New Media -April 2009
On DVD:
Blue Note: a story of modern jazz – DVD TAC-2088
"'It must schwing!' was the motto of Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, two German Jewish immigrants who in 1939 set up Blue Note Records, the jazz label that was home to such greats as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins. Blue Note, the most successful movie ever made about jazz, is a testimony to the passion and vision of these two men and certainly swings like the propulsive sounds that made their label so famous"—Container.
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The price of pleasure – DVD TAC-2204
"Once relegated to the margins of society, pornography has emerged as one of the most visible and profitable sectors of the cultural industries, assuming an unprecedented role in the mainstream of our popular culture at the same time that its content has become more extreme and harsh, more overtly sexist and racist. This eye-opening and disturbing film places the voices of critics, producers, and performers alongside the observations of men and women as they candidly discuss the role pornography has played in shaping their sexual imaginations and relationships. The Price of Pleasure moves beyond the liberal versus conservative debates so common in the culture to paint a myth-busting and nuanced portrait of how pleasure and pain, commerce and power, liberty and responsibility have become intertwined in the most intimate areas of our lives"—Container.
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Desert wars – DVD TAC-2208
"It's a story as old as the West itself, a story of water and power: who has it and who wants it. Competing interests debate how growth, development, preservation, and conservation are at stake in the future of the West. Desert wars: water and the West explores these pressing issues by looking at the conflicts surrounding the future of the Snake Valley groundwater aquifer in Nevada and Utah's west desert and at efforts to tap it for Las Vegas, Nevada. Ranchers and farmers in small towns like Callao and Partoun, Utah, and Baker, Nevada, depend on the aquifer for their way of life ... Proposed groundwater pipelines flowing to Las Vegas could possibly affect not just small towns and ranching communities but also Great Basin National Park, Fish Springs Wildlife Refuge, and endangered species"—Container.
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The medicated child – DVD TAC-2209
In recent years, there's been a dramatic increase in the number of children being diagnosed with serious psychiatric disorders and prescribed medications that are just beginning to be tested in children. The drugs can cause serious side effects, and virtually nothing is known about their long-term impact. "It's really to some extent an experiment, trying medications in these children of this age," child psychiatrist Dr. Patrick Bacon tells FRONTLINE. "It's a gamble. And I tell parents there's no way to know what's going to work."
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Disfigured – DVD TAC-2210
Lydia is a fat, graceful woman struggling to maintain her identity in fashionable Venice Beach, California. Though she is a member of Fat Acceptance Group she still struggles with complex feelings about her body and its place in the world. Darcy, a recovering-anorexic real estate agent, is struggling with the same issues from a very different perspective. Her attempt to join the Fat Acceptance Group is quickly rejected but it introduces her to Lydia.
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The diamond empire – DVD TAC-2211
Central to the diamond's role as a romantic symbol is the belief that diamonds are one of the rarest, most precious gifts for a loved one. This documentary examines how the great myth about the scarcity of diamonds and their inflated value was created and maintained over the decades by the diamond cartel.
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28 days later – DVD TAC-2212
An infirmary patient wakes up from a coma to an empty room ... in a vacant hospital ... in a deserted city. A powerful virus, which locks victims into a permanent state of murderous rage, has transformed the world around him into a seemingly desolate wasteland. Now a handful of survivors must fight to stay alive, unaware that the worst is yet to come.
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The steel helmet – DVD TAC-2213
Despite its relatively low budget, this portrait of Korean War soldiers grappling with moral and racial issues while trying to stay alive remains one of the director's most gripping, realistic depictions of the blood and guts of war, as well as a reflection of Fuller's social conscience.
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Samuel Fuller's The Baron of Arizona – DVD TAC-2214
In one of his own favorite roles, Vincent Price portrays legendary swindler James Addison Reavis, who, in 1880, concocted an elaborate and dangerous hoax to ascend to the title of "Baron of Arizona" and inherit all the land in the state.
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I shot Jesse James – DVD TAC-2215
After years of crime reporting and writing pulp novels and screenplays, Samuel Fuller made his directorial debut with the lonesome ballad of Robert Ford who fatally betrayed his friend, the notorious Jesse James.
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I am curious: yellow – DVD TAC-2216
Using an innovative stylistic approach, director Vilgot Sjöman deliberately blurs the lines between the characters' lives and those of the actors portraying them. Lena, the film's protagonist, is a true woman of the 60's in search of her own selfhood. She becomes a political activist, challenging traditional values on the issues of militarism, social equality and sexual liberation. The film was seized by U.S. Customs and released in the U.S. only after the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ruling of a lower court.
