Movie Info:
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ron Wood, Christina Aguilera, Buddy Guy, Jack White, Darryl Jones, Lisa Fischer
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Paramount

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: April 4, 2008
DVD Release Date: July 29, 2008
Online Availability:Amazon for $18.99

I’m not a big fan of the Rolling Stones. I know they’re one of the best bands of all time, but I much prefer The Beatles. Nevertheless, I can respect the band’s longevity, passion for music, and ability to appease a widely diverse audience. It seems fitting that one of the best directors of all time and one of the best bands of all time would team up to make the critically acclaimed documentary, Shine a Light.

When you think Martin Scorsese, you think well written, mob related drama. You don’t think music documentaries. Stepping out of the box, Scorsese offers a stunningly directed, chaotic look at the behind the scenes element of the Rolling Stones’ “A Bigger Bang Tour”. While the behind the scenes footage is short compared to the concert footage, what is there is a buildup of what is yet to come. That being said, despite not being a Stones fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary.

While Martin Scorsese has never worked with the Stones, most of the movies that Scorsese has made often contain songs and/or references to the band. It is clear that as much as Scorsese sees the Stones as an equal collaborative, creative partner, he is also a fan of the band with a great respect for the band’s work. Likewise, the Stones couldn’t ask for a better director to create and present this documentary.

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Cast: Johnny Knoxville, Travis Pastrana, Mat Hoffman, Trigger Gumm, Jeff Schneider
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: MTV/Paramount
Release Date: May 27, 2008

I remember back in the day when MTV presented music. It was in the golden ages, back when the closest thing to a music interruption on the channel was the pop culture oriented, totally awesome game show, Remote Control. Today is a different day though. We are bombarded with bad reality television (Tila Tequila, anyone) and things that are far from music oriented…like this. Presented by the crew that brought you Jackass, this DVD pays homage, according to them, to the great stunt man, Evel Knievel.

Personally, I find Jackass to be pointless. I get that the first one was amusing. I mean, I didn’t see it that way myself, but I get that others liked it. However, there was no need for a Jackass 2.5, or anything presented by them in any capacity. It just seems like with every Jackass movie in the lineup, people like them less and less. Well hopefully this 45 minute flick will do them in and save me the trouble of having to review more drivel.

Release Information:
Mat Hoffman is a BMX star who obviously likes Evel Knievel. Most stunt guys like Evel because he was always the best back in the day. He’s a name that everyone knows whether they are into that sort of thing or not. Hoffman, on the other hand, is mostly known through Jackass and the assorted junk that the team has done. Why MTV put this out, I may never know. Perhaps they were looking to get rid of some money or they felt it important to give to charity and they chose the wrong one.

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Cast: Kirk Franklin, John Legend, Dr. Bobby Jones, J Moss, Patti LaBelle, Pastor Shirley Caesar
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: April 29, 2008

Every now and then we receive something for review that no one at Literary Illusions is really interested in seeing. When this happens the DVD or product is usually given to the writer with the least seniority to handle. The idea is that eventually, they won’t be the last in line and they will not have to do DVDs that no one else will review. As the last in line, Celebration in Gospel - Spirit in Song was mine. This just prompts me to recommend that Literary Illusions start taking applications for reviewers post haste. I am only one man and I’m not sure I can handle another repeat performance of a dry, over-edited piece of junk again.

The premise of this BET series is simple enough and from what I can tell, people seem to really enjoy the television production of Celebration in Gospel . However, this heavily edited piece of television history is likely not worth the cost of the DVDs that it was placed on. I don’t recall seeing anything on the cover that explains that this DVD is edited from the performances that were shown on television though I heard this common complaint from the people that seem to like this show. For me, it didn’t really matter though the addition of Steve Harvey might have added some comedy to the boredom that I was forced to endure while watching this crap.

Release Information:
Celebration in Gospel - Spirit in Song was made available by Paramount Home Video and BET on April 29, 2008. This DVD, which likely has limited release availability, is able to be found at most DVD venues online, including Amazon, where it is available for $20. Why anyone would want to pay $20 for a DVD that lasts an hour and has been edited more than an episode of Sesame Street where the Muppets smoke crack is beyond me, but if you want the DVD you know where to find it.

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Director: Amir Bar-Lev
Cast: Amir Bar-Lev, Amir Bar-Lev, Anthony Brunelli, Elizabeth Cohen, Michael Kimmelman, Laura Olmstead, Mark Olmstead, Marla Olmstead, Zane Olmstead
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Sony Pictures
Release Date: March 4, 2008

Ever since I heard about the release of the documentary film, My Kid Could Paint That, I wanted to be the one to review this film. I love documentaries, especially ones that are interesting stories about messed up situations. I guess you could call the possibility of Marla Olmstead being a fraud, interesting. After all, her fraud, if committed, was done at the age of four. Regardless of whether Marla painted the work for herself or not, the controversy surrounding the story and the emotions it stirs up within each person who watches this film, is an amazing connection Bar-Lev was able to give all of us.

Watching this film was like a rollercoaster ride. I felt conflicted from the moment the parents were introduced. I believed their story that things started out as innocently as they did, but once things began to spiral out of control, I found the father, Mark, to be the guilty one, that is, if there was any guilt to be had. If there was was any type of deception, it might have started out small and turned into such a gigantic lie that nothing could fix the irreparable damage caused by parents who thought they had their child’s best interest at heart…well at least, it is clear, by one of them.

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Writer: David Grubin
Director: David Grubin
Cast: Various
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: PBS/ Paramount
Release Date: February 5, 2008

Choosing to review DVDs can be a funny process. There are the movies that have coins being flipped to determine who is lucky enough to do the review, there are the ones done from obligation, because hey you can’t always have good reviews, and then there are the movies that come in and you just know who is going to do them. When Jewish Americans fell onto my desk, everyone in the office knew who was going to get this one.

The DVD was handed over due to the fact that it was a documentary about people that are Jewish and I am assuming that my officemates took that to mean that there would be a lot of WWII and Holocaust talk, two historical periods I’m highly interested in studying. Actually this could not be the furthest thing from the truth. The majority of the documentary deals with the successes and the adversity that Jews coming to America have faced as they attempt to build their lives. Regardless of any preconceived thoughts about the content, Jewish Americans is an amazing documentary that manages to be interesting from start to finish.

Release Information:
Jewish Americans comes in a two disc set courtesy of PBS and Paramount. The set was released on February 5, 2008 and can be purchased in most retail outlets for around $20. This is not David Grubin’s first go round as a director for a powerful documentary. Grubin has also worked on The Mysterious Human Heart, The American Experience, and Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided. Despite the fact that it was not his first, it is certainly his best work to date, offering plenty of information and a good amount of passion into the final product.

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