1776 (Restored Director's Cut)

1776 (Restored Director's Cut) Review

1776 (Restored Director's Cut) Feature

• Condition: New
• Format: DVD
• Anamorphic; Closed-captioned; Color; Director's Cut; Dolby; DVD; Subtitled; Widescreen; NTSC

The hit Broadway musical by Peter Stone and Sherman Edwards became the basis for this 1972 film about America's first congress and the nation's declaration of independence from Britain. Most of the original cast members are aboard, including William Daniels as John Adams. The film is a little stodgy and moves stiffly from scene to scene--the adaptation to the screen is not a smooth success. But it is nonetheless captivating, considering that so few films have dealt directly with America's birth. Directed by Peter H. Hunt. --Tom Keogh You'll be seeing stars and stripes as the most fascinating leaders in American history come to life in 1776, a musical about the birth of a nation! With the Boston Harbor still stained from over-taxed British tea, a revolution is brewing in the colonies! And now England has thousands of troops headed for America's shores to squelch her subjects' freedom-loving spirit! It's up to John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson to convince a stubborn congress of British colonists to unite as American patriots turn the inevitable war with England into a Declaration of Independence!

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

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

Experience the world's most beloved family film as never before with this three-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.

The GiggleBellies Musical Adventures Volume #2

The GiggleBellies Musical Adventures Volume #2 Review

The GiggleBellies Musical Adventures Volume #2 Feature

• 13 fully animated songs
• Downloadable coloring pages
• Downloadable fully illustrated lyrics sheets
• Downloadable mp3 songs
• Approximately 30 minute runtime *Region 0 *NTSC

The creators of the multi-award winning DVD "The GiggleBellies Musical Adventures" are excited to bring more giggles and wiggles into your homes. Engaging animation that combines colorful whimsical worlds, endearing characters, and fun upbeat music that parents can enjoy too! Enjoy unique twists to beloved traditional children's songs and hum along to original GiggleBellie tunes. This fully 3D animated musical DVD will keep your toes tapping and everyone can join the fun by singing and dancing along. DVD Features: The entire DVD is approximately 30 minutes and includes 13 fully animated songs including: *Down By The Bay *Busy Bumble Bee *Head Shoulders Knees & Toes *Colors Of The Rainbow *If You're Happy & You Know It *Itsy Bisty Spider *The Really Cool Space Team *Mr. Sun *Working On The Railroad *Bucky *Eat 'Em All Up *All The Little Raindrops *Fly Away With Me Downloadable Bonus Freebies (You need a computer with a DVD drive to access these bonus features): *10 coloring pages *13 Fully illustrated lyric sheets *Create your own music CD with mp3s of all the songs! -Approximately 30 minute runtime *Region 0 *NTSC

TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: American Musicals (The Band Wagon / Meet Me in St. Louis / Singin' in the Rain / Easter Parade)

TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: American Musicals (The Band Wagon / Meet Me in St. Louis / Singin' in the Rain / Easter Parade) Review

EASTER PARADE Strolling along 5th Avenue or bumming around as A Couple of Swells, Judy Garland and Fred Astaire lead a parade of music (17 Irving Berlin tunes and an Academy Award-winning adaptation score) and gotta-dance fun in this neverending delight co-starring Ann Miller and Peter Lawford. MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS She's in love with the boy next door. And movie fans are forever in love with her Judy Garland in a nostalgia and humor-filled tale of life with the Smith family in 1903 St. Louis. Songs include The Boy Next Door, The Trolley Song and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. SINGIN IN THE RAIN Considered by many to be the greatest movie musical ever! Silent movies are giving way to the advent of sound and a Hollywood matinee idol (Gene Kelly) is caught in that bumpy transition, as well as his buddy (Donald O'Connor), prospective sweetheart (Debbie Reynolds) and vocally-challenged co-star (Jean Hagen). THE BAND WAGON Fred Astaire dazzles in a train station (By Myself), a penny arcade (A Shine on Your Shoes), a back-lot Central Park (Dancing in the Dark) and a smoky café (Girl Hunt), the latter two with incomparable Cyd Charisse. Nanette Fabray, Jack Buchanan and Oscar Levant co-star, and as the movies hallmark song goes, That's Entertainment!

