Brady Anderson

Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)
$59.98
BROADWAY-THE AMERICAN MUSICAL was originally, I believe, a PBS Documentary that can now be purchased on DVD. I haven't seen any of the PBS Show. However, I am a huge fan of Broadway shows and music. I am a firm believer that the best music of America can be sewn across the tapestry of Broadway: here we have Sondheim and Streisand, Armstrong and Astaire, Merman and Martin, Berlin and Buckley. Listen to this music and you'll hear the music of America itself.

Okay, enough of my philosophical observations on Broadway. I already know that you love Broadway music. If you don't, you would have stopped reading before the end of the first paragraph. The question you want answered is this: I want a set of great Broadway music that I'll love; some that I know, some that I don't. Is this the set that I should buy?

The answer is: yes.

This set is brilliant, and well-worth the money you'll spend for it. That amount of money is quite a bit. However, with five CDs, 109 songs, and a twenty-something page booklet that is interesting and well-written, you will feel very satisfied with your purchase.

Quick, now, look back to the first paragraph and reread the names listed there. All of those were taken straight from this CD collection, and there are lots more besides those. I still haven't gotten to Jolson, Rivera, Andrews, Orbach, Grey, Lansbury, Mostel, or Channing (plus more). Initially, with this set, you will be overwhelmed with all of the great names and great music. It helps if you listen to it in order (Disc One before Disc 3, etc.), since all of the songs (excluding the first, GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROADWAY, which opens every Broadway set) are in chronological order. Listen to a song, and then read the annotation in the book. It will help you comprehend why this song, and the musical it belongs to, are important in Broadway history.

Or, you could just listen for enjoyment.

There are tons of beautiful songs here that I will cherish for the rest of my life: "Memory" from Cats, "Hello, Dolly!" from, well, Hello Dolly, "Open a New Window" from Mame, "Try to Remember" from The Fantasticks. Believe it or not, I had never heard any of these songs in their entirety before I purchased this set. Just think of what I was missing!

Of course, there are some slight disputable errors. There is nothing here from RAGTIME or ASPECTS OF LOVE. And, a couple of songs are sort of unnessecary (I could have done without "I Enjoy Being a Girl" from FLOWER DRUM SONG, 1958.) However, there are many gems I would have overlooked if I had purchased a less comprehensive set: songs like "Luck Be a Lady" from GUYS AND DOLLS or "The Party's Over" from BELLS ARE RINGING.

Overall, this is the set to have. It is a bit pricy, but the money is well worth the many hours of memories and pure enjoyment. Appreciate the magic of Broadway!

Brady Anderson Numbered Limited Edition Action Figure - 1 of 7,000 - 1999 Limited Edition Headliners with Replica Signed Baseball
$6.99
Brand new. Factory sealed.

Strange Behavior
$19.98
Don't let the unpleasant title put you off, this is an excellent little movie that I actually found quite entertaining. The acting is top class especially from Dan Shor and Michael Murphy who star. Louise Fletcher is also on top form and all three bring a realistic almost 'cinema veritie' feel to the proceedings.

The film works because of Michael laughlins direction that develops the film on many levels. On the one hand there is lots of atmosphere and a suspenseful intensity that builds up to the films climax yet Laughlin also concentrates on character development and relationships giving us insights in to Chief Bradys (Michael Murphy) mysterious past and the close father/son relationship him and Pete (Dan Shor) have.

The film also pays close attention to small town life. In this small Louisiana town everyone knows everyone there are lots of nice little touches by Laughlin to point this out. Laughlins direction also has a humorous edge to it and the good acting adds to this. There is one incredibly surreal scene in the movie at a party where all the 'party-goers' start dancing in unison! They are all in 50's style fancy dress and dance in a hyperbolic 50's fashion! Although it is hard to decipher Laughlins motives here this scene seems incredibly inspired to me personally. Although some scenes in this film are quite shocking I cannot comment on the amount of gore in this film because I have only seen the cut release which has been cut considerably and panned and scanned. If only there was a widescreen version available I for one would instantly snap it up!

Gospel According To Vic [VHS]
$29.98
A wonderful little gem of a movie. Tom Conti plays a remedial reading teacher in a catholic school; everyone (except Conti) is trying to get the Vatican to recognize the founder of the school as a saint. One day Conti faints and tests indicate he has a brain tumor; later he tumbles from the roof of a building and the tumor disappears. Soon his record player begins playing when the electric is off, red lights turn green when he approaches, and "miracle fever" hits the school and community. Conti tries to scoff it all off, declaring that the "miracles" are the everyday advancements, minute as they are, that his students make learning how to read. The movie is utterly charming and immensely entertaining in a quiet way. Conti is excellent. Very, very enjoyable.