Reviews (8)

Something Completely Different from the Original
This edited version of the original (out-of-print) Secret Policeman's Other Ball is disappointing. Some of the choicest bits (including Pete Townshend's incredible acoustic of "Pinball Wizard") have been omitted.

There are still some good sketches ("Cha-cha-cha")and music (Sting, Phil Collins, Jeff Beck, Clapton), but overall it was a very disappointing experience. If you want to support Amnesty International, send them a check. If you want to see The Secret Policeman's Other Ball, find a rental or buy a used copy of the original.

Comedy and music all in a good cause.
The first, unaccountably legendary 'Secret Policeman's Ball' was in effect a showcase for the comic Old Guard - Monty Python, Peter Cook, Billy Connolly etc. - with only Rowan Atkinson's participation hinting at the new directions British comedy would take. This sequel is much more representative of the early 1980s, adding to the cast the likes of Victoria Wood, Jasper Carrott, Dame Edna Everage and the 'Not the Nine O'Clock News' team. The refusal of these performers to taint the dignity of a charity fundraiser (for Amnesty International) with humour or imagination results in another hour and a half of stale and tedious routines (Atkinson actually reprises the classical music mime from the first film). What's worse, the 'comedy' is far more frequently interrupted by an aging gaggle of musical hypocrites, most notably Phil Collins, a famous fundraiser for the ruling Tory Party, who, at the time of this concert, supported apartheid in South Africa, suppressed allegations of domestic police brutality and racism, and prevented enquiries into notorious miscarriages of justice (the Guildford Four, the Birmingham Six). The one truly funny moment, however, comes from a musical sequence, when Donovan appears and a heckler shrieks 'I thought you were dead!' Once again, the film is impenetrably lit, but I don't think we're missing anything.

2 DIFFERENT VIDEOS
O.K. HERE'S THE DEAL. THE VIDEO FOR SALE HERE IS IN FACT THE SECRET POLICEMAN'S OTHER BALL (SPOB) BY RHINO (1998, 88 MINUTES). THE ONE EVERYONE SEEMS TO BE LOOKING FOR IS THE SPOB BY MGM/UA (1982, 100 MINUTES). THE MGM/UA VERSION CONTAINS ALL OF THE RHINO SPOB BUT IS PRECEDED BY 12 MINUTES OF THE SECRET POLICEMAN'S BALL (SPB). THE ENTIRE SPB IS AVAILABLE FROM RHINO (1998, 90 MINUTES) HERE ON AMAZON. AND YES, IT DOES CONTAIN THE CHEESE SHOP AND SCHOOLMASTER SKITS.

Anyone know which of the 3 balls had the Rowen Atkinson....
Anyone know which of the 3 balls had the Rowen Atkinson "School Master" sketch ?

Other Video
You folks looking for the cheese shop routine and the two men on the bench went for the wrong video. You wanted "The Secret Policeman's Ball". This is "The Secret Policeman's Other Ball" and a far better video than the first. The "Will this Wind" routine is priceless. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

This late-'80s comedy-musical from video director Julien Temple (Absolute Beginners) has an infectiously buoyant if dumb charm and plays like a cross between Little Shop of Horrors and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. If you loved either of those movies, you'll have a fondness for this one, otherwise you'll be irritated beyond belief. Geena Davis stars as a San Fernando Valley manicurist who finds herself in charge of three aliens after they crash-land their spaceship in her pool. With said transport broken down, Davis offers them head-to-toe makeovers (it's the least she can do), turns the fuzzy aliens into a trio of attractive guys, and lets them loose on the dating scene.She promptly falls in love with the leader (Davis's then-husband Jeff Goldblum); of course, it helps that her slimy fiancé (Charles Rocket) is cheating on her left and right. Aside from its sunny California charm, the only other thing this film has to offer is a bouncy musical score, in particular two show-stopping numbers performed by costar (and the film's cowriter) Julie Brown: "Brand New Girl," in which Davis gets the requisite makeover ("If you want to be a femme fatale / You can't rest on your L'Oreals!"), and the entirely irrelevant but absolutely hilarious cult hit "'Cause I'm a Blonde."Davis does her standard airhead thing (still a novelty in 1989) and Goldblum is a studly if silent lead. Make sure you pay close attention to Goldblum's alien sidekicks, two then-unknown actors named Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans, both of whom manage to steal scenes with surprisingly understated charm. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

Reviews (38)

An Entertaining Musical Sci-fi Comedy!
"Earth Girls Are Easy" is a musical sci-fi comedy about valley-girl Valerie (played by Geena Davis) living in 1980's Los Angeles, and who is engaged to a cheating, boyfriend doctor named Ted (played by Charles Rocket). Catching her boyfriend at home playing with a nurse, the disgruntled Valerie gets the surprise of her life when a spaceship crash lands in her swimming pool. The spaceship's crew (played by Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans), haven't had any "shore leave" in a long time. Not wanting to cause too much of a stir, Valerie takes the alien trio to her best friend Candy (played by Julie Brown) who owns a beauty salon. After Candy transforms the furry trio into believable human males, Valerie finds their captain, Mac (Jeff Goldblum), very attractive. Wild things happen when the alien trio are taken to a dance club and letting them drive in California traffic!

The fact that this film is also a musical only adds to the humor as there are several original songs by Julie Brown!

If you enjoy remembering the excesses of the 1980's and New Wave music, you will probably enjoy this film!

The Greatest Cinematic Acheivement Of All Time...
Alright, maybe not. But I can't think of a movie I love more. The parody of all things 80's is hilarious to those of us who suffered through them, though at times it's a tad heavy-handed (I mean, the exotic fish named Mercedes, Beamer, Aston & Martin is a bit...well, heavy-handed). But Geena Davis is cute and funny as a sweet, airheaded manicurist. Julie Brown is hilarious. Julie Brown is ALWAYS hilarious. Jeff Goldblum doesn't say much and is very, very sexy as a shaved alien. Of course, everyone knows that Jim Carrey & Damon Wayans were in this before In Living Color made them into stars. Both are very, very funny. Jeff Goldblum is much more a straight man, but this movie left me with a crush on him that I still have.

This movie is a great send-up of all things 80's, especially the SoCal sex comedies and beach flicks. Someone said that they thought this movie was supposed to bring back musicals. I don't think so. It's too quirky and too strange (I mean, the salon Geena Davis & Julie Brown work at is called "Curl Up and Dye" for gods sake). I don't think it was made to be a blockbuster. It is, however, a really good time. Julien Temple is marvelous with film visuals, and the silly, sexy humor is lots of fun. Get this movie. It's a treat not to be missed.

Could be an episode of "Before They Were Stars"
It was all about flash and glitz during the 80s, which makes me wonder why there simply weren't more musicals. Well, at least there was this one. Earth Girls Are Easy is a silly, kitschy romp with songs that are as fun as the goofy storyline.

Valerie (Geena Davis) is a manicurist at a styling salon in "The Valley" called Curl Up & Dye. She's engaged to a philandering doctor (Charles Rocket), and looks forward to the day that she'll be a bride. Life is confusing, but headed in the right direction, Valerie thinks. Until the fateful day when an alien spaceship crash-lands in her swimming pool.

The brains behind Earth Girls Are Easy is Julie Brown, who takes part of the credit for writing the script and the songs, who sang several of the songs, and who also co-stars as Valerie's best friend, Candy. Before this movie, really the only thing Brown had been known for was serving as a vee-jay on MTV. Likewise, two of the aliens who at the time were unknowns would later become comedic powerhouses, Jim Carrey and Damon Wayons. Rounding out the trio of aliens was Jeff Goldblum, who was Geena Davis' real-life boyfriend at the time and who, not surprisingly, plays her character's love interest in this film.

Mostly the movie is a series of setups for each of the songs, as well as some great comedy skits. Keep your eyes peeled during the "Cause I'm A Blond" sequence for uncredited dancer Robia LaMorte, who would later become well known to fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as computer science teacher Jenny Calendar - she becomes de-throned as "this month's Miss August" by Julie Brown when she's exposed as really being a brunette.

