Christopher Guest Books

It's astonishing that this landmark achievement in WW I aviation history has not garnered a slew of 5-star reviews over the years. When "ATT" appeared in 1991 it ushered in a renaissance in Great War aero history, and the subsequent titles in the series only enhanced the authors' already sterling reputations.

Building on the format previously established in "Aces High," the RAF WW II volume, ATT proved a winner. With some 800 entries on individual pilots plus a wealth of squadron information, it offers a one-stop shopping center (centre?) for Great War students. It also opened many eyes, as the long-accepted victory scores were laid bare for study. the peculiar British victory credit system gave an inflated impression in terms of raw numbers, but ATT showed the details. For instance, the always controversial Billy Bishop's 72 included "only" 55 destroyed or captured, the rest being "out of control." Though a minority of the WW I "aces" listed here would have been considered as such in WW II, the enormous amount of data remains tremendously impressive.

Hours and hours and hours of informative perusal await the owner of Above the Trenches.

Christopher Bucklow has done what thousands of young and mature artists hope to do in a lifetime: create something new that has never been seen before. He has done it useing pinhole images of sun light and video / hand formed images, creating dream bodies of light. These are not real people but images from his dreams and imagination, not bad! I would not hesitate to say this type of art that will remain with us for some time, while much of the instillations and abstract works that permiate galleries across the globe will become mere memories, if remembered at all. Get the book!! jb

This was a used book that cost me 35 cents. What a surprise it was. High quality writing style. Good story. It was written in 1947. The backdrop is the coast of Rhode Island. The entire story is the reflection of a 60 year old woman home alone in her mansion during a hurricane. She reflects on the actual 1938 hurricane that devastated the East coast and destroyed many of the grand old mansions on the coast. One of the best books I have ever read. What a study of character.

The Naked Gun Gift Set contains all three of the films and boy you will be laughing like crazy when you get this baby home. Of course the original is the best, but the sequels are enjoyable as well. Leslie Nielsen has great comic timing and Priscilla Presley is not too shabby either. I highly recommend this awesome collection. Enjoy!

This movie it's just one of my favorites comedies. Leslie Nielsen just awesome. Tons of laughs. If you want to spend some time on your couch laughings in a boring afternoon this is the one. Excellent comedy

i love these movies! they are hilarious! u cant tell me u cant laugh once at leslie nielson's crazy antics. he's great!

This is not what I expected it to be. Its true that many scenes not appearing in TV broadcasts are shown, but then the extra scenes that the TV media puts in to stretch the show time are missing. Too bad. I'll give this away and buy each movie seperately.

The Naked Gun DVD Gift Set.

This collection features all three films in the Naked Gun series, which are The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad! (1988), The Naked Gun 2 and ½: The Smell Of Fear (1991), and The Naked Gun 33 and 1/3: The Final Insult. Three discs total. Each film has trailers and commentaries as bonuses. All films are the theatrical cuts.

This review is strictly for the box set itself, and its content. If you're looking for reviews of the films themselves, I've posted them on their respective item's pages.

-DISC ONE-

-The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad!

-Trailer

-Commentary track

-DISC TWO-

-The Naked Gun 2 and ½: The Smell Of Fear

-Trailers

-Commentary Track

-DISC THREE-

-The Naked Gun 3 and 1/3: The Final Insult

-Trailers

-Commentary Track

This set is handy because it combines all three of the Naked Gun films into a single, affordable collection. The commentary tracks are interesting to listen to if you're a fan, as well. This is a nice alternative to having to hunt down each film separately, not to mention on average it's cheaper than buying each one on its own.

Sadly, the set isn't perfect. My biggest complaint is with the lack of extras. These are the same movies that are sold separately, with commentaries and trailers as the only bonuses. When are we going to get the deleted scenes from the first film on a DVD? So far, these have only shown up in TV airings. And why is there no behind-the-scenes footage or interviews with cast and crew?