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I am curious: blue – DVD TAC-2217
This sequel to I am curious - yellow follows young Lena on her continuing journey of self-discovery. In Blue, Lena confronts issues of religion, sexuality and the prison system, while at the same time exploring her own personal relationships. Like I am curious - yellow, Blue freely traverses the lines between fact and fiction, employing a mix of dramatic and documentary techniques.
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Vive le Tour!; Humain, trop humain; Place de la republique – DVD TAC-2218
Vive le tour!: "An energetic evocation of The Tour de France"—Container.
Humain, trop humain: "A meditative investigation of the inner workings of a French automotive plant" —Container.
Place de la republique: "An entertaining snapshot of the comings and goings on one street corner in Paris"—Container.
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Calcutta – DVD TAC-2219
"When he was cutting PHANTOM INDIA, Louis Malle found that the footage shot in CALCUTTA was so diverse, intense, and unforgettable that it deserved its own film. The result, released theatrically, is at times shocking - a chaotic portrait of a city racked with social and political turmoil"—Container.
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God's country – DVD TAC-2220
"In 1979, Louis Malle traveled into the heart of Minnesota to capture the everyday lives of the men and women of a prosperous farming community. He returned six years later, during Ronald Reagan's second term, to find drastic economic decline. Free of stereotypes about America's heartland, GOD'S COUNTRY, commissioned for American public television, is a stunning work of emotional and political clarity"—Container.
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And the pursuit of happiness – DVD TAC-2221
"In 1986, Louis Malle (himself a transplant to the United States) set out to investigate the ever widening range of immigrant experience in America. Interviewing a variety of newcomers in middle- and working-class communities from coast to coast, Malle paints a generous, humane portrait of their individual struggles in an increasingly polyglot nation"—Container.
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Phantom India – DVD TAC-2222
"Louis Malle called his gorgeous and ground-breaking PHANTOM INDIA the most personal film of his career. And this extraordinary journey to India, originally shown as a miniseries on European television, is infused with his sense of discovery, as well as occasional outrage, intrigue, and joy"— Container.
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To joy – DVD TAC-2223
An orchestra violinist's dreams of becoming a celebrated soloist and fears of his own mediocrity get in the way of his marriage to the patient, caring Marta. Played out to the music of Beethoven, this film is a heartbreaking tale of one man's inability to overcome the demons standing in the way of his happiness.
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Thirst – DVD TAC-2224
A couple traveling across war-ravaged Europe. A disintegrating marriage. A ballet dancer's scarred past. Elliptically told in flashbacks and multiple narrative threads, this film shows people enslaved to memory and united in isolation.
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Port of call – DVD TAC-2225
Berit, a suicidal young woman living in a working-class port town, unexpectedly falls for Gösta, a sailor on leave. Haunted by a troubled past and held in a vice grip by her domineering mother, Berit begins to hope that her relationship with Gösta might save her from self-destruction.
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Torment – DVD TAC-2226
A dark coming-of-age drama about a boarding-school senior, Widgren, terrorized by his sadistic Latin teacher. When Widgren falls for a troubled local girl, Bertha, he finds himself caught up even further in a web of emotional mind games.
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Crisis – DVD TAC-2227
Urban beauty-shop proprietress Mrs. Jenny arrives in an idyllic rural town one morning to whisk away her 18-year-old daughter, Nelly, whom she abandoned as a child, from the loving woman who raised her. Once in Stockholm, Nelly soon receives a crash course in adult corruption and wrenching heartbreak.
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The order of the myths – DVD TAC-2228
The first Mardi Gras in America was celebrated in Mobile, Alabama in 1703. In 2008, the celebration is still racially segregated. Go into the parallel hearts of the city's two carnivals. With unprecedented access, the director traces the exotic world of secret mystic societies and centuries-old traditions and pageantry. From the crowns, the gowns, the surreal masks, to the enormous paper mache floats. Uncover a tangled web of historical violence and power dynamics, both of which are elusive forces that keep this hallowed tradition organized along color lines.
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7th voyage of Sinbad – DVD TAC-2229
Sinbad the sailor needs the egg of a giant two-headed bird of prey to restore a shrunken princess.
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Richard Adams's Watership down – DVD TAC-2230
Nestled among the rolling hills and peaceful meadows of England lives a community of rabbits. When their warren is threatened, a small group of brave rabbits escapes into the unknown countryside seeking a new home. Led by the visionary Fiver, they face huge challenges and use strength and cunning to survive, while gaining new allies, battling new enemies and always pursuing their dream
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A face in the crowd – DVD TAC-2231
A hobo becomes an overnight celebrity. But, as usual, more fame leads to more power, and more power leads to more corruption. Will he be exposed as the fraud that he is?
