Stella

Starring:Bette Midler, John Goodman, Trini Alvarado, Stephen Collins, Marsha Mason, Eileen Brennan, Charles W. Gray, Linda Hart, Ben Stiller, William McNamara, John Bell (IV), Ashley Peldon, Alisan Porter, Kenneth Kimmins, Bob Gerchen, Willie Rosario, Rex Robbins, Ron White, Matthew Cowles, Justin Louis
Director: John Erman
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
From DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS to BEACHES, superstar Bette Midler has wowed audiences worldwide with her music, humor, and charisma! Midler now delivers a most engaging performance in her latest hit, STELLA! Tough and fiercely independent, Stella discovers that she is pregnant after a brief relationship with Dr. Stephen Dallas, but is too proud to accept a marriage of convenience from him or her well-meaning best friend, John Goodman (O BROTHER, WHERE ARE THOU?). Ready to face life without regrets, Stella single-handedly raises her loving daughter Jenny (Trini Alvarado). Through the years, the two share a very special relationship, until Stella faces the truth -- that she cannot provide her daughter with a life of advantages her wealthy father can give her. STELLA is a warm, humorous, and thoroughly entertaining film that speaks to the heart of all audiences!

Average customer rating:

This Movie Won't Let You Down - Or Leave You Cross

word nerds, unite!

Wordplay is an entertainment secret

Puzzler's delight!

"Words connect us"

Wordplay
Starring: Chris Astoyan , Jon Stewart , Miriam Raphael , Dan Katz (III) , and Bill Clinton
Director: Patrick Creadon
Manufacturer: Ifc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The New York Times Will Shortz's Funniest Crossword Puzzles: From the Pages of the New York Times

ASIN: B000HLDFR2
Release Date: 2006-11-07

Amazon.com

The linguistic ballet of the crossword puzzle and the obsessive minds that wrestle with them are a source of delight in the charming documentary Wordplay. Though there's no story, the movie has a definite hero: Will Shortz, the editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle, universally acknowledged as the pinnacle of crosswords. Shortz comes across as clever but modest; though he's at the top of his particular world, he retains a bemused perspective on that world's limitations. Though speckled with celebrities from former President Bill Clinton to the Indigo Girls, the most engaging interviews are with puzzle creator Merl Reagle (who gives a fascinating on-screen demonstration of how he starts making a puzzle) and the witty and garrulous commentary by the former public editor for the Times, Daniel Okrent. Like many recent documentaries, Wordplay is built around a competition: The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, an annual event started by Shortz and embraced by people who have devoted an alarming amount of their brain space to filling squares with letters. Though the movie is not as emotionally involving as Spellbound--still the ne plus ultra of nerdy documentaries--Wordplay's window into its particular subculture will be enjoyable to non-crossword fans as well as committed puzzleheads.--Bret Fetzer

Description

Witness the inner workings of Will Shortz, NY Times Editor and NPR Puzzle Master, and his brilliant, entertaining and often hilarious contributors as well as surprising celebrity fans. Wordplay takes us through the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament where almost five hundred competitors battled it out for the title "Crossword Champ" and showed their true colors along the way.

Customer Reviews:

This Movie Won't Let You Down - Or Leave You Cross.......2007-06-12

First we had a movie about Scrabble competitions, now here comes a movie about the ultimate crossword competition - organized by Will Short, master crossword puzzle creator.

This film doesn't quite let us get to know its competitors in the same way the Scrabble documentary let us get to know its enthusiasts. But this film shows a lot more besides the mere competition. It shows who designs many of "The New York Times" crossword puzzles and how the designers attack the problem. You'll learn a lot about crossword puzzle-design you probably didn't know. For example - computer programs generally aren't used. Short and others still do all the work out of their own brains. And did you know every puzzle must be symmetrical?

Then we see several celebrities at work solving a daily puzzle. Bill Clinton might have been more popular as President if he had run the Country as judiciously as he solves a crossword puzzle. He philosophizes as he goes along, saying that a puzzle should be approached in the same way you approach a problem of State - you scan for what you know first - then you slowly work your way out from there.

Jon Stewart attacks a problem as if he were in a hockey game - slapping, cursing, jabbing at the page. At first I thought he was putting on a show of aggression for the camera - but no, that's really his all-out way of doing the daily crossword.

The documentary briefly discusses the origins of the crossword puzzle in the U.S. I would have liked to hear a lot more about the history of the puzzle and how the character of clues might have changed over the decades. And I was disappointed to find no discussion at all of the British tradition of crossword puzzles. How and why did the Brits develop their puzzles along such a different path? In the U.S., despite some punning around the theme of each puzzle, most of the clues call for straightforward synonyms. But in England, almost all the clues involve elaborate combinations of anagrams, puns, rebuses, homonyms, the works. What does this say, if anything, about the difference between British and American culture? And what about crosswords in other cultures, other languages? I wanted more! Maybe as DVD bonus material!

Still, this film provides an interesting look into crosswording a la "The New York Times." You can't be down or cross when you have a fresh puzzle facing you in the morning - or after you've finished watching this film.

word nerds, unite!.......2007-06-09

"The excitement is palpable!" gushed NPR's Neal Conan. He was right; I would not let my wife interrupt while I watched. It was the championship round of the 28th Crossword Puzzle Tournament at the Marriott in Stamford, Connecticut. Wow! This whimsical documentary introduces you to the world of word nerds who are addicted to the NY Times crossword puzzle, people like Bill Clinton and Bob Dole, the Indigo Girls and pitcher Mike Mussina of the New York Yankees. But the best takes are those about ordinary people-- there are 50 million puzzleheads out there-- who compete every year in Stamford, and also the "crossword constructors" who create the puzzles with their dastardly clues (the Times uses about 110 puzzle constructors in a year). Will Shortz, the crossword puzzle editor for the NYT, looms large throughout the film; thirty years ago at Indiana University where you could create your own major he specialized in "enigmatology." If you want to compete at Stamford, sharpen your pencil; it takes only 3-4 minutes for the champion puzzlers to solve that bugger in your morning paper.

Wordplay is an entertainment secret.......2007-05-17

My husband thought he might just skip watching this movie with me, but from the moment I put it in, we both found it charming. If you like crossword puzzles at all, this movie is a must see.

Puzzler's delight!.......2007-05-13

You can't help but love this strange, delightful film! This remarkable movie shows the warm camaraderie shared by folks who love crossword puzzles, ranging from Bill Clinton to John Stewart to NY Yankees Pitcher Mike Mussina to the Indigo girls.

New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz is the film's tour guide into this quirky community. Shortz is just plain likable. You feel his love of the puzzles and their creators, and the many friends he's made in the puzzling community.

This is a great, true independent film, successfully using an offbeat topic to make a joyous universal statement about creativity, humor and friendship.

On the CD bonus features, make sure to watch "Five Unforgettable Puzzles" - five vignettes of different puzzle-makers describing how they created their masterpieces.

"Words connect us".......2007-04-04

So, I do a bit of crossword now and then, though, sad to say, the T.V. Guide crossword is more up my alley (I've yet to finish a Sunday New York Times puzzle). There's something quite agreeable, though, about sitting down somewhere and filling in blanks with the proper words. It relaxes me even as the mind flexes its muscles. WORDPLAY is a fascinating look into the world of crossword puzzle solvers. Me, I'm an on again, off again puzzle hobbyist and I enjoyed this film tremendously, so I figure people who really obsess on crosswords will rally fervently around this documentary.

