Absolute Beginners

Eight internet-obsessed people meet in a church basement and lock their phones in a box. They follow the octet as they struggle with digital dependency, charting their compulsions using only the analog vibrancy of their own voices.

Can scandalous art still serve God? Does suffering precede all greatness? Can illness be a blessing? In 1950, writer Flannery O'Connor visits her mother Regina in Georgia when she is diagnosed with lupus at twenty-four years old. Struggling with the same disease that took her father’s life when she was a child and desperate to make her mark as a great writer, this crisis pitches her imagination into a feverish exploration of belief.

Jane is a nice girl and has had her eyes on a young man who seems more interested in his hand-built car than in Jane. She decides to shed her "nice girl" image when an associate of her father comes to town on his way to study Australian Aboriginal tribes.

Recorded live in May of 2004 at the Olympia in Sao Paulo. Features new songs along with some of their greatest hits.

The residents of a dormitory led by Bu Siti each have their own personal issues. Tari, a dance student, falls in love with a man old enough to be her father. Rahimah, a medical student, is about to be forced into marriage in her village but is rescued by Nasrul. Maria, a flight attendant, gets entangled in a love quadrangle. She is loved by Imansyah, a co-pilot, but Maria is more attracted to Broto, a wealthy merchant. However, Broto himself is more interested in Sita, a dance instructor. Additionally, two teenagers, Ani and Ina, are placed under Bu Siti's care because their parents are preoccupied with politics. All these problems are resolved in a comedic manner.

Acústico MTV spans Gal Costa's career very thoroughly. What is very different here is the presentation of the material. Backed up by a lush orchestra (the Petrobrás Pró Música Orchestra), some of Gal's old hits have a beautiful new sound. Even some of her early songs, such as "Baby" and "Não Identificado," are more subdued. As a whole, the CD does show a more mature and secure performer. As added bonuses, Gal invites a few guests to sing with her. Having introduced Luiz Melodia to Brazil, Gal brings him back in "Pérola Negra," one great moment in the CD. Continuing the list of guests, Gal then introduces a new name in 1997: Zeca Baleiro. Their duet in "A Flor da Pele" is hauntingly beautiful and the most beautiful track in Acústico MTV. Targeting the younger MTV crowd, two names from Brazilian rock lend their voices in two additional duets.

This performance by Gilberto Gil was recorded live at Estúdio Frame in São Paulo on January 18, 1994, as part of the MTV Unplugged series. It was originally broadcast on MTV later that year and released in 1994 on CD, LP and cassette. In 2001, the concert was also issued on home video DVD. The set featured songs such as "A novidade", "Drão", "Expresso 2222", "Aquele abraço", "Palco" and "Tempo Rei". Gil (vocals and acoustic guitar) was accompanied by Arthur Maia (acoustic bass guitar and double bass), Jorginho Gomes (drums and mandolin), Celso Fonseca (acoustic guitar), Marcos Suzano (percussion) and Lucas Santtana (flute).

After the Civil War, Confederate soldiers Clint and Vance Reno steal a Union payroll, leading to conflict when the younger marries the woman his older brother loves.

A farmer opposes his daughter marrying a young music teacher (who a visitor from town also has eyes on) and prefers she marry a rich shopkeeper.The drama culminates with a fire in a barn where the touring Vienna Boys Choir are rehearsing.

A three-part anthology about love and sexuality: a menage-a-trois between a couple and a young woman on the coast of Tuscany; an advertising executive under enormous pressure at work, who, during visits to his psychiatrist, is pulled to delve into the possible reasons why his stress seems to manifest itself in a recurring erotic dream; a story of unrequited love about a beautiful, 1960s high-end call girl in an impossible affair with her young tailor.

Based on the 1973 rock opera album of the same name by The Who, this is the story of 60s teenager Jimmy. At work he slaves in a dead-end job. While after, he shops for tailored suits and rides his scooter as part of the London Mod scene.

Has-been singing idol John Norman Howard falls in love with young, up-and-coming songstress Esther Hoffman in Frank Pierson's version of the classic love story updated to the rock and roll era.

The lives and romances of three sisters in a musical family; the youngest daughter's life is complicated by the subsequent arrival of a charming composer and a cynical music arranger.

A down-on-his-luck coach is hired to prepare a team of the best American dancers for an international tournament that attracts all the best crews from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years.

The story of Patsy Cline, the velvet-voiced country music singer who died in a tragic plane crash at the height of her fame.

During the Great Depression, a sheet music salesman seeks to escape his dreary life through popular music and a love affair with an innocent schoolteacher.

Street dancer Skyler comes out of the shadow of her trained dancer sister, Tosha, & joins a dance competition with the Honey dance studio; the prize is a college scholarship.

A victim of his own anger, the Kid is a Minneapolis musician on the rise with his band, the Revolution, escaping a tumultuous home life through music. While trying to avoid making the same mistakes as his truculent father, the Kid navigates the club scene and a rocky relationship with a captivating singer, Apollonia. But another musician, Morris, looks to steal the Kid's spotlight -- and his girl.

The story of Elton John's life, from his years as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music through his influential and enduring musical partnership with Bernie Taupin.

A rising but troubled musician searches for the inspiration to record one last song, pushing himself deep into the void.