Let the Music Play [Blu-ray]

Kickin' back with the Doobie's
To be fair I just got into the Doobie's in the last year. Saw my first concert of theirs last month (it rocked). So my knowledge on this band is some what limited. So this release could not come at a better time. The two hour plus Blu ray gives a great overview of a band that has gone thru a lot of changes over the years. It interveiws just about everyone who is still alive that has been thru the band or worked with them in a significant role (such as Ted Templemen the producer of some of their best records). The thing that struck me was how at peace the band is with their history. In most Band's members of one era would be trying to take credit over members from another. But here Michael MacDonald seems very comfterble saying his period of the Doobie's is not the true Doobie's sound. Don't worry he gets his credit for saving the band when the thought they couldn't go on after Tom Johnston had to leave for health reasons (bleeding ulcer). It also does not treat the reunion years as an...

Forty years and still making music and working together. A DB-produced documentary I found insightful as a DB novice.
In the essay by San Francisco Chronicle music journalist Joel Selvin which accompanies some great Doobie Brother memorabilia in the 8-page booklet inserted the BD case, Selvin refers to this 99-minute film as both a "sprawling documentary" and a "scrapbook", both terms that I think accurately describe the centerpiece of this DVD and Bluray package. When original DB member Pat Simmons discovered a trove of old videos spanning 40 years in his house, he - and the remaining DBs provided them to filmmaker Barry Ehrmann to create the film.

I'll admit up front that I have always liked the DBs but I was never a rabid fan and knew little about them other than what I heard on the radio. But, after watching this thoroughly enjoyable film, I know a lot more. And the snippets of songs I heard - there are no full performances in the film (how could there be? - they produced way too many hits) but nine are included as bonus tracks - brought back a lot of memories. All the important folks...

Wonderful!
Yes I am a member of the Doobies fan club and have met them on many of occasions. This just tops off what I already know about the boys. It is fantastic with great films and scenes I haven't seen before. You can't just watch it once and put it down the first time. Believe it or not I had to watch it twice because there is always something you miss.
If you think you know everything about them your wrong. I'm sure after seeing this we all still don't know everything, but this is really a great way to feel closer to understanding the truth behind them and what all happened throughout the years.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Bieber, Justin - DVD Collector's Box

TERRIBLE DOCUMENTARY!!
This was SO disappointing! This documentary IS NOT endorsed by anyone who knows Justin Beiber! The interviews are with people who nobody knows and most of the info presented is stuff from youtube and other media sources that have already been released. The interviews are generic and do not even directly pertain to Justin. I would return this if I could! I bought it for my niece and my family watched it on Christmas and I was SO embarrassed that I bought her such a bad gift. I ended up buying her another present to make up for such a terrible gift and we donated the DVDs to a thrift store!

DVD Collectors Box
I really liked this as I have quite a few DVD's of Justin and this one had nsome things that I had not previosuly seenb
Also the bonus DVD on Usher was good to see as I have never watched any stories about him

Very Good DVD Set For Justin Fans
I got this for a nephew and he enjoyed it very much. He wasn't aware of the Usher background or the connection so the DVD focusing on him was welcome but the other Bieber DVD has now been watched by the young chap 3 times and certainly kept him quiet for the festive period. Good Choice

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Aviators (Season 2)

Many views of a fascinating topic
Really well done show on aviation. Mixes the views of small private pilots with many views of the huge commercial enterprise, including traffic control, simulators, and commercial pilots. I think they aimed for keeping the average person interested in flight and succeeded brilliantly.

Must view series for any aviation enthusiast
Season 2 is the perfect follow on from Season 1, with one big exception - it's better! The topics covered are all interesting, and the way they're covered makes for easy watching for everyone. My 6 year old daughter loves to sit with me and watch, and she's understanding much of what she's seeing and hearing! I can't wait for Season 3!

