Feature By Kathie Smith: You don’t need me to tell you that “Doubt,” “The Reader,” “The Wrestler” and “Frost/Nixon” arrived on DVD in April. All worthwhile films, but if Netflix isn’t recommending them, then Best Buy, Amazon or your local video store sure is. April is a month of buried treasures, of cult gems and subtle sleepers. These eleven picks will give you more than enough to chew on for a month, and allows for an alarming sampling of my schizophrenic tastes.

(Click on the picture to be directed to that items page on Amazon.

No, we’re not affiliated with them in an way, we just buy from them a lot.)

“Alexandra” (2008) Directed by Aleksandr Sokurov [New Yorker]

It's no mistake that Sokurov's most recent protagonist shares his name, as he channels himself through the titular Alexandra, navigating the difficult terrain of Chechnya. Alexandra travels to the republic to visit her grandson who is stationed there. She's not only a matronly, all-knowing presence among the Russian soldiers on the base, but also among the Chechen people in the market. The film is tender, but resolutely unwaveringly in its no-nonsense approach. Above all, it's a forceful display of one individual's personal politics.

Pre-Code Hollywood Collection [Universal]

Imagine a world without censorship! Such was the life until the 1934 Production Code (also commonly known as the Hays Code) was put into place, restricting sex and violence in Hollywood film. These six films from Universal may not be the best Hollywood had to offer at the time, but they have a strange nostalgic titillation, even if you weren’t alive in 1930. I promise you, if you take a look at one, you will have a hard time not watching the other five. Titles in the set include: “The Cheat” (1931), “Merrily We Go to Hell” (1932), “Hot Saturday” (1932) (staring Cary Grant and Randolph Scott), “Torch Singer” (1933), “Murder at the Vanities” (1934), and “Search for Beauty” (1934).

Science is Fiction: 23 Films by Jean Painlevé [Criterion]

Giving us 3 DVDs and 315 minutes of material, Criterion pushes Jean Painlevé scientific films into the realm of art. Scientist and filmmaker Jean Painlevé captured mesmerizing image after mesmerizing image in his groundbreaking nature films. Not merely a man of science for science’s sake, Painlevé was greatly influenced by avant-garde art and film of the time. With films spanning over 60 years—from the 1920s to the 1980s—his subjects include octopuses, pigeons, sea urchins, bats, and jellyfish. Painlevé was clearly an innovator in both art and science, using film as an analytical tool while emphasizing the aesthetic beauty of nature. Impress your friends and family by putting this box set in a prominent location on your shelf.

“Glass: A Portrait of Philip in...” (2008) Directed by Scott Hicks [Korch Lorber]

Like some sort of mad genius, Philip Glass is hard to keep track of, even if the camera is focused on him. Fast and furious, Glass never settles unless he is sitting in front on the piano. Hick’s very personal portrait of the most recognizable contemporary composers of our time gives the audience the opportunity to decide whether Glass is a genius or a nut-- or both. One thing is for sure: he's clearly a man who never noticed that there's a ‘max fill’ line on a food processor.

“Forever” (2007) Directed by Heddy Honigmann [Icarus]

A filmic eulogy told through a tour of the world-famous Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris. Anyone who has been to Paris has been to a cemetery. Honigmann uses the draw of Père-Lachaise to create a documentary that explores the connections between the dead and the living.

“A Jihad for Love” (2007) Directed by Parvez Sharma [First Run]

A great companion film to “Trembling Before G-d,” “A Jihad for Love” examines homosexuality in the Muslim community the same way ‘Trembling’ did for the Jewish community. Faith and sexual orientation have always been at odds, regardless of religion. But what happens when your faith is as much a part of you as your homosexuality? Finding marginalized individuals from 12 different countries, Sharma’s documentary is a testament to religious devotion, and an indictment of intolerance. The effect of watching so many people afraid of revealing their identity drives the point home.

“JCVD” (2008) Directed by Mabrouk El Mechro [??] Blu-ray

Forget Mickey Rourke; Jean-Claude Van Damme was robbed! “JCVD” is every bit as autobiographical as “The Wrestler” and ten times more compelling. Mabrouk El Mechri creates an honest homage to action stars. Van Damme stars as himself, an aging action star whose physical talents are no longer appreciated. The opening shot is no bullshit, as it shows a ridiculous single take of a Van Damme film being made within this film. It will make you see “Bloodsport” in a whole new light. Halfway through, Van Damme offers a moving monologue that will knock your socks off.

“In the Realm of the Senses” (1976) / “Empire of Passion” (1978)

Directed by Nagisa Oshima [Criterion] Blu-ray

Easily the top DVD picks of the month. Both “In the Realm of the Senses” and “Empire of Passion” have been languishing as pan-scan VHS and DVD, respectively. This releases kicks off what will hopefully be a long list of Oshima titles that Janus has picked up from the remastered prints currently involved in a traveling retrospective. “In the Realm of the Senses” may not be Oshima’s best film, but it is his most infamous. Oshima used the real life account of a prostitute caught carrying around her dead lover’s severed penis as a springboard for a more personal and private revolution. Banned in Japan, the film straddles the line between porn and art. ‘Empire’ was the under appreciated follow-up that predicted the resurgence of ghost stories in modern Japanese cinema. Although I wouldn’t trade seeing these films in packed theaters for anything in the world, Criterion gives you the ability to offer your friends an engaging double feature!

“Martyrs” (2008) Directed by Pascal Laugier [The Weinstein Company] Blu-ray

I hesitate to use the term ‘torture porn,’ because I think it is a shoot-from-the-hip reaction to a genre that is not so simple. However, “Martyrs” is a French horror thriller that will easily be lumped into this category. From the director of the stylish but misguided “Brotherhood of the Wolf” and the upcoming remake of “Hellraiser” (that included “Clive Barker presents” in the title, just so we know it is okay with him), “Martyrs” is divisive and dividing. I’m on the fence whether films like “Martyrs” are a sick reminder that the market just gives us what we want or if it is a damning social commentary that we are ignoring.

“Cargo 200” (2009) Directed by Alexei Balabanov [Ryko]

The 11th feature from Russian director Alexei Balabanov has been described as realistic, surrealistic, disgusting, disturbing, politicized, tedious, perverse and fascinating. One thing is clear of “Cargo 200”-- it's not for the faint of heart. Balabanov’s political motivations keep me from writing it off with the first comparison to “Hostel.” Cult film cohorts have been singing its praises since it first premiered at Cannes in 2007.

And check out...

• Feature: Home Movies: April

• Current Film: Alexandra (2008) Directed by Aleksandr Sokurov

Feature By:
Kathie Smith, Staff Writer
IN REVIEW ONLINE