Music & Performing Arts Movies

Writer/actor Spalding Gray is best known for his lengthy and insightful and sharply humorous onstage monologues, two of which, Swimming to Cambodia and Monster in a Box, have been filmed and released theatrically. Gray's Anatomy is also a filmed performance of a monologue he performed in 1993. Whereas the other two films had a focus on satire and humor, this one is a little more serious. Unlike the other two movies, it is less stagey and contains some interesting visuals and even a couple of interviews. The subject is Gray's bout with an eye ailment that caused him to go upon a world-wide journey in order to find a treatment alternative to the surgery he so feared and objected to on religious grounds. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The controversial comedian Andrew Dice Clay, known for his foul obscenities and sexism, performs with a "guarantee to offend" in this early stand-up set live from Philadelphia's Comedy Factory Outlet. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi

A relationship between a British scientist and an American student is chronicled through the concerts they saw and the love they made in this highly personal romantic drama from director Michael Winterbottom. Matt (Kieran O'Brien) works with the British Antarctic Survey team, and as he travels to the South Pole and ponders the vast plains of snow and ice, his mind drifts back to his short-lived romance with Lisa (Margo Stilley), a free-spirited girl from the United States. Matt and Lisa met at a rock concert, and afterward the two went back to his flat and made love; as Matt relives their relationship in his mind, their time together is reduced to a few meals, bits of conversation, and nine concerts they attended together, punctuated by their sessions in the bedroom. Described by several critics as the most sexually explicit film produced to date by a noted international director, 9 Songs was a labor of love for Michael Winterbottom. Primarily improvised, self-financed, and shot using digital video equipment with a three-person skeleton crew, 9 Songs includes performances by Primal Scream, the Von Bondies, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Franz Ferdinand, Super Furry Animals, the Dandy Warhols, Elbow, and Michael Nyman. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The third and definitive film adaptation of L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's fantasy, this musical adventure is a genuine family classic that made Judy Garland a star for her heartfelt performance as Dorothy Gale, an orphaned young girl unhappy with her drab black-and-white existence on her aunt and uncle's dusty Kansas farm. Dorothy yearns to travel "over the rainbow" to a different world, and she gets her wish when a tornado whisks her and her little dog, Toto, to the Technicolorful land of Oz. Having offended the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton), Dorothy is protected from the old crone's wrath by the ruby slippers that she wears. At the suggestion of Glinda, the Good Witch of the North (Billie Burke), Dorothy heads down the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City, where dwells the all-powerful Wizard of Oz, who might be able to help the girl return to Kansas. En route, she befriends a Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a Tin Man (Jack Haley), and a Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr). The Scarecrow would like to have some brains, the Tin Man craves a heart, and the Lion wants to attain courage; hoping that the Wizard will help them too, they join Dorothy on her odyssey to the Emerald City.

Garland was MGM's second choice for Dorothy after Shirley Temple dropped out of the project; and Bolger was to have played the Tin Man but talked co-star Buddy Ebsen into switching roles. When Ebsen proved allergic to the chemicals used in his silver makeup, he was replaced by Haley. Gale Sondergaard was originally to have played the Wicked Witch of the West in a glamorous fashion, until the decision was made to opt for belligerent ugliness, and the Wizard was written for W.C. Fields, who reportedly turned it down because MGM couldn't meet his price. Although Victor Fleming, who also directed Gone With the Wind, was given sole directorial credit, several directors were involved in the shooting, included King Vidor, who shot the opening and closing black-and-white sequences. Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg's now-classic Oscar-winning song "Over the Rainbow" was nearly chopped from the picture after the first preview because it "slowed down the action." The Wizard of Oz was too expensive to post a large profit upon initial release; however, after a disappointing reissue in 1955, it was sold to network television, where its annual showings made it a classic. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

From their earliest days honing their unique sound in their parent rec rooms to their later status as one of North America's best loved pop bands, the history of The Barenaked Ladies is explored in this revealing documentary featuring interviews with the band members and those who know them best. In addition to a look at the band's colorful past, sixteen live concert tracks show that The Barenaked Ladies still have what it takes to set the stage ablaze. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

