She Stoops to Conquer - Goldsmith / National Theatre (2009) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)"She Stoops to Conquer" is a humorous study of human relationships. As in real life each person has multiple dimensions. Some people are chameleons and change color to suit their surroundings. Others are more comfortable with themselves and maintain a constant stripe. The interactions of these different characters lead to humorous situations and witty dialogue. This is a thoroughly enjoyable farce. The cast is outstanding and the picture quality is great.

Click Here to see more reviews about: She Stoops to Conquer - Goldsmith / National Theatre (2009)

Oliver Goldsmith Heritage Theatre presents The Out of Joint / National Theatre Co-Production of She Stoops To Conquer. Oliver Goldsmith's classic comedy of manners tells of the clever schemes and comic ruses that unfold one night at a country house. An ambitious step-mother, impassioned sweethearts, a pragmatic father and a pair of star-crossed suitors are sent spinning through a hilarious comedy of errors by one of the great characters of the stage, Tony Lumpkin.In its day, this eighteenth century masterpiece was considered so 'low' that it might never have reached the stage. When it was finally produced, it enjoyed immediate and lasting success, breaking the mould with its satirical swipe at polite society. Goldsmith made comedy funnier and more natural than the 'sentimental' stuff of his contemporaries - yet his characters burst with warmth as well as great wit. Max Stafford-Clark sets the story of the ultimate dysfunctional family in the hinterland of Lichfield. His triumphant production played to great acclaim at the National Theatre and on tour.'beautifully directed by Max Stafford-Clark...a dream' The Independent 'superb' Daily Mail'supremely well acted' The Wall Street Journal' enjoyably rowdy' The Evening Standard 'brilliant new Irish actor Owen Sharpe' Daily Mail'a comedy without errors...with effervescent performances from the entire cast, it was impossible not to get caught up in the thrill of it all... exudes all-out fun and frivolity...the sheer verve of the exuberantly witty dialogue was quite enough to keep the 21st century audience at the National Theatre roaring with laughter. The crowd simply loved it' Daily Mirror''lots of rewards...Ian Redford's Hardcastle can be splendidly irascible' Sunday Telegraph'Includes an interview with Max Stafford-Clark on his production.This production was first performed on September 12, 2002 at the Oxford Playhouse, and opened at the National Theatre on December 17, 2002. It was recorded at the Theatre Royal, Bath on April 8 & 9, 2003.CASTSir Charles Marlow / Roger: NIGEL COOKEYoung Charles Marlow (his son): CHRISTOPHER STAINESMr Hardcastle: IAN REDFORDMr George Hastings: STEPHEN BERESFORDTony Lumpkin: OWEN SHARPE Landlord / Jeremy: MATTHEW SIM Diggory: JASON WATKINS Mrs Hardcastle: .JANE WOOD Miss Kate Hardcastle: MONICA DOLAN Miss Constance Neville: FRITHA GOODEY Pimple: BELLA MERLIN Director: ROBIN LOUGH Our gratitude to the staff and patrons of the THEATRE ROYAL, BATH. Heritage Theatre

Get 10% OFF

Click here for more information about She Stoops to Conquer - Goldsmith / National Theatre (2009)