There are two different versions of this set, the DVD Gift Set version and the Triple Feature version. Both versions are exactly the same, apart from packaging. The Gift Set is larger, with each film in its own "as sold separately" case, while the Triple Feature condenses all three films to fit in a single-sized DVD case. You can't go wrong either way, but generally the Triple Feature is cheaper.

It's great to get all of these movies in one convenient spot, but I am extremely disappointed by the lack of bonus material. Hopefully a special edition release of the movies will come eventually. Paramount seems to be re-releasing a number of their older releases as special editions with bonus material, and I'm hoping this series will eventually get that treatment.

Thumbs up for the movies, thumbs down for the extras-lacking box set.

The initial sight of Leslie Nielson's snow-white hair immediately brings a smile to my face, and I know I'm in for a ride. Check out that wobble of his too - those inwardly bent leg-strides reminds me of someone who has just stepped out of doggie doo-doo. Drebin's assignment this time 'round? To find the man responsible for planting a bomb inside the Meinheimer institute. It'll take all his wit power to accomplish this, for no one else around seems to be of any help. Consider his partner, Nordberg, who arrives at the crime scene, takes a good panoramic gander around at the rubble, and comments, "This is one helluva explosion. I'm still trying to figure out what they used."

This follow-up spoof to the 1988 measuring-stick doesn't come close to hitting the three-quarter mark; the glass is either half-full or completely empty depending on how much of a fan you are of Nielson and lampoonery. For me, I've always viewed it as something of a treasure watching grown adults - even if they are 'in character' - having enough innocence left within themselves to shed their publicly-correct exterior for a little game of let's-not-take-ourselves-so-seriously for a while. It takes both maturity and a shameless awareness of one's childish origins for one to be willing to do this. The cast of the Naked Gun series have the needed self-security to be able to do this successfully. They are to be commended for being good sports.

The crime for the boys down at the precinct this time centres around a dubious businessman, a Quentin Hapsburg, who sees the world populated by dollar bills as opposed to people. He likes the money he's making off nuclear energy, and intends to stop a Dr. Meinheimer from publicizing his new cleaner energy theory. The doctor is due to make known his research to the president of the United States, at an upcoming formal engagement. Thus the reason for the aforementioned attempt on his life. The bomb was meant for the good doctor but wound up instead in the hands of two not-so-bright security guards: having found the curiosity inside a trash-can, and merely assuming it as so, with the ticking device in hand (bandaged together with duct-tape and explosives) the one guard stares at its face and ponders aloud to his partner: "Hey, that's a pretty nice clock. Wonder why they threw it out?" To which the other man grabs it from him, commenting, "It's probably because it's four minutes too slow. Here, let me fix it." (I hesitate to relate that the guy actually winds the piece forward 4 minutes.)

With a couple of dead guards in the news, the Washington D.C. police commissioner assigns Lt. Frank Drebin the task of tracking down the killer. Any evidence thus far that points to a possible suspect, you may be wondering? Apparently so. It seems, so relates the crime-scene investigator to Drebin, they found a wallet perhaps belonging to the suspect on a curb just outside the building, but they haven't had a chance to examine it thoroughly as of yet. (It's still in the lab undergoing analysis.)

The movie was written and directed by David Zucker, (or as the opening credit puts it, un film de David Zucker). He brings back the same actors from the first entry and renews the romance between Frank and his love-kitten, Jane (played by the strikingly attractive - for her age! - Priscilla Presley). The film's opening scene has Drebin, as guest at a White House luncheon, being honored by his captain for his 1000th drug-dealer killed. Frank has to interrupt and politely rephrase the truth of the matter. "In all honesty," he humbly admits, "the last two I backed over with my car. Luckily they turned out to be drug-dealers." Uttered prideful of this good stroke of luck.