WORDPLAY initially concentrates on Will Shortz, who holds a degree in enigmatology and is the current editor of the New York Times Crossword. The New York Times crossword, by the way, is celebrated here as the crossword of choice for the puzzle connoisseur (or to quote Jon Stewart: "I will solve, in a hotel, a USA Today, but I don't feel good about myself when I do it.") The film branches out to cover several famous folks who are big, big fans of the crossword, amongst whom the most interesting are Bill Clinton and Jon Stewart (who, by the way, assaults a crossword puzzle like a pitbull terrier). The viewer also meets a handful of regular people who just happen to be competitors of the annually held American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. There's also an eye-opening segment on how a puzzle is constructed. The last half of WORDPLAY focuses on the crossword tournament itself (this one held in 2005) and what would turn out to be its lip biting finish.

The film does a very good job of showcasing these smart-as-a-whip, pocket-protector-wearing crossword whizzes in an enlightening and sympathetic manner, making it fairly hard for the common viewer to summarily dismiss them. They're all very engaging as they speak of and go about their main passion. As someone mentioned in the audio commentary, you'll remember these folks' names even after the movie's over.

Surprisingly, there's real, palpable tension during the competition. In its execution of editing, its perfectly captured camera shots of the "big" moments (only 3 cameras were used), and its use of musical score and song selection, WORDPLAY surprises the viewer into becoming engrossed in the proceedings as the tournament wends its way to the final stage, wherein the three finalists would have to wage their competition on giant crosswords in front of the entire audience. What happens then exceeds the filmmakers' expectations.

The bonus features are hefty. For me, the highlights are: the relaxed audio commentary by Director Patrick Creadon, Will Shortz, and puzzle constructor Merl Reagle; a "WORDPLAY Goes to Sundance" segment; a short film "Waiting for the New York Times" by Patricia Erens, which centers on the difficulty of landing a Sunday New York Times on Sunday morning in the tiny town of Three Oaks, Michigan; "And the Winner Is" - a quick segment about the 2006 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament; and the 5 puzzles accessible thru DVD-Rom.

Let's face it, there's just something in our makeup which makes us push and prod and question things. Crossword puzzles are just one more way for us to answer that need. In so doing, we celebrate in a small way our mastery of communication, our power over words. As spoken, sung, or written, words can destroy or uplift or illuminate. And they also do one more thing. To quote the Indigo Girls and to sum up the underlying message of this documentary: "Words connect us."

Matt Helm Lounge (The Silencers/ Murderers Row/The Ambushers/The Wrecking Crew)

Average customer rating:

A Fascinating Look at Sex, Spies, and the 1960s
Killa!!!
Outstanding Series!
Matt Helm Lounge
A '60s Spy Spoof Flashback

Matt Helm Lounge (The Silencers/ Murderers Row/The Ambushers/The Wrecking Crew)
Starring: Dean Martin , Stella Stevens , Daliah Lavi , Victor Buono , and Arthur O'Connell
Director: Phil Karlson , and Henry Levin
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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Our Man Flint

ASIN: B0009RCPWK
Release Date: 2005-12-06

Description

Dean Martin stars as the original swinger agent, Matt Helm, in this four-disc set including: THE SILENCERS, MURDERERS ROW, THE WRECKING CREW, and THE AMBUSHERS.

THE SILENCERS: The first of the series of Matt Helm films, the big cheese of Big O, an organization that wants to sabotage the American atomic missile system. It's up to secret agent Helm to save the day.

MURDERER'S ROW: The handsome top agent Matt dies a tragic death in his bathtub - the women mourn about the loss. However it's just faked for his latest top-secret mission: He shall find Dr. Solaris, inventor of the Helium laser beam, powerful enough to destroy a whole continent. It seems Dr. Solaris has been kidnapped by a criminal organization. The trace leads to the Cote D'Azur.

THE AMBUSHERS: A government space saucer is hijacked mid-flight by a powerful laser beam under the control of Jose Ortega, who then proceeds to rape the female pilot, Sheila Sommars. ICE sends agent Matt Helm to Acapulco with Sheila to recover the saucer, under the guise of Matt taking fashion photographs of beautiful models. Matt is temporarily sidetracked, falling prey to the seductive charms of enemy agent Franceca Madeiros.

THE WRECKING CREW: The count has stolen enough gold to cause a financial crisis in the world markets so I.C.E. sends in ace spy Matt Helm to stop him. As Matt works alone, the British send in Freya to aid Matt, but it seems that Freya causes more problems than she solves.

Customer Reviews:

A Fascinating Look at Sex, Spies, and the 1960s.......2007-04-17

This is a great collection of movies for both Matt Helm and Dean Martin fans. Most viewers will find Dean Martins' slightly comedic approach to the Matt Helm character very entertaining. In addition to some pretty funny moments, the movies are also full of clever songs, such as "When Your Sweetheart Puts A Pistol in her Pillow."

These movies provide a fascinating look at American culture of the 1960s. They contain old cars, scantily clad women, and a surplus of sexual innuendo. The behavior exhibited by Dean Martin is also rather interesting. In a scene from "The Silencers", he rips the dress off of Stella Stevens as an incentive for her to start talking. Today, such behavior would be called "assault." In another movie, Dean is drinking from a flask while driving his car and receiving instructions from Headquarters. Obviously, drinking and driving was not an issue in the 1960s. These films contain some of the big name actresses of the day, such as Stella Stevens, Ann Margaret, and Sharon Tate. Sharon Tate, unfortunately, is better known for being murdered by Charles Manson and his family.

The quality of the movies is excellent and there were no problems with the DVDs. All four DVDs fit into two slim containers. The entire collection fits into one box the size of a normal DVD case. Unfortunately, the set has the appearance of a rental from the local video store, vice something that was intended for sale. "The Silencers" contain several movie trailers for unrelated films such as "Fun with Dick and Jane." There is no trailer for "The Silencers." The other movies do contain Matt Helm movie trailers, but not on the disk of that movie. The set also contains multiple trailers for "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and an upcoming release of the Seinfeld DVDs. Finally, one DVD came with a small anti theft tag used to prevent shoplifting.

Despite these minor anomalies, this is a very entertaining set of movies. Dean Martin is as enjoyable now as he was in the 1960s. The viewer can certainly see how these films were a likely source of inspiration for the Austin Powers movies.

Killa!!!.......2007-04-12

Bond, Steel, Flint, Man From Uncle, don't got nothing on Matt Helm. Awesome retro movies! Must have if you like this type of movies.

Outstanding Series!.......2007-04-04

It was very enjoyable seeing these now forty year old classics. Dean Martin was his usual easy going self as Matt Helm, while James Gregory was excellent as McDonald his boss. Well worth it!

Neal Robertson

Matt Helm Lounge.......2007-03-31

Waited a long time for these to become available. I am very happy with them. Boy, special effects have sure come a long way.

A '60s Spy Spoof Flashback.......2007-02-24

I want to echo all that has been said by the other, positive reviewers regarding the fun nature of these films. I was a kid in the 60s and Matt Helm was the anti-Bond, an American spy who totally out-cooled that British guy. Definitely not to be taken seriously but a fun romp on a retro weekend of martinis and lounge music. Also note that the aspect ratio on these films is 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen so they look great on a 16:9 Hi Def set. Please Amazon, make sure you list the technical details for your products.

Average customer rating:

Moving -- Thought Provoking
A bit challenging, neverthless very good.
Powerful Film
Don't listen to the naysayers
The Perfect Stranger rocks!

The Perfect Stranger
Starring: Jefferson Moore , Dennis Martin , Pamela Brumley , Tom Luce , and Stella Davis
Director: Jefferson Moore , and Shane Sooter
Manufacturer: Kelly's Filmworks
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ASIN: B000EHPXP6
Release Date: 2006-05-30

Description

The movie version of the bestselling novel, "Dinner With a Perfect Stranger" by David Gregory. Capturing the book's wit, intimacy and desire to enlighten almost line for line, "THE PERFECT STRANGER" is a thought-provoking tale of one woman's journey through the realms of doubt and disbelief - with the most unforgettable man she would ever meet.

