There is not a single joke, sight-gag or one-liner in Monty Python's Life of Brian that will not forever burn itself into the viewer's memory as being just as funny as it is possible to be, but--extraordinarily--almost every indestructibly hilarious scene also serves a dual purpose, making this one of the most consistently sustained film satires ever made. Like all great satire, the Pythons not only attack and vilify their targets (the bigotry and hypocrisy of organised religion and politics) supremely well, they also propose an alternative: be an individual, think for yourself, don't be led by others. "You've all got to work it out for yourselves", cries Brian in a key moment. "Yes, we've all got to work it our for ourselves", the crowd reply en masse. Two thousand years later, in a world still blighted by religious zealots, Brian's is still a lone voice crying in the wilderness. Aside from being a neat spoof on the Hollywood epic, it's also almost incidentally one of the most realistic on-screen depictions of the ancient world--instead of treating their characters as posturing historical stereotypes, the Pythons realised what no sword 'n' sandal epic ever has: that people are all the same, no matter what period of history they live in. People always have and always will bicker, lie, cheat, swear, conceal cowardice with bravado (like Reg, leader of the People's Front of Judea), abuse power (like Pontius Pilate), blindly follow the latest fads and giggle at silly things ("Biggus Dickus"). In the end, Life of Brian teaches us that the only way for a despairing individual to cope in a world of idiocy and hypocrisy is to always look on the bright side of life. On the DVD: Life of Brian returns to Region 2 DVD in a decent widescreen anamorphic print with Dolby 5.1 sound--neither are exactly revelatory, but at least it's an improvement on the previous release, which was, shockingly, pan & scan. The 50-minute BBC documentary, "The Pythons", was filmed mainly on location in 1979 and isn't especially remarkable or insightful (a new retrospective would have been appreciated). There are trailers for this movie, as well as Holy Grail plus three other non-Python movies. There's no commentary track, sadly. --Mark Walker
Director MARTIN SCORSESE's visual and aural masterpiece captures the heart soul and spirit of an entire generation. Arguably the best concert documentary ever this is the 1976 film account of the celebratory final concert of legendary group The Band at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom. To make this an unforgettable farewell performance The Band's leader ROBBIE ROBERTSON called upon mentors friends and musical influences to join them on stage during a marathon concert that la
The second best comedy ever made, Monty Python and the Holy Grail must give precedence only to the same team's masterpiece, The Life of Brian (1979). Even though most of this film's set-pieces are now indelibly inscribed in every Python fan's psyche, as if by magic they never seem to pall. And they remain endlessly, joyfully quotable: from the Black Knight ("It's just a flesh wound"), to the constitutional peasants ("Come and see the violence inherent in the system!") and the taunting French soldier ("Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!"). Not forgetting of course the migratory habits of European and African swallows... The film's mock-Arthurian narrative provides a sturdy framework for the jokes, and the authentic-looking production design is relentlessly and gloriously dirty. The miniscule budget turns out to be one of the film's greatest assets: Can't afford horses? Use coconuts instead. No money for special effects? Let Terry Gilliam animate. And so on, from Camelot ("it's only a model") to the rampaging killer rabbit glove puppet. True it's let down a little by a rushed ending, and the jokes lack the sting of Life of Brian's sharply observed satire, but Holy Grail is still timeless comedy that's surely destined for immortality. On the DVD: Disc One contains a digitally remastered anamorphic (16:9) print of the film--which is still a little grainy, but a big improvement on previous video releases--with a splendidly remixed Dolby 5.1 soundtrack (plus an added 24 seconds of self-referential humour "absolutely free"!). There are two commentaries, one with the two Terrys, co-directors Jones and Gilliam, the other a splicing together of three separate commentaries by Michael Palin, John Cleese (in waspish, nit-picking mood) and Eric Idle. A "Follow the Killer Rabbit" feature provides access either to the Accountant's invoices or Gilliam's conceptual sketches. Subtitle options allow you to read the screenplay or watch with spookily appropriate captions from Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part II. The second disc has lots more material, much of it very silly and inconsequential (an educational film on coconuts, the Camelot song in Lego and so on), plus a long-ish documentary from 2001 in which Palin and Jones revisit Doune Castle, Glencoe and other Scottish locations. Perhaps best of all, though, are the two scenes from the Japanese version with English subtitles, in which we see the search for the Holy sake cup, and the Ni-saying Knights who want... bonsai! --Mark Walker
