Tangerines
A quiet, moving meditation on the mundane horrors of modern war, this film was completed in 2013 but only recently released in the U.S. Set in the Abkhazia region of Georgia during the war that took place there during the early 1990s, Tangerines dissects the notion of war, moving it from a map labeled in foreign languages to the intimate and familiar spaces of gardens and front rooms and orchards. Most Estonians in the area fled when the war began. But old friends Ivo and Margus have stayed behind to harvest their tangerine crop. After a firefight at their doorstep, the men take in a wounded Chechen mercenary. The dialogue between these men and others who arrive in search of the survivor reveals the absurdity of war among people capable of speech. They clearly have more in common than in conflict, and none of them know exactly why they are killing each other.

Nightcrawler

Jake Gyllenhall portrays Lewis Bloom, a freelance news videographer without conscience. Imagine Travis Bickle hopped up on Zig Ziglar, plus camera and top light. Bloom’s character is written to be repulsive. We see him manipulate and mislead peers, along with veteran anchor Nina Romina (Rene Russo), who is desperate to increase her station’s ratings. Over the course of a violent crime case, Bloom gathers and withholds information, including the location and identities of the criminals, while placing innocents in harm’s way. Still, it becomes clear that within the news industry—where quasi-journalists compete to document death rattles at crime and crash scenes—Bloom’s supposed character flaws are more a matter of subjective gradation. He will go far in his field, there is no doubt.

The Fisher King
If this 1991 gem is the first film by Terry Gilliam that you remember (or remember being impressed by), that may be because it was the first film he directed but did not write himself. Rich LaGravenese scripted this fascinating picaresque that frankly addressed AIDS, homelessness, mental illness, and the media as a menace long before those topics entered mainstream conversation. And he managed to wrap the works in Arthurian legend with show tunes on top. Among the worthwhile bonus features of this new Criterion edition is a photo album of behind-the-scenes images captured by accomplished photographer and male lead Jeff Bridges.

The Wrecking Crew!
Danny Tedesco assembled this quite sweet documentary in homage to his late father, session guitarist Tommy Tedesco. The name may not be familiar. But if you own rock, soul, jazz, or pop records made during Tedesco’s lifetime, you can be fairly certain that you own records on which Tedesco and his L.A. cohorts, aka the Wrecking Crew, appear, probably uncredited. Interviews, archives, and session credits are spooled out in a way that’s intended to blow your mind as you realize that your idols did not record most of what you consider to be their music. But once you wrap your brain around Auto-Tune, it’s hard to be too surprised or disappointed by the music industry.

Chris Barrett

Chris Barrett's Shelf Life alerts readers to new arrivals at the Lawson McGhee Library's stellar Sights and Sounds collection, along with recommendations and reminders of staples worthy of revisiting. He is a former Metro Pulse staff writer who’s now a senior assistant at the Knox County Public Library.