Hello, Dolly! Widescreen Edition

Hello, Dolly! Widescreen Edition Review

Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 04/15/2008

High Society

High Society Review

High Society Feature

• Heiress Tracy Lord (Grace Kelly) is engaged to one man (John Lund), attracted to another (Frank Sinatra) and, just maybe, in love again with her ex-husband (Bing Crosby) in this efferevescent musical reinvention of Philip Barry's play The Philadelphia Story featuring an endlessly delightful Cole Porter score. Among High Society's high points: Sinatra and Celeste Holm ask Who Wants to Be a Milliona

MGM's bold idea to remake George Cukor's Oscar-winning upperclass romantic farce, The Philadelphia Story, into a star-studded, Technicolor musical with Cole Porter tunes somehow works splendidly and remains an underrated gem. Even the plot and character names--and some bits of dialogue--all remain the same as the original. Crooning Bing Crosby replaces Cary Grant as the wealthy ex-husband trying to win back his soon-to-be-remarried ex-wife, spoiled ice queen Tracy Lord (Grace Kelly, stunning and aloof in her last film role, originated in the earlier comedy by Katherine Hepburn). Unlike Grant, however, Crosby has jazz great Louis Armstrong, playing himself, in his corner for quixotic persuasion. Frank Sinatra (cocky in James Stewart's former role) and Celeste Holm add support as the nosy reporters covering, and subsequently complicating, the upcoming wedding. Sure, High Society lacks the original's witty satire, sarcasm, and character complexity; but it's assuredly paced and wonderfully acted, and contains enough romantic chemistry to keep the plot engaging. And then there's the music. Unlike the grandiose production numbers of many '40s and '50s musicals, High Society's musical sequences are considerably low-key and intimate, focusing on Porter's lyrical content, and the style in which it's delivered by the charismatic performers. Armstrong kicks the film off in telling style: he sings the title track, a calypso tune outlining the plot like a Greek chorus, not as an elaborately choreographed song-and-dance number, but instead stuffed claustrophobically in the back of a limousine with his jazz band. Other musical standouts include Sinatra and Crosby playfully tossing barbs during "Well, Did You Evah?"; Crosby and Armstrong teaming up for an energetic clash of styles in "Now You Has Jazz"; the two soaring, archetypal ballads by the leads--Crosby's "I Love You, Samantha" and Sinatra's superior "You're Sensational"; and, finally, the satirical Sinatra/Holm duet, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?," the closest High Society ever comes to social or class commentary. --Dave McCoy Heiress Tracy Lord (Grace Kelly) is engaged to one man (John Lund), attracted to another (Frank Sinatra) and, just maybe, in love again with her ex-husband (Bing Crosby) in this efferevescent musical reinvention of Philip Barry's play The Philadelphia Story featuring an endlessly delightful Cole Porter score. Among High Society's high points: Sinatra and Celeste Holm ask Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Crosby and Kelly share True Love, Der Bingle and Ol' Blue Eyes swing-swing-swingle Well, Did You Evah? and Crosby and Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong jive with Now You Has Jazz. Yes, indeedy, we has!

High School Musical 2 (Extended Edition) [Blu-ray]

High School Musical 2 (Extended Edition) [Blu-ray] Review

High School Musical 2 (Extended Edition) [Blu-ray] Feature

• It's time to sing and dance because there's so much more to celebrate in HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2: EXTENDED EDITION. Experience the movie in a whole new way with a never-before-seen music sequence and rehearsal footage, plus sing lead vocals with High School Karaoke. The East High Wildcats are gearing up for big fun as they land the coolest summer jobs imaginable. Troy (Zac Efron), Gabriella

Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 12/11/2007 Run time: 111 minutes

Blue's Clues - Blue's Big Musical Movie

Blue's Clues - Blue's Big Musical Movie Review

Join Steve, Blue and all their friends as they plan a backyard musical show! Preschoolers will help Steve and Blue get the show underway, write an all new song with G-Clef --the voice of Ray Charles, and of course, play Blue's Clues. In Blue's Big Musical Movie, preschoolers will sing, dance, play, and learn that they can be anything they want to be! Includes 6 Brand-New Songs! Promotes Critical Thinking, Music (Curriculum including Notes, Rhythm & Tempo), Problem Solving, Confidence, and Self-Esteem

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Review

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.

