Lewis Friedman

Although it lacks any major extras, Music in High Places: Goo Goo Dolls -- Live in Alaska does offer several worthwhile features. "Kotzobue, Alaska ... Stranger Than Fiction" provides 12 minutes of additional behind-the-scenes footage from the small, eternally light town. "Train Story: The Alaskan Railroad" contains comments from a train employee about the charter vehicle and the beautiful surrounding scenery. The text biography combines Goo Goo Dolls history with very praiseworthy text about their latest album, Gutterflower. While mildly informative, this entry virtually ignores their earlier work and original struggles. The only other supplement gives viewers the chance to skip everything but the music. Two bonus tracks--Sympathy and Do You Know--also appear on this list. The first song occurs on the moving train, and the other tune takes place in Kotzobue. This feature utilizes a decent 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that nicely conveys the attractive Alaskan scenery. While the guys play in front of stunning glaciers, the bright colors provide an impressive atmosphere. There is a little grain at times and the clarity is not always pristine, but the overall effect remains very positive. Live music really smokes when given the proper DVD treatment, and this 5.1-channel Dolby Digital transfer is no exception. The outdoor, acoustic guitar sounds ring from the entire sound field and create an intimate feeling of being personally at the concert. The sound quality is especially high for a release of this type, which leads to a remarkable experience. A 2.0-channel digital track also provides a worthwhile presentation. ~ Dan Heaton, All Movie Guide

Alternative pop-rockers Unwritten Law perform seven songs at Yellow Stone National Park in this installment of the Music in High Places series from Earth Escapes. Included in Music in High Places: Unwritten Law - Live in Yellowstone are renditions of "Rest of My Life," "How You Feel," and "Blame It On Me." ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

British pop-rockers BBMak travel to Southeast Asia for an intimate live performance in this installment in the Music in High Places series from Earth Escapes. Music in High Places: BBMak - Live in Vietnam includes renditions of "Love on the Outside," "Ghost of You and Me," "Scotland the Brave," and several others. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Image Entertainment presents this episode of the series Music in High Places, featuring Boyz II Men in an unplugged performance in Seoul, South Korea. The songs performed are "Do You Remember," "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday," "Water Runs Dry," "End of the Road," "Girl in the Life Magazine," "Step on Up," "On Bended Knee," "Never Go Away," "Yesterday," and "Pass You By." Other episodes in the series include Music in High Places: Collective Soul and Music in High Places: Brian McKnight. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

While hit-making pop-rock band Sugar Ray could have shot a concert video nearly anywhere, they opted to try something a bit out of the ordinary. As part of the Music in High Places series, Sugar Ray traveled to Australia, where they visited the rugged but beautiful natural terrain of the outback, and performed a special acoustic concert in between visits to a crocodile farm and a trip through the forest. Music in High Places: Sugar Ray -- Live From Australia features Mark McGrath and company performing nine songs, including "Someday," "When It's Over," and "Every Morning." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Leslie Nielsen returns as the intrepid (and accident-prone) Lt. Frank Drebin in Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear, "un film de David Zucker." This second feature film from the "Police Squad!" series finds Drebin as a guest at a White House dinner, receiving an award for shooting his 1,000th drug dealer, although he admits to shooting only 998 -- he ran over the last two in his car. ("Luckily, they turned out to be drug dealers"). Also at the White House dinner is energy czar Dr. Albert S. Meinheimer (Richard Griffiths), whom President George Bush (John Roarke) has chosen to start a new national energy policy. Since Meinheimer believes in promoting alternative energy resources, the evil leaders of the polluting energy industries (coal, oil, and nuclear power--or the lobby groups SMOKE, SPILL and KABOOM) are horrified at Bush's choice. Joining together with arch-villain Quentin Hapsburg (Robert Goulet), they plan to kidnap the real Meinheimer and substitute a fake Meinheimer in his place who will enact energy policy according to the dictates of the energy lobby. Drebin becomes deeply involved in the conspiracy when he runs into his ex-girl friend Jane (Priscilla Presley), who is not only Meinheimer's public relations director but also Hapsburg's current paramour. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide