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Shut Up and Sing (2006)
Directed by Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck

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The Dixie Chicks are a polarizing force in music.  Ever since the ‘fifteen words heard ‘round the world,’ everyone has an opinion and there aren’t many people in middle. While all of this controversy is a reality, none of it affects the Chicks’ musical talent.  Love them or hate them, they can still play.

Ticket sales were slow for the Chicks’ latest tour supporting their first post-comment album, Taking the Long Way. The band was also hoping to capitalize on the release of their video documentary, Shut Up and Sing, directed by Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck.  I was pleasantly surprised. Shut Up and Sing is an entertaining look at the album making process. All the struggles and doubts showcased in the movie paid off as the Dixie Chicks swept the 2007 Grammy Awards. This movie is a must-see for any fan of the Chicks.
- Amanda

Asylum
Directed by Roy Ward Baker (1972)

I have a slight obsession with insane asylums. I gobble up books set in asylums, and I absolutely love movies where the action takes place in an asylum. So, when Asylum came out on DVD in 2006, I knew I had to check it out!

Here’s a run-down of the plot: Dr. Martin arrives at the Dunsmoor Asylum for the incurably insane to apply for an open position. He expects to be interviewed by asylum director Dr. Starr. Instead he is met by Dr. Rutherford, who explains that Dr. Starr suffered a mental breakdown and is now one of the patients. If Martin can deduce which patient is really Dr. Starr, the job is his.

Who is Dr. Starr? Is it the woman whose affair with a married man turns murderous? Is it the tailor who made a one-of-a-kind suit for a very mysterious customer, with evil results? Is it the beautiful young lady accused of murdering her brother while her nurse insists “Lucy” did it? Or is it the “doctor” whose specialty is making voodoo dolls? You’ll use your own skills of deduction as you join Dr. Martin on his quest to find the real Dr. Starr…

For fans of the Hammer horror films, good old fashioned scary stories, or if you’re like me and enjoy anything set in asylum, Asylum is the film for you!
-Crystal

The Machinist
Directed by Brad Anderson (2004)

“It’s as if a screenplay by Franz Kafka had been filmed by Alfred Hitchcock.” This is how one review summed up The Machinist and I wholeheartedly agree. Christian Bale stars as an emaciated industrial worker who is becoming totally detached from reality. We slowly see the many elements of his nightmare existence exposed with devastating results. The film features an appropriately eerie music score by Roque Banos that perfectly evokes the spirit of Bernard Herman, Hitchcock’s favorite composer. This film is highly recommended for fans of the unusual and for me is one of the best of recent years. -Lew

Z Channel: a Magnificent Obsession (2005)
Directed by Xan Cassavetes

The "Z Channel: a Magnificent Obsession" is a fascinating documentary that explores the rise and tragic fall of Jerry Harvey, the maverick chief programmer of the Z Channel.

What was the Z Channel you ask? Before Blockbuster or HBO there was Z Channel. If you lived in the Los Angeles area in the 1980’s, you literally had a film festival on your TV every night. You could watch domestic films, foreign films and obscure movies you would have otherwise not been exposed to. Z Channel creator Jerry Harvey also introduced innovative programming ideas such as screening letterboxed versions and director's cuts, as well as the "Night Owl Show." (You'll have to watch the movie to find out what this is…)

This documentary features several interviews with people that knew Harvey, including ex-wives, filmmakers (Robert Altman, Penelope Spheeris, Paul Verhoeven, and Quentin Tarantino), movie critics, and associates. Also interviewed is UCLA's English Professor C. L. Batten. Mr. Batten was Jerry Harvey's teacher while he was at UCLA. I was able to contact him for a brief interview.

What classes did Jerry Harvey take with you?
(Batten) He took two classes with me. Literary criticism and Eighteenth Century English.
In the movie you stated,” I think this student is probably smarter than I am." Could you elaborate on this statement?
(Batten) I've only seen the movie once. I don't like to watch myself or to hear my own voice. I don't even like to hear my voice on the answering machine. What I wanted to say about Jerry was that he was a very bright man with a great mental agility. I hope I taught him to be more intellectual. He was extraordinary.
Did you ever talk about film?
(Batten) Every conversation I had with him was about film. Film was his way of connecting with the world.
Did he ever introduce a film to you that you had never heard of before?
(Batten) While he was programming films at the Beverly Canon (an art theatre in California) he called me up and insisted I come and see Marcel Carne's "Les Enfants Du Paradis" or "The Children of Paradise". I took my wife to the film and he was right I really enjoyed it.

The Z Channel a Magnificent Obsession is not just for cinephiles. It's a fascinating look at one man who tried to introduce something new and daring to his audience. For the most part, Harvey succeeded. I think it important to note the Nashville Public Library has several of the films mentioned in "Z CHANNEL A MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION" either on video or DVD. Instead of checking out your usual movies, try one of Harvey’s favorite films. You may discover your new favorite film! -Bill

Shakespeare Behind Bars (2006)
Directed by Hank Rogerson

Shakespeare’s plays often feature murderers, thieves, in general the misfits of society. Who better to take on the roles of Shakespeare than convicted felons?
Each year at the Luther Luckett Prison in La Grange, Kentucky inmates perform a different Shakespeare play under the direction of Curt Tofteland, director of the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival and volunteer founder and director of the Shakespeare Behind Bars program. "I let the guys choose their roles," Tofteland has said, "and you'd be surprised how many choose to act out the very kinds of things they're in here for." The inmates have told him those roles allow them to grapple with emotions they wouldn't otherwise be able to confront safely. "I tell them, 'You choose your role, but your role also chooses you' – and I believe that happens for a reason."

