Jekyll & Hyde - The Musical (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm suspecting that there are two types of people who are approaching this DVD, a filmed version of the stage production of "Jekyll & Hyde". One, someone familiar with the show--perhaps saw it and liked it or has the soundtrack--and wants to check out this variation. Or two, someone discovering it anew. It tempts me to write two reviews because while I love "Jekyll & Hyde", it's slightly unfortunate that this is the production most people will get a chance to judge.
So let me preface this by saying that I really am a fan of this show. Some people consider "Jekyll" sort of a "Phantom-lite". I, myself, have never been the biggest supporter of "Phantom of the Opera". It's fine, full of bombast, but hardly the revolutionary experience that people give it credit for. "Jekyll" does play to similar themes, but has a stronger overall soundtrack. Instead of a couple of showstoppers like "Phantom", "Jekyll" is filled with memorable power ballads. Not the most complicated show musically, it is very accessible. And when you have great singers, these simpler and emotionally charged songs become pop opera and quite moving.
So, without hesitation, I recommend the original Broadway Cast recording!!! Robert Cuccioli, Linda Eder and Christiane Noll are superb. You couldn't hope for better.
But here's the problem with this DVD, it's not this great cast--NO, the star is David Hasselhoff. So you see my problem, don't you? Look, I'm not going to be unkind--it's an easy target. Let's just say this. If you're a fan of the show, he doesn't completely ruin it. And it's not like there are any other versions to add to your collections. If you are new to the show, I'm still recommending it provisionally. I wish there were another option. If you like the show, though--and I think you will--please rush over and buy the 1997 Cast recording. Treat yourself to how "Jekyll & Hyde" should really sound.KGHarris, 10/06.

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The longest-running show in the history of Broadway's Plymouth Theatre, Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical brings new life to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story of romance and the epic battle between good and evil. A whirlwind odyssey pitting man against himself is set in motion when the brilliant Dr. Jekyll's medical experiment backfires, giving life to his evil alter ego, Edward Hyde. The show won a legion of repeat visitors (dubbed by the press as "Jekkies") and spawned hit songs on the pop charts with "Someone Like You" and "This Is the Moment."

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Holiday Inn (3 Disc Collector's Set) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've watched both the spotless B&W version with commentary and the dazzling color version of the Universal 3-disc (including CD) edition of "Holiday Inn" and I am very impressed.
If you haven't seen the film for a while, the very high points are the song "White Christmas" and its reprise and two of Fred Astaire's more unforgettable numbers: a solo dance with firecrackers and a falling down drunk number that has to be seen to be believed. But to be fair, all the numbers are memorable, from the classic "You're Easy to Dance With" to the 18th Century-influenced "I Can't Tell a Lie" and the blackface hommage to Abraham Lincoln, "Abraham", one of Irving Berlin's best "unknown" songs. The two underrated female counterparts (Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale) are also quite nimble and copacetic.
This edition has kept all the extras of the 2006 Special Edition: "A couple of Song and Dance Men", a 50 min double biography of Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire that has a lot of exciting footage from many of their movies not yet on DVD, hosted by record producer Ken Barnes and Ava Astaire; "All Singing - All Dancing", a 7 min demonstration of how the dance numbers were filmed and put together (dancing to a pre-recorded soundtrack + live recording of the tapping sound with hidden microphones); a very thorough multiple commentary with input from vintage Crosby and Astaire interviews; and a well-preserved theatrical trailer.
It also includes a 12-band CD collection of the film's songs with Crosby and Astaire (from Geffen Records) presented in a cute miniature cardboard 78-RPM sleeve - a genuine collector's item, and a 7 min making-of docu of the color version with Barry Sandrew.
The Legend Films color version, in my opinion, reaches yet another summit in verisimilitude, the skin tones having been somehow improved upon and the indoor/outdoor sets and costumes being handled with the same level of maniacal authenticity as in "It's a Wonderful Life". It actually looks better than a lot of color films of the era and really strives for that saturated Technicolor look, but in a somehow more "relaxed" presentation, as B&W films obviously didn't have to try as hard to dazzle the eye in every department and every second. Still, I had to gawk and stare at a scene where Astaire is hurriedly packing a tangled bunch of vari-colored neckties, wondering at the complexity of the colorization process involved in such a puny but mind-bogling detail. The whole film - with the nicely contrasting exception of a patriotic B&W documentary montage of the USA's entry into WWII shown at the Inn - is bathed in the warm glow of intimate indoor lighting alternating with more gaudy flood-lit and heart-stopping dance numbers. You have absolutely no idea what "oomph" means until you've seen Virginia Dale's sequined night-blue dress shimmy and shake in the "You're Easy To Dance With" number. I found it really hard to come back to the B&W version after that, except for the commentary and the other extras on Disc 1. Yes, I am that shallow.
Both versions are pretty much at the maximum bitrate throughout. The whole experience can only be described as sheer, unadulterated joy and an unparalleled time-travel piece.

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Experience one of the most popular holiday movies of all-time like never before with the 3-disc Holiday Inn Collector’s Set featuring a brand-new color version of the film and the complete CD soundtrack!Screen legends Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire star as two talented pals who find themselves competing for the affections of the same lovely lady (Marjorie Reynolds) in this Academy Award-winning musical, filled with singing, dancing, comedy and romance.Whether you are watching the original black & white masterpiece, discovering the new color version, or listening to the timeless Irving Berlin soundtrack featuring “White Christmas,” the 3-disc Holiday Inn Collector’s Set is the perfect way to enjoy the holiday season!