Good Show!
I have enjoyed airplanes since I was very young. My dad would take me to the international airport in our city in Colombia and we would watch planes together and he would tell me all about the airplanes. This show is similar to that experience in my opinion. It is a great show for anyone interested in aviation whether they fly or not. Take some time and check this out!

Click to Editorial Reviews

Turner, Ike & Tina - On The Road: 1971-72

Interesting Documentary
This footage of Ike and Tina was shot during the peak of their career. Except for some hot performances by the Ikettes, particularly Esther Jones who was with the revue for many years, there isn't much new performance wise that isn't available elsewhere with far better quality. Almost all of the footage is black and white, the quality ranging from good to bad. The sound quality is not good at all.
It is mainly the non-muscial moments that are the best of this documentary and make it a must have for fans. Glimpses of the creative process, Ike at his studio Bolic Sound playing music, Tina talking about writing songs, singing and and rehearsing with the Ikettes, the entire troupe traveling by plane and car, waiting in airports and motels, you get the feel of the well oiled machine that was the Ike and Tina Turner Revue; a professional team of hard working entertainers, and in spite of being in a spot light at night, most of the life does not appear very glamorous. Of particular...

*Picture* Quality Isn't Great, But It'll Do...
IKE & TINA: ON THE ROAD 1971-72 is basically a home movie filmed with a portable video camera, which was high tech at the time -- but sub-par by today's standards, of the dynamic duo of Ike and Tina Turner, their band The Kings Of Rhythm, and their backing vocals and opening act, The Ikettes as they toured in 1971-72.

What makes this film different from your average everyday amateur home movie is that it was filmed by famed rock photojournalist Bob Gruen and his then wife, Nadya Beck. Gruen's pictures have captured everyone from the Turners to John Lennon and have become iconic in rock and roll history.

In this film, he and Nadya actually become part of the Turner's entourage filming them not only on and back stage, rehearsals and on the road, but also their home life and in the recording studio. The movie captures the excitement that the Ike & Tina Turner Revue had on stage, and it also shows the artistic process of them recording tracks. You also get to watch...

WOW!
I DIDN'T KNOW IT HAD THAT MUCH INSIGHT INTO HER LIFE. I LEARNED HOW SHE LOOKED AND TALKED BEHIND THE CURTAINS. I THINK SHE IS A DOWN TO EARTH PERSON. I LIKE HOW SHE IS HERSELF AT HOME AND A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON ONSTAGE. I SEEN THE IKETTES AND THE WHOLE ENTOURAGE. EVERYBODY WAS CLOSE. I LIKE SOME PERFORMANCES ON THIS DVD THAT I NEVER HEARD OF. I THINK EVERYBODY IS TALENTED. FOR THE FIRST TIME I SAW THE CHILDREN PLAYING AROUND.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Ken Burns: The Dust Bowl [Blu-ray]

Masterful
I was fortunate enough to see a preview cut of The Dust Bowl last week in an event hosted by PBS and it's typical Ken Burns. Burns revolutionized the documentary format in 1990 with The Civil War. His style and technique changed the way stories are told now by historians and filmakers around the world through film. So it should come as no surprise that The Dust Bowl is yet another great work by the masterful director. The film documents the Dust Bowl through iconic pictures and film as Burns usually does, but it is told through the eyes of the survivors in a way that makes the experience even more powerful. I would describe the film as The Worst Hard Time comes ALIVE! If you enjoyed the book by Timothy Egan you will no doubt love this film. If you have not read the book by all means do yourself a favor and do so. Egan is a major contributor of course along with other historians as they are used to frame the events of the era, but it is the "survivors" that truly make the film special...

