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All rights reserved.Almost Famous (2001, DVD)
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| Movie Description Cameron Crowe's career trajectory reads like a true Hollywood story - he started out as a 15-year-old writing for Rolling Stone magazine and eventually ended up writing, directing, and acting in movies. His poignant writing style reflects the nostalgia and humor of an era, with bits of pop culture and musical history and trivia woven in. This has proven to be a highly successful formula, as in the 1989 emo love story SAY ANYTHING, and the 90s grunge rocker hit SINGLES. ALMOST FAMOUS is a semiautobiographical account that tells the story of a teen journalist, William Miller (Patrick Fugit), who goes on the road with an up-and-coming rock band called Stillwater. Though Miller's mentor, legendary rock critic Lester Bangs (portrayed with humor 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. Miller is in for a wild ride around the country, to thrilling concerts and debauched backyard parties, living the life many 15-year olds dream about. He discovers that beneath the glittery façade of rock stardom are sometimes bittersweet life lessons and mild doses of heartbreak. More impacting are the friendships he finds with his glamorous travel companions. 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 memorable.
Notes DVD Features: Region 1 2-Disc Set Disc #1: UNTITLED: THE BOOTLEG CUT (159m) Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85 Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Dolby Surround - English DTS Surround 5.1 - English Interactive Features: Scene Access Interactive Menus Disc #2: ALMOST FAMOUS - Theatrical Version (123m) Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85 Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Dolby Surround - English DTS Surround 5.1 - English Additional Release Material: Deleted Scenes - 1. 30 Minutes of Never-Before-Seen Footage Audio Commentary - 1. Cameron Crowe - Director Making-Of Additional Footage - 1. Patrick Fugit's Audition Tape 2. Stillwater's Cleveland Concert (6 Additional Songs) Text/Photo Galleries: Production Notes Screenplay Biographies - 1. Cast & Crew Additional Text - 1. Cameron Crowe Original Rolling Stone Articles Additional Products: CD - 1. ALMOST FAMOUS: Original Soundtrack Album, Theatrical release: September 15, 2000. ALMOST FAMOUS opened up the 44th London Film Festival. Patrick Fugit, who made his feature-film debut in ALMOST FAMOUS, grew three inches during filming, resulting in multiple costume refits. Near the end of filming, costar Billy Crudup had to wear platform shoes to ensure continuity. Fugit's voice also changed during the film's shoot. The roles of Russell Hammond and Penny Lane were originally offered to Brad Pitt and Sarah Polley, respectively. Pitt left the project because he didn't feel he understood the character, while Polley couldn't commit because of other projects. Philip Seymour Hoffman (Lester Bangs) was available only for four days of shooting. During all four days, the actor was nursing a bad cold. Rolling Stone chief Jann Wenner makes a cameo appearance as the man William sees in the taxi. While a young writer for Rolling Stone, Cameron Crowe wrote the liner notes for Peter Frampton's album FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE. Frampton served as a musical consultant on ALMOST FAMOUS, teaching the actors how to perform onstage as a rock band. He also appears as one of the road managers, playing cards. The film features music composed by Nancy Wilson, writer-director Cameron Crowe's wife and a member of Heart. Mark Kozelek, who plays the bassist in Stillwater, is a member of the Red House Painters. ALMOST FAMOUS is the first Crowe film that doesn't feature actor Eric Stoltz. Every other Crowe project has featured Stoltz in some way. However, the actor's name does appear briefly on a billboard. During filming, Kate Hudson (Penny Lane), daughter of Goldie Hawn, was dating real-life rock star Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes. They got married on December 31, 2000. Zooey Deschanel is the daughter of cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, who photographed such films as A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE and BEING THERE. Billy Crudup took guitar lessons for his role as Stillwater guitarist Russell Hammond. There was an actual country rock band named Stillwater in the late 1970s who recorded two albums for Capricorn Records (the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd). The ALMOST FAMOUS soundtrack album won a Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media ALMOST FAMOUS won two Golden Globe awards: Best Motion Picture--Musical or Comedy and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Kate