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Funny Girl/Funny Lady (1975) Review

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(More customer reviews)Far more than sharing the extended life story of Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice, these two movies really show how Barbra Streisand transformed from a screen novice to a reigning goddess over the course of seven years. When she hit the big screen in 1968's "Funny Girl", she became an instant movie legend as master filmmaker William Wyler tailored a launching pad so accommodating to her personality and drive that it becomes apparent only later that the film itself is not terribly exceptional. The first half of the film, by far the best part, is about Brice's fast climb to stardom and her blind infatuation of gambler Nick Arnstein, played with a bit too much continental charm by an overshadowed Omar Sharif. The comparatively dramatic second half is really about the inevitable fate of their relationship. The energy that drives the first half seems to sputter in the second half, and Streisand is left to carry the whole thing to the finish line.
The fact that the story has anything to do with Brice seems purely circumstantial in deference to Streisand's phenomenal talent especially as a first-rank comedienne and the pre-eminent song stylist of her generation. For the latter aspect alone, "Funny Girl" is essential viewing, especially for three solo numbers penned by the legendary team of Jule Styne and Bob Merrill (who co-wrote "Gypsy"). First, as a young wannabe trying to convince Mr. Keeney at the local burlesque house to hire her, Streisand sings "I'm the Greatest Star" with an appropriately persistent brassiness that suddenly turns into a dramatic clarion call picking up the percussive momentum of "Don't Rain on My Parade" until the song title truly becomes fact and not a boast.
The second song is her anthem, "People", sung to an unsurprisingly awestruck Sharif on the darkened Hollywood-phony backlit set of Henry Street, first as an expression of her unrequited love for Arnstein and then more effectively as a solo plea bordering on desperation as she leans against a lamppost. The third number is made breathtaking by the ingenious way that Wyler films her performance of "Don't Rain on My Parade" as a montage of fast cuts that leads an Arnstein-chasing Brice to the amazing tugboat finish. The fact that they all occur in the first half makes the second half all the more desultory saved at the end by Streisand's memorably triumphant take on Brice's "My Man". These are all indisputably classic movie musical moments.
The remaining numbers are good and mostly a vehicle to show off Streisand's considerable comedy skills - maneuvering roller skates on "I'd Rather Be Blue (Over You)", flouncing her dress in front of a nonplussed Ziegfeld on "Second Hand Rose", waddling around as a "pregnant" bride in the Ziegfeld extravaganza "His Love Makes Me Beautiful", accommodating Arnstein's aggressive parlor advances in "You Are Woman", and chronicling her happily married state in "Sadie, Sadie". That's not to say she is not a fine dramatic actress, just a sometimes rather theatrical one at least in her first film here, as she expresses her heartbreak in a variety of overdone hairstyles and clothes until her seeming vindication at the end. No other actress can express as dexterously the concurrent insecurity, egotism and humor that Streisand in her prime could.
The talent is still very much in evidence, but the spirit has hardened somewhat in "Funny Lady", the 1975 sequel which picks up Brice's story during the Depression when the established star struggles financially to preserve her career. Unlike its predecessor, this movie does not provide a character arc which allows us to discover anything new about her character. Instead, director Herbert Ross and screenwriter Jay Presson Allen focus on the turbulent, sometimes comic relationship between the established Brice and her eventual husband, rising impresario Billy Rose. The staccato dialogue between the two, a far cry from the moony worship Brice held for first husband Arnstein in the first movie, is what makes "Funny Lady" good light entertainment even though the old-fashioned narrative often feels disjointed and truncated.
Fortunately, in full diva mode as the success-insulated heroine, Streisand is at the top of her game here, and James Caan brings youthful energy to his portrayal of the brash, egotistical Rose. The rest of the actors barely register, including Roddy McDowall as Brice's unctuous assistant and confidante, Ben Vereen who doesn't have a single line of dialogue as entertainer Bert Robbins, and an embalmed-looking Sharif reprising his role as Arnstein this time as a preening, materialistic fortune hunter. What a shame that the swooning love story of the first film reaches such a cynical denouement in this story.
There are songs written for the film by the estimable team of John Kander and Fred Ebb, and they meld nicely with the old, Rose-penned standards presented here. However, some of the production numbers are badly staged, for example, the faux-gospel take on "(It's Gonna Be a) Great Day" with a sequin-infested Streisand surrounded by an ensemble of uncoordinated dancers, or the clarion call of "Let's Hear It for Me" complete with a roadster and a biplane to replicate the driving rhythm of its obvious inspiration, "Don't Rain on My Parade". In fact, there are many ill-used references to "Funny Girl" from the opening montage to the overorchestrated refrains of "People" when Arnstein kisses Brice.
Moreover, the movie has a constant veneer of excess, especially the overdone Bob Mackie gowns, as if nothing seems rooted in reality. Through all this, Streisand does manage to create some breathtaking musical magic - her sonorous version of "More Than You Know" in the recording studio; her torchy, show-stopping lament, "How Lucky Can You Get" (although her revealing gown is rather distracting); and best of all, her pristine rendition of the old chestnut, "If I Love Again", set against a glass grand piano. These are the pleasures that make the movie worthwhile in spite of its various shortcomings.

