Home Media Magazine - February 10-16, 2008 - (Page 25) www.homemediamagazine.com PIPELINE NEW ON DVD from FIRST RUN FEATURES Parents Launch DVD Series For Autistic Children By Kyra Kudick imed to coincide with National Autism Month, NoteAbilities Inc. April 1 (prebook March 4) will launch a new series of DVDs designed for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The series, “Kibbles Rockin’ Clubhouse,” helps teach children with ASD social and self-care skills through music, games and stories. Parents Scott and Ann Leslie were inspired to develop the series by their efforts to interact with their autistic son, Gage. They noticed the children’s media market lacked educational programming that captured his attention in a fun way. “Our motto is ‘engage Gage,’ and bring him into our world,” Scott said. So the Leslies decided to use Scott’s skills as a video producer to create a new DVD series for children with ASD. Scott said they wanted to make sure the product had credibility, so they partnered with professional music therapists and a speech pathologist to create the programming. “We wanted something fun that is also teaching,” Ann said. “As parents, you want a tool to use yourself at home. It seems like it takes forever to get into [formal] programs, and it is very frustrating because you want to be empowered to help your child.” And that is the goal of the series, not only to teach the “Funny and fast-paced!” -New York Times T children, but also to empower parents with tools for teaching and communication. To that end, the first video of the series, Kibbles Rockin’ Clubhouse Vol. 1: Expressing Yourself (DVD $24.95), focuses on speech, the importance of eye contact and physical connection, emotions and other communication skills. The lessons are taught through repetition, positive reinforcement and interactive exercises, including original music and sing-along songs. “It is a mode of learning that speaks to [ASD] needs,” Scott said of the lessons. But, Ann added, “It is a style of learning that everyone can respond to.” She cited their own family as an example — Gage’s twin sister, Avery, is not autistic, but she also enjoys and benefits from the video lessons. Scott described the bonus features of the DVD as being “just as important as the video” because they provide tools for the parents. They include a discussion about the therapeutic benefits of speech and music therapy, a how-to guide of teaching tools, and an inspirational message from Scott and Ann to parents, from parents. Future titles planned for release cover such topics as selfcare, being a helper, manners, outings, friends and more. For more information or to order “Kibbles Rockin’ Clubhouse” DVDs, call 866/552-9032 or visit www. noteabilities.com. “Punchy and volatile!” -Los Angeles Times “A fascinating firecracker of a movie!” -Dallas Observer Criterion Reissues ‘Last Emperor’ By Thomas K. Arnold irector’s cuts typically present the director’s true artistic vision, rather than the shorter theatrical cuts. Not so with The Last Emperor, Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1987 epic about China’s last emperor that swept the Oscars the following year, picking up nine awards, including best picture and best director. As part of their original deal, filmmakers were required to deliver a four-hour TV version, which turned out to be four episodes with a 218-minute run time. Only after this version was in the can did Bertolucci and editor Gabriella Cristiani go back and shave nearly an hour of footage for the 165-minute theatrical cut, which is the one to which Bertolucci gave his blessing. Criterion Collection Feb. 26 will release The Last Emperor on DVD as a special four-disc “director approved” edition. The release will include both versions of the film, with the longer initial cut billed as the “television version,” in contrast to previous home D video releases, in which the TV version was improperly presented as the director’s cut. “The fact that the film that has been seen all along is what Bertolucci considers his director’s cut proves that now and then it is possible for everything to fall in line and for a film to make it to the screen as perfect as could be hoped for,” said Criterion president Peter Becker. “The longer television version included in the set, which has over the years mistakenly been marketed as the ‘director’s cut,’ is fascinating in its own right, but we are pleased that any mystery surrounding the film and the ‘director’s cut’ has been solved with this release.” The four-disc set includes all new, restored high-definition transfers of both versions of the film, in addition to the wealth of bonus materials for which Criterion releases are known. Among the extras are an audio commentary by director Bertolucci, producer Jeremy Thomas, composer Ryuichi Sakamoto and screenwriter Mark Peploe; new video interviews with composers Sakamoto and David Byrne; and a featurette called “Postcards From China,” consisting of video images taken by Bertolucci while on preproduction. The Criterion Collection release also includes a new making-of documentary; “The Late Show: Face to Face,” a 30-minute BBC interview with Bertolucci from 1989; and “The Italian Traveler,” a documentary from Fernand Mozskowicz that explores Bertolucci’s journey from Parma to China. Also included is a booklet featuring essays by David Thomson and excerpts from script supervisor Fabien Gerard’s production journals. Hailed by some as a cinematic genius, a feminist voice and a true maverick of American cinema, dismissed by others as a voyeuristic, egomaniacal fraud and the “world’s worst director,” Henry Jaglom obsessively confuses and abuses the line between life and art. Featuring scores of interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, including an exclusive conversation with Orson Welles, this hilarious documentary about the director of such films as Hollywood Dreams, Festival in Cannes, Eating and Babyfever has grown into an underground cult hit and is now finally on DVD. NEW BONUS FILM INCLUDED: “WHO ISN’T HENRY JAGLOM?” HENRY JAGLOM LOOKS BACK AT “WHO IS HENRY JAGLOM?” SRP: $24.95 • 84 minutes (feat. + bonus), b/w & color • Catalog #: FRF 913126D, 1997/2007 Prebook: FEBRUARY 19 • Street Date: MARCH 25 Contact Us at 800-229-8575 or email sales@firstrunfeatures.com February 10–16, 2008 Home Media Magazine 25 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.noteabilities.com http://www.noteabilities.com
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