Yoiks! Here be the Python's tale of good King Arthur (Graham Chapman) and his knights as they quest for the Holy Grail. Watch as they face great odds and silly sods. See them wage battle against the fierce Killer Rabbit (""Run Away! Run Away!"") and (oh horrors!) see them confront the dreaded Knights Who Say ""Ni!"". Oh these be trying times. Can these good knights pass the test of valour and cut down yon tree with herring? Or will they blow themselves to smithereens with the Holy H
Perhaps the greatest rock documentary ever made, Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz captures what was advertised as legendary rock group The Band's final farewell concert appearance. Joined on stage by more than a dozen special guests, including Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Muddy Waters and Joni Mitchell, The Last Waltz started as a concert, but it became a celebration. Interspersed with candid discussions between director Scorsese and members of The Band, The Last Waltz has been called the greatest rock concert movie ever made - and maybe the best rock movie, period, and The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present this iconic documentary on Blu-ray. And remember, This film should be played loud! Special Features: 1080p presentation of the film on Blu-ray PCM 5.1 Audio Optional English SDH subtitles Audio Commentary by director Martin Scorsese and Musician Robbie Robertson Audio Commentary by The Band members Levon Helm and Garth Hudson, journalists Jay Cocks and Greil Marcus, creative consultant Mardik Martin, producers Jonathan Taplin and Steven Prince, Cameraman Michael Chapman, Music Producer John Simon, Irwin Winkler and performers Mavis Staples, Dr. John and Ronnie Hawkins (includes optional subtitles identifying who is talking) Revisiting The Last Waltz [22 mins] Archival Outtakes Stills gallery PLUS: A collector's booklet including essays and archival writing on the film
Return to the action-packed world of prehistoric dinosaurs in Jurassic Park III where man is up against dangerous predators in the ultimate battle for survival. Adventure runs wild when renowned palaeontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) agrees to accompany a wealthy couple (William H. Macy and Téa Leoni) on an aerial tour of Isla Sorna, InGen's former breeding ground for prehistoric creatures. After they are terrifyingly stranded, Dr. Grant soon discovers that his hosts are not what they seem and the island's native inhabitants are smarter, faster, fiercer and more brutal than he ever imagined. Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, this visually stunning blockbuster features all-new dinosaurs and special effects that you need to see to believe. Special Features: The Making of Jurassic Park III Feature Commentary with Special Effects Team Photography Gallery Behind-The-Scenes Montage Guided Tour of the Stan Winston Studio A Visit to Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) ILM's Computer Generated Dinosaurs Montana: Finding New Dinosaurs Storyboard Sequences Theatrical Trailers
Return to the action-packed world of prehistoric dinosaurs in Jurassic Park III where man is up against dangerous predators in the ultimate battle for survival. Adventure runs wild when renowned palaeontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) agrees to accompany a wealthy couple (William H. Macy and Téa Leoni) on an aerial tour of Isla Sorna, InGen's former breeding ground for prehistoric creatures. After they are terrifyingly stranded, Dr. Grant soon discovers that his hosts are not what they seem and the island's native inhabitants are smarter, faster, fiercer and more brutal than he ever imagined. Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, this visually stunning blockbuster features all-new dinosaurs and special effects that you need to see to believe. Special Features: Return To Jurassic Park : The Third Adventure Feature Commentary With Special Effects Team The Making Of Jurassic Park III The Dinosaurs The Special Effects The Sounds The Art Montana: Finding New Dinosaurs Tour Of Stan Winston Studio Spinosaurus Attacks The Plane Raptors Attack Udesky A Visit To Ilm Dinosaur Turntables Storyboards To Final Feature Comparison
Dr Alan Grant (Sam Neill) returns in this sequel, and after a plane crash finds himself once again leading a team of people as they try to avoid all sorts of deady new dinosaurs.
Dr Alan Grant (Sam Neill) returns in this sequel, and after a plane crash finds himself once again leading a team of people as they try to avoid all sorts of deady new dinosaurs.
