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- A cut above the average life-on-the-road-with-the-band film, ABBA: THE MOVIE emerged in 1977 at the height of the Swedish band’s enormous global fame. Shot in Australia by fellow Swede Lasse Hallstrom (CHOCOLAT, THE CIDER HOUSE RULES), the film is ostensibly designed to give viewers a glimpse at the off-stage life enjoyed by the members of Abba, as well as the on-stage euphoria of their live s
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MOVIE – DVD Movie
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- One Truth Prevails.The game is afoot! Conan Edogawa may look like he s only in elementary school, my dear Watson, but he possesses perhaps the keenest eye for detail of any living detective. His latest case finds him trapped in a virtual recreation of 19th century London and pitted against none other than Jack the Ripper! To save his friends, Conan must follow in the footsteps of his hero Sherlock
Overview
The game is afoot! Conan Edogawa may look like he’s only in elementary school, my dear Watson, but he possesses perhaps the keenest eye for detail of any living detective. His latest case finds him trapped in a virtual recreation of 19th century London and pitted against none other than Jack the Ripper! To save his friends, Conan must follow in the footsteps of his hero – Sherlock Holmes – and crack a case that’s gone unsolved for over a hundred years. Catching the most notorious serial killer of all time is their only chance of survival, but Conan will have to be smarter than Sherlock to apprehend the Phantom of Baker Street!
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April 18th, 2011 on 10:17 pm
The best pop band in the world – Live in Australia,
After a couple of false starts, the most anticipated DVD for all ABBA fans is about to be released.
ABBA the Movie was filmed in 1977 in Australia during the band’s tremendously successful tour of that continent. In 1976 ABBA dominated the Australian charts like no other act has done before or since, so when the band decided to stage its first world tour the following year, Australia was one of the (very few) destinations.
The movie is basically a documentary following the band as they perform and thrill Australian audiences of all ages, from Sydney all the way to Perth. The majority of the footage consists of the band performing most of its early classics in front of thousands of ecstatic fans. We also get some backstage shots and a thin storyline that runs throughout the movie, about a radio DJ who is trying to get an exclusive interview with the band. Thankfully, the scenes involving the reporter are short and don’t interfere with the real show, ABBA’s performance.
From the very beginning, when the band arrives at Sydney’s airport, you get the sense that ABBAmania has swept Australia. The view of so many screaming fans lining up the streets all the way into the city is just breathtaking. You will have to look back to old footage of the Beatles arriving in the US to see anything comparable.
One of the early scenes, a the press conference, the band gets to answer the standard questions, and we learn nothing new other than the fact that Agnetha speaks English with a heavy (sexy) Swedish accent, an accent that is much stronger than it sounds on the records.
If you are looking for some insights about the band and their private lives away from the spotlight, you won’t find it here. We do see the band in a Sydney hotel, after the first performance, as they review the press and tabloids. Frida wonders out loud what does “kinky” mean and Agnetha, tired of reading about her famous behind (which is far more impressive than J-Lo’s) she says “Don’t they have bottoms in Australia?”
And that’s it, that’s all you get as far as “behind the scenes” or anything “intimate and personal”. This is definitely not “Truth or Dare”.
Thankfully the concert footage is excellent and will serve as a lasting reminder of how great ABBA is. There are no special effects, no million-dollar stage sets, no cheap shock tricks like today’s artists who try to impress the audience with technology rather than their performance.
The movie was directed by Lasse Hallstrom who also directed most of the band’s videos and who eventually became a successful Oscar nominated director for films like “The Cider House Rules” and “What’s eating Gilbert Grape” among others.
As far as the songs, we get most of ABBA hits from 1973 to 1977 as well as a couple of songs from ABBA the Album (the movie was intended to support that album – note the similarities in the titles).
Some of the songs performed throughout the movie are:
Tiger
SOS (Agnetha gives her best performance during this segment)
He is your brother
Waterloo
Intermezzo #1
I’ve been waiting for you
Mamma Mia (the chopsticks ending)
Money Money Money (watch for Agnetha’s famous asset as it is in full display here)
So long
Rock me
Why did it have to be me? (Frida’s turn to shine, as she duets with Bjorn)
When I kissed the teacher
Get on the carousel (Unreleased song, part of the “Girl with the Golden hair” mini musical)
I’m a marionette (Different from the album version, with a very energetic performance by Agnetha and Frida)
Dancing queen (complete with a full orchestra)
Fernando (great scene with the audience singing along at the end)
Thank you for the music
From ABBA The Album we get a couple of “Video-like” performances – “Eagle” in an elevator scene as the storyline wraps up, and “The name of the game” in a dream sequence. Also, “Hole in your Soul” can be heard briefly during the opening credits.
