Category: Biography

Bird

Bird on VHS. Movie starring Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora, Michael Zelniker. Directed by Clint Eastwood. 1988.

Bird on VHS. Starring Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora, Michael Zelniker. Directed by Clint Eastwood. 1988.

From the box:

The year: 1946. The event: Oakland’s “Jazz at the Philharmonic.” The music streaked into the unknown, daring listeners to grab hold and fly there too. On stage was the creator of those new sounds: Charlie “Yardbird” Parker. In the crowd was the 16-year-old who would someday bring Parker’s extraordinary story to the screen: Clint Eastwood.

DVD Upgrade: Bird

CD Upgrade: Charlie Parker Immortal Concerts: Jazz at the Philharmonic, 1946

Hoop Dreams

Hoop Dreams on VHS. Sports documentary movie starring William Gates, Arthur Agee. Directed by Steve James. 1994.

Hoop Dreams on VHS. Starring William Gates, Arthur Agee. Directed by Steve James. 1994.

From the box:

They have nothing — except talent and a dream — and in this tough Chicago neighborhood, dreams are all they can count on. Hoop Dreams is the critically acclaimed true-life story of Arthur Agee and William Gates and the unforgettable five year experience that turns them into men. You will come to know them and root for them as if they were your friends, your family, as against all odds, these boys prove that with faith, talent and a little luck, anyone can achieve the American Dream.

DVD Upgrade: Hoop Dreams (The Criterion Collection)

Score Now (Instant Rental): Hoop Dreams

Greased Lightning

Greased Lightning VHS cover art. Movie starring Richard Pryor, Beau Bridges, Pam Grier. With Richie Havens, Cleavon Little, Vincent Gardenia, Bill Cobbs. Directed by Michael Schultz. 1977.

Greased Lightning on VHS. Starring Richard Pryor, Beau Bridges, Pam Grier. With Richie Havens, Cleavon Little, Vincent Gardenia, Bill Cobbs. Directed by Michael Schultz. 1977.

From the box:

Richard Pryor Drives ‘Em Wild

In his first lead role, Richard Pryor plays Wendell Scott, the first black to crack the all-white world of stock car racing, who went on to win the NASCAR and Grand National Crowns. This decades-spanning story shows Scott enduring racial slurs, matching heavily sponsored rivals with cars built from junkyard parts, and surviving crashes engineered by redneck competitors to triumph at the finish.

DVD Upgrade: Moving / Greased Lightning

Read More: Hard Driving: The Wendell Scott Story

Sid & Nancy

Sid & Nancy VHS cover art. Movie starring Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb. With David Hayman, Debby Bishop, Andrew Schofield, Iggy Pop, Courtney Love, Nico, Slash. Directed by Alex Cox. 1986.

Sid & Nancy on VHS. Starring Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb. With David Hayman, Debby Bishop, Andrew Schofield, Iggy Pop, Courtney Love, Nico, Slash. Directed by Alex Cox. 1986.

From the box:

Sid Vicious (Gary Oldman) was punk rock’s famous bad boy. Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb) was a troubled American groupie looking for fame and notoriety. They surprised themselves and the rest of the world by falling in love.

DVD Upgrade: Sid and Nancy (The Criterion Collection)

Read The Book: Sid and Nancy: Love Kills

Hear The Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (US Version) by Sex Pistols (1990) Audio CD

Frida, Naturaleza Viva

Frida, Naturaleza Viva aka Frida, Still Life VHS cover art. Biography starring Ofelia Medina, Juan José Gurrola, Max Kerlow. Directed by Paul Leduc. 1986.

Frida, Naturaleza Viva aka Frida, Still Life on VHS. Starring Ofelia Medina, Juan José Gurrola, Max Kerlow. Directed by Paul Leduc. 1986.

From the box:

She risked her life for her art, and became one of the greatest painters of the 20th century.

First Prize — Havana Film Festival

On her deathbed artist Frida Kahlo conjures up images and memories of her life as a painter, revolutionary and woman of the world. Her stormy relationship with muralist Diego Rivera, her tender hospitality for an exiled Leon Trotsky, her struggle for acceptance as an artist, her affairs with David Siquerios and others, and the travail of her illness and injuries are all recalled in a style reminiscent of her own work, simultaneously sophisticated and primitive, flamboyant and delicate.

DVD Upgrade: Frida – Naturaleza Viva