Christopher Guest Collection (A Mighty Wind / Best in Show / Waiting for Guffman)

Amazon.com

A Mighty Wind
There's A Mighty Wind a-blowin', along with the gales of laughter you'll get from Christopher Guest's third exercise in brilliant "mockumentary." After tackling small-town theatricals in Waiting for Guffman and obsessive dog-show contestants in Best in Show, Guest and his reliable stable of repertory players (including Fred Willard, Parker Posey, and Bob Balaban) apply their improvisational genius to a latter-day reunion of fictional '60s-era folk singers, a comedic goldmine that Guest first explored 30 years earlier on The National Lampoon Radio Hour. Collaborating with costar and cowriter Eugene Levy (who gives the film's funniest performance), Guest is so delicate in his satirical approach that the laughs aren't always obvious, and the subtlety can be as wistful (as in Catherine O'Hara's performance as Levy's auto-harpist partner) as it is hilarious. Some may wish for more blatant comedy, but that would compromise the genuine affection that Guest & Co. have for the music they're spoofing. --Jeff Shannon

Best in Show
Christopher Guest, the man behind Waiting for Guffman, turns his comic eye on another little world that takes itself a bit too seriously: the world of competitive dog shows. Best in Show follows a clutch of dog owners as they prepare and preen their dogs to win a national competition. They include the yuppie pair (Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock) who fear they've traumatized their Weimaraner by having sex in front of him; a suburban husband and wife (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara) with a terrier and a long history of previous lovers on the wife's part; the Southern owner of a bloodhound (Guest himself) with aspirations as a ventriloquist; and many more. Following the same "mockumentary" format of Spinal Tap and Guffman, Best in Show takes in some of the dog show officials, the manager of a nearby hotel that allows dogs to stay there, and the commentators of the competition (a particularly knockout comic turn by Fred Willard as an oafish announcer). The movie manages to paint an affectionate portrait of its quirky characters without ever losing sight of the ridiculousness of their obsessive world. Almost all of the scenes were created through improvisation. While lacking the overall focus of a written script, Best in Show captures hilarious and absurd aspects of human behavior that could never be written down. The movie's success is a testament to both the talent of the actors and Guest's discerning eye. --Bret Fetzer

Waiting for Guffman
One of the funniest films in many a moon was hiding at art house theaters in 1998. Former Saturday Night Live comedian and Spinal Tap member Christopher Guest creates the ultimate parody of small-town dramatics, Waiting for Guffman. Corky St. Claire (Guest), an overwhelming drama director hiding out in Blaine, Missouri, thinks he has found the vehicle to put him back on Broadway: the city's 150th anniversary play, Red, White, and Blaine. As rehearsals start, we learn of the town's history ("the stool capital of the world") including a brush with a UFO. The mockumentary follows the various townsfolk wishing for stardom: Parker Posey as a Dairy Queen clerk, Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard as stage-struck travel agents, Matthew Keeslar as the town's bad boy, and Eugene Levy (who cowrote the film with Guest) as a dentist who dreams of glory on the stage. The film is a hoot from beginning to end, and be sure to watch the closing credits. Fans of Guest's deft dry humor should not miss his other parody of the entertainment world, The Big Picture (Kevin Bacon as a student filmmaker who goes to Hollywood). --Doug Thomas

Description

A MIGHTY WIND: Documentary-style Comedy. Christopher Guest follows up his acclaimed ensemble comedies Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman with a docu-comedy about three folk groups from the 60s who reunite for a memorial concert in New York City following the death of a legendary folk manager. BEST IN SHOW: The tension is palpable, the excitement is mounting and the heady scent of competition is in the air as hundreds of eager contestants from across America prepare to take part in what is undoubtedly one of the greatest events of their lives -- the Mayflower Dog Show. WAITING FOR GUFFMAN: A town of Blaine, Missouri is preparing for celebrations of its 150th anniversary. Corky St.Clair, an off-off-off-off-off-Broadway director is putting together an amateur theater show about the town's history, starring a local dentist, a couple of travel agents, a Dairy Queen waitress, and a car repairman. He invites a Broadway theater critic Mr. Guffman to see the opening night of the show

Customer Reviews:

You either love it or hate it----and I love it.......2007-01-03

I admit to an unexplained fondness for clever parody and satire. These three films by Christopher Guest fall right into my slot. Each highlights a different form of unwarranted self-importance, but rarely crosses the line of easy insults or demeaning caricature. The realism is ----well, very real (although it doesn't go to 11 as in an earlier semi-related film).