Customer Reviews:

Moving -- Thought Provoking.......2007-07-04

In a world where Christian theology is often mis-represented (especially by Christians!) "The Perfect Stranger" provides a refreshing look into the tough questions surrounding Christianity. This movie is a must for anyone that has ever asked serious questions about God and is willing to investigate the answers.

The setting of this movie in a resturant provides great freedom for exchange. Perhaps my only complaint is that this dinner is a little slow "getting to the table."

A bit challenging, neverthless very good........2007-06-19

OK the acting was not the best in the world, but unless you are used to turning out trashy Hollywood movies on a nearly unlimited budget, the movie has a good message. Unfortunately, modern man has had his senses bombarded and dulled by the propaganda that God will allow those who believe the liberal church "shades of gray" gospel, salvation. Unfortunately, the Gospel teaches that we must be perfect, in other words, no shades of gray. We cannot achieve this, but Jesus did, and our belief in His perfect works lands us a trip to Heaven. Where does this land the shades of gray "believers" and believers of other false religions? Sorry, a ticket to hell. Jesus Himself said that narrow is the way to heaven and few are those who enter it; while the wide road, with its broad Hollywood-like appeal will land many in hell.

That is indeed black and white; the wonderful thing is that I know that Jesus love me and I know that I will be with him someday soon. For this message I give the movie 5 stars.

True, Christians are not any better than the rest of mankind, we are just better off.

Powerful Film.......2007-06-02

I think the whole point of the story is to portray the Gospel and get people thinking, questioning, reading the Bible and searching for the truth on their own, which in my humble opinion this movie has done just that. I can only hope a lot of people answer the knock at the door. (Rev 3:20)

I just finished watching this movie and I want to see it again. It is powerful! It answers so many questions that people have about God and Jesus. Great for believers, non-believers and seekers. I will be buying an extra copy to share. The ending was great too... so get out the Kleenex and enjoy dinner with "The Perfect Stranger"!

Don't listen to the naysayers.......2007-05-22

This movie was WONDERFUL and any Christian that would knock this movie should be ashamed! It touched me deeply and I have been a Christian for many years.
I plan on buying this movie and watching it again. I saw it on TBN and decided to watch it because my sister had seen it and loved it. I loved it too. More movies should be made with the simple message of God's love for his creatures that are formed in His image!
Definitely watch this movie; you won't be disappointed! Jesus saves, heals, and delivers! Praise be to His Glorious Name :-)

The Perfect Stranger rocks!.......2007-05-16

I really liked this DVD, from the actors to the incredible story line. Some pretty important things stuck in my head, and it reminded me how Jesus hates legalism (how his followers sometimes don't act so Christ-like at times and it confuses non-believers) and it is SO much more important to love people and sometimes uses a tragedy or serious event to turn us to him. I am glad Jesus loves me and reached out to me....what a FANTASTIC tool to witness to others! Thanks Jefferson Moore!

Average customer rating:

Essential viewing for all of my guitar pupils
It was a Christmas gift
Entertaining and a good light introduction to Hendrix, but not more....
Look no further...
GREAT DOCUMENTARY FOR THE CURIOUS HENDRIX BEGINNER AS WELL AS THE HENDRIX DIEHARDS!

Jimi Hendrix (Deluxe Edition)
Starring: Arthur Allen , Albert Allen , Stella Benabon , Eric Barrett , and Paul Caruso
Director: Gary Weis , Joe Boyd , and John Head (III)
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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Jimi Plays Berkeley

ASIN: B0009E3234
Release Date: 2005-06-28

Amazon.com

If any artist deserved a hagiography it was Jimi Hendrix, and Joe Boyd's 1973 "authorized" tribute adequately sanctifies the legend. Perversely for a documentary, it achieves this simply through well-chosen concert footage rather than through the insights of the various talking heads. Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Lou Reed, and Germaine Greer are all wheeled out to wax lyrical about their days with Jimi, but nothing is more eloquent than watching and listening to him play. From "Hey Joe" in grainy black and white on the Ready Steady Go TV show, classic footage of Monterey, Woodstock (yes, "The Star-Spangled Banner"), and the Isle of Wight festivals to an acoustic 12- string rendition of "Hear My Train a' Comin'," Hendrix the musician speaks for himself.

But if Hendrix the musician shines through, this is not the most insightful profile of Hendrix the man. The circumstances surrounding his death, for example, are hardly touched upon (girlfriend at the time Monika Dannemann gets only a few seconds of screen time). Interview footage with Hendrix himself plus some occasionally rambling and incoherent comments from such intimates as his father, army buddies, ex-girlfriends (including Linda Keith, who "discovered" him in New York and brought him to England), and fellow musicians all take second place to the music itself. The most sensible quote comes from Little Richard, who proves once and for all that he's utterly bonkers when he says of Jimi's music: "At times he made my big toes shoot up into my boot." --Mark Walker, Amazon.co.uk

Description

The long-awaited Deluxe Edition of the 1973 theatrical documentary Jimi Hendrix is loaded with extras and completely remastered and remixed to provide exceptional sound and picture quality This is the biography of Jimi Hendrix, the world famous guitarist who died much too young. Featuring the guitar wizard on stage and behind the scenes, classic concert footage is interspersed with interviews with friends and prominent musicians giving first-hand recollections, including Pete Townshend, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Little Richard, Lou Reed, Buddy Miles and more. Includes songs "Hey Joe," "Rock me baby," "Like a rolling stone," "A Star Spangled Banner" from Woodstock `69 and many more, from his beginnings to his Monterey, Woodstock and Isle of Wight performances

DVD Features:
Featurette:From the Ukulele to the Strat RT 63:00 min (Over 60 minutes of additional interviews) Remembering Hendrix through interviews with family and friends Including Father Al Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Drummer Mitch Mitchell, Billy Cox, Girlfriend Fayne Pridgeon, Buddy Miles, Linda Keith (she discovered Jimi in NY), Pete Townshend, Jimi's Producer/Engineer Eddie Kramer, "H" Parker, Jimi's Road Manager Eric Barrett and Gerry Stickels Touring Manager
Interviews:Candid interviews from well-known Rock & Roll icons like Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend and Buddy Miles.

Customer Reviews:

Essential viewing for all of my guitar pupils.......2007-04-18

You must see this at some point in your studies with me . . . and you must write a REPORT! About the whole thing! EVEN THE EXTRAS like "From The Ukulele To The Strat" and "The Making Of Dolly Dagger" and yes "Stone Free Uncut!"

It was a Christmas gift.......2007-01-24

My coworker mentioned her Jimi Hendrix DVD had been ruined by her kid, so I thought it would make for a great Christmas gift to get her one. She was very pleased and even went out and bought a new dvd player.

Entertaining and a good light introduction to Hendrix, but not more...........2006-12-11

I believe that this documentary is likely to appeal to two kinds of people. First, those that don't know a thing about Jimi Hendrix, and that will be able to watch an engaging introduction to his life and music that doesn't go to far but entertains. Secondly, those fans that want to have absolutely everything that has to do with Hendrix, and that will treasure this dvd.

On the other hand, I don't think that those spectators that simply want to watch an excellent documentary about a musical icon will be happy with this one, because even though it is good, it is far from outstanding or even very good. It doesn't have enough information about Jimi Hendrix, and it lacks depth. It is entertaining and a good light introduction to Hendrix, but not more.

All in all, I can say that this documentary is good, and deserves at least 3 starts out of 5, but not more. If you expect a documentary about a musician that will make you watch it again and again, give "No direction home" (by Scorcese, about Dylan) a try.

Belen Alcat

Look no further..........2006-11-13

I'll confess up front that I have an emotional attachment to this movie which will color this review - I saw it several times at the cinema during my teenage years, and owned the soundtrack (which i played to death).

