Amy | ‘Tis the Season | Meru | the Wolfpack | the Jinx | Big Men | Caring for Mom & Dad | Walt Disney | the Breach | GTFO Scene & He D
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November-December 2015 VOL. 30 THE VIDEO REVIEW MAGAZINE FOR LIBRARIES NO. 6 IN THIS ISSUE Amy | ‘Tis the Season | Meru | The Wolfpack | The Jinx | Big Men | Caring for Mom & Dad | Walt Disney | The Breach | GTFO scene & he d BAKER & TAYLOR’S SPECIALIZED A/V TEAM OFFERS ALL THE PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND EXPERTISE TO FULFILL YOUR LIBRARY PATRONS’ NEEDS. Le n more about Bak & Taylor’s Scene & He d team: ELITE Helpful personnel focused exclusively on A/V products and customized services to meet continued patron demand PROFICIENT Qualified entertainment content buyers ensure frontlist and backlist titles are available and delivered on time SKILLED Supportive Sales Representatives with an average of 15 years industry experience DEVOTED Nationwide team of A/V processing staff ready to prepare your movie and music products to your shelf-ready specifications KNOWLEDGEABLE Full-time staff of A/V catalogers, backed by their MLS degree and more than 43 years of media cataloging expertise 800-775-2600 x2050 [email protected] www.baker-taylor.com Spotlight Review Amy HHH 2011, she died of alcohol toxicity at the age of Lionsgate, 128 min., R, 27. Drawing on early home movies, newsreel DVD: $19.98, Blu-ray: footage, and recorded audio interviews, Amy $24.99, Dec. 1 serves up a sorrowful portrait of an artist’s Publisher/Editor: Randy Pitman This disturbing, dis- deadly downward spiral. Extras include au- concerting, booze ‘n’ dio commentary by the director, previously Associate Editor: Jazza Williams-Wood drugs documentary unseen performances by Winehouse, and Copy Editor: Kathleen L. Florio about British song- deleted scenes. Recommended. (S. Granger) writer/vocalist Amy Editorial Assistant: Christopher Pitman Winehouse rises above Graphic Designer: Carol Kaufman the ordinary in the In 2011, Amy Wine- house joined an in- Marketing Director: Anne Williams capable hands of filmmaker Asif Kapadia. Long before winning six Grammys and ac- formal list of famous quiring her signature beehive, tattoos, and musicians who died at Contributing Writers eyeliner wings, pop idol Winehouse grew up, the age of 27, including as one pal says, “like a classic North London Brian Jones, Janis Joplin, Kathleen C. Fennessy, Reviewer, Jewish girl with lots of attitude.” But the Jimi Hendrix, Jim Mor- Amazon.com telltale signs were evident early on, including rison, and Kurt Cobain. On November Susan Granger, SSG Syndicate bulimia and depression, beginning after her 13, Universal Music Enterprises will release filmmaker Brett Morgen’s inti- Donald Liebenson, Reviewer, domineering father, Mitch, left her mother Entertainment Weekly, Amazon.com to live with another woman when Amy was mate documentary Kurt Cobain: Montage nine. In her early years as a musician, Wine- of Heck (DVD or Blu-ray: $24.98), which Maureen Puffer-Rothenberg, Librarian, combines materials from famed Nirvana Valdosta State University, GA house was fortunate to have manager Nick Shymansky and two girlfriends—Juliette frontman Kurt Cobain’s personal archive Stephen Rees, Librarian, formerly with Ashby and Lauren Gilbert—who stuck by of art and music with never-before-seen Bucks Co. Free Library, Levittown, PA her until her sassy self-destructiveness drove movies, animation, and footage from them away. And then came husband Blake various Nirvana performances, as well Frank Swietek, Associate Professor as unreleased photography, journals, of History, University of Dallas, TX Fielder-Civil, a junkie who introduced her to heroin and crack cocaine. Fearless in front of demos, and songbooks—all backed by an audience, cheeky Winehouse was terrified revelatory interviews with his family and Additional Contributors: of only one thing: fame. “I don’t think I’m closest friends. going to be at all famous,” she declared in a Sean Axmaker radio interview. “I don’t think I can handle it. Note: Video Librarian editor Randy Pit- Carson Block I’d probably go mad.” Five years later Wine- man is busily watching documentaries for Charles Cassady house delivered the powerfully personal hit the annual “Best Documentaries” list. His song “Rehab” about her refusal to enter a “Final Frame” column will return in the Ted Fry drug rehabilitation facility. And then in July next issue. Fran Gardner Phil Hall Tom Keogh TABLE OF CONTENTS Lisa Martincik Michael Sandlin Video Newsbriefs 6 Pets 58 Books Into Movies 8 Business & Economics 59 Video Librarian (ISSN: 0887-6851) is pub- Mixed Media Sports, Games & Recreation lished bi-monthly by Video Librarian, 10 59 3435 NE Nine Boulder Dr., Poulsbo, WA Video Movies 16 Crafts, Arts & Hobbies 61 98370. Subscriptions: $64 for one year in the United States; $69 (US) in Canada TV on Video 41 The Arts 62 (includes GST); $86 elsewhere. Address all correspondence to Video Librarian, 3435 NE Key to Star Ratings 47 History & Current Events 65 Nine Boulder Dr., Poulsbo, WA 98370. Peri- odicals Postage Paid at Poulsbo, WA and at Video Reviews 47 Travel & Geography 67 additional mailing offices.