... which follows up the Mike Myers documentary about this wonderful man and to have met and spent an afternoon ...
348078
I was both lucky enough to have received and devoured a copy of Shep Gordon's new autobiography which follows up the Mike Myers documentary about this wonderful man and to have met and spent an afternoon in his warm presence in the 90's.  The book makes you want to go back to a time where you could hang out with Shep and the incredible characters that have been a part of his journey...from Alice Cooper to Salavador Dali to Groucho Marx to Janis Joplin.  If you are a lover of life you will soak up Shep's tales of brilliant debauchery and laugh out loud while you do it.  I plan on purchasing a hardcover copy to treasure today.  Can't recommend it enough...well done Shep Gordon!!!!  I hope someday our paths cross again.
916146
This early Stanley Kubrick documentary was fascinating to watch. As many of us have watched Kubrick's films over and over it is with an educated eye that you will likely view this for the first time. Can you see the future Kubrick director style? Yes, I believe so. There are several clever shots you'll appreciate.

I also must recommend playing the secondary audio track- narration by directors Roger Avary & Keith Gordon (Dexter, Waking the Dead) They have a really much more insightful, amusing dialog than I imagined. Definitely play the second track after watching the original audio. They wander off topic a lot, but it is with amusing consequences.

Nice slice of the Kubrick world for us to finally watch. My collection is complete now- This is actually a cool DVD, the packaging and production values are really slick - nice artwork.
2710602
I love the wit and humor that JFK brought to the world.  This documentary narrated by Robert Vaughn discusses Irish history coupled with Kennedy's tour of Ireland - visiting the sites of his ancestors.  The trip was made in May 1963 and shows the great love and admiration the people had for him.  If you watch the film beginning to end, you have to have tears in your eyes at its conclusion when JFK is about leave Dublin.  I've watched this DVD over ten times and never tire of it.
3303649
Wonderful to see the man,and story behind the festival
2204938
'My Wonderful World of Slapstick' does not disappoint. It is packed with information about Buster's life and experiences and feels a great deal like sitting down and talking with a fascinating person while they are recording an oral history for an archive. I would strongly recommend any Buster fan to read this before reading any other biographies about him as it will help to sidestep the many myths that are out there (such as the ridiculous notion that Buster was illiterate) Also, go back and re-read it in snipets, I have found there is a great deal that Buster talks about in an indirect manner (such as referring to helping with the wounded during WWI, and his experiences dealing with Louis Mayer and Sam Goldwyn) I have done this and realized that there are many subtle references that are easily over-looked in a first read-through.
3229560
"O'Kennedy's Ireland" is a nostalgic and affectionate look back at President John F. Kennedy's historic four-day trip to the land of his ancestors in late June of 1963, just five months prior to his assassination.  This documentary is as much about Irish history as it is about Kennedy's visit and skillfully weaves portions of the President's various speeches that he made during the visit with key historical events of the Emerald Isle; Robert Vaughn narrates.

I was particularly struck by the high quality of the news footage of the President during his trip.  It looks fairly sharp and the colors are extremely good for news footage filmed over 40 years ago.  Those portions of the documentary that are focused on Ireland's history often use theatrical recreations to tell the story, but there is some remarkable newsreel footage of the Easter Rising of 1916 in Dublin that, alone, is worth the price of the DVD.  The releasing company for this DVD, S'more Entertainment, has included some interesting and historically important extras that make it a valuable audio/visual reference for those interested in our nation's 35th President.  Here's the rundown of the special features:

1.  Speeches (black & white):

Houston - 9/12/60

Rice University - 9/12/62

Berlin - 6/26/63

2.  Newsreels (black & white):

James Meredith enrolls at University of Mississippi in Oxford - 9/30/62

Cuban Blockade announced - 10/22/62

Cuban Blockade lifted - 11/21/62

Test Ban Treaty announced at American University Graduation - 6/10/63

Test Ban Treaty Signed - 8/5/63

3.  Kennedy Home Videos (color)

In particular, the President's announcement of the Cuban missile blockade is gripping and forceful.  As a nine year old at the time, I was much too young to understand the implications of the crisis and now, looking back at this newsreel footage, am thankful that we had a leader who had the courage of his convictions to stop the delivery of Soviet missiles to Cuba.  The disc closes with some silent home movies of the President, accompanied by audio of the famous speech "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" as the visuals unfurl.

Within the context of his abbreviated term as President of the United States of America, the four days that John F. Kennedy spent visiting Ireland in June of 1963 are largely forgotten.  "O'Kennedy's Ireland" reminds us of that visit and is a tribute to both JFK and his Irish heritage . . . it's a valuable record of that historic trip and is a worthwhile view for those interested in John F. Kennedy and his ancestral ties to Ireland.
649761
This DVD is a documentary about the life of Luciano Pavarotti.  More importantly, it gives the viewer a glimpse into the man himself.  And while no film can completely capture everything that there is to know about an individual like Luciano, it certainly paints a picture of the zest for life that is so apparent in his singing.