Having said that, this is the best Hendrix biography I've seen, & I've seen all of them (I think). The live footage is a cherry-picked selection of Hendrix's best onstage moments (and let's face it, if he only gave the world the ~2.5 mins of Monterey opener "Rock Me Baby", it would be enough), and as others have already said, the 12-string Hear My Train a'Comin' is the jewel in the crown.

The interviews are secondary, but they represent a fascinating snapshot of life in 1973. They are of Jimi's time (or close enough) and by those who knew him. They are incisive, contradictory, insightful, and quite often hilarious. Talking about Hendrix seems to bring out a sincerity and honesty in most of these people which is compelling. The "Ghetto Fighters" are great, and Little Richard is - well, Little Richard.

Buy it.

Steve

GREAT DOCUMENTARY FOR THE CURIOUS HENDRIX BEGINNER AS WELL AS THE HENDRIX DIEHARDS! .......2006-10-02

Since today is 2 October 2006, before I start my whole review, I would like to take this opportunity in wishing my Dad a very Happy Birthday. My Dad has been the biggest inspiration in my life and I will NEVER forget what he has done for me. There is no man I respect more. Love You Dad, J.L.

I will be doing a review on the legendary classic landmark DVD documentary film entitled "A Film About Jimi Hendrix, Deluxe Edition" by the late great guitar legend Jimi Hendrix. This film was originally released in the theatres in 1973 by Warner Brothers. As always, I will be editing this review from time to time so that you the consumer will get the best and most accurate review possible. Before I begin, I would highly suggest that you read my other reviews on Jimi's historic landmark concerts at the "Monterey Pop Festival" on 18 June 1967, the "Woodstock Festival" on 18 August 1969, Hendrix's "Band Of Gypsys Performances At The Fillmore East" on 31 December 1969 and 1 January 1970, "Jimi Plays Berkeley" on 30 May 1970, the "Rainbow Bridge Film And Concert" on 30 July 1970 and the "Isle Of Wight Festival" on 30 August 1970. They are long reviews and I do apologize for that, but they do contain a lot of valuable information on Jimi that you might find very interesting. Also, there are many excerpts of these performances that are shown in this documentary film that are of great importance to Jimi's legendary legacy.

This fully authorized documentary film on Jimi Hendrix is quite simply, "EXCELLENT!" In my opinion, this documentary film pays a GREAT TRIBUTE to the "GREATEST GUITARIST THAT EVER LIVED" who was so "FAR AHEAD OF HIS TIME!" This film is a MUST and a GREAT documentary film for the Hendrix beginner who is curious about what the fuss was all about concerning this great guitar legend as well as the Hendrix DIEHARD FANS. Besides the great concert footage contained in this great documentary, there are many interviews with many of the main participants that were part of the Jimi Hendrix legend that are also included in the film.

The interviews contained in this film are with fellow legendary contemporary artists such as Billy Cox, Buddy Miles, Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell, Lou Reed, Mick Jagger and Pete Townshend. Interviews were also conducted with Linda Keith (Keith Richards "THEN" Girlfriend) who discovered Jimi at a New York club and would later refer the "Animals" Bassist Chas Chandler to manage Jimi and take him back to England. Interviews also include Jimi's Road Manager Eric Barrett and Jimi's Touring Manager Gerry Stickells. If that wasn't enough, there are also interviews conducted with one member of Jimi's family and many friends. Interviews were conducted with Jimi's father Al Hendrix, one of Jimi's early girlfriends named Fayne Pridgeon and the "Ghetto Fighters."

Before I begin my closing statements, I would like to tell you a true story that is the REAL stuff of legend. According to some of the Hendrix biographies, this stuff of legend began during the film segment of Jimi playing "Hear My Train A Comin'" with a twelve-string acoustic guitar. There was a photo shoot being held for the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1968 which included Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding. After the photo shoot was completed, the photographer dismissed the Experience and asked Jimi to stay. When Jimi stayed, the photographer gave Jimi a twelve-string acoustic guitar already strung for the left-handed guitarist. Now here's where it gets real good. Story or legend has it that Jimi has NEVER played a twelve-string guitar in his life prior to that photo session. After researching further in this subject, I find that it is TRUE! When you look at that acoustic film segment closely, you can tell that Jimi was a little intimidated by it at first, but as he grasped his own self-taught methods and tried combining them with the more complicated twelve-string guitar, within minutes, he would play and master the twelve-string acoustic like he's being playing it for years. This is one of the MANY reasons why Jimi Hendrix is THE GREATEST OF THEM ALL! Jimi was a NATURALLY GIFTED, SELF-TAUGHT guitarist with NO FORMAL TRAINING OF ANY KIND!

In closing, overall, with all the concert footage and the many interviews contained in this film, it is definitely worth seeing in order to witness first hand, how the Jimi Hendrix legend unfolded and began to grow first in England, then the U.S. and then conquer the world. Jimi Hendrix will ALWAYS be the TRUE MASTER of the guitar. When you think of the legendary guitar greats in Rock n' Roll today, ALL OF THEM, during and after Hendrix, are in debited to Jimi for all of his innovative and unimaginable sounds he created and played through his guitar. Jimi Hendrix is IRREPLACEABLE and will NEVER be forgotten in Rock n' Roll. There will NEVER be another Jimi Hendrix. Thanks for your time in reading my review and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it for all of you. I also hope that you will read my other reviews in the near future when time permits. JIMI LIVES! LONG LIVE ROCK N' ROLL! Rock out always. Take care, J.L.

Average customer rating:

Give it a try. It's Great!
love this show!
When will MTV release The State on DVD????
A Comic Goldmine
Excellent Stella

Stella - Season One
Director: John Hamburg , and Susan Seidelman
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000FZETJS
Release Date: 2006-09-12

Description

From Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter and David Wain, the co-creators of The State and Wet Hot American Summer, meet STELLA -- a comedy troupe that's highbrow, lowbrow and every brow in between. Whether they're tramps looking for a hot meal or office party crashers looking for a hot piece, the boys of STELLA do it all with a twinkle in their eye and a song in their heart.

Customer Reviews:

Give it a try. It's Great!.......2007-06-28

The show didn't stay on Comedy Central for more than the one season, but that doesn't mean it isn't hilarious. It's just not for everybody. If you are a fan of Monty Python, SpongeBob Squarepants, and Reno 911, you will probably enjoy Stella.
I for one wish there was another season, or 10. I'd watch them all.

love this show!.......2007-06-04

This show is HILARIOUS! I had only seen two episodes when it was on Comedy Central, but based on those two episodes, I had to have the entire series. It's a shame that it was cancelled, but if you've never seen this, watch the first episode and you'll be hooked and wanting more Michael, Michael, and David!

When will MTV release The State on DVD????.......2007-05-31

I love Stella and Reno 911 is hilarious but nothing beats the shortlived hilarity of The State......When are these incredible shows going to find their way to DVD??? Seriously you can pretty much get every TV show ever made good and bad on DVD and for some reason The State has been left behind!! C'mon MTV do the right thing and release the funniest thing you've ever had on your channel (including Beavis and Butthead and Remote Control)!!

A Comic Goldmine.......2007-05-23

Stella only lasted for a season on Comedy Central, but it's one of the funniest things they've ever done next to TV Funhouse (and I've watched every show on this channel all the way back in the Higgins Boys and Gruber Days).

The humor used in this show is unlike any I've ever seen before, and it is something you'll laugh at every time. I can't really describe what they do or how it's funny, but I used to look forward to this show more than any comedy on the air, even Chapelle (Though it's apples and oranges there). Stella manages to have a humor that is amazingly intelligent and witty while simultaneously being ludicrously stupid at the same time. The one liners, the strange events, the bizarre plotlines, the hot neighbors, it's comic gold.

