Reviews (1)

crystal and short
the show was in a bad spot when crystal and short were recruited to save it and that's exactly what they did and that is the higlight of these videos and that is why this is essential if you are a fan of either of these comedians or a fan of the show. The swimming sketch when short can't swim gets me every time. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Best SNL Season.
The 1985-1986 season was the best season of SNL. However, nobody gave it a chance. Debuting strongly, the season got mixed reviews, and the ratings declinded, making SNL the 2nd [and at times 3rd] highest rated show of the evening. However, the humor was fresh, and due to the return of Lorne Michaels, everything seemed to be more like the original groundbreaking cast.

Quite hilarious!
I thought this tape was real funny. They made fun of Entertainment Tonight and that was very funny. If you like Tom Hanks or Peewee Herman, you'll love this tape! 1985 was quite a funny year on SNL,which is proved on this tape. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

87 was a good year
ahhh 1987, the show was finally comming in to it's own again,the cast was great the show was recovering from the bad period after crystal and short left and these are some quality sketches and some very funny moments even if it is just a random year. The true highlight here is hartman but all of the cast shines. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

HOW GOOD IS SNL
Saterday night live is the best funniest show. And 1990 was a very good year for comedy. To all of you who are thinking bye it. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

1991
the show was still rolling after it's late 80's high and welcomming new greats such as farley and spade while still enjoying old greats like myers and hartman. this is one of the best times for snl. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

EDDIE MURPHY'S GREATEST COMEDY PERFORMANCES ON SNL!
Eddie Murphy's best character skecthes performed on Saturday Night Live television history in the eighties was his "Mister Robinson's Neighbourhood", "James Brown", "Stevie Wonder", "Buckwheat" and serial killer assassin "John David Stubbs". Are simply the best over it's top to a funny comedian like Murphy himself!

Eddie Murphy at his most memorable best.
That Dutch person must not understand American comedy. This video is a must for anybody whom Eddie Murphy ever made laugh. This is a wonderful set of Saturday Night Live sketches by one of the greatest comedic geniuses ever to grace SNLs stage. I wish they had more of the Buckwheat sketches, but they do have my favorite of all time: Mr. White. This makes the whole video worth buying.

Buyers beware...
If you are not a Saterday Night Live fanatic, you might what to give this one a pass. Truly only for collectors.

Eddie Murphy at his comedic best
Murphy is in peak form in this collection of his favorite sketches. His docuparody "White Like Me" perfectly showcases his knack for inspired and humorous social commentary, while his Buckwheat impressions reduce one to tears of joy. Of particular note is the second monologue in which he impersonates Stevie Wonder. In the words of the immortal Buckwheat, "Iss a-otay." ... Read more

Amazon.com

Comedian Chris Rock spent several seasons on Saturday Night Live, and this compilation tape of his best moments showcases his considerable talents while unintentionally highlighting how uneven the show itself is.Even in a video selected to showcase Rock alone, he is all too often mired as the second or third banana in an SNL skit.But there are, thankfully, plenty of opportunities in this video for Rock to shine without being upstaged by other performers or left adrift by limp writing.When he appears behind the "Weekend Update" desk to deliver an editorial commentary or a news report, Rock put his considerable skills as a comedian to perfect use.And in the skits where the focus is on him, he proves himself to be adept at characterizations, such as when he dons a colossal Afro wig to become radical talk show host Nat X, host of "The Dark Side."One peculiar surprise about the video: some of the language in "Def Jam" parodies that was bleeped out for the broadcast of SNL is here presented uncensored, so while this is Chris Rock delivering perhaps his cleanest material, a few choice words are nonetheless delivered loud and clear.--Robert J. McNamara ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Could've Been Better
As one of "Saturday Night Live's"most famous comedians, Chris Rock created a long line of classic characters and impressions in his 3 years on the show. But many of them are missing. A few recurring sketches are here, but they are from when he hosted the show.

