New Videos - February 2008
On DVD:
Scratch – DVD TAC-1656
Here are some of the world's best DJs, those famous for solo scratching, competing in international DJ battles, playing for rap artists, or just rocking parties with the most insane records ever dug up. Check out dynamic performances and interviews with DJs Qbert, Z-Trip, Mix Master Mike (of the Beastie Boys), Rob Swift and the X-ecutioners, Cut Chemist & NuMark (of Jurassic 5), DJ Craze, DJ Shadow, The Bullet Proof Space Travelers, Babu (of Dilated Peoples), KF Krush, DJ Premier (Gang Starr), and others, along with "old-school" innovators like Afrika Bambaataa and Grand Wizard Theodore.
The Namesake – DVD TAC-1657
The son of Indian immigrants born in America wants to fit in with fellow New Yorkers, but his family is unwilling to let go of their traditional ways.
Gycklarnas afton (Sawdust and Tinsel) – DVD TAC-1659
A relationship between a turn-of-the-century traveling circus owner and his performer girlfriend suddenly changes, when they pull into the town where the owner's wife and children live, whom he hasn't seen in three years.
Les enfants terribles – DVD TAC-1661
Elisabeth is very protective of her teenage brother Paul, who has been injured in a snowball fight at school and has to rest in bed most of the time. The siblings are inseparable, living in the same room, fighting, playing secret games, and rarely leaving the house. Paul's friend, Gerard, often drops by to stay with them. One day Elisabeth brings home Agathe to live with them. She bears a strong resemblance to Dargelos, a schoolboy whom Paul had a crush on and the same boy who injured him. Paul and Agathe become attracted to each other, causing Elizabeth to be very jealous.
A Mighty Heart – DVD TAC-1674
Jewish-American journalist, Daniel Pearl was kidnapped in Pakistan in January of 2002. The violent act became an international scandal as the group that claimed responsibility for the crime demanded the liberation of prisoners from the American detainee prison in Guantanamo Bay, in Cuba. The American government does not give in to the terrorists' demands. Mariane travels to Pakistan and is alone, searching for the most important person in her life. Knowing the odds are against her, holding on to hope becomes all the more complicated when she is surrounded by a chaos that is absolutely inescapable. Yet still, Mariane must remain calm. After all, she is the heart of this operation.
White Light, Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – DVD TAC-1675
In August 1945, the world was transformed in the blink of an eye when American forces dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and then Nagasaki. The destruction was unprecedented and the bombings precipitated the end of World War II. Contains archival footage and stunning photography. Interviews are from both Japanese survivors and the Americans who believed that their involvement would help end a brutal conflict.
Home Front – DVD TAC-1676
To date, nearly 20,000 American troopsz have been wounded in the war in Iraq. This film gives a face and a voice to these underrepresented soldiers and their families, told intimately through the Feldbusch family of Pennsylvania and their wounded son Jeremy. The result is an insightful view of how Jeremy and other 'wounded warriors" of the Iraq War are reconstructing their lives, with courage and determination to face a new, altered self. Home Front gets behind the often-sanitized myth of war to reveal its true complications and costs.
Komissar – DVD TAC-1677
In this drama set against the Russian Civil War, a tough Red Army commander's military career is disrupted by an unwanted pregnancy. Forced to stay with a poor Jewish family until her child is born, she finds herself transformed by the warmth and compassion of her hosts. She must ultimately decide whether to rejoin her troops or stay with her child.
Where the Green Ants Dream – DVD TAC-1678
Lance Hackett is a sympathetic geologist working in Australia for an uranium mining company who must confront the passive resistance of the aborigine tribes. The spot where the deposits are the richest is considered sacred ground. For the aborigine people, the place where the deposits lay is considered the place "where the green ants dream", for them this place is considered the origin of all life. In the clash between white imperialism and a more spiritual, primitive culture, we see the irrevocable tragedy of false progress, in which civilization has lost touch with nature and the universe.
Tom Jones – DVD TAC-1679
Lusty tale set in 18th century England. Birthed by a local woman but raised by the village squire, Tom Jones grows up to be a handsome young man with a way with women. He loves the daughter of a neighboring landowner, and falls into many adventures in pursuit of her, including duels, bedroom romps and prison!
Romántico – DVD TAC-1680
The story of Carmelo - car wash employee by day, mariachi musician by night - and his struggle to cope with his mother's mortality, his daughters' needs, and his own dreams.
Terms of Endearment – DVD TAC-1681
A comedy-drama about the evolving 30+ year relationship between a mother and daughter.
All That Jazz – DVD TAC-1682
The story of an obsessed, pill-popping chain-smoking choreographer/ director dancing simultaneously with love and death. But even while dying, he creates some great dancing. Based on the life of Bob Fosse.
Cappy Thompson: Gathering the Light – DVD TAC-1683
This DVD documents the production of the piece, from initial design, through creative process, to finished project.
Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action – DVD TAC-1684
Filmed against some of America's most spectacular backdrops, from Alaska to Maine and Montana to New Mexico, this award-winning film profiles Native American activists who are fighting to protect Indian lands, preserve their sovereignty and ensure the cultural survival of their peoples. Nearly all 317 Native American reservations in the U.S. face grave environmental threats - toxic waste, strip mining, oil drilling and nuclear contamination. A moving tribute to the power of grassroots organizing, Homeland is also a call-to-action against the current dismantling of thirty years of environmental laws.
The New Germany: a History – DVD TAC-1685
Part 1 presents a history of Germany up to the 17th century. Part 2 is the history of Germany from the 17th century through reunification of East and West Germany.
