The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)First things first, I am was and still am a HUGE Ultimate Warrior fan. I got back into wrestling from 1997-2002 (I still watch it here and there but no longer consider myself a fan any more) and cheered for wrestlers like The Rock before he was big all the way up until he left (probably the single biggest reason why I lost interest in WWE again). Before that time I was a WWF fan from 1987-1993 and I absolutely loved the Ultimate Warrior. Bar none, he is my favorite wrestler of all time, as short a moment in time as it was.
I state this to make it known that I was extremely excited when I heard that WWE was releasing an Ultimate Warrior DVD, scouring the Internet for news on a daily basis to learn more about what was being released regarding my favorite wrestler of all time. I knew that this was not going to be any love-fest by the WWE brain trust, but I didn't care. Just the ability to see the warrior in the DVD format and have others talk about the individual that made moments of my sometimes crappy childhood filled with joy... it took me back to happy moments that you cannot easily feel again.
After having rushed out to pick up "The Self Destruction Of The Ultimate Warrior" and watched the 1.5 hour special about his career in the ring, I find that it was a very FAIR assessment of Warrior's wrestling legacy. Other Ultimate Warrior fans have written online that this DVD badmouths the former Mr. Hellwig and puts him in a light that isn't completely accurate. In a situation of "he said she said" usually the truth lies somewhere in between so I am sure that this DVD isn't 100% accurate, but my overall impression of this disc is that it is very FAIR (and again, I remind you that I was about as a big a fan as there is of The Ultimate Warrior).
Starting off with the origins of the Ultimate Warrior from Rock to Dingo Warrior to Ultimate Warrior, this DVD speaks of UW's quick rise from a house show wrestler to beating the Honky Tonk Man in 30 seconds at SummerSlam 1988 in Madison Square Garden. Following Warrior's rise in popularity, the UW does the unthinkable on April 1, 1990 in Toronto, Canada at WrestleMania VI as he CLEANLY beats Hulk Hogan in the middle of the ring in what is the penultimate moment of my wrestling fan "career". From this point on we learn how the Warrior defended that very title as best as he could (and I truly believe the Warrior did the best he could do), until he eventually lost it to Sgt. Slaughter and arguably then had the best match of his career with Randy Savage at WrestleMania VII. The Ultimate Warrior's 1st run with the WWF came to an end in 1991 when (as the WWF and Vince claim - Warrior himself says this isn't true) during the SummerSlam PPV Warrior demanded more money or he wouldn't perform. After a 7 month hiatus we see The Ultimate Warrior make his incredibly shocking return at the end of WM VIII to begin his 2nd run with the WWF which would only last a mere 8 months or so. Warrior's last 2 runs at wrestling for major promotions are covered in his 4 month 1996 WWF run and his 3 month 1998 WCW run (he hasn't wrestled in a big promotion since that time).
Throughout the history of UW's wrestling career we get comments from Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff, Ted Dibiase, Bobby Heenan, Gene Okerlund, Jim Ross, Hulk Hogan, Bruce Pritchard, Jerry Lawler, Christian, Chris Jericho, Ric Flair and many others. To say that these fellow wrestlers put Warrior in a bad light is like saying that rotten eggs smell bad. It's quite evident that Jim (most of these guys refuse to call him Warrior unless it's with their eyes in the back of their heads) wasn't very popular in the back room, and never will be.
But as I have said numerous times in this review, IT'S FAIR.
You generally get the impression when someone is lying, and it's pretty evident that everyone on this DVD is speaking from their hearts. They truly believe what they are telling the camera about the Ultimate Warrior and it is highly entertaining to say the least.
As an individual that prides themselves on knowing as much as possible about The Ultimate Warrior, I learned new things about the man from Parts Unknown, more so than anything else, how little he was respected in the back room by "the boys". As much as wrestling is for the fans, when it comes to the end of the day, the most important thing is how you interact with your little wrestling family in the back room. The fans you see maybe 20 minutes a night, your fellow wrestlers the entire rest of the day. It's a shame that as loved as the Warrior was from 1989-1991, he was so disliked by everyone else.
If you read any of Warrior's posts on his web site (ultimatewarrior.com) he'll tell you over and over again how much he can't stand the WWF and that they are liars, but when you have so many people saying 1 thing and 1 other person saying another, you can't help but think that maybe the problem isn't everyone else. Mr. Hellwig (sorry, WARRIOR) would have you believe that Vince has "brainwashed" his entire stable, but after watching this DVD you will probably feel otherwise.
My only complaint is that as good as 1.5 hour feature is, this collection could have been even more. It's quite clear that no "double dipping" will be done for another Ultimate Warrior DVD, so why not have matches on here like Warrior/Slaughter from Royal Rumble 1991, the complete Super Posedown from RR1989 with Rick Rude, more interview segments like when he gets hits by Honky Tonk in summer 1988, Rude at WMV, Hercules at WMIV, the whole Jake feud in 1991 and so forth? There are a handful of matches on here including the 2 big ones with Hogan at WMVI (sadly Jesse Ventura's commentary had to be cut out) and Savage at WMVII, but this set of choices feels lacking.
Overall, a very entertaining DVD that any Warrior fan should take a look at, and any wrestling fan that wants to learn more about the Ultimate Warrior shouldn't ignore (especially if you are ignorant of the story of Warrior).
**** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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Item Name: The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior; Studio:World Wrestling