There's also a great turn here by Michael McKean as over-the-hill surfer Woody.

If you enjoy a good, goofy musical-comedy, you don't want to miss Earth Girls Are Easy.

Terrible Movie
This movie was extremely poor lacking in taste, acting quality and humor.

Snap shot: 1989ish
For better or worse, this film really represents an era, particularly in So Cal. This film is superficial but bright and smart... and has VERY bright colors -- like a 90 minute Starburst commercial. The entire look, in every nook and cranny, is eighties glitzy-junk new wave excess taken to the extreme. And then grunge (Seattle, Nirvana, Clinton:-) put an end to it all, sort of. But while it lasted, the end of the eighties ($ boomtime for So Cal) is shown here in all its glory: Yuppiedom, lots of gadgets, almost disposable clothes, accesories to the max, disposable pop-culture references, and big-haired beautiful women. Julie Brown epitomizes all of the above with a postmodern wink. She is the heart here... while Geena Davis is the straight person, properly vacant, wandering through this neon world. As so many reviewers wrote, the Julie Brown musical numbers are real standouts. And Geena's "Ground That You Walk On" is great too. Highly recommended time capsule. (Compare this film to 1980ish "Xanadu," where lots of this glitz was in its infancy, more serious and innocent). ... Read more

Reviews (41)

THE REALIST AND BEST MOVIE EVER MADE ABOUT THE STREET LIFE
This is the best films I have ever seen. It is a damn shame that a film with such an excellent story line never made the theaters. Bullet has great music from vivaldi and Barry White that make the scenes very powerful and touching. Mickey Rourke plays the part of Butch "Bullet" Stein great. I love his laid back personality in the movie even though he is a heroin addict. Tupac also plays his part of a drug dealer really well and I know some people are dissapointed that he has a small role in this film but you shouldn't like this film just cuz Pac is in it. This film really shows you how a family can be destroyed by a life of drugs and crime. This is my favorite film and I can't describe in words how good it is and how powerful and touching some of the scenes are. We should all try to have Bullets laid back personality because that's what makes Mickey Rourke so great in this movie. Mickey Rourke cowrote this film as "Sir Eddie Cook" which is a name that he goes under as a writer which really shows you how talanted he really is to make such a great film. Hey also was the music supervisor for the film. I love all the scence in the movie but one of my favorites is when Bullet his younger brother Ruby and friend Lester get high while they are driving right after bullet gets out of jail and the Barry White song "Never Never Gonna Give You Up" comes on. That song is just perfect for that part. Any one who says this is a bad film really doesn't understand movies and the message that directors and writers try to get across to people. These people critize because they could never create anything like this and are flat out ignorent so don't even pay attention to their reviews. Tupac is most likely the greatest rapper ever and a pretty good actor but to all the Pac fans you can't hate this movie because it isn't Pacs best. Hey I love tupac too, but I realized that Mickey Rourke is just the coolest guy ever to do this movie because he is perfect in playing the role of a BULLET.
Like I said I could talk for ever about my favorite movie. Just watch it and hopefully you will understand it a like it too.

Last Good Mickey Rourke Movie!
The last great performance by Mickey Rourke (check out the original bad boy pimp in The Pope of Greenwich Village, Angel Heart, Diner & Barfly)...Couple of observations though, the film has the production values of "Family Ties"...don't expect an operatic "Scarface" type Gangster film. The oddball casting and stylistic touches win you over in the end, from the soundtrack to some of Julien Temple's wierd angles. This film must have been written when Mickey was high on heroin, some of it is straight on Mickey Rourke Bad Ass, some of it like the dysfunctional jewish melodrama is out of place. Still everybody should check it out, for a couple of reasons, #1)Its the second film Julien Temple works with a major music star who ends up dying just a year later (Temple directed Sid Vicious in "Great Rock and Roll Swindle")#2 Adrien Brody in a really wierd role, Brody actually worked with Mickey on "Thin Red Line" but Rourke had his scenes cut from the film, its amazing that Brody has gone on to become an Oscar winner and Rourke has since become a character actor. #3 Tupac's Slick Rick impersonation is hillarious...I think also Pudgey guy worked with Tupac on Juice...don't quote me on that one.

Racist garbage
Rourke as a Jewish heroin addict out of prison and hanging in a bad neighborhood in New York City- how original.
This movie stinks- I want my money back! I gave this crap DVD away, Jose!
This film is what is known in the trade as "garbage"!

This movie and my experience
Growing up near Kings Highway and the Stillwell Avenue area, I have hung out around the Marlboro Projects and all around Coney Island. While not as bad as Brownsville or East New York by far at all, its still ghetto and gets it going when it wants to. White gangsters used to own Coney Island and some still throw down and hold it there. Me myself being white, I was able to relate to this movie because it was in my neighborhood. Its very real. Anything goes on anywhere in Brooklyn, and Brooklyn is Brooklyn. That scene in Lafayette's Schoolyard where I used to go when my brother went to that school was classic. Watch this movie, thats all I can say.

You tell that N**ger Bigant's back in town!!!!!!!!

What are these other reviewers taking about?
This movie by far is not either of their best performances. To say it is their best no, far from it. The basic story line deals with Rourke getting out from jail and going back to his folks house. Who of course has a drunk for a father a mother whom puts up with them, a crazy brother and the brother with some talent. Same old story line. If you do watch this movie please do not expect much from it. I can see why it is a very unknown movie. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Set in England during the early 19th century, Pandaemonium evokes late-1960s America in its depiction of the relationship between Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Linus Roach) and William Wordsworth (John Hannah). Instead of going to Vietnam, Wordsworth goes off to fight against the French while Coleridge stays at home and promotes utopianism. After the war, the poets live and work together with Coleridge's wife, Sara (Samantha Morton), and Wordsworth's sister, Dorothy (Emily Woof). At first this communal arrangement works to the advantage of Coleridge--who does some of his best writing while Wordsworth stagnates--until Coleridge becomes addicted to opium. Wordsworth, meanwhile, doesn't find his voice until he abandons his friend. In 20th-century vernacular, Wordsworth is the yuppie, Coleridge the hippie. Director Julien Temple (Absolute Beginners) even evokes 1960s cinema with this occasionally overwrought--but often visually stunning--essay on the mysteries of creativity. --Kathleen C. Fennessy ... Read more

Reviews (16)

A Study in the Ways of the Imagination
Pandaemonium is one of the better films I've seen in a long time. Some of its themes are much like the ideas (ala Hassan i Sabbah & assassins & hunger for paradise) that have attracted me lately. It is about the poets Wordsworth & Samuel Taylor Coleridge (who wrote "Kubla Khan"). The exploration of the creative force, mingled with the desire to see deep into reality is amazing (Coleridge tried to do it with opium, and both succeeded and kind of destroyed himself in the process). The movie is based on real history but I think it took some liberties to make it a more powerful story. Coleridge also wrote "The Ancient Mariner," and that poem is incredible, I've even more taken by it to see it so lushly explored in a visual sense in how the idea and language came to Coleridge. There's some really funny parts too, like a time when they eat datura and almost fall up off the world (or their perceptions convince them they are about to, and then they start playing with it, realizing the joke, but still pretending that they can fall up.) There's a scholarly literary study on Coleridge published in 1927 called "The Road to Xanadu - A Study in the Ways of the Imagination" by John Livingstone Lowes, a brilliant book, and I wonder if the filmmakers got many of their ideas and details from that extraordinary book.

Recommended for poetry fans... if not poet fans
Like the last reviewer, I don't know a lot about the personal lives of Wordsworth and Coleridge. But history aside, the film is beautiful. The relationships between the poets, Sara, Dorothy, and other friends - whether completely accurate or not - are very complex and wonderfully written and acted.