The disc features interviews with his ex-wife (most illuminating these sequences are), Bono, Jose Carreras, Herbert Breslin (who just recently passed away), as well as several others.  Each offers stories that shed insight into the positives and negatives of Mr. Pavarotti, his playfulness, love of food and female companionship, as well as his unique ability to draw and move large audiences.  When you hear clips of him singing, you just can't help but smile.  And the segment featuring Jose Carreras talking about the 2am or so call from Luciano while they were on tour is just delightful.

The video has wonderful footage that shows his home town, various opera houses, as well as some intriguing images and stories about his father, who is described as having an incredible voice as well.  This is a really fascinating film, and definitely worth watching for those that want to experience some of the magic of Luciano.  Very strongly recommended.
471592
This documentary is a well shot, well edited, film that clocks in at an hour and a half and leaves you wanting more. It is a concise history of "background singing" in Pop music from the 1960's on, that makes a compelling case for the intrinsic importance of that background singing. Honestly it has made me  re-exam at a lot of the music that I love/loved  throughout my life and listen to it with new ears. Considering that I've listened to some of this stuff hundreds if not thousands of times, that in itself is no small gift. Add to it some great biographical info on many of these artists and the career journeys of many of them it's a true delight and fascinating in it's scope.
1274881
This is a wonderful and unique book about the real person that was Michael Jackson. It contains a series of snapshots showing what a warm and affectionate friendship the author, Doctor Barney enjoyed with Michael. I feel his main motivation for writing this is to help to set the record straight and show what a normal and loving man he really was, beyond the lies and scandals. It was often said that Michael made friends with children which is true, but here we get to see what a normal adult friendship he had with Barney. Although the conversations were private between the two men and sometimes their families, it never feels too revealing or in any way sensational. Barney's wife, Criss describes Michael in one word: "opulent" and that she would have been smitten with him, even if he'd not been famous.

You will find gentle and endearing anecdotes about this loving friend and father, including how he and the doctor first met, raiding the fridge at 3 a.m, his humble attitude to his incredible fame, trick or treating in disguise, advising Donny Osmond to toughen up his image, frequent trips to their favourite antique centre and many more! If you love Michael at the start of this book, you will be even more enchanted. For anyone still not convinced about him, this will charm you like no other book! I believe it must be added to the collection of any Michael Jackson fan or admirer, as it gives a unique and charming glimpse into the life of this complex and thoughtful man, so misunderstood. It is a real privilege to listen in on these chats...I love this book!
2911958
Anyone and everyone should be familiar with the names Charles M. Schulz, Lee Mendelson, and Bill Melendez. Instantly when you hear these names you think of Charlie Brown. Yes, the loveable guy that everyone can remember and held out hope that one day Charlie would actually kick that football that Lucy was always holding for him. I can remember watching the television special of The Great Pumpkin with Charlie Brown and the gang. It was entertaining. Although, I can not blame Linus for being scared. I had such an enjoyable time reading this book and getting to learn how the whole Halloween special came to be. Also, becoming familiar with the voices and having faces to them was cool. I savored every moment. If anything after reading this book, it made me want to re-watch this Halloween special. There is nothing more classic than Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang. This book would make a great gift or table top book.
1056202
Being a longtime fan of early horror and cult movies, I had heard of Bob Wilkins, but since I was from nowhere near Northern California I had never seen any of his material. It was my loss. This DVD is an 87-minute treasure trove of cult film paradise. Between 1966 and 1981, Bob hosted over 1,800 movies (!) on his show, and this feature takes you across the breadth of that massive body of work with clips, trailers, stills, audio and video snippets, and vintage interviews with the likes of Boris Karloff, John Belushi, the great William Marshall (a fine actor and singer perhaps best remembered for his roles in "Blacula" and "Star Trek",) and the incomparably prolific man of horror himself, John Carradine! This is a great introduction to Bob Wilkins, its only fault being that it's too short. The titles profiled read like a shopping list of B-movies from days gone by (I was astounded by how many of them I had seen) and the information provided is interesting to true fans of the genre. Wilkins' good humor shines through and it's immediately obvious why he was such a beloved fixture on California television.
1350191
If you've seen Errol Morris's previous documentaries (including the Oscar-winning "The thin Blue Line"), his filming technique will not be new to you. For others, it will take a few minutes until you become comfortable with his clever tongue-in-cheek editing of period TV clips and advertising into the full-face interviews to highlight certain points. I love Morris' work so I was really looking forward to this DVD.

I'll leave it to fellow reviewer "Mirasreviews" to give you the background on the story of Joyce McKinney - a really creepy lady (former beauty model in the 1970s who kidnaps her former Mormon  boyfriend, takes him to England, and rapes him - see I told you it was creepy). After she serves some jail time she does some other non-sexual creepy things too. (You'll learn about cloning and even a pit bull that can dial 9-1-1! Got you interested yet?)

What's great about Errol's film is that you realize as the credits roll that for the last 88-minutes you've only heard the interviews of SIX people: McKinney and two reporters (one from each of the two rivaling London tabloid newspapers). And you have not been bored! THAT is filmmaking.

