Blu-rays of the Week 

(Warner Archive)

In her breakthrough performance, Jennifer Lopez plays beloved Mexican singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez with poise, grace and charm in Gregory Nava’s solid if unspectacular 1997 biopic that’s not entirely hagiographic, although it does show Selena as larger than life—which her fans would agree with—while not really demonstrating why she became so hugely popular.

But Lopez burns a hole through the screen in the many concert sequences and maintains our interest even when the drama or music sags. There’s a fine new hi-def transfer; extras are deleted scenes and two featurettes.

Sautet/Schneider 

(Film Movement Classics)

French director Claude Sautet never really hit it big on American shores, and the two films in this set—1970’s The Things of Life and 1972’s Cesar et Rosalie—provide a glimpse why. Although both films are exceptionally well-crafted and superbly acted (Romy Schneider in both films, Michel Piccoli in Things and Yves Montand and Sami Frey in Cesar), there’s an awkward distance Sautet maintains, particularly in Things, where the details of the pivotal car accident are dawdled over so obsessively (there’s even a glimpse of the stunt driver’s helmet in one shot) that the relationships—ostensibly the films’ point—are moot.

Still, these are interesting films that have been unavailable for awhile, and with excellent hi-def transfers and illuminating retrospective making-ofs, this is recommended to fans of Sautet and the gifted Schneider, who tragically died of a heart attack at age 43 in 1982.

Der Zwerg (The Dwarf) 

Alexander Zemlinsky’s unsettling opera about a dwarf whose unrequited love for a beautiful princess leads to an unsurprisingly tragic conclusion is tricky to cast, especially if, like director Tobias Kratzer, you want a real dwarf in the title role: his solution is to cast David Butt Philip to sing and Mick Morris Mehnert to act out the drama.

The Brechtian alienation effect occasionally works, but it’s more often enervating and unilluminating. Elena Tsallagova brings a welcome pathos to the princess. The curtain raiser, Arnold Schoenberg’s short, brooding Accompaniment to a Film Scene, is dramatized effectively. There are first-rate hi-def video and audio.

Virtual Cinema/VODs of the Week

Aviva 

(Outsider Pictures)

Director Boaz Yakim’s latest juggles with the idea of gender identity by dramatizing the relationship between two dancers, male and female—and their respective feminine and masculine sides—by casting two couples to visualize the interactions. 

It’s too bad that Yakim is so heavyhanded—especially in the many, often repetitive and explicit sex scenes featuring the quartet of performers in various permutations—and that his dancers are, for the most part, inadequate actors: what could have been an insightful study of gender fluidity and sexual complexity is, ultimately, banal. Even the often thrilling choreography loses its luster in several superfluous dancing sequences, like the final one in Central Park. 

Tommaso 

Willem Dafoe gives one of his most fearless performances as an American filmmaker and recovering alcoholic living in Rome with his much younger foreign girlfriend and their young daughter in writer-director Abel Ferrara’s bluntly autobiographical film.

Ferrara’s usual crudeness is tempered by the sweetness of the relationship between Dafoe and Anna (Ferrara’s actual daughter by a much younger foreign actress, Cristina Chiriac, who plays—badly—Dafoe/Ferrara’s woman). Although it goes on far too long—as most Ferrara films do—this strained attempt to make art out of his own messy life is saved by Dafoe’s lacerating portrayal.

DVDs of the Week

Baptiste—Complete 1st Season 

(PBS Masterpiece)

Julien Baptiste, a French private eye in the recent series The Missing, returns for this taut if needlessly violent six-episode drama about a missing girl in Amsterdam and how the case puts many (including Baptiste’s family) in mortal danger.

Tcheky Karyo is persuasively haggard as the no-nonsense Baptiste, and there’s estimable support from Tom Hollander and Jessica Raine as characters who are not always quite what they seem. The show’s biggest flaw is a tendency to allow Baptiste to act stupidly at the most inopportune times, especially in one ludicrous moment when he leaves his car during an obvious setup that leads to disaster. The lone extras are cast and writers’ interviews.

Lost in America 

Former homeless teen Rotimi Rainwater’s documentary, despite its on-the-nose reportage, is necessary viewing for anyone who doubts that homeless children are a tragic black eye on our country today.