The film is thought-provoking and visually stunning. It's a great movie about writing, man's relationship with nature, friendship, and addiction. The poetic references worked into it are great for the poetry buff, even if those who have studied the poets in depth may not agree with the way the characters are portrayed.

A Great Movie about Great Poets
"Pandaemonium" just might be one of the greatest movies ever made about poets. There are very few that I've seen that haven't been superficial, over the top or boring. This movie is sublime. The story of Samuuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordworth makes grand entertainment and exciting drama. Linus Roche is a bundle of wild energy as Coleridge, with his addiction to opium (laudanum) taking center stage as a symbol of his ups and downs in his creative energy and mental health. John Hannah is very good as Worthsworh, a poet totally different than Coleridge but bound together at first for the common cause of writing great poetry. The cast is uniformly excellent and the story is exciting with great location photography and visionary scenes on how Coleridge composed and got the ideas for his masterpieces, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and "Kubla Khan," and the moving "Frost at Midnight." It is a great movie and great sadness, showing the arc of the two poet's careers. It avoids the stilted language and imagery of former historical epics and is as fresh as if these poets come alive now in the 21st century. A movie to treasure and share. Highly recommended. May it lead its viewers to appreciate poetry and poets more and elavate them to a high place where great words and visions are created and cherished.

Pandaemonium--Dumb and Dumber
This movie is stunning in its stupidity. The writers are obviously incapable of even the dimmest understanding of the work of either Wordsworth or Coleridge. In their ignorance they must fall back upon a stereotypical pastiche bearing virtually no resemblance to the history or character of either poet. The legacy of these two literary giants offers a rich tapestry to exploit. Yet here we have an offering which might be summed up in one sentence as follows. "Drugs--wow, man cool, no drugs?--bummer."

The Milk of Paradise
This is a quietly stunning film about the wonders & dangers of exploring the limits of creativity, bringing the power of poetry to vivid life & depicting timeless themes in a period setting. Is it historically accurate? Well, of course not -- but director Temple isn't making a dry, factual biopic, but offering poetry & parable. The choices embodied by Coleridge & Wordsworth (or the somewhat fictionalized representations of these poets) are choices each of us must face every day. How much of our individual creative fire are we willing to compromise for security? Conversely, how far beyond the boundaries of safety are we willing to go while pursuing our individual visions? I don't see how any viewer can come away from this beautiful film without a renewed appreciation for the magic of language; certainly it will send you to the nearest volume of poetry at hand!

Dazzling images, rich colors, transporting words & fine acting all contribute to an intense & moving film experience. Highly recommended! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

a huge dissapointment
i bought this tape and i'm sorry that i did. my favorite video is emotional rescue and they ruined it by changing scenes and cutting it down to nothing. i am still looking for the uncut version that i saw on solid gold years ago. i'm going into video stores almost everyday looking for it. that video emotional rescue is the reason why i bought video rewind and they cut it down to nothing.

Coulda been a whole lot better
This overly ambitious video is centered around an ongoing storyline where Bill Wyman poses as a museum security guard to gain access to the closed-off rock n' roll memorabilia section. There he discovers Mick Jagger encased in glass and "awakens" him so they can reminisce over some video clips of their "old" band. Clever and well done, but the focus seems to be more on the storyline than the videos, most of which are mediocre at best. There are also many things about the collection that really tick you off. The sound mastering is horrendous. The clip for "Miss You" (which admittedly isn't that great to begin with - Charlie Watts does his best to look like Abe Vigoda) is constantly interrupted by meaningless footage of Wyman and Jagger in the museum. The video for "Brown Sugar" is nothing more than a hodgepodge of concert performances of the song poorly edited together, purely for the purpose of this collection it seems. The "Start Me Up" clip is NOT the so-bad-it's-good early-MTV clip of Jagger in his form-fitting purple-striped muscle shirt cockstrutting around the other band members on a poorly-lit soundstage, it's a pointless live performance from the 1981 tour which only serves to show the end credits to this collection. Some clips are god-awful boring ("Angie"), while others are shamelessly edited down to nothing ("Waiting On A Friend", "Emotional Rescue"). Only "Neighbors", "She's So Cold", and the trio of well-crafted videos from "Undercover" ("Undercover of the Night", "She Was Hot", and "Too Much Blood") save this from being a total waste of time.

Part Of Stones History
To say I was impressed with this the first time I saw it is a stretch but it is not terribly bad as some people may have you believe. It is a collection of the Rolling Stones music videos from 1980 - 1983. It also features TV shows, Interviews, concert footage, etc..... The only thing that makes this worse than it should of been is the plot..........

It starts off with Bill Wyman (the Stones bass player from 1964 -1993) walking through a museum and somehow he ends up into a stones section. When he gets there, there is a TV he sits at and watches the Stones on it. Then Mick Jagger is on display in the museum and Bill lets him out of the glass he is behind. Then they just go on through this museum thing and they are acting...it's not like this really hapenned. And the acting is Bad!

But put that behind you. You can sit through it. It's not all that bad. It even has the now banned from TV music video for the song "Neighbours" off of 1981's Tattoo You......

Could've been a whole lot better
This overly ambitious video is centered around an ongoing storyline where Bill Wyman poses as a museum security guard to gain access to the closed-off rock n' roll memorabilia section. There he discovers Mick Jagger encased in glass and "awakens" him so they can reminisce over some video clips of their "old" band. Clever and well done, but the focus seems to be more on the storyline than the videos, most of which are mediocre at best. There are also many things about the collection that really tick you off. The sound mastering is horrendous. The clip for "Miss You" (which admittedly isn't that great to begin with - Charlie Watts does his best to look like Abe Vigoda) is constantly interrupted by meaningless footage of Wyman and Jagger in the museum. The video for "Brown Sugar" is nothing more than a hodgepodge of concert performances of the song poorly edited together, purely for the purpose of this collection it seems. The "Start Me Up" clip is NOT the so-bad-its-good early-MTV clip of Jagger in his form-fitting purple-striped muscle shirt cockstrutting around the other band members on a poorly-lit soundstage, it's a pointless live performance from the 1981 tour which only serves to show the end credits to this collection. Some clips are god-awful boring ("Angie"), while others are shamelessly edited down to nothing ("Waiting On A Friend", "Emotional Rescue"). Only "Neighbors", "She's So Cold", and the trio of well-crafted videos from "Undercover" ("Undercover of the Night", "She Was Hot", and "Too Much Blood") save this from being a total waste of time. ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Let Janet Take You On A Escapade
With This DVD You Can See Janet Grow Up.. Even Doh It Was Missing A Video From Her Design Of A Decade CD "Twenty Foreplay".. But This DVD Is Still Cool..

Track List...
1. What Have You Done For Me Lately
2. Nasty
3. When I Think Of You
4. Control
5. Let's Wait Awhile
6. The Pleasure Principle
7. Miss You Much
8. Rhythm Nation
9. Escapade
10. Alright
11. Come Back To Me
12. Black Cat
13. Love Will Never Do (Without You)
14. That's The Way Love Goes
15. Whoops Now
16. Runaway
17. Runaway Documentary

The DVD Comes With Dolby Digital 2.0 Sound And PCM Sound... No Subtitles...

The Runaway Documentary Is Like MTV'S Making The Video... LOL...

MAGNIFICENT! Janet is terriffic in all of these videos.
This tape features the music videos for "What Have You Done for Me Lately", "Nasty","When I Think of You","Control","Let's Wait Awhile","The Pleasure Principle","Miss You Much","Rhythm Nation","Escapade","Alright","Come Back to Me", "Black Cat","Love Will Never Do(without you)", "That's The Way Love Goes","Whoops Now", and "Runaway". This video also has a Runaway documentary. I watch this video over and over and I never get tired of it. It's amazing. Janet is the BEST dancer ever. I encourage all of you to buy this video. It is a wonderful collection of Janet's greatest hits!

