Knight at HOME at the Movies
Musical Variations

Four distinctive approaches to the musical - traditional, revue, biopic, and homage - all stuffed to the gills with terrific music!

Hairspray – From New Line Home Entertainment.  Go get the 2-disc version and get
ready to have a blast!  In addition to the feature on disc one, with the expected
commentaries, the second disc of supplements is stuffed with everything but the Aqua Net
- featurettes, deleted scenes and songs, and much more.  And of course, a lot more
about how they turned Travolta into Turnblad.  Don't forget to check out my original review
as the film as well.  You can find that HERE.



Naked Boys Singing! – From TLA comes the movie version of the hit stage play.  It's
actually just a filmed version of the stage show but with these ten gorgeous guys dancing
and singing in the buff throughout this perky little musical revue, who cares?  I think my
original review says it all.  Now the world can share all there is to share in this home
version of My Joe!  And don't forget to check out my interview with Bruce Vilanch either.



La Vie En Rose – From HBO Home Video this biopic of the life of the French Judy
Garland, Edith Piaf, "the little sparrow" is fascinating and as emotionally satisfying as
previous female biopics.  It follows in the grand tradition of Susan Hayward in I'll Cry
Tomorrow, With a Song in My Heart, Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues, etc., etc.  More
to follow on this sumptuous period piece with all those gorgeous Piaf songs!  Don't be
surprised if Marion Cotillard gets an Oscar nomination.



New York New York - 30th Anniversary Edition – From MGM DVD comes this
welcome new addition of the 1977 Martin Scorsese homage to the musicals of Vincente
Minnelli.  The film, all artifice and angst, stars Robert DeNiro and Liza Minnelli as a hot
head sax player and his talented vocalist wife.  The couple's stormy relationship plays out
against the careers of both and not surprising, many aspects of A Star Is Born, the movie
Liza's mother Judy famously made, are included.  Scorsese says as much in one of the
making of docs - though he credits the original What Price Hollywood? as his source of
inspiration.  The film, much maligned upon its release by some, loved by others and was
cut and re-cut to get its running time down.  The famous "Happy Endings" number is back
in this bring in full (and includes one of the rare screen appearances by the late Broadway
musical vet, Larry Kert, one of the early casualties of AIDS).  There are also all those
incredible songs courtesy of Kander and Ebb - the iconic title number and my personal
favorite (and apparently Minnelli's as well), "But the World Goes Round."

The extra disc gives us a two part, nicely detailed behind the scenes doc on everything
from the inception to the creation of the film - and Scorsese participates.  There's also a
fairly brief featurette with Mstar Liza Minnelli looking back on her role, working with
DeNirothis 2-disc edition and the film which stars Robert DeNiro and Liza Minnelli in the
days ahead.  For now, start spreading the news, there's some great new supplements in
this version (though, fanatics will note, the transfer is the same as the previous release).