Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway

Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway Review

Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway Feature

• Actors: Will Chase, Adam Kantor, Michael McElroy, Rodney Hicks, Tracie Thoms.
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC.
• Language: English. Subtitles: English, French.
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only).
• Not Rated. Run Time: 165 minutes.

For passionate fans of Rent--the popular Broadway rock musical that updated La Boheme with electric guitars, steel drums, strippers, and drag queens--Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway is a must-have.Written and composed by Jonathan Larson (who died suddenly of an aortic aneurysm just before the show premiered), Rent follows an absurdly clean-cut gaggle of hipster artists who, after having been squatting in a run-down building for a year, are now being told they have to pay that rent by the building's owner, a former friend. At least, that's the plot point that launches everything; really, the musical is about modern romance, grappling with AIDS, and celebrating the creative spirit. This film documents the last performance of the Broadway production, which ran for 12 years. Though the aggressive camera moves and sometimes frenetic editing seem intended to make the film feel less stagebound, this Rent first and foremost captures the stage experience. The production's raw set and self-conscious theatricality (which highfalutin' theater folk might call "Brechtian") creates genuine show-biz razzle-dazzle and helps distract from some of the cliches in the musical itself. There are no famous faces (the closest is Tracie Thoms, who played the same role, the lesbian lover of a performance artist, in the movie version), but the cast is solid and exuberant, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the show's unapologetically sincere paeans to life and love. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway (Click for larger image)

Set in New York City's gritty East Village, the revolutionary rock opera RENT tells the story of a group of bohemians struggling to live and pay their rent. "Measuring their lives in love," these starving artists strive for success and acceptance while enduring the obstacles of poverty, illness and the AIDS epidemic. RENT is Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer and Tony Award winning musical, one of the longest running shows on Broadway.

Memphis: The Original Broadway Production [Blu-ray]

Memphis: The Original Broadway Production [Blu-ray] Review

BluRay release featuring the original Broadway cast! Winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, and Best Orchestrations.Bursting off the stage with explosive dancing, irresistible songs and a thrilling tale of fame and forbidden love, this incredible journey is filled with laughter, soaring emotion and roof-raising rock 'n' roll.

Les Miserables: The 10th Anniversary Dream Cast in Concert at London's Royal Albert Hall

Les Miserables: The 10th Anniversary Dream Cast in Concert at London's Royal Albert Hall Review

A performance of Les Miserables by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall, for a 10th Anniversary Concert celebration.

White Christmas (Anniversary Edition)

White Christmas (Anniversary Edition) Review

Two talented son-and-dance men (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) team up after the war to become one of the hottest acts in show business.

Oklahoma! (50th Anniversary Edition)

Oklahoma! (50th Anniversary Edition) Review

Set in the Oklahoma Territory in the early 1900's, this joyous celebration of frontier life is a story of tender romance and dangerous passion. Gordon MacRae is Curly, a sunny, good-natured ranch hand, and Shirley Jones is Laurey Williams, the farmer's daughter he loves. Rod Steiger is he menacing Jud, who tries to comes between them. The first Rodgers and Hammerstein collaboration, this Academy Award winner for Best Score features the classic songs "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," "The Surrey With The Fringe On Top" and "People Will Say We're In Love."

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Broadway Version)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Broadway Version) Review

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Broadway Version) Feature

• Times are hard in 1846 London and one must make do. So Nellie Lovett adds something extra to the meat pies she peddles on Fleet Street. The secret ingredient: freshly murdered victims of her partner in crime, barber Sweeney Todd.Composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim refashions a macabre tale into a musical masterwork in this dazzling performance of the 1979 Broadway hit originally staged by Harold Pr

Stephen Sondheim's Victorian horror thriller Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is generally considered his greatest work, macabre but darkly humorous with a viscerally powerful score that has found a home both on Broadway and in opera houses. George Hearn (who replaced Len Cariou of the original Broadway cast) plays the title character, a wronged man whose lust for revenge drives him to murder (an 18th-century legend who has been traced to a real-life barber), and Angela Lansbury plays his partner in crime, Mrs. Lovett, who finds a practical business use for Todd's victims. This combination of horror and humor is echoed in Sondheim's score: brooding menace ("The Ballad of Sweeney Todd," "My Friend"), achingly beautiful ballads ("Johanna," "Not While I'm Around"), clever puns ("A Little Priest"), coloratura arias ("Green Finch and Linnet Bird"), and intricate choral and ensemble numbers.