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FUNNY GIRL/FUNNY LADY BOX SET - DVD Movie

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Camelot (Special Edition) (1993) Review

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(More customer reviews)Yes, 'Camelot' is a flawed movie, but a MAGICAL one, nonetheless. It is too long, and Franco Nero's dubbed singing voice as 'Lancelot' is laughable, and YET! Yet, we have RICHARD HARRIS, so perfect as the failing King Arthur, Vanessa Redgrave, never lovelier than in her role as the torn Guinavere, and David Hemmings, a dastardly 'mod' Mordred reeking havoc on the troubled Kingdom. Franco Nero (dubbing notwithstanding) brings a wonderful comedic touch to Lancelot, and with the sumptious sets and costumes, 'Camelot' really is a BEAUTIFUL film. It has been critisized for having a 'Sixties' feel to it, but the somewhat hippy-ish design just adds to the pleasure; and it REALLY doesn't matter that Richard Harris is wearing WAY to much blue eye-shadow - we're in CAMELOT, for goodness sake! There may very well be a 'legal limit to the snow' there, but when it comes to make-up, no holds are barred! Oh, one can pick a MILLION holes in 'Camelot' - but why bother? It's better just to pour yourself a glass of mead, light some candles, put 'Camelot' in your VCR and let Lerner and Loewes wonderful score sweep you into a magical time which never existed. 'Camelot' is pure escapism, but it's escapism with 'heart', and that heart belongs to Richard Harris. This movie is HIS, and years after first seeing this movie, when I imagine the face of King Arthur, the face that I see is Richard Harris'.

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LERNER AND LOEWE'S MOVING MUSICAL ABOUT KING ARTHUR, GUENEVERE, LANCELOT AND THE ROUND TABLE.

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That's Dancing (1985) Review

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(More customer reviews)This work, narrated by Gene Kelley, is devoted to the cinema musicals, starting with seldom seen footage of the silent era, and continuing with the fantastic dancing scenes of Busby Berkley. Next we move on to the Fred Astaire period, which centers attention on the individual dancer. We see beautiful performances from the likes of Ginger Rogers, Ruby Keeler as well as the incomparable Nicholas Brothers. With the advent of color, comes a never previously seen number on the 'yellow brick road' with Judy Garland and Ray Bolger. Not to forget a marvellous routine by Shirley Temple and Bojangles Robinson! Alltogether, this is the most memorable series of dance sequences that I have ever seen in half a century.

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Item Name: That's Dancing!; Studio:Warner Home Video

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Fame (1980) Review

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(More customer reviews)This Alan Parker film came out in 1980, after the director had horrified everyone with visions of Turkish Prison in MIDNIGHT EXPRESS. But here we have a loving valentine to the kids of New York who dream of being performers at the high school for performing and visual arts. It's a musical, but one where the songs and dancing come out of the kids naturally as they goof off or perform for themselves or each other. You get to see four years of high school, and about 8 kids who reach varying levels of realizations about how hard the world really is when you want to be famous.
Finally FAME gets the DVD treatment! A widescreen transfer, featurettes, and a wonderful video commentary that shows 4 of the leads TODAY talking about their 15 minutes of notoriety as a star of FAME. It's a fun experience to see how they have aged, and what they remember of the filming. Alan Parker is the real star of the commentary though! He gets to talk over the entire movie, but thankfully he's witty and informative. My favorite tidbit was the original name of FAME was HOT LUNCH! Okay... that would have been ... disaster.
Best reason to own this? The music! You can watch the movie once, but I dare you to ever forget the title song "FAME". My personal fave is "Out Here On My Own" for sentimental reasons. You'll want to sign up for dance, voice, and acting lessons after this one.
See where all the hoopla started! Before the television shows, before the musical hit the stage ... there was this gritty movie showing foul-mouthed kids trying to make it in The Big Apple. Or at least through high school!

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Seven classes a day and a hot lunch. That's what New York City's High School for the Performing Arts guarantees. Stardom? That's something the school's teenage musicians, actors, dancers and dreamers strive for.Fame sings the body electric, celebrating the growing-up process of honing talent, confronting realities, finding love, living life. Director Alan Parker (Evita, The Commitments) brings an energetic style to the crisscrossing stories of students (including future Academy Award winner Irene Cara, Paul McCrane (ER), Barry Miller (Saturday Night Fever) and two who returned in the later TV series, Gene Anthony Ray and Lee Curreri). Nominated for six Academy Awards, Fame won Oscars for its dynamic score and title tune.

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A Prairie Home Companion (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)I wish I'd said this: A Prairie Home Companion is a lovely film about death, and with some great bad jokes. Death and how we deal with it drifts through the film like a dream, but it turns out to be real. Word has gotten around that the 30-year-old radio program is giving its last show. The theater where it has been broadcast from all these years has been sold and will be turned into a parking lot. A woman in a white trench coat moves dream-like through the place, searching for a person whose time has come, and then finds him. And then she finds another. Memories of past successes are talked about, but sometimes not. Reminiscences are wept over or laughed over. The backstage emergencies happen and are dealt with and the radio show goes on. It's just a marvelous movie. People who dislike the actual A Prairie Home Companion will probably not like this movie. Those who do like the radio show I'm sure are going to run out and buy the DVD of the movie as soon as it's available.
Garrison Keillor is not center stage so much as he's the imperturbable head guy who isn't always there, even when he's there. Most of the regular members of the radio show are present, as well as some new names. Lily Tomlin and Meryl Streep are incredibly authentic and incredibly funny/poignant as the two remaining members, Rhonda and Yolanda Johnson, of a country-music family singing group. Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly are great as the dim cowboys, Lefty and Dusty. Their bad-jokes song is one of the highlights. Guy Noir looking like Kevin Kline tries to keep a lid on the crises. Streep and Tomlin (and Harrelson and Reilly) sing their own stuff and they are first class. Tomlin, in particular, gives a terrific performance as Rhonda, tough, funny, a little bitter and a trooper.
After 105 minutes you may find death not too frightening, may find a kind of comforting acceptance of life, and may find funny some awful jokes...like the name of the country song Lefty sang on last week's show, "I'll Give You My Moonshine If You Show Me Your Jugs." Or a great new wheezer, "Did you hear about the crate of Viagra that was stolen?" "No! Who took it?" "The cops don't know but they're looking for hardened criminals."
I also wish I'd said this, from the New York Times: A Prairie Home Companion isn't great, it's wonderful.