Bluray Review: Great story, Fabulous characters but a bit repetitive
What John Ford attempted (and, in my opinion, succeeded) to do in the 1940 feature film "The Grapes of Wrath" - to put a human face on those farmers and their families who survived the challenges of the deadly dust storms, as well as the Great Depression in the "dust bowl quadrant" during the 1930s - Ken Burns has succeeded with his latest four-hour documentary that aired on PBS in November 2012 and was released by PBS Home Video on Blu-ray with some bonus features. If you've seen Burns' documentaries on the Civil War or World War Two, you will have an idea of what to expect. Actor Peter Coyote is back as narrator and Burns chose specific families whose members are still alive to tell their own stories. When Burns planned the film he took out ads in the four-state area which comprised the "dust bowl" seeking survivors. He received over 70 responses and - through a process of elimination, chose more than two dozen to interview at great length. These were individuals who were children...

Tales of the Black Blizzard
It starts with a few words: "Let me tell you how it was." In the space of four hours, Ken Burns tells you how it was on the great wide plains of America, in the 1930's, in the Dust Bowl.

Ken Burns' real talent is his focus on the average man and woman. Rather than focusing on the famous, the politicians and celebrities (though they do come into play at times), he introduces us to names from history that we never knew. So, in 'The Dust Bowl,' we get the story of the college-trained writer who set up a homestead in no-man's land, finding her husband there. We hear the story of the family with nine children, and the ambition to pass on a square mile of fertile land to each of them. We hear the stories of children born into a world of blowing dust and dirt, of some who survive, and some who didn't make it.

Make no mistake, this is a story of struggle and human endurance stretched to the limit, of hopes raised and then dashed again, year after year. It's a story of...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Charlie Brown & Snoopy Show: The Complete Series

Finally its here
When I told Warner Home Video to release "The Charlie Brown & Snoopy Show" to DVD, they answered me. So here what the episodes are:

Season 1 (1983)
1.Snoopy's Cat Fight
2.Snoopy: Team Manager
3.Linus and Lucy
4.Lucy VS the World
5.Linus' Security Blanket
6.Snoopy: Man's Best Friend
7.Snoopy the Psychiatrist
8.You Can't Win Charlie Brown
9.The Lost Ballpark
10.Snoopy's Football Career
11.Chaos in the Classroom
12.It's that Team Spirit, Charlie Brown (also available on the

The Replacements - Color Me Obsessed: A Film About The Replacements

Great film about my favorite band but I only have one problem.
I will tell you the one problem I had with the film at the end of this review. I will start by saying that this has become my favorite documentary ever!! Now, unlike everyone who appeared in this film and unlike most viewers or fans, I wasn't alive when The Replacements were in their prime. I'm only in my early 20s and I discovered the band back in 2008 from a friend of mine. They have become my favorite band, to the point of obsession.

I won't go on about how there is no music or interviews from the band in the film. I will just say that this was the best way to tell the band's story. The Replacements were sort of that band that you herd about, you knew the name but you didn't know who they were completely. They seemed to be this legend that people had told. It was something that a lot of people had talked about but somewhere in the place of rock history, they were left out when The Beatles, The Velvet Underground or R.E.M. are mentioned. You just knew from what you had...

Not your typical music documentary
I've seen this film several times now and it is extremely well done. It's not your typical documentary in that it doesn't feature the band or the band's music. Rather, it is a funny, candid, and sometimes poignant recounting of stories about the band by fans and friends.

This really is a must-see for Replacements fans.

A lot to like, but not what I'd hoped it would be.
I suppose that it is what it is, and if I went in expecting it to be something else, then the problem is mine. But I'd thought there would be at least some footage of the Mats, maybe a bit of their music, even if both were de-emphasized. I should have done some research outside of watching the trailers, though I guess it should have occurred to me then that neither would be present in this film.

Watching this film is a lot like sitting at a bar while someone who knew a famous guy tells you all about him. Technically it's great, it's assembled with care and well-edited. Grant Hart's interviews in particular are a real treat.

But an hour and a half of that? I don't care who the chatty guy at the bar was, I'd have told him to shut up or just walked away mid-wistful recollection long before that.

I can't think of a situation where I'd watch it again, and I wish I'd have rented it instead of buying it.

Click to Editorial Reviews