Unfortunately the movie fails to present a complete record of the 1977 shows. During this tour the band performed a “mini musical” called “The girl with the golden hair”. Three of the four songs from the musical are on ABBA the Album, but the complete presentation (with the narrator and choir) can only be heard on bootlegged cassette tapes. “Thank you for the music” and “I’m a marionette” are not shown within the context of the musical and the fact that Agnetha and Frida are in identical outfits and blonde wigs is never explained (they are supposed to be the same character, the girl from the title of the musical). The narration between the musical’s songs is cut down to just a 10 second introduction of “I’m a marionette” (which sounds completely different and more energetic than the album version). Worst of all, the one song…
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|April 18th, 2011 on 11:06 pm
A Very Original Look at ABBA-Mania!,
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As a convert from pop music crumudgen to lover of all things ABBA, I have been looking forward to the release of “ABBA The Movie” for a long time. Unfortunately, I saw release dates come and go with only that mocking Amazon.com, 2010 date shown (which basically is code for “sorry kid, your out of luck”). To my surprise the DVD has finally been released. When I first purchased this DVD, I knew absolutely nothing about it’s contents. Was it a documentary about the band? A concert film? A rock opera, ETC? Well, from a totally unique and original music group, “ABBA The Movie” turns out to be a very unique and original film. Swedish Filmmaker, Lasse Hallstrom basically gives us a look at the mania, that transpired ‘down under’ during ABBA’s monumental, 1977 concert tour of Australia. Dosn’t sound that different from all the other rock movies you’ve seen… right? Nope! Hallstrom came up with an interesting ideal. Within the real life events he was filming, he created a fictional, narrative about a country radio DJ named Ashley Wallace (Robert Huges), who is sent on a do or die mission by his station manager to get an intimate interview with ABBA. This is pretty much an impossible mission considering, that it seems like everyone in th Aussie world is trying to get up, close & personal to the band. Sounds like a stupid, cheesy ideal for a film, right? In lesser hands this could have a disaster. But Hallstrom uses this conceit not for just cheap comedy (though there are some humourus scenes), but to take an inspired look at the mania (which seems to involve an entire continent), that surrounded the tour and the love that fans and onlookers have for this pop group. It’s all things ABBA! If your looking for a personal film about Benny, Bjorn, Agnetha & Anni-Frid your out of luck. The film mostly takes the fictional DJ’s viewpoint of an outsider looking into ABBA’s world. The band remains from begining to end, friendly, but rather enigmatic figures, who are seemingly trapped in the almost surrealistic, circus-like world of the tour. Finally, mention should made of this film’s superb concert footage. If you are looking for just a straight ahead, by the book, filming of a concert, than you will be dissapointed. Instead, interspliced throughout the film in an almost jigsaw puzzle-like fashion, we are taken on tour and see performances from cities such as Sidney, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne. I’ve been a music fan for many years and seen a lot of concerts on film. All I can say is that Director, Lasse Hallstrom did a stupendous job filming these shows. You can just feel the energy emenating from the stage and get an ideal of what it must have been like to be there. The editing is tight and the cinematograpy is absolutely beautiful. I would put this concert footage in the same league with movies such as D.A. Pennebaker’s “Don’t Look Back” (Dylan), Martin Scorses’ The Last Waltz (The Band) or Jonathan Demmes’ “Stop making Sense” (Talking Heads). It’s that good! As for the DVD its self, the remastering of the picture & sound is fantastic. From such a beautiful film transfer its’ hard to believe this movie is nearly thirty years old. If there is but one complaint about this release it’s the lack of any extras. It would have been great to have the trailers, some commentary tracks, outtakes or (hold your breath) more concert footage! General music fans will enjoy the film. For ABBA fanatics its’ a must! Highly recommended!
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|April 18th, 2011 on 11:50 pm
fun rock film,
A thought came to me that if I were to put on a very limited showing of rock/pop films it might include The Beatles’ Hard Day’s Night, The Band’s Last Waltz, then I thought why not this one to help encapsulate the feeling of the late 1970s. Filmed fantastically by Hallstrom (a major motion picture director ever since), with split screens and the whole thing, puts the viewer into the middle of the frenzy, the huge concerts, touring/meet-and-greet schedule, maniacal fans, etc. The concert footage is terrific, sound is excellent, plus the small handful of Australian actors are very memorable. I come across rock history buffs and musicians who still don’t get the whole ABBA thing (this is coming from a guy who also listens to Sonic Youth, by the way), but perhaps this film will do it. Glad to see this on DVD – have been waiting a long time.
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|April 19th, 2011 on 12:21 am
More mystery and suspense awaits you in the sixth “Case Closed” film, “Case Closed: The Phantom of Baker Street”.,
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“Meitantei Conan” or “Detective Conan” (“Case Closed” in the U.S.) has been one of the longest running manga and anime series in Japan. Written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama and featured in Weekly Shonen Sunday since 1994, the anime series which started back in 1996 is well-nearing 600-episodes and 14 movies have been released in Japan.