A lot of this dvd's best sketches have Rock as a second and even third banana. For instnace, in the "Sinatra Group" sketch (this one's my favorite), his role as 2 Live Crew star is sadly limited, as Phil Hartman shines as Frank Sinatra (though to be fair, Sinatra is supposed to be the main focus). The other Luther Campbell sketch is funny, with Phil Hartman, Mike Myers and Jan Hooks, Dana Carvey and that "Twi Peaks" guy throwing song ideas at him left and right, much to his dismay. Another thing is that even when Rock is the main focus, another character outshines him. For instance, in "The Bensonhurts Dating Game", Rock's the main focus, but Joe Pesci gets the best lines. A sad waste of talent.

The extras are better. There's another one of his hiarious "Weekend Update" commentaries, plus a better "Nat X" sketch that is from 1990, back when the show was in its prime. This is proabably the least enjoyable "SNL" dvd ever. Chris Rock is another player who deserves a volume 2.

Good, But My Least Favorite "SNL" DVD
Chris Rock was one of the freshest, rawest comedians in "Saturday Night Live" history. Skits like "The Dark Side With Nat X", "2 Live Crew", "The Proud Pattersons" and his monologues showcase his unique flair for "urban humor". This dvd tries its best to include Rock's best moments, but unfortuneately, it caught in the muck and myer along the way.

There are about one or two things wrong with this dvd that do not make it live up to the superior retrospectives put together for Dana Carvey, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, and Adam Sandler. First up, skits like "I'm Chillin'" and "Big Toe Song" are rather pointless (the latter disgusting) and forgettable. Second, some of the best skits feature Rock as a second banana rather than the main focus. These happen to include my two favorite sketches, "The Bensonhurst Dating Game" and "The Sinatra Group". In the former, he is bested by host Joe Pesci and fellow "SNL" heavyweights Adam Sandler and Dana Carvey. In the latter, he plays Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew in a debate group led by Frank Sinatra, played by the superb Phil Hartman.

Overall, not too bad a dvd, but it could've been so much more.

"You Don't Think There's a @#$&$! Rabbit In This Hat?!"
Woohoo! This is too funny! I have allways loved SNL, but this is in the tie of the third funniest SNL videos(and there's a bunch of SNL videos!). There are many memorable lines like "You bickering, name calling caller item putting awayer." or "Bite me, bite me hard. Lick my blood."(that wasn't said by Chris but it's funny. OR one of the funniest of the Chris Rock sayings "You don't think there's a @#$&$! rabbit in this hat?! See there is a @#$&$! rabbit in this hat!". Also "My turkey needs no salt!" and the hilarious stand up from the comedian himself! The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because sometimes it gets too gross when it doesn't have to be.

SNL (...)
This collection is an insult to Chris Rock. SNL has succeeded in even making the greatest comedian of our time look bad. Rent this first to see how bad it is before you waste your money as well as your time. Get his concert and HBO shows. This is what happens when you put a comedian from the wild in a SNL cage.... he dies. Thank God he was able to be reborn on HBO. It's just not funny. Sorry.

Not too bad
This is a pretty funny DVD full of some of Chris Rock's best skits on SNL. But, beware, some of the recurring skits aren't featured at their best on this disc. The Nat X skit was the one from when he hosted the show, and definitely not as good as the ones when he was a cast member. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

ah the good old days
I never saw these origanally air but when I did I couldn't stop laughing. I thought the new ones were all right but wow. I wish this video had more skits but besides that it is great. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

