Ono, Yoko

Imagine (Deluxe Edition)

It can hardly be a coincidence that this "deluxe edition" of John Lennon - Imagine should be issued in late 2005, a couple of months after what would have been the former Beatle's 65th birthday and mere days before the 25th anniversary of his death. Whether that's cynical, poignant, or just good marketing is moot; what matters is that Lennon's impact, not just as a musician but as a public figure, remains largely undiminished. The film, released theatrically in 1988, will already be familiar to many fans. "Narrated" by Lennon himself and culled from hundreds of hours of footage, much of it home movies shot by John and Yoko Ono, Imagine is a substantial, reasonably illuminating portrait of the man, warts and all, from childhood through the Beatle years, his solo career, and his life with Yoko straight up to his fatal encounter with Mark David Chapman. It's the new bonus features that are the principal draw here; but whether or not they qualify as "deluxe" is arguable. The Lennons' radio interview with a BBC reporter is notable mostly for John's patience in the face of idiotic questions like "Is love very important to young people today?" The ten or so minutes spent with Lennon's school headmaster, William Ernest Pobjoy (love the name), yield little insight, especially considering that the two were at the school at the same time for just one year, half a century ago; likewise, a new "making of" documentary with Ono, writer-director Andrew Solt, producer David Wolper, and others isn't exactly ground-breaking. However, a previously unreleased performance of "Imagine," with Lennon and some unknown accompanists on acoustic guitar, is nice, as is some heretofore unseen footage of the Lennons at home on their Tittenhurst Estate. Add to that a fine transfer and Dolby digital sound, and you have another addition to the filmed legacy of the Beatles--a subject that, for many of us, will never be old news. --Sam Graham

Imagine John Lennon comes from a treasure trove: the legendary musician's own collection of more than 240 hours of film and videotape much of it never seen by the public. With cooperation from Yoko Ono in its creation producers David L. Wolper and Andrew Solt (partners on This Is Elvis) transform the archival footage - and a monumental 36-tune soundtrack - into a spellbinding account of a complex fascinating man. Lennon's own voice narrates "a classic film biography" (Roy Leonard WGN-TV/Chicago).Running Time: 106 min. Genre: MUSIC DVD/CONCERTS UPC: 012569726550 Manufacturer No: 72655

The Rolling Stones - Rock and Roll Circus

Unavailable at all for nearly three decades, then issued in a VHS edition in 1996, the Rolling Stones' legendary Rock and Roll Circus finally gets the full treatment with this DVD release documenting the 1968 event. The Stones were reportedly unhappy with their performance (hence the long delay), and it isn't their finest moment; performing "Jumping Jack Flash" and a variety of songs from their then-new Beggars Banquet album, Keith Richards is game, but Jagger's preening (especially on "Sympathy for the Devil") is over the top, and guitarist Brian Jones looks dissolute and well on his way to his death the following year. A certain weirdness permeates some of the other musical acts as well: Jethro Tull lip-syncs unconvincingly, Taj Mahal and band were obliged to perform before the circus set was completed and the audience had arrived, and John Lennon's outing with impromptu supergroup the Dirty Mac (with Richards, Eric Clapton, and drummer Mitch Mitchell) is hampered by Yoko Ono's caterwauling, although their version of the Beatles' "Yer Blues" is cool. Still, the Who are brilliant, Marianne Faithfull is beautiful, the various circus acts are fun, and the crowd clearly loves it.

The DVD comes with some fascinating bonus features, including three extra songs by Mahal, some lovely classical piano by Julius Katchen, and a "quad split-screen" version of "Yer Blues." Best of all are a new interview with the Who's Pete Townshend and the various commentary tracks added for the DVD--especially those by Tull's Ian Anderson, director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, and Stones Jagger, Richards, and Bill Wyman (who dryly attributes Jagger's reluctance to issue the show to his dissatisfaction with his own performance, not the band's). Flaws notwithstanding, this is a treat. --Sam Graham

Originally done as a BBC TV special but never shown, the Rolling Stones headline this rock concert featuring circus performers between musical acts.

