Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Movies that Rock: "This Is Spinal Tap" on Blu-ray Disc


What better way to debut a new feature here on BMF that highlights rock movies than profiling the iconic "This Is Spinal Tap"?

In celebration of the 25th (!) anniversary, "This Is Spinal Tap" is now available on Blu-ray Disc (MGM Home Entertainment). All of the great extras that accompanied the DVD version are there - cast and crew commentary, deleted scenes and outtakes, their music videos, and more - but the Blu-ray Disc also contains two brand new exclusive features: Spinal Tap’s 2007 Live Earth reunion performance of their hit “Stonehenge” at Wembley Stadium and Nigel Tufnel’s interview for the National Geographic Stonehenge special.

For most people, this film needs no introduction. Put simply, it is the defining picture that brilliantly satirizes virtually every strata of the hard rock music scene. Spinal Tap (Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer) is the fictional band that takes center stage, and we have a front row seat to witness the typical growth cycle of your average heavy metal band. From the unlikely rise to fame, the ridiculous excesses, the shoddy management, inevitable fall, and modest comeback, too many bands have followed in the footsteps of what was intended to be fiction. In fact, many bands have been quoted as failing to see the humor in this movie because they have actually lived every scene. This just speaks to how "in tune" with the music business the writers were, which included the stars and director Rob Reiner.

This Is Spinal Tap is beyond classic - it is the quintessential movie any musician or music fan must see, again and again.

Spinal Tap on MySpace. Official site.

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