There are no burst-out moments of mention (unlike the good belly-laughing received from the first film, watching Drebin undercover as an umpire), but the movie does have its amusing parts: Frank and Jane's pas de deux on the dance floor during a social function (note who Frank takes over from, as he cuts in to take ahold of Jane: Mel Torme). Then there is the side gimmick that has Norberg being dragged about the city on a mechanic's wheelboard from underneath the suspect's van ... only to be flung neath a bus heading for Detroit. We also find Jane cooperating with police in describing as best she can to a sketch artist the appearance of the suspect in question, but to no avail since the artist can only picture her. A standout sequence takes place inside the Blue Note bar, a watering hole for the utterly depressed; on its walls hang pictures capturing some of the 20th century's most infamous disasters, in an attempt at empathizing with the patrons and to make them feel right at home. I also couldn't help but chuckle whenever either Frank or Ed would react to a baffling statement made with a bit of rendered-speechless horizontal eyeballing.

The film as a whole, admittedly, isn't much of a hoot. The movie seems to work better as individual scenes, than if we were to expect our interest sustained through each one strung together in its entirety. In other words, one might find more enjoyment watching the movie in piecemeal fashion - for scenes do hold up on their own, but the lot of them combined make the various gags seem overdone and may work to overwhelm even the most appreciative of viewers.

And speaking of the viewer, regardless of one's opinion of the movie, it cannot be said that the writing is poor. Gags go by so quick and are placed so meticulously in each scene that half-hearted or half-fatigued viewers have no one to blame but themselves for any failing grade they may hand the movie in the effort department.

Deadpan may not be one's cup of tea, but, this acknowledged, for lovers of such humor one's respect for the movie becomes stronger amid second viewing when all the previously missed sight gags are noticed, either in the fore- or background of shots. It is always the sign of a good movie when more can be gleaned from it through repeated viewings.

The question becomes then, does our straight-faced accident-prone hero go on to save the day? When it comes to Frank Drebin such a question is always rhetorical. The world would have gone up in a mushroom cloud if it weren't for his investigative prowess and police skills, and we all know it. So what if in reality he unwittingly detonated the time bomb Hapsburg had set in motion, upon tripping over the machine's power cord. The truth of the matter is, in retrospect he wasn't out-smarted, and to someone as conniving as Hapsburg, that fact hurts, doesn't it? "Oh, sure, maybe not as much as jumping on a bicycle with a seat missing. But it hurts."

I was lucky to find these movies for cheap, but it's definitely one of the best trilogies I have ever seen. The 2nd and 3rd are no match for the first...but the sequels are hardly ever as good as the first in any case.

Es un clasico, se debe tener en casa para ver por lo menos una vez al año. Gracias a Leslie por la serie y las 3 peliculas Naked Gun y al director David Zucker por la imaginacion tan graciosa de las situaciones de la vida.

En esta 2da parte, los Bush son la burla y el tema la energia atomica y los contaminantes es el ambiente en el cual se desenvuelve nuestro personaje.

The Naked Gun 2 1/2 - The Smell of Fear~ Lloyd Bochner is just as good as the first Naked Gun movie. Leslie Neilsen is absolutely hysterically funny and the gags are many of them are just on the mark. The scene at the blue note is just great with photos of titanic and a singer that sings about feeling blue. The drink that is impossible to drink and the waiter with a bare backside. They also make fun of Casablanca with Sam playing the piano. I love the dialog and the screen play is great. Once again we get to see O.J. Simpson star in the movie and then we have to remember that at the time of the movie he was only known as a former football player and did not have the dubious reputation that he does today. I highly recommend this movie and I give it the 5 stars that it deserves.

The Naked Gun 2 and ½: The Smell Of Fear is directed by David Zucker. The film stars Leslie Nielsen and co-stars Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, O. J. Simpson, and Robert Goulet. Ira Newborn contributes the musical score.