Mike Douglas - Moments & Memories

It isn't easy boiling down a TV talk show that ran for more than 20 years and upwards of 5000 episodes into a highlight reel lasting less than an hour. The folks who compiled Mike Douglas: Moments & Memories have done that with notable success by staying true to the host's own style: i.e., focusing on the guests, respecting the audience, and providing a balance of interviews, performances, and other material guaranteed to appeal to a wide cross-section of viewers. Douglas, who died in 2006, was an up-and-coming singer (he provided the voice of Prince Charming for Disney's animated Cinderella in 1950) who moved into TV in the early '60s, and his daytime chat fest was a popular destination for celebs of every stripe, who recognized and appreciated that the confident but deferential host preferred to listen to his guests rather than compete with them and was more interested in making them look good than in promoting his own act. Moments & Memories contains clips with an extraordinary variety of visitors (from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Mother Teresa, from two-year-old Tiger Woods to Muhammad Ali, from Marlon Brando to Paul Newman, from Louis Armstrong to Kiss' Gene Simmons), but what distinguishes it from almost all DVDs of this ilk is the presence of complete musical performances, in this case by the Rolling Stones (performing "Not Fade Away" in '64, surely one of their very earliest TV appearances) and John Lennon (a nice version of "Imagine," backed by the Elephant's Memory band). Music fans will find those two gems alone worth the price of admission. Bonus features include about an hour's worth of additional interviews and Douglas bio material. --Sam Graham

- Before there was Oprah or Dr. Phil or Ellen, or any of these people, there was Mike Douglas.-
- Jay Leno, remembering Mike Douglas on The Tonight Show

Legendary daytime talk show host Mike Douglas influenced many of today's biggest stars, including Barbara Walters, Jay Leno, Regis Philbin, and Rosie O'Donnell, among many others. He ruled daytime talk from 1961 to 1982, reaching as many as 15 million people with a single show and averaging an astounding seven million viewers a day. MOMENTS AND MEMORIES takes a look back at Douglas' tenure as talk-show-host extraordinaire. The program unlocks a plethora of amazing performances and interviews from the show's vaults, including Tiger Woods' first appearance on television and Marlon Brando's personal commentary on his role as The Godfather.

Douglas' charming disposition drew in the viewers while also setting his high-profile guests at ease. Almost every major celebrity who hit it big in the 60s and 70s appeared on the show either as a guest or co-host. John Lennon and Yoko Ono co-hosted the program for a week in 1972, producing several poignant and memorable moments such as the duo's live performance of Imagine and their collaboration with Chuck Berry on the rock n roll classic Johnny B. Goode. A 2- year-old Tiger Woods also charmed the crowds like a seasoned performer, showcasing his early talent for golf while unknowingly matching wits with comedic heavyweight Bob Hope.

Priceless moments like these captured the hearts and imaginations of viewers throughout the country. But it was Douglas' innate charm that endeared him to his fans. He frequently sang on the show, crooning out classic numbers like The Men in My Little Girl s Life. Douglas also kept the show light-hearted and entertaining, frequently choosing silly and outlandish stunts to make his audience laugh. Throughout the course of the program, Douglas wrestles with Andre the Giant, talks to a chimpanzee and clowns around with a variety of comedians.

MIKE DOUGLAS MOMENTS AND MEMORIES gathers all these clips and more, taking viewers back to a bygone era filled with all the fun outfits, hairstyles, songs and attitudes of the 60s and 70s.

1. Opening
2. Getting Started with Ginny Simms and Kay Kyser
3. Cinderella
4. A New Show in Cleveland
5. The Rolling Stones
6. Mike and Legendary Entertainers (Alfred Hitchcock, Rodney Dangerfield, Bette Davis, Mel Brooks, Paul Newman, Jack Benny, Marlon Brando, Ingrid Bergman, Bill Cosby, Carol Burnett, Ron Howard)
7. Domestic Olympics (Mariette Hartley and Don Rickles)
8. Tiger Woods and Bob Hope
9. Newsmakers and Newsbreakers (Della Reese, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mike Wallace, Billie Jean King, Mother Teresa)
10. Time for Fun (Robert Goulet, Muhammad Ali & Howard Cosell, Joi Lansing & Dennis Day, Dom DeLuise, Red Skelton , Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sally Field)
11. A Week with John Lennon and Yoko Ono (Imagine, Bobby Seale, George Carlin, Jerry Rubin, Ralph Nader, Chuck Berry)
12. Introducing New Talent (Gene Simmons & Paul Stanley of KISS, Billy Crystal, Lily Tomlin, Steve Martin, George Carlin, Jay Leno, David Letterman)
13. Let's Have a Party! (Bob Hope, Tim Conway, Allen & Rossi, Dolly Parton, Professor Irwin Corey, Sammy Davis, Jr.)
14. Singing with Mike (Bill Cosby, Vic Damone, Louis Armstrong & Pearl Bailey, Bobby Darin)
15. The Men in My Little Girl's Life