Scooby Doo! Music of the Vampire

Scooby Doo! Music of the Vampire Review

When Daphne becomes the star of a vampire film, the production is thrown into chaos by a real vampire, forcing the Scooby-Doo team to investigate who's behind this monstrous mayhem.

Grease (Rockin' Rydell Edition)

Grease (Rockin' Rydell Edition) Review

Grease (Rockin' Rydell Edition) Feature

• Condition: Used, Very Good
• Format: DVD
• Full Screen; Color; Dolby; DVD; Subtitled; Widescreen; NTSC

Riding the strange '50s nostalgia wave that swept through America during the late 1970s (caused by TV shows like Happy Days and films like American Graffiti), Grease became not only the word in 1978, but also a box-office smash and a cultural phenomenon. Twenty years later, this entertaining film adaptation of the Broadway musical received another successful theatrical release, which included visual remastering and a shiny new Dolby soundtrack. While this 2002 DVD release contains retrospective interviews with the cast and director Randal Kleiser, it's unfortunately full screen. As a result, the widescreen dance numbers are instead panned and scanned, destroying the symmetrical, lively choreography. A widescreen version is also available and is highly recommended because without the vibrant colors, unforgettably campy and catchy tunes (like "Greased Lightning," "Summer Nights," and "You're the One That I Want"), and fabulously choreographed, widescreen musical numbers, the film has to rely on a silly, cliché-filled plot that we've seen hundreds of times. As it is, the episodic story about the romantic dilemmas experienced by a group of graduating high school seniors remains fresh, fun, and incredibly imaginative.

The young, animated cast also deserves a lot of credit, bringing chemistry and energy to otherwise bland material. John Travolta, straight from his success in Saturday Night Fever, knows his sexual star power and struts, swaggers, sings, and dances appropriately, while Olivia Newton-John's portrayal of virgin innocence is the only decent acting she's ever done. And then there's Stockard Channing, spouting sexual double-entendres as Rizzo, the bitchy, raunchy leader of the Pink Ladies, who steals the film from both of its stars. Ignore the sequel at all costs. --Dave McCoy

John Travolta solidified his position as the most versatile and magnetic screen presence of the decade in this film version of the smash hit play Grease. Recording star Olivia Newton-John made her American film debut as Sandy, Travolta's naive love interest. The impressive supporting cast reads like a "who's who" in this quintessential musical about the fabulous '50s. Grease is not just a nostalgic look at a simpler decade--it's an energetic and exciting musical homage to the age of rock 'n' roll!

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Review

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Feature

• Condition: New
• Format: DVD
• Color; Dolby; DVD; Letterboxed; Widescreen; DTS Surround Sound; NTSC

Following the successful 1998 video release of Cats comes another Andrew Lloyd Webber blockbuster musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and it's a savvy choice. It hasn't been represented on film before, it's short enough (78 minutes) to present without cuts, and it has the star power of former teen icon Donny Osmond, who played over 1,800 performances across North America. Rather than record a live performance, Cats director David Mallet conceived Joseph as a film, though one that is based strongly on codirector Steven Pimlott's 1991 London revival and relies more on camerawork than venturing beyond its stagelike sets.

Lloyd Webber's first project with lyricist Tim Rice was originally written in 1968 as a school cantata; accordingly, this film uses a framing sequence of a school recital, with an audience of clapping, singing kids and members of the faculty playing the roles. The Old Testament tale of Joseph and his coat of many colors gets a splashy, vigorous treatment with an energetic cast, Las Vegas-style glitz, and catchy, eclectic songs, including "Any Dream Will Do," "Close Every Door," the peppy "Go, Go, Go Joseph," and various bits of country, calypso, and Elvis. Osmond is perfect in the title role, with a strong voice and winning persona, while London stage veteran Maria Friedman performs well in the central role of the narrator. Richard Attenborough appears (and sings a little) as Jacob, and Joan Collins makes a brief, nonsinging cameo.

Joseph certainly isn't revolutionary musical theater, but if you view it as a kids' show, it's a silly good time (though there are poignant moments too). Parents should note, however, that this production might warrant a little discretion due to one suggestive scene and some risqué costumes. --David Horiuchi A humourous musical retelling of the Biblical story of Joseph
Genre: Musicals
Rating: NR
Release Date: 4-MAR-2003
Media Type: DVD