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WWE - The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)Here is the official listings for this 3 DVD set due out November 18th, 2003.
"His name draws universal awe and admiration. He is the 16-time Heavyweight Champion of the world. He has held the World Championship more times than any competitor in the history of sports-entertainment. Fans around the world pay tribute by shouting his trademark "Woooooo!" He's influenced more Superstars than anyone else. There are legends and all-time greats, but there is only one Ric Flair.
Wrestling match footage from the 70's, 80's, 90's and today. This includes some of Ric's most famous matches with: Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Barry Windham, Ricky Steamboat, Terry Funk, and Sting.
Ric Flair vs. ... (shown in their entirety)
1. Harley Race Starrcade (11/24/83)
2. Dusty Rhodes Starrcade (11/28/85)
3. Barry Windham World Wide Wrestling (01/20/87)
4. Ricky Steamboat Clash of the Champions VI (04/02/89)
5. Ricky Steamboat WrestleWar (05/07/89)
6. Terry Funk I Quit Match Clash of the Champions IX (11/15/89)
7. Royal Rumble (01/19/92)
8. Sting Undisputed World Title Unification Clash of the Champions XXVII (06/23/94)
The DVD will also feature:
*Debut match with the WWWF vs. Pete Sanchez 3/1/76
*A day in the life of the Four Horsemen
*Flair'd match with Triple H from 5.19.03 Raw with a post-show tribute that has never-been-seen before on TV
Plus all the promos & controversies surrounding his greatest matches against Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Barry Windham, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Terry Funk, Sting as well as his 1992 Royal Rumble victory.
BONUS: 6 hidden Easter eggs

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ULTIMATE RIC FLAIR COLLECTION 2003 - DVD Movie

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The Police - Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)"I blame the man holding his camera for all of my problems."
It's the final scene of "Everyone Stares" that kept running through my mind after seeing the film for the first time. This is not so much because of Sting's parting words as quoted above, but more the image itself, and how much more it seems to be telling us than what directly meets the eye. We see Andy and Sting, though Stewart's "eyes" via the camera lens, as they are all handcuffed to the railing of a precarious-looking staircase perched high above a city. The reasons for this unusual predicament are never quite explained, but it seems to make a telling statement about the band itself at that particular moment of time: cramped and trapped together at the top, and dangerously close to falling over the edge.
To those critics who have claimed that this film has no depth to it? I say that clearly, you simply weren't paying enough attention.
This film is not a strictly linear, fact-laden and/or impartial documentary. Neither is it the expose of "sex, drugs and rock and roll" (emphasis on sex and drugs) that some curiosity-seekers seemed determined it should have been and were disappointed that it wasn't. Instead, it is a fractured, personal collection of video "snapshots", capturing the small moments of life on the road as well as the absurdities and monotonies of becoming a rock star. For the well-versed Police fans, it is also a chance to experience the thrill of seeing events, concerts, and even photo-sessions from a perspective we've never seen before. It begins with a clever montage sequence of animated photographs as Stewart sets the scene with his narration, covering the early days of the band until he purchases his Super 8 camera, and suddenly the action really takes off, in more ways than one.
There is an interesting, dreamlike quality to the entire movie, which seems to come from the Super 8 footage itself: it is somewhat grainy, rendering every scene in a softer focus than we are used to on a big screen. As cars, boats, people, clouds and cities zoom by in time-lapse footage, and as stage lights blur past the camera when Stewart rushes on stage or struggles to get through crowds of fans, this sense of "unreality" slowly builds and at times it becomes almost dizzying. (It is also hard to believe that the Derangements were not written specifically for the soundtrack of this film, as they provide the perfect mixed-up/familiar-yet-different mood for everything we see, and the lyrics sometimes provide interesting and clever accents to the particular moments being shown.)
As for individual scenes themselves, I actually don't want to talk too much about my favorites, because a great deal of the enjoyment of them comes from being surprised by what you get to see, as well as the amusing little "subtitles" or comments Stewart adds to them. I think the first-time viewer is better off getting to experience that surprise for him or herself. Suffice to say the audience--particularly the avid Police fan--is likely to be incredibly amused and delighted at many moments, and wrapped up in the story overall as we get to experience it as if we were a member of the band ourselves.
While all seems to be fun and games at first, the cracks within the band slowly begin to start surfacing as the film progresses. It's presented with subtlety, not with in-your-face fights and screaming contests. It comes through more in small comments in Stewart's narration, as that "unreality" builds and we start to get the underlying sense that all is not as well as it might seem. The piles of money may be growing, but weariness and unease is settling in. The hotel rooms may be growing bigger, but they seem to have become more like prison cells than the familiar, cozy havens on the road they were years before. Indeed, it seems as though the band members have all become literally and figuratively handcuffed to that ivory tower, and as Stewart says near the end, it's time to break free from it all and really "learn what this life is all about."
In its own unique, quirky way, I'd say that "Everyone Stares" is just as revealing an autobiography as Sting's "Broken Music" was a few years ago. It's a piece of the Police story we've been missing, and as a fan, I have to say it makes me feel now that the story is complete in a way I didn't feet it was at all, three years ago after the Hall of Fame ceremony.
The DVD itself comes with some truly great extra features as well, most especially the audio commentary track by Copeland and Summers. Their comments and stories fill in the details of what we see on screen in the movie and make it all the more enjoyable on further viewing. Extra scenes include some humorous moments as well as a collection of "Live Shards", small sequences of live performances that didn't make the film but make for interesting viewing nevertheless.
A great film and a great DVD. All this fan could ask for!