Arid Lands – DVD TAC-1686
A documentary feature about the land and people of the Columbia Basin in southeastern Washington state. Plutonium produced at the Hanford nuclear site was used in the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki. The Hanford nuclear site is currently the focus of a large environmental cleanup.
The Taming of the Shrew – DVD TAC-1687
Petruchio is a poverty-stricken gentleman from Verona who journeys to Padua in search of a wealthy wife. There he meets Katharina, a self-willed shrew who leads Petruchio on a merry chase before he successfully circumvents her attempts to avoid marriage. After the honeymoon, Kate helps Petruchio win a wager that he has the most obedient wife. In reality, Kate has found a more effective way to dominate her mate.
The Scarlet Letter – DVD TAC-1688
After 7 years Hester Prynne's missing husband finds her forced to wear the letter 'A' branding her as an adultress. He becomes obsessed with proving the true identity of the father of the illegitimate Pearl while the Rev. Dimmesdale, the father, is slowly consumed by his guilt. Both men die, Hester and Pearl gain in strength.
Wrong Move – DVD TAC-1689
A would-be writer drives across Germany in search of a first-hand experience. Along the way, he meets an ex-Nazi and his mute companion, a wandering poet and an actress who together challenge him to become a writer.
Lightning Over Water – DVD TAC-1690
In 1979, Wim Wenders traveled to New York City to make a film with legendary director Nicholas Ray. As Ray lays dying of cancer, he reflects on his life and career. The resulting film tells a moving story both about friendship and a life in cinema.
Chambre 666: Cannes May ’82 – DVD TAC-1691
Wenders asks a number of film directors from around the world to, in a room alone with camera and sound recorder, answer a simple question: "What is the future of cinema?"
Tokyo-ga – DVD TAC-1692
A film diary of Wenders' journey to Tokyo to discover the city he came to know through the films of Yasujiro Ozu.
Trick of Light – DVD TAC-1693
Film recreates the exploits of the Brothers Skladanowsky, three fairground showmen/inventors who created their own movie camera at the same time as the Lumieres and Edison were working on their inventions. The footage is shot with a 1920s handcranking camera, in the style of silent films.
American Friend – DVD TAC-1694
Story about a Hamburg picture framer who is perfectly ordinary except that he is suffering from a rare and fatal blood disease. His peace and sanity are upset when he is offered money to assassinate a Mafia figure in Paris.
Notebook on Cities and Clothes – DVD TAC-1695
Focuses on issues of identity -- how individuals see and define themselves based on clothes, where they live, how they see their place in the world. Profiles/interviews fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto as he and his staff prepare for presentation of a seasonal collection. Director/writer Wim Wenders compares the film and fashion industries, illustrating how they parallel one another.
Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will – DVD TAC-1696
This film, commissioned by Adolf Hitler to record the 1934 Nazi party rally in Nuremberg, is the "most powerful piece of propaganda ever produced". Included are many scenes of gatherings, marches, and parades. The viewer will also hear speeches given by Hitler, Goering, Goebbels, and Hess as well as samples of monumental architecture designed by Albert Speer.
Away from Her – DVD TAC-1697
Fiona and Grant are an Ontario couple who have been married for over 40 years. During the twilight of their years, Grant is forced to face the fact that Fiona's 'forgetfulness' actually is Alzheimer's. After Fiona wanders away and is found, the decision is made for her to go into a nursing home. For the first time in their relationship, they are forced to undergo a separation since this is the nursing home 'no-vistors, ' first 30 days policy of a patient's stay. When Grant visits Fiona after the orientation period, he is devastated to find out that not only has she seemingly forgotten him, but she has transferred her affections to another man. As the distance between husband and wife grows, Grant must draw upon his love for Fiona to perform an act of self-sacrifice in order to ensure her happiness.
On VHS:
Behind the Iris: a Show of Multi-Media Sculpture – Videorecord TAC-1936
This tape is an illusion. It is an attempt to recreate the illusions created in these documented sculptures. All the works involve three dimensional animation. Strobe lights, synchronized to sequentially formed objects confront the viewer with a series of rapidly changing images which the mind transforms into the illusion of motion. Barsamian describes this technique as the "canvas" on which the artist investigates the world of the unconscious mind.
Belle de jour – Videorecord TAC-1937
Subtle, erotic film about a wealthy young surgeon's wife who indulges her masochistic fantasies by working as a part-time prostitute in a Paris brothel.
On CD:
In a Silent Way (Miles Davis) – Compact disc TAC-178
Empyrean Isles (Herbie Hancock) – Compact disc TAC-179
Giant Steps (John Coltrane) – Compact disc TAC-180
The Legendary Modern Recordings (John Lee Hooker) – Compact disc TAC-181
Mingus Ah Um (Charles Mingus) – Compact disc TAC-182
The Best of the Song Books (Ella Fitzgerald) – Compact disc TAC-183
Porgy and Bess (Miles Davis) – Compact disc TAC-184
Beggars Banquet (Rolling Stones) – Compact disc TAC-185
Blonde on Blonde (Bob Dylan) – Compact disc TAC-186
Let it Bleed (Rolling Stones) – Compact disc TAC-187
Back in the USA (MC5) – Compact disc TAC-188
Marsalis Standard Time. Volume 1 (Wynton Marsalis) – Compact disc TAC-189
Pure Ella (Ella Fitzgerald) – Compact disc TAC-190
Johnny Cash Sings the Ballads of the True West (Johnny Cash) – Compact disc TAC-191
The Essential Johnny Cash (Johnny Cash) – Compact disc TAC-192
Johnny Cash Sings Ballads of the American Indian: Bitter Tears (Johnny Cash) – Compact disc TAC-193
