Christopher Guest
A look at the history of the American comedy publication and production company, National Lampoon, from its beginning in the 1970s to 2010, featuring rare and never before seen footage, this is the mind boggling story of The National Lampoon from its subversive and electrifying beginnings, to rebirth as an unlikely Hollywood heavyweight, and beyond. A humour empire like no other, the impact of the magazines irreverent, often shocking, sensibility was nothing short of seismic: this is an institution whose (drunk stoned brilliant) alumni left their fingerprints all over popular culture. Both insanely great and breathtakingly innovative, The National Lampoon created the foundation of modern comic sensibility by setting the bar in comedy impossibly high.
Over fifty very famous American and Canadian funny people (filmmakers, writers, actors and comedians) share life and professional journeys and insights, in an effort to shed light on the thesis: Do you have to be miserable to be funny?
Internationally acclaimed ventriloquist Nina Conti, takes the bereaved puppets of her mentor and erstwhile lover Ken Campbell on a pilgrimage to 'Venthaven' the resting place for puppets of dead ventriloquists. She gets to know her latex and wooden travelling partners along the way, and with them deconstructs herself and her lost love in this ventriloquial docu-mocumentary requiem. Ken Campbell was a hugely respected maverick of the British Theatre, an eccentric genius who would snort out forgotten artforms. Nina was his prodigy in ventriloquism and has been said to have reinvented the artform. This film is truly unique in genre and style. No one has seen ventriloquism like this before.
Hapless museum night watchman Larry Daley must help his living, breathing exhibit friends out of a pickle now that they've been transferred to the archives at the Smithsonian Institution. Larry's (mis)adventures this time include close encounters with Amelia Earhart, Abe Lincoln and Ivan the Terrible.
The concept of Back from the Dead is that Spinal Tap has reunited in honor of the 25th anniversary of This Is Spinal Tap, and have launched an "unwigged and unplugged" tour. The album is packaged with a DVD featuring commentary on each of the album's tracks.
Set in a world where the concept of lying doesn't exist, a loser changes his lot when he invents lying and uses it to get ahead.
The documentary consists of tape of Don's show (never been filmed before), interviews with Don's contemporaries, (Steve Lawrence, Bob Newhart, Debbie Reynolds, etc.), established comedians (Billy Crystal, Rosanna Barr, Robin Williams, Chris Rock, etc.) and young comedians (Jeff Atoll, Jimmy Kimmel, Sarah Silverman, etc.).
The cast of the 1987 film THE PRINCESS BRIDE recount their most cherished memories of making the movie.
Three actors learn that their respective performances in the film "Home for Purim," a drama set in the mid-1940s American South, are generating award-season buzz.
Eccentric 70-year-old widow purchases the Windmill Theatre in London as a post-widowhood hobby. After starting an innovative continuous variety review, which is copied by other theaters, they begin to lose money. Mrs Henderson suggests they add female nudity similar to the Moulin Rouge in Paris
In "A Mighty Wind", director Christopher Guest reunites the team from "Best In Show" and "Waiting for Guffman" to tell tell the story of 60's-era folk musicians, who inspired by the death of their former manager, get back on the stage for one concert in New York City's Town Hall.
A "behinds the scenes" documentary about the making of the 1987 film THE PRINCESS BRIDE with original archive footage and new interviews with cast members.
The tension is palpable, the excitement is mounting and the heady scent of competition is in the air as hundreds of eager contestants from across America prepare to take part in what is undoubtedly one of the greatest events of their lives -- the Mayflower Dog Show. The canine contestants and their owners are as wondrously diverse as the great country that has bred them.
The hapless man made of clay hosts this showcase of comedy sketches, while trying to avoid the tricks of his frenemies, Mr. Hands and Sluggo.
Two hapless explorers lead an ill-fated 1804 expedition through the Pacific Northwest in a hopeless, doomed effort to reach the Pacific Ocean before Lewis and Clark.
When missile technology is used to enhance toy action figures, the toys soon begin to take their battle programming too seriously.
Corky St. Clair is a director, actor and dancer in Blaine, Missouri. When it comes time to celebrate Blaine's 150th anniversary, Corky resolves to bring down the house in Broadway style.
Spinal Tap, one of England's loudest bands, makes another final reunion. After all, it's rock'n'roll. (This is actually a demo reel that Rob Reiner created to get financing for his 1984 film "This Is Spinal Tap."
Nancy Archer has had an alien encounter and it's left her 50 ft. tall! Now she sees the men in her life from a new angle - looking down on them - and it's time to fight back.
Spinal Tap is back in a whole new feature-length rockumentary. Go behind the scenes and find out where the somewhat-less-than-fab three (Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer) are now -- and where it all began in Squatney, England. Also, catch up with director Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner), ex-Polymer marketing whiz Artie Fufkin (Paul Shaffer), and Jeanine (June Chadwick), who now owns a shop specializing in itchy Irish clothing.
When cocky military lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee and his co-counsel, Lt. Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway, are assigned to a murder case, they uncover a hazing ritual that could implicate high-ranking officials such as shady Col. Nathan Jessep.
Morton & Hayes was a short-lived comedy television series, shown Wednesday nights at 8:30 on CBS. Only six episodes were shown, from July 24 to August 28, 1991. This series was centered around the "rediscovered" work of a fictitious comedy duo.