The film accumulates its power showing the heartbreaking and at times uplifting stories of children on the streets after leaving home because of abuse, being orphaned or placed in bad foster homes. Then there are the distressing stats and glimpses at Congress that does as little as possible; on the positive side are celebrities like Rosario Dawson, Halle Berry, Tiffany Haddish, and Jewel, who have taken the mantle of fighting for these voiceless people (and some of whom were homeless themselves).

CDs of the Week

Beethoven—Complete Symphonies 

(Ondine)

Tackling Beethoven’s nine symphonies for a complete recording is a mountain conductors and orchestras are thrilled to climb, and American Robert Trevino leads his Malmö Symphony Orchestra in this latest shot at the Mount Everest of symphonic music.

For the most part, these are engaging, impressive performances: best are the first, second, fourth, seventh and eighth, more conventional compared to the towering third, iconic fifth, impressionistic sixth and the indomitable ninth, which sounds most impressive in the final movement, as bass Derek Welton, tenor Tuomas Katajala, mezzo Christine Rice and soprano Kate Royal lead the joyous chorus.

Strauss—Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman Without a Shadow) 

Richard Strauss’ mammoth 1919 operatic fantasy has long been one of his most problematic stage works, but as the Met Opera’s 2001 production (which I saw, with Deborah Voigt in the title role) proved, it can make for scintillating musical theater.

So it’s too bad that we’re only getting an audio-only recording of this gorgeous-sounding 2019 Vienna State Opera performance starring Stephen Gould and Camila Nyland in two of the most vocally taxing roles in the repertoire. Strauss’ always luscious music is performed by the superlative Vienna State Opera orchestra and chorus, led by conductor Christian Thielemann (who also was in the pit during that 2001 run at the Met).

VOD of the Week 

(MPI/Capelight)

Marco Kreuzpaintner’s absorbing courtroom drama, based on Ferdinand von Schirach’s novel, takes what seems an open-and-shut murder case and, through compelling and clever machinations concerning the sordid shared history of killer and victim, becomes a riveting dissection of wartime criminality and those who whitewash it afterwards.

The cast is exemplary: Elyas M'Barek as the green defense lawyer, Franco Nero as his accused client, Alexandra Maria Lara as the victim’s granddaughter and lawyer’s close friend, and Heiner Lauterbach as the smug opposing counsel. 

Caro Diario (Dear Diary)

(Film Movement Classics)

Nanni Moretti’s 1994 triptych comprises episodes varying in amusement, seriousness and interest while representing the states of the filmmaker/narrator’s mind, from the zesty (“On My Vespa,” with Moretti motoring around Rome) to the negligible (“Islands”—unfortunately the longest—about an island where parents let children run things) and the deadly serious (“Doctors,” recounting Moretti’s harrowing cancer treatment).

The tone wavers uneasily throughout, not surprisingly, but Moretti’s light touch helps him—and viewers—through some of the rough spots. 

Blu-rays of the Week 

(Dynamic) 

A truly rediscovered opera is this 1809 historical epic about the infamous Spanish explorer Cortez, who cut swaths of discovery and destruction throughout the new world, and Gaspar Spontini—an early 19th century Italian composer—found interesting musical and dramatic ideas to make his story stageworthy.

Cecilia Ligorio’s 2019 production in Florence, Italy, is clearly and impressively thought-out, with fine musical contributions from orchestra and chorus as well as stand-out turns as Cortez and his Aztec princess love by, respectively, Dario Schmunck and Alexia Voulgaridou. The hi-def image and sound are impeccable.

The Reluctant Debutante 

(Warner Archive)

In Vincente Minnelli’s fizzy 1958 adaptation of William Douglas Home’s play, Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall play the nervous parents of a 16-year-old (Sandra Dee) who has eyes for a young man they consider a “mere” musician—but little do they know.

There are few big laughs, instead mainly amused smiles, as Harrison and Kendall are overshadowed by Dee’s mature teenager and Angela Lansbury’s exuberant comic performance as a scheming mom. While forgettable in the extreme, Minnelli completists might find more in it. The hi-def transfer looks excellent.

Sunday in New York 

Peter Tewksbury’s 1963 romantic comedy is a product of its time and ahead of it: Jane Fonda plays a 22-year-old bemoaning her virginity on a visit to New York who sets her sights on a man (Rod Taylor) she meets on the Fifth Avenue bus…but when her Albany suitor (Robert Culp) arrives at her brother’s (Cliff Robertson) apartment, things really get screwy.

