Half Past Autumn - The Life and Works of Gordon Parks (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is quite a look into the amazing life and art of Gordon Parks, an American Treasure.
Like the works of Parks, this documentary is beautifully filmed and narrated. And by the time the film ends, you wish it would just go on and on. Just the way you feel about the amazing life of Gordon Parks.


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A true twentieth century Renaissance man, Gordon Parks is one of the most prolific and diverse artists in America today. A preeminent photographer, poet, novelist, composer and filmmaker, Parks's artisitc vision knows no boundaries. This candid portrait of the artist is a journey throught the watershed moments on America's social history, punctuated by Parks' seminal works and his unique ability to follow his instincts to the most fascinating and challenging places in the world.

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Born into Brothels (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)In order to photograph in the red light districts of Calcutta, India, photojournalist Zana Briski lived there for several years. Though many of the residents were wary of her camera, Briski found that the neighborhood children were unafraid and curious. So she began teaching them photography, giving each child a point-and-shoot film camera with which to photograph his or her environment and providing classes on technique and editing. This eventually resulted in international acclaim for the children's photographs and media coverage for Briski's unusual photo classes. "Born Into Brothels" is a documentary of Briski's class of young photographers filmed by Zana Briski and Ross Kaufman about 2 years into the project that has become known as "Kids with Cameras".
The best thing about "Born Into Brothels" is that it allows the children to tell their story in their own words. Zana Briski's class of 8 photographers -who call her "Zana Auntie"- are children of prostitutes, born and raised among the harsh realities of Calcutta's Sonagachi red light district. There are 5 girls: Kochi, Tapasi, Shanti, Puja, and Suchitra, and 3 boys: Manik, Gour, and Avijit, ranging in age from 10 to 14 years, but mostly pre-teens. The documentary is dominated by interviews with the children and by their photographs, with occasional voiceover or footage of Zana Briski. The filmmakers are commendably respectful of the children and their decisions. These kids understand their situations very well and tend to be philosophical about it, yet many of them yearn for opportunities to escape life in the brothel. Interestingly, the kids are not fatherless children of single prostitutes, as I might have expected. Many of their mothers' are married and live with large extended families.
"Born Into Brothels" lets the kids talk about themselves, their families, and their world. We sit in on their photo classes, accompany them on photo field trips to the zoo and the beach, and sympathize with Zana Briski's frustration as she struggles with bureaucracy and prejudice to find boarding schools that will accept children of sex workers. We also see the kids beaming with pride and having some fun as they enjoy international success and a bit of fame in India as well. Zana Briski has obviously done a great deal of work and invested a lot of emotional energy in a project that may change the lives of a handful of children if she is lucky. But even if the kids lives' turn out no different than their parents', photography has broadened their outlook and given them some great experiences. "Born Into Brothels" is an engaging documentary of that process. To learn more or purchase prints, visit www.kids-with-cameras.org .
The DVD (Thinkfilm 2005): There are text bios of Zana Briski and Ross Kaufman. "About the Photographers" includes text bios of the children, which are useful in figuring out who is who.

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A tribute to the resiliency of childhood and the restorative power of art, BORN INTO BROTHELS is a portrait of several unforgettable children who live in Calcutta's red light district, where there mothers work as prostitutes. Spurred by the kids' facination with her camera, Zana Briski, a New-York-based photographer living in the brothels and documenting life there, decides to teach them photography. As they begin to look at and record their world through new eyes, the kids, who society refused to recognize, awaken for the first time to their own talents and sense of worth. Filmmakers Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski capture the way in which beauty can be found even the seemingly bleakest and most helpless of places, and how art and education can empower children to transform their lives.
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The September Issue (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)...something very important, and that is THE THIRD DISC.
I am not going to review the movie, but the DVD itself. The extra material is superb. It is fantastic actually, and these are for the true admirers of fashion and VOGUE. Could there be even more? Yeah, sure... They could have included the basic bios of the subjects, more pictures, VOGUE through ages, pivotal photos from the magazine archives, even more footage with the fashion designers and models etc. Still, over 90 minutes of extra material is just great.
But you know what is even greater than this version?
The THREE DISC VERSION that Barnes&Noble has to offer.
This elusive third disc in question includes a 25 minutes of footage from the preparation of the legendary Costume Institute Gala. It is just amazing. You get a lot of Anna here, and no Grace actually, however, you get to witness the MET event preparation including the decor, some peacocks, even Naomi Campbell, Cate Blanchett and Michael Bloomberg, and more of Anna being fashion's true 'Eminence Grise'. Her influence is immense, but this third disc truly proves how prominent she is, outside the high walls of VOGUE or the intimidating fashion shows. amazon.com version of the DVD doesn't include this third disc. I suppose the moviemakers and studio did cut a deal with B&N, for an even more special and exclusive release just for them.
I have learned about this edition and got excited. And I went to B&N today, and picked up my copy. It is more expensive than the 2 disc amazon edition -understandably- but so worth it, in my opinion.Disc I:
Movie
Some extra materials
Production photosDisc II:
Extra materials (with Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington, Andre Leon Talley, Thakoon etc.)Disc III:
Footage from Costume Institute Gala preparation/red carpet