For someone who enjoys offbeat documentaries and or something different, I can highly recommend this film. I rated the DVD only four of five stars because there are no bonus features and this film calls out (LOUDLY!) for a Director's commentary from Morris. We are all left with wondering how he found out about McKinney, how he got her cooperation and - at least for me - what interview parts were edited out.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"
2231913
I'm not really one to read celebrity biographies, but having been a fan of Mr Crawford's since his early days as the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera, and because I now run a music page on facebook and am constantly looking for media to post--I ran across a radio interview with Michael where he read aloud from this book.  I was so charmed by his story and wanted to know more about him, so I bought the book.  Michael writes with candor and great humor about his rise to fame and even his personal life.  He comes across as a naturally humorous, emotionally sensitive and professionally driven man.  My only slight disappointment was that I was hoping for a little more insight into his fan interaction in his Phantom days.

This book is a highly entertaining view into Mr Crawford's quite remarkable life.  If you loved him before reading the book--after having read it you will love him even more.
4059970
The man, the legend, Jim VanBebber. Love him or hate him (I love him) he's a interesting fella with a fantastic body of work. This is a great documentary about the mans life and work. It's packed full of entertaining interviews, behind the scenes shots, entertaining moments from conventions etc. If you are a fan of his work at all or independent/underground cinema I highly recommend buying this and checking it out.
2357213
If you've read professor and technology history buff, Rachel Maines and her delightful book, The Technology of Orgasm (see my Amazon review), you'll love this companion documentary.  The book goes deeper than the DVD, of course, but does not include the details of the heart felt and very sad pleasure party spokesperson and local Chamber of Commerce leader, Joanne Webb busted in Texas.  What a sad tale of a mom of three (with a husband, also crushed) a former fifth-grade teacher, whose life was hammered by the The Man in Medieval Texas with the help of the county court in Cleburne, a place one hour from Dallas.  Tell me again, please, that we did not really elect a president from this state.  I'll let you connect the dots between the war on the vulva and over 5,000 war dead in Iraq.

Indeed, the Webbs' lawyer called it the war against the clitorises, a very Texas theme evidently.  Six vibrators and your off to jail.  Yes, a family destroyed by an obscenity charge whose cloud still hangs over Texas.  Owning six guns is not obscene there but six vibrators is.  War indeed.
And if you think all this only happens in Texas, and  only "a long time ago", read the 2011 review above by the college professor in Chico, CA.  He showed this DVD in class and was charged with sexual harassment and making students feel uncomfortable.  My.  Let's not make college students uncomfortable!

The history of the vibrator, invented even before the household vacuum cleaner or the toaster, is a tale that unfolds like any other great junior high history lesson.  Only this one's about more fun things than The Civil War.  Like: "Children: Can everyone  say with me...Vuulvaaa."

The high point for me in this wonderful DVD documentary on the history of the rediscover of the Big O at the dawn of the 70s has got to be that spot where Betty Dodson says women were so excited during that period with all this self discovery Hitachi's magic wand thing that they had to start grasping them in blissful four hour sessions with a potholder as they were overheating.  Overheating indeed.

A close second among highlights has to go to where Rachel Mains, the main story teller, flips through pages on the history of late 19th century women's stitching and embroidery magazines and stumbles on vibrator ads.  Viola.  History unfolds.  My, my.  Also dear were the reenacted trips to the doctor by the lady with "womb sickness"; so she could get a genital massage and find relief from her "hysteria".

The only flaw in this history lesson here is that for some political reason or just that most the folk are east coast, Joani Blank, founder of Good Vibrations in SF was not interviewed, only her same-time contemporary in the east, Dell Williams, founder of Eve's Garden who was wonderful on camera.  Like the industrial revolution or the printing press, the time was simply right for these liberating electrical tools. Same with the roots of the book and research in 1999, controversial but well received.  The interviews around the history of that iconic NOW symposium on female sexuality were priceless as well.

Rent or stream this DVD.  Start a discussion.  I'm amazed how many young women now nothing about the history of the women's moment in the late 60s early 70s.  What a fun place to start.  Oh, and read a book!  The companion Technology of Orgasm by Mains, the inspiration for this DVD.
2630194
I like documentaries and it was very interesting to see a little boy who was being brought up in the Haight Ashbury of the 60s. That was the original doc., included. but also, this is the follow-up doc., showing him as an adult and he is about to marry a mail-order bride from Russia who ends up ditching him!!!!!! One thing is I hope he finds a good woman who loves him. He deserves it and is a nice and handsome man!
4341490
A real page-turner, read almost like a documentary, a must-read.  I was captivated by the details of putting together such a huge production.  I particularly liked the details of the business deals Michael made with the artists. Loved getting glimpses into personalities that were part of our past, such as Abbie Hoffman  (whom I found particularly interesting and surprising.)  As to Michael Lang, it's inspiring to see how a vision of a young man, when combined with passion & integrity, could change the world. I`m looking forward to seeing the film again (3rd time) it's going to be a different experience.