Based on a Norman Krasna play (apparently a decent Broadway hit starring Robert Redford), the movie is as light as a feather, but it has Fonda at her most irresistible—and it may be a distant cousin to Woody Allen’s new frothy comedy A Rainy Day in New York, which is inexplicably unavailable to see in the U.S.

We Summon the Darkness 

(Lionsgate)

A trio of leather-clad young women bring three young men back to the house of one of the girls’ dad for fun and games after a heavy-metal concert, which soon turns into blood and guts in this tongue-in-cheek concoction from director Marc Meyers and writer Alan Trezza.

For about half its length, this horror parody is diverting; too bad that it eventually succumbs to Tarantino-itis, with inappropriately jokey violence, innocuous pop songs to blatantly underline the plot’s ludicrousness (although Kubrick did it better long before Tarantino with Full Metal Jacket); and remaining proudly illogical. The spirited performers keep things watchable. There’s a vivid hi-def transfer.

DVD of the Week 

(Film Movement)

Directors Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche chronicle the life and career of the indefatigable Lea Tsemel, one of the most hated and misunderstood people in Israel over the past half-century. Tsemel unapologetically defends those accused of crimes against the state, mainly Palestinians but even fellow Israelis like her husband, who was charged with and served jail time for what they considered trumped-up charges.

Thought-provoking and provocative like its protagonist, Advocate spotlights a woman whose fearlessness is her greatest weapon, as her husband, son and daughter acknowledge how family life has been disrupted at the same time as they admire her honesty and bravery.  

CD of the Week

Tom Cipullo—The Parting 

(Naxos)

This intensely moving chamber opera by composer Tom Cipullo and librettist David Mason explores the sad and illuminating story of Hungarian poet Miklós Radnóti, who was murdered during the Holocaust, and his relationship with his wife as Death hovers nearby.

Cipullo’s brittle and dynamic score is for a quintet of exceptional instrumentalists (flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano) and a trio of powerful voices: baritone Michael Mayes (Radnóti), soprano Laura Strickling (his wife) and mezzo Catherine Cook (Death). The combination of Radnóti’s translated poetry and intimate conversations makes for an unforgettable listening experience. 

(Criterion Collection)

In John Cassavetes’ 1970 exploration of male midlife crisis, three lifelong Long Island friends go on a binge after the sudden death of another buddy that includes public drunkenness (oh the horror!) and a boys’ trip to London. Cassavetes’ worst tendencies come to the fore here—the 142-minute movie is excruciating to sit through, as scene after interminable scene plays out in real time, with scant insight—mitigating the forceful performances of Ben Gazzara, Peter Falk and Cassavetes as the eponymous characters.

Obviously director Cassavetes couldn’t leave these improvisations on the cutting-room floor, so we all have to suffer through them. Criterion’s hi-def transfer is splendid; extras include reviewer Marshall Fine’s commentary, archival interviews with the stars (like an embarrassingly self-indulgent appearance on Dick Cavett) and cinematographer Victor H. Kemper, and new interviews with producer Al Ruben and actress Jenny Runacre, who’s terrific in her scenes with Cassavetes.

Inside Daisy Clover 

(Warner Archive)

Based on a novel by Gavin Lambert (who also wrote the script), Robert Mulligan’s uneven 1965 film satirizes Hollywood through the exploits of a 15-year-old girl who lives in a shack on a Southern California boardwalk with her mother.

Though tackling—however gingerly—then-verboten topics like (closeted) homosexuality and statutory rape, the film’s more parodic than incisively satiric, but the performances of Natalie Wood (though too old for the lead role), Robert Redford, Christopher Plummer and Ruth Gordon keep interest high right up until the obvious but perfectly realized final image. The movie looks quite enticing on Blu; lone extra is a vintage Bugs Bunny cartoon (huh? nothing on the film itself?).

The Hunting Gun 

King Arthur 

(Naxos)

In Thomas Larcher’s often mesmerizing new opera, The Hunting Gun, Yasushi Inoue’s novel about a man, his wife, daughter and mistress is brought to life with brilliant immediacy and psychological complexity, thanks to the consistently surprising musical score and the fine 2018 world premiere Bengenz Festival production.