Sing Along Songs - Flik's Musical Adventure

Sing Along Songs - Flik's Musical Adventure Review

Sing Along Songs - Flik's Musical Adventure Feature

• Sing, dance, and play along in fun-filled musical adventures! It's easy as you read the on-screen lyrics to favorite kid songs! With Flik, the outrageously fun hero from Disney and Pixar's A BUG'S LIFE, as your guide, and Mickey at your side, jump aboard the Wildlife Express on a journey bound for fun at Disney's newest theme park, Animal Kingdom! You'll sing and dance your way

SING ALONG SONGS:FLIK'S MUSICAL ADVEN - DVD Movie

Jekyll & Hyde - The Musical

Jekyll & Hyde - The Musical Review

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

Burlesque

Burlesque Review

A small town singer moves to the big city where she view for her chance at stardom at the sizzling burlesque nightclub. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 03/01/2011 Starring: Cher Christina Aguilera Run time: 118 minutes Rating: Pg13

Cats: The Musical (Commemorative Edition)

Cats: The Musical (Commemorative Edition) Review

CATS:COMMEMORATIVE EDITION - DVD Movie

Brigadoon

Brigadoon Review

Brigadoon Feature

• Gene Kelly, Van Johnson and Cyd Charisse recapture the charm and beauty of the 18th-Century Scottish Highlands in this enchanting fantasy of music, dance and romance.Year: 1954Running Time: 108 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSICALS Rating: NR Age: 012569672390 UPC: 012569672390 Manufacturer No: 67239

Anything is possible in Brigadoon, the Lerner and Loewe musical put to celluloid in 1954 by director Vincente Minnelli: a village can reappear for only one day each century, and Gene Kelly can tap-dance on a dirt path. Kelly and Van Johnson play a pair of New Yorkers who go on a hunting vacation in the highlands of Scotland. But what Tommy Albright (Kelly) captures is the heart of a bonny Scottish lass, Fiona Campbell (Cyd Charisse). The catch: Fiona lives in Brigadoon, an enchanted town that appears for only one day every 100 years. If Tommy stays, he must give up everything (including his fiancé back home); if Fiona leaves with Tommy, Brigadoon will vanish into the highland mist, never to be seen again. Not that this keeps anyone from having a good time. The men are clad in vivid tartan kilts and leggings, and the women swish about in multicolored petticoats. Fiona's sister Jean is getting married, and the whole town is drinking ale and singing cheery songs--except for Jean's ex-beau, who threatens to leave and thereby end the town's existence. Brigadoon is a charming escape into a sweet fairy tale. Some of the songs may be less than memorable, but Kelly's choreography is often as witty as the banter. When the hectic pace of the modern world threatens to overtake you, consider a brief vacation in the highlands of Scotland. As one character says, "There must be an awful lot of folk searching for a Brigadoon"--even if it only lasts for a couple of hours. --Larisa Lomacky Moore BRIGADOON - DVD Movie

DVD-Innovative Arrangements For American Blues/Roots Guitar

DVD-Innovative Arrangements For American Blues/Roots Guitar Review

DVD-Innovative Arrangements For American Blues/Roots Guitar Feature

• Published by Homespun
• DVD taught by Geoff Muldaur
• Artist: Geoff Muldaur

Legendary singer and guitarist Geoff Muldaur has chosen six gospel and blues arrangements that are filled with ideas, techniques and wonderful songs to add to your repertoire. They include two traditional gospel songs: "Just a Little While to Stay Here," based on a New Orleans funeral march in dropped D tuning; the soulful "Trouble Soon Be Over" in open G; and "I Believe I’ll Go Back Home," Geoff’s own version of the biblical story of the Prodigal Son.

Geoff teaches his blues arrangement to "Wild Ox Moan," the amazing rendition of Vera Hall’s Texas Blues that was one of the highlights of his hit CD "The Secret Handshake." His original blues/ballad "Got to Find Blind Lemon" tells the compelling story of Geoff’s search for the blues master’s resting place so he can "see that his grave is kept clean," and includes some vintage Blind Lemon licks in the arrangement. Finally, Delta blues riffs and rich chord shapes in open C tuning (EGCGCE) make a powerful setting for Blind Willie Johnson’s "Tears Come Rolling Down."

Geoff’s vision of the guitar as an arranging tool gives this video lesson a uniquely important place among instructional materials. He uses standard ingredients of fingerstyle playing -- alternating bass, arpeggio rolls, moving lines, harmonized scales and syncopations, combined with rich chord voicings that add a jazz sensibility to traditional music. With his rare musical intelligence, he sheds light on how to "find the little things that make a difference" and how, by making small changes, you can make turnarounds and blues licks sound fresh and new.

TCM Greatest Classic Film Collection: Astaire & Rogers (The Gay Divorcee / Top Hat / Swing Time / Shall We Dance)

TCM Greatest Classic Film Collection: Astaire & Rogers (The Gay Divorcee / Top Hat / Swing Time / Shall We Dance) Review

TCM Greatest Classic Film Collection: Astaire & Rogers (The Gay Divorcee / Top Hat / Swing Time / Shall We Dance) Feature

• TCM GREATEST CLASSIC FILMS: ASTAIRE & ROGERS (DVD MOVIE)

Turner Classic Movies' Greatest Classic Films Collection: Astaire & Rogers collects four movies on two double-sided discs, with the bonus features that appeared on the single-disc versions of the movies. The Astaire-Rogers films mix light romantic comedy (usually centered around mistaken identities and ending, inevitably, in blissful wedding promises) with elegant dinner wear and surreal sets intended to transport '30s audiences away from the Depression to such locales as Rio, Paris, and Venice. The two stars are also aided by a recurring stable of RKO players such as Edward Everett Horton (master of the double-take), Eric Blore, and Helen Broderick. And then there's that sensational dancing set to great songs by the likes of Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, and Jerome Kern, numbers that are not merely entertaining but also innovative for their time in that they reveal character and advance the plot. Add it all up, and you have a recipe for an irrepressible joie de vivre that practically defines the movie musical.