SNL RULES!
This edition of the best of snl was better than I had expected. It shows the debut of Chris Farley, Rob Schneider, and Chris Rock. Wayne and Garth visit the beautiful Madonna. I don't want to give anything away so all I can really say is there aren't that many sketches on this tape but it's about quality not quantity for the best of snl 1990. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

one of the coolest detective series ever made.
If I had to compare Craig Stevens' suave demeanor as Peter Gunn with any contemporary actor of today that actor would be Pierce Brosnan. Peter Gunn had a style all it's own from the clothes that the character wore to the incidental music and lighting of the show itself. I remember as a young child watching this show and thinking how cool this guy really was. They just don't make shows like that anymore. What a shame!!! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Ovelooked and underated American Film Noir Masterpiece
Robert Altman, one of the foremost filmakers of the last thirty years followed up what many consider to be his magnum, "Short Cuts", with this quietly more ambitious project. "Short Cuts" finished 'place' at the Oscars to "Shindler's List" and helped spawn the career of Juliana Moore (sort of like Sissy Spacek in Welcome To L.A.) although I personally liked virtually all the other performances better (and there are some great ones in it).
The release of "Kansas City" followed hard upon the heals of the Oscar 'second best', and met with 'mediocre' to 'ok' critical reviews. Thus, the film didn't have much of a run in the theatres, playing to sparsely filled houses, who basically came to see the novelty of Harry Belafonte playing a rip-snorting gangster in an Altman film. Nor was the DVD release much of a hit.
What kept the movie alive basically was the magnificent soundtrack - a group of the best of the new generation of jazz musicians playing Kansas City jazz - well - as well as Count Basie and that guy who invented the jazz saxophone (what was his name?) - oh yeah, Coleman Hawkins, themselves. The CD became a classic, and a few people discovered that Altman had fostered this long time love for Kansas City jazz, and now that he was a bigshot and could finally raise lots of money to make any film he wanted, he decided to act on his long time dream to recreate the Kansas City Jazz scene in the early thirties in a movie.
And what an incredible recreation it is! There is even a separate one + hour film which Altman made of simply the bands (as recreated by the contemporary musicians playing all the tracks in the film and on the CD and more, and nothing else!) This film evokes an amazing, dreamlike experience and ranks with any performance of twentieth century music currently on DVD, and I wish they would release it when they release the director's cut, which I predict they will (my 30 year track record is pretty good).
Simply put, "Kansas City" is a noir masterpiece. Jennifer Jason Leigh gives an incredibly complex, brilliant performance and which is only to be matched by her foil . One of the great "two chick" flicks of all time, one wonders why Altman seems to be the only director who sees Leigh for what she is: the best American actress of her generation. Belafonte and the rest of the cast are up to the searing standards demanded by these lead performances, and the script and the almost superhuman attention to detail evidenced in the sets, editing, and every frame, make one wonder what exactly the critics had in mind when they watched this film for the first time.
But the music . . . the bands themselves take on a certain personification and become characters participating in the action of the story.
I believe "Kansas City" is due for a re-evaluation and may go down as the greatest venture of both Leigh and Altman, and that's saying a lot.

confusing and stupid plot
I rented this movie because I like period stories, especially those that take place in the 1920s and 1930s. This movie was about as dim-witted as its main character Blondie. The story was hard to follow because it made little sense, the diaglog really dull,and the movie moved at a snail's pace. And what was with the pregnant black girl? What purpose did that serve and how did it fit into the story?

This is one to skip.

good music but slow movie
If it were not for Harry Bellefonte this one would fall apart. Harry definately held it together as the only acting bright spot.
The music was very good. So if you are a jazz fan skip the movie and get the sound track.

Great Movie, Insipid Plot
The reason I adore this movie is because of the accuracy of the recreation. Everything matches with what a jazz lover knows about Kansas City at that time: the characters named in the movie - up to Bennie Moten's (died in 1935, leader of the orchestra Count Basie took over) surgeon, Charlie Parker's mother, Lester Young, Hawkins (somewhat less); the characters seen and mentioned, such as Tom Prendergast (the ganster who got Truman a start), John Lazzia etc; and characters just seen but not mentioned, such as the lady playing piano - Geri Allen, who looks like Mary Lou Williams -, the singing bartender patterned after Big Joe Turner.