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A LOOK AT WHAT GOES ON BACKSTAGE DURING THE LAS BROADCAST OF AMERICA'S MOST CELEBRATED RADIO SHOW, WHERE SINGING COWBOYS DUSTY & LEFTY, A COUNTRY MUSIC SIREN & A HOST OF OTHERS HOLD COURT.

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Auntie Mame (1958) Review

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(More customer reviews)There are certain roles that are inextricably linked to their portrayors. Bela Lugosi as Dracula, Yul Brynner as The King of Siam, Ethel Merman as Madame Rose, and, of course, Rosalind Russell as Auntie Mame. Rosalind Russell was, in my opinion, a class act. The lady had style, warmth, modesty, and a great acting talent, particularly in comedy, especially the fast-talking kind. Sure, she had some career misfires, such as her unconvincing Jewish mama in "A Majority of One", and her "slumming society dame" Madame Rose in "Gypsy", but Roz reigned supreme in comedies such as "The Women", "His Girl Friday", and, of course, "Auntie Mame" which, having created it on Broadway, it became HER signature role. Her performance is recorded for generations to come in this delighful film. Also on hand from the original Broadway cast are Peggy Cass as the frumpy, would-be butterfly Miss Gooch, and Jan Handzlik as 9-year-old Patrick Dennis, who comes to live with his madcap aunt. Add to this the fabulous, acid-tongued Coral Browne (she would become, years later, Mrs. Vincent Price!), handsome and appealing Patric Knowles and Forrest Tucker (who is extremely charming in this, possibly his best role), showbiz vets Fred Clark, Lee Patrick and Willard Waterman as Mame's snobbish betes noirs, and the largely unsung Joanna Barnes as grown-up Patrick's unbearable, shallow fiance. Her performance, replete with annoying, Gloria Vanderbilt-like accent, is one of those great performances where you laugh at her and despise her at the same time. The costumes, by Orry-Kelly, are superb - classy/crazy creations that are beautiful as well as mad. The same can be said about the ever-changing decor of Mame's Beekman Place duplex-from Japanese to Moderne to Louis XIV to library chic to 50s modern to East Indian-well, there you have it! And, of course, there is the wonderful Betty Comden/Adolph Green script, which is full of so many quotable lines that it has become part of my friends' and mine lexicon! The film is a little episodic, but who the hell cares? I definitely prefer this film to the sadly unfunny, leaden musical version with Lucille Ball. I love Lucy, too, but "Mame" was not for her. Auntie Mame is one of my favorite heroines. She is a woman full of adventure, fun, style, even a little bitchiness, but she is not mean. She has a generous, kind heart and is not a "money" snob or a "social-order" snob. Every parent should make their children watch this film-mine did, and am I glad! Roz rules!

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Rosalind Russell recreates her hallmark stage role as the accentric grande dame of highlife, briging up a 10-year-old nephew. A banquet of laughter, nominated for 6 Academy Awards(R).

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Gypsy (1962) Review

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(More customer reviews)When Warner Bros purchased the rights to the 1959 musical hit GYPSY it was intended to make a purely dramatic film, with songs from the Jule Styne & Stephen Sondheim Broadway score confined to the theatrical sequences. Rosalind Russell was chosen for the starring (but non-musical) role of Mama Rose along side Natalie Wood as Gypsy Rose Lee. However just as this version of GYPSY began filming, THE MUSIC MAN opened in theatres and scored a huge hit. It was then decided that GYPSY should be filmed as a musical follow-up to THE MUSIC MAN. The production closed down and was revamped as a musical. Rosalind Russell could sing but not in the style her role demanded (all of Mama Rose's songs in the Broadway production were written in the original Mama Rose, Ethel Merman's vocal style). It was decided to bring in singer Lisa Kirk to assist Russell with the vocals rather than re-cast the role. The end result fully justifies this decision because Rosalind Russell's Mama Rose is simply magnificent and the combination of Russell and Kirk in the songs is so perfect you never know (or care) who is doing the singing. No other actress, before or since (which includes such illustrious performers as Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Bette Midler and Tyne Daly), even comes close to conveying the monster in mother's clothing that was Mama Rose the way Russell does while still allowing the humanity of the character to emerge now and then only to become subservient once again to her driving ambition.
Natalie Wood is also excellent as Gypsy Rose Lee, who succeeded beyond her mother's Dreams. Her mother and daughter showdown scene with Russell is riveting. A young, vibrant Ann Jillian gives equally great support as Dainty June, the focus of Mama Rose's machinations for most of the film, who also went on to become June Havoc, one of the most celebrated stage actresses of her time.
Besides great acting, the songs are performed with a bravura and brilliance that far outclasses all other versions of this musical. In fact the Warner Bros. Studio Orchestra plays this music so magnificently it makes the more recent Bette Midler TV version sound anemic by comparison. The Dolby Digital 5:1 Discrete Surround envelopes you into the proceedings and the sharp, richly saturated Technicolor wide screen image (2:35-1) is fully equal to the superb audio.
But it is Rosalind Russell in one of the greatest screen performances ever committed to film that drives this version of GYPSY to the top of the heap and makes this DVD a "must own."