Video magazine with interviews and video clips. Featured on this volume is: Aerosmith, Poison, Damn Yankees, Whitesnake, Ozzy, Cheap Trick, Overkill, Love/Hate, Queensryche and more.
During the Great Depression, a bumbling duo travels the country looking for employment. But they wind up getting into trouble every chance they get.
In this HBO special, comedian Martin Short appears in a series of sketches, vignettes and musical performances about Hollywood, featuring some of his classic characters like Ed Grimley, Jackie Rogers Jr., Lawrence Orbach and Troy Soren, and co-starring some of his colleagues from "SCTV" and "Saturday Night Live."
Hollywood beckons for recent film school grad Nick Chapman, who is out to capitalize on the momentum from his national award-winning student film. Studio executive Allen Habel seduces Nick with a dream deal to make his first feature, but once production gets rolling, corporate reality begins to intervene: Nick is unable to control a series of compromises to his high-minded vision, and it's all he can do to maintain his integrity in the midst of filmmaking chaos.
A TV special celebrating the 15th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. Before a celebrity audience, many of the former cast members and guest hosts return to perform their signature monologues and present a look back at some of the best comedy skits and musical numbers of the past 15 years.
Two dippy roommates, struggling musicians Lolly and Hattie are asked by a drug-dealing friend-of-a-friend Diane to baby-sit a bag containing nearly a million dollars while she scoots out of town in order to avoid trouble. Once the money is in their possession, however, temptation proves too much for them.
In this enchantingly cracked fairy tale, the beautiful Princess Buttercup and the dashing Westley must overcome staggering odds to find happiness amid six-fingered swordsmen, murderous princes, Sicilians and rodents of unusual size. But even death can't stop these true lovebirds from triumphing.
Manhattanites Bruce and Prudence are each looking for a meaningful romantic relationship and have been encouraged by their psychiatrists to find someone through the personal ads. Their first meeting is disastrous, but they begin to hit it off during their second date. However, Bruce's bisexual, live-in lover does not want to share Bruce and is willing to do whatever it takes to keep him to himself.
Seymour Krelborn is a nerdy orphan working at Mushnik's, a flower shop in urban Skid Row. He harbors a crush on fellow co-worker Audrey Fulquard, and is berated by Mr. Mushnik daily. One day as Seymour is seeking a new mysterious plant, he finds a very mysterious unidentified plant which he calls Audrey II. The plant seems to have a craving for blood and soon begins to sing for his supper.
In this parody of "Spinal Tap," a documentary film crew follows comic Billy Crystal as he prepares for a concert; the second half of the film is the actual concert itself.
A made for Showtime network comedy special with numerous skits and music starring Martin Short and featuring a number of his fellow SCTV cast members. The special has skits with characters such as Ed Grimley, Jackie Rogers Jr., Jerry Lewis, and many more.
"This Is Spinal Tap" shines a light on the self-contained universe of a metal band struggling to get back on the charts, including everything from its complicated history of ups and downs, gold albums, name changes and undersold concert dates, along with the full host of requisite groupies, promoters, hangers-on and historians, sessions, release events and those special behind-the-scenes moments that keep it all real.
Short Comedy Films, Video & Animation featuring the directing debuts of Rob Reiner, & Christopher Guest.
After fleeting marriages to Henry Fonda and William Wyler, Margaret Sullavan found contentment as the wife of producer Leland Hayward and as the mother of three. Or so it seemed, until the marriage crumbled, the children rebelled and she was found dead of an overdose at the age of 50.
An adult animated comedy with rock music soundtrack, portraying a far-fetched explanation of the Dawn of Man.
The origins, exploits and the ultimate fate of the James gang is told in a sympathetic portrayal of the bank robbers made up of brothers who begin their legendary bank raids because of revenge.
A four-part miniseries focusing on the Watergate coverup based on the memoirs of former White House counsel John Dean and his wife Maureen.
When politicians try to force out a renter in a corrupt real-estate deal, the man decides to take matters into his own hands. He takes a police officer hostage, hoping to expose the scam and save his home.
A photographer and her best friend are roommates. She is stuck with small-change shooting jobs and dreams of success. When her roommate decides to get married and leave, she feels hurt and has to learn how to deal with living alone.
Peeping Times is a comedy special that aired on NBC on January 25, 1978. Co-produced, written and directed by Rudy De Luca and Barry Levinson, the special featured an early broadcast network appearance of David Letterman. David Frost was co-executive producer. The show was a spoof of TV news magazine programs.
The Billion Dollar Bubble is a 1976 film made for the BBC series Horizon and directed by Brian Gibson about the story of the two billion dollar insurance embezzlement scheme involving Equity Funding Corporation of America. The movie stars James Woods in the role of the actuary.
Two bumbling hustlers in the 1920s attempt to gain the fortune of an heiress. Nothing will stop them, not even murder.
Shame, the ape man of the jungle, is aghast when his woman, June, is kidnapped by a gang of giant penises. They take her to their queen, Bazunga, a bald woman with fourteen breasts. After tangling with a gang of great white hunters, a marauding lion and the Molar Men, Shame sets off to rescue her with only his faithful friend Flicka at his side. He heads for that darkest of areas
A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.
After his wife is murdered by street punks, a pacifistic New York City architect becomes a one-man vigilante squad, prowling the streets for would-be muggers after dark.
Dortmunder and his pals plan to steal a huge diamond from a museum. But this turns out to be only the first time they have to steal it...
