"Every great film should seem new every time you see it."

Roger Ebert

Stanley Kubrick – Warner Home Video Directors Series

Includes the films: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

For fans of filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, the Warner Brothers Director Series collection is an absolute must. Featuring five of his films, spanning thirty years of his legendary career, the titles in this edition show a good variety of Kubrick’s work. Because Kubrick made so few pictures in a career that lasted over forty-five years, this compilation represents almost half of his body of work.

The cornerstone of the collection is the 2-Disc edition of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Of all the titles in the set, 2001 gets the most attention by way of supplemental materials. Featuring five featurettes, covering every aspect of the film, and two segments on Kubrick, it is nearly impossible not to learn everything you ever wanted to know about the sci-fi classic and how it was made. The highlight of the special features for 2001 is the in-depth documentary produced by UK Channel 4.

The next title in the collection is A Clockwork Orange, featuring a documentary on the making of the film, as well as a retrospective on its impact, including discussions on why the film was pulled out of circulation in England by Kubrick himself. Also in this edition is a retrospective on the work of the film’s enigmatic star, Malcolm McDowell.

Perhaps the movie that also gets extensive treatment second only to 2001, is 1980s thriller The Shining. Including a wonderful documentary “The Making of The Shining,” which was available on previous releases of the film, this edition also includes new featurettes. The documentary “The Visions of Stanley Kubrick” veers away from The Shining a little, to look at Kubrick’s career from an artistic and visual perspective.

The film that is given the slightest treatment is Full Metal Jacket, however, which is a shame because it is an extraordinary and unrelenting piece of work. The only single disc title in the collection, Full Metal Jacket only includes a brief documentary. The collection is rounded out by Eyes Wide Shut, which includes features that seem to be more about Kubrick’s career and sudden passing. All five films include commentary by various cast members and crew persons.

The real prize of the set is in the companion film Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures. Well over two hours in length, the documentary is incredibly in-depth, discussing Kubrick’s childhood, early career as a freelance photographer and his first films shot in New York in the early 1950s.

Then of course, you have the films themselves. I must admit, I’ve never been one who could honestly call myself a “Stanley Kubrick fan.” Many of his pictures are not always, as they say, my cup of tea. As one who makes films, I have never really counted Kubrick as one of my influences yet revisiting these films, I found myself more drawn to Kubrick. I found myself, again, endlessly fascinated by The Shining. I found I could not ignore the power and social commentary of A Clockwork Orange. I found myself in a numbing daze, hypnotized by the incomprehensible dream that is Eyes Wide Shut. But mostly I found myself glued to the screen, unable to deny the intrigue presented by each masterfully painted frame of film on Stanley Kubrick’s cinematic canvas.

David@picturesandframesmagazine.com

“Spaced: The Complete Series”

Okay, so for some reason Simon Pegg reminds me of a boss I once had the most gigantic crush on. That and the fact that Shaun of the Dead cracked me up is what made me jump online after that movie and find out everything I could about him. I read about his sitcom, “Spaced,” and saw a few clips courtesy of YouTube. I was sold. I forked out some money and ordered a copy of the series from Amazon UK, handily armed with my region-free DVD player. I was treated to the story of a couple of strangers (Pegg and Jessica Stevenson—now Hynes), Tim and Daisy, who met and decided to pretend to be a couple to get a great apartment.

The show was chock-a-block with pop culture references, sight gags and fantastically funny dialogue, written by the two stars and directed by Pegg’s Shaun and Hot Fuzz collaborator, Edgar Wright. Tim’s gun-obsessed friend Mike (Nick Frost) and Daisy’s bubble-headed friend Twist (Katy Carmichael) were entertaining, but possibly not as wonderfully hysterical as Julia Deakin (as the landlady, Marsha) and the superb Mark Heap as Brian, the artist in the basement.

Over the span of 14 episodes, Spaced brilliantly sent up performance artists, clubbers, Robot Wars, paintball, and in several instances during the second series, The Phantom Menace. Without exaggeration, I can honestly say that it is: ahem, One Of The Best Sitcoms Ever! (Right up there with Arrested Development, it’s very difficult to choose. But definitely one of those.) Along with the BBC mini-series, “State of Play,” several of us at Pictures & Frames have long worshipped at the altar of “Spaced” and bemoaned it’s lack of availability here in the US. Much like “State of Play,” you can now finally see “Spaced” for yourself! Available in all its glory on a 3-disc set from BBC Video, you even get special features that exceed the original UK release. Namely, several commentaries from fans of the show like directors Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith, Matt Stone of “South Park” fame, comedians Patton Oswalt and SNL’s Bill Hader and pop culture diva du joir, Diablo Cody. You also get a retrospective of the series that is not only worth watching, but features a really special tidbit at the very end.

