By Robin E. Simmons
ENDER’S GAME
There’s an active boycott of “Ender’s” author Orson Scott Card’s movie adaptation because of his public statements about gays based on what critics claim is his “Mormon bigotry.” Be that as it may, I was entertained by the movie and admit to having not read Card’s popular novel. The basic story is about a kid, Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) who has a gift for strategy and is recruited into a military training center to play virtual war games in preparation for a real battle with the dreaded Buggers. The move is repetitive. It feels like it’s all training and set-up for the final battle. A gruff, older looking Harrison Ford (with wildly inconsistent, unkempt eyebrows from scene to scene), has a lot of screen time as International Fleet Commander Hyrum Graff. Wiggin turns out to be the best of the children recruited to command and save the earth in what is foreseen an inevitable future battle. But everything is not as it seems in Wiggen’s virtual world of combat training. The movie seemed a lot longer than it was and the theme of understanding — and perhaps even loving — one’s enemy, of course relevant in our world of deep divides over religion, was oddly ambiguous at best. Or was it merely naïve? Destroy most of your enemy and then learn a lesson of compassion? What’s that about?! Can’t have it both ways. Some imaginative effects enhance this would-be epic sci-fi adventure that raises as many moral questions as it offers answers. Besides Butterfield and Ford, look for co-stars Hailee Steinfeld, Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis, and Abigail Breslin. Now playing.
NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE HOME THEATER:
THE WIZARD OF OZ 3D
What more can be said about this classic MGM adaptation of L. Frank Baum‘s timeless children’s tale about a Kansas girl’s journey over the rainbow? On the brink of the 75th anniversary, the movie is destined to remain a pleasure to successive generations in whatever new system surfaces. (THE WIZARD OF OZ opened at Grauman’s Chinese Theater on August 15, 1939!) But of all the previous, and seemingly endless versions that have been released for home consumption, it’s hard to imagine one that’s better looking than this latest restoration with its exquisite 3D formatting. The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is crisp and clean – remember, it was remastered from a monaural track! And, big surprise here, the 3D is immersive and not intrusive or just an exploitive gimmick for additional sales (although it will certainly accomplish the latter). In my opinion, the extra dimension adds immeasurably to the viewing experience. Even if you have seen this film multiple times, you will see it anew with fresh eyes. (I still enjoy playing Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” in sync with the movie. For an uncanny experience for the length of the recording but not the movie, start “Dark” on the third roar of the MGM lion logo.) There are over 2 hours of extras on the 2-disc edition including an all-new “The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of OZ.” Big recommendation. Warner. Blu-ray 3D.
NOSFERATU
Shot on real locations in the Carpathian Mountains, F.W. Murnau’s 1922 NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR, the unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” has survived litigation and an order to destroy all prints. November is a season for horror and this acclaimed, classic film has been resurrected in hi-def from the 35mm restoration by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung with an orchestral track using Hans Erdman’s original score. This version of the vampire’s tale retains its unsettling mojo thanks to the lean, bald, spidery blood-sucking manifestation of the diabolical Graf Orlok by the inimitable Max Schreck. The 2-disc set includes the German intertitled version, the 1922 score, a 52 minute “Language of Shadows” on the making of NOSFERATU and lengthy excerpts from other films by Murnau. Recommended for the digital library. Kino Classic. Blu-ray.
THE UNINVITED
This atmospheric, ghostly love story does not opt out for a rational explanation while retaining the tropes of the Old Dark House genre. When Roderick Fitzgerald (Ray Milland) and his sister Pamela (Ruth Hussey), buy an old house on the Cornish coast on a whim, they don’t suspect it’s haunted. But when they are visited by Stella (Gail Russell), they realize something serious is amiss. Is the ghost of Stella’s mother out to do her harm? Or something worse? Based on the novel by Dorothy Macardle, and directed by Lewis Allen, THE UNINVITED is a serious, elegant and eerie experience. Victor Young’s beautifully haunting score, especially his memorable jazz standard “Stella By Starlight” (lyrics by Ned Washington), adds just the right romantic touch that makes this a certified classic. Criterion. Blu-ray.
DECEPTIVE PRACTICES
The full title of this fascinating documentary is DECEPTIVE PRACTICES: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay — and that is exactly what it is. Directed by David Mamet, the film presents a brief, mostly visual bio of Jay with unexpected clips of him performing magic as a very young costumed man of 4. Interspersed throughout are fascinating, grainy, video and film clips of the men who most influenced Jay (Al Flosso, Slydini, Cardini and his primary mentors, Dai Vernon and Charlie Miller), usually performing close-up magic. Jay is an actor, author, performer and scholar of the arcana of odd stage art that relies on weird and baffling illusions, cards being a specialty. If you like to be deceived by the secretive masters of magic, this unique documentary will fascinate. Generous bonus footage includes Jay’s colleagues in discussion and performance. Especially noteworthy is Steve Martin’s “Flydini” act. Kino Lorber. DVD.
THE LION OF THE DESERT
It’s 1929. Benito Mussolini (Rod Steiger) has been at war with Bedouin patriots for decades over the Italian colonization of Libya. Mussolini has appointed General Rodolfo Graziani (Oliver Reed) as governor to Libya, confident that he can crush the rebellion. However, Omar Mukhtar (Anthony Quinn) – a teacher and humanist who is also skilled in desert warfare – has assumed leadership of the resistance. Led by Mukhtar, the Bedouin troops fight on horseback, using guerilla tactics against the formidable forces of the Italian Army. One critic said the heroic Mukhtar exemplifies the spiritual dimension of freedom. Moummar Quaddafi financed this surprisingly well-mounted epic of desert warfare. Anchor Bay. Blu-ray.
THE MESSAGE
Set in the 7th century, THE MESSAGE is about the resistance of powerful tribal leaders against Muhammad who attacks the profligate greed and cruelty in Mecca after a visit from the angel Gabriel urges Muhammad to destroy the 300 idols of Kaaba and worship the One True God. Historically, Muhammad’s successful campaign eventually unified Arabia under a single God and religion but he and his followers were forced to retreat to Medina where they lived in exile and worshipped Allah as they saw fit. Muhammad came to be known as the Prophet, the Servant, and the “Bearer of Good Tidings.” This cinematic religious epic was controversial before, during and after production. It remains the only significant film about Islam and Muhammad, even though he is not depicted in the movie. This great-looking film, produced and directed by Moustapha Akkad (a USC film school grad), was first rumored to star Peter O’Toole or Charlton Heston as Muhammad. This of course raised the ire of devout Muslims. To dampen the controversy, Akkad hired a team of Islamic scholars to consult on the film’s accuracy, but they eventually quit after disagreements with Akkad. The film was shot on location in Libya under the ”sponsorship” of Muammar Qaddafi. When the film was set to premiere, the Washington D.C. chapter of the B’nai B’rith threatened to blow up the theater (and the audience in it) when they were falsely told Anthony Quinn was playing Muhammad. The bombing was diverted, but the unfortunate and wide-spread negative attention killed any prospects for the 1976 film’s further success. In 2005, producer-director Akkad and his daughter were attending a wedding in Amman, Jordan when they were killed by an Islamist suicide bomber. Anchor Bay. Blu-ray.
RobinESimmons@aol.com
