The Sell-Out

Starring:Oliver Reed, Richard Widmark, Gayle Hunnicutt, Sam Wanamaker, Vladek Sheybal, Ori Levy, Assi Dayan, Peter Frye (II), Shmuel Rodensky, Fanny Lubitsch, Miguel Pedregosa, Yossi Virginsky, Thelma Ruby, Heinz Bernard, Yossi Graber, Yoel Sharr, Dino Gershoni, Hanna Neeman, David Biderman
Director: Peter Collinson
Studio: Westlake Budget
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

It takes a certain kind of comic genius to create a character who is, to quote the classic Sondheim lyric, appealing and appalling. But be forewarned: Borat is not "something for everyone." It arrives as advertised as one of the most outrageous, most offensive, and funniest films in years. Kazakhstan journalist Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen reprising the popular character from his Da Ali G Show), leaves his humble village to come to "U.S. and A" to film a documentary. After catching an episode of Baywatch in his New York hotel room, he impulsively scuttles his plans and, accompanied by his fat, hirsute producer (Hardy to his Laurel), proceeds to California to pursue the object of his obsession, Pamela Anderson. Borat is not about how he finds America; it's about how America finds him in a series of increasingly cringe-worthy scenes. Borat, with his '70s mustache, well-worn grey suit, and outrageously backwards attitudes (especially where Jews are concerned) interacts with a cross-section of the populace, catching them, a la Alan Funt on Candid Camera, in the act of being themselves. Early on, an unwitting humor coach advises Borat about various types of jokes. Borat asks if his brother's retardation is a ripe subject for comedy. The coach patiently replies, "That would not be funny in America." NOT! Borat is subversively, bracingly funny. When it comes to exploring uncharted territory of what is and is not appropriate or politically correct, Borat knows no boundaries, as when he brings a fancy dinner with the southern gentry to a halt after returning from the bathroom with a bag of his feces ("The cultural differences are vast," his hostess graciously/patronizingly offers), or turns cheers to boos at a rodeo when he calls for bloodlust against the Iraqis and mangles "The Star Spangled Banner."

Success, John F. Kennedy once said, has a thousand fathers. A paternity test on Borat might reveal traces of Bill Dana's Jose Jimenez, Andy Kaufman, Michael Moore, The Jamie Kennedy Xperiment, and Jackass. Some scenes seem to have been staged (a game Anderson, whom Borat confronts at a book signing, was reportedly in on the setup), but others, as the growing litany of lawsuits attests, were not. All too real is Borat's encounter with loutish Southern frat boys who reveal their sexism and racism, and the disturbing moment when he asks a gun store owner what gun he would recommend to "kill a Jew" (a Glock automatic is the matter-of-fact reply). Comedy is not pretty, and in Borat it can get downright ugly, as when Borat and his producer get jiggly with it during a nude fight that spills out from their hotel room into the hallway, elevator, lobby and finally, a mortgage brokers association banquet. High-five! --Donald Liebenson

On the DVD
"Global Visitings" captures Borat-mania in all its hype and glory, as Sacha Baron Cohen, never breaking character, promotes his film around the world. On the itinerary is Late Night with Conan O'Brien and the Toronto Film Festival, a now-legendary screening aborted after a projector malfunction. A mixed bag of deleted scenes finds Borat trying to bait more unsuspecting citizens, including an animal-control worker who refuses Borat a dog after he asks, "How do you recommend I cook this?" and a doctor who is nonplussed by Borat's obscene medical history. A supermarket visit offers the most maddening fromage-inspired looniness since Monty Python's "Cheese Shop" sketch. Also good for a few chuckles are a faux soundtrack commercial and a Baywatch parody ("Sexydangerwatch"). --Donald Liebenson

Beyond Borat

All things Sacha Baron Cohen
Borat Apparel
Borat Soundtrack

Stills from Borat (click for larger image)

Description

Sacha Baron Cohen brings his Kazakh journalist character Borat Sagdiyev to the big screen for the first time. Leaving his native Kazakhstan, Borat travels to America to make a documentary. As he zigzags across the nation, Borat meets real people in real situations with hysterical consequences. His backwards behavior generates strong reactions around him exposing prejudices and hypocrisies in American culture.

Customer Reviews:

Veddy Nice.......2007-06-30

Borat is, simply put, one of the funniest films of all time. Sacha Cohen never steps out of character and what makes it funny is people believe he's real. Borat's apparent ignorance is a setup to reveal the actual ignorance of those he encounters. Though the producers got releases some are suing him for revealing how dumb they are.
Borat basically mocks all his characters attributes: antisemitism, sexism, lack of etiquette, etc. An interesting trivia note is when Borat is speaking Kazakh, he's really speaking Hebrew with some Polish thrown in. And his sidekick is speaking Armenian. The village is actually in Romania (and they're getting in on the lawsuits too). High five!