The Smell Of Fear is the second film in The Naked Gun series. This time around, Frank Drebin has gained a promotion with Police Squad, but it has come at the price of his relationship with Jane Spencer, the woman he was romancing in the first film. Drebin's work is never done. This time around, he and his partners on the force must deal with a group of environmental terrorists, aiming to profit immensely from their crimes. As if it wasn't bad enough that a new threat had entered the fray, Jane has developed a relationship with one of its top leaders.

The second installment in The Naked Gun series is more of the same zany stuff the first movie served up. While not a superior product by any means, it's still a good sequel. And like the original, it's impossible to write a conventional review for this film. While there is a plot here and entertaining characters, this is more-or-less a showcase of well-written, fast-paced jokes - just like the first time around. The writers keep the puns and gags flying at you from start to finish. Normally putting the jokes first and the characters and plot second is a recipe for disaster. But The Naked Gun series pulls it off nicely. Much like the first movie, there are very few scenes that won't have you in stitches.

Leslie Nielsen reprises his role of Frank Drebin from the first film. And his acting here is no less excellent than it was in the first film. He steals every scene he takes part in, delivering the fast-paced comedy with an unusual level of seriousness, never cracking a smile no matter how comical or inappropriate what he says is. The Naked Gun is probably Nielsen's best-known series of films, and it won't be long into the movie before you see why that is.

Like the original, there's really not much point in going too in depth about the supporting cast and what they do. This movie belongs to Leslie Nielsen. But amongst its ranks are O. J. Simpson as Drebin's long-time, loyal partner on the force, Priscilla Presley as the now-estranged love interest, and Robert Goulet as one of the evil geniuses behind the film's sinister plot. Everyone does well in this film, but no one steals the show the same way Nielsen does.

The style in which this film is presented stays true to the original, and that`s a good thing. The writers/director throw the jokes at the audience endlessly - there's not a single scene in this movie without something to make you laugh. And with Leslie Nielsen usually in charge of delivering these cleverly-written puns and gags, with his signature serious nature, you know the laughs won't let up.

The musical score for the film is written by Ira Newborn. Easily, the most recognizable piece of music in the film is its classic opening credits theme, which was also uses as the theme for Police Squad!, the show that the film was spun off from. Newborn's score is largely a jazzy, big-band one, which fits the cop/detective atmosphere well. It only helps to make the product feel more like a spoof/satire. Much of the score is rehashed from the original, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

This isn't a perfect movie, I won't kid you. The original was a comedy masterpiece. It was fresh, and easily one of the best spoofs ever made. The problem with the second film is that it's, to say the least, more of the same. And the jokes, while still downright hilarious, don't quite hit as hard and fast as they did the first time around. That's not to say this isn't a great comedy film in its own right, though - it is.

Sadly, the DVD is a huge disappointment. Like the first film, the only extras available are a commentary track and trailers. Why couldn't they include interviews with cast and crew, or anything of that sort? I'm sure there's plenty of good material that could have been used on here.

In the end, second film in The Naked Gun series isn't quite the comedy masterpiece that the first one was, but it`s still a worthy addition to the Leslie Nielsen catalogue, and definitely worth your time. Although it`s not as good as the original, I`m still recommending it. If you liked the original, it's a good bet you'll like the sequel.

Thumbs up

Actually, every word in the "Magical Misery Tour" was lifted from John Lennon's famous Rolling Stone Interview, which was even released as a paperback book. Or as Yoko said, "The Dream is Over."

This album is an absolute must-have, because "Magical Misery Tour" is just about the funniest thing ever recorded. Give it a listen and you too will shriek "Mother! They're trying to crucify me!"

It's hard to remember what a cultural force Nat Lamp was in the 1970's. Only an institution such as the Lampoon could have helped to create the keystone epic "Animal House" and, of course "SNL", arguably the two most important and influential comedy forces of the decade. So it is with this in mind that I try to remain at least mildly unbiased in my assessment of this disc as, frankly, some of it absolutely first rate, even thirty years later. And some of it is, well...

