DVD Pick of the Week: Iron Maiden - Flight 666

Welcome back! Well, to some of you, anyway. To the rest of you, glad you decided to stop by and I hope this humble column helps you navigate the stacks of new releases each week. My goal is to point you toward titles of interest and warn you away from those films that seek to do nothing but leech away your time and give you nothing in return.

Full disclosure: I have not seen many of these titles, and what follows are not necessarily reviews, but opinions based upon what I know of the titles I pluck from the new release lists I peruse. The opinions I give based on the new releases are my own, and my recommendations are based on my personal interest. In any case, I hope you enjoy and perhaps find something you like or a title to point me towards.

Iron Maiden: Flight 666. I actually saw a little bit of this documentary on the Palladia music station the other night. I decided to look it up and discovered the DVD is coming out this week with even more live footage! How can I say no to that? The release covers the band's massive world tour of 2008, which saw it playing a set comprised of pre-1990 songs (save for the staple "Fear of the Dark"). I saw the band in New Jersey on the first leg of the tour (and covered on this DVD). There there is one song from that show here, "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." I saw them on the second leg as well at Madison Square Garden. How can I not get a DVD documenting a tour that I actually got to see? The fact that it is Iron Maiden is just icing on the cake. The Blu-ray will not be readily available until July, but Best Buy will have it this week.

Gran Torino (also Blu-ray). This is a film filled with great moments that have a cumulative effect. It may not be the most realistic approach to the material, but it feels genuine, and the cast of primarily non-professional actors do a fine job supporting Clint Eastwood. The story speaks to the effects of violence, living with regret, and how people of apparently different backgrounds can have more in common than one would suspect. We are also given some insight into the Hmong immigrants, their background and customs. Definitely a great film and one worth having in the collection.

Article Author: Chris Beaumont

Christopher Beaumont spends much of his time writing about music and movies when he isn't indulging in them. He is always ready to talk about his favorite form of entertainment and offer up recommendations. Follow: Twitter and Tumblr. Visit: Critical Outcast. …

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