Controversial???.......2007-06-26

Potty humor. If you're 13 and you need a reminder of what anti-semitism is then go rent it... otherwise don't even bother. This movie was a complete waste of my time. I give it one star because I couldn't give it anything lower.

Controversially hilarious.......2007-06-20

I did not see this movie in theaters because it looked like garbage to me and I did not want to waste yet another ten dollars on a crappy film. One night when Borat was on video, I took a trip to the video store to rent Children of Men, but since they were out, I decided to rent Borat instead and give it a shot. What I discovered was possibly one of the funniest movies I have ever seen in my entire life. Sure, Borat was offensive, but sometimes you just need to put that aside and realize that the jokes are actually quite funny. I don't understand why people are saying that Borat is so terrible because it makes fun of so many different things, but in all actuality, it made fun of women to no end and I took no offense to that. It was all in good fun and everyone should remember that it was just a movie; if you don't like it, then don't watch it--no one is forcing you to like it. I personally enjoyed it quite a bit and it had me laughing out loud the entire time and I don't think another movie has ever had me laughing quite like that. At the very least, give the movie a shot. If you don't like it, then don't ever think about it again, but if you do, then props to you because the movie was genius and insanely funny.

Loved it!.......2007-06-18

I didn't know what to expect from this movie but I laughed all the way through it and even felt sorry for Borat a few times! The people who find the movie offensive likely have no sense of humor. NO "group" is left unscathed in this movie. Let's see we cover "Premier" Bush, blacks, feminazis, jews, gays, radical right-wing Christians, politicians, rednecks, uptight New Yorkers, and Hollywood, just to name a few.

The movie shows us our own idiocy. For instance when Borat is at the rodeo and he's talking to the guy who runs the rodio and the guy says Borat can't kiss him (as is Borat's custom) because he'll be seen as one of those fairy guys. And Borat says yes in his country they hang them and the rodeo redneck says something like "yeah that's what we're trying to get done here"! And then there's the three drunk Univ South Carolina frat boys in the van. Three drunk redneck boys going off about how men are better than women and how we should have slavery in America.

The movie poked fun NOT at the jews, blacks or gays (among several groups) but at the people who were prejudiced against them! That is so obvious!

I think it was ingenious!

First Class........2007-06-17

Well, first of all, I don't think there's any doubting that Sacha Baron Cohen is one of the most exceptional comedians of our day. His work here completely solidifies his reputation, and I look forward to him finding more work in Hollywood. Perhaps, like with Jim Carrey, they'll build entire films around his presence which would suit this fan just fine. It sounds like they're on the road to doing so as I read he's making a movie with Johnny Depp and I know he played a character in Talladega Nights. As for Borat, it is a magnificent film and I highly recommend it; although, it certainly isn't something that you can see over and over again. Its humor is all of the "embarrassment" variety so it goes down with the jolt and thrill of a shot of Maker's Mark. You do feel very bad for the average citizen who finds his or her self unintentionally lampooned. One aspect of it I loved in particular was the interaction between Borat and his producer. With the suit and short tie he was a 100 percent sterling imitation of a Soviet Union bureaucrat. Every time I saw that guy I laughed. I must disagree over the anti-Semitism charges as Borat's posing as an anti-Semite created the situation in which people could then speak more freely. Borat is also fun to laugh at and laughing at him also allows for the satirization of those who hold the same offensive views. We know that Jews don't run our nation or are a force of evil so it's quite natural, and healthy, to laugh at those fools who think otherwise. There's no Jew baiting here in my opinion. All there is a masterful cinematographic achievement. I can't wait for the Bruno flick to come out.

Borat - Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Full Screen Edition)

Average customer rating:

Veddy Nice
Controversial???
Controversially hilarious
Loved it!
First Class.