So, why should you buy this disc? Well, here's why you shouldn't: "Save The Whales" is good for one listen only, and frankly, should have been done much better; "I'm A Woman" is a testiment to the fact that Gilda Radner was both overrated and, at times, incredibly annoying (although, in all fairness to her, the material itself was dated and silly probably 18 months after it was first recorded and would have been if anyone else had done it); "Pizza Man", a "tribute" to vocal stylings of 1950's rock/doo-wop that comes across as one of those "Is this supposed to be funny or just stupid?" moments; and "Those Fabulous Sixties" which is a head scratcher in terms of why in the hell this one was included. So, you ask, what is left? What is left indeed. The remaining tracks teeter between incredibly funny to sheer, total brilliance. "Deteriorata" is an amazing, and amusing, parody of the incredibly insipid "Desidorata", one of the top selling singles of the early 70's. "Colorado" demonstrates that not only was Chevy Chase once funny, he was also undeniably multi-talented; "Well-Intentioned Blues", a hysterical blues parody by Christopher Guest, and, arguably, the best thing on this CD; "Mission:Impeachable", another Chase gem that both amusingly and chillingly distillates the entire Watergate scandal in about two minutes; "Kung Fu Christmas", another funny song, "Mister Roberts", a howlingly funny (and loving) take on Mr. Rogers, with both Guest and Bill Murray displaying their collective genius in what is the funniest bit on the disc; "Gymnasty", a short, shockingly funny bit that will bring back memories of anyone who remembers the 1976 Olympics; "The Immigrants", a funny take on documentaries and, finally, "Magical Misery Tour", with lyrics that I believe must have been lifted directly from interviews that John Lennon gave in the 70's (there is no way that anyone at the Lampoon could have written anything both this brilliant and twisted!) So, there you have it. Most of the CD is terrific and you will listen to it over and over again. And thanks to the digital age for being able to move quickly past the dumb stuff. Buy it today!

If you loved the movie, you'll love the book! It's filled with excellent and colorful pictures of the cast performing, and sheet music with lyrics to those wonderful and silly songs that are hard to stop singing...Enjoy!

I love these songs, but you should know that this book contains only melody and guitar chords. No guitar, bass, banjo or autoharp tabs. Just melody in the treble clef, and chord charts. You're on your own for harmony vocals, too. And only the Folksmen version of "Never Did No Wanderin'" is included. A few of the songs include the main instrumental lines (Penny Whistle solo in "Fare Away", classical guitar solo in "Skeletons of Quinto", et cetera).

If you're a crappy guitar player like me, you can enjoy just playing the chords and singing these fun songs. If you're decent, you can pick them in a way that sounds good to you. It's just good to know what you're buying.

This is a great book if you like the new Christopher Guest movie "A Mighty Wind." All the songs are here in standard sheet music notation with guitar tablature (most are fairly simple to play, except a couple of the 'Folksmen' songs). There is a colorful if brief history of all three bands, and a short introduction by Guest. Additionally, there are printed and complete versions of all the lyrics printed both within the sheet music and outside of it, where they are easier to read. A special bonus is the music to 'The Catheter Song,' which was scandalously omitted from the soundtrack.

If you like the movie, or just like the music, you will like this book, just understand it's a music book first, and a scrapbook second.

Ordered this download for this particular ("Bonnie and Claire") episode...got another episode "Endless Summer" instead. Not good. Thought I would order the Renagade "Endless Summer" and hopefully get what I wanted, i.e. The "Bonnie and Claire" episode. Got that download, which takes forever to download btw, and I've got DSL. Anyone with dial-up had better give it a week or so, to download. When I tried to play that, my pc would freeze up tight, each time, every time.

The Unbox video player, which you have to install, because windows/quicktime or real is too good or something; plays so so at best.(Unbox, which I now think stands for "Un-usable Box", perhaps.)
Long story short, I uninstalled the thing and kicked it to the curb. Couldn't find any reasonable place to hope for a refund on the site for bad/incorrect downloads, so they get my less than flattering review, instead. Toodles.