tarabay and Viva Blanca. There’s also plenty more of the trademark sex and gore. Indeed, the special makeup effects used in the battle scenes could very well set the standard for nightmares to come. It’s the writing, though, that truly sets “Spartacus” apart from lesser mini-series. The Blu-ray package contains a bounty of making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, historical pieces, interviews, previews of the upcoming “Spartacus: War of the Damned,” commentaries on extended episodes and bloopers.

In its abbreviated run on Fox, “Terra Nova” failed to receive the same kind of support from sci-fi geeks that buoyed similar fantasies holding steady in the cable arena, where ratings are interpreted differently that they are by the networks. Any description of the show, even in capsule form, might provide a reasonable explanation of why “Terra Nova” might not have succeeded. One, it involves time travel from the unforeseeable future, 2149, to the fog of the distant past, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Remarkably, the Shannon family is able to survive certain destruction – along with the rest of humankind – by escaping to the prehistoric refuge, Terra Nova. Unfortunately, the situation there is similarly tenuous, even 85 million years removed from environmental wasteland that men wrought through their ignorance. Even in the distant past, rival forces aren’t satisfied with watching dinosaurs mate from afar, preferring instead to further their own selfish interests. Sounds yummy, huh? Fox took its time cancelling the series, though, hoping Netflix or a cable network would bite on a second season. Even the loyalty of vocal fans couldn’t stop the network from pulling the trigger on its demise. The DVD package includes all of the 13 episodes, including the two-hour pilot and conclusion; a gag reel; deleted scenes; behind-the-scenes and background material; a hour’s worth of extended and original scenes, plus commentary, on the finale; and a featurette on the show’s dinosaurs.

Meanwhile, over on the more modestly ambitious CW, the soap-opera characters on “The Vampire Diaries” still refuse to die. The new Blu-ray package should get newcomers up to date on what happened during Season Three on the sexy teen melodrama. Not being 17 years old, “Vampire Diaries” has proven far too complicated by romantic entanglements and interchangeable characters to maintain my short attention span. Clearly, the intricacies are far more interesting and logical to the show’s many loyal fans. In Season Three, when a family of vampire hunters awake from their millennial sleep, none of the residents of Mystic Falls – be they hybrid, ghost, witch, vampire or werewolf – will be safe. The Blu-ray adds fan-favorite scenes, unaired scenes, a gag reel, a discussion on the show’s take on the supernatural and a detailed producer’s diary.

When politicians bemoan the status of American students in the sciences and math, it’s probably because they’ve never watched “The Big Bang Theory.” With minds like these at our disposal, we need not worry about the national grade-point average. If nerd physicists can avoid flunking out of Caltech, while also playing video games, reading comic books, collecting “Star Trek” gear and making out with a normally untouchable blond waitress, imagine what they could do if they did their homework. There isn’t much about “TBBT” that viewers don’t already know, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from reliving the highlights of Season Five. They include visits from Dr. Stephen Hawking and “Star Trek” actors Wil Wheaton and Brent Spiner. Meanwhile, Howard is forced to balance NASA’s needs with those of bride-to-be Bernadette. The DVD includes all 24 episodes, a featurette on the show’s 100th episode, interviews and a gag reel. It’s interesting to note how many “Roseanne” alumni have appeared on “TBBT.” Fans of both shows can find Johnny Galecki, Sara Gilbert and Laurie Metcalf in the Mill Creek collection of episodes from the fifth and sixth seasons. The show’s creator, Chuck Lorre, wrote a dozen episodes of “Roseanne” in 1990 and 1991.

Also from Mill Creek comes all 91 episodes of “Grounded for Life,” which starred Donal Logue, Megyn Price, Kevin Corrigan and Richard Riehle. The show is based on the premise that teenagers shouldn’t become parents, unless they’re ready to give up their hard-partying ways. “Grounded for Life” has the rare distinction of being picked up by the WB after being cancelled by Fox, then being adapted for British television under a different title.

By the time “Kojak” reached its fifth and final season, the show had run out of steam in the ratings race. Blessedly, it will live forever on DVD, a format far more favorable than reruns. Joining Telly Savalas here are such guest stars as Armande Assante, Andrea Marcovicci, Stephen McHattie, David Ladd, Tige Andrews, Danny Thomas, Charles Cioffi, Paula Kelly, Lew Wallace, William Windom, Jennifer Warren, Sam Jaffe, Diane Baker, Liberace, Ken Kercheval, Meeno Peluce, Michael Lerner, Lincoln Kilpatrick, Gail Landry and did I mention, Liberace? – Gary Dretzka

PBS: Mariachi High
PBS: John Leguizamo: Tales From a Ghetto Klown
PBS: Orangutan Diaries
Outside of Mexico, the American Southwest and Mexican-American communities elsewhere, mariachi is treated more like a cliché or novelty than a living, breathing musical idiom, as much a part of life here as it is in Mexico City’s Plaza Garibaldi. Don’t take my word for it, though. Watch the PBS documentary “Mariachi High” and study the faces of the Texas teens learning, practicing and performing wonderfully meaningful songs you can’t hear at the local Mexican restaurant. Their joy makes the kids on “Glee” look like grinches. It’s the same rush of excitement, pride and accomplishment that paints the cheeks of champion athletes and winners of the Publisher’s Clearing House drawings. What distinguishes the kids who comprise Mariachi Halcon of Zapata High School in the small border town of Zapata is that their success isn’t expected, widely celebrated or determined by the luck of the draw. If it weren’t for the mariachi program, most of the students we meet here would have remained in the high-risk category and struggled for respect and opportunity. “Mariachi High” follows the ensemble from auditions, through statewide competition and on to graduation day. At a time when meathead politicians willingly build walls along our southern border, these young Americans – and possibly a few immigrants who snuck in years earlier – chose to embrace their heritage and interpret it with a Texas accent. The DVD includes follow-up material on the musicians.