Meet Clark Kent. Sent to Earth as an infant from the dying planet Krypton, he arrived with as many questions as the number of light-years he traveled. Now a young man, he makes his living in Metropolis as an intern at the Daily Planet alongside reporter Lois Lane while secretly wielding his alien powers of flight, super-strength and x-ray vision in the battle for good. Follow the fledgling hero as he engages in bloody battles with intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo and before fighting for his life with the alien Parasite. The world will learn about Superman but first, Superman must save the world!
Disney's biggest stars shine in a magical all-new movie - sure to become a holiday classic! Mickey Minnie and their famous friends Goofy Donald Daisy and Pluto gather together to reminisce about the love magic and surprises in three wonder-filled stories of Christmas past. In the fine tradition of Disney's superb storytelling Minnie and Mickey recall the year they both gave up what was most important to them for the sake of the other making for one unforgettable Christmas. Go
In May of 2011, Neil Young drove a 1956 Crown Victoria from his idyllic hometown of Omemee, Ontario to downtown Toronto's iconic Massey Hall where he intimately performed the last two nights of his solo world tour. Along the drive, Young recounted insightful and introspective stories from his youth to Academy Award winning filmmaker Jonathan Demme. This all-new documentary includes 12 live concert performances.
The greatest show on earth and a gargantuan humanitarian effort to help those starving in Africa Live Aid took place on July 13th 1985 and brought together some of the biggest music stars of all time! ""Twenty years ago they not only played 'real good for free ' they took an issue that was nowhere on the agenda of the political world and placed it at the very top "" says concert organizer Bob Geldof. ""By buying the Live Aid DVD that day continues far off into some distant but hopeful
Meet Clark Kent. Sent to Earth as an infant from the dying planet Krypton, he arrived with as many questions as the number of light-years he traveled. Now a young man, he makes his living in Metropolis as an intern at the Daily Planet alongside reporter Lois Lane while secretly wielding his alien powers of flight, super-strength and x-ray vision in the battle for good. Follow the fledgling hero as he engages in bloody battles with intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo and before fighting for his life with the alien Parasite. The world will learn about Superman but first, Superman must save the world!
A shy but ambitious film student falls into an intense, emotionally fraught relationship with a charismatic but untrustworthy older man.
That rarest of rare treasures, Monty Python's Life of Brian is both achingly funny and seriously satirical without ever allowing one to overbalance the other. There is not a single joke, sight gag or one-liner that will not forever burn itself into the viewer's memory as being just as funny as it is possible to be, but, extraordinarily, almost every line and every indestructibly hilarious scene also serves a dual purpose, making this one of the most consistently sustained film satires ever made. Like all great satire, the Pythons not only attack and vilify their targets (the bigotry and hypocrisy of organised religion and politics) supremely well, they also propose an alternative: be an individual, think for yourself, don't be led by others. "You've all got to work it out for yourselves", cries Brian in a key moment. "Yes, we've all got to work it our for ourselves", the crowd reply en masse, "Tell us more". Two thousand years later, in a world still blighted by religious zealots, Brian's is still a lone voice crying in the wilderness. Aside from being a neat spoof on the Hollywood epic, it's also almost incidentally one of the most realistic on-screen depictions of the ancient world--instead of treating their characters as posturing historical stereotypes, the Pythons realised what no sword 'n' sandal epic ever has: that people are all the same, no matter what period of history they live in. People always have and always will bicker, lie, cheat, swear, conceal cowardice with bravado (like Reg, leader of the People's Front of Judea), abuse power (like Pontius Pilate), blindly follow the latest fads and giggle at silly things ("Biggus Dickus"). In the end, Life of Brian teaches us that the only way for a despairing individual to cope in a world of idiocy and hypocrisy is to always look on the bright side of life. --Mark Walker
Heart of Gold is Jonathan Demme's intimate musical portrait of legendary singer / songwriter Neil Young filmed on the occasion of the world premier of Young's ""Prairie Wind"" concert at Nashville's hallowed Ryman Auditorium in 2005. Young's music provides an emotionally rich view into this unique artists relationship to family friends mortality and the passage of time. Young is accompanied onstage by many long time musical companions including country star Emmylou Harris Neil's wi
This Monty Python Movie Box Set contains all four Python movies: And Now for Something Completely Different (1971), Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974)--the two-disc set--Monty Python's Life of Brian--including a 50-minute documentary--and Monty Python's The Meaning of Life.
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