Bob Geldof Movies

The charity event Live 8 comprised concerts held in a variety of locations throughout the world in an attempt to draw attention to many of the problems concerning poverty. This multi-disc set features performances from many of the different venues. Among the many performers featured over the course of this release are Paul McCartney, U2, REM, Madonna, Will Smith, Brian Wilson, Sting, and the reformed classic line-up of Pink Floyd who deliver five of their classic songs ("Speak to Me," "Breathe," "Money," "Wish You Were Here," and "Comfortably Numb.") ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

The New York Dolls were a rock band who titled their second studio album Too Much Too Soon, and it summed up the band's career all too well. Playing hard, swaggering rock & roll that anticipated the aural chaos of punk five years before the Sex Pistols became a cause célèbre, and boasting an androgynous fashion statement that made David Bowie look timid, the Dolls made headlines and earned a loyal cult following between 1971 and 1976, but their look and sound were too extreme for the mass audience at the time, and the fact that several members of the band had serious drug and alcohol problems hardly helped matters. After the New York Dolls finally fell apart in 1977, singer David Johansen went on to a successful solo career (scoring hit records under the alter ego Buster Poindexter), lead guitarist Johnny Thunders and drummer Jerry Nolan kept the band's sound alive in the Heartbreakers, and guitarist Syl Sylvain cut a few solo albums and occasionally worked with Johansen. But bassist Arthur Kane struggled for years to get his musical career back on track while battling alcoholism, with little success on either front. In 1989, after a stay in the hospital, a clean and sober Kane embraced the Mormon faith, and through his contacts in the church he got a job working in a Mormon genealogy library in Los Angeles. Despite his quiet new life, Kane's greatest dream was to someday play a reunion show with the New York Dolls, and in 2004 his wish unexpectedly became a reality when British pop icon Morrissey invited the surviving members of the band to appear at a prestigious music festival he was curating. Filmmaker Greg Whiteley knew Kane as a fellow Mormon, and New York Doll is a documentary about the ups and downs of Kane's life in music, how his faith came into his life, and his unexpected return to the rock & roll stage at the age of 55. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this Irish fable, a man named Hubert Flynn (Pete Postlethwaite) lives in Dublin and takes pride in his indulgence in beer, gambling, and ignoring his patient wife Conchita (Imelda Staunton). One night, after having a few at the local pub, he slowly begins to evolve into a rat, which has an oddly unenchanting effect on his family. His loving daughter Marietta (Kerry Condon) is all for his new transformation, wanting to shower it with love and care, but she is also in the midst of an impending wedding and wonders if his diminutive appearance might not be acceptable. His son Pius (Andrew Lovern) is headed for the religious order and would rather see him dead. Phelim Spratt (David Wilmot), a greedy, ambitious type, moves into Hubert's bedroom and begins to write an novel of the transformation which he hopes will become a major motion picture. Conchita regards it as yet another of her husband's tricks designed to humiliate her, while Uncle Matt (Frank Kelly) has various theories on why the whole occurrence has taken place. Rat was created with the help of the late Jim Henson's animation company and directed by music video pioneer Steve Barron. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

Bob Spiers (director of TV's Absolutely Fabulous) directed this feature-film debut of the five Spice Girls -- Posh Spice, Sporty Spice, Scary Spice, Ginger Spice, and Baby Spice -- as the quintet challenges the London pop scene during five days before their first live performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Photojournalists follow as they travel from press conferences to practice sessions to photo ops, passing London landmarks in the comfort of their cavernous Spicebus and emerging in a musical cascade of color, trendy clothes, and blinding flashbulbs. Shot in 43 days, the film features cameos by everyone from Elton John and Elvis Costello, to Stephen Fry and Bob Hoskins. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

This heart-warming made-for-television holiday comedy drama from Great Britain tells the tale of a recently unemployed art dealer whose every Christmas wish comes true after he finds a genie bottled up in a tarnished old lamp. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

George Michael, Elton John, and Bob Geldof are among the musical luminaries performing at a live concert in 1987 for the benefit of AIDS victims. The concert was held at Wembley Arena in London to raise money and awareness about the disease, which has killed millions of people worldwide. Among the songs included in the program are "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues," "Everything She Wants," and "Stand By Me." ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, Rovi

In this conventional, formulaic tale about a nonchalant snooker (pool, British style) hustler who is conned into competing in a national championship, good ensemble acting carries the story beyond its predictable evolution. Bob Geldof is Harry (Flash) Gordon, the snooker player who hustles games in low-end London halls, picking up a little cash here and there and also getting into occasional trouble. Nevertheless, he is more or less content with his life and his girlfriend (a prostitute who loves him) until promoter Billy Evans (Mel Smith) comes along and convinces him to leave the penny-ante and troubles behind and compete in a national championship for real money. Big stakes create bigger headaches, and by the time the final game is set to be played, Gordon is faced with a decision to either save his skin and give in to pressure to throw the game, or stick to his scruples and play the best he can. For foreign, including American English speakers, the accents in the snooker halls may leave them a little linguistically snookered at first. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

The highlights of two benefit concerts staged in support of Amnesty International are collected in this British performance film, which features ample helpings of both music and comedy. The members of the Monty Python comedy troupe serve as headliners, performing live variations on some of their most famous sketches. Additional humor is provided by such luminaries as Peter Cook, while the musical segments include performances by Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, and Sting, amongst others. While all of the performers deliver the goods, the film's overall effectiveness is unfortunately limited by the purely functional direction and often poor image quality. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi