The Prisoner In Progress

JUST A QUICK UPDATE:

The staff at Private Screenings are currently  in the process of viewing The Prisoner: The Complete Series on Blu Ray but it will take us some time to complete this task. There are 17 episodes, each  50 mins. Since we do have lives we like to lead from time to time, it may be a little bit until our next post. But rest assured we will be "hard at work" on this somewhat daunting task. We want to take our time and enjoy the ride, so to speak, so be patient and we'll give you our assessment soon. In the meantime, check out In the Groove with Pride, my other blog, where we are currently assessing The Pride and the Passion on DVD and vinyl.

In the meantime, some brief thoughts on The Prisoner (episode 1). You can definitely see the influence of the French New Wave on this 1968 British TV series. Jump cuts and shaky cameras galore. Also, this  series sends out a very late-1960's message of individualism and anti-authority. The mantra is definitely, "Don't trust authority!" So far it's all a great deal of fun but I'm sipping the series slowly, like a good wine. Usually one episode per day is enough, unlike shows like 24 and Deadwood that keep you up late into the night, bleary-eyed as you promise yourself, "Just one more episode..."

Danielle's Corner: The Princess Bride

When I first started watching it, I thought it was just going to be one of those cheesy love story movies (blah) but then it got interesting, there were three guys (not in a bar, I apologize) Who went out and kidnapped the princess, and were riding on a boat. The princess, decided to jump off the boat (smart move right?) and tried to swim to shore, well, what she didn't know was, there were eels in the water. Right when they were going after her the giant on the boat (watch the movie to get it) picked her up out of the water and dried her off. Then they had to climb the mountain, in which they had to get up faster than the guy following them. When they got to the top the shortest (definitely not the smartest...) cut the rope so he couldn't climb anymore. But he was able to climb the mountain and get through all three guys, and finally got to the Princess, where she found out that the guy who defeated the kidnappers, was her true love, that had supposedly died on a ship 5 years ago. Now, I won't tell you the next parts, because that'd just be me spooling the whole movie for you (:

The Princess Bride (1987)

The Princess Bride (1987)

Format: Blu-ray

Last night our whole family watched The Princess Bride together and we all loved it, me, my wife, Danielle, my 12 year-old daughter and DJ my 16 year-old son. The movie partially succeeds in pleasing such a vast range of ages. For the girls there is romance, princes and princesses, for the guys there is swordplay and adventure and for the teenager who is cynical about all these things there is a Python-esque sense of humor. It's like Monty Python and the Holy Grail but with a softer heart. The performances are all "inconceivably" great and part of the fun is discovering who the actors are, beneath all their magnificent costumes. As a matter of fact, I would suggest you don't read the credits before you watch the film. By the way, NEVER read the back of a DVD box before you watch a movie. Many times they give away three-fourths of the story and sometimes spoil the film.

The Princess Bride was originally released on laserdisc on The Criterion Collection, company I really love. You will hear a lot more about the The Criterion Collection in the future but let me say I always meant to pick this up on laser disc.

The Criterion Collection laser discs, DVDs and Blu-rays all have spine numbers, so you can be sure to get them all. Some of us true Criterion geeks shelf them according to their spine numbers. On Criterion-related blogs and podcasts there has been much discussion on the significance of the spine numbers. For example, Guillermo del Toro's 2001 film The Devil's Backbone will be released later this summer as spine number 666.

So anyways, The Princess Bride was spine number 40 on Criterion Laserdisc and was in CAV, which offered the best picture quality and meant the film was spread out to four sides. The film had no special features and cost around $80 so I couldn't justify buying it. Later on, Criterion re-released it as a Special Edition laserdisc with audio commentary by the director Rob Reiner ("Meat Head" from All In the Family - more on that series later on...) and some other cast members and a lot of other goodies. This was released in the last days of laserdisc and is now a collector's item. It originally cost $100 and the cover is beautiful.

Here it is:

The point is I bought this on Blu-ray on sale on amazon for $5. After watching the Prince video earlier in the afternoon, Princess looked and sounded fantastic. It reminded me of how lucky we are to be living in an age when we can basically have private screening rooms in our homes that are usually better quality than the local cinema. For $5 we got admission for four into the "Pride Theater," as we call it with fruit salad as a snack. Also, the Blu-ray has a DVD version of the movie, audio commentary from Rob Reiner and lot of extra games and short films we haven't even looked at yet. I used to justify buying those expensive Criterions because of all the extra supplemental features you got, which sometimes could take weeks to get through. Those supplemental features were like a mini film school if you watched them all, and they significantly enhanced your appreciation of the film and those people involved in making it. If we had gone to the cinema instead, we probably would have to pick a movie that would be not so great (we've already seen the fantastic new Star Trek film and we would have spent almost $60 for the whole family, with popcorn, soda and M&M's.