Janet's music videos
Janet has terrific videos, I love all of them, the choreography is superb and she is a really good dancer. This is the VHS version of her greatest hits CD "Design of a Decade" and has all the songs of the album except for "The Best Things In Life Are Free" (but since Janet can't be seen in that video, it's not really missed) and "Twenty Foreplay" (which would be a great addition).

Those who miss the videos of the "janet." album should buy the VHS release "janet." which has the videos of You Want This, If, Again, Any Time Any Place and a different version of That's The Way Love Goes.

design of a great career
this is a collection of music videos from janet jackson in her prime and at her creative peak. I only wish more videos from the janet album were featured and that miss you much was extended, but I know that this is representative of mostly her A&M work and barely her Virgin work. My favourite videos are nasty, control, pleasure principle and all the videos from rhythm nation as well as the multicultural runaway. Get it today and see what janet did before britney and those kids came along

Amazing, but with a few shortcomings
I agree with the other reviewers about how essential a collection of Janet videos is. The choreography is amazing and her attention to detail rivals that of her brother. I'm giving this only four stars because it could have taken better advantage of the DVD capacity (read: more videos, please!:)

The Control videos are pretty much here in their entirety, but Rhythm Nation is where we begin the edits. I loved the extended chair sequence at the end of "Miss You Much", but it is missing here. They certainly had room for the additional 30 seconds. Come to think of it, they could have included the entire Rhythm Nation movie. Perhaps in a future release. The "Alright" video is also truncated, but even in its edited form is still long enough and enjoyable (very cool to see Cab, Cyd, and the Nicholas Brothers).

Absent from the "janet" release are "If" and "Again". Another reviewer mentioned a few other vids from this CD, but these are the only ones that stood out for me. "If" had this cool Asian underground theme and some interesting choreography, while "Again" was basically just clips from "Poetic Justice". I would rather have seen either of these videos in favor of "Whoops Now".

I'm guessing the omission of some of her later videos was to maintain consistency with the format of the Design CD (but then what is "Whoops Now" doing here?). I'm hoping a more complete retrospective is released soon, but I found this for $9 and couldn't resist. It's hard to sit still while watching these videos, they make you want to dance. :)

Early in their career: Check out JLo (from her "In Living Color" dancer days) in "That's the Way Love Goes". And of course Paula in the "Nasty" video. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This omnibus directors fest brings together 10 different filmmakers making 10 different films based on operatic arias. Jean-Luc Godard is stylistically the boldest, Robert Altman possibly the most imaginative, Franc Roddam celebrates American glitz, and Bruce Beresford is the most sentimental. Nearly all the other filmmakers involved--including Nicolas Roeg, Ken Russell, Julien Temple, Charles Sturridge, Derek Jarman, and Bill Bryden--are (or were, in the case of the late Jarman) world-class talents, but you wouldn't know that from their murky participation here. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Liz Hurley's first important role in a movie
This movie provided Liz Hurley with her big break. Soon after this, Dennis Potter snapped her up for the lead role in the BBC adaptation of Christabel Bielenberg's 'The Past is Myself'. She became Hugh Grant's girlfriend and the rest is history. She transformed herself physically during her twenties, which is why some viewers have had problems identifying the occasionally nude actress that appears here as the very slim Liz Hurley they now know.

For me, 'Aria' was the classical music community's response to the rise of MTV and the pop video. Directors like Ken Russell and Nick Roeg wanted to show us that opera could be equally colourful and sexy, even if you couldn't dance to it. And they proved their case, to my mind.

But like a pop video, you wouldn't want to watch this too often. There's no substantive connection between each of the videos, so you end up feeling much the same as you would after a 90-minute immersion in MTV.

A Visual and audial smorgasbord
I have loved this movie for years. Granted, it may be for deep film buffs, but it is powerful.

Each vignette offers a top director's interpretation of a provocative aria. Opera lovers know how emotionally provocative the music can be; and that raw emotion is shown by each director.

The love story is one of the most romantic and tragic stories I have ever seen--the images are still in my mind 10 years after first seeing it. I had enjoyed a light introduction to opera before this movie, but after feeling the raw emotions this film created in me, I bought a few opera CDs based simply on first hearing the arias in this movie. There is even some VERY funny stuff is one scene.

So, in summary, the music, images, and emotions from this movies were all so intense, they've stayed with me for years. If you can take the intensity, do not miss out on this powerful movie that can be both sublime and intense at the same time.

The movie that started me on opera
I first saw Aria in the theater back in high school (about 3 million years ago) and only because I wanted to impress a girl way more artistic than myself.

It worked, but not in a way I'd expected. The movie, a series of vignettes, runs the whole emotional spectrum. In my younger days, we were blown away by the Wagner/Roddam piece starring a young Fonda, so loving and jarring at the same time. These days I find all the music beautiful, but one or two of the vignettes boring. The entire movie is beautifully shot and all deserves to be watched at least once.

After having done that you'll find continual enjoyment watching Sturridge, Beresford, Roddam, Jarman, and Bryden's interpretations.

Who knows, you might fall in love with opera too.

Great the first time, tends average, not for everyone
This movie was great the first time, on the big screen. The music and the images shock you, and make you squirm and react to this movie. It's an artistic roller coaster ride.

I've found since, however, that this shocking quality doesn't preserve especially well. My favorite way of watching this movie these days, is to turn the music on, while I'm doing stuff around the house, occassionally looking at the images.

It's artistry, it doesn't hold up under critical thinking.

Who will like this movie? Despite (or perhaps because of) the billing of mature content, I think that this is a good film for teenage viewers with a liking for art films. One must be able to appreciate both the variety and intensity of the images, and be able to forgive the story. Not a problem in an action movie, but for an "art film", it shows it's high concept roots.

Maybe a gift for an opera lover, or an "art film" buff.

A Most Incredible Experience
Aria is 90 minutes of pure wonderment -- I'm not certain what demographic this project was aimed at, but I definitely fall into it. You have to love opera style music yet not be so attached to the operas themselves that the re-presentation of the music offends. You have to enjoy video that your average couch potato won't get, no matter how many mind altering drugs he takes.

To really enjoy Aria, you have to check your expectations at the door and accept it for what it is -- a set of brilliant visual explorations fueled by some of the most incredible music ever written. With any other attitude, you're far more likely to find this a miserable experience. Too vulgar, too highbrow, too bizarre, too surreal, too whatever.

Some pieces tell a solid story, ranging from humorous to tragic. Others lack story line and speak to a different level of consciousness. Pathos. Humor. Death. Life. Celebration. Brilliance. Aria cleanses windows of perception, like a good wine between courses of a meal. On the other hand, it's a main course, in and of itself.

This is not fodder for young children, and most teens won't have the patience for it either. If you thought "Dude, Where's My Car?" was a brilliant movie, perhaps you'd better pass on this one as well. I only wish that more Wagner had been included ... perhaps an Aria II consisting solely of Wagner arias?

(If you'd like to discuss this movie or review in more depth, click on the "about me" link above and drop me an email. Thanks!) ... Read more

Album Description

Nice price NTSC DVD featuring 18 tracks (including end credits) shot on the 'IMAX system in London, Berlin and Turin this is a classic recording of the Rolling Stones, 1990 'Steel Wheels' tour set. Tracks include 'Start Me Up', 'Tumbling Dice', 'Paint It ... Read more

Reviews (16)

bad sound
What happened to the sound quality? I originally saw the Stones' Live at the Max at an IMAX theater in Vancouver, Canada, and it sounded incredible. The sound literally blew my away. But the sound quality in this DVD is simply mute in comparison. I consider the Stones' Gimme Shelter DVD the greatest rock film ever made (followed closely by Pink Floyd's Live at Pompei and The Wall). Unfortunately, Floyd's Live at Pompei isn't on DVD, and the Stones' Live at the Imax is (it should have been left on VHS, or at least digitally remastered for DVD).

