Sales Rank:2572 List Price: $14.98 Lowest New Price: $8.89 Lowest Used Price: $9.95 MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Format:
Color
DVD-Video
NTSC
Director(s):
Actor(s):
Michael Crawford
Ossie Davis
Jewel Kilcher
Allie Sheridan
TOS's THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS EVE - now available for the first time on VHS and DVD - is a unique fantasy trip through the magic of Christmas. Narrated by award-winning actor Ossie Davis, the production takes us on a journey of a runaway little girl's decision to return to her family after she enters a rundown theater for shelter and encounters an old caretaker who guides her on her journey. This magical story - which features appearances from Atlantic recording artists Jewel and Michael Crawford - was filmed entirely on location at the newly refurbished and historic Loews Jersey Theatre in Jersey City, New Jersey, and includes performances of such tracks as "O Come All Ye Faithful," "Good King Joy," "Christmas Canon," "Music Box Blues," "Promises To Keep," and "This Christmas Day,".
Track Listing: O' Come All Ye Faithful/O Holy Night Good King Joy Hark! The Herald Angels Sing -- Featuring Jewel Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24) Christmas Canon O Holy Night -- Featuring Michael Crawford Music Box Blues Promises To Keep This Christmas Day First Snow
Sales Rank:1792 List Price: $34.99 Lowest New Price: $9.74 Lowest Used Price: $4.40 MPAA Rating: G (General Audience)
Format:
AC-3
Color
Dolby
DVD-Video
Full Screen
Live
NTSC
Subtitled
3D
Widescreen
Director(s):
Actor(s):
Miley Cyrus
Jonas Brothers
The Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds live concert was a sold-out sensation everywhere it played, and this concert video is the next best thing to being there for all the fans that couldn't get tickets to attend the concert in person. The movie opens with Miley Cyrus backstage in make-up and hair, warming up with vocal exercises, then cuts to Hannah Montana (her alter ego)'s performance of "Rock Star," and then back in time to four weeks before her performance when concert rehearsals were just beginning. It runs like a backstage special feature for a while, following Hannah Montana through coaching, choreography scenes with Kenny Ortega, and rehearsal sessions. Then it's back to concert footage from opening night in St. Louis and all along the tour, seasoned here and there with some fun looks at the concerts' special effects, quick costume changes, other logistical challenges (Hannah gets dropped during a routine early in the tour), and lots of shots of the enthusiastic, mostly female 'tween audiences. The 3D format gives the audience a nice sense of being there and includes some effective, if somewhat overused shots of the crowd waving, Hannah/Miley reaching out to the audience, and fun stunts like the drummer's twirling stick thrown high in the air and the guitar player's pick being tossed out into the audience. The sound is adequate, but fails to replicate the live concert experience (the plus side is that the audience's ears won't be ringing for hours after the performance). Hannah Montana's performance includes "Rock Star," "Life's What You Make It," "Just Like You," "Nobody's Perfect," and "We Got the Party." The Jonas Brothers perform "When You Look Me In the Eyes" and "Year 3000," and then Miley hits the stage with "Start All Over," "I Got Nerve," "I Miss You" (which Miley wrote in honor of her Granddad's passing), "Going Away," "GNO: Girl's Night Out," and "The Best of Both Worlds." This 3D concert presentation truly is the "best of both worlds," a 3D concert experience with easy availability and minimal expense. Better yet is the message that girls can do anything they want if they put their minds and hearts to it. (Ages 7 and older) --Tami Horiuchi
Sales Rank:940 List Price: $19.97 Lowest New Price: $11.92 Lowest Used Price: $11.74 MPAA Rating: G (General Audience)
Format:
Anamorphic
Closed-captioned
Color
Dolby
DVD-Video
Special Edition
Widescreen
NTSC
Director(s):
Morton DaCosta
Scott Benson
Actor(s):
Robert Preston
Shirley Jones
Buddy Hackett
Hermione Gingold
Paul Ford
The Music Man was one of the last great movie musicals from any studio, and it proved to be that rarest of events: a Broadway show that was measurably improved by its transition to the screen. Robert Preston made his musical debut--both live and on film--as "Professor" Harold Hill, the upbeat charlatan who promises to teach a small-town boys band by the "think system." But it's the part Preston was born to play and the one for which he will always be best remembered. Composer Meredith Willson based The Music Man on his own small-town Midwestern boyhood, circa 1912, a quasi-mythical place where the old-maid librarian looks and sings like Shirley Jones. The boy himself is an adorable Ron Howard, lisp-singing "Gary, Indiana." Willson's entire score, featuring a combination of what are now standards, such as "Goodnight My Someone" and "Till There Was You" and show-specific numbers ("Trouble," "76 Trombones"), is never less than infectious. This dazzling special edition is also as bright and sunny as any 4th of July in Iowa could ever hope to be. --Robert Windeler
Sales Rank:1569 List Price: $14.95 Lowest New Price: $7.75 Lowest Used Price: $8.48 MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Format:
Black & White
Color
Dolby
DVD-Video
Full Screen
NTSC
Director(s):
Actor(s):
Stan Laurel
Oliver Hardy
Imagine an enchanted fantasy world of timeless characters and magical moments where nothing goes right for toy makers, Stannie Dum and Ollie Dee. Based on the original Babes in Toyland, this movie is a dazzling spectacle of 6-foot wooden soldiers, Mother Goose characters and the beloved team of Laurel and Hardy. This holiday classic is perfect for the Christmas season. In color and expertly restored, this film will surely become a part of your family holiday tradition.