Then there is the music which is just great, a successful recreation of ancient jazz, which can be heard in "Robert Altman's Jazz '34" and purchased separately in two CD's, "Kansas City" (the original soundtrack) and "Kansas City After Dark", all three available ar Amazon and reviewed.

On the positive side for the movie I'll mention the great interpretation by Harry Belafonte and Miranda Richardson (Mrs. Stilton), less so of Jennifer Jason Leigh.

I think the weak side is the plot: Blondie (Leigh) abducts Mrs. Stilton to get back his man, who is in custody of the black gangasters (Belafonte) for a hold-up. Then Blondie goes on talking and talking with a somewhat annoying and exaggerated pitch.

I conjecture Altman wanted to make a movie on his home town in the moment of maximum musical blossing and jazz development and he gave less importance to plot and characters, more to the music. I think we can be happy with that, but as a jazz lover I prefer the above-mentioned "Jazz '34".

just buy the CD
The shooting and action is high quality and typical altman, but you never grab onto the characters. Too much happens too fast, like a great jump blues tune, but as a film it's a bit out of control.

The music *is* great, so buy the CD. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Lonely Bird
The depictions here are the only accurate substantial accounts of Jimmy Dean's life. There are no bios that can even scratch the surface about him. All of them (authors) put their ideologies above the truth of who Jimmy was. It's too bad that the only truth about this man can never be fully told even by "some" who "claim" they knew him. Christy White is the only one and maybe Bill Bast who appear to be faithfull to his past. The other closest is "maybe" the movie made by TNT in 2003.

Peace..
rj

Vintage Film
This film is a must-see for anyone wanting to know more about James Dean. It was released in 1957, over a year after Dean died, and we get to see and listen to family members who are no longer living. We hear from other citizens of Fairmount, Indiana, who knew "Jimmy." We also see and hear show business friends and acquaintances. It also includes alot of great still photographs.

Please remember this film was made in the late 50s, and its dated. It sort of depressed me watching it because it really brought home the fact that "Jimmy" has been dead almost 50 years. But I would think this film would be a necessary part of anyone's collection of James Dean films.

invaluable to anyone who wants to know more about James Dean
the information from this documentary is invaluable and the insight from his family and the people who saw him on a regular basis gives a glimpse of Jimmy that not many people saw. it is one more facet of a brilliant diamond that shone for too brief a time.one word of caution to anyone with asthma,high blood pressure,heart disese,or tramatic stress disorder,the reenactment of his fatal car crash combined with pictures from the actual crash site are a little too graphic for some.watch at your own risk.

For all of us who love Jimmy
Everything the other reviewers have written is true: this documentary of Dean's life is slow-paced, dry, old-fashioned and dated. If you're one of those people who prefer the colorized versions of classic Black and White films, then this film will probably not be to your liking. But I look at it another way: where else can you view interviews with people who actually knew Jim and knew him well? Most of these were filmed shortly in the aftermath of Dean's death, and therefore, their recolections were contemporary. Time hadn't faded their recollections of this amazing young man. You also get to see a many scenes of Dean's childhood in Indiana: his home, High School, roads he traveled, places he visited. If you're a fan of James Dean, you eat this sort of stuff up; I know I do!

A weakness is that the entire production is in black and white, so the clips they show of his color movies are not in color. It's a little disconcerting to see various scenes of "East of Eden" shown in black and white, but you'll grow accustomed to it. As for the second half of the movie, the short TV drama Jimmy made in 1954, "The Bells of Cockaigne," it is excellent and showcases yet again his amazing talent and his beautiful ability to rivet an audience. The quality of this movie is poor, and it does detract from the viewing experience. The quality of the documentary portion is excellent.

If you love James Dean, this is a must have DVD for your collection. Despite its flaws, it's still riveting because of the interviews with intimates who really knew him.