Bonus Features and Clips:
Mike Douglas Biography
Ingrid Bergman
Alex Haley
Mike Douglas
John Lennon and Yoko Ono
Tim Conway
Paul Newman
Johnny Cash
Ron Howard
Alfred Hitchcock
Mother Teresa

Grass

Consider this a documentary for those who inhaled. Ron Mann's playful portrait of marijuana in America is less a social history than an examination of the government's systematic seven-decade campaign to demonize the devil's weed: the conspiracy against cannabis! Through government documents, period newsreels, and clips from hysterical educational scare films and campy overheated features (like High on the Range and the cult classic Reefer Madness), Mann reveals a systematic policy of misinformation to (he argues) justify the billions spent on the losing war on drugs. Well researched if one-sided and occasionally questionable in its own assertions (aren't there any side effects to this wonder weed?), this witty history lesson is charged with raucous energy and a satirical slant. Mann and his easygoing narrator Woody Harrelson may be preaching to the converted, but it's a hilarious sermon. Pass the munchies! --Sean Axmaker

Grass, narrated by actor/activist Woody Harrelson, takes a highly spirited and innovative look into one of America's most deeply rooted cultural myths: the evils of "pot", "cannabis", "weed", "dubich", "doobie", "shrub", or whatever man. From the story of America's first drug czar, to the absurd scare tactics behind propaganda films like Reefer Madness, and Marijuana: Threat or Menace, director Ron Mann (Comic Book Confidential, Twist) poignantly and humorously exposes the social, political and economic facts behind this enduring weed, and the extent to which it has profoundly shaped our culture.

Paul McCartney - Wingspan - An Intimate Portrait

Paul McCartney's account of his second famous rock band only glosses over his personal and professional life during the 1970s, clocking in at 88 minutes. Still, choice footage and photographs, along with a McCartney interview by daughter Mary interspersed throughout the program, make this an entertaining history of an often unfairly maligned group. Wingspan is also a valentine to McCartney's late wife, Linda, who was always by his side, in and out of Wings. On his insistence, Linda became part of the band, went on tour as nominal backup singer and keyboardist, and even sang lead on a song called "Cook of the House," which didn't endear her or Paul to feminists. The fact remains, though, that their marriage, which some pointed to as contributing to the Beatles' breakup, lasted far longer than either of Paul's bands. --Kevin Filipski

Wingspan is the inside story of how Paul and Linda McCartney dared to follow the Beatles with their rock band Wings. The story of Paul and Linda McCartney's early years together is intimately shared through series of candid conversation with their daughter, Mary. Home movies, family photos, and rare footage draw viewers into a very personal story of love and family. Combined with the against-all-odds success of Wings, Paul and Linda prove that there is life after The Beatles. 90 minutes.

Come Together - A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music

A disparate group of performers gathers to celebrate the life and music of John Lennon in this 90-minute concert, recorded in 2001 at New York's Radio City Music Hall and originally broadcast on the WB Television Network. Considering both the setting and the fact that it came just three weeks after the events of September 11, it's not surprising that the show has a somewhat somber tone, but that makes Lennon's message of universal peace somehow all the more relevant. As for the songs, the majority come from Lennon's Beatle days, including "In My Life" (Dave Matthews), "Strawberry Fields Forever" (Cyndi Lauper), and "Dear Prudence" (Alanis Morissette); but it's the material from his solo years that yields the most passionate performances, especially by Shelby Lynne ("Mother") and Lou Reed ("Jealous Guy"). Host Kevin Spacey does a surprisingly effective turn on "Mind Games," and the inclusion of Lennon's son Sean is both appropriate and touching. Nice. --Sam Graham

Pink Floyd - London 1966-1967

In terms of archival value, Pink Floyd: London, 1966-1967 is essential viewing for Floyd collectors and anyone who's curious about the swinging pop scene of London at the dawn of the psychedelic era. Casual fans be warned: This is not a concert film, per se, nor will it satisfy anyone looking for a comprehensive history of "The Pink Floyd" (as the group was originally known) in its earliest incarnation. Rather, Peter Whitehead's film--originally titled Tonite Let's All Make Love in London (after a line from an Allen Ginsberg poem)--was created as a dreamy, avant-garde portrait of the "Swinging London" scene, set to the music of Pink Floyd (in this case the improvisational epics "Interstellar Overdrive" and "Nick's Boogie"), accompanied by performance footage from the legendary UFO Club in 1966, a recording session at London's Sound Techniques studio on January 11, 1967 (which Whitehead specifically arranged to capture his soundtrack), and footage from the momentous "14 Hour Technicolor Dream" festival held at Alexandra Palace on April 29th, 1967. White combined elements of all three events to create his audiovisual collage--a kind of time-capsule mindscape that successfully conveys the spacey atmosphere of Pink Floyd's early (and instant) popularity.