Continuing a fortuitous tradition of capturing the Sondheim legacy on video recordings, this performance was filmed before a live audience in Los Angeles during the 1982 national tour. Almost 20 years later, Hearn returned to the role opposite Patti LuPone in an acclaimed concert production. But Sweeney Todd is an especially compelling experience in this 1982 version, complete with the clever staging tricks (e.g., the barber's chair) and as close to the original cast as we're likely to see. --David Horiuchi Times are hard in 1846 London and one must make do. So Nellie Lovett adds something extra to the meat pies she peddles on Fleet Street. The secret ingredient: freshly murdered victims of her partner in crime, barber Sweeney Todd. Composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim refashions a macabre tale into a musical masterwork in this dazzling performance of the 1979 Broadway hit originally staged by Harold Prince. In her Tony-winning role (one of eight the show earned, including Best Musical), Angela Lansbury plays Nellie. George Hearn turns his stage role of twisted Sweeney into an Emmy-winning triumph. The score coils around itself in ever-tightening spirals. The lines ripple with black humor and madness. Enter Sweeney's tonsorial parlor. Attend the tale.

The Sound of Music (Three-Disc 45th Anniversary Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging)

The Sound of Music (Three-Disc 45th Anniversary Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) Review

The Sound of Music (Three-Disc 45th Anniversary Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) Feature

• VIDEO/CLASSICAL

When Julie Andrews sang "The hills are alive with the sound of music" from an Austrian mountaintop in 1965, the most beloved movie musical was born. To be sure, the adaptation of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's Broadway hit has never been as universally acclaimed as, say, Singin' in the Rain. Critics argue that the songs are saccharine (even the songwriters regretted the line "To sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray") and that the characters and plot lack the complexity that could make them more interesting. It's not hard to know whom to root for when your choice is between cute kids and Nazis.

It doesn't matter. Audiences fell in love with the struggling novice Maria (Andrews), the dashing Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer), and, yes, the cute kids, all based on a real-life World War II Austrian family. Such songs as "My Favorite Things," "Do Re Mi," "Climb Every Mountain," and the title tune became part of the 20th century Zeitgeist. In addition, The Sound of Music officially became a cult hit when audiences in London began giving it the Rocky Horror Picture Show treatment, attending showings dressed as their favorite characters and delivering choreographed comments and gestures along with the movie. --David Horiuchi Experience the world's most beloved family film as never before with this 3-disc 45th Anniversary Edition of Rodgers & Hammerstein's® The Sound of Music, Winner of five 1965 Academy Awards®, including Best Picture!

In this true-life story, Julie Andrews lights up the screen as Maria, a spirited young woman who leaves the convent to bring love and music to the home of Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) and his seven children.

High School Musical 2 Deluxe Dance Edition

High School Musical 2 Deluxe Dance Edition Review

High School Musical 2 Deluxe Dance Edition Feature

• The phenomenal Disney Channel Original Movie is bigger and better than ever with awesome exclusive bonus features that will get you up out of your seat! Think you have the moves to groove with the East High Wildcats? Let the stars show you what they've got in an interactive dance-along that lets you control the action, and relive your favorite parts of the movie with an incredible virtual scra

What time is it? Time for High School Musical 2, the sequel to the Disney Channel smash that aired on Aug. 17, 2007 and became the most-watched basic-cable show ever. School is out, and Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) are looking forward to a summer to remember, but Troy also needs to make bank so he can go to college. As it turns out, Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale), the self-proclaimed primo girl of East High, has her eye set on primo-boy Troy, and gets him a job at the country club her parents own. It looks great for Troy when Gabriella and the rest of the Wildcats are hired also, but when he gets preferential treatment from the club manager (Mark Taylor) and others, it puts all of his relationships in hot water.

Everyone's back from the original movie, including Zac's buddy Chad (Corbin Bleu), Sharpay's brother Ryan (Lucas Grabeel), and Gabriella's friend Taylor (Monique Coleman). And the songs on the hit soundtrack often parallel the originals and are just as catchy: the Troy-Gabriella duet ("You Are the Music in Me," which is later Sharpay-ized into a rock version), the sports-flavored hip-hop number ("I Don't Dance," but this time on the baseball diamond instead of the basketball court), the Gabriella lament ("Gotta Go My Own Way"), the climactic stage duet ("Everyday"), and the mass-ensemble closer ("All for One"). But the sequel doesn't just stick to the status quo. Other songs include a flashy opener ("What Time Is It"), Sharpay's poolside feature ("Fabulous"), a percussive ensemble number ("Work This Out"), and Zac's solo ("Bet On It"), and the dances are even bigger this time around, relentlessly high-energy and often spectacular. In addition, the "let's put on a show" angle ! is only a subplot and the romance is now front and center--which means High School Musical has lost a bit of its innocence. But it's still wholesome viewing for tweens of all ages. Sharp-eyed Disney Channel fans will spot Miley "Hannah Montana" Cyrus as an extra. --David Horiuchi

On the DVD
The extended-edition DVD adds one new scene, in which Sharpay and Ryan perform the Hawaiian-themed "Humuhumunukunukuapua'a," which not only is fun but adds a bit of character development for Ryan. This number (which was on the CD as a bonus track) is incorporated into the movie and also accessible from the bonus-features menu, along with a four-minute blooper reel and music videos for "You Are the Music in Me" (one U.S. version and a Mexican version with Paulina Holguin and Roger) and "Gotta Go My Own Way (Canadian versions in French and English, both with Nikki Yanofsky). A "dance rehearsal cam" shows the choreographers and cast working on nine numbers (36 minutes total). Director-choreographer Kenny Ortega coaches, offers pep talk, and declares, "If it wasn't for Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, we wouldn't be here!" There are two sing-along options, one with English subtitles and a "karaoke" version with English subtitles but no vocals. --David Horiuchi