The cast is superb (all veterans of MTV's "The State" and the force behind "Wet Hot American Summer" as other reviews have mentioned). If you like either of those shows or the folks in charge of Reno 911, you'll probably dig on some Stella. I'll cut this review short because this show is something that has to be seen to be understood.

Excellent Stella.......2007-05-14

Stella is a quirky, eccentric show that ran for one season on Comedy Central. It combined the talents of David Wain, Michael Showalter, and the incomparable Michael Ian Black. While it was technically a show about three guys who live together in an apartment, the comedy displayed in the show has never been done before in any setting. It is difficult to find words to describe it, but I found it consistently laugh-out-loud funny, but in an intelligent fashion.

The three men are veterans of the comedy troupe "The State", and "Stella" is one of the progeny of that late, very lamented entity (along with other children "Reno 911", "Viva Variety", and "Wet Hot American Summer". They bring a sophistication and intelligence to their craft that is all too rare in these days of Larry the Cable Guy. Unfortunately, this show brought with it only cult interest, and as a result, was not renewed for another season. The rumor has it that Comedy Central may make a Season Two should this DVD sell well (along the Family Guy model.) As a result, I am very much hoping that this becomes a sensation; in this frequently depressing world, 'Stella' represents a product that is always innovative and frequently hilarious. My fondest recommendations.

Average customer rating:

Formula disaster movie

Dante's Peak [HD DVD]
Starring: Pierce Brosnan , Arabella Field , Charles Hallahan , Linda Hamilton , and Grant Heslov
Director: Roger Donaldson
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

General | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000Q66QAG
Release Date: 2007-07-10

Description

Without warning, day becomes night, air turns to fire, and solid ground melts beneath white-hot lava. From director Roger Donaldson comes an adrenaline-pumping adventure starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton. Welcome to the town of Dante's Peak, where a long-dormant volcano is about to erupt with devastating force. Who will survive when the inferno unleashes its fury? the answer will leave you breathless, and the special effects will blow you away!

Customer Reviews:

Formula disaster movie.......2007-06-04

This movie is a good disaster movie with all the elements of a disaster movie. There are all the stereotype disaster characters form the "I'll ride it out" to the "You are scaring my customers".

Naturedly the person that knows what will happen (Pierce Brosnan) has no credibility with the authorities. Then the disaster happens and he must save the beautiful (Linda Hamilton) and family. At first indifferent soon to become enamored.

I do not want to go too much into detail as you will lose the shock value. I can tell you it involves a volcano and a budding love story.

Average customer rating:

Huffmann shines!
Father Knows Best
The Ebbs And Tides Of Human Suffering
Provocative yet accessible and open-hearted indie fare
Acceptance won out in the end

Transamerica (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Andrea James , Felicity Huffman , Danny Burstein , Maurice Orozco , and Elizabeth Peña
Director: Duncan Tucker
Manufacturer: Weinstein Company
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000ETRCMQ
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Amazon.com

Felicity Huffman deserves every award she's received for her outstanding performance in Transamerica, a small but rich movie about Bree--formerly Stanley--a pre-operative male-to-female transexual awaiting gender-reassignment surgery who learns she has a wayward teenage son named Toby. When her therapist (Elizabeth Peña, Jacob's Ladder) strongarms Bree into facing her past, she bails Toby (Kevin Zegers, Dawn of the Dead) out of jail and they end up on a road trip across the country. Such a premise could feel forced, but the script and performances make it persuasive and natural. Bree wrestles with discomfort and compassion as she learns about Toby's own troubles, even while her own grow worse when she's forced to ask for help from her hostile parents (the superb Fionnula Flanagan, The Others, and Burt Young, Rocky). Transamerica doesn't push for any great catharsis, but instead slowly peels away the layers of Bree's defenses, laying bare her basic struggle for respect and a chance at happiness. In many ways it's a showy role, but Huffman (Desperate Housewives) keeps her acting simple, direct, and thoroughly compelling. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Emmy® winner Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives) won the Best Actress (Drama) Golden Globe® Award for her "fiercely funny and deeply powerful" performance (Pete Hammond, Maxim) that is "thrilling to watch." (A.O. Scott, The New York Times) Huffman plays Bree Osbourne, a conservative transsexual woman, who learns she is the parent of a long-lost 17-year-old son (Kevin Zegers). The wheels of fortune take Bree and son on a cross-country adventure, including a memorable visit with Bree's parents, that will change both of their lives. A funny, touching, completely original look at the modern American family, "TRANSAMERICA will leave you in a state of movie euphoria. It's hilarious and deeply affecting." (Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal. "Felicity Huffman is incredible. One of the year's most unforgettable performances." -Stephen Mooallem, Interview

Customer Reviews:

Huffmann shines!.......2007-06-30

Huffmann (the frumpy housewife on desperate housewives) shines as a gender challenged patient. See this movie for a Tour De France of acting!!!

Father Knows Best.......2007-06-20

Interesting exploration of sexual roles giving new meaning the Oepidus complex. Huffman deserved the Oscar!

The Ebbs And Tides Of Human Suffering.......2007-06-13

Transamerica is a riveting and absorbent masterpiece about a man in the final process of transforming himself into a woman, whose dynamic transformation is hindered by the appearance of a son he never knew he had.

Bree, magnificently flesh-out by by actress Felicity Huffman, lives a low-income, alienated, monotone, barely endurable life, maintained only by the desire to have an impending surgery that will release him from the constraints of masculinity that have suffocated his true self.

Shattering through Bree's alienation is a 17- year old son he never knew he had.

The son is Toby, whom is jarringly and gruelingly portrayed by Kevin Zegers, who transcendently conveys Toby's physical and emotional abuse, incorruptible suffering, radiant purity, abandonment, torment, wreckage, galvanization, sexual demoralization, ravishment, brutalization, subversion, and desperate desire to be loved and understood.

Toby effortlessly exhibits externally what Bree agonizingly suffers internally.

As Bree travels with Toby to California to have his surgery, their personalities oxymoronically clash and intertwine and meld together as they individually grapple with their unrealized furnace of dreams and desires that tormentingly shame them while simultaneously give them a reason to continue living.

Zegers and Huffman's performances - like Charlize Theron in Monster and Ben Kingsley in House Of Sand And Fog - are transcendent and off the charts, exquisite, idiosyncratic, outstanding, unprecedented, and unparalleled in modern film history.

Brilliantly supporting and balancing their breathtaking and painstaking performances are actor Graham Greene and actress Fionnula Flanagan, Flanagan giving the best performances of her career.

Duncan Tucker's seamless writing and direction, Eve Battaglia's perfect casting, and a magnanimous acting feast have fashioned a film about the ebbs and flows of human suffering.

Provocative yet accessible and open-hearted indie fare.......2007-06-05

Good movie. I liked the intelligent decision to make Felicity Huffman's Bree character have to confront another big issue- the sudden emergence of an unknown son- in addition to the huge issue of her final transformation from man to woman. But, on top of that, I really liked that the movie gave us a lot of variety just within the personality of Bree herself. She displayed all kinds of interests throughout the movie, including earth history (she tells her son about the dinosaurs that used to roam around in the area their car was traversing) and proper usage of the English language. On this latter point, she was a bit annoying- with her constant correcting of her son's grammar- but that gave her character further nuance, too.

I also liked the naturalistic feel of the movie. It must have been tempting to include more "big" moments when it was time for a confrontation, revelation, or resolution, but the movie mostly goes for a more realistic feel, where it's clear that life goes on and there will still be positive and negative things to deal with even after a life-changing development or catharis.

The DVD includes a nice selection of extras, including a pair of interviews where the director chats with his stars. Though mostly containing mutual praise for everyone's efforts, the interviews contain several nuggets of insight about what the director and actors tried to accomplish.