SCTV, Volume 1 - Network 90 (5 Disc Set) (1981) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Whenever I got together with friends discussing television and movies we always wondered why every crummy TV show and movie made it to DVD while SCTV was not yet on DVD. Then we would inevitably begin to reminisce about the show, out favorite sketches, etc. Now we can all watch together because SCTV is finally on DVD . . . well, at least some of it is, and that's a good start.
For those who fondly remember the series I must first state that this is not a collection of the 30-minute shows that were shown in syndication. Rather, this collection contains the first nine shows of SCTV-90 that ran on NBC during the early 80's. Fortunately, the first episode of the collection is a retrospective of some of the best sketches that ran on the syndicated show. Fans will be able to see "Night School Hi-Q," a quiz show where Eugene Levy plays a harassed Alex Trebek to Catherine O'Hara's clueless Margaret Meehan; John Candy as a fully grown Beaver who finally gets revenge in Eddie Haskell; Rick Moranis as Merv Griffin comparing jacket linings with Yasser Arafat and Liberace; and the jewel of the disk, Rick Moranis as Woody Allen playing against Dave Thomas as Bob Hope in "Play It Again, Bob." No one ever imitated Bob Hope like Dave Thomas; seeing him on the screen almost makes us believe were really were seeing Bob Hope, that's how good the impersonation was.
And there's more to come with some of the best-loved characters in SCTV: Guy Callabero, Edith Prickley, Bob and Doug McKenzie, Johnny LaRue, Mrs. Falbo, Lola Heatherton, Bobby Bittman, Earl Camembert, Floyd Robertson, aka Count Floyd, Dr. Tongue, Perini Scleroso, Mel Slirrup, and Sammy Maudlin. They're still as funny, and almost as fresh, as when we watched them back then.
Other highlights to look for include the following:
-- John Candy as Civil War coward "Yellowbelly," a spoof on Chuck Connor' series, "Branded."
-- Rick Moranis a video deejay Gerry Todd, pre-MTV and eerily prescient.
-- The Sammy Maudlin Show where Bobby Bittman (the unfunniest funny-man in Hollywood) is upstaged by Bob Hope.
-- The Ingmar Bergman film parody that shows up of Count Floyd's "Monster Chiller Horror Theater." Floyd is under the impression that it's a horror film. His disappointment when he finds out the truth is as hilarious as the parody itself. ( A bit of SCTV trivia here: Count Floyd, who was SCTV news anchorman Floyd Robertson in a vampire costume and cheesy make-up, is based on Bill Cardille, who Joe Flaherty watched as a kid growing up in Pittsburgh. Cardille did the weather for the local NBC station, and on weekends hosted the studio wrestling matches and as "Chilly Billy" hosted the Saturday night horror feature.)
-- Joe Flaherty as station owner Guy Callabero, who, although he can walk, uses a wheel chair. ("I only use it for respect!")
-- "The Grapes of Mud," a parody of "The Grapes of Wrath."
-- "Mrs. Falbo's Tiny Town." Andrea Martin at her funniest.
-- Johnny Larue's "Polynesiantown," with its ending crane shot that got LaRue in hot water with Guy Callabero because it went so far over budget.
-- "The Merv Griffith Show," with Rick Moranis as Merv doing the part of Sheriff Taylor. Look for Eugene Levy as a great Floyd the Barber and John Candy as Otis.
-- "Dr. Tongue's 3-D House of Stewardesses," a cheesy send-up of 3-D movies.
-- Catherine O'Hara as Lola Heatherton. Simply hilarious.
That said, the only stumbling block would be the price, which is due to the cost of obtaining the music rights. But it's worth it, and the music's not bad. For instance, the late Roy Orbison, Dr. John, and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes (fans of Conan O'Brien and the Max Weinberg 7 should watch for LaBamba and Mark Pender in earlier incarnations) are among the performers.
Besides the excellent commentaries on each disk, there is also a 24-page booklet with articles by Conan O'Brien and Ben Stiller, among others. O'Brien says in his piece that in regard to SCTV, "I don't think anyone's ever topped it." I agree.