Beyond High School Musical 2

Our High School Musical Headquarters	High School Musical 2 on Blu-ray	High School Musical 2 soundtrack
High School Musical	High School Musical (Remix Edition)	High School Musical, The Concert: Extreme Access Pass

The phenomenal Disney Channel Original Movie is bigger and better than ever with awesome exclusive bonus features that will get you up out of your seat! Think you have the moves to groove with the East High Wildcats? Let the stars show you what they've got in an interactive dance-along that lets you control the action, and relive your favorite parts of the movie with an incredible virtual scrapbook! It's the movie you love and so much more! High School Musical 2: Deluxe Dance Edition brings you inside the world of the Wildcats with "Bigger, Better, Best" bonus features including deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes special and a first look at the highly anticipated big-screen bash High School Musical 3: Senior Year.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Deluxe Extended Edition + Digital Copy + DVD and BD Live) [Blu-ray]

High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Deluxe Extended Edition + Digital Copy + DVD and BD Live) [Blu-ray] Review

High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Deluxe Extended Edition + Digital Copy + DVD and BD Live) [Blu-ray] Feature

• It's time to celebrate as Disney's phenomenal HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL hits new heights in HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR! Fresh from the big screen, this motion picture extravaganza delivers nonstop entertainment from start to finish! It's almost graduation day for high school seniors Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Chad, Ryan and Taylor -- and the thought of heading off in separate directio

High School Musical 3: Senior Year is the third film in Disney's record-smashing series, and the first to debut in theaters rather than on the Disney Channel, and while many of the elements are the same, the film is at times bigger to accommodate the big screen. All the usual characters are back, but not for long: it's senior year, and the classmates are all facing the prospect of leaving East High in separate directions. Troy (Zac Efron) is ready to play hoops at the University of Albuquerque with best friend Chad (Corbin Bleu), but doesn't want to be a thousand miles away from Stanford-bound Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens). Taylor (Monique Coleman) is headed to Yale, while Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale), brother Ryan (Lucas Grabeel), and the school's pianist-composer Kelsi (Olesya Rulin) are all in the running for a single scholarship to Juilliard. The showcase for them will be Ms. Darbus' new musical, Senior Year, which will recap the academic careers of the students themselves. (So if the original HSM was a retelling of Grease, HSM3 is more A Chorus Line.)

There are a few new characters: Sharpay's personal assistant Tiara Gold (Jemma McKenzie-Brown), and Troy's hangers-on, Rocket Man (Matt Prokop) and Donny Dion (Justin Martin), who may give the franchise life beyond its original cast (if they make some headway in the likability department). But it's all about the songs and the dances. Ryan and Sharpay sizzle in a classic-musical tribute "I Want It All"; Troy and Gabriella share a rooftop waltz in "Can I Have This Dance"; and Troy and Chad blow off steam in a salvage yard in "The Boys Are Back." "Now or Never" is this film's "sports song," and Troy and Gabriella have their big duet "Just Wanna Be With You" and their own showcases, in "Scream" and "Walk Away," respectively. If the closing anthem, "High School Musical," seems on the self-congratulatory side, it's a rare misstep in a series that has made a generation of tweens (especially girls) sing and dance and realize they can be whatever they want to be. --David Horiuchi




Stills from High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Click for larger image)

It's time to celebrate as Disney's phenomenal High School Musical hits new heights in High School Musical 3: Senior Year! Fresh from the big screen, this motion picture extravaganza delivers non-stop entertainment from start to finish! It's almost graduation day for high school seniors Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Chad, Ryan and Taylor - and the thought of heading off in separate directions after leaving East High has these Wildcats thinking they need to do something they ll remember forever. Together with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical reflecting their hopes and fears about the future and their unforgettable experiences growing up together. But with graduation approaching and college plans in question, what will become of the dreams, romances, and friendships of East High's senior Wilcats?
Find out what happens to all your favorite characters in the big screen musical sensation, High School Musical 3: Senior Year! It s a fabulous celebration the whole family will love!

Disc 1:

• Includes extended version of the movie and all of the bonus features from the 2-Disc DVD
• Plus, Exclusive Blu-ray Bonus Features including:
  Senior Awards, New Cast Profiles, BD Live (includes BD Live Photo Feature)

Disc 2:

• DisneyFile Digital Download Copy Disc: Watch your DVD disc in the living room and your DisneyFile digital copy on the go

Disc 3:

• DVD copy of the Extended Movie

Special Features:
*Extended Version of the Movie
*Cast Goodbyes
*Bloopers
*Deleted Scenese
*Night of Nights
*It's All in a Dress
*Sing-Along Mode
*Senior Awards
*New Cast Profiles