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Général Idi Amin Dada – DVD TAC-2232
In 1974 a film crew followed Idi Amin Dada, dictator of Uganda, interviewing him and filming him as he worked. Provides a candid portrait of a notorious figure.
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Loves of a blonde – DVD TAC-2233
This is the story of a young woman who, like her friends, is very concerned with men and love. A reserve army group comes into town and she falls in love with a pianist, who, after swearing eternal love, leaves for his home.
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Fear and loathing in Las Vegas – DVD TAC-2234
Fueled by a suitcase full of pharmaceuticals, journalist Raoul Duke and his sidekick Dr. Gonzo set off on a fast and furious ride through nonstop neon, surreal surroundings and a crew of crazy characters.
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Häxan – DVD TAC-2235
This is a series of dramatic vignettes to explore the scientific hypothesis that witches of the Middle Ages and turn-of-the-century psychiatric patients suffer from the same type of hysteria. It's a witch's brew of the scary, the gross, and the darkly humorous.
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The honeymoon killers – DVD TAC-2236
Martha is sullen, overweight and heartbreakingly lonely. Through the Friendship Club, she strikes up a correspondence with Ray, a sauve charismatic smooth-talker who could be the man of her dreams. A stark portrayal of the desperate lengths to which a lonely heart will go in order to find true love. From brutally immoral killings to a passion that transcends all bounds. Based on a true story.
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The ruling class – DVD TAC-2237
A member of the House of Lords dies in a shockingly silly way, leaving his estate to his son. Unfortunately, his son is insane: he thinks he is Jesus Christ. He is "cured" of that affliction, only to become Jack the Ripper incarnate, blood thirsty Tory who is therefore sane and eminently acceptable to the House of Lords. An irreverant look at Britain's class system that peers behind the closed doors of the aristocracy.
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Man bites dog (it happened in your neighborhood) – DVD TAC-2238
"A camera crew follows a serial killer/thief around as he exercises his craft. He expounds on art, music, nature, society, and life as he offs mailmen, pensioners, and random people. Slowly he begins involving the camera crew in his activities, and they begin wondering if what they're doing is such a good idea, particularly when the killer kills a rival and the rival's brother sends a threatening letter"—Internet Movie Database.
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Coup de grace – DVD TAC-2239
Set in Latvia in 1919 at the end of the Russian civil war, a Prussian soldier rejects the advances of an aristocratic woman. She retaliates by joining the Bolsheviks.
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Withnail & I – DVD TAC-2240
Two down-and-out young London actors decide to take a vacation at the seedy estate of the uncle of one of them. The surprise comes from what lies in store for two inept, city-bred boys in the country.
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Lost honor of Katharina Blum – DVD TAC-2241
In the period of several days, Katharina's privacy and her honor are destroyed, first by the police who terrorize her, and then by the yellow press, which creates in her name the image of a politicized Bonnie Parker.
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Ratcatcher – DVD TAC-2242
A haunting evocation of a troubled Glasgow childhood. Set during Scotland's national garbage strike of the mid-1970's, Ratcatcher explores the experiences of a poor adolescent boy as he struggles to reconcile his dreams and his guilt with the abjection that surrounds him.
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The Royal Tenenbaums – DVD TAC-2243
Three grown prodigies—all with a unique genius of some kind—and their mother are staying at the family household. Their father, Royal, had left them long ago, but now returns to make things right with his family.
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Pépé le Moko – DVD TAC-2244
The notorious Pépé le Moko is a wanted man--women long for him, rivals hope to destroy him and the law is breathing down his neck at every turn. On the lam in the Casbah of Algiers, Pépé is safe from the police until a Parisian playgirl compels him to risk his life and leave its confines once and for all.
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Hole – DVD TAC-2245
In a Paris prison cell, five inmates use every ounce of their tenacity and ingenuity in an elaborate attempt to tunnel to freedom. Four of the inmates have been together for awhile in their cell, when Gaspard, the fifth inmate, is added to the cell. The original four inmates must decide if they want to take him into their confidence or not and whether to continue tunneling or not.
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The rock – DVD TAC-2246
A retired US Marine general (Ed Harris) seizes a stockpile of chemical weapons and takes over Alcatraz with 81 tourists as hostages. His demand: restitution to families of soldiers who died in covert operations. A Navy SEAL team with support from an FBI chemical warfare expert (Nicolas Cage) and a former Alcatraz escapee (Sean Connery) assemble to penetrate the terrorists' defenses on the island and neutralize the threat before time runs out.