Click Here to see more reviews about: SCTV, Volume 1 - Network 90 (5 Disc Set) (1981)

SCTV VOL 1:NETWORK 90 - DVD Movie

Get 12% OFF

Click here for more information about SCTV, Volume 1 - Network 90 (5 Disc Set) (1981)

Greater Tuna Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I SO wanted to award them 5-stars like all the rest of the reviewers, but the DVD version of this classic play just doesn't meet my expectations.
My wife and I absolutely love the Tuna trilogy (Greater Tuna, A Tuna Christmas, and Red, White and Tuna). We first saw Greater Tuna on our honeymoon while in San Francisco fifteen years ago and have seen others perform it several times since. We have seen Joe and Jaston (the originals) perform A Tuna Christmas and Red, White and Tuna twice each. Every time we see any of these three shows, we absolutely laugh our a$$e$ off! The writing is simply sheer genius.
I was incredibly psyched to learn that the first two shows had finally been released on DVD and rushed to buy them. I popped one into the player and that was when my heart sank.
Don't get me wrong. The play and the performances are absolutely stellar! I am so glad that they got these performances recorded for posterity (the third one, Red White and Tuna, MUST be done as soon as possible before the opportunity is lost)!
The one star docking from the perfect five is due to the really shoddy DVD packaging and presentation. There are ZERO extras included on the disc. NOTHING! There isn't even an information insert inside the cover of the DVD. The show itself is just a straight copy of the VHS video recording transfered to DVD. Period. No remixing or remastering; any flaws on the VHS video transfered to the DVD playback. Shame on them. They could have created something for the ages, but no.
Still, this is an incredible show and well worth the investment to own. My wife and I will watch these shows over and over now and never tire of them. If they ever do come to their senses and remix and release some "collector's editions" with lots of extras (and they should, by all means!), then we'll probably jump on those as well. We love them that much!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Greater Tuna

Studio: Wolfe VideoRelease Date: 08/31/2004Rating: Ur

Get 10% OFF

Click here for more information about Greater Tuna

Steambath (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1973) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I first saw this TV adaptation of Bruce Jay Friedman's offbeat off- Broadway play on PBS Channel 28 in 1973 and was impressed not only by Valerie Perrine's nude shower scene but by the rest of the cast (Bill Bixby, Herb Edelman, Jose Perez, Shirley Kirkes, et al) and the bizarre story line -- an odd assortment of strangers find themselves in a Steambath, not knowing how they got there or why. The attendant seems to be the only one who has a purpose there. A terrible purpose, we learn as the plot unfolds! I saw this TV play twice back then and as far as I know it has never been shown since. But at least it's available now on DVD. I recommend it to all who enjoy a good comic fantasy with some serious overtones. The image quality is good, though a little soft (perhaps because it's in a Steambath?) but there are no bonus features except for some trailers for other Broadway plays available. Enjoy this effort from the early days of PBS when it was bold, daring and innovative -- you never saw anything like this on network TV back in those days!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Steambath (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1973)

Click here for more information about Steambath (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1973)

A Tuna Christmas Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This video was fantasic & its longer than the first one so thats an added bonus!These guys do such a wonderful job with being all the different poeple in Tuna town.It will keep you laughing all through the video & every time you watch it.You get so involved that during the diner scene you want to help the waitresses out!There is a contest for the best decorated yard for Christmas & you hear that someone had decorated there yard as 'Christmas at Colonel Sanders House" complete with live chickens dressed as elves! ;) Its worth your time,check it out,I cant wait for the next one.

Click Here to see more reviews about: A Tuna Christmas

TUNA CHRISTMAS - DVD Movie

Get 10% OFF

Click here for more information about A Tuna Christmas

Steambath (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1973) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I first saw this TV adaptation of Bruce Jay Friedman's offbeat off- Broadway play on PBS Channel 28 in 1973 and was impressed not only by Valerie Perrine's nude shower scene but by the rest of the cast (Bill Bixby, Herb Edelman, Jose Perez, Shirley Kirkes, et al) and the bizarre story line -- an odd assortment of strangers find themselves in a Steambath, not knowing how they got there or why. The attendant seems to be the only one who has a purpose there. A terrible purpose, we learn as the plot unfolds! I saw this TV play twice back then and as far as I know it has never been shown since. But at least it's available now on DVD. I recommend it to all who enjoy a good comic fantasy with some serious overtones. The image quality is good, though a little soft (perhaps because it's in a Steambath?) but there are no bonus features except for some trailers for other Broadway plays available. Enjoy this effort from the early days of PBS when it was bold, daring and innovative -- you never saw anything like this on network TV back in those days!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Steambath (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1973)

