Anselm. 93 min. Criterion. In German w/English subtitles. 2023. DVD UPC 1551530011. $24.99.

Wim Wenders’s film isn’t a typical bio-doc; instead, it is a complete immersion into the contemporary artist Anselm Kiefer's creative life, from the past to the present. Filmed over two years and shot in 6K resolution (the theatrical release was in 3D), the picture is frequently visually stunning and features the kind of camera movement usually seen in feature films. Sequences show Kiefer laboring over his massive abstract paintings, blowtorch in hand, canvases lit on fire or splattered with molten metal. Some of the work by the artist is provocative, lingering on the fascism in his native Germany. The tone of the film never lets up—it is a serious and intense viewing. VERDICT A cinematic, challenging, beautiful, and brutal portrait of Kiefer’s process and art.

★A Brief History of the Future. 360 min. PBS. 2024. DVD UPC 4188704803. $34.99.

Here’s something unique: an in-depth discussion of the future that isn’t a bleak dystopia. This six-part series from PBS and director Andrew Morgan is hosted by the likable futurist Ari Wallach, who journeys around the globe investigating how smart people are turning theory into reality that could have positive effects regarding food, power, nature, and technology. (Sadly, flying cars won’t be coming soon.) Melding cutting-edge science with history, the series is philosophical and thought-provoking, featuring one cool idea after another, always presented with curiosity and a simplicity that means viewers won’t need an engineering degree to understand and be fascinated by the wide range of topics. VERDICT Amid all the negativity about the future of humanity, this series offers a refreshingly hopeful view.

Copa 71. 90 min. Greenwich Entertainment. In Spanish, Italian, French & English w/English subtitles. 2023. DVD UPC 3832926675. $19.99.

A lost piece of sports history receives recognition in Rachel Ramsey and James Erskine’s rousing and uplifting documentary. The second Women’s World Cup for soccer was held in Mexico City in 1971, 20 years before the first FIFA-sanctioned women’s tournament. The event brought crowds of over 100,000 people to the famed Azteca stadium, still a record for attendance at a women’s sporting event. The film features players from that World Cup telling their story of their treatment during the competition and afterward, when the athletes were shunned by organized soccer and soon forgotten. The film is a lively, spunky, emotional underdog story that is also incredibly infuriating when it exposes the sexist beliefs of the professional leagues and FIFA. VERDICT A must-see for soccer and sports fans.

Taking Venice. 96 min. Kino Lorber. 2023. DVD UPC 3832926696. $19.99.

There were many strategies employed by the U.S. to “win” the Cold War, ranging from the political to military. Add art to the list of ways to defeat Communism. Director Amei Wallach’s film looks into the 1964 Venice Biennale (the “Olympics of Art”), where a group supported by the U.S. government attempted to make Robert Rauschenberg the first American recipient of the Grand Prize. Though it’s a bit dry at times, the film lays out the ways the American contingent pulled off various shenanigans to get the Biennale victory, something that Rauschenberg would later say he wishes hadn’t happened. VERDICT Art and geopolitics collide during the Cold War in interesting ways.