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Everything comes up roses when you let Rosalind Russell, Natalie Wood and Karl Malden entertain you in the lavish movie musical of the Broadway hit about Gypsy Rose Lee and her formidable mother. Year: 1962 Director: Mervyn LeRoy Starring: Rosalind Russell, Natalie Wood, Karl Malden

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Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam - Extended Edition (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo +Digital Copy) Review

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(More customer reviews)In 2008, "Camp Rock" had its premiere on the Disney Channel and at the time, it became the second highest viewed Disney Channel Original Movie behind "High School Musical 2' and bringing in 8.9 million viewers.
The movie featured the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato and the film would catapult the acting and singing careers of both the band and Lovato who would go on to have their own Disney Channel show and for Lovato, would establish herself as a pop star.
Needless to say, with the success of the first film, there was no doubt that there would be a sequel and sure enough, in 2010, "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam" would air on the Disney Channel on Labor Day weekend and a few days later, would be released on Blu-ray and DVD. The film is directed by Paul Hoen ("Jonas", "Beyond the Break", "South of Nowhere") and features a screenplay by Daniel Berendsen ("Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie", "The Cheetah Girls: One World", "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch"), Karen Gist ("One Tree Hill", "Girlfriends", "Camp Rock") and Regina Y. Hicks ("Camp Rock", "Girlfriends", "Sister, Sister").
"Camp Rock 2 - The Final Jam: Extended Edition" features the extended version of the film which includes never-before-seen songs and scenes for "Different Summers" and "Waking in My Shoes".
VIDEO:
"Camp Rock 2 - The Final Jam: Extended Edition" is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:78:1). Because the majority of the film is shot outdoors, the film looks vibrant and colorful in HD. Especially during the performances at the Camp Star stage. Cinematographer David A Makin ("Drop Dead Diva", "Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie") did a good job in capturing the overall performance area. The lighting was very well done during these performances and looks great in HD.
The accompany DVD is presented in widescreen (1:78:1) - enhanced for 16×9 television.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
"Camp Rock 2 - The Final Jam: Extended Edition" is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48 kHz/24-bit), French 5.1 DTS Digital Surround Sound and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital. Dialogue and music is crisp and clear through the center and front channels and there was a good amount of crowd ambiance coming through the surround channels. Actually, the lossless soundtrack really takes advantage of the surround channels for this musical. I was expecting more of a front and center channel driven soundtrack, so I was amazed to hear the surround channels utilized.
I actually dig the musical soundtrack for this film compared to the last film. It's all subjective to the listener but I enjoyed the addition of the pop R&B performances and a good balance of music this time around.
The accompanying DVD features a soundtrack in English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital.
As for subtitles, the film is presented in English SDH, French and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"Camp Rock 2 - The Final Jam: Extended Edition" comes with the following special features (in 1080p HD and standard definition and presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital):
* Rock-Along - While watching the film, you can watch "Camp Rock 2 - The Final Jam" via "Rock-Along" in which you can sing along with the tunes (karaoke style titles for the lyrics are shown at the bottom of the screen).
* Music Videos from Camp Rockers Around the World - Watch music videos of performances for "Camp Rock 2 - The Final Jam" in other countries which include France (3:03, Lea Castel - N'abandone pas (Can't Back Down), Spain (2:47, Lucia Gil - Tu ere mi cancion), Benelux (3:25, Dean en Sita - I Wouldn't Change a Thing), Germany (3:31) and Italy (3:36, FINLEY - Per la vita che verra'). Presented in standard definition.
* Getting to Know the Camp Stars - (5:44) Alyson Stoner interviews Matthew "Mdot" Finley and Chloe Bridges about how they got the part and what they did in their audition. Also, their experience on filming "Camp Rock 2 - The Final Jam".
* Disney Live - Download the latest trailers for upcoming Disney films or learn what is out on Disney Blu-ray.
EXTRAS:
This version of "Camp Rock 2 - The Final Jam: Extended Edition" comes with a slipcase cover and also comes with a DVD and digital copy of the feature film.
JUDGMENT CALL:
An awesome, fun and energetic sequel!
"Camp Rock 2 - The Final Jam: Extended Edition" is another enjoyable musical from Disney that stays true to the tradition of the original movie (and other Disney musicals) featuring kids having fun, singing, dancing and of course, you also get some of that camp drama as well.
What I enjoyed about the film is that remains consistent to the first but also improves upon the original. Since 2008 with "Camp Rock", both Demi Lovato and the members of the Jonas Brothers have improved vocally as pop stars. When I first watched Demi Lovato, her vocals worked with her character since she was not as established yet as an actress nor as a singer but now, watching her in "Camp Rock 2 - The Final Jam", you can see the confidence. Also, I like the pop/R&B addition of Mathew "Mdot" Finley. This guy has star potential and definitely brings another dimension to the "Camp Rock" music soundtrack.
I also enjoyed the choreography for the sequel. You have awesome choreographers Rosero McCoy ("Shake It Up!", "Step Up") and Chuck Maldonado ("Stomp the Yard" films) really taking the dancing to a new level with this sequel and in fact, when I started to see some stepping during the film, the first thing that came to my mind was "Chuck Maldonado" must be involved with this film and sure enough he was.
A major highlight of the film was the performance by everyone as they were singing the song "It's On". It's a very cool song that incorporates everyone into that musical scene and was similar to the "High School Musical" style of choreography of taking many people and having fun with the choreography but making it slick and cool and having an awesome song behind it. It was great to see everyone so involved and even seeing the main and supporting characters really going all out in the choreography. I was impressed.
The pop tracks "Fire" and "Walkin' In My Shoes" were also pretty cool and it was good to see Meaghan Martin and Matthew "Mdot" Finley performing together. I thought the scene with Nate (Nick Jonas) singing to Dana (Chloe Bridges) was pretty charming and fun as Nate is a shy guy but he best communicates through his music.
And of course, for Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato fans, there are plenty of cool songs in this film especially with "Wouldn't Change a Thing" by Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato as a song that is a solid ballad and awesome follow up to their 2008 "Camp Rock" hit "This Is Me".
Now which film did I enjoy the most? I have to say that I enjoyed the first film for its storyline. Mainly for the fact that Mitchie was an underdog and I enjoy films in which the underdog proves that she can be the best. I enjoyed that about "Camp Rock" and Demi Lovato's inexperience really helped make her stand out. We hardly knew anything about her then and when we saw her sing, we knew she had star potential. This time around, we have seen Demi emerge as an actress and singer and the same goes for the Jonas Brothers who have matured as well. But when it comes to the music and choreography, "Camp Rock 2 - The Final Jam" was much better than the original. The songs are catchy, well-produced and the choreography, as mentioned, is much, much better than the original.
As for the Blu-ray release, "Camp Rock 2 - The Final Jam: Extended Edition" does come with the Blu-ray, DVD and a digital copy of the film. But also, for fans who did enjoy the sequel, the extended version does have the never-before-seen scenes and songs for "Different Summers" and "Walking in My Shoes".
Although, not a release that comes with a lot of special features and unfortunately no audio commentary or featurettes (would have loved to see the making of or even the training that went into creating the film), it's still a solid release for fans of the film, Demi Lovato, the Jonas Brothers or those who enjoy Disney musicals. Picture and audio quality is solid and I think that fans will love this extended edition Blu-ray release.
Overall, "Camp Rock 2 - The Final Jam: Extended Edition" is another entertaining musical following the success of the original "Camp Rock" but also improves the film with its music soundtrack and choreography. If you loved watching "Camp Rock 2 - The Final Jam" on the Disney Channel, then you'll definitely want to pick up the extended version of the film!

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Get ready to ROCK with the biggest musical event of the year—now in an extended edition with exclusive scenes & songs! Join Mitchie (Demi Lovato), Shane, Nate, and Jason (Jonas Brothers), and some brand new campers across the lake for 2 times the music, 2 times the dance moves and 2 times the fun in Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam! Plus only this extended edition combo pack includes a behind-the-scenes introduction to the newest stars, music videos by camp rockers from around the world, "Rock-Along" where you take center stage and more!Mitchie can\'t wait to go back to Camp Rock and spend the summer making new music with her friends and superstar Shane Gray. But the slick new camp across the lake, Camp Star, has drummed up some serious competition—featuring newcomers Luke (Matthew "Mdot" Finley) and Dana (Chloe Bridges). In a sensational battle of the bands, with Camp Rock's future at stake, will Camp Star's flashy production and over-the-top antics win out, or will camp rockers prove that talent, teamwork, and spirit are what truly matter?

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Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) Review

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(More customer reviews)My husband doesn't even like musicals, but he likes this one!
What could be better than singing by Howard Keel and Jane Powell? The music is great, the colors bright and vivid, the choreography wonderful.
To our modern eyes, the story of this 1954 musical seems a little outdated--the attitudes towards women are somewhat distasteful. Howard Keel's character, Adam, needs someone to clean and cook for his household of 6 wild brothers, so he just goes into town and "acquires" a wife, poor Millie (Jane Powell) who has no idea what is in store for her.
When the boys decide they need wives, they just go into town, kidnap a batch of girls, beat the girls' boyfriends insensible, and spend the winter snowbound with the girls who miraculously fall in love with them. OK, well then...
But, the charm of this musical somehow allows us to overlook all of this, and Millie's sheer spunkiness in trying to tame these wild men redeems them somehow. So everyone learns his lesson and all ends well.
This musical is also interesting in that it showcases several young talents who became better known in later years: The character of Dorcas is played by Julie Newmeyer (a young Julie Newmar, Catwoman in the TV series Batman in later years), Russ Tamblyn (future star of West Side Story), and Ruta Kilmonis (later semi-celebrity Ruta Lee). Even in this very early outing, Julie Newmar's distinctive voice and looks make her stand out.
The director, Stanley Donen, directed some of the best musicals in the 50s, including Damn Yankees, Singing in the Rain, Kismet (uncredited), and Royal Wedding. Inexplicably, in his later career, he directed such bombs as Saturn 3 (1980).


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Howard Keel and Jane Powell are rapturous newlyweds who tame his six rowdy bachelor brothers in the wild Oregon backwoods in this Best Score Academy Award(R)-winning song-and-dance-filled comedy.

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TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Best Picture Winners (Casablanca / Gigi / An American in Paris / Mrs. Miniver) (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am 80 years old and saw these films when they were first released. In an age when there were no VCRs, much less DVDs, a film came your way, you saw it and from then on they were memories. These films were considered classics then and seeing them again I would say that they stand up well against current stuff. Different acting style, true, but the dramatic impact and the story lines are as good as any. It is refreshing to see the dancing in American... and Gigi. Is today's stuff really more energetic? The old days were so much more graceful - tell me about Ginger Rodgers and Fred Astair. The great relief? I cannot imagine Mrs. Minniver using the indecent language that we hear in too many films these days. How refreshing!!!

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CASABLANCA Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) "sticks his neck out for nobody." Then she (Ingrid Bergman) walks back into his life…with her Resistance-leader husband. "Our candidate for the best Hollywood movie of all time" (Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide), directed by Michael Curtiz.MRS. MINIVER One of Hollywood's most memorable spirit-lifters about an idealized England confronting the terror of World War II. Greer Garson (a formidable Oscar-winning title-role performance), Walter Pidgeon and Teresa Wright star; William Wyler directs.GIGI Thank heaven for the bubbly fun and glorious Lerner and Loewe music! Gigi (Leslie Caron) goes from girlishness to glamour and desires more than the lush life of suitor Louis Jourdan. With Maurice Chevalier and Hermione Gingold.AN AMERICAN IN PARIS Gene Kelly plays an ex-GI who loves Paris and an alluring (but engaged) shop clerk (Leslie Caron in her beguiling screen debut). Dazzling dances and a stunning ballet finale are spun around songs and music by the Gershwins.

