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Painting Box

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PreS-Gr 3—Laura and Tim Battersby, the Battersby Duo, present a music DVD with 11 songs, 6 of which appeared on their CD, Painting Box (SLJ, Jan. 2009, p. 62). While they harmonize quite nicely, and even sound like Peter, Paul and Mary on some songs, the sound quality is not always up to par. The voices echo on "Hokey Pokey," and on at least one song, their lips are out of sync with the song. The Battersbys supply all the background actions for the songs, which range in style from folk to folk rock to blues. In between the songs are short vignettes of jokes and other silliness, with Tim using an English/Cockney accent. The live action has a low-budget appearance, as it is apparent that the duo is acting in front of a blue screen. The play list includes "Painting Box," "The Alpha Beta Song," "Please Read," "Hamburger Blues," "Citrus Song," "The Teddy Bear Song," and others. This is an acceptable purchase, especially where the Battersby Duo is popular—Beverly Wrigglesworth, San Antonio Public Library, TX
In this beautiful, heartrending, yet horrifying film, North Koreans tell their stories of imprisonment, sexual slavery, torture, murder, and escape to China or South Korea during the nearly 50-year regime of Kim Il Sung (1912—94). The interviews are illustrated through the interspersion of dance sequences, archival news footage, and drawings. Particularly interesting are the North Korean propaganda films celebrating Kim Il Sung as God and showing in the face of mass starvation happy workers, elaborate military displays, and the creation of a new flower in 1988 in honor of the 46th birthday of Kim's son and successor, Kim Jong Il. A valuable time line traces 20th-century events in Korea. Bonus features include previously unreleased footage of camp refugees. This mesmerizing film displays excellent production values and is highly recommended for Asia collections.—Kitty Chen Dean, formerly with Nassau Community Coll., Garden City, NY
Reviewed by Kitty Chen Dean , Aug 01, 2010

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