All the characters are clearly drawn from real life. Although employing many of the same actors in diverse roles, the films allow each individual improv performer to shine a unique light that fully illuminates the target subjects. My two 20-ish daugthers and I often quote from these films. The biting wit is timeless. Outstanding talent, craftsmanship, and creativity forms the heart of all these stories. Very, very funny stuff.

i've talked about brittish comedy at its best but now here's american comedy at its best.......2006-08-18

great and hillarious!!! a mighty wind, best in show, waiting for guffman...i have watched theses movies countless times and it still shockes me how funny and side splitting these perfectly hillarious movies are!!!

a must get for everyone out there!!!

great films, poor packaging.......2005-02-04

The DVDs are great. They have lots of great extras, including commentary on additional scenes, insightful commentary in general, cast bios, etc. I was disappointed in the packaging -- flimsy cardboard and are smaller than more traditional packages.

I received these as a gift, and I think that as a gift, they are great.

I have watched these films over and over again and enjoy them each time. The acting is incredible and it amazes me that it's improvised -- the actors make it look so easy, which means it must be difficult! In A Mighty Wind, all the actors sing and play their own instruments, with some learning just for this film. Great dedication to their artform.

Three great movies, but what's so special about the price?.......2004-01-12

I'm tempted to dock one star mainly because you'd actually pay LESS buying them separately than in this "special" package. ($14.99 each for Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show, $23.76 for Mighty Wind = $53.74). The three-fer costs over $55. What gives? Well, I suppose you save something on shipping.

Regardless, these three films are easily worth the money at either price.

Fantastic Movies, Terrible Presentation.......2004-01-09

Boo, Warner Brothers!!!

You've taken three amazing movies and packaged them terribly.

I was extremely excited to have received this "box set" for Christmas, until I unwrapped it. It's three seperate loose DVDs with no box to tie them all together. And to add insult to injury, all of the DVDs are encased in the old-school type packaging with the cheap cardboard cover and black "snap" latch.

Very disappointing. Warner Brothers SUCKS! They really need to work on how they showcase their work on DVD in the future. They could take a real hint from New Line which always releases their best films with pride and flair.

Customer Reviews:

Simply NOT THE BEST!!!!!.......2007-08-30

As a fan of SNL from the beginning, I'd have to say that overall, these collections are poorly edited. Many of these performers BEST work never show up on these compilations.These discs have the feel of a slap-together, push-em-out, sell-them-off quality. Many of the skits are cut and not complete!I remember far funnier stuff that was omitted, while less humorous stuff was included! Many of the skits on these "best of" compilations appear on each others' compilations (one on Ferrell's appears on Walken's. for example) The running time on most of these discs are an hour or LESS! (Could'nt they expand the length of these things to 2 hours or more?? These are supposed to be showcases of these guys BEST work!!!??) I don't really care for the multi-pack compilations either. I think to include Sandler in this package (as well as the 10 performer multi-pack!) is merely to cash-in on his big screen success. He really never contributed much to this show- his screen time was limited, and he really was not much of a comedic presence, much to the disagreement of "Happy Gilmore" fanatics! (I would've included either Hartman, Lovitz, Ackroyd, Carvey..someone who actually carried the show, or was a major player!) My advice-- buy individually who you like, and while watching, think back on some of the funnier stuff that they left out!

My husband loved it.......2007-07-18

I bought this for my husband as a anniversary gift and he loved it. There is a little overlap though - some of the episodes are repeated. Otherwise a great gift.

This Is Spinal Tap - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

11 Out of 10
Great subtle humor
This is Spinal Tap
Stretches a joke too far
Awesomely funny!

This Is Spinal Tap - Criterion Collection
Starring: Ed Begley Jr. , Dana Carvey , Jean Cromie , Chazz Dominguez , and Fran Drescher
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: 1559408758
Release Date: 1998-07-08

Amazon.com

Director Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) solemnly alerts us to the glory that was Spinal Tap in his introduction to this "rockumentary" about the legendary British heavy-metal group, featuring lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), lead singer David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), and a succession of drummers whose careers were cut short by spontaneously combusting on their stool, drowning in somebody else's vomit, or otherwise perishing in untimely fashion. Under DiBergi's studious interrogation, the band and their familiars retrace the band's evolution from head-bopping Mersey Beat poseurs to head-banging metal poseurs, each change in musical direction or tonsorial chic having little effect on the surviving trio's sublime idiocy. For, as St. Hubbins (he's the "deep" one, relatively speaking) sagely observes, "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever."