If you are considering creating a home theater for your family and you have the money I would say it's a great investment right now. You can get a decent Blu-ray player for under $200 (PLEASE don't buy a DVD player!), a large screen high def TV for under $600 a "home theater ready" box of speakers for surround sound and an inexpensive AV receiver and you be on your way. I admit my equipment is a bit more high end than that but you can upgrade through the years. Soon enough, you'll make your investment back in what you would have spent going to the local multiplex (with all those rude stupid people using their cell phones and spilling their popcorn on you.) ...and you can get the entire series of Die Hard films (4 altogether with much supplements) for $25 on amazon right now.

NEXT SCREENING: The Prisoner: The entire British television series from the early 1960's on Blu-ray!

Danielle's Corner: Prince Live at the Aladdin, Las Vegas

Prince's first appearance, his voice was so high that I thought he could be a transsexual. Then, I got really into the music and the stage and the musicians, I LOVED IT! I especially loved the way that he would get the audience all hyped up, ready to party, and be groovy. (SPOILER ALERT) I also loved the way he said 'Don't hate me 'cause I'm fabulous' very possibly my new catch phrase ;) I also very much liked the duet he did with Nikka Costa

, it was very beautiful, and the woman's voice was amazing, and very bluesy. I just wished that he would have done at least one slow song by himself, see what it was like. They also didn't show the whole concert. I also loved when he brought the girls (not many boys) on stage and said 'Bring on all the people who need to move around!' I saw one girl in the background, dancing, and she was not the most attractive person out there.. She had the black hair, glasses, and EVERYTHING, slightly scarring.... And I shall leave you this picture >>>>> for you ladies out there ;)
-Danielle Pride

Introducing Danielle's Corner

I know I'm going to sound like a bragging Dad here but my 12 year old daughter Danielle is a good writer. She has a lot of style and can be very funny. She either wants to be a writer or fashion designer when she grows up. (Maybe she'll write about fashion. She already does on her blog!)

Anyway, certain reviews on Private Screenings with Pride will feature supplemental commentary from my daughter Danielle.) No, I'm not going to let her watch those R-rated movies anymore than my dad did! If you see her reviewing an R-rated movie, let me know so I can ground her for a year!)

I'm sure she will be even better than I am at finding pictures and clips to add to her blog and I hope you will enjoy her comments.

Prince Live at the Aladdin, Las Vegas

NPG Music Club Presents: Prince Live at the Aladdin, Las Vegas (2003)

Format: DVD, non anamorphic 1:85:1, stereo

Last fall I took a class with Adam Ayan from Gateway Mastering Studios here in Portland, Maine. It was a class that taught us about music technology: how to mic instruments, a look at different equipment used in recording studios and we even got a private tour of Gateway. Adam wondered what most people thought of when they thought about Prince. Most of the students in the class said they thought of "cheesy 80's music" and MTV videos with doves in them. Most students didn't think he was that good. I agreed with Adam that Prince is a musical genius. To watch Prince in this video is to see the synthesis of many musical influences: James Brown, Sly Stone, Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Funkadelic, Weather Report, Jimi Hendrix, Barry White, Otis Redding, and on and on. Like Frank Zappa, Prince has mastered a wide variety of popular music styles. He is a fantastic performer, a great soul singer and a guitar player who can play funk, jazz and metal. To top it off, he even produces and writes all his music himself. His band on this DVD is phenomenal and the whole show is a class act from beginning to end. If you think Prince is "cheesy 80's music" then you NEED to see this DVD.

The first thing you will notice if you watch this on an HD television is that picture quality is real bad. The stereo sound is OK but there are many moments when the sound person seems to be asleep at the board, not turning up people's solos or lead vocals. Forget all that. Within two or three minutes you will be completely taken in by Prince and his fantastic stage presence. The entire show never loses it's momentum but yet is filled with a wide variety of styles. The show starts off with the perfect opener "Pop Life" and then things get real funky from there. Maceo Parker is a special guest on this concert, as is Sheila E. and Eric Leads, all fantastic and engaging performers themselves. There is definitely a jazz feeling to the entire set exemplified by "Strollin'," where Prince plays a jazzy solo on a hollow bodied jazz box. Prince features his distinctive falsetto on "Gotta a Broken (heart) Again" and channels Sly Stone on "Strange Relationship." Maceo gets center stage for "Pass the Peas" and then Prince does Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta' Love" the justice it deserves. I know. Hard to be believe but watch it and you'll agree it rocks hard. After a very funky and passionate "Family Name," Prince makes everyone sway along to "Take Me With You," which receives a very nice arrangement that brings out the ascending melodic figure that ends on a 9th in the strings that recurs throughout the song and gives it a beautiful and surprising originality. The concert closes with "Sometimes it Snows in April," which always makes me cry. Prince seems to be taken with as much emotion as we are when he sings it but still manages to perform it beautifully.

This concert is very kid friendly and OK for the whole family. There is an extra bonus track, the bluesy "The Ride," which gets a little sexy in the way only Prince can get away with. It features some very effective and humorous guitar playing and is a nice night cap after you send the kids to bed. Many songs like "1+1+1=3" and "The Everlasting Now" seem to be about Prince's faith, which could have been the reason he didn't play some his more famous, sexually explicit songs. Either way, you won't miss them. It's nice to see Prince put on a good, classy show as he matures into an adult. I saw Stephen Tyler with Aerosmith several years ago in Old Orchard and I have to say the old sexually explicit comments made him look like a bit of a dirty old man. Prince is still the ultimate seducer for the ladies but he does it so smooth and sly that you can forgive him for being a bit naughty...after all, he still Prince.

In a few weeks my sister blog In the Groove will be taking an extended look at Prince's entire career with a look at most of his albums. Some of these albums are definitely "adults only" but nonetheless are classics. Be sure to check that out.

 If you don't know Prince's music and you like dance music and pop at all, you really don't know the whole story and you need to check it out. I believe his music stands the test of time and this concert proves he still has it, even if he's cleaned up his message a bit.

NEXT UP: The Princess Bride

An Introduction

In this blog I will be taking you through my entire collection of visual media. The plan is to go alphabetically through my collection of Blu Rays, DVD's laserdiscs (as long as they are not laser-rotted away) and a very small number of VCR tapes. I say alphabetical but I mean alphabetical with a twist. I will be starting alphabetically with my last name: Pride. That means the first thing I will be writing about will be a video by Prince at the Apollo Theater.
Over the course of this blob you will get to know my story and how I came to be a film buff. The movies for me have always been a great escape. I think the first film I saw was probably something by Walt Disney (maybe Bambi?). This was in the early 1970's. I do remember going to see Escape from Witch Mountain at a theater in Westbrook that is now a Ruby Tuesday's restaurant, a Card Smart and a UPS store. I remember how huge the picture looked and also how colorful it seemed. (We didn't get a color TV until the mid 1970's)
The other thing that movies represented for me when I was a teenager was forbidden fruit. I was forbidden to go to any R-rated movies. No exceptions. Me and my friends used to go to a theater in Windham every Friday night after spending about an hour in the arcade playing Space Invaders. (This was in the late 1970's and early 1980s) My dad warned me if I went to an R-rated movie he would ground me for a year! He'd even call the theater to ask what things were rated. There was usually only one movie showing per week so it wasn't hard to figure out. One day I decided that I needed to see Apocalypse Now so me and my buds went to the Westbrook theater to see it. My dad would never know what we were up to....Upon exiting the theater, still feeling a bit pummeled by the violence in the movie and hearing the strains of the Doors' "The End" in my brain, a voice rang out in hazy summer air. "Donald Jeffrey Pride! Get in this car now!" Holy crap! It was my dad and he was ticked. We drove all the way to home in silence. When we drove in the driveway he told me I was grounded from movies for one year! Later on he changed it to six months. Still, it was a horrible thing to miss all those great movies in the theater.
Another weird moment in the theater came with my mom. I won a call in contest on WBLM to get free tickets to see The Man Who Fell to Earth at the beautiful new Nickelodeon Cinema in Portland. It used to be a great theater, with a live piano player and a gorgeous lobby. I decided to take my mom, since I thought that the movie being "Unrated" meant it was fine for all ages. WRONG! It didn't take long for some very uncomfortable scenes of nudity to start between David Bowie and a waitress to cause me to ask my mom if we could leave. We quickly left that theater!
I could go on but I'll let you know I own both of those films today, although I'll never watch them with mom. There was something about the movies that seemed very adult to me as a kid. I miss some of the old theaters we had back in those days but I suspect if I went to them today I'd think the sound and picture were awful. I remember going to that Westbrook cinema and looking at all the movie posters, especially the rated-R ones, wondering what forbidden treats they held. Many times I think of that when I pull out a movie like Taxi Driver from my own collection to watch on my home theater. Sometimes I even worry that my dad might invade my home theater and ban me from movies for the next 12 months.
The movies are my escape and I love to share them with my family and friends. Many times the presentation I can offer at home rivals the local theater and the movies are almost always better. Also, each of the different mediums bring back memories as well. Although many of them are being lost to laser rot, I still enjoy looking through my laserdisc collection. It's been hard to get rid of them, since they used to represent the best home theater had to offer. Now Blu-Ray has bettered them in every way except those large covers they had.
It is time to end this post and get on with my survey but I will lay some ground rules. I will cover everything in my collection, no matter how embarrassing. I will try to bring in autobiographical details into these posts, perhaps providing a character sketch of sorts. I will comment on sound and visual quality of the version I am watching. This post will cover my entire collection, which means movies, concert videos, documentaries, TV shows and whatever else is on my shelf. (A promo DVD for New England Conservatory? Sure! I'll review it!)
 I think this will be a fun ride for me and I hope for you as well. Please comment and let me know what you think.
So we begin after Don Pride at the University of Maine at Farmington...P-R-I-...

NEXT:
Prince at the Aladdin Las Vegas from 2003