A must have for any James Dean fan!
This documentary was made right after the rebels death and success. Which is interesting because you get to hear what people who are not alive now had to say about him and see the way the world was at the time of Jimmys death and stardome. It catures the feel of the legacy he left behind. Not only that, it also includes interviews with his family and friends who are dead now along with a recording of James Dean talking with his family and a deleted scene from "East of Eden." Though the documentary was creepy and haunting, as its first image was, it was also heart felt. ... Read more

Reviews (111)

Richard Gere and all the Women
This is an excellent Altman movie. Though there is the usual large cast you expect from an Altman movie this one is unique in that despite all the periphery confusion it brings an ever increasing focus on just one character, Dr. T himself. Richard Gere has never been one of my favorite actors but he gives an impeccable and likable performance as an always generous and compassionate gynecologist. His wife played by Farrah Fawcett has a breakdown(and gets naked in a fountain) at the mall early on and spends the entire movie institutionalized. His daughters are played by Tara Reid and Kate Hudson, ones a JFK conspiracy nut and the other a lesbian cheerleader(her lover played by Liv Tyler). Dr. T's work life is equally confusing as he treats one hypochondriac after another. Excellent small part by patient Janine Turner. While his wife is in getting treatment he begins an affair with independent golf pro Helen Hunt. In synopsis the movie sounds wacky and it is but it is also a very solid drama. The movie has a backbone and that is Gere. As his perfect life falls away before him he becomes more and more exposed, vulnerable. Lyle Lovetts soundtrack provides a sober running commentary on one man losing control of his life and how he deals with that. An ending that will blow you away....highly recommended. This is a very confident Altman being experimental in a very interesting way, he's full of insight again. Reminds me of some of his seventies work like 1978's The Wedding, but with firmer directorial control.

The most boring film I have ever seen!
I picked this out on a rainy Saturday afternoon. I had heard nothing about it but because of the all star cast thought it would be a good choice. As I began watching I started thinking to myself over and over again that these actors must have agreed to make this movie to supplement their incomes during a slow year. I have never written a review of anything before but as this movie plays endlessly on I am writing this review to keep someone else from the misery I have endured this afternoon. My time would have been much better spent sitting and enjoying the sound of the rain.

Just Plain Despicable
This may be the worst movie ever filmed. Its portrayal of women borders on the misogynistic, even though the lead character, Dr. T, is alleged to love women--his wife too much, even. The symbolism has all the subtlety of being beat about the head with a bat: It's a twister, get it? His life is in turmoil! The plot is disjointed and that ending... boy, is it bad. At first you think the screenwriter just gave up, but then you suspect perhaps he ingested hallucinogens.

Some bad movies redeem themselves by being laughable. This one, as another reviewer pointed out, just makes you hate it.

OB-gyn NOXIOUS. Ha ha, get it? That's so funny!!!!!
I had heard bad things about this film, but I decided to check things out for myself. Ouch. Rarely have I been so bored while watching a movie. It's a terrible film, and I'm surprised that I managed to stay awake till the end.

I like Richard Gere, I like many of the actresses in this and I like Altman, but what the f... went wrong here? Was everybody sleepwalking or dancing around with their head in the clouds like Fawcett at the mall getting naked in the fountain? The dialogue is some of the worst and dullest I've ever heard in a movie. The performances are phoned-in and everyone looks like they could give a hoot. How sad. Was everyone involved so desperate for money or so willing to be in an Altman film that they forgot to read the script before signing on the dotted line? Oh, and this is a comedy?! I laughed not once. Not once. That has never happened before while watching a comedy.

The opening scene in the reception room of Gere's ob-gyn office with the many women patients and staff members almost gave me a headache - it was a flurry of voices and made everyone seem like they didn't have any brains. Are all upperclass women in Texas this horrific? I hope not. Couldn't Altman find anything nice to say about these women? Make any of them interesting?

