So far I’ve caught 15 films at the festival, with not a stinker in the bunch. In fact, they’ve ranged from very good to superb!

Top of the heap so far for the docs are Cosima Spender’s Without Gorky and Malik Bendjelloul’s Searching For Sugar Man. The latter has distribution via Sony Pictures Classics which will open in NY and LA on July 27th but the former is un-bought and deserves serious attention.

A look at the emotional vacuum left by the suicide of the abstract impressionist master, Arshile Gorky. The absolute perfect example of a compelling personal documentary, Spender’s film is probing and revealing without being in the least bit exploitative of her subjects, which happen to be her family, as Spender is Gorky’s granddaughter. Far more than a biopic and far more than an art film, Without Gorky explores what was left behind by Gorky after his suicide in 1948 and how his survivors are still processing his death (and life) after 60 years.

In the hopes that you go into Bendjelloul’s extraordinary film knowing very little, I’ll try and avoid spoiling too much. Suffice to say that even if you know the hook of Searching For Sugar Man, you’ll still find yourself not believing what you’re seeing. Trust me. This one you cannot miss.

More from this special edition of the Los Angeles Film Festival later!

As soon as we heard Rapper’s Delight, we were hooked and in those relatively early days of the genre, as some clubs slowly morphed from the discotheque model to a more hip hop-centered experience, it wasn’t unusual to see blacks, whites and Latinos all in the same club.

Not to digress too much into the economic and cultural makeup of New York in the early to mid-1980s, but it was certainly a different time and I found myself in a complicated social world that somehow merged my left-wing, hippy/socialist summer camp (Thoreau-in-Vermont) with the private school I attended (The United Nations International School, aka UNIS) and the NYC ska and hip hop communities. NYC was (and is) a large place, but if you were in certain high schools and of a certain mindset, your orbits were large, inclusive and on the surface or to an outsider, contradictory. Didn’t seem that way to us, though.

A meager attempt to diagram this: several NYC ska bands had members in my school, two girls in my school dated two of the Beastie Boys (you can spot them here, fighting for their right to party) and some of my friends from summer camp would, on occasion, play football and socialize with them.

To say that The Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill and Public Enemy’s Yo! Bum Rush the Show blew our minds would be an understatement and they both revolutionized hip hop. First of all, they were the first two rap albums that many of us had heard guitars on, which was no small musical feat. Granted, The PE album was far more musically ambitious, but the Beasties would catch up pretty quickly. Secondly…three white guys (who some of us actually knew) rapping and doing it well. To be honest, no one thought it was possible.

It was almost like they were two sides of the same coin. The Beastie Boys for when it was time to go out and drink, dance, party and celebrate being young and PE for when you felt a little more angry at the system and wanted to rage agains The Man. They were both NYC to the core and both made my transition that year from high school to college a little easier.

As Adam and I got older, our paths would occasionally if not cross, run parallel for a few minutes and then he started working in film, starting Oscilloscope Laboratories. Unfortunately, after a few brief meetings at parties in high school, before either of us were anywhere near who we would become, I never met him again. We clearly developed similar outlooks on things like human rights and I love the fact that he started an honest-to-goodness indie distributor in the days when most others had been gobbled up or closed. I’d like to think that we would have gotten along and I’m certain I am not alone in thinking that his death is a terrible loss to music, film and the world in general.

Adam Yauch’s death might be the first of a contemporary music idol of mine, “contemporaries” in that we sort of grew up together. Not literally of course, but we were roughly the same age, had many of the same cultural influences as kids, were from the same city and ran in some of the same circles, both then and now. I am sure part of my reaction is a reflection on my own mortality and that’s to be expected. His passing is hitting me much harder than I would have imagined but I’m ok with that.

Rest in Peace, Adam Yauch.

Up.

Down.

Today brings The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and how I love it, let me count the ways! One of my top 10 films of 2011, this is going to be a regular view of mine for a long time. Its stunning visual and sound design make it perfect for a transfer to BD and I sincerely hope they don’t fuck it up. It’s loaded with extras as well, with the press release listing almost four hours of goodies, including Commentary by Director David Fincher, character profiles, location features and some very cool sounding post-production stuff, including “Main Titles (Multi-Angle) With Commentary by Tim Miller of BLUR Studio.”

