In some ways this week’s lineup is a sequel to the March 12, 2008 This Weekend’s Film Festival theme of “life and death.” However, this week’s five films deal with the latter more directly. Some tackle the issue of dying, or in one case not wanting to die, in satirical ways. One of the entries is a bittersweet drama about a dying man whose last days are filled with family and friends. Two films deal with the troubled health care system. And the final two films argue opposite sides of what to do when one is left disabled. THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY inspired this week’s films. It’s a lineup I have been looking forward to ever since I first say Julian Schnabel’s daring and heartbreaking portrait of a man left prisoner in his own body who inspires with his will to live.

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Following two years after Walt Disney’s first Latin American feature, SALUDOS AMIGOS, this film is longer, more daring, less propagandistic, but ultimately less bearable than its predecessor. Upon the failure of this film, a planned Latin American trilogy was scrapped, saving the world from CUBAN CARNIVAL. Unlike AMIGOS, THE THREE CABALLEROS has a more flowing structure, reminiscent of the final sequence of the first film. It’s definitely the trippiest Disney production and makes one wonder what’s in that cigar that Jose Carioca is always smoking.

Like AMIGOS, CABALLEROS starts off like an anthology film, but soon morphs into a more free-flowing musical experience. A framework of Donald Duck receiving presents from his friends in Latin America introduces the first two segments. “The Cold-Blooded Penguin” follows the penguin Pablo, who dreams of relocating to warm climates. Next, “The Flying Gauchito” involves a little Argentinean boy who enters a horse race with the winged donkey he discovers. For the third segment, “Bahia,” Donald meets up with wisecracking parrot Jose, shimmies the samba with live-action dancers and salivates over the beautiful women. In “Las Posadas,” the lively rooster Panchito Pistoles tells of the Mexican Christmas traditions, leading to Donald try his hand at the piñata. This is followed by “Mexico” where Panchito takes Donald and Jose on a flying serape through the gorgeous beaches of Mexico where Donald can’t control chasing a bevy of live-action beauties. But in “You Belong to My Heart,” Donald focuses his affections of the popular Mexican singer Dora Luz. The film concludes with “Donald’s Surreal Reverie,” which sends Donald on a “love is a drug” infused tour, filled with lush colors, flowers and pretty live-action woman.

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This barely-a-feature Walt Disney feature, which clocks in at a mere 43 minutes, is actually a piece of wartime propaganda. Fearing Nazi Germany’s influence in Latin America, the U.S. Department of State paid for Walt Disney and his artists to tour Central and South America on a goodwill tour. The resulting film combines 16 MM live-action film shot during the trip and four separate short productions meant to enlighten the audience about the Latin American culture. While the film was meant to build support in Latin America, the film received lukewarm response in the States.

The first of the four segments, “Lake Titicaca,” casts Donald Duck as an American tourist where he bungles his way through the local village, having particular trouble with a snooty llama. Coming next is “Pedro,” the story of a pint-sized mail plane who must take the treacherous route over the mountains in Chile to deliver the mail after his father gets a cold. The third segment, titled “El Gaucho Goofy,” puts American cowboy Goofy into the attire and customs of the Argentinean gaucho. To close the film, “Aquarela do Brasil” (or “Watercolor of Brazil”) begins with a flowing musical number and ends with the introduction of the Latin parrot Jose Carioca, who shows Donald Duck around South America while trying to teach him the samba.

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This film is featured as bonus material on the “Classic Caballeros Collection” DVD.

This Walt Disney short marks two firsts. It was the first full-fledged solo short for Donald Duck and was the first appearance of Donald’s girlfriend — here Donna Duck, who would later become Daisy. In the short, guitar-playing Donald rides his tired burro into a Mexican town where he tries to woo senorita Donna. Donald proves not the most skilled suitor as he often laughs at Donna as she trips and falls. Trying to win her back, he trades in his donkey for a red car, which he hopes will be a chick magnet. But what kind of car can you get for the price of a burro?

Painting Donna or Daisy in the stereotypical hot-blooded Latina fashion is actually not a bad move. She has the right attitude for dealing with the foul-mouth duck, much better than a simple bland object of affection. This early Disney short is a solid example of character leading to good gags and driving the story. While some complain that Donald isn’t quite suited for role-playing, the song and dance elements here don’t seem unsuitable for the character’s cocky side. Both for its place in Disney history and for its solid dose of humor, DON DONALD is a great solo debut for one of Disney’s great anthropomorphic creations.

Buy It Now!

This film is featured as bonus material on the “Classic Caballeros Collection” DVD.

This Donald Duck short features Donald as an egg collector who is mistaken by a mama condor as her baby. Featuring a narrator, the tone captures that of traditional nature documentaries. As the narrator presents the facts about condors, the silly antics of Donald trying to survive as the babe of the giant bird are a wonderful humorous contrast. The mother’s real baby, of course, makes Donald’s dilemma even more feather ruffling. Donald’s attempts to avoid his first flight lessons are some of the high points.