The Gay Divorcee (1934) is their best early picture, a loose adaptation of Astaire's stage show, 'The Gay Divorce.' The only song retained for the movie is Cole Porter's smash hit "Night and Day," which is the setting for a sublime pas de deux between Fred and Ginger. The closer is the sprawling 17-minute ensemble number "The Continental." With a score by Irving Berlin, Top Hat (1935) is most famous for two numbers, Astaire's definitive tuxedo setting "Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails" and the feathery duet "Cheek to Cheek." But other joys include Astaire's "Fancy Free" declaration, "Isn't It a Lovely Day," and the grand finale "The Piccolino." Maybe their most enjoyable picture, Swing Time (1936) features the set-piece "Pick Yourself Up," in which Rogers "teaches" Astaire to dance before they break into a spectacular number; the farewell ode "Never Gonna Dance," and the Oscar-winning "Just the Way You Look Tonight," from the team of Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields.

Shall We Dance (1937) has a complex plot that has Astaire and Rogers actually getting married before the final credits roll, and turns George and Ira Gershwin's brilliant "They Can't Take That Away from Me" into a heartbreaking ode. Other great songs include "Slap That Bass," "They All Laughed," and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," unforgettably performed on roller skates. Bonus features include commentaries on the last three films, featurettes, and vintage shorts and cartoons. --David Horiuchi THE GAY DIVORCEE (1934) Oscar winner* The Continental revels in precision-dance joy, Cole Porter’s Night and Day sways with timeless grace and Fred and Ginger’s first top billing sets the tone for more film hits to come. SHALL WE DANCE (1937) A George and Ira Gershwin score has Fred tapping to Slap That Bass rhythms of a ship’s engine room and the duo’s Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off skate routine. Pure bliss! SWING TIME (1936) One of the team’s greatest! The Jerome Kern/Dorothy Fields score goes from jubilant (Pick Yourself Up, Bojangles of Harlem) to sublime (the Oscar-winning** The Way You Look Tonight, A Fine Romance). TOP HAT (1935) The pair’s best-remembered film features Fred’s signature Top Hat, White Tie and Tails, the incomparably romantic Cheek to Cheek and more in Irving Berlin’s tip-top score. DISC 1: SIDE A ~ THE GAY DIVORCEE INCLUDES: • 2 Shorts – Show Kids and Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove • Cartoon Shake Your Powder Puff • Audio-Only Bonus: Hollywood on the Air Radio Promo • Theatrical Trailer SIDE B ~ SHALL WE DANCE INCLUDES: • Commentary by Songwriter Hugh Martin and Pianist Kevin Cole • Featurette The Music of Shall We Dance • Musical Short Sheik to Sheik • Cartoon Toy Town Hall DISC 2: SIDE A ~ SWING TIME INCLUDES: • Commentary by John Mueller, Author of Astaire Dancing • Featurette The Swing of Things: Swing Time Step by Step • Musical Short Hotel a la Swing • Cartoon Bingo Crosbyana • Theatrical Trailer SIDE B ~ TOP HAT INCLUDES: • Commentary by Fred Astaire’s Daughter Ava Astaire McKenzie and Film Historian Larry Billman • Featurette On Top: Inside the Success of Top Hat • Comedy Short Watch the Birdie with Bob Hope • Cartoon Page Miss Glory • Theatrical Trailer All 4 Movies – Subtitles: English, Français & Español (Main Feature. Bonus Material/Trailer May Not Be Subtitled).

The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall [Blu-ray]

The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall [Blu-ray] Review

In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, Cameron Mackintosh produced a unique, spectacular staging of the musical on a scale which had never been seen before. Inspired by the original staging by Hal Prince and Gillian Lynne, this lavish, fully-staged production set in the sumptuous Victorian splendour of London’s legendary Royal Albert Hall features a cast and orchestra of over 200, plus some very special guest appearances.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Extended Edition)

High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Extended Edition) Review

High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Extended Edition) 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:

• Extended version includes extra scenes integrated back into the theatrical movie
• Bonus Features include: Cast Goobyes, Bloopers, Deleted Scenes, Night of Nights, It's All in the Dress, Sing-Along Mode

Disc 2:

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