STEAMBATH - DVD Movie

Get 10% OFF

Click here for more information about Steambath (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1973)

RiffTrax Shorts Volume 2 - from the stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (2009) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Rifftrax is a spin-off or sequel to "Mystery Science Theater 3000" where three of the writers/performers from that show sell both mp3 files of movie mocking commentaries (which you sync up manually with the big studio's DVD release) and straight-to-DVD features where the commentary has already been synchronised up with a movie (usually a low-budget, public domain film) . I have found the feature length Rifftraxs to be hit-or-miss; some of them are great, but others leave me a little cold.
However, this is the second release they have made of commentaries over old industrial training shorts. These short films are a hold-over from the old MST3k days, and the shorts they tackled oftentimes resulted in producing some of their funniest material. Where would MST3k history be without Mr. B. Natural, Coily the Spring Sprite or a Date With Your Family?
And like Rifftrax's first volume of short films, the riffers do a great job of selecting nutty, bizarre material and interspersing quips, puns and observations into the already full sea of non sequiturs and nonsense.
Due to a variety of circumstances, I had actually previously viewed some of these short features in their original unmolested form before Rifftrax had added their commentary. So not only was I looking forward to watching their take on these, I also knew exactly how goofy, confusing and strange some of their starting material was.
This single DVD collection puts together nine short films which had previously been for sale via the Rifftrax website.
1) ONE GOT FAT. A bicycle safety film in which the protagonists are small children wearing disturbing, distorted ape masks. Charmingly, all but one of the kids are horribly killed or maimed by ignoring simple safety precautions while bicycling to a picnic. The precocious child then eats the lunches of his fallen peers in lieu of mourning.
2) LUNCHROOM MANNERS. School children watch a rude and clumsy puppet (Mr. Bungle). This short and lightweight demonstration causes all the children to radically alter their entire behavior for the rest of their lives.
3) EACH CHILD IS DIFFERENT. An instructional film intended for elementary school teachers. If not for the merciless mocking, this would be an incredibly depressing experience. Adults are taught that individual children may have horrifically dark, bleak and disturbing home lives.
4) WHY DOESN'T CATHY EAT BREAKFAST? A film which asks a question and then refuses to answer it. An absolutely pointless film as far as I could tell. This short is paired with PETALUMA CHICKEN which is equally confusing, featuring a chef attempting to make the world's largest omelette with help from an oversized spoon and women who do aerobics in a giant bowl. Two utterly incomprehensible movies.
5) ACT YOUR AGE. A high schooler caught defacing a desk decides to chart his way towards maturity with the help of statistics and focused polling of his family and peers.
6) HARM HIDES AT HOME. A normal suburban crossing guard is tracked by a U.F.O and given strange alien powers. She becomes Safety Woman, whose abilities are limited to providing her neighborhood children with lessons about fire safety coupled with instant teleportation. Given the description, you'd think the producers were trying to use humor to provide kids with a valuable lesson. But for some reason, the film takes its alien-enhanced heroine very seriously.
7) COFFEE HOUSE RENDEZVOUS. I'm not exactly clear on who this film is aimed at, but its message is that coffee houses of the '60s are a great place for young people to hang out. Features frequent close-ups of coffee and also a lot of sounds coming out of some kind of musical instruments.
8) ARE YOU POPULAR? I've watched this short two times now, and I still don't see how it answers the title question. Instead, it solemnly informs teenage boys that if they wish to date teenage girls, they must schedule their encounter some time before the evening in question. I wouldn't have thought it would take ten minutes to make that basic point.
9) GOOD HEALTH PRACTICES. The distillation of every food health film you've ever seen. Disturbingly, this must contain the most references to urination and defecation than any other film of its era.Usually, the more outrageous or ridiculous the short, the more fun was to be had from MST3k/Rifftrax. The films here are certainly absurd and Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett get in a lot of excellent jokes. They aren't merely rehashing the jokes from their MST3k days, but it certainly has a very familiar flavor.
(One thing to note is that unlike some of the other straight-to-DVD Rifftrax, here there is no option to view the material without the riffing commentary. Given that most of these films are available freely on-line that probably won't be a problem for anyone dying to hear every available line of dialog in its original unscathed condition.)