As I said, good movie. Also a good DVD.

Acceptance won out in the end.......2007-05-27

Love the transsexual, hate the pedophile, and feel sorry for the poor street hustler. My goodness how misdirected the modern gay freedom movement continues from that fateful night back in the summer of 1969. That was the summer the underage street hustlers with the support of the pedophiles who loved them rioted against the police at their New York City bar called the "Stonewall Inn".

Shame on you Duncan Tucker.

Otherwise, wow what a film. The whitecap gale blew above while below the muddy stew of love held all the main characters together. Acceptance won out in the end. We all keep hoping don't we?

Anyone who is trying to figure out how to love a teenage boy should watch this movie.

Transamerica came to my attention because of a remark Elton John made about the actor Kevin Zegers at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. Elton thinks Zegers is destined to become one of our great actors. He thinks Zegers showed how intense he can be in "Transamerica". Rent it or buy it, view it soon.

Average customer rating:

One of my favorite movies
I've Got You Under My Skin...
The Exorcist ripoff that could have been great
MANITOU!
Bizarre movie finally is on DVD

Manitou
Starring: Tony Curtis , Michael Ansara , Susan Strasberg , Stella Stevens , and Jon Cedar
Director: William Girdler
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000LP6L2A
Release Date: 2007-03-06

Amazon.com

Lurid, ludicrous, and laughable (and those are the good parts), The Manitou is one of those movies that asks more questions that it answers. For instance, were respectable actors like Tony Curtis and Burgess Meredith so in need of a payday that they agreed to take part in this nonsense? Does the film fall into the so-bad-it's-good category, or is this horror story just plain horrid? Viewers will draw their own conclusions, assuming they can get through this 1978 tale about a centuries-old, evil Indian medicine man who returns to wreak all sorts of vengeful havoc on an unsuspecting populace. The setting is San Francisco (a place you'd think would be more tolerant of such alternative lifestyles), where Karen Tandy (Susan Strasberg) seems to have been chosen at random as the host for the manitou's latest regeneration. When she goes to the hospital complaining about a tumor growing on her back (it starts out grapefruit-sized but enlarges at an alarming rate), doctors determine that the thing is in fact a living fetus. But their decision to bombard it with x-rays may not be the wisest course of treatment. When they then fail to cut it out (manitous apparently don't like scalpels), bogus psychic Harry Erskine (Curtis), Karen's love interest and a fellow who spends most of his time duping gullible old ladies, starts investigating alternative methods of extermination, seeking out a fortune teller (Stella Stevens) for a séance that goes very, very wrong, consulting a doddering old professor (Meredith, camping it up), and finally bringing in a contemporary medicine man (Michael Ansara) to try to keep the malevolent Misquamacus at bay. There are a few scary moments and a couple of nice set pieces, but horror fans will find The Manitou extremely tame by new millennium standards; and the climactic battle between good and evil is so silly as to beggar description. "If only we had some authority!" worries the Curtis character when he realizes what they're up against. A good script and better acting, direction, effects work, and all the other elements of a decent movie would have helped, too. --Sam Graham

Description

What surgeons thought to be a tumor growing on the neck of patient Karen Tandy (Susan Strasberg of PSYCH-OUT) is actually a fetus growing at an abnormally accelerated rate. But when Karen reaches out to former lover and phony psychic Harry Erskine (Academy Award® nominee Tony Curtis), he discovers that she is possessed by the reincarnation of a 400-year old Native American demon. Now with the help of a modern-day medicine man (Michael Ansara), Erskine must survive this ancient evil's rampage of shocking violence, and forever destroy the enraged beast known as THE MANITOU. Stella Stevens, Ann Southern and Burgess Meredith co-star in this infamous horror shocker produced and directed by William Girdler (GRIZZLY, DAY OF THE ANIMALS) from the best-selling novel by Graham Masterton

Features:Theatrical Trailer,TV Spot

Customer Reviews:

One of my favorite movies.......2007-07-03

I remember watching this film many, many years ago. I've always enjoyed it. I had read the book first, by Graham Masterton. "The Manitou" was based off of a factual story about a boy in Japan who had a growth on his arm the size of a basketball (seriously). But Masterton never said what had actually been in the growth.

The movie doesn't stray TOO far from the book. It was entertaining. Ansara was terrific as Singing Rock. And Jamie Lee Curtis' dad as Harry Erskine was great.

I loved the concept of an ages old Medicine Man - Misquamacas - being reborn through Karen. This was an all-around fun movie. No unnecessary gore, no stupid teens running around half-naked, screaming their heads off, and no back-wood hicks wanting to slaughter people for rituals.

If you want something WORTH the viewing, you have to see "The Manitou". You also should really read the books - The Manitou, The Return of the Manitou, and The Burial. They are out of print, but you can find them in used bookstores, and possibly on Amazon.

I've Got You Under My Skin..........2007-06-13

Karen Tandy (Susan Strasberg) discovers that what she thought was a tumor on her back, is actually the growing fetus of a 400yo medicine man, and an evil one at that! She is hospitalized and her friend, Harry Erskine (Tony Curtis), who happens to be a "psychic", attempts to help Karen by going to a medium (Stella Stevens) for guidance. After a catastrophic séance, Harry decides to see an anthropologist (Burgess Meredith from Burnt Offerings and The Sentinel), who tells Harry and company that they need another medicine man. Enter Michael Ansara (Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea) as John Singing-Rock, medicine man. Much hocus pocus and hoodoo later, and poor Karen finally unloads the little bugger that's been making her look like Quasimodo. Zish! Bang! Boom! The hospital is transformed into a spiritual battleground, and John Singing-Rock goes to war against the forces of darkness. Yes, THE MANITOU is silly, but it's still a lot of fun to watch! The climax is non-stop hilarity, worth the cost of the movie! William Girdler (Grizzly, Day Of The Animals) makes it all entertaining somehow...

The Exorcist ripoff that could have been great .......2007-06-11

The Manitou is actually a pretty good little horror novel by the prolific British author Graham (Prey, Death Trance, The Sphinx) Masterton. The movie could have been great, but it's budget limitations and utterly pedestrian direction by William (Grizzly, Asylum of Satan) Girdler end up screwing the pooch.

The story basically is about a woman (Susan Strasberg) who has a tumor that grows into a fetus, that turns out to be the reincarnation of an irritable 400 year old Native American medicine man. His rebirth will bring "total destruction", according to good-guy medicine man Michael Ansara, who is called upon by admitted phony Tarot card reader Harry Erskine (Tony Curtis) to save us all.

Curtis seems to be having fun as the fake mystic Erskine, and Ansara deserves praise for maintaining a straight face throughout. The aptly named John Cedar (who also co-wrote and co-produced) plays a skeptical surgeon, while a slightly inebriated-looking Burgess Meredith, neck-pregnant Susan (Psych-Out) Strasberg and blue-eyed gypsy Stella Stevens (in a makeup job bordering on blackface) just hope their paychecks clear. Ann Southern shows up for a cameo and some craft service.

Perhaps the producers should have gotten some lesser name actors and spent a few more bucks on the not-very-special fx, because this is one area that this film could have shined. The Misquamicus (sp?) makeup is effective, but the lizard demon looks like something out of a costume shop and the optical effects depicting The Great Old One at the end look like 60's lava lamp projections. I know this was made in 1978, but come on. A little creativity and imagination never hurts. Speaking of which, Girdler's direction has the look and feel of a made-for-TV movie.

Anchor Bay's DVD is letterboxed and looks good, if a touch dark. Extras include trailers for this and other movies. Sound and score are good.