I have the THX version and it still sucks!
Like everyone else with any musical taste I love the Stones, and have been following them since I was fifteen and was hooked by "Satisfaction". That said, there seems to always be a propensity by whoever does the mixing for Stones' movies/DVDs to screw up the sound (maybe the Glimmer Twins themselves?). For instance, I have a number of bootlegs from the 1972 tour (Mick Taylor, decadence, hooray!), most of which are brilliant, full-bodied and powerful, then you get "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones", and it is comparatively anemic (actually awful) - guitars too tinny, the bottom rumble eliminated, Jagger too loud, and instead of sounding powerful, it sounds fragmented not like a real band at all. "At the Max" continues this tradition (?). I have videotape of that tour and, again, it is great, but I can't even watch this DVD, they manage to make the Stones sound boring!! The good news is that on Four Flicks, at last, a really decent job of mixing has been done that actually does sound like a Stones' concert - major regret that they didn't learn to do this before Bill Wyman left the band. At least we have "Gimme Shelter", which in its newest incarnation comes pretty close (ever hear it in a theatre with a good sound system turned up loud? Magic!) But unless you must have everything, I would avoid this one.

horrible sound -
what's with the sound on this dvd. The audience noise is louder than the Stones. The musical quality is compared to an old record which has been ran over by a truck. The crowd's screaming and yelling drowns out 85% of the music.

This concert video is the best argument why stadium concerts are not made for music.

The Rolling Stones-Live at the Max
Very good but audio does not even come close to DTS Quality

Too many overdubs...
I saw this in an IMax theater last year and was horrified to see that almost all of the guitar work is overdubbed. Keith's fingerwork doesn't match what is coming out of the speakers at all. You'd think they could actually play the tunes live by now. Quite the embarrassment. I'd rather hear a few bum notes than this dishonest mess. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A commercial disaster upon its release in 1986, AbsoluteBeginners is an uneven but often stunning attempt at revitalizing the movie musical with postmodern sensibilities.Director Julien Temple was making his first foray into dramatic features after an impressive string of music videos and documentaries (including the first of two Temple-directed profiles of the Sex Pistols), and he upped the stakes by harnessing his visual ingenuity to a period piece exploring London's social transformation at the edge of the '60s--a fleeting moment in the pop zeitgeist that may as well have been the Cambrian Age to Temple's MTV-generation audience. This is post-World War II London turning the corner from economic austerity, giddy with jazz and early rock, yet to witness the Beatles and the Stones.

Adapted from Colin MacInnes's novel, the story follows Colin (Eddie O'Connell), a young Londoner looking to find his place in the world. A budding romance with the intoxicating Suzette (Patsy Kensit) as well as crises of conscience over social responsibility and financial gain are the plot threads in a story that arguably tackles too many Big Ideas, including adolescent identity, British racism (directed at West Indian immigrants) and class prejudice, and capitalism itself, embodied by David Bowie as unctious, superstar executive Vendice Partners.

In wrestling with such valiant ambitions, Temple and his young cast establish the film's musical soul in a canny synthesis of '80s English pop with postwar bop and the seeds of Mod culture.Onscreen performances by Fine Young Cannibals, Sade, and Kensit, a Bowie production number ("Motivation") that cribs from Busby Berkeley, and a wonderful sequence with the Kinks' Ray Davies as Arthur (a likely nod to his own band's 1969 rock opera) are all well realized. Less obviously, Temple salutes the period's forgotten jazz legacy through a score from the late Gil Evans, and in the jaw-dropping, bravura opening sequence, an extended single-camera journey through Soho set to Charles Mingus's joyous "Boogie Stop Shuffle" that is itself reason enough to see this brave musical. --Sam Sutherland ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Visually Stunning Musical Directed by Julien Temple
When you watch the opening sequence from ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS, the first thought that might come to your mind is that it's shot a lot like Janet Jackson's "When I Think of You" video. There is a reason for that -- they were both directed by Julien Temple. His background as one of the top music video directors comes to good use here. All of the musical sequences are superbly staged and choreographed. As an added benefit, you get a rare chance to see both Sade and R&B pioneer Slim Gaillard perform in a motion picture. Sade is absolutely stunning as she sings "Killer Blow," a song which she also co-wrote. The soundtrack is filled with other great songs including Slim Gaillard's "Selling Out," "Having it All" (performed by Patsy Kensit), "That's Motivation" and the title cut. The latter two songs were performed by David Bowie. In terms of plot, the makers of the film took a big chance by going beyond the basic boy-meets-girl story found in most classic musicals. The romance is still there, but it also attempts to deal with some serious social issues, including the gentrification of a community. For the most part the film succeeds in its somewhat lofty ambitions. Overall, the cast gives credible, if somewhat broad performances, but this is to be expected within the musical genre. An initial hurdle for American audiences will be to decipher the thick British accents. However, with the second viewing that shouldn't be a problem, particularly given the fact that this release comes closed captioned. Thank God for closed captioning! I previously purchased the earlier, non-captioned version, but because the film has been so popular with my friends, I had no choice, but to buy a second copy. You know how it is when you loan things, sometimes it takes a l-o-n-g time to get things back -- especially with a movie as entertaining as this one. Rather than keep waiting, I simply purchased another copy (now with closed captioning) and I'm so glad I did. If you're looking for a musical with something on it's mind, you need to look no further. You will also be hard pressed to find a musical as visually stunning as this one with great music to match. This all for just a bit more than the price of a movie ticket. In short, ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS is an absolute must see.

A stinker...NOT!
As the former Mr. Zimmerman opined, "don't criticize what you can't understand." At least that's my take on Henna's slam at Absolute Beginners, which echoes the slagging the movie suffered when it was released. For moviegoers who bought their tickets expecting a new Bowie video, the movie surely must have been bewildering: no slo-mo martini glasses, New Romantic geometric updos, or other soon-to-be MTV cliches. Instead, Julien Temple actually tried to make a modern musical with '50s, '60s, and '80s musical styles while taking a hard look at prejudice and greed in London B. B. (Before the Beatles). Pundits might have pointed out that Broadway itself was already overrun with revivals and special effects, and that Hollywood had given up the ghost on true screen musicals 15 years earlier. When I caught the movie on its first weekend, the crowds were thin. And when we went back for another showing a few days later, the crowd was...well, just US. But artistic bravery does count for something, and Temple won me over in those first breathless minutes as his camera flew through twisting nighttime streets with classic, brassy Mingus wailing from the speakers. If Bowie's slick shtick was diluted by his attempt at an American accent, the rest of the cast was stronger, and Temple earned bonus points for capturing Ray Davies' bittersweet sense of middle class English life in his sequence as Arthur, plus a music scholar's merit badge for slipping in Slim Gaillard as a cameo.

4 stars for the music but 1 for the movie
I've had the soundtrack to this movie for years, the double album no less. It is an absolute masterpiece. The movie is a bit of a let down after finally seeing it. If you think of this movie as a series of interconnecting vignettes it works much better as the plot is very convoluted and meandering.
The final riot seems out of place, but is very effective with our hero caught in the middle of a race riot, running from both the neo-nazis and the angry blacks, having no safe place to go. Jerry Dammer's music during the whole episode is outstanding.
In the end there is some substance with it's strong anti-capitalist message and even more style with the series of music videos, but empty nonetheless.
David Bowie is the class of the field here. Sleek, stylish and somehow menacing.
James Fox is understated and uncaring as the greedy heavy. Everyone else is a step below. Many over-act or just don't have the chops.
There are a number of pretty standard "characters". There's the hip beatnik type with the always-hip sunglasses, the good-natured gay "Oscar Wilde" type with the always-hip sunglasses and the ultra cool black trumpet player (not a sax?) with the always-hip sunglasses. There is also a street urchin type who's lust for money, it turns out, hides a darker side and a good natured, busty, and big boned lesbian pseudo mother type.
All businessmen & women are portrayed as corrupt bungling money-grubbing capitalists, who are intent on turning the hero's poor tenement neighborhood into an ultramodern "white" housing project.
The show business types are fake, toupee wearing liars. Come to think of it, in my limited experience that's not far from the truth.
There's even an old schoolmaster type who seems completely lost (surprise, surprise).
Many of the actors and artists have a problem keeping up with the words during their lip-syncing (though Bowie makes it look effortless). You'd think in a major motion picture there would be more of an effort to make that work.
Of course the real star of the movie is the music and the standouts are Gil Evans, the aforementioned Jerry Dammers and David Bowie. Honorable mentions go to Working Week (Rodrigo Bay doesn't get much airtime but is an exhilarating song) and Style Council reworking their "With Everything to Lose" as "Have You Ever Had It Blue" with added horns and Latin beats (though it seems out of place here). Slim Gaillard's "Selling Out" Clive Langer's "Napoli" Smiley Culture's "So What?" all work wonders with or without the movie.

