Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'dvd'

Screening The 'Homefront': War Musicals On DVD

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:14:00 EST

The Homefront Collection, a new DVD set from Warner Home Video, showcases three World War II-era Hollywood musicals: This Is the Army, Thank Your Lucky Stars and Hollywood Canteen.

'All You Need': Pop-Music History Comes to DVD

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:50:00 EST

All You Need Is Love, Tony Palmer's 17-part history of popular music, distilled more than 1,000 hours of footage into just under 15 hours of indelible TV. Now it's been released as a 5-DVD set. Fresh Air's rock historian has a review.

Movies To Watch While Home For The Holidays

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST

Is it time to settle down and watch a good movie that the whole family can enjoy? Some suggestions for the DVD player.

The Little Rascals: A Refresher On The Rules Of Life

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 00:34:00 EST

A new DVD box set of the Our Gang series of the '20s and '30s is a refresher course on key life lessons — like never skip school by pretending to be sick; you'll lose out because the teacher has special plans for the day.

David Simon's Favprote DVD Movies

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 06:00:00 EST

Steve Inskeep talks with David Simon of HBO's "The Wire" and "Generation Kill" about his favorite DVD picks. Simon's choices include Stanley Kubrick's Path's of Glory and Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch.

For Discerning Couch Potatoes, The Best TV On DVD

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:04:00 EST

Once, only hit TV shows Â� or cult favorites Â� made it to DVD. Now you can spend serious money on lavishly packaged sets of everything from classics to meritless flops. NPR's pop-culture blogger helps aim the remote.

Cincinnati Prepares For Annual Turkey Bowl

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:00:00 EST

Contestants will gather Tuesday on the holiday skating rink in the city's landmark Fountain Square. And they will bowl with frozen turkeys. The person with the highest score after three rounds wins two prizes. The first is a set of DVDs of the old TV show "WKRP in Cincinnati." The other prize for the champion turkey bowler is $100.

Actor's British Road Trip Goes Off The Beaten Path

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:01:00 EDT

Robbie Coltrane, best known for playing Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, takes time away from potions and spells to talk about his new DVD. In Robbie Coltrane: Incredible Britain, he drives on country roads from London to Glasgow, Scotland, to reveal a different side of Britain.

'Reel Geezers' DVD Faves: Blood, Sweat And Tears

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:31:00 EDT

Two 80-something film critics, Marcia Nasatir and Lorenzo Semple, review movies on YouTube. They share some of their all-time favorite films.

Charity Floods Swing States With Anti-Islam DVD

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:41:00 EDT

An obscure charity has distributed an inflammatory anti-Islam DVD to millions of people in swing states. The financing for this project is secret. But critics say it's a backdoor endorsement of Republican presidential hopeful John McCain and an attack on his Democratic opponent Barack Obama.

Sinatra, The Singing Veteran Of 'Brooklyn'

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:06:00 EDT

In the 1947 film, It Happened In Brooklyn, Frank Sinatra plays a soldier who returns after four years at war and decides to pursue a singing career with some friends from the old neighborhood. Classical music critic reviews the recently-released DVD version of the film.

'Pushing Daisies,' Alive With Fantasy, Mystery

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:42:00 EDT

In the ABC series, Pushing Daises, co-executive producers Barry Sonnenfeld and Bryan Fuller combine romance, fantasy and mystery to tell the story of a man who can bring the dead back to life. The first season of the show is now out on DVD.

Tulane Football Team Works Around Gustav

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 06:00:00 EDT

When Hurricane Katrina hit, Tulane University's football team ended up sleeping on the floor of a gym in Mississippi, with no power and 90-degree heat. Gustav forced the team to flee again, but its enjoying an upgrade: hotel rooms in Birmingham, Ala., with TV, DVDs and air conditioning. It's even practicing for its weekend game against Alabama.

The Postmodern Works Of Guy Maddin

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:38:00 EDT

Film critic John Powers looks at the recent work of Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin. His film Brand Upon the Brain is now out on DVD, and his movie My Winnipeg is currently playing in theaters.

David Simon, At The End Of His 'Wire'

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:56:00 EDT

Critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire came to its close earlier this year; its fifth and final season was released on DVD on August 12. Creator David Simon talks about the show, his career, and the city of Baltimore.

Should You Teach Baby To Sign...

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Baby sign language is appealing to some new parents. Books, Web sites, DVD's teaching babies to sign all claim to encourage language development and strengthen the parent-child bond. Dr. Sydney Spiesel says, don't believe the hype.

'Mad Men:' Behaving Badly, And Loving Every Minute

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:53:00 EDT

Martinis, misogyny and men behaving badly: AMC's drama series remembers an era's excesses in stunning style. The setting: a Manhattan ad agency, circa 1960. The first season has just been released on DVD.

Martin Atkins: Teaching Bands To Tour Smart

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 10:46:00 EDT

Drummer Martin Atkins spent the 1980s and 90s touring the world with bands that have both packed stadiums and struggled to fill the tiniest of clubs. His new book and DVD, Tour: Smart, is a guide to modern-day touring for the rock musician.

A British TV Invasion

Tue, 20 May 2008 10:39:00 EDT

Fresh Air TV critic David Bianculli reviews DVD collections of British TV shows, including a few series that have never before been televised in the U.S. Highlights include Fortysomething, a six-part comedy series starring Hugh Laurie, and Helen Mirren at the BBC.

Elvis, bin Laden and Hitler Join Mission to Mars

Fri, 09 May 2008 16:02:00 EDT

A Mars spacecraft carrying a DVD of thousands of names was intended to increase public interest in space missions. But the unintended consequence was lasting space memorials to Donald Duck, John Lennon, Adolf Hitler and Malcolm X.

'Once' Bitten: Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard

Thu, 01 May 2008 09:29:00 EDT

Actor-musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova won an Oscar for Best Original Song, "Falling Slowly," in the film, Once. The movie, about two musicians who write songs together and fall in love, is out now on DVD.

'Walk On,' Treads on the Music-Biopic Genre

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:46:00 EDT

A few years ago, director Jake Kasdan awoke in the middle of the night with an idea that his next film would be a fake music biopic. The result was Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, starring John C. Reilly as a musician with an identity crises. Kasdan and Reilly join Fresh Air to talk about their work on the film, now out on DVD.

'The Forbidden Kingdom'

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Theoretically based on a Chinese epic, this brightly idiotic fantasy is basically The Wizard of Oz in martial-arts drag. A kung-fu movie buff, hunting for DVDs in Chinatown, gets transported to ancient China to free a warrior from the evil Jade Warlord.

Cuba Lifts Ban on DVD Players, Cell Phones

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT

Since taking over the Cuban presidency earlier this year, Raul Castro has quietly put a series of reforms into effect designed to make Cubans, well, happier. His government has lifted a ban on owning DVD players, cell phones, microwaves and electric bicycles. NPR's Susan Stamberg speaks with Michal Voss, BBC correspondent in Havana.

'Girls Gone Wild' Pulls $1M Offer to Spitzer's Call Girl

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:53:00 EDT

Ashley Alexandra Dupre, the call girl who was hired by New York's former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, got a $1 million offer from the adult DVD distributor Girls Gone Wild. But before the publisher could finish the deal, he discovered that Dupre had posed for him years earlier.