You Learn More From Movies Than Newspapers

Charles Ferguson’s Inside Job indicted five administrations’ worth of politicians, bureaucrats, economists and business executives in its dissection of decisions that led to the creation of the current financial abyss. It did so in a way that was as easy to understand as it was non-partisan. It was only one of a handful of documentaries that endeavored to explain how the U.S. – the so-called “greatest country in the history of the world” – gets stuck to tar babies, from which it can’t shake itself loose. Ferguson’s previous doc, No End in Sight, had described how America bungled its promise to bring freedom to Iraq, by ignoring the necessity for a post-victory strategy. Filmed in a remote corner of Afghanistan, Restrepo reminded us of both the heroism and dedication of American soldiers and the futility of keeping them in harm’s way.

By exposing the poisoning of citizens living near drilling sites, Gasland very much resembled a sequel to Erin Brockovich. Exit Through the Gift Shop” asked viewers to decide for themselves the difference between art and vandalism, reality and fantasy. By putting an entertainment icon under a microscope, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work once again asked, “What price fame?” Babies chronicled the first year of life for children in four disparate locations around the globe. The Lottery took us to a publicly funded charter school where enrollment – and a child’s future – is determined by the luck of the draw. Chris Rock’s Good Hair explained why it’s never a good idea to mess with a black woman’s hair.

It’s the rare documentary that makes more than a million dollars at the box office. Rarer still is the doc that finds distribution outside the festival circuit. It’s on DVD that the films find the most convenient audience, as well as a place to add deleted interviews and background information. Also coming to video in the next few weeks are such high-profile films as Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer, The Tillman Story and Waiting for Superman.

Most high brow: “Destricted”
Made in: Great Britain, 2006

The lowdown: “Destricted” is a collection in which international artists like Larry Clark and Richard Prince direct short films displaying their views of contemporary sexuality. The coup de grace goes to Marina Abramovic for her “Balkan Erotic Epic,” which illustrates sexual folkways of Eastern Europe.

Topless babuskas, naked men fondling a hillside … makes you want to book a ticket to Serbia before the closing credits.

AVI to DVD Converter can easily can quickly burn AVI files to DVD Disc, convert AVI to DVD Video, decode AVI movie to ISO files.
AVI to DVD Mac is the most reliable DVD burner software for you to create DVD Slideshows, burn ISO images, convert videos and movies to DVD.

DVD to iPad Converter can allows you to play DVD movies on iPad/iPod/iPhone freely

DVD to iPad Mac is the best choice for Mac users to convert DVD to iPad for entertainment.