The first music video musical
Julien Temple had lots of experience making music video's before he made this film, and it shows. Basically, it is many music video's strung together to formulate a film, which is not such a good idea. The story needed much more dialogue and character definition. You'll watch the film and think it looks really neat, but you won't care for the characters. A few months after this film was released, Spike Lee had a hit with something called "Do the right thing". Spike's film is almost a copy of this, same plotline, same issues, but no music. Both films cover a hot summer heatwave where peoples tempers are on edge, race riots occur, etc etc. Why Spike got more attention, I'm not quite sure.

Interesting Film
There's a movie musical somewhere in David Bowie's talent, but I'm not sure this is it. Don't be deceived by the cover, David's only a minor bit in this.

The sets and lights are spectacular here, and the music's pretty good. I like the Sade song. Some of the British accent's a bit hard to catch, (I turned on the captions for the "Ted's not Dead" song)

Disappointing extras, and not even a copy of the film's preview. I'm never really partial to slide shows of promotional photos.

I think this film just came out at a time when musicals weren't popular. It probably would have fared better if released today. I'm sure some Broadway producer will be ... over it soon, given their proclivity to turn movies and TV shows into Broadway musicals. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Micks' Having Fun!
I have seen this movie quite a few times and still love it. I love all the other actors in it, also. It is a funny movie.

Mick Needs the Stones
The production is clunky, the acting clunky, and the songs aren't that great. I'm a Stones freak, but there are only about 2 good songs on Mick's SHE'S THE BOSS album, that these songs are from. There are some cool things in here, though.

never enough
we used to watch this video over & over.it was great to watch any part of it for 5 minutes just before you go to work in the morning,it would start off my day perfectly. love to get a new copy ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Cash from chaos....
This movie is probably more enjoyable for Pistols fans than for others; plus Pistols fans will be able to tell when Malcolm McLaren is, er, stretching the truth a bit: "But my greatest invention was what they called 'the Punk Rock'" he hisses from behind a leather S&M mask in the opening sequence. There's some sharp, funny stuff here, as many of McLaren's "commandments" for rock'n'roll stardom can be seen today in pop: the cynicisms of executives and marketers who have no real interest in music; the "pre-fabricated" band; the commodification of rebellion.

Thing is, the Sex Pistols were greater than even McLaren could have ever imagined. Compare the cheesy, corny sequences, many with McLaren, to those in which Johnny Rotten is on-screen: Rotten's intent is so gleefully mad, so mesmerizing and ferocious, that it completely undercuts Malcolm's prancing about, his art-school theories, and his impresario pretensions. Watching Johnny, Sid, Steve and Paul in rehearsal (singing "No Feelings") or in a "video" ("God Save the Queen" and "Pretty Vacant") or live on-stage in Dallas and San Francisco (their last ever gig) is a real thrill--equal parts subversion (Johnny) and stupidity (Sid). Really, these are the best parts of the film....

Except for the classic scenes of Sid Vicious, all filmed less than a year before he died. Here Sid stalks Paris, clad in spiked leathers, engineer boots, and a bright-red swastika T-shirt, mocking the populace and stealing sweets. He kisses a poster of Clint Eastwood. He attacks a prostitute. And later that night he appears to a sell-out crowd, clad in tuxes and ball gowns, and astonishes them with his immortal trashing of "My Way."

Wisely, the film ends after that. I mean really, what could have topped it!

sid as vicious he gets
For all you pistols fans out there this really is a good buy.Looking at Sid through out the movie is a real pleasure because there isnt really much more footage of this character. Like my title suggests this really is sid as funny and witty as he gets.You get to see Sid crawl paris kissing a poster and stealing sweets and to top it off you see sid performing his version of My Way,although i would like to have seen more footage of johnny rotten but other than that its great and if like me you find looking at Sid this is a good buy

"Terrorize, threaten and insult your own useless generation"
Malcolm McLaren--former manager of the notorious British punk rock band--the Sex Pistols, directed "The Great Rock and Roll Swindle" after the Pistols broke up at the conclusion of their disastrous North American tour. The film begins with a group of actors dressed in 18th century garb carrying around--and abusing--vinyl effigies of the Pistols. Throughout the film, McLaren brags about his rules for swindling the record companies, and these rules alternate with footage of the Pistols in action. The parts of the film that include McLaren and his backdrop story are largely shapeless, incoherent ramblings. I don't think it occurred to McLaren that the fans don't really want to see his mug--we want to see the Sex Pistols. Fortunately, the film is loaded with clips of the Pistols--interviews--and in performance. "The Great Rock and Roll Swindle" is McLaren's Ode to Himself. Lucky us--we see McLaren lolling around naked in the bath (while he pontificates to a transvestite dwarf). McLaren even takes the camera on a brief visit to Johnny Rotten's one-time voice coach. She informs the audience that Rotten couldn't carry a note--unlike dear Malcolm--he apparently has a wonderful ear. And then to prove the point, McLaren--with the same dwarf in tow--sports a nifty little kilt and matching jacket while he weedily performs some hideous song.

The film attempts to show that McLaren was the mastermind behind the Sex Pistols, and that he set out with the intention to swindle the record companies. Furthermore, the Sex Pistols, according to their ever-loyal ex-manager, were a talentless bunch--and that, McLaren believes, makes the swindle even more ingenious. These are the main points of the film, and ironically McLaren manages to debunk his own myth without even realizing it. The Sex Pistols were so 'effectively' managed, their first and final tour was a complete and utter disaster. They were managed into destruction. McLaren is evidently rather proud of the fact that two record companies (EMI and A&M) paid large settlements to the Pistols just for the privilege of dropping them from the label. Cartoon segments in the film include extensive bragging with pound signs ringing up at the cash register. If it was really McLaren's intention at the outset to swindle the record companies, I would like to point out that the brilliant plan imploded rather early on--the Pistols (with Sid Vicious) existed from March 1977 until January 1978. As to the theory that the Pistols were talentless--well you just have to watch the video and catch Rotten's electrifying stage presence to understand what nonsense that is.

Was there a great rock and roll swindle? Absolutely. The fans were swindled by exploitation of the band. Perhaps if the Pistols had been carefully managed, they would have produced more music. But above all, the band members were also swindled--although a court case against McLaren in 1988 awarded each surviving band member 200,000 pounds each.

I have always kept an open mind towards some of the bleaker motivations applied to McLaren's management techniques of the Pistols, but after concluding "The Great Rock and Roll Swindle", I feel as though I have a much better grasp of McLaren's responsibility in the band's destruction. The video "The Great Rock and Roll Swindle" is an absolute must for fans of the Sex Pistols. It's full of vomit-worthy, preening nonsense from McLaren, but it's also full of scenes from the Sex Pistol's performances. Songs include: "Anarchy in the UK", "God Save the Queen", "No Feelings" and "Holidays in the Sun" (performed by the Pistols). Sid Vicious performs "My Way" and "Something Else." The film is an invaluable piece of the Sex Pistol's story, and I recommend it to all the fans out there--displacedhuman

Finally on DVD
If you have a multizone DVD player, now its time to purchase this rare film on DVD from www.amazon.co.jp (released on 25 September 2003). It's with Japanese subtitles (who cares, I... being Romanian don't) and on zone 2 , NTSC. Hurry, God knows when the DVD it will be available also in zone 1!

