Showing posts with label Edition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Edition. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

McLintock! (John Wayne Estate Authorized Edition) [VHS]

McLintock! (John Wayne Estate Authorized Edition) [VHS]John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara were born to star in "The Taming of the Shrew," and this is the closest they ever got. Wayne plays a cattle baron whose estranged wife (O'Hara) wants a divorce. The film is basically one long, funny brawl between them, ending with a mud pit melee and Wayne publicly spanking O'Hara, which doesn't look quite so politically correct anymore. This is no great shakes--director Andrew V. McLaglen is simply hosting a party here--but it's worth a few chuckles and the stars' broad performances. --Tom Keogh

Price: $19.98


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The Doors Collection (Collector's Edition)

The Doors Collection (Collector's Edition)If you are a new or original fan of the Doors, this spectacular DVD should give you enough incentive to jump on the DVD bandwagon without reservation. It's quite simply the finest single audio-visual source of Doors music and history, presented with the full participation of the band's surviving members (Ray Manzarek, Robbie Krieger, John Densmore) and featuring a variety of bonus features that will send any Doors-phile into a state of rock & roll euphoria. We're not kidding, folks--this is a must-have disc for anyone who's ever been mesmerized by Jim Morrison and the late-1960s, early-'70s rock phenomenon known as the Doors.

The primary content consists of three acclaimed films, all running about an hour long and directed by Manzarek, that give the viewer a deeper appreciation of what the Doors were all about. Not only was the band filmed in a variety of live concert settings (especially at the legendary Hollywood Bowl show, included here), but they were also precociously aware of the value of film, creating music "videos" long before MTV and taking their cue from Manzarek's mid-'60s stint as a UCLA film student. Also included are clips from several TV appearances (including a PBS interview in which Morrison predicts the future of recording technology with astounding accuracy), revealing backstage footage, and, of course, some of the most hypnotic concert performances ever filmed.

Two of Manzarek's student films (Evergreen and Induction) indicate that the keyboardist could easily have become a successful director, but fate blessed him (and us) with a future in one of America's all-time greatest rock bands. What The Doors Collection conveys more than anything is that these four young men formed a unique cohesion of talent, that they all loved and admired Jim Morrison (and still do), and that they continue to share that love--along with some conflicting recollections and amiably contrasting opinions--on a commentary track that's wise, fun-loving, and refreshingly free of drippy nostalgia. Indeed, when Manzarek uses the word "atrocious" to describe Oliver Stone's 1991 film about Morrison and the band, he's merely defending the fact that Morrison was himself a sweet, lovable young man who had a dark side--no one's denying that--but who also fronted a band that continues to unite listeners and viewers in the positive spirit of creativity and freedom of expression. --Jeff Shannon

Price: $19.98


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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Tommy Boy (Holy Schnike Edition)

Tommy Boy (Holy Schnike Edition)The late Chris Farley teams up with his Saturday Night Live pal David Spade for this road comedy about a perpetual screwup, Tommy Callahan Jr. (Farley), who tries to save the auto-parts store owned by his late father (Brian Dennehy). The latter's dry-witted number cruncher (Spade) reluctantly joins the loud, awkward, but well-meaning Tommy in the mission, which is threatened behind the scenes by his dad's widow (Bo Derek). The film is sporadically funny, but as with most movies starring TV comics, some vital energy in the stars seems unnaturally suppressed. Still, the film is worth a visit if you want to turn off your brain awhile. --Tom Keogh

Price: $9.98


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