Click Here to see more reviews about: RiffTrax Shorts Volume 2 - from the stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (2009)

Remember the instructional films your teachers used to show you whenever they wanted to sneak out for a smoke, or just nap in the back of the classroom? They're back! Only this time, Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy, of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and RiffTrax.com are there to exact revenge with their signature brand of hilarious running commentary!Yes, from the authoritarian 40's right up to the groovy, do-whatever-you-want 70's, they were there, lecturing, hectoring and always, always insisting that you practice proper hygiene. Includes nine complete shorts, from the bizarre monkey themed safety film One Got Fat, the caffeinated Beat generation frenzy of Coffee House Rendezvous, and the brutal self assessment that comes with Are You Popular? Wheel in the A/V cart, close the shades, turn off the lights and laugh along with master riffers Mike, Kevin and Bill. It's like spending the evening with your funniest friends!

Click here for more information about RiffTrax Shorts Volume 2 - from the stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (2009)

Lily Tomlin: The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1992) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is the masterpiece of the Tomlin and Wagner team. Jane Wagner the writer and Lily Tomlin the amazingly versatile performer. I'm a mega Lily fan ten times over and this movie is why. For those unfamiliar with "Search" you should know that this is a filmed version of a one-woman show originally produced on Broadway in 1985. On stage Lily used NO costumes or props WHATSOEVER. She appeared as you see her in just a simple blouse and slacks. For this film they incorporated Lily in costume for some parts so the viewer gets the best of both worlds; to see it as it was performed live on stage and also to take advantage of seeing what the characters look like were Lily performing for a film. It is really neat to watch.
But the main reason for watching this film is for the performance and the material itself which is thought provoking, funny, touching, intelligent, interwoven, philisophical and brilliant. Lily won a Tony award as Best Actress In A Play in 1986 for her performance. She deserved it.
Watch this film and be knocked out.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Lily Tomlin: The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1992)

BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!

Get 9% OFF

Click here for more information about Lily Tomlin: The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1992)