Helen Hunt is always good, but here she's wasted as the no-nonsense golf teacher, who has an affair with Gere while his wife, Fawcett, is in the funny farm after retreating into herself and remaining childlike. I think she just went nuts while on the set of this film.

Liv Tyler and Kate Hudson get to play lesbians, and after seeing Kate's choice of husband, who can blame her for dithcing him and eloping with Liv?

The cheerleading class scenes with Kate Hudson talking on her cell phone with her equally obnoxious sister Tara Reid, one of the worst actresses I've yet to see, almost made me turn it off.

Thankfully I got the film for free from the local library, but too bad Friends of the Library wasted their money on this mess.

I rest my case Your Honor. Send this one to the gallows, would ya, thank you very much, aha, as Harry Shearer would say.

Decent theme, but no ending
Dr T and the Women is about a GYN and his dealings with the many women that are in his life; his daughters, his wife, his secretary, his new love interest, and not to mention the many female patients that go to his practice.
The movie sets up everything that is going on in Dr T's life; his daughter is getting married but finds out she is a lesbian, his other daughter is obsessed with JFK, his wife has a mental disorder that causes her to act like a kid and therefore really can't be his wife anymore, his secretary is in love with him, his patients almost tear the place down every day trying to get in to see him, and his dealings with his new love interest (Helen Hunt).
Things eventually go so crazy that he can't take it anymore. At the beginning of the movie, he makes a statement about understanding women and what they want, but after the movie's climax, he realizes that he doesn't know a thing and seems to conclude that women are crazy and unpredictable. Really, I think that's probably what the movie is all about and could be stated as the theme for the entire film.
This movie had a teriffic lineup of characters and actors to play them. The story wasn't too bad either. My problem is with the ending; it's inconclusive, unsatisfying, and anti-climatic. That's being nice. And yes, the ending is that important to a film like this. 2 stars. I felt cheated, in a way. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

On the big screen it was potent and powerful as any
On the big screen it was potent and powerful as any film I had seen. The tension created kept me on the edge of my seat. Maybe as a gay man I perceived something of the conflict between myself and this rigid frigid military environment that crept into many a nighmare of mine. It had a live stage feel to it. Many emotions and personal historys were left up to the audience to interject, kind of compressing many diverse backgrounds into a short though volitale interaction. It remains one of my favorite films and I would very much like to see it on dvd.

Another mess by Altman
How can the man who directed M*A*S*H* and Nashville have directed this drek?

The characters are unbelievable, their actions unmotivated and the storyline hopelessly unrealistic.

What's most annoying is that there are brilliant images and ideas in this "almost movie" that will never be seen by most people as they will not have the patience to suffer through the worst parts.

The movie (based on a play) takes place entirely in a barracks as these Airborne soldiers are waiting to ship out to Viet Nam.

Richie (played by a beautiful Mitchell Lichtenstein) is a young soldier who claims to be "queer" and keeps making accusatorial comments to Billy (played by a young and attractive Mathew Modine) There is apparently a story there but we never hear it.

Guy Boyd and George Dzundza, both talented actors play two sergeants who act totally out of character. (Grown men playing "Hide and Seek" in the rain after drinking all night?) They do have some great moments when they talk about paratroopers whose chutes don't open, but even then there are continuity and reality problems.

David Alan Grier (who went right on to play Corporal Cobb in A Soldier's Story) plays the only black soldier in the group until Carlyle (Michael Wright lately seen on HBO's OZ) shows up.

Carlyle ends up stabbing both Billy and Sgt Rooney and nothing is resolved. Overall the movie is not worth a waste of two lives (even fictional lives) and certainly not worth the 90 minutes I spent watching it.