FUNimation Entertainment has recently released the sixth film of “Case Closed” titled “The Phantom of Baker Street”. The film was shown in theaters on April 2002 and is the first film in the series written by Hisashi Nozawa and would once again feature a collaboration with Japanese rock band B’z who would sing the ending theme song “Everlasting”.
In the sixth movie, “Case Closed: Phantom of Baker Street”, the film begins with a news report about a 10-year-old kid named Hiroki Sawada who is a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The child is known for developing the DNA Search Program which can trace ancestors using skin and blood data and now developing a mechanical brain known as “Noah’s Ark” which has grown five years old in one year.
We then see the young Hiroki initiate a program on his computer and says goodbye to it, alarms go on and his father and security go to check on him, they then realize that Hiroki has jumped off the building and has killed himself.
We then see Conan and the members of the Junior Detective League, Rachel and many others trying out a new virtual game to test out their detective skills. So, Conan and the Junior Detective League must go to virtual 19th Century London and participate in the game. But suddenly the artificial intelligence behind the game, Noah’s Ark, has shut down any possibility for the detectives to exit the game and now the game becomes real. If they don’t finish the game, each will die.
Noah’s Ark has a goal is to reset society and eliminate children who were born from corrupt politicians and greedy doctors. If anyone tries to rescue them, they will also die.
So, Conan and the Junior Detectives are now in a virtual world where Jack the Ripper lives. Now, they must now try and find out how to catch the serial killer or else they will be killed.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“Case Closed: The Phantom of Baker Street” is a film that came out back in April 2002. As the “Cased Closed” films move up each year, there is a noticeable difference in animation quality especially compared to the previous five films. Animation is detailed and much more vibrant and even more detail and shading on the surrounding and background artwork. This latest film does use of CG effects work but for the most part, animation and character designs are on par with the last film. Art backgrounds are detailed at times and well-painted, while character designs are similar as they were in previous films.
Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 English and Japanese Stereo. English audio dialogue is clear from the center and music and sound effects are more front channel driven. Voice acting is well done for the English dub but for those who followed the Japanese series may get confused by the changing of the names. Japanese audio is well-done and for those who have a modern home theater receiver and a 5.1, 7.2 or higher setup, my preference was to have audio set on all channels for a more immerse soundscape.
Subtitles are in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Case Closed: The Phantom of Baker Street” comes with FUNimation Entertainment trailers only.
JUDGMENT CALL:
I grew up with “Meitantei Conan” and I own several Japanese manga volumes which helped me learn Japanese and have watched the original Japanese anime series including the Japanese drama. But I have never seen any of the animated films before, so it was a pleasure to see FUNimation Entertainment show their dedication in releasing the films in the US.
As for “Case Closed: The Phantom of Baker Street”, I knew one of these days there would be a film based on a virtual reality detective case (ala “Star Trek: The Next Generation” award winning episode “The Big Goodbye”) and what best than to take on one of the mot notorious unsolved cases in world’s history, the murders caused by Jack the Ripper. Especially how the writers would try to connect Jack the Ripper to modern times but also once again, showing how much Rachel cares about Jimmy and also would go out lengths to protect Conan.
It’s important to note that one watching these films do not need to watch the TV series because the films do a good job introducing the characters especially how Jimmy Kudo became Conan. So, pretty much everyone can get into the films quite easily.
Like the previous films on DVD, there are no special features included but the FUNimation Entertainment trailers. I do wish that in future releases of films on DVD,…
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|April 19th, 2011 on 1:01 am
Great movie!,
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I love Sherlock Holmes, I love case closed; the combination is perfection in DVD format.
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|April 19th, 2011 on 1:01 am
Great movie,
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In the Phantom of Baker Street, There has been a murder in a room located in the basement of a building where there is supposed to be a game demoed. Looking at the evidence, Shinichi finds out that the Legendary Jack The Ripper is somehow involved and enters the game demonstration, in order to solve the case. Upon entering the game, a computer program called Noah’s Ark takes controls and tells everyone the new rules.
Afterwards, Shinichi and company head off to London 1888, in order to uncover the real identity of Jack The Ripper.
Surprisingly, Jack the Ripper is not the only one present. With the mention of Inspector Lestrade, the gang finds out that Sherlock is also present in the game.
With the number of players dwindling, it is up to Shinichi to not only discover Jack the Ripper’s identity, but also bring everyone that had lost back to life.
This movie was very good, with only a few problems, none of which were due to FUNimation. For example, there are subtitles on scenes that have been originally and dubbed in English. This was kind of horrible, but it did not take much away from the movie. FUNimation did not intentionally do that.
As was mentioned before, Sherlock makes an appearance and so do characters like Irene Adler and Professor Moriarty and Sebastian Moran.
As always, there is a Japanese audio track, for those of you who do not like the English dub.
I would suggest this movie to Sherlock fans and Detective Conan fans, as this meshes the world of Detective Conan with the world of Sherlock.
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