MANITOU!.......2007-05-14

The Manitou is another example of how the movie industry in the 70s would get behind just about any outrageous concept and let it rip, sometimes getting established stars to be in the film. This movie is kinda like a Native American variation on the Exorcist. Not that it's a carbon copy of that film, but there are similarities. Using Native American mythology and folklore for horror films is something I wish we saw more of, and I'm not talking about the old plot device of haunted houses being built on Native American burial grounds. It's directed by William Girdler, who directed the Oscar(TM) winning, blockbuster smashes, Grizzly and Day of the Animals. Susan Strasberg finds a lump on the back of her neck, and naturally the concern is cancer. But cancer would be letting her off easy...This is a MANITOU!! That's right, a never-dying lifeforce of a 400 year old medicine man who's out to put the kibosh on humanity. He just needs to use Susan's neck as a kind of incubator before he's ripe enough to bust out. So he uses Susan to cause some supernatural mischief and occasionally communicate through her. When he does bust out(around an hour into the film), he looks a bit underdone coz he's less than four feet high. Then the MANITOU must do battle with none other than Tony Curtis himself along with a Native American medicine man(at least I think he's a medicine man) that Curtis has brought along for the "exorcism". The battle is played out on an abandoned hospital wing with the climax looking like something from Buck Rogers. If this sounds silly, it is. If it sounds fun and entertaining, it is. Movies like this are definitely a good time. What's really a good time though is watching Tony Curtis turning on his stereo and getting down to a funky disco tune. How often do you see that? And how often to you see a midget in heavy makeup to make him look Native American? Not often, I'd say. But if you want to see all this and more, you should check out...THE MANITOU!!!!!

Bizarre movie finally is on DVD.......2007-05-13

I was waiting for the DVD release of this movie, and finally it came out!
Very nice widescreen version of the film. My only complaint is that they didn't have more features, but the trailers were nice to see.

Average customer rating:

Must See for Li'l Abner Fans
excellent seller and product
Billie Hayes steals the show as Abner's Mom.
Andy Capp again
Great Family Movie

Li'l Abner
Starring: Peter Palmer (III) , Leslie Parrish , Stubby Kaye , Howard St. John , and Julie Newmar
Director: Melvin Frank
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0007TKGXK
Release Date: 2005-04-19

Amazon.com

This is one movie musical that doesn't bother adapting its stage presentation for the big screen: Li'l Abner cheerfully uses brightly colored, patently fake backdrops and stage sets for its mythical setting. And why not? A movie musical based on a cartoon strip is about as far from reality as you can get. Al Capp's legendary comic about the hillbilly denizens of Dogpatch was brought to Broadway by the estimable comedy team Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, who also produced the movie. Along with sampling Capp's world (the pursuit of noncommittal Abner by Daisy Mae on Sadie Hawkins Day is a major plot device), the movie is a goofy record of 1950s attitudes and concerns--in fact, Dogpatch is threatened with destruction when the government wants to use it as an atomic test site. The actors' Broadway delivery has a deadening effect after a while, and some of the makeup is downright weird (think the Whos in the live-action Grinch). Gene de Paul's music is unmemorable, but Johnny Mercer's lyrics provide considerable fun, and the athletic dances are based on Michael Kidd's stage choreography. Plus, the movie honors Capp's eye for impossibly bodacious women by casting Julie Newmar as Stupefyin' Jones and Stella Stevens (her first movie role) as Appassionata Von Climax. --Robert Horton

Description

LI'L ABNER, the beloved cartoon strip from Al Capp, takes place in the hillbilly town of Dogpatch, which is deemed the most useless community in America. When the city is chosen as a test site for A-bombs, its colorful citizens take up the good fight, with lots of fun and merriment.

Customer Reviews:

Must See for Li'l Abner Fans.......2007-05-03

This is great because it is so unpretentious-- a crowd pleasing musical farce based on Al Capp's popular comic strip. The gorgeous 50's pin-up style women are especially true to their source (and Julie Newmar really earns the name "Stupefyin' Jones"). Leslie Parish makes a luminous Daisy May, and Peter Palmer is the biggest, brawniest baritone Abner you could imagine. Mammy and Pappy are also great, but the weirdest impersonation has got to be Eagle-Eye Fleagle-- that guy moves like a cartoon! The plot is as kooky as one of Capp's Sunday half-page strips. Kind of corny but lively, with very athletic dancing by various hillbilly-clad young Broadway performers. The only flaw is its stagey-ness and flat lighting with multiple shadows on the studio floor. Still, with Gen. Bullmoose, Marryin' Sam (Stubby Kaye), Mooshine McSine, the Scraggs and a lot of plot convolutions, it is a very satisfying fable.

excellent seller and product.......2007-02-13

Item as described and received in a timely manner... an excellent buying experience!

Billie Hayes steals the show as Abner's Mom........2007-02-12

I'd heard of this show over the years and have been very curious to see what it was like. Fortunately, a friend gave me a copy as a gift, and I finally saw what Lil Abner is about. A very strange story about a secret formula that turns ordinary men into asexual musclemen is one of the stranger plot threads. I guess the word for it is camp. The scenery is very cartoony (which works well with the feel of this film), and the cast is full of terrific performers (Stubby Kaye is a brilliant performer as always), but the one that really blew me away is the very young Billie Hayes recreating her stage performance as Abner's elderly mother. According to my estimate, Hayes had not yet hit 30 when she played this character, and she is nothing short of wonderful. I couldn't help be think that Paul Henning based his Beverly Hillbillies television series on this film and stage musical, so many of the characters are echoed in that series. The character of Granny is so much like Billie Hayes' portrayal in this film, that I am surprised that Henning didn't just hire Hayes when he was casting his "Granny." The film is a bit slow in places, and the musical numbers are just not as good as in some other Broadway scores, but the movies is enjoyable and obviously not meant to be taken seriously.

Andy Capp again.......2007-02-12

A musical version of the original. Very well done and funny! Some great stars and the sets are visual of the original cartoons!

Great Family Movie .......2007-01-11

This movie is a favorite of our family. We love musical theatre and the songs are alot of fun. My children who were 8 and 11 yrs. old once watched this over and over on a 8 hour car trip.

Average customer rating:

Special features practically outdo the film
D-Day as an Arthouse Flick
"A smaller and smaller part of a bigger and bigger machine...." (3.5 stars)
OVERLORD CRITERION A MUST SEE!!!!..
Another nice WW II film

Overlord (Criterion Collection)
Starring: Brian Stirner , Davyd Harries , Nicholas Ball , Julie Neesam , and Sam Sewell
Director: Stuart Cooper
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

All | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video

( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000MTEFPA
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Amazon.com