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Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out, the directorial debut of five-time Grammy Award-winning composer and drummer Stewart Copeland, is a first-person account of The Police’s ascent from obscurity to worldwide fame as well as an astute and sometimes hilarious commentary on the pop culture of the late 1970s and early 1980s.Culled from over 50 hours of Super 8 movies he shot during the acclaimed trio’s heyday, the film offers an insider’s perspective on touring, the other band members and the adoring fans that puts the audience in the drummer’s seat. Copeland’s kinetic and artful camerawork forms a visual ode to the rhythm of the road: a surreal swirl of hotel rooms, bus rides, press conferences and record signings punctuated by nightly flashes of electrifying on-stage exhilaration.

Formed in 1977 and marked by Sting’s keening vocal style and driving bass, Copeland’s intricately syncopated Caribbean-influenced drumming and Andy Summers’ lush guitar harmonies and The Police delivered a bracing, sophisticated alternative to the head-banging punk rock of the day.Shortly after the release of their first album, Outlandos d’Amour, the band’s fresh sound caught fire with audiences in the U.S. and Europe. In a few short years, these 20-something rock virtuosos went from touring grungy clubs in a beat-up car to flying between arena gigs in a private plane. But despite the sudden, intoxicating and sometimes terrifying rush of fame, The Police remained a remarkably close-knit unit throughout the early 1980s, sustained by a rare musical compatibility, a shared sense of humor and the knowledge they had succeeded beyond their wildest dreams largely on their own terms.

Copeland’s breezy narration and onscreen annotations provide a wry, sometimes self-mocking perspective on the group’s high jinks, from a lip-syncing session on skis for an early music video to their later travels throughout the Third World. Edited with a percussionist’s precision timing and a composer’s ear for the inherent pulse of each scene, Copeland scores the film using a pastiche of de-constructed studio and live versions of The Police’s extensive and memorable repertoire.

"As soon as I raised the camera to my eye and started filming, amazing things began to happen," Copeland recalls. "A thrill ride began that took our group to the tippy-top of the music ziggurat.It was such an unreal experience that it seemed to make the most sense when I watched it through the lens of my camera.It was literally like watching a movie as the band sparked a fire that lit up the world for us.Everyone Stares is that movie."

Copeland is an award-winning film and television composer who has written scores for Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film Rumblefish, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination, Oliver Stone’s Wall Street and Talk Radio, John Hughes’ She’s Having a Baby, John Waters’ Pecker and Bruno Barretto’s Academy Award-nominated Four Days in September.His television credits include scores for Desperate Housewives, Dead Like Me, for which he received an Emmy nomination, and The Amanda Show.

He was recently nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Birds of Prey" from his 2005 CD Orchestralli. Copeland won five Grammys for his work with The Police.

Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out is directed, produced, written and edited by Stewart Copeland. He is also the film’s cinematographer, music editor and narrator.

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