Henry Purcell’s 17th century theater-opera hybrid, King Arthur, staged in Berlin three years ago, has wondrous musical interludes but the spoken sections—especially when, as here, done in German—distract from the tale being told, despite notable contributions from the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin under René Jacobs, choir, singers, actors and dancers. Both operas look and sound terrific in hi-def; but unfortunately there are no extras, especially for the Larcher opera. 

VOD/Virtual Cinema Releases of the Week 

(Oscilloscope Laboratories)

Actress/writer Kelly O’Sullivan may be a double threat, but she has scripted herself an enervating character to play: aimless 34-year-old Bridget, who becomes a nanny while trying to keep her messy personal life from unraveling even further.

There is humor and the occasional insight in this portrait of a young woman looking for a true direction, but O’Sullivan and director Alex Thompson rely too much on contrivance, especially concerning young Frances, Bridget’s charge, and a superficial cutesiness, exemplified by Bridget going after Frances’ hot guitar teacher after having an abortion against her not-quite-boyfriend’s wishes. Such moments mute what should have been a more compellingly chaotic comedic character study.

Stage—The Culinary Internship 

(Cargo Film & Releasing)

In the Michelin-starred Mugaritz restaurant near San Sebastian, Spain, 30 aspiring chefs arrive for a nine-month intensive that can make or break their careers, and director Abby Ainsworth follows several of them around as they try and succeed in this fraught but dynamic environment.

Alongside the wannabes’ personal stories are their equally personal dishes—including such strangely compelling if not so edible-looking dishes like apple rot, which is apples with penicillin—all overseen by renowned chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, who runs this, one of the world’s most offbeat, even infamous eateries.

DVDs of the Week 

(IFC Films)

Rashaad Ernesto Green’s beguiling independent feature follows 17-year-old aspiring poet Ayanna, who falls for 20-ish music producer Isaiah and discovers that first love is serious and difficult—especially when she discovers she’s pregnant.

Green’s admirably frank, sexy portrait of a young woman finding herself has, in the winning actress Zora Howard (who co-wrote the script with Green) as Ayanna, the perfect embodiment of an intelligent, artistic and complex young woman who deserves the movie that’s been built around her. The lone extra is Green’s 2008 short, also starring Howard and also titled Premature.

Still a Revolutionary—Albert Einstein 

(First Run Features)

Showing that Albert Einstein wasn’t the cuddly, white-haired genius he’s been pigeonholed as, Julia Newman’s succinct 80-minute documentary, though a little rough around the edges, is as fascinating as its subject.

Through vintage footage, interviews with historians and biographers, and glimpses of Einstein’s wide-ranging opinions on everything from nuclear war and Nazism to civil rights and abortion rights, Still a Revolutionary provides a necessary corrective and brings Einstein into our own difficult century as our intellectual and moral lodestar.

CDs of the Week 

(Mercury)

The classic Canadian prog trio’s commercial 1980 breakthrough showed that the band could move into shorter song forms without sacrificing the epic structures and instrumental chops that characterized its earlier records. From the opening “The Spirit of Radio”—which became one of the few popular Rush anthems—to the closing multi-part suite “Natural Science,” the album split the difference between musical complexity (“Jacob’s Ladder”) and lyrical simplicity (“Entre Nous,” “Different Strings”), with the straight-ahead rocker “Free Will” thrown in for good measure.

This welcome two-disc set includes the superb-sounding remastered album and 11 electric live tracks from the group’s 1980 tour, featuring most of the then-new record along with earlier gems “Xanadu” and  “Cygnus X-1”—both Book I and Book II!

Arnold Schoenberg—Pelleas und Melisande/Erwartung 

(Chandos)

The break in Arnold Schoenberg’s career—from full-blown Romanticism to the 12-tone system—is heard in this excellent recording of one of his most ravishing scores—the tone poem Pelleas und Melisande, based on Maurice Maeterlinck’s drama that Claude Debussy turned into his operatic masterpiece—as well as his haunting monodrama Erwartung, composed six years after Pelleas and comprising the kind of resolutely “difficult” music for which he was renowned (and reviled).

Edward Gardner conducts the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in a passionate Pelleas, while chamber forces most ably accompany the dazzling American soprano Sara Jakubiak in Erwartung’s solo vocal tour de force.