The documentary follows the group as they rehearse The Tempest. What could be more fitting for these men than a play which is ultimately about forgiveness? Cast members share very intimate stories about why they are serving sentences at Luther Luckett, and how they identify with the characters they are playing. You’ll be moved by the honesty and sincerity displayed by these men. You may be shocked by the events that brought them to this point in life. But ultimately, you’ll be forever touched by watching the cathartic process revealed in this documentary. -Crystal

Something New (2006)
Directed by Sanaa Hamri

As a rule, I don’t do romantic comedies. I never have anything in common with the characters. The romances seem forced, the breakups ridiculous, and the make-ups even more contrived. Yes, I may be a tad cynical when it comes to romance; but when I saw the trailer for Something New, something told me I should watch this movie.

Kenya McQueen is a young, professional African-American woman. She’s worked very hard to advance in a field not only saturated with men, but white men – colleagues and clients alike. She and her friends get together and talk about what it means to be single and successful black women.

Kenya decides to take a chance on being set up for a blind date. After arriving at the coffee shop, she checks out the black men, looking for the person she’s meeting. Then her date arrives… Kenya is horrified when she realizes she’s been set up with a white guy. She basically blows him off at this point, but runs into him again at a party.
Brian Kelly is a landscaper. Kenya hires him to work for her. As he transforms her disastrous backyard, Kenya is transformed too. You want these two to get together as you experience their chemistry. Brian brings out a new uninhibited side to Kenya.

Of course there is conflict, then a breakup, and eventually a make-up that occurs in this romantic comedy. But Something New addresses other very contemporary and relevant issues during this process. It features a great cast, including Blair Underwood as a wood-be suitor, and Alfre Woodard as Kenya’s mother. The soundtrack is awesome. I won’t say anything else about this movie except watch it! - Crystal

11:14 (2003)
Directed by Greg Marck. Starring Rachael Leigh Cook, Barbara Hershey, Patrick Swayze, and Hilary Swank.

If you're in the mood for a black comedy containing a 1/3 cup of suspense, and a teaspoon of thriller, try 11:14. The movie consists of several different stories. It starts with a young man driving down the highway drunk. It continues with a van full of kids up to mischief. Enter a cop with two prisoners in his vehicle. Switch to a teenage girl who is pregnant. But wait, I forgot to mention the man who discovers a dead body in a cemetery. Yikes! Yes, you do need to pay attention to the details, including the time when you watch this film. But I guarantee you'll gain satisfaction when you see how everything fits into 11:14. Director Greg Marcks' first full-length feature film is pure entertainment! - Crystal

Dot the I (2003)
Directed by Matthew Parkhill

What a cool movie! It starts with what appears to be a typical love triangle. Imagine a young woman about to be married. She's out on the town for her hen night (bachelorette party to most Americans). As part of the tradition, she chooses one man to share her last kiss as a free woman. This kiss plants the seed of doubt about whether she's ready for marriage.

Just when you think the film is going to be a romantic drama, it turns into a thriller. The young lady has a tragic past. Her fiance' is rich, but dull and controlling. And the guy with whom she shared her last free kiss doesn't want to let her go. Dot the I is writer/director Matthew Parkhill's feature film debut. I'll say no more, lest I give away key points of the plot. This was one of the most refreshing movies I've recently watched. It stars Natalia Verbeke, James D'Arcy, and Gael Garcia Bernal, whom you may remember from The Motorcycle Diaries or Y Tu Mama Tambien. - Crystal

The Killing (1956)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick's The Killing was his first major Hollywood film. His first two films, Fear and Desire and Killer's Kiss, were small, independent movies. This was the first time he had a major budget ($330,000), major actors (Sterling Hayden, Jay C. Flippen, and Elisha Cook) and a major studio (United Artists). It was based on Lionel White's novel Clean Break, and the screenplay was co-written by Jim Thompson who wrote crime novels The Grifters and The Killer Inside Me.

The story deals with a heist of a race track. Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden) is the ring leader and has come up with a plan that requires spilt second timing. What makes The Killing different from other heist films are the many perspectives the story is told from. You see each story of the gang as they perform their part of the robbery. For example, you see Nikki Arane (Timothy Carey) the sharp shooter of the gang hired to assassinate a race horse to cause a distraction. In this particular episode there is an interesting exchange between Arane and a black car park attendant (James Edwards). Not only is it part of the plot but it makes an interesting comment on racism.

Another interesting aspect of The Killing is how each gang member comes undone. It comes in the form of a horseshoe, a little dog, and of course the femme fatale played to perfection by Marie Windsor.

Tragically, after Dr. Strangelove, Stanley Kubrick never made a film in black and white again. Kubrick was one of the last directors who fully exploited the process to its full advantage. Interesting note: Lucien Ballard, the director of photography, was mainly known for working in color and mainly in westerns. The Killing has a documentary-feel to it.
In conclusion, The Killing introduced to the world a great filmmaking talent. The film is still complex and compelling today. - Bill

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