Happily for us, director Reiner, who developed the underlying story line with Guest and former Credibility Gap pranksters McKean and Shearer, stays squarely on the right side of the line, even as his writer-actors remain hilariously trapped on the other side. In lieu of a formal shooting script, the quartet created an extensive and detailed band history ripe with the sort of dead-pan detail that hard-core rock historians and screwball aficionados will savor on countless replays; with the three Tap members also musicians themselves, the "band" developed its stage act under the unsuspecting noses of L.A. club denizens, who accepted them as just as loud, flashy, sexist, and obvious as any other mullet-tressed, leather-garbed brigade of guitar slingers, circa 1984. The resulting footage thus manages to lob its punch lines and build its characters (including some thinly veiled character assassinations of various industry folks) with a loose, tossed-away verve rooted in the improvisational approach. This Is Spinal Tap remains the funniest, and most truthful, look at rock culture ever filmed and a personal best for all involved. --Sam Sutherland

Description

Rob Reiner's directorial debut has developed into a cult phenomenon. The film that invented the "rockumentary" has now outlasted most of the bands it mocked. Following the ill-fated American comeback tour of an aging heavy metal group, this film has joined the ranks of the greatest comedies ever made.

Customer Reviews:

11 Out of 10.......2007-09-07

This is a great movie. Not only is it a great mockumentary, but also a great movie too. It's perfect. It strikes perfectly with everything it's parodying.

I heard a lot of music artists were upset because they didn't see the humor in oit. To me, that makes it even funnier, it's as a good as real life.

The DVD is somewhat of an upgrade from the earlier Criterion edition. It includes a new commentary with McKean, Guest, and Shearer in character, a new interview with director Rob Reiner, over an hour of delted scenes/never-before=seen footage, 4 music videos, and plenty of other extras to love.

This is a definitely recommended DVD.

Great subtle humor.......2007-08-02

This documockery is a collection of extremely hilarious moments sparsely scattered throughout the long movie. After a coworker described several funny parts, I eagerly purchased the movie. However, while watching the movie it became apparent that my coworker is a better story teller than this movie. My recommendation: rent it first!

This is Spinal Tap.......2007-07-10

Brilliantly parodying the bloated excesses of the rock lifestyle, and gently poking fun at Martin Scorsese's "The Last Waltz," director Rob Reiner invented a new genre--the "mockumentary"--with this gut-busting 1984 spoof. Not enough can be said about the comedic talents of Guest, McKean, and Shearer, whose outrageous songwriting ("Big Bottom Girls," "Stonehenge") and improvisational dialogue ("Wot's wrong with being sexy?") are so convincing that many viewers thought Spinal Tap was a real act. Seen once or 30 times, "Spinal Tap" is relentlessly, ingeniously funny.

Stretches a joke too far.......2007-06-30

I tried to like this movie, but it's really a 5 minute joke stretched too far. In fact it's gone on now for nearly a quarter century. Isn't enough is enough? Apparently not.

Yes, rock music can be silly sometimes, but basing careers out of a parody of it is surely stretching it.

I smiled a bit for the first few minutes. After that it felt like being hit over the head with a club. "Hey it's funny, see? Did you see that joke we made? Funny! Oh and here's another one! It's funnier than the similar one we made an hour ago! Isn't this hilarious?!"

I was never offended by it, if that's why you think I gave it a low rating. I was just bored at how tedious the film became.

Should have been a 5 minute skit on Saturday Night Live or something.

Awesomely funny!.......2007-06-18

I love the dry humor of this movie. I've been a huge music fan for years and love the way the various scenarios are blown out of proportion. For example, the little bread, big meat catering problem. You'll have to watch the movie to know what I'm talking about. If you need more of an "in your face" sort of humor, then this movie is not for you.

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