Video Reviews, June 1, 2012

A Weaverly Path: The Tapestry Life of Silvia Heyden. color. 62 min. Kenny Dalsheimer, Groove Prods., www.aweaverlypath.com. 2012. DVD $89; acad. libs. $199 + $5 s/h; Blu-ray $109; $250; home version $25. Public performance. CRAFTS

Silvia Heyden is a weaver, a tapestry artist, who creates with her loom and yarn. This latest film from Dalsheimer (A New Kind of Listening) spends a year with the Swiss-born Heyden (b. 1927) in her current home in North Carolina, where she works on tapestries inspired by the nearby Eno River. Heyden shares her meditations and inspirations as she walks by the water and then takes viewers to the loom where she translates them into woven art. The pace and music of the film perfectly match the beautifully interlaced colors and patterns of the tapestries and the swift and constantly changing Eno and its surrounding landscape. Of course, we learn about the artist herself, from her youth in Switzerland and her education as an artist to her family in America and her success in the art world. VERDICT This warm and uplifting film will appeal to viewers looking for inspiration in their creative activities as well as to art lovers of all varieties.‚ Ellen Druda, Half Hollow Hills Community Lib., Dix Hills, NY

The War Room. 2 discs. color. 96+ min. Chris Hegedus & D.A. Pennebaker, Pennebaker Assocs. & McEttinger Films, dist. by Criterion Collection, www.criterion.com. 2012. DVD 9781604655444. $29.95; 1-disc Blu-ray ISBN 9781604655438. $39.95. POLITICS

Criterion has released onto DVD and Blu-ray Pennebaker and Hegedus’s groundbreaking 1993 documentary examinating the 1992 Democratic primaries and general elections that put Bill Clinton into office and, up to the rise of the Internet, changed political campaigns. Twenty years later, the film, anchored by Clinton campaign strategist James Carville and communications directorGeorge Stephanopoulos, remains absorbing and amusing. This new edition includes four additional programs. In the 2008 Sundance Channel documentary Return of the War Room, Carville, Stephanopoulos, and others reflect on the impact of the 1992 campaign on later elections. Making of the War Room presents a conversation between the filmmakers on the challenges and rewards found in producing the documentary. Strategist Stanley Greenberg appears in an extended interview discussing the importance of and recent changes in polling and polling techniques. Finally, the set includes a panel discussion on the 1992 election sponsored by the William J. Clinton Foundation and featuring Carville, Clinton advisor Vernon Jordan, journalist Ron Brownstein, and the President himself. VERDICT This excellent film remains as relevant in 2012 as it was two decades ago. Highly recommended to political junkies, which in this day and age covers just about everyone.‚ Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Parkersburg Lib.

Poster Girl. color. 38 min. Sara Nesson, Portrayal Films in assoc. with HBO, dist. by C-LineFilms, 617-359-2404; www.c-linefilms. com; www.postergirlthemovie.com. 2012. DVD UPC 884501663618. $49.95; acad. libs. $295. Public performance; home version $16.95. Closed-captioned. SOC SCI

Robynn Murray was a popular, creative high schooler whose idealism led her to enlist in the army after 9/11. She was deployed to Iraq in 2003 when she was 19 years old. Poster Girl recounts the story of her life upon her return to the United States in 2005 and her struggle to get her post-traumatic stress disorder recognized by the Veterans Administration (VA). Director Nesson wisely focuses her documentary on Murray, interspersing her on-camera thoughts with photographs and footage from Iraq. Even to the untrained eye, this is a young woman in a great deal of physical and emotional pain. She cannot reconcile her actions in Iraq with the person she believed herself to be and is now left feeling that she is a monster. Throughout the film, Murray’s will drives her, leading her, ultimately, to the healing power of art to recapture the self she feels she lost in Iraq. VERDICT While it is difficult and painful to watch at times, this Academy Award‚ nominated film exposes an important topic andis highly recommended for libraries of all sizes.‚ Catherine Gilmore, MLS, Portland, OR

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The following titles are reviewed in the June 1 print issue. Visit our Reviews Center (Beta) for the full reviews.

FICTION

Anatomy of a Murder. 2 discs. b/w. 161+ min. Otto Preminger, dist. by Criterion Collection, www.criterion.com. 2012. DVD ISBN 9781604655407. $29.95; 1-disc Blu-ray ISBN 9781604655391. $39.95. F

Dr. Willoughby. color. 144 min. David Skynner, WitzEnd Prods., dist. by Acorn Media, 888-870-8047; www.acornonline.com. 2012. DVD ISBN 9781598285611. $29.99. SDH subtitles. F

ARTS & HUMANITIES

From Trash to Tunes: Music, Science, Craft & Family Fun. color. 296 min. Dennis Waring, Waring Music, dist. by AV Café, 877-228-2233; www.theavcafe.com. 2011. DVD ISBN 9781450711708. $20. CRAFTS/MUSIC

The Broken Tower. b/w. 110+ min. James Franco, Focus World & Rabbit Bandini, dist. by Entertainment One, www.eonehomevideo.com. 2012. DVD ISBN 9781417237036. $24.98. SDH subtitles. LIT/BIOG

1991: The Year Punk Broke. color. 160+ min. Dave Markey, Geffen Records, Universal Music Co., dist. by Amazon.com. 2011. DVD UPC 602527786940. $19.98. Parental advisory. MUSIC

The Swell Season. b/w. 88+ min. Nick August- Perna & others, Elkcreek Cinema & Overcoat Records, dist. by Docurama c/o New Video, 800-314-8822; www.newvideo.com. 2012. DVD ISBN 9781422995525. $29.95. MUSIC

Knuckle. color. 97+ min. Ian Palmer, ARC Entertainment, dist. by Baker & Taylor; Midwest Tape. 2012. DVD UPC 796019824125. $22.99. Rated: R. SPORTS

Senna. color. 106+ min. In English & Portuguese w/English subtitles. Asif Kapadia, ARC Entertainment, dist. by Baker & Taylor; Midwest Tape. 2012. DVD UPC 796019824651. $22.99; Blu-ray UPC 796019825108. $26.99; public performance. New Yorker Films, www.newyorkerfilms.com. $150; acad. libs. $295 + $15 s/h. Rated: PG-13. SPORTS/BIOG

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Tabloid. b/w. 88+ min. Errol Morris, Moxie Pictures & Air Loom Enterprises, dist. by MPI Media, www.mpimediagroup.com. 2011. DVD ISBN 9780788614163. $24.98. Rated: R. COMM/BIOG

Chasing Madoff. color. 91+ min. Jeff Prosserman, Cohen Media Group/MPI, dist. by Cohen Media Group, www.cohenmedia.net. 2012. DVD ISBN 9780788614972. $24.98; Blu-ray ISBN 9780788615009. $29.98. ECON

Islam, British Society, and the Terrorist Threat. color. 122 min. Alden Films, www.aldenfilms.com. 2011. DVD ISBN 9781877684326. $24.95. INT AFFAIRS/POLITICS

The Purity Myth: The Virginity Movement’s War Against Women. color. 45 min. Jeremy Earp, Media Education Fdn., 800-897-0089; www.mediaed.org. 2011. DVD ISBN 9781932869569. $34.95; acad. libs. $250. SOC SCI

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Our Planet: The Past, Present and Future of Earth. 3 discs. color. 282+ min. History Channel, dist. by New Video, 800-314-8822; www.newvideo.com. 2011. DVD. ISBN 9781422992517. $19.95. Closed-captioned. ENVIRONMENT