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Shop on Main Street – DVD TAC-2247
In 1942, Tono and his wife are struggling because of his antipathy towards the fascist regime. His brother-in-law, the local fuehrer, chooses Tono to oversee a button shop owned by a sweet, harmless Jewish widow, Mrs. Lautman. Unable to explain his position to Mrs. Lautman, Tono gradually accepts her belief that he is her assistant. When the Jews are ordered deported, the well-meaning Tono decides to shield her from the Nazis.
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Under the roofs of Paris – DVD TAC-2248
A slight and sentimental story of the Paris underworld, with boulevard songs integrated into the action. In spite of Clair's misgivings, his first venture into sound is considered a total success.
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The real dirt on farmer John – DVD TAC-2249
"The epic tale of a maverick Midwestern farmer. An outcast in his community, Farmer John bravely stands amidst a failing economy, vicious rumors, and violence. By melding the traditions of family farming with the power of art and free expression, this powerful story of transformation and renewal heralds a resurrection of farming in America"—Container.
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Day for night – DVD TAC-2250
Frictions and personality clashes beset the making of a romantic film in Nice.
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The graduate – DVD TAC-2251
A recent college graduate from an affluent family is seduced by the wife of his father's business partner, then subsequently falls in love with her daughter.
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The unforeseen – DVD TAC-2252
"The American Dream of owning a house with white picket fence goes head-to-head with environmental sustainability... When an ambitious real estate developer sets out to transform thousands of acres of pristine hill country in Austin, Texas into a suburban development - threatening a nearby natural spring - the community fights back. In the conflict that ensues, we see in miniature a struggle that is playing out in cities and towns across the country"—Container.
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The life of birds – DVD TAC-2253 pt. 1-3
Naturalist David Attenborough journeys across seven continents filming thousands of species of birds, in order to reveal their patterns of behavior.
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The saphead – DVD TAC-2254
Bertie, the spoiled son of a powerful Wall Street financier, pursues his individuality in a series of comic misadventures.
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Frozen river – DVD TAC-2255
Takes place in the days before Christmas near a little-known border crossing on the Mohawk reservation between New York State and Quebec. Ray, a white woman, and Lila, a Mohawk, both single mothers facing desperate circumstances, are drawn by the lure of fast money into the world of border smuggling across the frozen water of the St. Lawrence River.
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The exterminating angel – DVD TAC-2256
After a lavish dinner party in a stately mansion, the guests believe themselves unable to leave the premises. As the days pass, the elaborate facades of their social positions collapse and they are forced to live like animals. Finally discovering they are actually free to leave, they go to church to give thanks, where they are again trapped.
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Life in cold blood – DVD TAC-2257
"Amphibians and reptiles ruled the world for nearly 200 million years, and today there are well over 14,000 species. Ranging from some of the largest, most deadly creatures on Earth to the smallest and strangest, these are some of the most fascinating and dramatic animals on the planet...With breathtaking footage and amazing action photography that proves the cold-blooded world is as passionate, dramatic and bizarre as any on Earth, this definitive series reveals the secrets of the most successful creatures ever to walk - or crawl - on land."—Container.
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Religulous – DVD TAC-2258
Comedian and TV host Bill Maher takes a pilgrimage across the globe on a mind-opening journey into the ultimate taboo: questioning religion. Meeting the high and low from different religions, Maher asks questions, like 'Why is faith good?' and more.
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Vicky Cristina Barcelona – DVD TAC-2259
Two American women, one engaged to be married and the other sexually flirtatious, both become romantically involved with a painter while on vacation in Barcelona, only to find they have competition in the form of the painter's ex-wife.
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The romance of Astrea and Celadon – DVD TAC-2260
In an enchanted, mythical forest, two star-crossed lovers are kept apart by their feuding families. Surrounded by rivals, nymphs, and druids, the two must overcome jealousy, temptation, and other worldly obstacles to keep their passion alive.
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Weather report – DVD TAC-2261
"A journey to the front-lines of our climate changing world - in the Canadian Arctic, Montana, Northern Kenya, China and India - visiting communities and ordinary people whose lives and livelihoods are being impacted in the most dramatic ways" —Container.
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W. – DVD TAC-2262
A look at the life of the 43rd president of the United States. Rising from a privileged alcoholic to a born-again Christian whose belief in religious destiny helped move him to the top ranks of political power. How he used Christianity to turn his life around, met and married his wife, and the days before his decision to declare war on Iraq are featured.