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Funny Lady (1975) Review

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(More customer reviews)Barbra Streisand doesn't talk about FUNNY LADY that much. She did not include any songs or references to it in her 1992 CD collection "Just For The Record". (The FUNNY LADY soundtrack was not recorded for her record label - another possible reason why it was not included).
Several of the Streisand biographies "quote" Streisand as saying that Ray Stark (the producer behind the successful FUNNY GIRL) would have to drag her to court in order to make FUNNY LADY. It is also said that Streisand's burgeoning love affair with former hairdresser Jon Peters sustained her during the filming of FUNNY LADY - as if the the romance made up for the fact that the work on a FUNNY GIRL sequel was unfulfilling.
Whatever the true story is, we now have a brand new FUNNY LADY DVD from Columbia Pictures. For people like me who made the jump from VHS to DVD (and skipped the laser disk revolution in the 90's), it is wonderful to finally view this film in all its WIDESCREEN glory! James Wong Howe (no relation, although I'm proud to share his surname) photographed FUNNY LADY, and it looks good! The color palette utilized by the film's designers is a bit bawdy for my tastes. In some scenes, though, the design is wonderful - especially in the "Clap Hands" musical number with Ben Vereen.
As for FUNNY LADY, the movie, it has held up well. Some Streisand fans jokingly refer to the Fanny Brice character in FUNNY GIRL as "good Fanny" and the character in FUNNY LADY as "evil Fanny". The script for FUNNY LADY completely changes the character. Fanny, grown up, is shrewd, cynical, and curt. She calls everyone "kid". After not having seen this film for several years, I think Streisand does a great job! "Fanny Brice" in FUNNY LADY is a true character that Streisand plays with an edge. She's not a particularly attractive character - a little annoying - but, nonetheless, a fully realized character. I think some FUNNY GIRL fans want the melodramatic Fanny back for FUNNY LADY. They want more suffering and torch songs and romance. The love affair in FUNNY LADY is not combustible. James Caan (as Billy) is a schmuck. Fanny sings a song called "Isn't This Better?" One of the lyrics says: "Passion is fine, but passion burns fast. Passion's design seems never to last." FUNNY LADY, I think, is about Fanny's decision to love again, but in a different, "safe and serene" way than she loved Nick in FUNNY GIRL.
Enjoy it!

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Mame (1974) Review

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(More customer reviews)This film has been considered a critical failure since the day it was released, and very unjustly so. I happen to find MAME quite charming and a lot of fun. The casting is super. I do not think Lucy was miscast, although I can understand how one might arrive at that opinion... Lucy was 62 years old during filming, but was playing a character 15-20 years her junior. Furthermore, one thing Lucy was NOT known for was being a singer, even though Mame is a musical role. But that's just what I find all the more appealing about this film... context is the key word here. Mame is not supposed to be Julie Andrews or Kathryn Grayson (although there are any number of musical actresses who would have made a fine Mame); a lower more raspy voice is more suited to the character. While no one will ever be able to top Rosalind Russell from the earlier nonmusical play and its 1958 film adaptation AUNTIE MAME, or Angela Lansbury from the Broadway cast of the musical, Lucy is in there trying her darndest and in my opinion pulls it off rather well. Playing Mame at 62 years old was no easy task I'm sure. Lucy really seems to be enjoying herself--just watch her during the "Mame" number...she almost seems to glow.
The supporting cast are outstanding. Bea Arthur is THE best Vera Charles, hands down. Seeing her and Lucy in "Bosom Buddies" is classic--whether or not they got along off camera is totally irrelavent. Robert Preston was born to play Beau, and Jane Connell reprises her role of Agnes Gooch, which she had played on Broadway. (Did you know she was nearly 50 in this film?)
MAME has been available on VHS for years, though it is now out of print, but still not really that hard to track down if you play your cards right. Unfortunately the VHS, while acceptable, is full frame (aka "pan-n-scan") and we really miss a lot by not having it in widescreen. The AUNTIE MAME DVD features the trailer for this film, in widescreen, and even that is fabulous.
COMING TO DVD IN JUNE 2007!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Lucille Ball plays Auntie mame, loving life and living it to the hilt with her nephew and assorted eccentrics in tow. Robert Preston, Beatrice Arthur and Jerry Herman's smashing Broadway score add pizazz. Year: 1974 Director: Gene Saks Starring: Lucille Ball. Robert Preston, Bea Arthur

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The Wiz (30th Anniversary Edition w/ Bonus CD) (1978) Review

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(More customer reviews)This, the 30th Anniversary release of THE WIZ, is a far improved print from the earlier DVD release. The colors of each scene are bright and crisp, and the graininess has been cleaned a great deal. Included with this edition is a soundtrack CD featuring SOME of the songs from the film. Those expecting the entire soundtrack may be disappointed to see that they only get a small percentage of the original songs.

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Ease on down the yellow-brick road with the 30th Anniversary Edition of The Wiz, starring superstars Diana Ross and Michael Jackson!Relive all of the magic of this beloved musical when Dorothy is whisked away to the enchanting wonderland of Oz, where she encounters the Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Lion.The Wiz features spectacular musical numbers from legendary producer Quincy Jones and an all-star cast including Lena Horne, Richard Pryor, Nipsey Russell and Ted Ross.With a digitally remastered picture and the unforgettable soundtrack in new 5.1 surround sound, it's an experience of the land of Oz unlike anything you've seen before!