Borat - Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen , Ken Davitian , Luenell , Bobby Rowe , and Alan Keyes
Director: Larry Charles
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Casino Royale (2-Disc Widescreen Edition)
Babel
Little Miss Sunshine
Blood Diamond (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B000MMMT9Q
Release Date: 2007-03-06

Amazon.com

It takes a certain kind of comic genius to create a character who is, to quote the classic Sondheim lyric, appealing and appalling. But be forewarned: Borat is not "something for everyone." It arrives as advertised as one of the most outrageous, most offensive, and funniest films in years. Kazakhstan journalist Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen reprising the popular character from his Da Ali G Show), leaves his humble village to come to "U.S. of A" to film a documentary. After catching an episode of Baywatch in his New York hotel room, he impulsively scuttles his plans and, accompanied by his fat, hirsute producer (Hardy to his Laurel), proceeds to California to pursue the object of his obsession, Pamela Anderson. Borat is not about how he finds America; it's about how America finds him in a series of increasingly cringe-worthy scenes. Borat, with his '70s mustache, well-worn grey suit, and outrageously backwards attitudes (especially where Jews are concerned) interacts with a cross-section of the populace, catching them, a la Alan Funt on Candid Camera, in the act of being themselves. Early on, an unwitting humor coach advises Borat about various types of jokes. Borat asks if his brother's retardation is a ripe subject for comedy. The coach patiently replies, "That would not be funny in America." NOT! Borat is subversively, bracingly funny. When it comes to exploring uncharted territory of what is and is not appropriate or politically correct, Borat knows no boundaries, as when he brings a fancy dinner with the southern gentry to a halt after returning from the bathroom with a bag of his feces ("The cultural differences are vast," his hostess graciously/patronizingly offers), or turns cheers to boos at! a rodeo when he calls for bloodlust against the Iraqis and mangles "The Star Spangled Banner."

On the DVD
"Global Visitings" captures Borat-mania in all its hype and glory, as Sacha Baron Cohen, never breaking character, promotes his film around the world. On the itinerary is Late Night with Conan O'Brien and the Toronto Film Festival, a now-legendary screening aborted after a projector malfunction. A mixed bag of deleted scenes finds Borat trying to bait more unsuspecting citizens, including an animal-control worker who refuses Borat a dog after he asks, "How do you recommend I cook this?" and a doctor who is nonplussed by Borat's obscene medical history. A supermarket visit offers the most maddening fromage-inspired looniness since Monty Python's "Cheese Shop" sketch. Also good for a few chuckles are a faux soundtrack commercial and Baywatch parody ("Sexydangerwatch"). --Donald Liebenson

Beyond Borat

All things Sacha Baron Cohen
Borat Apparel
Borat Soundtrack

Stills from Borat (click for larger image)

Description

Customer Reviews:

Veddy Nice.......2007-06-30

Controversial???.......2007-06-26

Controversially hilarious.......2007-06-20

Loved it!.......2007-06-18

First Class........2007-06-17

Average customer rating:

great comedy with empathy
Good Stuff
FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY!
FUNNY
Hilarious!!

Groundhog Day (Special Edition)
Starring: Carol Bivins , Ken Hudson Campbell , Brian Doyle-Murray , Rick Ducommun , and Robin Duke
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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Similar Items:

What About Bob?
Scrooged
Back to the Future - The Complete Trilogy (Widescreen Edition)
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ASIN: B00005U8EM
Release Date: 2002-01-29

Product Description

Bill Murray at his wry, wisecracking best in this riotous romantic comedy about a weatherman caught in a personal time warp on the worst day of his life.

Teamed with a relentlessly cheerful producer (Andie MacDowell) and a smart-aleck cameraman (Chris Elliott), TV weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is sent to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities. After a surprise blizzard traps him in small-town hell, things get even worse; Phil wakes the next morning to find it's Groundhog Day all over again... and again... and again.

System Requirements:
Starring: Bill Murray, Chris Elliott, and Andie MacDowell.
Directed By: Harold Ramis.
Running Time: 101 Min., Color.
This film is presented in "Widescreen" format.
Copyright 2002 Columbia TriStar.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Bill Murray does warmth in his most consistently effective post-Stripes comedy, a romantic fantasy about a wacky weatherman forced to relive one strange day over and over again, until he gets it right. Snowed in during a road-trip expedition to watch the famous groundhog encounter his shadow, Murray falls into a time warp that is never explained but pays off so richly that it doesn't need to be. The elaborate loop-the-loop plot structure cooked up by screenwriter Danny Rubin is crystal-clear every step of the way, but it's Murray's world-class reactive timing that makes the jokes explode, and we end up looking forward to each new variation. He squeezes all the available juice out of every scene. Without forcing the issue, he makes us understand why this fly-away personality responds so intensely to the radiant sanity of the TV producer played by Andie MacDowell. The blissfully clueless Chris Elliott (Cabin Boy) is Murray's nudnik cameraman. --David Chute

Customer Reviews:

great comedy with empathy.......2007-05-20

One of Bill Murrays best. Great Harold Ramis direction. One for the collector's shelf

Good Stuff.......2007-05-07

We should all be so lucky as to have our own personal groundhog day.

FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY!.......2007-03-26

I watch this movie every Groundhog Day with my wife. Goundhog Day just happens to be her birthday and she loves this movie! A smart funny romantic comedy with Murry at his comedic best. The DVD is a good transfer and should be in everyones collection.

FUNNY.......2007-03-14

One of the funniest movies I have ever seen! Also, one of the best movies I have ever seen. Great Movie. No flaws.

Hilarious!!.......2007-03-13

This is one of the funniest movies you're going to see...but it's also got some thoughtful messages about life. Some of the funniest scenes are when Murray's character realizes he not only can't get out of Groundhog's Day, but there are no consequences to his actions, because he keeps waking up to the same day. What follows is a hilarious string of self-destructive situations...just how many ways CAN a person try to kill themselves?! My personal favorite scene is in the diner, where Murray gorges on every artery clogging breakfast treat, while smoking a cigarette...gluttony at it's best! As the movie moves along and he tires of his self-descructive attitude, Murray's character starts to explore the possibilities of having unlimited time to do all the things a person would ever want to do and how much more meaningful it is to be kind instead of cruel. Interesting twist...while being lots of fun.

Average customer rating:

great comedy with empathy
Good Stuff
FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY!
FUNNY
Hilarious!!

Groundhog Day
Starring: Carol Bivins , Ken Hudson Campbell , Brian Doyle-Murray , Rick Ducommun , and Robin Duke
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

What About Bob?
Scrooged
Back to the Future - The Complete Trilogy (Widescreen Edition)
Forrest Gump (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
The Adventures of Indiana Jones - The Complete DVD Movie Collection (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: 080017948X
Release Date: 2001-03-06

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

great comedy with empathy.......2007-05-20

One of Bill Murrays best. Great Harold Ramis direction. One for the collector's shelf

Good Stuff.......2007-05-07

We should all be so lucky as to have our own personal groundhog day.

FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY!.......2007-03-26

FUNNY.......2007-03-14

One of the funniest movies I have ever seen! Also, one of the best movies I have ever seen. Great Movie. No flaws.

Hilarious!!.......2007-03-13

Average customer rating:

Pixies Sold Out.
What can I say?
Jump around
Pixies are great, but this DVD has sub-par audio...
Pixie's spirit remains...

The Pixies - Sell Out
Starring: Pixies
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

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( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Pixies: Acoustic: Live in Newport
Loudquietloud - A Film About the Pixies
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Fool the World: The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies
Honeycomb

ASIN: B000AQKUF4
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Amazon.com

Sell Out begins with a version of "Bone Machine" compiled from reunion gigs the world over. It works surprisingly well--the Pixies are nothing if not consistent--although they sure look different from show to show. At some, Kim Deal and David Lovering have long hair. At others, hers is short and he has none. (Black Francis and Joey Santiago don't change as much.) What follows is a 25-song, two-encore set filmed under the stars at France's 2004 Eurockéennes Festival in front of an endless throng, followed by 15 bonus tracks from England, Scotland, Japan, and points across the US (Indio, CA, Austin, TX, and Lowell, MA). If the Pixies "sold out" when they reformed after more than a decade apart, no one can accuse them of sloth. Granted, most songs don't differ radically from their studio counterparts, but nor do they suffer in comparison. The strobe-lit "Tame" and epic "Vamos" are particularly boisterous highlights. At 43 tracks--33 unique compositions plus ten alternate takes--this digital document is admirably comprehensive (despite no interviews with or commentary from the band). Material from all four full-lengths, plus the Come On Pilgrim EP, gets a workout, including the "UK Surf" mix of "Wave of Mutilation" (the B-side featured in Pump Up the Volume). It's all here, with the exception of "Bam Thwok," their nifty comeback single. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

In 1992 the Pixies disbanded after releasing four acclaimed albums and one mini-album in a five-year period. The Pixies are widely regarded as one of the most important rock bands of the past 20 years-and influenced a new wave of alternative bands with their Quiet/Loud/Quiet song structure. Paraphrasing Kurt Cobain: "Nirvana would not have existed without the Pixies." Since the band split up, the leader, Black Francis, started a solo career as Frank Black, and Kim Deal, the bassist and vocalist, went on to form The Breeders. The band reunited in 2004 for a trimphant worldwide tour that saw the band playing better than ever, injecting the classic songs with renewed energy and universal critical response. The band's legacy and reputation has only grown stronger in the 12 years since they broke up, see her as the play in front of enthusiastic audiences, far larger than they had drawn in their heyday. Track Listings: Bone Machine, Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf), In Heaven, Something Against You, River Euphrates, U-Mass, Bone Machine, Cactus, Ed Is Dead, I Bleed, Monkey Gone To Heaven, Hey, Levitate Me, Subbacultcha, Dead, Gouge Away, Velouria, Mr. Grieves, Crackity Jones, Broken Face, Isla De Encanta, Tame, Here Comes Your Man, Holiday, Song, Where Is My Mind?, Vamos, Wave of Mutilation, Gigantic.

