|
|
|
| DVD
Reviews - Almost Famous |
|
Order this DVD from
Amazon.com
|
Almost
Famous
(The Bootleg
Cut)
(DreamWorks Home Entertainment) |
| DVD
Release Date: |
December
4, 2001
|
| Length: |
162 mins.
|
| Rated: |
NR |
| Format: |
Widescreen
(1.85:1) |
| Languages: |
English |
| Subtitles: |
English, French, Spanish
|
| Extras: |
Never-Before-Seen Footage, Director's Commentary, Interview with
Lester Bangs, Behind-the-Scenes Footage, Original Rolling Stone
Articles, Music Video, Deleted Scenes, Screenplay, Theatrical
Trailer, Production Notes, Cast & Crew Bios and more
|
I first saw this movie somewhere over
the Pacific during a long flight in a very crowded 747. Not the best
way to watch a movie, I know. At the time, I considered it just
mediocre with a very weak and abrupt ending. However, after seeing it
on DVD, I think I've figured out why. If I'm not mistaken, the
airplane edit left out a key scene towards the end where we find all
the characters about to become victims of a plane crash. Well damn, it
finally makes sense! Now that I see this film in a different light, I
can say it's great. I watched the bootleg cut and not the original
theatrical version, but even with the extra footage, I found myself
savoring the entire ride. With reasonably strong performances, I did
however find it a little of a lightweight as a drama without a
contemptible character in sight. Still, highly enjoyable.
This 2-disc set contained one disc with the bootleg cut and another
with the original theatrical version. Both discs contained some
inspired extras such as a short interview with the actual Lester
Bangs, some rather boring behind-the-scenes footage, a music video,
some of director Cameron Crowe's original Rolling Stone articles, as
well as his top 10 albums selection of 1973, and some of the
Stillwater concert footage. Of the more usual fare, we also got the
theatrical trailer, production notes, cast and crew info, and a look
at the full screenplay. As another extra, there was a CD containing 6
songs from Stillwater, the movie's fictional band. For the commentary,
we received a rich one, primarily from Crowe, who was joined by a few
crew members and his mother. While he was the director, the fact that
the movie was a story of his own life added that extra flavor and made
it so enthralling. There was also a commentary subtitle track, which
was a novel feature and one I hope to see become a standard.
Though I wasn't around too much in the 70's, I still enjoyed this
nostalgic trip filled with memories I never actually had.
| The Movie: |
  |
8/10 |
| The Extras: |
|
4/10 |
|
|
|
| Recommendation: |
Rent
This One |
What
did you think?
Have your say on our Message Boards...
Phil
Wong - Associate Editor
More Reviews - Click Here
|
|
|
|
|