The first half of “John Leguizamo: Tales From a Ghetto Klown” feels very much like a conventional making-of featurette for an in-concert performance film. We follow the gestation of Leguizamo’s fifth one-man show from its Chicago tryout, which was greeted by a record-breaking snowstorm, to its star-studded opening on Broadway, which was greeted with disappointing reviews. For 30 minutes, I waited for the talking to end and “Ghetto Klown” to begin. Instead, and here’s the good part, we’re allowed to eavesdrop on Leguizamo as he prepares to take the show to his native Colombia. This requires the 48-year-old comic actor to re-learn Spanish, so that he can present the show in the language of the people paying good money to see it. He prepares for it as if he were a boxer getting ready for the fight of his life. The bonus package adds interviews and several bits recorded in Chicago, some of which I’d swear I’d heard before in other Leguizamo productions. But, that’s OK, because he’s hasn’t lost much in his hyperactive delivery.

Originally produced for the BBC, “Orangutan Diaries” is a five-part documentary describing the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation’s heroic efforts to prevent the apes’ extinction. Hosts Michaela_Strachan and Steve Leonard tag along with animal rescuers hoping to return graduates of the “forest school” rehabilitation program to the bush. In what has become a far too familiar story, corporate interests – here, in the form of palm-oil and rubber plantations — have greatly depleted the orangutans’ natural jungle habitats. At any one time, some 600 displaced orangutans reside at the foundation’s headquarters, where they are given a new lease on life. Once healthy in mind and body, the strongest orphans are moved to a protected reserve in the interior of Borneo. The new PBS set contains the first and second series, which aired in England in 2007 and 2009. Although the accent here is on survival of the species, anyone who enjoyed what they saw in Disney’s “Chimpanzee” will find something just as fascinating in the longer “Orangutan Diaries.” In several ways, the apes here resemble their human cousins even more than chimps. This is especially true when they’re ill and their hair gets patchy. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself reaching for your wallet after watching the series and “adopting” an orangutan at the foundation’s website. – Gary Dretzka

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s: The Lost World: Double Feature
Sherlock Holmes: 2 Complete Mini-Series
While best known for introducing Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Watson and Moriarty to readers, Arthur Conan Doyle also contributed one other unforgettable character, the irascible Professor George Edward Challenger, to the literary world. Described as a “caveman in a lounge suit,” the scientist and adventurer was known for his ill temper and sometimes bizarre theories. In “The Lost World,” Challenger leads an expedition to a South American plateau so remote that dinosaurs still can be found there. Naturally, his findings are greeted with skepticism by London’s scientific elite. “The Lost World” has been adapted many times since Wallace Beery first portrayed Challenger in 1925. In “The Lost World: Double Feature,” he is played by John Rhys-Davies, who very much looks the part. In it and “Return to the Lost World,” the location of the plateau has shifted to Africa and oil prospectors are threatening its dinosaur population. Challenger feels obligated to go to Africa to fulfill his promise to a local tribal chief, but first must get over himself and settle a nasty feud with a rival. David Warner plays Professor Summerlee and Eric McCormack is a Canadian reporter looking for a juicy assignment. I don’t know how much theatrical exposure, if any, these films received here upon their release in 1992. Michael Crichton’s novel, “Jurassic Park,” had already been published and Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of it was already in production. Conan Doyle wasn’t given credit for inspiring that blockbuster, even though Crichton referenced him in his book.

How does one fairly distinguish one adaptation of Holmes material from the more than 250 others that have preceded or succeeded it since 1900? Typically, we’ve categorized them according to the actors who’ve played the legendary private investigator, from Eille Norwood and Basil Rathbone to Peter Cushing, Jeremy Brett and Robert Downey Jr. And they keep right on coming. Jonny Lee Miller plays a contemporary New York sleuth on CBS’ “Elementary,” alongside Lucy Liu. Presumably, it was inspired by the success of the Brit mini-series “Sherlock,” with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. In the mini-series “Double Feature” from Mill Creek Entertainment, the venerable Christopher Lee plays Holmes and Patrick Macnee is Watson. More interesting is the casting of Morgan Fairchild as the formidable Irene Francis Adler and Engelbert Humperdinck as Eberhardt Bohm in “Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady.” In “Incident at Victoria Falls,” Lee and Macnee are joined by Jenny Seagrave as Lilly Langtry and Claude Akins as Teddy Roosevelt. Holmes completists, more than casual readers, will want to check it out. – Gary Dretzka

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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?

So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.

And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.

There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.

I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.

So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.

But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”

My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher

“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.

~ David Simon