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By Brakhage – DVD TAC-2263
Twenty-six masterworks by Stan Brakhage
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The Pyongyang concert – DVD TAC-2264
Music became diplomacy when this courageous musical project united Americans and North Koreans. The musicians went from strength to strength in a beautiful program which illustrated the excellence of the orchestra. Conducted by Lorin Maazel.
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Fanfan la Tulipe – DVD TAC-2265
In eighteenth-century France, Fanfan joins King Louis XV's army to avoid a forced marriage to a local woman and finds himself trying to get out of sticky situations with an imposter fortune-teller, who has predicted that he will win the hand of Louis' daughter.
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Deadwood – DVD TAC-2266
The town of Deadwood, South Dakota is a lawless sinkhole of crime and corruption. Into this uncivilized outpost ride a disillusioned and bitter ex-lawman, Wild Bill Hickok, and Seth Bullock, a man hoping to find a new start for himself. Both men find themselves quickly on opposite sides of the legal and moral fence from Al Swearengen, saloon owner, hotel operator, and incipient boss of Deadwood. The lives of these three intertwine with many others, the high-minded and the low-lifes who populate Deadwood in the late 1870's. (Three seasons, plus supplement)
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The BRD trilogy – DVD TAC-2267, v. 1-3, + guide and supplement
In 1978 Rainer Werner Fassbinder embarked upon a project to trace the history of postwar Germany in a series of films told through the eyes of 3 remarkable women. The 3 films would garner him the international acclaim for which he had always yearned and place his name foremost in the canon of New German Cinema.
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Little fugitive – DVD TAC-2268
When a seven-year-old boy is tricked into believing he killed his older brother, he flees Brooklyn and ends up on Coney Island.
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Lovers and lollipops – DVD TAC-2269
Lovers and lollipops : An enchanting tale of a seven-year-old girl's reaction to her mom's new boyfriend and how she feels her mother's relationships is deteriorating between them. Weddings and babies : In New York's Little Italy, a Swedish-born woman yearns to begin a family with her photographer boyfriend Al. But the two things to which Al has devoted his career--weddings and babies--are the very things he cannot make room for in his own life.
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The pornographers – DVD TAC-2270
A small time porno filmmaker in Osaka, struggles to cope with the corrupt sexual mores in his family, the world outside, and in himself. He peddles his films to condescending executives and panders a little on the side, believing he provides a socially valuable service.
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Chris & Don – DVD TAC-2271
The true-life story of the passionate three-decade relationship between Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy, thirty years his junior. Their against-all-odds saga is brought to life through rare home movies, animation, dramatizations, and reminiscences from Don and many friends.
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DSM-IV-TR – DVD TAC-2272, + supplement
A seminar conducted by Tom Rochat that is intended for the continuing education of social workers, counselors, therapists and psychologists.
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The Wire – DVD TAC-2273-2277
Follows a single sprawling drug and murder investigation in Baltimore. Told from the point of view of both the police and their targets, where easy distinctions between good and evil are challenged at every turn. (Seasons one through five)
On CD:
6teen stone – Bush – Compact Disc TAC-472
Daydream nation – Sonic Youth – Compact disc TAC-473
Bullhead – Melvins – Compact disc TAC-474
Gluey porch treatments – Melvins – Compact disc TAC-475
Worldwide underground – Erykah Badu – Compact disc TAC-476
1979-1983 – Bauhaus – Compact disc TAC-477 v. 1
Ocean of confusion – Screaming Trees – Compact disc TAC-478
Anthology – Screaming Trees – Compact disc TAC-479
Fossil Fuel – XTC – Compact disc TAC-480
Reckoning – R.E.M. – Compact disc TAC-481
How it feels to be something on – Sunny Day Real Estate – Compact disc TAC-482
The rising tide – Sunny Day Real Estate – Compact disc TAC-483
Quality control – Jurassic 5 – Compact disc TAC-484
Three operas – Judith Weir – Compact disc TAC-485
The perfect stranger – Frank Zappa – Compact disc TAC-486
Piano concertos nos. 2 & 3 – Sergei Rachmaninoff – Compact disc TAC-487
New Amerykah, Part one – Erykah Badu – Compact disc TAC-488
Heifetz, Mitropoulos & Toscanini live – Ludwig van Beethoven – Compact disc TAC-489
Complete Victor piano solos – Fats Waller – Compact disc TAC-490
Folkways, the original vision – Woody Guthrie – Compact disc TAC-491
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes – Compact disc TAC-492