March of the Wooden Soldiers is the 1952 reissue title for Hal Roach's 1934 film version of Victor Herbert's Babes in Toyland. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy star as Stannie Dum and Ollie Dee, bumbling apprentices to the master toymaker of Toyland. This joyous fairy-tale community is populated by all the colorful Mother Goose characters we know and love; the one sour apple in the barrel is mean old Silas Barnaby (portrayed by Henry Kleinbach, aka Henry Brandon). Barnaby holds the mortgage on the outsized shoe where Widow Peep (Florence Roberts) and her daughter Little Bo Peep (Charlotte Henry) reside, and where Stannie and Ollie pay room and board. Bo Peep will be forced to marry the odious Barnaby if the rent isn't paid, so Stannie and Ollie try to raise the money by asking the toymaker for a raise. But the boys are fired when Stannie messes up an order from Santa Claus: instead of making six hundred toy soldiers one foot high, the dumb Mr. Dum makes one hundred toy soldiers six feet high. The wedding between Barnaby and Bo Peep goes on as planned--except that it's Stannie, disguised as the bride, who ends up walking down the altar. Publicly humiliated, Barnaby vows revenge. He steals one of the Three Little Pigs and places the blame on Bo Peep's boy friend, Tom-Tom the Piper's Son (Felix Knight). The penalty for pignapping is banishment to Bogeyland, a fearsome subterranean world populated by hideous bogeymen (look closely and you'll see the zippers on their costumes!) Stannie and Ollie expose Barnaby's perfidy and rescue Tom-Tom from Bogeyland, whereupon Barnaby rallies the bogeymen and leads an all-out attack on Toyland. Taking refuge in the toy warehouse, Stannie and Ollie activate the 100 6-foot wooden soldiers (a neat bit of stop-motion photography, courtesy of Hal Roach's "fx" wizard Roy Seawright), who vanquish the Bogeymen and save the day. One of the best of all the Laurel and Hardy features, March of the Wooden Soldiers has been a television holiday perennial ever since the cathode tube was invented. Only a handful of Victor Herbert's songs are utilized, but these lilting compositions more than compensate for the omissions (one song, "I Can't Do That Sum", is used as the leitmotif for the clueless Stannie and Ollie). For years available only in the 70-minute reissue version, March of the Wooden Soldiers has recently been fully restored to its full glorious 78 minutes. The parent property Babes in Toyland was remade by Disney in 1961 (with Gene Sheldon and Henry Calvin as Laurel and Hardy wannabes) and for television in 1986, with new songs by Leslie Bricusse. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The documentary Chucho Valdes and Irakere: Latin Jazz Founders details the lengthy career of the band Irakere, one of the most respected Cuban acts of their time. The film includes performances of many songs as well as interviews with the various members of the band. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Learn the secrets to mastering some of the most difficult yo-yo tricks ever attempted in this instructional release that teaches viewers how to perform eye-popping stunts that are guaranteed to impress. With instructions on how to perform "Pulling Taffy," "Hydrogen Bomb," and "Split the Atom," aspiring yo-yo masters will gain the skills to dazzle even the most experienced of tricksters. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Riverdance, the acclaimed Irish music and dance spectacular, comes to the Big Apple in this live video recorded at New York City's Radio City Music Hall. The New York performance features several new pieces never before available on video, including "American Wake" and "Harbour Of The New World." This production stars Jean Butler, Colin Dunne and Maria Pagés, along with a cast of 70 dancers and musicians. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Motown Records created one of the most distinctive sounds in the history of rock and roll. Based in Detroit, Michigan, the label created, along with the British invasion, the soundtrack of the cultural upheaval that was the 1960s. This documentary captures a 1987 reunion concert featuring some of Motown's biggest stars including Martha Reeves, Mary Wells, David Ruffin, and Eddie Kendricks. They perform over two-dozen songs including "My Guy," "Nowhere to Run," "Heat Wave," "Just My Imagination," "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," and "The Way You Do the Things You Do." ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

This debut video release by Aaron Carter, preteen pop singer and younger brother of the Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter, features the music videos for five songs from Carter's 2000 CD Aaron's Party (Come Get It): "Iko Iko," "Clapping Song," "I Want Candy," "Bounce," and the title track "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)." Interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of the filming of the videos round out this 45-minute bubble gum romp. ~ Sarah Welsh, Rovi

Cathy Rigby stars as Peter Pan in this Broadway production of the beloved children's classic. Filmed at the Marquis Theater for a special A&E presentation, the performance features wonderful singing and dancing in such numbers as "I'm Flying," "I Won't Grow," and "Ugh-A-Wug." The shenanigans of Captain Hook, the delicate Tinkerbell, and the antics of the pirates and Indians will delight old fans of Peter Pan and new devotees alike. A&E will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the video to the Peter Pan Children's Fund. ~ Sarah Block, Rovi