Customer Reviews:

Pixies Sold Out........2007-03-21

This is a wonderful DVD. Seeing as Pixies broke up quite a while ago and there is not a reunion tour in the works at this moment (pray, pray, pray...) there is a decent chance that I will never be able to see them perform live. This is as close as it gets for me, and it's just something I loved to see. The concert itself is not the best, as it's a festival show, outdoors, and is just in a kind of lame setting, and there's the "new" versions of their older stuff, like Vamos, which is just, for lack of a better term, god-awful in its slowed-down form. The other complaint I have about this is that Frank Black, Kim Deal, and Joey Santiago do very little onstage. They just stand there and sing, and occasionally drink (though you do see that Kim Deal is quite skilled at smoking while playing bass), and if you're not into that, than this goes a long way towards becoming a rating-- it's not PG. Otherwise, it's Pixies, and that's precisely the reason I bought this in the first place.

What can I say?.......2007-01-03

An excellent concert DVD; but if you're a Pixies fan you don't really need to be sold on it, and if you're not, you should hit the albums first. Also worth checking out: LoudQUIETLoud, the documentary taken over the reunion tour.

Jump around.......2006-12-28

I don't know why I wanted the Pixies to jump around on stage while I watched them perform most of their best songs. I guess I expected a live performance, and . . . that's what I got - but the Pixies just stand there and sing.

I was pretty happy to hear "Ed is Dead". The entire audience began to sing with the group. That's what I was looking for -- more audience participation and . . . well, people jumping around.

If you were a Pixies fan back in the day, you'll love this DVD. If you're new to the Pixies, try and keep an open mind. The songs are awesome. Close your eyes and listen. There are over 26 songs to listen to. Plus it's nice to see the band after they broke up in 1992. 4 stars!!!

Pixies are great, but this DVD has sub-par audio..........2006-08-26

Great DVD in general, but the mastering of the audio leaves a lot to be desired. Basically, the sound is too flat in both stereo and 5.1, and the 5.1 mix is really heavy on the right channel (sounds unbalanced).

Most of the footage from this DVD comes from the Eurockennes de Belfort festival. Of which I have an unofficial copy (it was broadcast over digital TV in Europe, a friend recorded it, made a DVD and sent the uncompressed original to me).

Let me say that the broadcast version of this show is *vastly* superior to what is found on this DVD. Which leaves me disappointed and wondering what the fark Rhino Home Video was doing when they mastered this DVD. It's not terrible per se (it is the Pixies after all), but when I know that there is source material out there that is better I simply cannot give this a good rating. They should have put the original audio source on this DVD instead of doing whatever they did to make the audio sound muffled.

I'm actually going to write to Rhino and inquire why the audio on this DVD is so awful.

Pixie's spirit remains..........2006-05-24

One of the big surprises for me in watching "Sell Out" was that the album tracks can be fairly faithfully recreated on stage with a simple 4 piece band. They sound so busy on their recordings - and Joey Santiago plays live his catalogue of punk infused, spaced out guitar licks which I could've sworn on record were the result of numerous overdubs.

This is a scaled down tour by DVD standards. It's really 4 bandmembers cranking it out, night after night, around the world - a no frills affair. But I can't imagine how it could've been better.

They're not the sort of band who establish raport with the audience through sets, costumes, lighting or even consumate musicianship. It's about raw feeling, and this is here, almost surprisingly in abundance.

You get 28 songs from a concert in Belfort, France, plus another 14 songs from various gigs all over the world (8 of the 14 tracks are not songs from the original 28). As you would expect, some songs are on the money, others are not. Although, I'd say more than half are spectacular renditions "Ed is Dead" is better than the original and I love the UK Surf version of "Wave of Mutilation". Kim Deal is fantastic on "In Heaven".

There are a number of interviews in the bonus track section but not with the band, only tour mangagers etc, but worth watching at least once, and you have the option of watching the bonus tracks without them if you wish.

