x

RE: VIEWS (LOOK)

admin
22 December 2023

 




 

Typically, I don’t give a two-tone shit about the extra features on a DVD. But when the subjects of your DVDs are three legendary musical acts who contributed heavily to the evolution of Ska music, you’d kind of expect more than a bio and a small interview (one with poorly matched audio, in English Beat’s case). But as a ska fan, we’re beggars when it comes to stuff like this, and you know the old saying: “Beggars can’t be choosers.” Extras gripe aside, these discs do their job. You get to see three great musical acts perform now, all these years later, just as well as they did in their heyday. Sure, English Beat is my favorite, because I have a soft spot in my heart for those \"Stand Down, Margaret\" bastards, but it’d be a nice educational dose of musical history for you, were you to get a hold of any these.

THE GRADE: B-

 

- Vinnie Baggadonuts




 

BEG! (Troma Entertainment)

 

Troma’s arty movie Beg, based on a play, is about strange events going on in a bizarre hospital. This story of betrayal follows a young doctor’s life turning into a living nightmare. This movie maybe slightly more serious film but with all the grossness and insanity one would expect from Troma.

 

THE GRADE: B

 

- Sal Swayzo





 

DEVO: LIVE 1980 (Music Video Distributors)

 

Where were you on August 17th, 1980? Me? I was about to turn four years old. But the legendary band known as DEVO was playing at the Phoenix Theatre in Petaluma. And even though I was unable to make the performance in person, I can now check it out on DVD. The entire concert-- over 20 songs-- is collected here for you, along with a few bonuses from an M80 concert, also performed in 1980. Add to that the fact that this is a Dual Disc release-- which means that you get a DVD on one side and a CD of audio on the other-- and you\'ve got yourself a pretty sweet package. So whip your ass into shape and pick this up.

 

THE GRADE: B-

 

- Wayne Chinsang





 


 

One of my life dreams is to move to France and become a cat burglar. Despite the fact that it’s a highly criminal thing to do, I will need a passport to get there. Good thing Hello Wendy sent me this book. Passports are powerful little pieces of folded paper. What can they do? This book knows. It’s 184 pages promoting the pluses of world travel, with supplementary sidebars, anecdotes, and little “Did you knows.” It’ll make you want to visit everywhere-- even places you didn’t even know existed! And considering Lonely Planet is the authority on global a-go-go-going, it’d be who of you to pay close attention.

 

THE GRADE: A+

 

- Vinnie Baggadonuts





 

EPITAPH TOUR 2005 (Epitaph Records)

 

Hey kids-- do you like Matchbook Romance? Motion City Soundtrack? From First To Last? How about Scatter the Ashes? Well, what if I told you that big tour they did together earlier this year wound up on DVD? Yeah, you’d like that. It’s not each band’s entire set, but four or five songs is taste enough to keep your punk rock ass pleased. And Epitaph didn’t puss out on the extras: music videos, band interviews, music files and extra super bonus ROM-only content. That means use a computer, Kenickie.

 

THE GRADE: B

 

- Vinnie Baggadonuts





 


 

I knew bits and pieces about the 1974 kidnapping and subsequent actions of publishing heiress Patty Hearst, but I never really had a good grasp on what the events were, and what led to them. But after watching this DVD, I do. Directed by Robert Stone, this documentary starts before the formation of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), and takes us through the steps of how it came to be, what it stood for, and what the inevitable-- and unfair-- outcome ended up being. Collecting news reels and audio tapes from the actual event, and mixing it with interviews of SLA members now-- some thirty years after the event-- Stone does a damn fine job of telling a story, relaying a message, and-- somehow-- making you feel sorry for the agressors. If revolution is your thing, dig it.

 

THE GRADE: B+

 

- Wayne Chinsang




 

HAPPY TREE FRIENDS: OVERKILL (Mondo Entertainment)

 

With all three volumes of over sevens hours of torture and destruction, indeed, you can feed your guilty pleasure of observing adorable forest creatures being eaten alive by acids, blown up, and punctured. Bonus features include five bonus episodes. Hooray!

 

THE GRADE: A

 

- Sal Swayzo





 

HAPPY TREE FRIENDS: WINTER BREAK (Mondo Entertainment)

 

Oh, the holidays, a time to gather with your friends and family to enjoy viewing cute animals die horrible, horrible deaths. Winter Break showcases all of your favorite Christmas classics like “Class Act” and many blood curdling bonus features.

 

THE GRADE: A

 

- Sal Swayzo





 


 

Probably the coolest thing about the Monty Python\'s \"Personal Best\" series is the way they skip over the sketches that have already been done to death. Michael Palin\'s Personal Best does not feature The Dead Parrot sketch. It does not include \"The Lumberjack Song\". Instead, it\'s a one-hour collection of all the bits you\'d forgotten were so goddamn funny, like \"The Piranha Brothers\" or the baffling \"Flying Sheep\" skit.

 

THE GRADE: A

 

- Staff Member #716





 


 

Are you a fan of New Order? Well, your fandom can never be complete without this 2-DVD special addition. Are you NOT a fan of New Order? Well, you’re totally missing out, big time. This must-have collection will not only teach you the remarkable story of one of most original bands ever, you will be blessed with a compilation of their music videos that are nothing less than fucking brilliant. You won’t be disappointed, it’s amazing.

 

THE GRADE: A

 

- Hellkat





 

THE BLACK KEYS LIVE (Fat Possum Records)

 

The Black Keys are a band that I can listen to at any point of any day and be totally into it. And now, thanks to the kind folks at Fat Possum Records, I can do more than just listen to them. Now I can watch them, too. This DVD features a sold-out performance in Sydney, Australia in its entirety. And as if that weren\'t enough, it also comes with interviews of Pat and Dan, a photo gallery, and two music videos-- one of which is the David Cross-directed \"10 AM Automatic\". Vinnie was fortunate enough to catch a live performance from The Keys once. I still have yet to have the chance. But this DVD is a sufficient substitute until I finally get to see the real thing.

 

THE GRADE: A

 

- Wayne Chinsang



 
 


 

Just when I was feeling stumped about what to go as for Halloween, this falls into my lap: an “ultimate director’s cut” of one of the biggest cult films of the ‘80s. If you haven’t seen it before (for shame...), The Warriors is a film following a gang of the same name as the gang-war their way to Coney Island. And with this cut, you not only get some respectable packaging, but an intro from director Walter Hill, and four unrated featurettes. Get a copy of it now, before Tony Scott rapes it with his forthcoming “remake.”

 

THE GRADE: A

 

- Vinnie Baggadonuts




 


 

This documentary is nearly 30 years old now (it won an Oscar for Best Documentary in 1977), but this DVD release still holds up, as the story is just as interesting now as it was three decades ago. Bob and Dorothy Debolt are a couple who have six children from their previous marriages. That alone is a tale worth telling. But the fact that they then went on to adopt thirteen more handicapped and disadvantaged children makes this story an epic. Follow the family as they explain why they do what they do, and how they manage to keep track of 19 children. The release also contains updates about the family now, as well as a featurette filmed five years after the documentary was made documenting how the children have grown up since the initial filming.

 

THE GRADE: B+

 

- Wayne Chinsang
artid
3340
byline
Compiled by the Staff members of TLC who actually have eyes
byline2
Header design by <A HREF='http://www.ellagraph.com' target='_blank'><u><b>Kathrine Berger</b></u></A>
Old Image
8_2_look_header.jpg
issue
vol 8 - issue 02 (oct 2005)
section
entertainmental
x

Please add some content in Animated Sidebar block region. For more information please refer to this tutorial page:

Add content in animated sidebar

↑