Our Picks Reviews - Page 43

The coolest cats in the casino cut loose with this collection of Yuletide classics, all originally recorded between the late ’50s and 1970. Ol’ Blue Eyes, Dean-o and Sammy stir up one swingin’ cocktail party as they weave their way through 21 holly-jolly tunes, including “The First Noel,” “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”
Neil Pond, American Profile

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Feast on this buffet of murder mystery, double-crosses, best-laid plans run awry and off-beat humor that hits you where you least expect it in Joel and Ethan Coen’s Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, Miller’s Crossing and Fargo. The pop-up trivia track on Fargo reveals that award-winning star William H. Macy was studying to become a veterinarian before pursuing acting, plus dozens of other fascinating factoids. (Rated PG/R)
Neil Pond, American Profile

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Pour yourself a cup of hot chocolate, snuggle into your favorite chair and bask in the retro glow of these classic animated Christmas specials from yesteryear: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, Frosty the Snowman, Frosty Returns, The Little Drummer Boy and Cricket on the Hearth—plus a bonus CD of Christmas tunes by Burl Ives, Bobby Rydell, Jewel, Otis Redding and Chicago.
Neil Pond, American Profile

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If you’ve got a special “spy guy” on your shopping list, you can’t go wrong with this colossal collection. Bond is a bounty of 21 movies, from Dr. No (1962) to last year’s blockbuster Casino Royale, loaded with venomous villains, ingenious gadgets, gorgeous gals and a bonanza of bonus materials.
Neil Pond, American Profile

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If you’ve got a special “spy guy” on your shopping list, you can’t go wrong with this colossal collection. U.N.C.L.E.’s 105 episodes of suave international espionage from the classic TV show’s 1964-68 run also include a 90-minute reunion interview with stars Robert Vaughn (Napoleon Solo) and David McCallum (Illya Kuryakin), plus more than eight hours of behind-the-scenes goodies.
Neil Pond, American Profile

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Dick Clark isn’t the father of rock ’n’ roll, but he was certainly its chaperone. As host of TV’s seminal music showcase, he introduced America to hundreds of stars, thousands of songs and a hip-shaking encyclopedia of dance-floor moves throughout four musically evolving decades. This lavish collection is packed with 201 original, digitally re-mastered hits from artists who performed on the show, a photo-filled booklet and a bonus DVD of Bandstand interviews. It’s a sprawling, swinging, boppin’, hoppin’ good time—with a good beat, and you can dance to it.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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A woman loses her three adult siblings in a series of heartbreaking events, but finds courage and inspiration in her family’s tradition of saddling up on horseback to bring home the perfect Christmas tree each year. Based on real events in the life of Hand, a best-selling author, TV personality and celebrity chef, this uplifting little novella offers a cozy, quick-read dose of hope in its poignant story of a gift of love that defines the holiday spirit.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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Fifteen years have passed since the King of Late Night signed off the air, but this sumptuous, three-decade-spanning gift set of highlights, celebrity guests, gaffes, musical performances, assorted yuks and a multitude of bonus features will keep fans of classic television glued to the tube for hours—more than 18 of them, to be more precise. It’s a box-set bonanza that celebrates a golden era of wee-hours fine dining before late-night TV became an overcrowded feeding trough.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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In the last ten years, Wilson’s music has taken a back seat to her other media appearances, including a gig as an Entertainment Tonight correspondent, spots on Celebrity Fit Club, The View and Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, and a cybercast of her gastric bypass surgery. This warm, welcoming collection of some of her favorite Christmas classics is a reminder of the tuneful vocal talent she inherited from her dad, Beach Boy Brian Wilson, that helped fuel the sugary-sweet sounds of the ‘90s pop trio Wilson Phillips.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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After their successful network variety show ended in 1977, the sunny “Love Will Keep Us Together” music-making duo of “Captain” Daryl Dragon and wife Toni Tennille remained on the air with a series of prime-time specials. These three, which took them to Hawaii and New Orleans and on a tribute to American music, feature guests Kenny Rogers, David (Starsky and Hutch) Soul, Don Knotts, Glen Campbell, B.B. King and other stars of the day, all caught up in the good-times tide of the couple’s infectiously wholesome, sing-along high spirits.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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