Very disapointing!
I knew it would be most of Malcom Maclaren point of view in that movie well more a documentary but that much, I was very disapoint about mostly seeing Maclaren and not much of the Sex Pistols, well we do see a lot of Steve Jones and sometime Paul Cook and at the end a little bit of Sid Vicious but not very much and for Johnny Rotten we don't see him talking in this movie, well we see old documentary of him before he left the Sex Pistols but that it. Steve Jones and Paul Cook are the one who we mostly see and they are very boring, I think what had made the Sex Pistols good in the end of the 70 was first the great performance of Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious had become some kind of a legend, Rotten and Vicious are the Sex Pistols and we don't really saw them! This movie is weird, Malcom Maclaren is so boring and we hear him talking and talking for nothing almost all threw the movie. The only good part was when Sid Vicious sing "My Way" near the end of the movie and that mostly the only good part of this movie, that's why I give a 1 star for Sid Vicious singing "My Way", that the only star the movie deserve. Buy "The Fith and the Fury", this is the real story of the Sex Pistols and you can see a lot of old interesting documentary of them, talking, singing and you can see Johnny Rotten and more of Sid Vicious and even Nancy Spungen his girlfriend at that time. It much better then this boring movie! ... Read more

Reviews (38)

An Entertaining Musical Sci-fi Comedy!
"Earth Girls Are Easy" is a musical sci-fi comedy about valley-girl Valerie (played by Geena Davis) living in 1980's Los Angeles, and who is engaged to a cheating, boyfriend doctor named Ted (played by Charles Rocket). Catching her boyfriend at home playing with a nurse, the disgruntled Valerie gets the surprise of her life when a spaceship crash lands in her swimming pool. The spaceship's crew (played by Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans), haven't had any "shore leave" in a long time. Not wanting to cause too much of a stir, Valerie takes the alien trio to her best friend Candy (played by Julie Brown) who owns a beauty salon. After Candy transforms the furry trio into believable human males, Valerie finds their captain, Mac (Jeff Goldblum), very attractive. Wild things happen when the alien trio are taken to a dance club and letting them drive in California traffic!

The fact that this film is also a musical only adds to the humor as there are several original songs by Julie Brown!

If you enjoy remembering the excesses of the 1980's and New Wave music, you will probably enjoy this film!

The Greatest Cinematic Acheivement Of All Time...
Alright, maybe not. But I can't think of a movie I love more. The parody of all things 80's is hilarious to those of us who suffered through them, though at times it's a tad heavy-handed (I mean, the exotic fish named Mercedes, Beamer, Aston & Martin is a bit...well, heavy-handed). But Geena Davis is cute and funny as a sweet, airheaded manicurist. Julie Brown is hilarious. Julie Brown is ALWAYS hilarious. Jeff Goldblum doesn't say much and is very, very sexy as a shaved alien. Of course, everyone knows that Jim Carrey & Damon Wayans were in this before In Living Color made them into stars. Both are very, very funny. Jeff Goldblum is much more a straight man, but this movie left me with a crush on him that I still have.

This movie is a great send-up of all things 80's, especially the SoCal sex comedies and beach flicks. Someone said that they thought this movie was supposed to bring back musicals. I don't think so. It's too quirky and too strange (I mean, the salon Geena Davis & Julie Brown work at is called "Curl Up and Dye" for gods sake). I don't think it was made to be a blockbuster. It is, however, a really good time. Julien Temple is marvelous with film visuals, and the silly, sexy humor is lots of fun. Get this movie. It's a treat not to be missed.

Could be an episode of "Before They Were Stars"
It was all about flash and glitz during the 80s, which makes me wonder why there simply weren't more musicals. Well, at least there was this one. Earth Girls Are Easy is a silly, kitschy romp with songs that are as fun as the goofy storyline.

Valerie (Geena Davis) is a manicurist at a styling salon in "The Valley" called Curl Up & Dye. She's engaged to a philandering doctor (Charles Rocket), and looks forward to the day that she'll be a bride. Life is confusing, but headed in the right direction, Valerie thinks. Until the fateful day when an alien spaceship crash-lands in her swimming pool.

The brains behind Earth Girls Are Easy is Julie Brown, who takes part of the credit for writing the script and the songs, who sang several of the songs, and who also co-stars as Valerie's best friend, Candy. Before this movie, really the only thing Brown had been known for was serving as a vee-jay on MTV. Likewise, two of the aliens who at the time were unknowns would later become comedic powerhouses, Jim Carrey and Damon Wayons. Rounding out the trio of aliens was Jeff Goldblum, who was Geena Davis' real-life boyfriend at the time and who, not surprisingly, plays her character's love interest in this film.

Mostly the movie is a series of setups for each of the songs, as well as some great comedy skits. Keep your eyes peeled during the "Cause I'm A Blond" sequence for uncredited dancer Robia LaMorte, who would later become well known to fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as computer science teacher Jenny Calendar - she becomes de-throned as "this month's Miss August" by Julie Brown when she's exposed as really being a brunette.

There's also a great turn here by Michael McKean as over-the-hill surfer Woody.

If you enjoy a good, goofy musical-comedy, you don't want to miss Earth Girls Are Easy.

Terrible Movie
This movie was extremely poor lacking in taste, acting quality and humor.

Snap shot: 1989ish
For better or worse, this film really represents an era, particularly in So Cal. This film is superficial but bright and smart... and has VERY bright colors -- like a 90 minute Starburst commercial. The entire look, in every nook and cranny, is eighties glitzy-junk new wave excess taken to the extreme. And then grunge (Seattle, Nirvana, Clinton:-) put an end to it all, sort of. But while it lasted, the end of the eighties ($ boomtime for So Cal) is shown here in all its glory: Yuppiedom, lots of gadgets, almost disposable clothes, accesories to the max, disposable pop-culture references, and big-haired beautiful women. Julie Brown epitomizes all of the above with a postmodern wink. She is the heart here... while Geena Davis is the straight person, properly vacant, wandering through this neon world. As so many reviewers wrote, the Julie Brown musical numbers are real standouts. And Geena's "Ground That You Walk On" is great too. Highly recommended time capsule. (Compare this film to 1980ish "Xanadu," where lots of this glitz was in its infancy, more serious and innocent). ... Read more

Reviews (61)

The Sex Pistols
I truly enjoyed this film. I first heard the Sex Pistols a few years ago becuase my best friend is obssesed with them. If you enjoy the Sex Pistols then you will enjoy this film. It is a movie for fans really, it would not be a good introduction to the band. Or if you enjoy punk rock but haven't heard the Sex Pistols then this would be good. The accents are difficult to follow occasionally but in general it flows well.
Some of the best parts of this movie are the live concert footage. I've not seen many good representations of punk shows on film and these all were excellent. I also like how much time was spent showing the audience, each of them as individuals. I just loved seeing all the kids out there with their mohawks and leather. Its really very much a documentary of the rise of the youth culture in Britan. Punk is a culture within itself and this film documents that rise in England. Also the audience is always being shown as nice, not as scary people like punks are often shown. It sends a message that the punk youth culture is not a bad group of people. The movie gives a very positive image of the youth culture becuase mostly only the band is outrageous.
I feel the film really captures the realities of teenage youth culture as a punk in England in the late 70's. The movie is still relevant today becuase the culture is still thriving tody and its a documentary of its roots. Its an excellent film that anyone with an appreciation for punk culture will enjoy.

Whether you like The Sex Pistols or not...
...The Filth and the Fury is an amazing documentary, and is as good an account of the rise of punk music as it is of the social and political landscape of England in the 70's.