However fleeting (he's glimpsed relatively briefly, coaxing otherworldly sounds from his guitar, patched into a Binson Echorec tape echo device), the presence of Floyd cofounder Syd Barrett will prove fascinating to any devoted fan. The "Crazy Diamond" appears quite stoned (or at least totally immersed in his music), while Roger Waters provides a driving bass pulse, looking ever so much like a young, mod intellectual. Rick Wright appears calmly at his keyboard (also using the Binson Echorec), and Nick Mason drums through his experimental "Boogie," parts of which were transposed into the title track of A Saucerful of Secrets. The music (far more indicative of Early Floyd than the later studio versions) is also included on a stand-alone CD, and while none of this material is substantial enough to be truly fulfilling, it remains a priceless snapshot of the era, with fascinating glimpses of John Lennon attending the "Technicolor" event, unaware that his future wife, Yoko Ono, was presenting a performance-art installment just a few feet away. Whitehead's archival interview clips with Mick Jagger, Michael Caine, Julie Christie, and artist David Hockney add another facet of insight into one of the liveliest periods of popular culture. --Jeff Shannon

Dynamite Chicken

John and Yoko's Year of Peace

Amazing that a nearly hour-long film about a Beatle that contains almost no music could still be worthwhile, but that's the case with John & Yoko's Year of Peace. The year in question is 1969, when the newly married couple staged the notorious "bed-in" at a Toronto hotel to promote their somewhat naive but sincere campaign for world peace; they then moved on to Montreal, where "Give Peace a Chance" was recorded in another hotel room, before returning to Toronto, where Lennon (accompanied by Eric Clapton and others) became the first Beatle to perform in concert without his mates. There's no film of that event here, but there is a great deal of other Lennon footage, revealing him to be utterly honest, unpretentious, gentle, and approachable. Ono and others who were there recall the events in interesting interviews conducted around the time of this 2000 documentary, but it's the scenes from '69 that make this an invaluable document. --Sam Graham

The year: 1969. Headlines blare war and civil unrest while John Lennon and Yoko Ono are in love. The eccentic rock 'n' roll couple has just gotten married, and more than happy to be together, they want to change the world. Lying in a hotel bed surrounded by journalists, they announce their mission for peace and invite the rest of the world to symbolically climb into bed with them and share their dream. People call them silly, naive, even ridiculous, yet one famous couple's bed-in spread new hope that there really could be an end to war, hate and violence. Here is rare footage from that amazing time, including footage from John and Yoko's wedding, the infamous bedside confrontation between John and conservative cartoonist Al Capp, Lennon debating media expert Marshall McLuhan, and meeting Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Now twenty years after Lennon's murder, Yoko and others involved in the peace mission reflect on the events of that magical, mystical year.

John Lennon: Imagine

It can hardly be a coincidence that this "deluxe edition" of John Lennon - Imagine should be issued in late 2005, a couple of months after what would have been the former Beatle's 65th birthday and mere days before the 25th anniversary of his death. Whether that's cynical, poignant, or just good marketing is moot; what matters is that Lennon's impact, not just as a musician but as a public figure, remains largely undiminished. The film, released theatrically in 1988, will already be familiar to many fans. "Narrated" by Lennon himself and culled from hundreds of hours of footage, much of it home movies shot by John and Yoko Ono, Imagine is a substantial, reasonably illuminating portrait of the man, warts and all, from childhood through the Beatle years, his solo career, and his life with Yoko straight up to his fatal encounter with Mark David Chapman. It's the new bonus features that are the principal draw here; but whether or not they qualify as "deluxe" is arguable. The Lennons' radio interview with a BBC reporter is notable mostly for John's patience in the face of idiotic questions like "Is love very important to young people today?" The ten or so minutes spent with Lennon's school headmaster, William Ernest Pobjoy (love the name), yield little insight, especially considering that the two were at the school at the same time for just one year, half a century ago; likewise, a new "making of" documentary with Ono, writer-director Andrew Solt, producer David Wolper, and others isn't exactly ground-breaking. However, a previously unreleased performance of "Imagine," with Lennon and some unknown accompanists on acoustic guitar, is nice, as is some heretofore unseen footage of the Lennons at home on their Tittenhurst Estate. Add to that a fine transfer and Dolby digital sound, and you have another addition to the filmed legacy of the Beatles--a subject that, for many of us, will never be old news. --Sam Graham