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Almost Famous [Extended Edition] [Blu-ray] [2000]


RRP: £17.99
Our Price: £5.79 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk

Almost Famous is the movie Cameron Crowe has been waiting a lifetime to tell. The fictionalisation of Crowe's days as a teenage reporter for Creem and Rolling Stone has all the well-written characters and wonderful "movie moments" that we expect from Crowe (Jerry Maguire), but the film has an intangible something extra--an insider's touch that will turn the film into the ode to '70s Rock & Roll for years to come. We are introduced to Crowe's alter ego, William Miller (Patrick Fugit), at home, where his progressive mom (a superb Frances McDormand) has outlawed rock music and sister Anita (Zooey Deschanel) has slipped him LPs that will "set his mind free." Following the wisdom of Creem's disheveled editor, Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman in an instant-classic performance), Miller gets on the inside with the up-and-coming band Stillwater (a fictionalised mixture of the Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, and others). A simple visit with the band turns into a three-week, life-altering odyssey into the heyday of American rock. Of the characters he meets on the road, the two most important are groupie extraordinaire Penny Lane (Kate Hudson in a star-making performance) and Stillwater's enigmatic lead guitarist (Billy Crudup), who keeps stringing Miller along for an interview. From the handwritten credits (done by Crowe) to the bittersweet finale, Crowe's comedic valentine is an indelible, heartbreaking romance of music, women, and the privilege of youth. --Doug Thomas

Editorial
Synopsis

Writer-director Cameron Crowe brings the 1970s music scene to life with his semi-autobiographical story of a teen journalist who goes on the road with a rock band. Uncool 15-year-old William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is living every teenager's dream. He's touring with Stillwater, an up-and-coming rock band featuring lead singer Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee) and charismatic lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) and writing about it for Rolling Stone magazine, whose editors are unaware of his young age. Though Miller's mentor, legendary rock critic Lester Bangs--portrayed with humour and heart by Philip Seymour Hoffman--cautions him not to befriend the musicians, Miller takes it a step further and befriends both the band and the Band-Aids--the girls who hang around with the band because they love the music. Newcomer Fugit is the perfect William Miller: baby-faced, slightly gawky, and an awestruck observer. Kate Hudson sparkles as Penny Lane, the leader of the Band-Aids, and Frances McDormand delivers a stellar performance as Elaine, Miller's protective and mildly paranoid mother. In the tradition of Say Anything and Jerry Maguire, Crowe's coming-of-age tale is intelligent, well written, and infused with humour in unlikely places.

Soundtrack of your life
Review date: 2008-04-25 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is simply one of the best films I have ever seen. As someone that grew up in the 70s, this brings back so many memories and to see it in all of its Blue-Ray glory is amazing! True, it's missing some of the extras from the original 2-disc relaease. However, for anybody that loves music the loss is easily made up for by the true HD sound and picture quality. A solid purchase.

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Reviews


Where are the extras ?
Review date: 2008-04-23 Rating: 6 out of 10

This is the extended version of the film (aka Untitled) and is BluRay regions A,B,C (according to the box). The soundtrack is in English TrueHD and a strange Polish soundtrack (it's the English soundtrack with Polish spoken over the top). You get two extras "Love Comes And Goes" which is a series of out-takes from the film and "Lester Bangs Interview" which is 5 minutes of the man talking about music. Picture and sound are, as expected, an improvement on the DVD, especially for the concert footage. Though what happened to all of the extras from the double DVD Untitled set is anyone's guess. So the film itself is five star but this BluRay edition only gets 3 because it doesn't even have the extras from the existing DVD set.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Jimmy Fallon
Zooey Deschanel
Billy Crudup
John Fedevich
Patrick Fugit

Creators:
Billy Crudup (Primary Contributor)
Zooey Deschanel (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
EAN: 5050629218015
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Widescreen,
Release date: 2008-02-11
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Running time: 162 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2000
Language: English (Unknown)

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