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Video Librarian, Children’s 47 Biography 67 3435 NE Nine Boulder Dr., Poulsbo, WA 98370. Copyright © 2015 by Randy Pitman. ‘Tis the Season 50 Series Update 68 All rights reserved. Telephone/Fax/E-mail Religion & Philosophy 52 Music/Dance 69 Subscriptions: (800) 692-2270 Social & Political Issues 52 2015 Annual Index 73 Editorial: (360) 626-1259 Advertising: (800) 265-7965 Education 56 Distributor Addresses 86 Fax: (360) 626-1260 E-mail: [email protected] Nature, Math & Science 56 Title Index 88 Web: www.videolibrarian.com Health & Fitness 57 Advertiser Directory 88 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 3 VIDEO LIBRARIAN VESSEL Dr. Rebecca Gomperts sails a ship around the world, providing abor- tions at sea for women with no legal alternative. Faced with governmental, religious, and military blockades, she soon realizes she can use new tech- nologies to bypass law – and train women to give themselves abortions using WHO-researched protocols with pills. From there she creates an underground network of embold- ened, informed activists who trust women to handle abortion them- selves. Vessel is the story of a wom- an who hears and answers a calling, and transforms a wildly improbable idea into a global movement. “Unabashed...dramatic... provocative.” -Ben Kenigsbergian, New York Times Without PPR $149 • With PPR $349 • DSL Streaming $499 • Single-year streaming $150 NEW Video Newsbriefs D CU L LT R U O ing up a startling R “The X-Files” Collector’s Set exposé of sexual E W Blu-ray Debut Arriving assault on U.S. December 8 from Fox campuses—along with institutional MEDIA The truth is out there…and now it cover-ups, and the can be found in its entirety when Twen- devastating toll on Inspire Curious Minds tieth Century Fox Home Entertainment students and their releases The X-Files: The Collector’s Set families—The Hunt- WorldCultureMedia.com (Blu-ray: $299.95)—featuring over 23 ing Ground weaves hours of bonus content—arriving De- together cinema cember 8, weeks before the January 24, vérité footage with first-person testimo- 2016 debut of the new X-Files miniseries. nies, tracing the experiences of several Although the pair began as reluctant undergraduate assault survivors as they partners, FBI special agents Fox Mulder attempt to pursue both their education and Dana Scully (Golden Globe winners and justice, despite incredible push back, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson) harassment, and traumatic aftermath. went on to ultimately form a powerful Featuring the Grammy-winning original bond as they struggled to unravel deadly song “Til It Happens to You,” co-written conspiracies and solve paranormal mys- by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga, extras teries. During its nine-season run from include additional stories and a Q&A 1993-2002, The X-Files was a worldwide with civil rights activists Annie Clark phenomenon, garnering a loyal cult and Andrea Pino (featured in the film). following, 16 Emmys, and five Golden Video Librarian’s original review (VL-9/15 Globe Awards, including Best Dramatic HHH1/2) of the public performance rights TV Series. version of The Hunting Ground (avail. from Ro*co Films Educational, www. “The Hobbit Trilogy: Extended rocoeducational.com) called this “an eye-opening documentary that makes a Edition” Bowing November 17 fine companion to Jon Krakauer’s recent from Warner Bros. bestselling book Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town.” The adventures of Bilbo Baggins come to an epic conclusion with the release of 2014’s The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five “Downhill Racer” Leads Armies: Extended Edition (DVD: 5 discs, Criterion’s December Slate $34.99; Blu-ray: 3 discs, $35.99) on No- vember 17 from Warner Bros. Home En- Criterion’s December releases kick tertainment. Also available on the same off December 1 with Michael Ritchie’s date is a boxed set compiling all three of visually kinetic 1969 skiing drama debut filmmaker Peter Jackson’s adaptations of Downhill Racer (Blu-ray: $39.95), starring Robert Redford as a ruthlessly ambitious Worlds Together Series J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved fantasy novel: The Hobbit Trilogy: Extended Edition (DVD: skier competing for Olympic gold, and All new Worlds Together Cuba, 15 discs, $78.98; Blu-ray: 9 discs, $99.98), costarring Gene Hackman as his coach. Ecuador and Colombia in Spanish which also includes longer versions of Coming December 8 is the 2013 debut and English celebrate culture, history, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) feature from world-renowned Japanese food, geography and people. Closed- and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug artist Takashi Murakami, Jellyfish Eyes captioned. Free Teacher’s Guide. 25 (2013). Starring Ian McKellen as Gandalf (DVD: $19.95, Blu-ray: $29.95), a creative min. Ages 10+. $29.95 each the Grey, Martin Freeman in the central sci-fi family film that follows a young boy who befriends a charming, flying, jelly- V3212 Colombia 978-1-60480-156-9 role of Bilbo Baggins, and Richard Armit- age as Thorin Oakenshield, The Battle fish-like sprite—only to discover that his V3213 Cuba 978-1-60480-157-6 schoolmates have similar friends.