Star Mountain Art

Folk of Art, Patachitra Paintings for home decor, come from a small village Raghurajpur near Puri, in Orissa. An annual ritual in the famous Jagannath Temple of Puri, a beach town in the State of Orissa, has given rise to one of Indias most treasured folk art from India, the Patachitra. The origin of the ancient India art Patachitra paintings can be traced back to the 8th century AD and it is considered as one of the earliest forms of indigenous paintings. Each year, the painted wooden images of Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Shubhadra in the Jagannath temple of Puri are ritually given the holy bath. This cleansing leads to the discoloration of the images. Hence, they are removed from the garbha griha (the Seat in the Temple) for repainting. During this period, the temple images are substituted with three paintings, depicting the holy trio, on specially treated clothes or Patas prepared by the temple painter. Thus the name Patachitra (Sanskrit Pata = cloth, Chitra = painting). Organic colors are used in the Patachitras. The leaves of plants, flower petals, fruits (like mangooes), ground rocks and even the urine of domesticated animals contribute to the production of a variety of shades and hues. The predominant gem like colors that are used are vermilion red derived from cinnabar, brick red from red ochre, yellow from orpiment, blue from indigo, green from green leaves, white from conch shell and black from lamp black. Once, the colors are extracted they are combined with gum resin and then used in painting. The brushes used to apply the paint are prepared from plant fibers or animal hair. The depiction of images in a Patachitra is not always uniform.

Even casual jazz and blues fans know those seminal American styles journeyed north from New Orleans and the Deep South, along the Mississippi River. But that tributary's penetration into the nation's heartlands, and its passage through a much broader, more diverse array of cultures, affords a richer portrait of how root musical styles have merged, diverged, recombined, or survived against the potential regimentation imposed by mass media and a more mobile, modern society. It's this latter process that provides the thread for director-producer John Junkerman's four-hour documentary, Mississippi: River of Song, originally broadcast by PBS. Junkerman starts not in the Crescent City, from which African American musical hybrids emerged, but near one of the river's sources in northern Minnesota, winding his way through the varied populations and past a sometimes surprising melange of transplanted European, Asian, and South American musics. From Ojibwa powwows, traditional Hmong reed players, and Scandinavian fiddle groups to forceful gospel choirs, German polka bands, Mexican conjuntos, and alternative rock, Junkerman and his team capture American music beyond the glare of New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville. The pilgrimage does strike special sparks when it reaches the blues, R&B, jazz, zydeco, and Cajun strongholds further down river, yet much of the program's freshness stems from the stopovers that reveal unexpected cultural collisions. Thrash folk singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco serves as narrator, bringing a warm enthusiasm to her connective commentary, but much of the underlying historical, cultural, and personal insight comes directly from the musicians. --Sam Sutherland

Purportedly one of Walt Disney's most personal pet projects, Darby O'Gill shows the effort and care put into it. Even now the special effects hold up shockingly well. Darby O'Gill is an estate caretaker, but in his advanced years he's more fond of telling tall tales in the local pub about the wee folk than keeping the grounds. A new man (a very youthful Sean Connery) is sent in to take his place, and O'Gill doesn't know what will become of himself and his daughter. He snags three spectacular opportunities, however, when he catches the king of the leprechauns. This film is whimsical without being silly, supernatural without being outlandish, and all and all a treat for the whole family. --Keith Simanton

Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 01/12/2007

Movie DVD

Winner of the World Audience Award at Sundance, Once starts out as a small-scale romance, like Before Sunrise, before arriving somewhere unexpected. An Irish busker (Glen Hansard, the Frames and The Commitments) meets a Czech flower seller (Markéta Irglová) while singing on the streets of Dublin. (In the credits, they're listed as Guy and Girl.) She likes what she hears and lets him know. Turns out she's a musician, too. They work on a few songs together and a friendship is forged. She lives with her widowed mother, who doesn't speak English. He lives with his widowed father, who owns a repair shop. Since he broke up with his girlfriend, the guy has been drifting, unable and unwilling to get his life in order. The girl encourages him to pursue a record deal, and the guy emerges from his funk. Then he makes a move on the girl, who rejects his advances. He's confused, but as he comes to find, there's a reason she's keeping her distance. Though Once is filled with appealing folk-pop by Hansard and Irglová (released on CD as The Swell Season), the movie isn't a traditional musical, but rather a more optimistic Brief Encounter. Filmmaker John Carney, Hansard's former bandmate, captures the real city--in all its affluence and poverty--rather than the picture postcard version. His beautifully shot film serves as a heartfelt ballad about all the underclass Guys and Girls swept aside amidst Ireland's economic miracle. --Kathleen C. Fennessy Beyond Once on DVD Musicals on DVD Once: The Soundtrack More from Fox Stills from Once

Gay has rarely been so glamorous as in the American version of Queer as Folk. But the show's success rests on more than hard bodies and glossy, picture-perfect sex (though there's an abundance of that); this series gave its characters a multidimensional richness that rivals more high-profile programs like Six Feet Under or The Sopranos, while tackling an impressive breadth of social and political issues without ever (well, almost never) feeling preachy. The fifth and final season lays out its themes with authority: Alpha-gay Brian (Gale Howard) buys and revamps the sex club Babylon, declaring promiscuity and independence as a gay birthright, while Brian's oldest friend Michael (Hal Sparks, Talk Soup) embraces domesticity with his partner Ben (Robert Gant); the flamboyant Emmett (Peter Paige) finds success as a tv personality, only to find his persona may trap him in a stereotype; and Ted (Scott Lowell) grapples with body prejudices within the gay community. Meanwhile, the crumbling relationship of Mel (Michelle Clunie) and Lindsay (Thea Gill) takes a more troubling turn when Michael demands more rights as the father of their daughter. Most tv series would take a topic like this last legal wrangle and stretch it over an entire season, but Queer as Folk is more ambitious; the writers recognize that the resolution of one problem is rarely the end of the story, that muddy consequences can be as dramatically compelling as head-to-head conflict. This aggressive and effective plotting, combined with the show's willingness to explore the complexities of every issue--be it assimilation or the coming out of a celebrity--results in an increasing emotional power as the series steamrolls towards its final episode. Some subplots can be silly (Brian has a ridiculous stud-off with a new hot guy in town), the dialogue can sometimes veer from wit to camp cliches, and the omnipresence of sculpted, muscular physiques is absurd and even a little alienating for some viewers, but Queer as Folk's strengths--the compassion and intelligence of the writers, the commitment and nuance of the acting--make this show a true television landmark and a pleasure to watch. And then, of course, there's all that graphic and lovingly photographed sex. Rosie O'Donnell and Cyndi Lauper make guest appearances, and Sharon Gless (Cagney & Lacey) continues her much-loved performance as Michael's mother, Debbie. --Bret Fetzer

Showtime's QUEER AS FOLK was a groundbreaking show about the lives of a group of gay people living in Pittsburgh. The main characters--Michael (Hal Sparks) an insecure 29-year-old; Brian (Gale Harold) an ad executive who isn't into relationships; and Justin (Randy Harrison) a wide-eyed and innocent 17-year-old--helped break down boundaries and stereotypes while also providing compelling viewing. Sadly the show came to a close in its fifth season which is presented here in its entirety.System Requirements:Running Time 780 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 097368011847 Manufacturer No: 801184

From Disney's Alice In Wonderland! Tim Burton's whimsical version of the classic Lewis Carroll tale takes us through the looking glass and into the magical world where rabbits talk and cats disappear into thin air. This exquisite Mad Hatter doll inspired by the film wears a replica costume that includes jacket, jumpsuit, scarf, hat, socks and boots.