Documentaries & Biographies > 10 GBP to 15 GBP Documentaries & Biographies > Entertainment Documentaries

More magnificent Maestri in motion... and sound!

Advantages: Superb historical performances and fascinating insights
Disadvantages: Only that there are no bonus interviews this time

...the second volume of "The Art of Conducting". It is entitled "Legendary Conductors of a Golden Era" and concentrates on the work of 6 illustrious maestri from the past: Sergiu Celibidache; Wilhelm Furtwaengler; Erich Kleiber; Evgeny Mravinsky; Charles Munch and Willem Mengelberg. There are also rare archive film clips included of conductors Herbert von Karajan; Hermann Scherchen; Andre Cluytens and Vaclav Talich. Commentary on the work and personalities ...
...Andry; violinists Yehudi Menuhin, Walter Barylli (from Vienna Philharmonic) and Alexander Barantschik (Leningrad Philharmonic); conductors Daniel Barenboim, Bernard Haitink and Evgeny Mravinsky himself; renowned Boston Symphony timpanist Vic Firth and bass-baritone Otto Edelmann. So, quite a star-studded line-up, as there was in the first volume of this series. Music on the DVD: Again, as on the first DVD of the series, there is a wide range of ...

Maestrolover 28.11.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Art Of Conducting - Legendary Conductors Of A Golden Era (DVD)

Films from 110 years ago

Advantages: Great films
Disadvantages: I wanted more!

...only vaguely interested in the early days of cinema, you really do need to get this special 2 DVD set. Because when the British Film Institute says early, they mean really early! The earliest film in this collection dates back to 1895. Yes! That's right! 1895! You can see gems like Sortie d'usine, which is a film taken of workers leaving the Lumiere factory in Lyon, France. One amusing point in this film I that a dog rushes out with all of the workers ...
...is Demolition d'un mur, of early 1896, which shows him overseeing the demolition of a wall at the factory. Apparently, when this film was shown, they would also play it backwards, just for the fun of it. You might have seen stills taken from Arrivee de Congressistes a Nueville-sur-Saone, when Lumiere filmed members of the Congress of Photographic Societies arriving for a meeting, stepping from a steam launch. Mostly men, but some women, too. Also, ...

Martinscholes 24.10.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Early Cinema - Primitives And Pioneers (DVD)

END THE X FACTOR

Advantages: NONE
Disadvantages: PLENTY

...but its time to pull the plug on the whole X Factor show. Its now become a joke with this years audition programmes being boring. The actual selecting of the chosen few to go from boot camp to the live shows proving to be a farce with two new bands being chosen made out of the reject young men and women. The first of the live shows last weekend proving that the 12 acts on offer are rubbish and Xmas came early with the usual panto hysterics of Sharon. ...
...real talent on offer from the star and I certainly would of enjoyed listening to the radio and watching television the past couple of years without Brookstein,G4, Shaney and Leona. Also I may be a traditionalist but I like my Xmas number 1 to be a xmas song not a reality star winners so called single which always gives me more indigestion than stuffing my face with turkey. To make matters worse we find out now over the years of X Factor many peoples ...

thegreengoblin 26.10.2007 · Read full review
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Review of The X Factor - Revealed (DVD)

Late night watching

Advantages: The quiz - a few facts
Disadvantages: You've got to be big on the band to enjoy it

...it worth it? This hardened Evanescence fan says maybe. The basis of it is simple - it tells you the history of the band leading up to just after Ben Moody left the band due to unspoken reasons and ended up as a song-writer with Avril Lavigne and you get to see interviews with Amy Lee's (the lead singer) father, people from Little Rock Arkansas (the town where Evanescence formed) and people who were there for their early appearances...... You'll ...
...someone wanting to hear about Evanescence then you're going to be left wanting a lot more, You never really get to know more about Ben Moody (probably because he's left the band - if he was still there I think this part would have been longer), Rocky Gray, William Boyd, John LeCompt or Terry Balsamo (Though I think that might be down to the closeness of this DVD's release to his joining the band). and that left me a bit disappointed. Finally you ...

Angelus 13.06.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Evanescence - After Midnight (DVD)

THEY'RE AT IT AGAIN? HAS PARIS GOT ANOTHER TAPE?

Advantages: Now with added comedy at the end, 'Demi Moore would date a baby'
Disadvantages: They are portrayed less cold hearted this season, meaning less jokes

...for a third season of the popular 'Simple Life' television series after the huge success of the two prior, and once again there was an added twist to keep the show formula fresh. This season was dubbed 'Interns' as it saw the spoilt pair taking on two-day internships at various different employments, and instead of having their luxury motorhome to stay in, they would travel to each location by bus meaning that they had double the opportunity to annoy ...
...be the million dollar heiresses show without some catchphrases to help sell the series, and with the now dated that's hot, we saw them calling each other 'sil' and 'bil', short for silly and billy of course. Even their dogs that accompanied them on the journey had their own nicknames, including 'tinks', and you never knew what was going to come out of their mouths next. Paris and Nicole even hoped to get their very own record out of the show as well, ...

nathaninnit 05.02.2008 · Read full review
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Review of The Simple Life - Series 3 - Complete Interns (DVD)