Sherlock, Season 2 (May 22nd)
While this brilliant BBC show starring Benedict Cumberbatch (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and nominee for best name ever) and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit) and created by Steven Moffat (Doctor Who) and Mark Gatiss (Doctor Who) is packaged and marketed as having seasons, it’s really a hybrid, as each season is actually a collection of three 90 minute films with common narrative elements so yes, it’s a series but a slightly different kind. There have been six episodes so far, with a 3rd season having been commissioned by the BBC. No date has been announced for series three, however. Watch season one (4 Emmy nominations, 3 BAFTAs and a Peabody Award, among others) and season two and then wait, breath held, for season 3. Yes, it’s that good. Oh, and two words: Lara Pulver. Also recently out from BBC Home Entertainment is the 10th and oh so very sadly, final season of their superlative espionage series, Spooks (MI5, in the US). Do yourself a favor and watch the first season. If you’re not buying the DVDs or BD after that, I’ll be shocked.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in the BBC's "Sherlock."

I, Claudius (March 27th)

From Acorn Media (who are also releasing the BBC miniseries of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) comes a landmark 1976 television miniseries named “one of the 100 best TV shows of all time” by Time Magazine in 2007 and I remember my parents and their friends being totally obsessed by it when I was a kid. It starred a huge list of British acting talent, many of whom have gone on to stardom, including many recognizable roles here in the US, including Derek Jacobi (Henry V, The Borgias) as Claudius, Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: TNG, X-Men), Siân Phillips (Goodbye Mr. Chips, Dune), John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Midnight Express), Brian Blessed (Henry V), John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones trilogies) and Simon MacCorkindale (Manimal…I had to get Manimal in there!). It’s 12 episodes over 4 discs and is loaded with extras, including: extended original versions of episodes 1 and 2; “I, Claudius”: A Television Epic, a behind-the-scenes look at the series; The Epic That Never Was, a feature-length documentary recounting the failed 1937 film adaptation; Derek Jacobi interview; favorite scenes of the cast and director; and an 8-page booklet with an article about the series’ historical accuracy and a Julio-Claudian family tree. Wow.

Also on March 27th is another film I loved from 2011, A Dangerous Method. Not only do I think it’s an exceptional film, but it enabled me to spend 15 minutes in a room with Keira Knightly and that’s something, no? I’ll bet the commentary by Cronenberg is worth the price alone.

Treme: Season 2 (April 17th)
The second season of one of what I like to refer to as “yet another reason HBO is indispensable.” The set is loaded with extras, too, dig it:
“Down in the Treme: A Look at the Music and Culture of New Orleans” (BD only) – Learn more about New Orleans’ unique culture including its music, cuisine and landmarks with this in-episode viewing mode.
“The Music of Treme” - Discover more about the songs featured throughout the series with this in-episode viewing mode. The BD features an enhanced, interactive version of this feature.
“Behind Treme: Food For Thought” – New Orleans chefs and restaurateurs John Besh and Alon Shaya discuss local cuisine and its importance to the cultural tradition of the city.
“Behind Treme: Clarke Peters & the Mardi Gras Indians” – Actor Clarke Peters (Albert Lambreaux) and Mardi Gradi Indian Chief Otto DeJean (George Cotrell) discuss the rich tradition of the Mardi Gras Indian in New Orleans.
“The Art of Treme“ – A Tulane University symposium dedicated to Treme featuring David Simon, Eric Overmyer and Clarke Peters.
Music commentaries - Every episode features commentary by WBGO’s Josh Jackson and NPR Music’s Patrick Jarenwattananon on select music performances.
Audio commentaries – Four commentaries with David Simon, executive producer Nina Kostroff Noble, supervising producer/director Anthony Hemingway, director Brad Anderson, writer George Pelecanos, music supervisor Blake Leyh and cast members Clarke Peters, Rob Brown, Kim Dickens, Lucia Micarelli and Wendell Pierce.

