Director's Series Vol. 4 - Work of Director Mark Romanek (2005)
Producer: Steve Reiss
DVD Review: Artists who've worked with him describe Mark Romanek as "meticulous" and "demanding." Yet, the biggest names in the business have clamored to work with the mercurial helmer, because they know he'll make them look good: Madonna ("Rain"), No Doubt ("Hella Good"), etc. Along the way, the Grammy winner has been behind some of the world's most famous--and infamous--videos.
On the groundbreaking side, there's Lenny Kravitz's exhilarating "Are You Gonna Go My Way," which made the musician a star in one fell swoop. On the controversial side, there's Fiona Apple's teasing "Criminal," Nine Inch Nails' macabre "Closer," and Jay-Z's apocalyptic "99 Problems"--the latter two in director's cut editions. In another class entirely, is Romanek's heartbreaking video for Johnny Cash's "Hurt." More than a promo, it's an elegy for a legend. Despite an interview with Robin Williams, this collection otherwise overlooks Romanek's features, One Hour Photo and Static.
--Kathleen C. Fennessy, amazon.com. For More Information click here.
R.E.M. Road Movie
Co-Producer: Steve Reiss
Road Movie (USA, 1996, 90 min.) is R.E.M.'s latest foray into the visual media front and is a well-crafted concert film capturing the last remaining nights -- at the Omni in Athens, Georgia -- of the band's ill-fated "Monster" tour. Directed by Peter Care, whose past clients include Killing Joke and New Order, Road Movie documents the entirety of the modern-day arena-rock experience, complete with dizzying effects, neo-punk camera angles and a let-the-music-do-the-talking premise. I'm sure many cinema-goers thought as I did that perhaps some token "road" footage (backstage or tour life abstractions) would be included -- it is called Road Movie, after all -- but this wasn't the case. It's kinda weird sitting in a movie theatre watching straight concert footage, but what captivating footage it was!
Arguably one of the best bands in rock today, R.E.M. maintain incredibly solid stage presence through-out Road Movie, which is impressive considering how little they've toured during the latter years of their career. Frontman Michael Stipe, fitting somewhere between the self-pretence of Bono and the self-pity of Eddie Vedder, is his usual zealous self, singing and posing his way through cuts like "Crush with Eyeliner" and "The Wake-up Bomb," as the the organic "Let Me In" and the band's universal song of pain, "Everybody Hurts." Every musical angle is covered, and the film takes great care (oops) in providing the viewer with every perspective throughout the arena, as well. Sonic drama aplenty, Road Movie is also now available on video and I definitely recommend it to any R.E.M. fan, especially the ones who didn't catch the band a couple summers back at the Coliseum. Two thumbs up.
Inside Sessions - The Writers Process: from Concept to Publication (2001)
Producer: Steve Reiss
Review (segment): ...Writing Sessions provides tremendous insight into Penguin Putnam operations and how the company works with agents and lawyers to create and nurture its stable of top-selling writers. Grann and PPI colleagues such as Neil Nyren, Susan Peterson Kennedy and Stephen Rubin describe their missions and methods. Attorney Robert Levine's remarks underscore the importance of agents and lawyers to the professional writer. In addition, the straight -- if potentially scary -- skinny on publicity from the publisher's perspective may be worth the price of admission all by itself.
Writing Sessions functions best as "senior seminar" on for professionally minded writers who've already spent some time honing their craft. The course's content presupposes that users possess the maturity and sophistication to objectively assess their work against that of the featured writers.
But fans of participating writers (see inset) will find much to applaud. Writing Sessions presents its literary stars in a continuous video stream taken from lengthy interviews. Famous curmudgeons expand on their reputations. At the other end of the spectrum, Michael Datcher exhorts writers to shoot for greatness, while Jayne Anne Krentz cautions, "The most notable feature of a work is most likely to be the most controversial." ...
- R. Peronne, amazon.com.
Inside Sessions - The Music Business: An Insider's Guide to Breaking In (2001)
Producer: Steve Reiss
Review (segment): ...Anything you need to address in any situation is fulfilled in this audio/video presentation. All people who have various knowledge from the actual artist to the CEO/President of small and large labels answers various topic questions. Every genre of music has one representative, I believe. If you want to know about what all goes on from various points of view and situations, this is one to own. A must own for anyone who just wants to know about the insides of the music industry." ...
- Lady Di, amazon.com.