Every aspect of the 26 month long Sex Pistol phenomenon is covered. From the birth of the band, through their most imfamous escapades, to the tragedy that came to be with Sid and Nancy. Band interviews, live footage, news coverage, it's all here! A ton of Sex Pistol info and documentation.

The DVD also contains a bonus documentary about the birth of punk music in general. Made up of interviews with everybody and anybody in and about the punk music circle, it was a nice surprise when I was done watching the main feature.

BOTTOM LINE: If you like the Sex Pistols and think you know everything about them, think again. This film will open your eyes to some great little known facts about the band. Buy the DVD if you haven't already. If you're interested in punk music in general, I also recommend this film, as it has as much to share about the style of music as it does specifically with the Sex Pistols. THUMBS UP!

Get down and dirty
It's not immediately apparent where Punk stands in historical terms. There were only a handful of great bands, the music was rarely memorable, and the whole thing (the real thing I mean, not the post-punk posing) was practically over within four years. Compared with the sixties, when the pop movement encompassed a revolution in sexual habits, drug-taking, fashion, music, film, civil rights, concepts of individuality and community, and even took on and managed to end a major war, it looks like Punk was just one of a number of notable ripples (another being Red Brigades-style terrorism) which extended outwards after 1969.

But ripple or not, it had a bigger cultural impact than anything else on my teenage years: I clearly remember in 1978 a friend pulling out his latest purchase, a record called "Never Mind the Bollocks" and how completely staggered I felt when I looked at this luminous urine-yellow cover, took in the ransom-note font and then heard the noise - I couldn't comprehend it as music at first - of the first few tracks. These bits of vinyl and card seemed at the time as dangerous a thing as a shipment of heroin.

Basically I and most of Britain was in a daze when the Pistols appeared. The sixties had been a huge upheaval, but the energy seemed to dissipate as rapidly as it had appeared. By 1974 the oil embargo, massive inflation, strikes, terrorism, pomp rock, et. al. had all but crushed the mod movement and the airwaves were jammed with coma-inducing pop like the Bay City Rollers and Abba. Moreover, the "establishment", that is the traditional structures of power, having been battered halfway to oblivion in the sixties, were gradually and rather insidiously reasserting themselves.

What this film captures is the electrifying effect the Pistols had on a country that had become complacent in its own dismalness. The famous Grundy interview is as notable now for the toe-curling triteness of daytime TV of that time as for the naughtiness of the Pistols. Footage of the housing estates from whence the group emerged reveals the brutal starkness of urban working-class Britain. With the rubbish piling up on the streets thanks to another strike and utter shabbiness seemingly everywhere, there's a strong impression of a country at the nadir of a massive multi-year hangover. The Pistols woke the country up like an exploding alarm clock, caused an outcry that seems almost funny in retrospect, and made flares, permed hair on males and Emerson Lake and Palmer utterly unfashionable for a couple of decades.

On a more serious note, it is also worth considering that Punk probably helped Mrs. Thatcher get elected in 1979. Much of the population was shocked into believing that a strong law and order Government was the only hope for Britain. So perhaps a bit more than just a historical ripple, albeit in a very ironic manner?

As for the Pistols themselves, it is not hard to see why they only lasted a couple of years: they are the (mostly) living proof that anarchy is great in theory but hard to sustain in practice. There is a lot of bitching between the boys twenty-plus years on, and while most other reviewers seem to have found Rotten inspirational, I thought he was full of s***, moaning about just about everything including bizarre things such as once having had to stay in a motel. Apparently blind to irony, he even at one point launches a heartfelt attack on the people he considers let Sid down: "they had no respect" he wails.

Good film of a fascinating time with well-chosen footage, witty asides (nice idea to compare the Pistols with Richard III), wild music and interesting interviews. My only complaint is that it was difficult to work out who was talking in the voiceovers and not always easy to hear them either.

Never Mind Anything Here's the Sex Pistols
Somewhere in a Snow-White-and-the-Seven-Dwarfs suburbs a soccer mom just unloaded her brood for the match after the Soccer-mom 7-3 shift at the office and now has to go home help the digital-literate Nascar dad with the dinner and hope that the kids are home and the plates are in the dishwasher in time for American Idull, only to find a friend of a friend's copy of The Filth and the Fury laying about, daring you to pop it in the player and find out what rock'n roll was meant to be about before she swoon's to another syrup drip balladeer over-singing supper club karoake standards. Maybe it would be of interest to the aspiring American consumer stereotypes that much of Simon Cowell's ubersnob delivery can be attributed to Pistol's head snarler Johnny Rotten. Their curiosity peaked, they drop it in and discover the Amercian consumer's lifestyle is under bombardment, even though the Filth's recollecting anti- establishment and chaos in the 70's.
Remarkably, one of the instant revelatory moments in this film is how up to date the Pistols look compared to the ridiculously vomitous slabs of polyesteryear fashions their supposedly hip hosts were wearing during the old interview clips. What's more, this is exactly what Lydon (Rotten) hates the most about the Pistols legacy: the mall culture they so deplored finds "punk fashion" cool and watered it down to flavorless damp 4/4-time whining while doing nothing to deconstruct the world into a better place. This is also where the Pistols couldn't last. They were too messed up to fix a world they wanted to destroy. Rotten remains gloriously disgusted throughout the film often leaving your Mom and Dad (who grew up familiar with the Pistols and continously failing to understand them) wondering why he's still in it (to give bollocky pissoff to mums and dads of course).
The other Pistols will continue to provide vigor towards their old antics in rollickingly funny interviews. The serious viewer will understand that Chaos was their goal and not making punk fashionable. And if the soccer mom and Nextel Cup Pops take a second or two to think about how this film and the Chaos that was the Pistols' true legacy are meant to affect them..just imagine..perhaps the world may be a little more dangerous, but it won't be boring and we won't feel cheated.

"drunken prophecies, libels and dreams"
Wow. The Sex Pistols? Never heard a more perfect name for a band. Immediately conjures up all sorts of images. Then seeing photographs of the band and the environment they spawned: like walking into a cultural junk shop and finding some wild, interesting things. Then you hear the music, and you KNOW that things will be all right. The documentary was like watching a wildly painted, gravelly sounding, busted-up auto running laps around the neighborhood grandstand. I sat on the couch, popcorn and soda handy - and watched this documentary twice in one night.

Memories of this sort are like a giant bonfire that everyone throws logs on to keep it going. For the first time, the Pistols toss there own logs onto the fire. Just the thought of the backdrops, colors and possibilities attached to that time and place are wondrous enough. It seemed so open, raunchy and ugly that you can run a million scenarios in your head and still have room for more. The Sex Pistols were at the apex of all this: an accident, a force of nature.

The title alone, THE FILTH AND THE FURY, suggests so much about what you are about to experience. You are told a story in a chaotic manner, images hurled at you - grainy, black and white concert footage; crazy, young English kids acting like they just don't care; seedy bars, streets and garbage dumps; representatives of various government, media and church organizations. Lots of news reels and garish lights. The surviving band members tell their own versions of what happened; their faces cast in shadow to keep you carefully tuned in to the images of the time period. Essentially a history lesson taught by the people who created, and were created by, the moment. I thought it was well done - but left me wanting more. But that was OK, too. Their career was so abrupt, 26 months from start to end - which I think has much to do with interest in them to this day.

"High drama" as John Lydon describes it - is exactly it. Everything suggested by the Sex Pistols, all the random images and brilliant simplicity of the music just feeds the imagination. You can't create that kind of magic with high gloss and untouchable superstars. For my money, Steve Jones was the best interview in the whole thing. The guy is hilarious! He seems like someone you'd hang out with for hours and hours at a bar, drinking beers and exchanging war stories. The commentary by Julien Temple is extremely dull and doesn't add much. The other punk documentary, if it serves any purpose at all, illustrates where they could have gone wrong in the making of THE FILTH AND THE FURY. So, you may want to rent first, but you'll probably want to pick up a copy for yourself. It doesn't wear thin with repeat viewings. ... Read more

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