On May 8th, MPI Home Video is releasing a pretty nifty set for the Dark Shadows fans out there. It’s the complete series on, get this, 131 DVDs, featuring 1, 225 episodes! To be honest, I have never seen an episode, but do remember seeing a few minutes here and there in syndication, when I was a kid. It wasn’t my cuppa then, but I bet I’d dig it now, if only for the camp value. Yeah, that’s just what I need, another TV show to obsess over. At any rate, the set looks amazing and at $600 retail, it damn well better be, but considering the rabid fan base this show has, I’m sure it’ll do fine. Also being released on the same day are two smaller collections at a more reasonable $14.98: Dark Shadows: Fan Favorites and Dark Shadows: The Best of Barnabas.

Opening three days later is the Tim Burton-Johnny Depp feature film and the trailer has drawn some serious criticism from the die hards due to the somewhat absurdist and comedic take on the source material. Burton and Depp are on record as being big fans of the original, but I think both know that playing it straight would probably fail as a feature film (and be too similar to some of the existing vampire-on-film-oeuvre) hence the Beetlejuice-like comedy. Not only that, but Burton’s not exactly a master at directing romance. Based on the trailer, I am cautiously optimistic.

I mean, would you really want to see a Buffy/Twilight crossover? Not unless it was just so Buffy could kick Edward’s scrawny, gitter-covered arse. Harry Potter teaming up with the Halliwell sisters? Pass. Kirk and O’Neill, fighting the Goa’uld and Klingons? I think not.

Just look at the ways the two shows treat time travel. In Star Trek, it’s a rare and dangerous occasion. In Doctor Who, well, it’s what he does. All the time. With ease. Imagine how annoyed Picard will get with The Doctor running around the bridge in a fez! I mean, if it’s going to be funny….

Word is, however, that it’s not going to be in the least bit funny. From the IDW press release:

Launching in May, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION/DOCTOR WHO: ASSIMILATION² will feature fan-favorite villains the Borg and the Cybermen as they create an unholy alliance resulting in potential disaster for all humanity. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise find themselves joining forces with the Doctor and his companions, with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance.

My point is, teaming up characters in the same “universe” is fine but this one feels forced and seems like it has the potential to be a disaster. But I don’t wanna be a Scrooge and since I love both of these shows, if they can pull this off, I would be a happy geek. Lord knows, the Cybermen and the Borg have a lot in common and I bet The Doctor would get a real kick out of experimenting with the replicators to find the optimal recipe for fish fingers and custard…

The series hits stores in May.

With a superlative cast of Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch (don’t get me started on how brilliant Sherlock is…), David Dencik, Tom Hardy, Ciarán Hinds, John Hurt, Toby Jones, and Mark Strong, TTSS easily made my top ten of 2011 [CNN.com and indieWIRE.com] and while I love (Oscar winner) The Descendants, I wouldn’t have complained if writers Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan had picked up an little gold man last month.

TTSS has got some pretty cool extras, too, including (BD-only): Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: First Look, deleted scenes, an interview with John le Carré, all the usual BD-LIVEmishegoss (apps, mobile bells and whistles, promos for other titles, etc.) plus one REALLY cool feature for those of you who, like me, occasionally miss lines of dialog. It’s called uHEAR and apparently allows you to instantly skip back a few seconds on your Blu-ray disc and turns on the subtitles to highlight what you missed. Not having a copy (yet), I can’t speak to how well it works.

Both BD and DVD have assorted interviews with Oldman, Firth, Hardy, Alfredson and Straughan (Bridget O’Connor, his wife and co-screenwriter tragically passed away from cancer in late 2010) as well as commentary with Alfredson and Oldman. Yeah, I am gonna have to listen to that one.

BBC Mini Series Hits Blu-ray
When I moved to LA last year, I sold my DVD version of the 1979 BBC mini-series of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in the hopes that the film would spark a BD version and (of course) it did. It’s a fantastic adaptation of a great novel and I am looking forward to checking it out and letting you all know how great it is.

Release date is April 24th and will include some new bonus features, like deleted scenes and a 29-minute new interview with director John Irvin. Also included among the extras is a 27-minute interview with le Carré, production notes, a glossary of main characters and terms, and a bio of le Carré.

They’re both exceptional and very different versions of the same source material (which you should read!) and I for one am looking forward to a week of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on Blu-ray!