To celebrate the momentous release, I asked a couple of P&F staff members to write a little about why they love “Spaced”:

“Spaced” Memories by Dave Sayre:

How can one sum up their feelings about “Spaced?” “Brilliance” is a word that comes to mind. Not just the clever references: “I’ll see you at the beach!” “You are on my back, you know? I can feel you sitting there, laughing like Jabba’s little mate!” “My stepdad was a nice guy…” (cut to: The Shining maze re-enactment)

The great lines: “Skip to the end!” “We’re like chums/Get off me!” “Dance for me little Colin, dance!”

The funny stuff you don’t understand until you watch it with the Homage-o-meter: “Just me and my dawg. You remember that Kiora advert. It’s too orangey for crows.”

Because you love Tim and Daisy. Because Brian is terrific. Because Marsha weirds you out when she says “Hallowww.” Because you understand the uselessness of The Phantom Menace, the benefits of stealing a tank, the need to sometimes just drown Lara Croft on Tomb Raider over and over again, and the importance of knowing when to react in a faux gun fight.

“Spaced” Memories by Lily Percy:

Daisy: (opens letter)“It’s from the magazine. Maybe they did like me! Maybe they liked my kookiness! I could be like the cute one in the office, you know, the ditzy one who always gets it wrong. The office clown.

It’s a no.”

Tim: “Oh, never mind. Who needs them anyway, Daisy? What do they know? They’re just jealous.”

Daisy: “Of what?”

Tim: “Your tits.”

Daisy: “It’s not about my tits anymore, Tim.”

Only by watching this HILARIOUS series will you ever truly understand what you’ve been missing all of these years by not having a region-free DVD player. The chemistry between the cast, particularly Tim and Daisy, is just one of the show’s major assets, along with a wit and sincere understanding of pop-culture and fandom that is unparallel (except maybe by “The Simpsons”). The show is best when the gang is just hanging out and talking, in the same vein of every popular American TV sitcom but far less annoying or saccharine. My favorite episode will always be the “Jar-Jar rage episode” where Tim experiences a sense of loss so great (and utterly relatable) after seeing Phantom Menace that he burns all of his Star Ware memorabilia. “Jar Jar makes Ewoks look like fucking Shaft.” Truer words have never been spoken.

Rick@picturesandframesmagazine.com

Honeydripper

Set in 1950s Alabama, John Sayles’ latest movie, Honeydripper, centers on a lounge owner whose business is about to go under. His last chance at staying afloat is to pack the crowds in and his plan to do so is by bringing in legendary, traveling musician Guitar Sam. Sayles’ picture is, in many ways, an opus to the blues music that filled the South in the era between big band jazz and rock and roll. But like most of his movies, it is far more complicated and interesting than that, exploring many different layers. It is also about history, life in the South for black people when, though there wasn’t slavery, there was still servitude. Honeydripper is very much about the time it covers, when juke joints were the places to spend your Saturday nights and the church would preach of the evils of music not sung for the Lord. Mostly it’s about how times change, and how music and life both go on.

Honeydripper is a wonderful film that reminds me of what I feel is Sayles’ best work (Lonestar, Matewan, Sunshine State). The uniqueness of his voice is more than evident, bringing with it that quality in his work that I most enjoy: Truths of the human soul in rural America; Aristophanes by way of John Steinbeck, and all in my favorite of mediums, the motion picture.

The movie has many terrific performances, mainly Charles S. Dutton and Lisa Gay Hamilton, and an endearing, delightful turn by blues artist Keb’ Mo’. The piece is well written and masterfully edited by the multi-talented Sayles, and beautifully shot by cinematographer Dick Pope. As far as the DVD itself, it includes several special features, highlighted by a behind-the-scenes featurette and commentary by John Sayles. The featurette is particularly wonderful as it goes into the history of real juke joints that once populated the region and includes interviews with the musicians and townspeople that helped make the picture authentic. In addition, Sayles’ DVD commentary is interesting, as it is on most of his other titles, providing insight into the process of filmmaking and the historical reference of the story.

Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Best Independent Film and one of The National Board of Reviews Top 10 Independent Films of the year, Honeydripper is a movie well worth experiencing several times over. Unless you pre-ordered the DVD like I did, it’s time to update your queue or head out to the store and find out just why the music goes on.

David@picturesandframesmagazine.com