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 4 (Girl in Gold Boots / Hamlet / Overdrawn at the Memory Bank / Space Mutiny) (1988) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This fourth collection of episodes from the classic TV comedy show, "Mystery Science Theater 3000" (which, if you don't already know, is the program where a silhouette of a man and his two robots sitting in theater seat provide running comedic commentary to rotten movies), contains four episodes from the later seasons that appeared on the Sci-Fi Channel. That means Mike Nelson is the host, Billy Corbett is doing Crow's voice instead of Trace Beaulieu, and Pearl Forrester is now the evil scientist holding the crew of the Satellite of Love hostage.
The early DVD collections were all focused on the Comedy Central years of MST3K, so this is a nice shift in Rhino's marketing. Some fans aren't fond of the host segments in these later years, but there are some occasional funny ones. The riffing, however, is as good as ever, and has changed to an angry, sarcastic style different than the Joel and early Mike years. I love both styles, but some fans prefer one or the other. Just be aware that in this package you're getting a full-assault of the later, Sci-Fi Channel episodes. (Rhino is about release another package of Sci-Fi Channel episodes, after which I hope they'll return to some of the early seasons to maintain balance.)
Of the four episodes on this collection, two are superb, while the others are entertaining but more average. Here's what you'll find:
GIRL IN GOLD BOOTS: A really sleazy `go-go' film from the late 60s with some disturbing similarities to "Showgirls" (except it's better). Sleazy `elf boy' picks up a girl in a greasy spoon restaurant with the promise of making her a dancer in Los Angeles at the club where his drug-addled sister works. Unfortunately, Elf Boy is a bit psychotic, the boss at the club is oily and sleazy, and a poetic spouting dude named Critter (or "Yak Boy") tries to lure our girl from her plunge into a life of...(gasp!)...SIN! Oh, and there's lots of cameras leering at girls in skimpy go-go outfits dancing to lousy music. The film is similar to early MST3K episodes like "Hellcats" and "Wild Rebels" in its greasy ugliness, but the film is mostly slow and boring. Mike and the `Bots do a decent job with it, but this is only an average episode. There is a funny host segment where Mike sings a syrupy guitar ballad while the ship burns.
HAMLET. A 60s German TV production of the play, horribly dubbed into English, and starring Maximilian Schell. It's bleak, drab, slow, and shot entirely on a single very uninteresting set of black curtains and granite furniture. The amusement of this episode is watching Mike and the `Bots take on a classic of literature, and riff off of famous lines, some of which is hysterical. But the production is so ponderous and slow that you'll be screaming along with the hosts for Hamlet to just shut up and die at the end ("Is there a word in English language he hasn't said?" one of them asks). There's a funny host segment called "Alas Poor Who?" set up as gameshow, where contestants must identify celebrities based on pieces of their bones. An intriguing, if not fantastic, episode.
SPACE MUTINY. Ah, here's the gravy! An awful South African-produced sci-fi stinker that rips off the plot of "Battlestar Galactica" - as well as all of its effects footage! (I'm not sure this was legally done.) The inhabitants of the giant space cruiser `The Southern Sun' - which is mostly a large basement and boiler room - face a mutiny by guys in marching band outfits. A chunky loser and his love interest (old enough to be his mother) must save the ship. There are loads of people flipping over railings as they get shot (railing kill!), mutineers who can't aim worthy a damn, a chase on vehicles that go slower than golf carts, and a hero who screeches like a woman at odd moments. Mike and the `Bots really let this film have it, and the result is one of the funniest episodes of the Sci-Fi Channel years.
OVERDRAWN AT THE MEMORY BANK. Just as great an episode as "Space Mutiny" is this horrendous Public Television-produced film. Acutally, it isn't a film: it was shot on VIDEO! Cheap and flat looking, and filled with cheesy video toaster effects, the film blows any chance of succeeding it might have had. And it had potential. It has a real star, Raul Julia, and an early cyberpunk and proto-`Matrix' idea of a man whose mind is lost inside a giant corporate computer in a dystopian future. But none of it makes the least bit of sense, and it reaches hysterical levels of incomprehensibility by the end. Mike and the `Bots are in top form, and there's plenty to laugh at here. The end sequence, where they call the tech-support line for the movie to complain, is a classic!
In addition to the films, Mike Nelson makes brief introductions to each episode, describing a bit of the behind-the-scenes torture the writers went going through. It's a nice feature, and I hope Rhino continues it.
Unlike some earlier Rhino discs, there are no "un-cut, un-MST3K" versions of the films available. Frankly, I never watched the un-cut films on the discs where is WAS available, and I don't think anyone would want to watch any of these film without Mike and the `Bots. They change awful entertainment into great entertainment - and that's a magic feat all on it's own, and why "Mystery Science Theater 3000" will live forever as one of comedy greats.
Come on, JUST PUSH THE BUTTON, FRANK, and buy this collection!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 4 (Girl in Gold Boots / Hamlet / Overdrawn at the Memory Bank / Space Mutiny) (1988)

Item Name: Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 4 (Girl in Gold Boots / Hamlet [1961] / Overdrawn at the Memory Bank / Space Mutiny); Studio:Rhino Theatrical

Get 12% OFF

Click here for more information about Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 4 (Girl in Gold Boots / Hamlet / Overdrawn at the Memory Bank / Space Mutiny) (1988)