Talking From the Box/Henry Rollins Goes to London - Region 1 DVD

There's no music here, and precious little in the way of artifice--no special effects (notwithstanding some subtle editing and the use of both color and black and white), no production numbers, no props--just Rollins and his audience, which listens raptly as he rants, reads a little verse, tells some stories, and reminisces about his childhood, his life on the road, and so on. Sure, the anger is there, and the profanity flows freely. But Rollins also reveals himself to be surprisingly smart and literate, amusingly self-deprecating, generous, even vulnerable--especially during the "Two Boys" portion of Talking from the Box, when he recounts the horrific but riveting tale of the death of his best friend. Powerful stuff. --Sam Graham