Sales Rank:992 List Price: $19.99 Lowest New Price: $12.06 Lowest Used Price: $12.01 MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Format:
Anamorphic
Closed-captioned
Color
DVD-Video
Widescreen
NTSC
Director(s):
Actor(s):
Christian Bale
Bill Pullman
Robert Duvall
Ann-Margret
David Moscow
Except for feature-length animation, the musical has gone the way of the dinosaur. The Walt Disney company took a stab at reviving the live-action musical in 1992 with Newsies, a throwback picture with a curious subject. In 1899, the pint-sized newsboys delivering the New York papers go on strike against the unfair practices of news magnates Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. The production is heavy on kiddie humor, although Christian Bale (the child star of Spielberg's Empire of the Sun) is charismatic as one of the older leaders of the revolt. The adult stars don't fare as well, with Robert Duvall doddering around as Pulitzer and Ann-Margret and Bill Pullman doing decorative duty. The film was not well received when first released, but hindsight reveals its charm (and allowed the young target audience to catch up with the picture on video). The first-time director is Kenny Ortega, the choreographer of Dirty Dancing, who brings plenty of energy to the action. --Robert Horton
Sales Rank:847 List Price: $14.98 Lowest New Price: $4.48 Lowest Used Price: $4.15 MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Format:
Dolby
NTSC
Color
Director(s):
Actor(s):
Robbie Robertson
Muddy Waters
Neil Young
Van Morrison
Neil Diamond
Martin Scorsese's 1978 capsule history of the Band is mixed with footage of the group's allegedly last performance (certainly their last performance as a quintet) in this particularly stylish concert film. Scorsese shoots the players and their sundry guests with the same flair and enthusiasm one can see in the later The Color of Money or Goodfellas. He also proves a good interviewer with Band members, particularly Robbie Robertson, whose sleepy-sexy good looks make a star-caliber impression in close-up. But the film's real hook is the stage show, which features a rotation of rock legends (Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Paul Butterfield, Bob Dylan, and so on) playing with the Band before a wildly appreciative audience. --Tom Keogh
Sales Rank:681 List Price: $34.99 Lowest New Price: $8.99 Lowest Used Price: $3.18 MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Format:
AC-3
Closed-captioned
Color
Dolby
Dubbed
DVD-Video
NTSC
Subtitled
Widescreen
Director(s):
Actor(s):
When life throws you curveballs, lemons, or closed doors, there's just one solution: Dance! Step Up 2 The Streets is a worthy entry into the inspirational dance-it-out film lexicon, with moves, choreography, and music that sometimes seem to defy even gravity. The spunky young heroine is Andie, played with sass and amazing dance talent by Briana Evigan (daughter of hardworking TV actor Greg Evigan). Andie's from one of Baltimore's grittiest neighborhoods, but her dance ability--forged in fire on the streets of Baltimore--lands her in a prestigious performing arts school, where she struggles to fit in even as her schoolmates are awed by her talent. With a nod to Love Story, our working-class heroine catches the eye of a privileged boy, Chase (Robert Hoffman), who's captivated by Andie's dance chops and genuine heart. Andie's fierce sense of self helps ground the film. At one point she lectures Chase, "Look, the streets is about where you're from. It's not some school talent show. There's no spring floors. There's no spotlights!" But the true star of the film is its amazing dance sequences, and the talented cast works the moves for all they're worth. The supercharged soundtrack features Plies (with Akon) and a couple of excellent Missy Elliott tracks. Ready? Hit it! --A.T. Hurley