Edward Wilensky
Director of media relations, San Diego Opera, sdopera.com

Terry Gilliam’s Brazil serves up a tale of a man’s battle for freedom and independence. Criterion gives the film a stunning treatment in this box set, which includes the director’s cut, the studio-released version (with a happy ending), and a documentary about the battle the director went through to get his version released.

Sometimes life is easier when it is reduced to slapstick and fart jokes, so what better film than Step Brothers, starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly?

Brazil (England) 1985, Criterion Collection
Step Brothers (USA) 2008, Sony Pictures

Edoardo Müller
Conductor, Rigoletto, San Diego Opera

My two recommended DVDs are Meet the Orchestra from the series Baby Einstein. I have four grandchildren, and I enjoy so much this DVD for the way it presents all the instruments of the orchestra. Beautiful and involving for children and adults.

The second one is Verdi’s Requiem, conducted by Herbert Von Karajan with Luciano Pavarotti and other great singers. I need sometimes to immerse myself in great interpretations like that. It gives me motivation for doing my best when I do music.

Baby Einstein: Meet the Orchestra (USA) 2006, Disney
Verdi - Requiem / Price, Pavarotti, Cossotto, Ghiaurov, von Karajan, Teatro alla Scala (Italy) 1967, Philips

Kirstin Chávez
Mezzo-soprano sings Maddalena, Rigoletto
San Diego Opera

My first pick is Bicentennial Man, with Robin Williams. I love this movie because it highlights all the most noble of human traits, and most of them are found within the “spirit” of a being who began existence as an android. Makes me cry every time.

Then there’s Love Actually — what a film! All the different kinds of love that you can imagine, played out in a series of interwoven vignettes. Heartbreaking and heart-warming all at once. It gives me hope in this most basic of human needs — love.

Bicentennial Man (USA) 1999, Touchstone
Love Actually (England) 2003, Universal