Excellent adaptation of a brilliant play
Ever since I read "Hurlyburly" about five years ago, I have been a fan of David Rabe. When I became aware that "Streamers," possibly his best play, was made into a film, I wasted no time in renting it. I found the it to be true to the original script, with minor additions that do nothing to help or hinder the play's dramatic impact. The plot concerns the interaction of six men in a desolate army barracks. It is only days (weeks?) before the men are to be shipped out to vietnam, where they will, most likely, die. This tentative, chilling circumstance is the impetus for the story's action. The central characters are Billy, a moralizing, confused college graduate, Roger, a street smart black man, Richie, who is an uninhibited homosexual and Carlyle, a lonely and paranoid psychopath. The diverse nature of these individuals makes symbiosis difficult, and their respective tensions and prejudices culminate in a nihilistic and violent explosion that metaphorically represents the conflict in vietnam, and the conflict inherent in mankind. Streamers is an intelligent, claustrophobic and highly disturbing film that I emphatically reccommend to any who appreciate good cinema.

A very well acted film
Very good performances from all actors, especially by Michael Wright as Carlyle. Guy Boyd and George Dzundra are excellent as two drunken old sergeants. The film itself is somewhat stage-bound as it is based on a play, but the acting makes this a worthwhile experience for any fan of strong acting and strong themes including war, death, and repressed (as well as open) homosexuality.

Decent movie, bad video...
This version is recorded in EP. The sound quality is horrible. The image alternates between muddy and fuzzy. I'll assume the more expensive version is higher quality. The film itself is OK, though a bit preachy and heavy-handed. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This Biography Takes Too Many Short Cuts
I'm glad I didn't purchase this DVD. Only some brief widescreen glimpses of the coming-soon "Buffalo Bill..." got a rise out of me. The big disgrace is the obscenely short amount of time devoted to "Nashville"--and awful pan-and-scan footage at that! And the other, lesser-known films are relegated to still photos and Cinema 101 Narrator. It's always fascinating to see the old guy comment on the "Gingerbread Man" controversy, but I'm not sure that Mr. Altman would be too pleased with a program that barely mentions his own (admitted) favorite "Kansas City."

Worst of all, the "filmography" lists a movie called "Secret HARBOR" from 1984. Where do I send my resume?

Robert Altman: Glossed Over
Let me open by saying I am a far cry from a professional or seasoned film critic or film theory enthusiast. But Robert Altman has remained one of my favorite directors since I saw The Player in 1992 and I have watched everything I've found about and by him. When I saw this documentary focused solely on Altman, I had no problems laying down the...asking price.

I don't think I got my money's worth... The documentary is not much more than a chronological listing of his films up to Cookie's Fortune. The narrator wastes a lot of time simply reading titles and names of leading actors superimposed over a still of each particular movie. From time to time the narration is interrupted by some commentary from Altman and some featured actors, or key clips from the more successful movies, but not nearly enough time is spent on insightful behind-the-scenes or neat-o "never-before-seen" material.

I wasn't looking for fully developed critiques of each film or any such thing, nor a drawn out monologue by Altman and/or some well-reknowned critics, but I really was hoping to gain a lot more insight into Altman and his view of filmmaking and I didn't feel I gained much of anything by the end of the feature.

The interviews that do exist are interesting if brief, and do cover a decent breadth of reactions from different people who speak in a seemingly honest and introspective manner. That is, at least it wasn't a bunch of fan-actors only praising the lauded director in meaningless spurts. Granted, Altman has produced a goodly number of films in his day and to give all of them due coverage would not be practical for a DVD aiming to span his entire career. But I wish it were less of a simple list (that you can easily print out in greater detail from the IMDB.com) and more of a revealing look at a man many claim to be the definitive American director.

The medium of DVD is also somewhat wasted here. No special features to speak of are included other than your standard Scene Selection menu and a static listing of his works and awards. It doesn't even give plot outlines or cast overviews or any such useful information. If you are a die hard Altman fan you might consider picking this DVD up, but otherwise spend your money on one of his actual films and I think you'd be much happier with your purchase. ... Read more