ISLAM: EMPIRE OF FAITH, a three-part series, re-creates the spectacular sweep of Islamic power and faith during its first 1,000 years, from Muhammad’s birth to the Ottoman Empire under Suleyman the Magnificent. Evocative re-enactments and art, artifacts, and architecture combine with scholarly interviews to recount the rise and glory of Islamic civilization. DVD includes behind-the-scenes look at the making of ISLAM and producer’s commentaryIslam: Empire of Faith is the epic PBS documentary that charts the history of Islam from its beginnings in Mecca and Medina in the seventh century to the glory of the Ottoman Empire 1,000 years later.

The demonization of Islam by the West has a long history, stretching back to the First Crusade at the end of the 11th century. This documentary redresses the balance by showing the riches of Islamic culture and the vital role played by Islam in preserving and building upon ancient wisdom from East and West at a time when most of Europe was stumbling through the Dark Ages. Muslim physicians, mathematicians, and astronomers stretched the boundaries of human knowledge, and Muslim architects created some of the most beautiful buildings in the world.

Islam also offers fascinating insights into key personalities, from Muhammad himself–a simple merchant whose vision of a single deity forged warring tribes into a nation–to great conquerors such as Mehmed and Suleyman, who presided over an empire that stretched from Spain to India. The faith itself is clearly explained, and interviews with historians and religious scholars bring home both its simplicity and the way that it survived huge cultural changes (like the Mongol invasions of the 13th century) to emerge stronger than ever. Islam has often been misunderstood in the West, but this splendid documentary helps to set the record straight. –Simon Leake

Rating: (out of 108 reviews)

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Get ready for fire-breathing adventure on an epic scale in Dreamworks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon. Hiccup is a young Viking who defies convention when he befriends one of his deadliest foes — a ferocious dragon he calls Toothless. But humans and dragons are supposed to be mortal enemies, not buddies, and this unlikely pair must overcome many obstacles and one ultimate challenge – to save both their worlds. So sit back and let your imagination take flight in a captivating and exhilarating thrill-ride that’s a heart-warming – and heart-pounding – “must-see for the whole family!” (Scott Mantz, Access Hollywood).

Set sail for an all-new dragon adventure in DreamWorks Animation’s Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon! Hiccup and the Viking gang are back to battle Gobber’s arch enemy – the mysterious Boneknapper dragon – who few believe even exists. Shipwrecked on a mysterious island, they devise a plan to find the cagey creature… but will they be able to tame him?

Stills from How to Train Your Dragon (Click for larger image)

A winning mixture of adventure, slapstick comedy, and friendship, How to Train Your Dragon rivals Kung Fu Panda as the most engaging and satisfying film DreamWorks Animation has produced. Hiccup (voice by Jay Baruchel) is a failure as a Viking: skinny, inquisitive, and inventive, he asks questions and tries out unsuccessful contraptions when he’s supposed to be fighting the dragons that attack his village. His father, chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), has pretty much given up on his teenage son and apprenticed him to blacksmith Gobber (Craig Ferguson). Worse, Hiccup knows the village loser hasn’t a chance of impressing Astrid (America Ferrera), the girl of his dreams and a formidable dragon fighter in her own right. When one of Hiccup’s inventions actually works, he hasn’t the heart to kill the young dragon he’s brought down. He names it Toothless and befriends it, although he’s been taught to fear and loathe dragons. Codirectors and cowriters Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, who made Disney’s delightful Lilo and Stitch, provide plenty of action, including vertiginous flying sequences, but they balance the pyrotechnics with moments of genuine warmth that make the viewer root for Hiccup’s success. Many DreamWorks films get laughs from sitcom one-liners and topical pop culture references; as the humor in Dragon comes from the characters’ personalities, it feels less timely and more timeless. Toothless chases the spot of sunlight reflected off Hiccup’s hammer like a giant cat with a laser pointer; Hiccup uses his newly found knowledge (and an icky smoked eel) to defeat two small dragons–and impress the other kids. How to Train Your Dragon will be just as enjoyable 10 or 20 years from now as it is today. (Rated PG: suitable for ages 8 and older, violence, some intense action and scary dragons) –Charles Solomon

Rating: (out of 85 reviews)

List Price: $ 39.99

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Acclaimed filmmaker Sébastien Lifshitz (Come Undone) presents a provocative and intensely erotic look at a group of outsiders who manage to find comfort in one another. Stéphanie is a transsexual prostitute who plies her trade in Parisian discos, parks and hotel rooms. She shares her life with two men – Mikhail, a Russian immigrant and former soldier and Jamel, a young French Arab, who also turns tricks. When Stéphanie learns that her estranged mother has become ill, she returns, with Mikhail and Jamel, to the rural childhood home she fled fifteen years ago. Her return helps deepen the unconventional relationship she shares with her two lovers and prompts a flood of memories – distant childhood loves, the death of her beloved sister, and the truth of who she once was.

