Ian Mckellen

Emile
$9.99
Ehh! This film from British Columbia is pretty pedestrian.It is a drudging 93 minutes of characters caught in regret and anger about the past.
Ian McKellen gives his usually well calculated performance, but there really is not much with which to work here.The script,director and cameraman are one in the same in Carl Bessai,and there lacks much vision and insight into how to make this film interesting.It is not...so there.
Emile,McKellen,has flown rural Canada 40 years earlier for a promising career as a writer in London.He leaves behind his two brothers,Carl, who is the irascible elder and Freddy the dreamy and needy younger.
Flash forward 40 years to the present, and Emile is returning to the niece and great-niece that is all the remains of his family.He actually is coming back to Canada to receive a honorary degree.When he arrives, he is greeted with nonchalance and ambivilance that is disguised as anger.We discover that the grown niece had been orphaned and that Emile was the only one who could have been her protector.She is now divorced and has a young daughter who also yearns for what is lost.The film asks us to examine what responsibility a family member should have or feel for those who remain behind when one goes away to seek their fortune.Are they at all responsible for people and events that are 7000 miles away? What could they or should they have done? These are viable questions, but this film really does little to interest you in any of the plight of the characters.Not recommended at all.

Apt Pupil
$9.95
this DVD, being in region 2, i watch the film in English and in German with German subtitles. one of the best dvd's i have, the film deals with the atrocities of ww2, and trying to understand why it happened. you can argue, that the German officers did what they did. if not, they were disposed of.a great film, if your a history buff. Sir ian mckellen and the late brad renfro were superb.

Ian Mckellen: A Biography
$14.95
So far this is the best biography of Ian McKellen there is. It may not be the best book ever but its the best we will have until hopefully Sir McKellen graces us with his own autobiography.

The Hobart Shakespeareans
$26.95
"The Hobart Shakespeareans" was the best thing I've found in years for opening the conversation with teachers about raising the bar in classrooms. The "Be nice, work hard, do your best" message hits home with everyone I've shared it with. Our teachers were inspired, to say the least. There were more than a few tears throughout the hour.
The only thing I could quibble with is the blurb, "starring Ian McEllen and Michael York." They were definitely highlights, but the real stars in this film were Rafe and those kids!