To borrow a phrase from Film Comment editor-at-large Kent Jones, "unjustly forgotten and now happily resurrected" is the best way to describe Criterion's superb DVD release of Stuart Cooper's Overlord. Relatively unseen since its European theatrical release in 1975, this moody, well-crafted meditation on one soldier's preparation for battle employs a remarkably seamless combination of fictional narrative and amazing World War II footage from the archives of England's Imperial War Museum. While this "reel + real" technique is relatively common, director Stuart Cooper (an American filmmaker working in England) applied meticulous archival research to ensure that the documentary footage was logically and authentically integrated with his fictional narrative (cowritten with Christopher Hudson) to lend convincing verisimilitude to his simple, straightforward story of a young British soldier's anxious days prior to joining the front line in the D-Day Invasion of Nazi-occupied France (a.k.a. "Operation Overlord"--June 6, 1944). Haunted by a premonition of his own death, Tom (Brian Stirner) goes about his pre-battle business as any soldier would (including a touchingly sweet romance with an equally shy British girl, played by Julie Neesam), and as Overlord progresses, we see how the individual soldier is gradually absorbed into the massive machinery of warfare. Brilliantly filmed in black and white by Stanley Kubrick's frequent cinematographer John Alcott, Overlord succeeds as a thought-provoking study of war from intimate to epic scales, in addition to being an impressive technical achievement that's stylistically connected to the experimental narratives of the 1970s, yet still firmly rooted in the nobility of British war films from the 1940s. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVD
As always, the Criterion Collection did extensive research to provide Overlord with a wealth of informative supplements. Director Stuart Cooper and actor Brian Stirner share the DVD's feature-length commentary, and Overlord's historical context is thoroughly explored, beginning with "Mining the Archive," in which the Imperial War Museum archivists provide background history on the archival footage that director Stuart Cooper so carefully integrated into his narrative. "Capa Influences Cooper" is a photo essay in which Cooper explores the influence of legendary war photographer Rober Capa on the visual and emotional content of Overlord, and this emphasis is further supported by "Cameramen at War," a newsreel tribute to wartime photographers and newsreel cameramen, featuring some of the Imperial War Museum's most spectacular footage from World War II. "Germany Calling" is an amusing example of archival propaganda (produced in 1941 by the British Ministry of Information and briefly excerpted in Overlord) which ridicules Hitler's Nazi regime by synchronizing Nazi rally footage so a silly British melody. "A Test of Violence" is Stuart Cooper's 1969 short tribute to the bleak, war-themed paintings of Spanish artist Juan Genovés; it was this film that led Cooper to create Overlord. Also included is Stirner's dramatic reading of journals by two Scottish D-Day soldiers whose experiences parallel those of Stirner's character in Overlord; the film's original theatrical trailer; and a 30-page booklet with an Overlord essay by Kent Jones, a short history of the Imperial War Museum, and excerpts from the Overlord novelization by Cooper and cowriter Christopher Hudson. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Seamlessly interweaving archival war footage and a fictional narrative, Stuart Cooper's immersive account of one 20-year-old's journey from basic training to the battle front lines at D-day brings all the terrors and isolation of war to its viewers with jolting authenticity. Overlord, impressionistically shot by Stanley Kubrick's longtime cinematographer John Alcott, is both a document of WWII and a dreamlike meditation on man's smallness in a large, incomprehensible machine.

Customer Reviews:

Special features practically outdo the film.......2007-06-27

"Overlord" is a curious film that blends archival footage into a fictional account of a typical British soldier preparing for the D-Day invasion. While I found "Overlord" lacking as a narrative, it was a worthy cinematic experiment and should be of particular interest to anyone interested in World War II.

Made in England in 1975 with the help of the Imperial War Museum, "Overlord" was not released in the United States until 2006. This long overdue DVD release helps atone somewhat for the film's long absence from North American markets.

"Overlord" is a short sometimes choppy story that manages as well as might be expected to integrate actual footage of Nazis and Allied troops in action including bombing raids and their devastating results. While the focus of the story is on one soldier's enlistment in the British Army and training for D-Day, it is an at times powerful meditation on war's effect on individuals. "Overlord" specifically examines the mindset of soldiers preparing for battle especially as they face the reality of their own mortality.

The real triumph of the DVD is the bonus features. On one such feature two representatives of the Imperial War Museum speak about the making of the film, specifically the archival footage. Another is a tribute to war photographers that was made in 1943. "Germany Calling" produced by the British government's propaganda arm during the war, is a very funny spoof of the Nazis.

As is always the case with Criterion films, the DVD is pricey (they don't do anything on the cheap) but as is also always the case with Criterion, the movie and all features are presented in pristine condition.

"Overlord" is an important edition to the many outstanding films on World War II, bold in its ambition and significant for its use of actual footage. And in this DVD release, the bonus features are not just add ons.

D-Day as an Arthouse Flick.......2007-06-12

Frankly, I was disappointed by this film. I knew that it would not be a spectacular like "Saving Private Ryan" (which I also did not like that much except for the opening). But I felt the movie was far too surreal and "artistic." Case in point, there were several long sequences that tracked planes flying over Europe and showing the devastation (and I mean LONG sequences). The "hero" of the story was an infantryman so the flight sequences were awfully disconnected from the very, very minimal plot. There were a number of other "out of place" scenes as well, the most notable being one where inexplicably, we see two of the soldiers in the story sneak into a theater where a little girl is being made to sing on a stage by her mother.

Another thing I did not like was the morbid nature of the hero. I don't have a problem with him feeling that he was going to die. I imagine a lot of our guys and the Brits did on the eve of Overlord. I just can't imagine writing a letter forecasting my own death to my parents. Given the fact that they would have been worried sick already, it would have been the wrong thing to do. And I speak from experience since I was in the Army and while I did not see hand-to-hand combat, I was in several combat zones, and while I was scared, I managed to avoid writing morbid letters back home to my folks.

On a final note, I can't help but wonder if this film is very much so a product of the 1970s and post-Vietnam era both in the rather dreamy nature of the film and the muted anti-war tone.

If I had to do it over again, I would not have spent the money I did on this film to buy it new. I STRONGLY recommend anyone who must see it to get it on netflix or buy it used. It is just not worth the price that is on it.

"A smaller and smaller part of a bigger and bigger machine...." (3.5 stars).......2007-06-03

One young British soldier, who celebrates his 20th birthday while training for the impending D-Day invasion, writes a letter to his parents and tells them that as time passes, he feels like a smaller and smaller part of a bigger and bigger machine.

Being a small component of a massive device is the central idea behind Stuart Cooper's "Overlord," an odd, hazy, child's-fever-dream of a movie that uses staged black-and-white scenes interspersed with actual archival footage from World War II.

We follow Tom (Brian Stirner) through a drab, dispiriting round of basic training; his experiences are interspersed with separate scenes of battle, of invasion and aftermath to illustrate events going on "meanwhile" all around him, events leading up to Normandy.

The movie is a truly unique visual experience. John Alcott shot the storyline scenes (just before he began work on "Barry Lyndon") and the movie has a look not unlike "The Elephant Man," or its thematic brother, "Johnny Got His Gun."

Though the incorporation of actual footage is very smooth, I never had any trouble distinguishing what came from the 40s and what was shot in the 70s. That didn't ruin the experience for me: Look at the hauntingly beautiful scenes involving bombers flying above the cloudline at night, or a harrowing training sequence in which a rowboat ditches its passengers onto rocks (Cooper reveals in his commentary that one or two men actually died during the exercise).

With its short, spare narrative and its stark conclusion, "Overlord" almost feels like a short story of a movie, but that doesn't downplay its impact or importance. This is a little-known movie worth reviving and it gets a fine Criterion presentation here. The commentary with Copper and Sterner is particularly good; it's worth listening to to hear how they did it even if you don't particularly connect with the film.

OVERLORD CRITERION A MUST SEE!!!!.........2007-05-12

WOW!...Another amazing hidden gem from the folks at criterion..if you are a an avid fan of Criterion, and the amazing films they bring to viewer's attention, you owe it to yourself to buy and watch Overlord. An amazing film, the story line is shot in an amazing way, mixed with real world war 2 stock footage...the film plays like a dream. A war film directed by David Lynch!....The composition of each shot, angle is carfefuly thought out by the filmakers...It is a haunting film, and stayed with me for days!....check it out!, one of the best dvd's of the year!.

Another nice WW II film.......2007-05-02

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

Overlord is a film about a group of British soldiers who are training for D-Day. The film contains a lot of actual stock footage from the war and is intercut with staged scenes made for the film.

The DVD contains some excellent special features also.

There are audio journals of two British soldiers recited by an actor, a theatrical trailer, a short film about Spanish artist Juan Genoves, a photo essay featuring director Stuart Cooper on photographer Robert Capa, a British anti-nazi propaganda film titled "Germany Calling" which appears in Overlord. It contaisn doctored footage of Nazi marches and souds effects which present the Nazis as fools. Also included is a ducumentary of the Britush Imperial War Museum's video archives and a 1943 film trubute to newsreel cameramen who filmed scenes of World War II.

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