There's also a terrific version of Monkey Gone to Heaven in which you can select which of 6 cameras you want to watch and can change during the song. It's quite fun, like directing your own clip.

The best news is that all of the bands chops are still intact. Deal, Lovering and Santiago all sound terrific and Frank Black can still scream with the best in the business.

Reunion tours aren't often as spirited as this one. If you love the Pixies, you'll treasure it.

Great Spy Movies (The Inside Man / Hangmen / The Sell Out)

Average customer rating:

If you like old flicks - one is a really good bad movie
1 good movie & 2 fair ones

Great Spy Movies (The Inside Man / Hangmen / The Sell Out)
Starring: Leif Ahrle , Gösta Ekman (II) , Gustaf Elander , Charlie Elvegård , and Lena Endre
Manufacturer: Bfs Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00005N5RZ
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Description

3 Great Movies on 1 DVD. Star Power, Exciting Genre with Extras on each DVD.

Customer Reviews:

If you like old flicks - one is a really good bad movie.......2005-09-01

I am refering to Hangmen - apparently Sandra Bullock's screen debut. My jaw dropped and soon I was rolling on the carpet in spasms. So much silly dialogue and unexplained action are the very essence of a good bad movie. The directing and the photography are acually quite good and show New York at its grittiest. Sandra Bullock gets shot with a kind of a tranquilizer bullet - you know, the ones they use on enraged rhinos in wildlife parks. No, really, I can honestly recommend that one. The rest: forgettable (The Inside Man), truly annoying (The Sell Out).

1 good movie & 2 fair ones.......2004-02-07

The Sell Out is the best of these 3. Good acting by Richard Widmark. For the other two movies, Inside man would be second best and kept my interest well enough. Hangmen though is a different story. Too much gunplay & people getting killed. I only sat through it for the Sandra Bullock parts since this was her very first movie. She was good & the rest of the picture was so so.

Description

In this action-packed spy drama filmed entirely in Israel, retired CIA operative Sam Lucas(Richard Wildmark) discovers that he haas been involuntarily reactivated. He reluctantly returns to espionage at the sudden uring of his protege and friend Garbriel Lee(Oliver Reed) who defected to the Soviet Union but wants to return to the American side. Adding to the turmoil is Deborah(Gayla Hunnicutt). Wife of Lucas and former lover of Lee. Neither agent is aware that both superpowers have sent assassins to Israel to eliminate them both.

Customer Reviews:

'Twas only a payday for Widmark........2005-04-27

In this work filmed entirely in Israel, Richard Widmark gamely portrays Sam Lucas, a "retired" CIA operative who discovers that he is involuntarily back in action due to the sudden urging of his former initiate Gabriel Lee (Oliver Reed) who has been turned by the Soviet Union and now wants to come back into the American fold, not realizing that both players in the game have sent assassins to Israel to eliminate him, and Lucas as well. The direction is flabby with undue emphasis being placed upon silly and, naturally, superfluous stunts and car chases, with an inappropriate free hand being given to Gayle Hunnicut, playing the wife of Lucas and former lover of Lee, whose melodramatism proves distortive for what should be the critical scenes in this leaden affair, while the pudgy Englishman Reed, ill-advised to strip to the waist, has his lines dubbed in order to present an acceptable American accent.

The Sell Out.......2003-10-23

This version from Westlake Entertainment is probably the best in the market.

Digital quality, lot of action and extras.

Product Description

A retired CIA operative discovers that he is involuntarily back in action due to the sudden urging of his former fellow spy, who had been turned by the Soviet Union, and now wants to return to the American side.

"4 War Feature Films" North Star (1943) / Submarine Base (1943) / Gung Ho! (1943) / The Sell Out (1976)

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"4 War Feature Films" North Star (1943) / Submarine Base (1943) / Gung Ho! (1943) / The Sell Out (1976)

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Digitally Remastered For Superior Picture Quality
Dolby Digital 5.1 Sound
Chapter Stops
scene selections
interactive menus

ASIN: B000HAAC10

A Spinal Tap Reunion: The 25th Anniversary London Sell-Out

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This only goes to "8"...
If you like Spinal Tap. . .
They turn the tables on film maker Marty Di Bergi, showing up at his 'office' and putting him on film.
"We have returned!"
The LaserDisc was superb - hopefully the DVD is too

A Spinal Tap Reunion: The 25th Anniversary London Sell-Out
Starring: Christopher Guest , Michael McKean , Harry Shearer , June Chadwick , and Bob Geldof
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Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