Produced in the same year as Disney’s second Latin American feature THE THREE CABALLEROS, this Andres-set comedy is actually more humorous than any section of Donald’s work in the full-length film. While the narrator often drains character development from CABALLEROS sequences, in CONDOR, the contrast between the narrator’s matter-of-fact information and the reality of Donald’s shenanigans works in a humorous way reminiscent of the Goofy “How To” shorts. While some of the gags are repetitive and the pacing lags at times, the overall short has enough laughs to be successful. In our more PC age, the idea of Donald stealing eggs for fun is less than sympathetic, but the trouble that ensues gives the baby-snatching duck what he has coming to him I suppose.

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Read my review of the theatrical release for more details.

After audiences at test screenings disliked the originally planned ending, the studio and filmmakers decided to release the film with a much different conclusion. Both versions were filmed and the visual effects teams didn’t start working on the ending that ending up in theaters until very late in the game. Ironically, the version that made it to theaters is actually sadder than the alternative version, which is closer to the source material and more open ended. Anyone who doesn’t want to know any part of either ending should not read any further.

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Now in retrospect the film is being re-titled INDIANA JONES AND THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, a testament to the popularity to the iconic globetrotting archeologist and the massive franchise that has been built around him. It’s hard to think back and remember Harrison Ford as less than a superstar, but it was this film that put him at that status. Director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas combined their talents to create one of the great heroes in a film that is thrilling non-stop action. The duos love of the Saturday matinee idols of their youth is translated to the screen with wit and charm.

From our introduction to Dr. Jones, cloaked in shadow, as he uses his whip to disarm a traitor, the iconic image of the Fedora-wearing adventurer is seared into our memories. The film wastes no time thrusting us into the action as Indiana ventures into a jungle cave to recover an ancient golden idol. He is quickly established as the cream of the crop in his field, but one who is susceptible to being cheated, as we see when his success is dampened by the thieving Dr. Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman, HOT FUZZ), a Frenchman trying to play both sides. Back at his teaching job, Jones is given the opportunity of a lifetime — head to Egypt and stop the Nazis from uncovering the Ark of the Covenant, the powerful golden casket holding the Ten Commandments. To find the Ark, Indiana must recover his old mentor’s medallion, which is now possessed by his former flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen, KING OF THE HILL). This sets Indiana racing across the globe, fighting Arab assassins and the Nazi SS in an effort to save the world.

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Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of the best actors working today. In 2007, he appeared in three wonderful films — two of which made my top 25. With all three of those films now on DVD, it makes for an opportunity to highlight his amazing talent. It would be obvious to chose his Oscar-winning work in CAPOTE, so for the two additional films I chose a stellar starring performance that many people have not seen and a brave supporting turn as a despicable character. So sit back and witness five great films featuring some of the best acting in recent years.

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Director Steven Soderbergh tries to capture the look and feel of dramas from the Golden Age of cinema. In this CASABLANCA like picture, star George Clooney further makes his claim as the heir to classic Hollywood actors, this time channeling Humphrey Bogart without making us forget his similarities to Cary Grant. Cate Blanchett, who won an Oscar for playing Hollywood royalty Katharine Hepburn, fits smoothly into the 1940s mode in a Marlene Dietrich like turn. While THE GOOD GERMAN plays like a film from the past, the story dips into sex and language that is a staple of modern cinema. This mix of the old and the new almost makes the film worth seeing on its own.

American officer Jake Geismer (Clooney, INTOLERABLE CRUELTY) returns to Germany at the last moments of World War II as the country is being divided up between the Americans and the Russians. His driver Tully (Tobey Maguire, THE ICE STORM) is a slimy soldier looking to make a profit out of the chaos. Tully is trying to find a way to sneak his prostitute girlfriend Lena Brandt (Blanchett, ELIZABETH) out of the country. Turns out, she was the former girl of Jake when he was stationed in Germany before the war. For mysterious reasons, she has become a target of both the Russians and the Americans.

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Built behind a mysterious advertising campaign and the name of producer J.J. Abrams, the man behind TV’s LOST and ALIAS, few films released in January get the kind of buzz that CLOVERFIELD received. But could a monster movie with newbie actors stack up to the hype? Would the handheld, first person perspective add tension or just turn out to be a nauseating gimmick? Could greenhorn feature director Matt Reeves pull off a big effects feature in his debut? Well, sometimes films can live up to the hype.

The conceit is that we are watching a recovered videotape of a monster attack on New York City. Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David, TV’s THE BLACK DONNELLYS) is a young exec who is moving to Japan. Recently he hooked up with his lifelong friend Beth McIntyre (Odette Yustman, TV’s OCTOBER ROAD), but never called her, not knowing how to deal with his feelings and his impending move. During his going away party, which was set up by his brother Jason (Mike Vogel, HAVOC) and his brother’s girlfriend Lily (Jessica Lucas, THE COVENANT), Rob’s best friend Hud (T.J. Miller, TV’s CARPOOLERS) is assigned the task of recording goodbyes from the guests. He, of course, focuses on getting a testimonial from the self-absorbed model Marlena Diamond (Lizzy Caplan, MEAN GIRLS). But soon the festivities are disrupted by explosions, which result in the head of the Statue of Liberty ending up in front of the apartment. As the city turns into chaos, Rob becomes determined to save Beth who is trapped in her apartment across town.

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