Home Media Magazine - July 29-August 4, 2007 - (Page 14)

REVIEWS Edited by John Latchem www.homemediamagazine.com range of Bardot’s acting skills. She shows a light comedic touch and wholesome sex appeal much like Sandra Dee, her American counterpart at the time, in the zany Naughty Girl. In the lighthearted mystery Come Dance With Me, Bardot reminds me of Doris Day for the ease in which she shifts from comedy to drama. Rounding out the set are Love on a Pillow, The Vixen and Two Weeks in September. The true mark of any cinematic superstar is if you can’t take your eyes off them when they’re on screen. They may not be the best actors or work from the best scripts, but their charisma is such that you get your money’s worth. Bardot has passed the test of time as one of the screen’s most magnetic women, and this collection shows why. — Craig Modderno I BRIGITTE BARDOT 5-FILM COLLECTION Street 8/7 Lionsgate, Drama, $39.99 three-DVD set, NR. Stars Brigitte Bardot. ll these movies are in French, starring an actress who debuted nearly 50 years ago and who never had a huge American hit. So why should we be interested in this enjoyable collection? Because the delectable Bardot brought a A pout and a genuine sex appeal that’s lacking among contemporary actresses. Can you name a current sex symbol who can even compare? The influence of the foreign superstar with the legendary lips is best explained in the informative special feature “Larger Than Life: Brigitte Bardot and the Mythology of the Sex Symbol,” which includes interviews with Hugh Hefner and three college professors, along with rare footage and photos. The surprise thing about these five films is the I CONFESS Prebook 7/31; Street 8/28 MTI, Thriller, $24.95 DVD, ‘R’ for language, some sexuality and brief violence. Stars Ali Larter, Eugene Byrd, William Sadler. I PETER BEARD: SCRAPBOOKS FROM AFRICA AND BEYOND Prebook 7/31; Street 8/28 Palm, Documentary, $26.99 DVD, NR. n today’s world, there’s nothing more dangerous than a hacker with a grudge. Just ask Terell Lessor (8 Mile’s Byrd), a technology whiz and ex-hacker, who worked hard to develop a proprietary surveillance technology that was stolen from him by his former partner and a greedy venture capitalist. Now broke and out for revenge, Terell goes after the establishment he blames for his downfall the only way he can: by using the power of the Internet. Confess is a timely political thriller that follows Terell and his behindthe-scenes accomplice, Olivia (Larter, the deadly vixen from NBC’s “Heroes”), as they develop an online forum where they post video clips of politicians, CEOs and other influential figures in compromising situations — committing acts of adultery and admitting their true, shocking beliefs. It doesn’t take long for the renegade site to become front-page news and I spread like a virus across cyberspace. Terrell’s antics also catch the attention of the FBI, which dubs him a cyber-terrorist and wants him brought to justice immediately. Before the agency can track him down, imitators start running rampant and post their own videos, which take Terell’s abduction-andconfession model to violent new extremes. As society continues to spiral out of control, Terell begins to question his actions, knowing he’s the only one who can stop the madness he has initiated. The release of Confess on DVD couldn’t come at a better time, following the recent success of “Heroes.” And while Larter delivers a solid supporting role, the film is really a one-man show featuring Byrd’s commanding performance as a streetsmart computer-geek-turned-nouveau-celebrity. The film is also very topical, bringing up issues such as global warming and terrorism, and is strangely satisfying for anyone who ever wishes that someone would expose all the hypocrisy and corruption in society. — Matt Miller rtist, photographer, writer and New York native Peter Beard delivers some vivid and disturbing images in this 75-minute film that covers a wide range of topics. It highlights the artist’s photographic work in Africa and of some notable subjects in the United States. In Africa, much of the images involve wildlife in Kenya. Some of the particularly memorable ones include images of crocodiles, elephants, zebras, rhinos and dead carcasses of other animals. Beard almost lost his life during his frequent journeys. In one brush with death he gets trampled by a charging elephant. Viewers witness footage of this in the documentary, as Beard suffers through a grueling four-hour car trip for medical treatment. Beard’s fascination with Africa began when he was 17 and his mother took him there in the 1950s. By the A 1960s, the journeys became more frequent, partially inspired by Karen Blixen’s book Out of Africa. Africa also was the source of Beard’s first book, The End Game, published in 1965, a story about the demise of more than 35,000 elephants. There also are some poignant images focusing on the Kennedy family. Beard befriended the family at an early age and later was linked romantically with the sister of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. This footage captures the innocence and beauty of the Kennedys, long before the family’s string of tragedies. This documentary seems more of an extension of Beard’s personal life, which includes a brief marriage to former model and actress Cheryl Tiegs, associations with the likes of Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Mick and Bianca Jagger, David Bowie and Iman, all of whom are subjects of photographic collections by Beard. This documentary is directed toward a mature audience. There is some nudity and graphic images. — Benny Lopez 14 Home Media Magazine July 29–August 4, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com

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Home Media Magazine - July 29-August 4, 2007

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