July 20, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, II, III & IV • Page 19 ‘The Music Room’ features man clinging to the past by Dennis Seuling “The Music Room” (The Criterion Collection) is Satyajit Ray’s tale of a wealthy Indian landowner (Chhabi Biswas) who is tied to the past, clinging to a fading way of life. He derives his greatest pleasure in a music room in which he has hosted lavish concerts over the years. Now a shadow of his former self, he lives in a crumbling palace in the midst of a barren river valley. With only a few servants, one elephant, and a white stallion as mementos of his past, he continues to indulge in excess, first pawning his wife’s jewelry and eventually selling everything. Ray’s “Apu” trilogy dealt with India’s proud middle class, so “The Music Room” proves a fascinating contrast. Ray is expert at creating a combination of nostalgia, decay, wistfulness, and tragedy. His characters are rich and his storytelling riveting. The new Blu-ray edition of “The Music Room” contains many extras, including a 1984 documentary about Ray; new interviews with a Ray biographer and filmmaker Mira Nair; new English subtitles; and a booklet featuring a critical essay. The film is in Bengali with English subtitles. “Take Me Home Tonight” (20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment) is about three post-high school friends who attend a wild party to celebrate their last night of youth without the responsibilities of adulthood. To the consternation of his parents, recent MIT graduate Matt Franklin (Topher Grace, TV’s “That ‘70s Show”) goes to work in a Los Angeles mall video store rather than join the cutthroat world of business. In a script page borrowed from “The Graduate,” Matt is undecided about his future. wars” have destroyed everything and territories are run by corporations, the mightiest and cruelest of which is Tekken. Jim Kazama (John Foo) witnesses the death of his mother Jun (Tomita) by Tekken in the slums known as Anvil. Vowing vengeance, but armed only with his street smarts and raw fighting skills, he enters a dangerous and potentially deadly combat tournament, where he must defeat the world’s most elite fighters to become the “King of the Iron Fist.” Since much of the plot revolves around this tournament, “Tekken” contains lots of full-contact fighting that is brutal and bloody. Featured are superstars Lateef Crowder, world-renowned expert in the Brazilian martial art Capoeira, and Anton Kasabov, multiple-time U.S., European, and World Champion in Tae Kwon Do. With a movie so dependent on the fights, director Dwight Little is too frantic with his editing. Complete moves are frequently not shown, and the quick cuts thwart the gracefulness of the fight choreography. The Blu-ray edition contains a DVD and digital copy, but no extras. “The Sound of Insects” (Lorber Films) tells of an anonymous man who flees to the Austrian wetlands to starve himself to death. Documenting the last two months of his life, the man’s journal -- heard in off-screen nar- Chhabi Biswas stars as a man clinging to the past in Satyajit Ray’s classic, ‘The Music Room.’ When he runs into Tori (Teresa Palmer), the girl he secretly longed for in high school, he pretends he is a stockbroker and arranges to meet her at a party later. The movie is filled with situations that are intended to be funny, but are all too familiar and would be a better fit if the protagonists were high school kids, not 20-somethings acting out in an attempt to live some of the irresponsible fun they missed in high school. “Take me Home Tonight” is rated R and contains some raunchy moments, but there is a sense of desperation about the concept. The movie doesn’t really have a point and the characters never develop. Extras include seven deleted scenes and a collection of ‘80s songs by Duran Duran, Motley Crue, Kim Carnes, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Human League, and others. “Tekken” (Anchor Bay), based on a video game, takes place in 2039. “Terror ration -- is an account of his struggle with the physical and existential reality of death. The film contrasts with Danny Boyle’s “127 Hours” which, though harrowing, was a tribute to one man’s determination to live against all odds. Even in “Into the Wild,” the young man who ventures alone into the Alaskan wilderness never intends to die there. In “The Sound of Insects,” there is no possibility of hope. There are no rescues, no mind-changing, no sudden insights, and the final scenes are very hard to watch and come close to morbid voyeurism. Though not for everyone, “The Sound of Insects” is a captivating investigation into the mystery of a man’s self-destructive motivations. The film presents the notebook entries as stream-of-consciousness musings on the world around him, an attempt to piece together the causes of his disillusionment. Matthias Kalin’s cinematography beautifully captures the tall tress that surround the man like a tomb and hallucinated memories of the cities and people he left behind. The DVD has no extras. “Zonad” (Film Buff), written and directed by brothers John and Kieran Carney, takes place in the small Irish town of Ballymoran. The Cassidy family comes home to find a red-leather-clad man passed out on thei r livi ng room f loor. T hey (continued on Crossword page) K IR KERS INN TOP GERMAN-AMERICAN RESTAURANT IN NORTH JERSEY Lunch staring at 4 – Noon-8pm Dinner starting at $ 95 8 – 3pm-10pm Early Dining Menu with 23 entrees starting at $ 95 8 – Noon-6pm Monday - Saturday $ 95 Burgers, Salads, Sandwiches, Seafood, Prime Rib, and of course Our Famous German Specialties... 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