Hudson). Richard Roeper (EBERT & ROEPER AND THE MOVIES), Jack Matthews, and Jami Bernard of the New York Daily News, Owen Glieberman of Entertainment Weekly, Film Comment, the Austin Chronicle, and the American Film Institute named ALMOST FAMOUS one of the 10 best films of 2000; Roger Ebert (EBERT & ROEPER AND THE MOVIES), the Online Film Critics Society, the San Diego Film Critics Society, the Boston Society of Film Critics, and Rolling Stone named it the best film of the year. The San Diego Film Critics Society and the Boston Society of Film Critics named Cameron Crowe Best Director of 2000. Crowe also won Best (Original) Screenplay awards from the Online Film Critics Society, the San Diego Film Critics Society, and the Broadcast Film Critics Association. The Online Film Critics Society and the Las Vegas Film Critics Society named Kate Hudson Best Supporting Actress of 2000. Hudson also won the Breakthrough Performance award from the Broadcast Film Critics Association and Best Newcomer award from the Florida Film Critics Circle. The Broadcast Film Critics Association, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and the Florida Film Critics Circle named Frances McDormand Best Supporting Actress of 2000 for her roles in ALMOST FAMOUS and WONDER BOYS. The San Diego Film Critics Society also named McDormand Best Supporting Actress. The Online Film Critics Society named Philip Seymour Hoffman Best Supporting Actor of 2000. The Online Film Critics Society named the cast of ALMOST FAMOUS Best Ensemble of 2000. Editorial Reviews New York Times - pp.E1-5 - A. O. Scott USA Today - p.4D - Mike Clark Entertainment Weekly - p.52 - Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly - pp.106-7 - Owen Gleiberman Sight and Sound - p.38-40 - John Wrathall Total Film - p.84 - James White Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan (09/13/2000) Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (09/15/2000) Sight and Sound - Sight and Sound Critic (08/01/2005) Awards 2000Academy AwardsBest Original ScreenplayCameron Crowe | Find errors in the product description? Submit a catalog update request now. | ||||||||||||
Reviews  Almos Famous Bootleg Edition Great extra features! The movie was great to begin with but now with the extra features you can actually sit there and add "Stairway to Heaven" where it was supposed to go. Review ID: 10000000008847805 Was this review helpful? Report this review Almost Famous Directors Cut: must own for fans of filmFor an Almost Famous fan, this DVD is essential for your collection. It has the extended version, the original version, a Stillwater CD, and many special features that are not on the original DVD version of the film. Also, it is fun to look for the Easter eggs that Cameron Crowe placed on the DVDs. Anyone who likes Almost Famous will enjoy this DVD set a lot and will not be disappointed. It is also out of print, so the supply is limited. Review ID: 10000000008526516 Was this review helpful? Report this review Insightful look into the lives of rock stars!Review created: 04/14/08 by: Super sharp extra deluxe edition of a really great movie. Just caught it recently and wondered why I haven't seen it up till now. There are some great scenes with the rock icons of our time relating to a 16 year old and constantly asking the kid for life advice. The band members are chilren being led around by a really smart insightful kid. Not a family movie yet very touching. Also, if you have to own this movie make sure you get this loaded version and not the lame 1 disc set. This is a 2 DVD set with a CD also, what a bargain. Cameron Crowe rocks! Review ID: 10000000006711574 Was this review helpful? Report this review The extra footage makes love this film even more!Review created: 04/08/08 by: Many "Special Editions" of films are just repackages with deleted scenes that never belonged there in the first place. Almost Famous,The Bootleg Edition is different. The nearly 30 minutes of extra footage furthers the story of William Miller and Penny Lane. There are other great deleted scenes including a birthday party for Penny Lane and a funny interview scene involving a stoned out Kyle Gass (Tenacious D). The added footage fleshes out the whole film nicely and should have been in the theatrical release. Other gooies include a Nancy Wilson song video including video home movies from the film and an interview with the real life Lester Bangs editor of Cream. Plus Cameron Crowe's favorite albums of 1973. If you love the film, you need this DVD. Review ID: 10000000006586349 Was this review helpful? Report this review Almost famous Directors CutGreat Film. The directors cut are for those who just are not satisfied and wanrt more of this great story. Review ID: 10000000003796971 Was this review helpful? Report this review |
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