Rating: (out of 5 reviews)

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Price: $ 3.91

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THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES AN OSCAR WINNER FOR BEST FOREIGN FILM, IS PART COLD-CASE MYSTERY, PART LONG-LOST LOVE STORY, AND PART THRILLER SET BOTH IN THE PRESENT AND IN 1970S ARGENTINA, UNDER THE TIGHT CONTROL OF ITS INFAMOUS MILITARY DICTATORSHIP. SUBBED IN ENGLISH AND DUBBED IN FRENCHFew things are more satisfying than an effective crime thriller, and The Square is very, very effective. In this sinewy Australian flick, hapless construction overseer Raymond (David Roberts)–eager to hold on to his illicit lover Carla (Claire van der Boom)–starts with a little graft, which turns into a little arson and theft, which turns into murder, blackmail, and more murder. The plot rockets along, driven by the ruthless economy of director Nash Edgerton (a former stuntman who demonstrates a deep understanding of how to orchestrate danger) and screenwriter-actor Joel Edgerton (who plays a sympathetic firebug). Most modern attempts at film noir try to get the look of those classic low-budget crime flicks but have no idea what the genre is about; The Square could care less about shadows and cigarette smoke, but this movie–rife with desperation, greed, and lust–understands noir from the inside out. The whole cast is excellent, the editing swift, the action jolting. This is the best thriller since Blood Simple. Not to be missed. –Bret Fetzer

Rating: (out of 8 reviews)

List Price: $ 30.95

Price: $ 15.54

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For the first time on DVD, this cult science fiction/horror film has been remastered in high definition for the best possible, most gruesome presentation!

The innermost fears of the mind become reality for the crew members of the Quest when they land on the barren planet Morganthus hoping to find the missing crew members of the starship Remus: only to discover something deadly waiting for them. Each member of the rescuing team must come face to face with their darkest fears or perish. The cast onboard the Quest includes Edward Albert (The House Where Evil Dwells), Erin Moran (Happy Days), Ray Walston (My Favorite Martian), Robert Englund (A Nightmare On Elm Street series), Zalman King (Blue Sunshine) and Sid Haig (House Of 1,000 Corpses).

The film also had its share of new and emerging talent behind the camera, including James Cameron (The Terminator, Aliens, Avatar), who did the production design, and Bill Paxton, who worked as a set decorator before later collaborating with Cameron in front of the camera as an actor.

Rating: (out of 21 reviews)

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Photographer L.B. “Jeff” Jeffries (James Stewart) is, in fact, a voyeur by trade, a professional photographer sidelined by an accident while on assignment. His immersion in the human drama (and comedy) visible from his window is a by-product of boredom, underlined by the disapproval of his girlfriend, Lisa (Grace Kelly), and a wisecracking visiting nurse (Thelma Ritter). Yet when the invalid wife of Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr) disappears, Jeff enlists the two women to help him to determine whether she’s really left town, as Thorwald insists, or been murdered.

Hitchcock scholar Donald Spoto convincingly argues that the crime at the center of this mystery is the MacGuffin–a mere pretext–in a film that’s more interested in the implications of Jeff’s sentinel perspective. We actually learn more about the lives of the other neighbors (given generic names by Jeff, even as he’s drawn into their lives) he, and we, watch undetected than we do the putative murderer and his victim. Jeff’s evident fear of intimacy and commitment with the elegant, adoring Lisa provides the other vital thread to the script, one woven not only into the couple’s own relationship, but reflected and even commented upon through the various neighbors’ lives.

At minimum, Hitchcock’s skill at making us accomplices to Jeff’s spying, coupled with an ingenious escalation of suspense as the teasingly vague evidence coalesces into ominous proof, deliver a superb thriller spiked with droll humor, right up to its nail-biting, nightmarish climax. At deeper levels, however, Rear Window plumbs issues of moral responsibility and emotional honesty, while offering further proof (were any needed) of the director’s brilliance as a visual storyteller. –Sam Sutherland

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What constitutes the line between enjoying sex and doing sex for money? An 18 year old sex virgin boatman, named Alfred, shares his journey to discovering life s pleasures as he battles with his fears and hang-ups.
Set in a charming provincial town in the Philippines, where the river and the hanging bridge are equally popular to tourists as the young boatmen, Alfred reluctantly gives in to experience what his peers seem to be enjoying so much.
His romantic relationship with his mute girlfriends, Cecilia, and the self discovery of his family s dark secret increasingly complicate his journey. Until one unexpected chance awakens his innocence and makes him realize that the ultimate pleasure lies beyond who you are and who you are with.

Rating: (out of 4 reviews)

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Price: $ 17.99

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• Sagwan (Monti Parungao, 2009) « Lilok Pelikula

Feature titles include: Dracula (1931), Dracula (1931) – Spanish Version, Dracula’s Daughter, House of Dracula, Son of Dracula

Rating: (out of 90 reviews)

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