This Is Spinal Tap (Special Edition)
Break Like The Wind
For Your Consideration
This Is Spinal Tap
The Rutles 2 - Can't Buy Me Lunch

ASIN: B00005B72D

Amazon.com

The Return of Spinal Tap is based around Tap's performance at the Royal Albert Hall in 1992. In between the footage of Messrs. St. Hubbins, Tufnel, and Smalls performing in front of a huge crowd enthusiastically determined to go along with the joke, there are clips purporting to investigate the band's humble origins in the East London suburb of Squatney, and updates from "rockumentary" director Marty DiBergi and hapless record plugger Artie Fufkin from the original movie. It is the latter component that is the real strength of Return. Though the concert footage faithfully rehashes many of the film's most treasured jokes (the malfunctioning props, the dancing midgets), the real satirical strength of This Is Spinal Tap was never its treatment of heavy metal music (which, after all, is hardly a difficult target). What the first movie did best was illuminate the egomania, paranoia, delusion, and stupidity that are the cornerstones of rock & roll as it is lived. The Return of Spinal Tap is a worthy companion piece. --Andrew Mueller

Customer Reviews:

This only goes to "8"..........2007-03-19

Not nearly as good as the original (which goes to 11, by the way!). Its mostly a live show at the Royal Albert Hall with little snippets thrown in between songs. Not a bad follow up to TIST, but don't let it be your first "Taste of the Tap".

If you like Spinal Tap. . ........2007-02-23

This is actually a concert video from 1992, filmed at Albert Hall in London. The group performs most of their "hits", both songs from "This Is Spinal Tap" and from their follow-up album, "Break Like The Wind." For actors/comedians, they are actually excellent musicians, and the songs are performed with all the seriousness they deserve. Interspersed between the songs are short interviews with semi-celebrities such as Marty DiBergi and Artie Fufkin, along with real celebrities like Martin Short and Kenny Rogers. I would have liked these interviews and clips of the band members at home to be longer, as they are tremendously funny. If you, like me, have both Spinal Tap albums and listen to them regularly, then you will enjoy this live version. If you don't care much about their music, however, there probably isn't enough humor to satisfy you.

They turn the tables on film maker Marty Di Bergi, showing up at his 'office' and putting him on film........2007-02-05

The original movie 'This is Spinal Tap', filmed by amateur movie maker Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) is a very funny spoof of a heavy metal band. There wasn't a real band. The actors portraying 'Spinal Tap' made up songs for use in the documentary -er 'Rockumentary' er mockumentary. We see the band at the coliseum - unable to locate the way to the stage, or saying, "hello Detroit" when they're in Cleveland, or on stage in the midst of various technical or prop-difficulties. It's very funny. Listed as one of the top cult films of all time I think.

In the original mockumentary, at times the jokes go too far, as in when, the guitarist continues to insist his amp is louder, because, "it goes to 11". Here it's obvious the guitarist couldn't really be that dumb and so it's obvious the guitarist's just an actor repeating a line. When a joke becomes too mean, it's not funny anymore, except perhaps for nervous/fear laughter. Still, today, radio stations across the dial advertise, "crank it up to 11. . ."

To a certain extent, in hind-site, I think the joke is on the fearful who do laugh 'at' Spinal Tap rather than laughing with them. Their big song in the mockumentaries is 'Big Bottoms' - "big bottoms, big bottoms, talk about bum-cakes my girl's got 'em." And there's the scene where their record label won't print the cover photo for their album 'Smell the Glove' because it's too 'sexist'. I know, to this day, if someone asks me, to, 'Talk to the hand', I'm liable to respond with, 'Smell the Glove'.

Spinal Tap have actually helped me appreciate metal bands. For instance I'm not a fan of hard rock, or metal bands that mostly have a hard rock sound, tho I am a big metal fan - each song in the mockumentaries seems to spoof a different band/style of metal music, and Spinal Tap are just so harmless and amusing I think they've helped me appreciate some of these other styles more.

'The 25th Anniversary Sell-Out' is not as good as the original movie. They continue the joke from the previous movie tho, pretending to be a real band. Of course, they now know Marty DiBergi, who filmed 'This is Spinal Tap', made fools out of them in the first movie! as shown by this extra footage added on to the first movie. . .

Nigel Tufnel: I think his real last name is DiBergarmo.

David St. Hubbins: No!

Derek Smalls: No, his real last name is DiBergowitz.

Nigel Tufnel: Yeah! DiBergowitz.

David St. Hubbins: No! He's like one of those...

Derek Smalls: Yeah, he is one of those. Check it out: DiBergowitz!