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Cry Baby (Director's Cut) (1990) Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm really excited to see this great film finally make its debut on dvd; it's been a long wait.
John Waters has proven himself time and time again as America's avatar of bad taste and all things tacky, but he sidelined his more base urges for a greater good over a decade ago. Starting with Hairspray, Waters essentially re-created the American musical, and honed that to perfection with the castly underappreciated Cry-Baby. But it's not just a musical - it's also a heartfelt valentine to a simpler time, his beloved Baltimore of the late 1950's.
Depp stars as "Cry-Baby" Walker, a juvenile delinquent from the wrong side of the tracks who spends his time hanging with his gang and singing that evil rock n' roll music. He and his way of life are constantly threatened by the town 'Squares' who are both threatened and repelled by Cry-Baby and those like him.
Naturally, he falls for a Square girl and all hell breaks loose. That part of it is a simple story, and I won't waste time rehashing or giving it away here. No, what really stands out about this film is its gleeful embrace of 'white-trash culture,' its loving tribute to the great juvenile delinquent movies of the 50's and 60's, and its rambunctious energy.
As usual, Waters peppers the film with eclectic casting; Susan Tyrell, Iggy Pop, Ricki Lake, Mink Stole, Joe Dalessandro, Willem Dafoe, David Nelson (son of Ozzie), Traci Lords and Patty Hearst (yes, that Patty Hearst) are just a few of the many talents that form this wonderful ensemble cast. And of course, it's another one of Depp's great iconoclastic roles that have helped define him as one of the great idiosyncratic actors of our time.
So grab yourself an RC Cola, a Moon Pie, and put yer teeth up on the windowsill while y'all enjoy this trashy good time. You'll thank me for it and if y'all don't like it, I'll eat me a bug.


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Broadway: The American Musical (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)Soup to nuts, the folks over at PBS pulled it off. They've condensed the history of the American Broadway musical into six hours, and it feels about right.
Yes yes yes, there will be hordes of folks who quibble that their "all-time most important" musical didn't make it, but that's missing the point.
You will feel as if you have a serious grasp of the development of the American musical after seeing this film. Period. Mission accomplished.
The first segments of the documentary, hosted by the ageless Julie Andrews, begin with Flo Ziegfeld, and the "Follies". One thing that hasn't been mentioned (yet) is the nice concomitant history lesson you get regarding New York, Times Square and American popular culture while absorbing this mini-series. The influence of opera (or more properly, operetta), vaudeville and minstrel shows are made abundantly clear, and are fascinating to someone like me who really had no exposure to this sort of material.
As we reach mid-century, more and more of the people talked ABOUT in the film are actually alive...and the shows discussed are ridiculously familiar to even the most "uneducated" viewer. Song after song reveals their source...standards that originated on Broadway that have become part of our cultural language.
Artistic ambition grows by leaps and bounds...from the musical "revue" to musical "comedy" to a dramatic "book" musical. Storytelling techniques through song and staging develop as fast as the geniuses on the stage, behind the stage and under the stage can think...
Some of the creators, like Sondheim, are expert at analysis and insight. They provide some great "talking head" moments about musicals that aren't theirs! By and large, the critics they used for the documentary come across as enthusiastic, overwhelmingly knowledgeable, incisive, playful...I thought as a group they were terrific, without any hint of elitism, snobbery or any number of other "stereotypes" one may have about a "New York Broadway critic."
My first audible gasp came at the end of episode five, when they play that "I Love NY" commercial from the late 70's. I remember seeing that as a kid, but the only thing that had any effect on me was the presence of Brooke Shields at the end of it.
People like Mandy Patinkin, Patti Lupone, Angela Lansbury, those "Cats" creatures and yes, I think that's Patrick Swayze in "Grease" mode...what a riot!
The most affecting portion, for me, is the last episode, for that encompasses most of my personal Broadway experience. I imagine that whatever era you feel the most affinity towards will have the same effect.
Spending 6-10 minutes per musical or producer seems criminal, until you simply appreciate the tidbits for what they are. They're like little gems. Fragments of shows that you yearn to see ALL of...
...so let me editorialize for a second.
All musicals should be filmed once with their original casts, if only for posterity. I own "Sunday In The Park With George" and "Sweeney Todd", two exemplary musicals (covered here) and nice DVD's to own. What I wouldn't give for an "Evita" (not covered here) with Lupone and Patinkin, or the original cast of "Rent". There. Editorial done.
Speaking of "Rent", the final fifteen to twenty minutes of the movie are an emotional tidal wave. Seeing Jonathan Larson's last day of work on video...watching him make his last milk shake at the Moondance Diner...and then finding out he dies right before previews, is not heartbreaking, it's heart-shattering.
That segment leads into the piece on 9/11. Somber and a little creepy, as you've seen almost six hours of the busiest intersections on Earth suddenly empty, a modern ghost town.
The filmmakers then pull off a terrific stunt. They show the post 9/11 commercial encouraging people to come back to NY. It echoes the one from over two decades prior, yet is defiant, proud and yes, a little inspiring.
A quick cut to "Hairspray", specifically to the finale which may be the single most energetic song to ever grace the boards, and then summing it all up with "Wicked", a musical I coincidentally just saw three weeks ago (and loved), made for an amazing viewing experience and I could not recommend this any more highly.
Now, for those of you who DO own this, my copy is plagued by a jittery video (with pristine audio) across all three discs. No one else has mentioned this, so perhaps my case is isolated...
One last request: please watch the rehearsal "bonus" footage with Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, working on their song from Wicked called, "For Good." Watching and listening to these two outstanding singers tentatively creating these performances, intercut with footage from the final result, sent shivers up my spine.

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Studio: Paramount Home VideoRelease Date: 09/23/2005

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