The Blues Brothers/Blues Brothers 2000 [DVD]

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Blues Brothers double bill. In 'The Blues Brothers', brothers Jake and Elwood (John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd) have sold their souls to rhythm'n'blues, but still lend a hand when the church orphanage in which they were raised is threatened with closure. Resolving to stage a fund-raising gig with their old band, they have God on their side but everyone else against them. Packed with car chases, music and cameo appearances (including Ray Charles, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and John Lee Hooker). In 'Blues Brothers 2000', Elwood emerges from a long stretch in prison to find the world has changed: his partner Jake has gone, the band have broken up and the orphanage where he was raised has been demolished. However, meaning is brought back to his life when he embarks upon a mission to save the soul of a wayward youngster. The band must be reconvened, with the help of a new recruit (John Goodman), in order to compete at Queen Moussette's Battle of the Bands whilst avoiding the attentions of the . As in the first film there are cameos from a host of blues and soul musicians. From .co.uk ----------- The Blues Brothers: John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd--as "legendary" Chicago brothers Jake and Elwood Blues--brought their "Saturday Night Live" act to the big screen in this action-packed hit from 1980. As Jake and Elwood struggle to reunite their old band and save the Chicago orphanage where they were raised, they wreak enough good-natured havoc to attract the entire Cook County force. The result is a big-budget stunt-fest on a scale rarely attempted before or since, including extended car chases that result in the wanton destruction of shopping malls and more cars than you can count. Along the way there's plenty of music to punctuate the action, including performances by Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway and James Brown that are guaranteed to knock you out. Keep an eye out for Steven Spielberg as the city clerk who stamps some crucial paperwork near the end of the film. The Blues Brothers 2000: It's hard to ignore the sad and conspicuous absence of the late John Belushi, but this long-delayed sequel still has Dan Aykroyd to keep the music alive. Once again, Elwood's trying to reunite the original Blues Brothers Band, and this time he's got a strip-joint bartender (John Goodman) and a 10-year-old orphan named Buster (J Evan Bonifant) joining him at centre stage. It's a shameless clone of the first film, and nobody--especially not Aykroyd or director John Landis--seems to care that the story's not nearly as fun as the music. Of course there's a seemingly endless parade of stunts, including a non-stop pileup of cars that's hilariously absurd, but what really matters here--indeed, the movie's only saving grace--is the great line-up of legendary blues musicians. Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Junior Wells, Eric Clapton, BB King, Jonny Lang, Eddie Floyd and Blues Traveler are among the many special guests assembled for the film, and their stellar presence makes you wonder if the revived Blues Brothers shouldn't remain an obscure opening act. --Jeff Shannon, .com P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); From the Back Cover ------------------- After the release of Jake Blues ( John Belushi) from prison, he and brother Elwood ( Dan Akroyd) go to visit the orphange where they were raised by nuns. They learn that the church stopped its support and will sell the place unless the tax on the property is paid within 11 days. The brothers decide to raise the money by putting their blues band back together and staging a big gig. They may be on a mission from God but they're making enemies everywhere they go. Eighteen years after the Brothers' original mission from God, Elwood Blues ( Dan Akroyd) is getting out of prison and discovering that much has changed in the time he's been away. His partner, Jake, is gone, his band is no longer together and the orphanage where he grew up has been demolished. Elwood soon realises that he must embark on a whole new mission to assemble the old band, this time with the help of a soulful bartender ( John Goodman), compete at Queen Mousette's ( Erykah Badu) Battle of the Bands and set a wayward orphan named Buster on the path to redemption. See more ( javascript:void(0) )