For this movie, '25th Anniversary Sell-Out', Spinal Tap operate the cameras themselves. They turn the tables on film maker Marty DiBergi, showing up at his 'office' and putting him on film. Martys' office seems to be a pay phone inside a pub (he's given the phone number of this public phone out as his office number) and he's waiting by the phone fruitlessly for other offers to come in after his movie 'This is Spinal Tap'.

Of course, this film isn't that good! It's a bit funny but 'The 25th Anniversary Sell-Out' isn't as amusing, or as good as 'This is Spinal Tap'. I like the music tho, so I go ahead and give it an extra star.

"We have returned!".......2007-01-27

Everybody loves Spinal Tap. What rock fan can't love the mockumentary, or the metal band that brought us "Majesty of Rock," "Big Bottom," and leprechauns dancing around a tiny Stonehenge?

And "The Return of Spinal Tap" is exactly what it sounds like -- we get to see these lovably dim rock stars playing their music, and bringing back their "retarded sexuality and bad poetry." It's more live performance than a straightforward sequel, but still brilliant and clever.

"In the annals of rock, no band exemplefies brute persistance more... than Spinal Tap. Over 29 years, 22 name changes, 18 albums and 13 drummers, Tap has stood for the three essentials of rock: loudness, vulgarity, and a pinch of evil."

After that Star-Warsy scroll intro, we get an introduction by some obnoxiously perky person called Martha Quinn. Then it's off to to the Royal Albert Hall in London on July 7 1992, as Spinal Tap is trying to reconquer their native land.

The guys play a bunch of classic songs like "Hell Hole," "Majesty of Rock," "Gonna Rock You Tonight," as well as newer songs like the pompous Middle-Eastern ballad "Clam Caravan" ("It's only the hardiest bloom/That can blossom in darkest Khartoum") and "Break Like The Wind." Nigel also plays some solos with his feet.

And in between, it has some interviews: Tap explaining where they were during those lost years and about their rough childhoods ("... and it'd be cotton wool balls on the plate... moistened and then deep-fried"), their loving fans (a suicidal Robin Williams, Martin Short dancing madly), the people who produced and promoted their records, and even the military guys from the original movie.

If you're expecting a full-blown "This is Spinal Tap 2," you'll be horribly disappointed by "Return of Spinal Tap." But considering what it actually is -- a funny live concert with some mockumentary bits framing it -- and it's quite hilarious.

The concert is pretty good with some moments of sheer brilliance (like the "singing" image of Cher, because she refused to come). But the really good parts are the interviews, which are full of insanely strange little moments that are quite reminiscent of the original.

Some of the jokes are not quite as funny; Nigel seems even denser with stuff like the animal travel agency. But there are plenty of newer ones that are just as funny: the fold-up wine glasses, phone sanitization, and Janine running "Potato Republic," which specializes in "itchy Irish clothing."

The guys -- Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Michael McKean -- are still riotously funny, especially when they do that rambling dialogue ("My specialty is soccer training, mostly five year olds... four or five year old girls. It's a soccer clinic, really"). They also have a small in-joke -- the Folksmen of "Mighty Wind" are touring with Spinal Tap, and make a brief appearance at the beginning.

"Return of Spinal Tap" isn't quite as funny as its predecessor, but it's still a fun and loving tribute to the loudest band in rock'n'roll. No drummers die, though.

The LaserDisc was superb - hopefully the DVD is too.......2005-05-10

One reviewer comments that the DVD he bought was mono - and he thought it likely to be just one of the stereo channels. That would be criminal, because the LaserDisc stereo soundtrack is truly breathtaking. Amazon lists two different DVD titles for the same film - so I hope one is in pristine stereo. It's a 5 star movie in stereo - half that in mono and much less if you're only getting the left or right channel.

"The Return Of Spinal Tap" proves that Spinal Tap were indeed a band of superb musicians, excellent vocalists and ultimate showmen. It doesn't matter that they are fictional characters, because what you get here is one of the most powerful sounding and visually impressive rock'n'roll stage shows anyone could ever hope to see.

Sadly when Tap did Australian appearances to promote their "Break Like The Wind" CD, the public and media all thought that they were joking when they said they were planning a world tour and that Australia could be included if demand was high enough. This film is some compensation for all of us who missed out on experiencing Tap live and at their peak.

Filmed with inclusion of state of the art flying cameras and superb visual editing as well as sound production. I've enjoyed many repeat viewings of the LaserDisc over the years - and I'm always blown away. Crank your sound system to eleven and enjoy the ride.

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