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An intimate, funny and surprising behind-the-scenes look at VOGUE\'S legendary editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and her team of larger-than- life editors, this is the captivating story of how they create the must-have bible of fashion: THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE. At the eye of this annual fashion hurricane is the two-decade relationship between Anna and Grace Coddington, incomparable creative director and fashion genius. Through them, we see close-up the delicate creative chemistry it takes to remain at the top of the fashion field. Now, with the biggest issue ever hanging in the balance, Anna and Grace confront the runways of Fashion Week, the back rooms of the world\'s biggest designers, the high-stakes photo shoots – and each other – as the VOGUE team scrambles to find the perfect look for each page. Director R.J. Cutler delivers this riveting look into the world of fashion that is as fun, fabulous and fast-paced as the world it captures.

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America's Next Top Model - Cycle 1 (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)I had never seen ANTM until the Fall of 2004, having missed the first two seasons. I have zero interest in fashion, but heard that, as far as reality shows, it was one of the most entertaining. It was always being talked about and quoted in Entertainment Weekly. So, during an ad break in one of the early episodes of LOST, I flipped over to ANTM. I've never flipped back to LOST and have been watching ANTM ever since.
The show is incredibly entertaining. And season 1 (which I had never seen until it was released on DVD) is a great season. You have all sorts of conflicts. The devout Christians vs the atheist being the biggest one.
The DVDs are well put together. Three discs. Four episodes on the first two and the finale on the final disc.
The only extras are three, short featurettes (each 5-10 minutes in length). One about the casting, one about the making of the show, and a final one about the two Jay's. They are fun, but nothing special. To be honest, when it comes to TV on DVD, I'm more interested in the show than any extras so I'm not upset with the set.
The set is well worth picking up. Even if you don't care about fashion or modelling. The cast makes the show work. A very entertaining series.

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AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL:CYCLE 1 - DVD Movie

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Mystery Woman: Snapshot (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)MYSTERY WOMAN: SNAPSHOT details the murder of one of Samantha Kinsey's book club members. Barbara Sommers, one of the town's wealthy, has always been a conspiracy junkie, believing in UFOs and coverups. At the reading of her late brother's will, she finds out that she's left with none of the family company. Barbara insists that a conspiracy is in play, that she's being robbed of what's hers, and that her brother was murdered. After leaving a roll of film with Sam that Barbara tells her contains a clue to the murder, Barbara goes home and is murdered. Sam and Philby, the ex-CIA agent that was her father's friend and who shares her love of doing investigations that aren't quite legal, take up the chase for the murderer.
Kellie Martin (E.R.) stars as Samantha Kinsey. So far, A&E have made eight MYSTERY WOMAN movies, but not all of them have made it to DVD. The series was created by Michael Sloan, a staple in the mystery/adventure TV field. Georg Stanford Brown stars as Philby and even directs this one.
As a mystery, SNAPSHOT was so-so. There weren't enough suspects and the field narrowed pretty quickly once the initial murder kicked the play off. Still, Sam and her cronies are endearing characters and it was fun to watch them work.
Some of the usual confrontations with the local police was missing, and the stakes never truly rose above the solution of the murder. Philby even has his own little mystery to solve while he works on the pipes in the shop, but the solution comes out of left field and the viewer never had a chance at it.
MYSTERY WOMAN: SNAPSHOT is another great little mystery to watch in the casual comfort of home with a fellow sleuth. Perhaps the mystery will solve too quickly, with even the twists and turns telegraphed, but the characters are fun to watch and still worth the price of admission.

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MYSTERY WOMAN:SNAPSHOT - DVD Movie

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