Rating: 
Summary: Shark Sandwich
Review: Where would this movie be without the actors?? I love this movie because the characters are just so stupid! The story is a "rockumentary" of the group Spinal Tap. They go through hilarious circumstances while making fools of themselves. I just want to know one thing, what day did God create Spinal Tap, and why didn't he rest on that day too?? (You'll get it when you see the movie.) Things I learned from Spinal Tap: When you play a guitar with a violin bow, it sounds terrible.
Rating:
Summary: A Cinematic Triumph
Review: Nigel Tufnel, (clearly the brains behind Tap, since without him the band can only muster a "cozy" 10 minutes of material,) serves as idiot savant in this free form jazz exploration. When deconstructing the sublime ennui of the band as they amble through North America's more selective auditoriums, one notes an existential transition in their perspective (often too much perspective.) From their other-worldy travels during the Flower People period to their joint festival appearance with a puppet show, Spinal Tap demonstrates the resiliance that defines the human spirit. Tufnel, in particular, is driven with a desire to always go one louder, with his amplifyer, his solos, and his backstage culinary demands. I for one was particularly moved when Nige tells David, "do a good show,a'right?" after informing the band that Sex Farm was climbing the charts in Japan. In that moment we see the transformation of the Id to the Superego, the lifting of priorites from just performing Tonight I'm Gonna Rock Ya (Tonight) to preserving their enduring friendship. I found Tap to be a moving tribute to near-competance amidst a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry.
Rating: 
Summary: not funny
Review: My best friend recommended this to me as the funniest movie ever. He said It would make me laugh. We ususally have the same sense of morbid humor, however I did not laugh once, I thought it was the dumbest movie I had seen in awhile. very dry humor, jay leno / carson jokes, not even close to funny or entertaining. My comedy recommendations: Friday, next friday, me myself and irene, scary movie...trying to think...anyway, you get the point, you were warned!
Rating:
Summary: Spinal Tap DVD Leaves More Questions than it Answers
Review: Why was Sir Denis Eaton-Hogg knighted? Why can't you dust for vomit? Why must Nigel continually fold the small ryes until there is nothing left but crumbs? This superficial "rockumentary" (a term that is more stupid than clever) leaves many a stone(henge) unturned as it continually fails to delve deep enough. A film that should have been portrayed as a deep psychological drama gives up and ends up playing everything for laughs. The how and why Sir Denis became knighted, could make for its own mini series on the BBC. This question not only isn't answered, it isn't even raised! Maybe you can't dust for vomit, but certainly DNA testing could prove whose vomit it is. Any by examining the contents of the purged material, perhaps, something could be learned about its owner. For example, if vegemite particles appear under the microscope, maybe the originator of the waste was Australian? Perhaps, most disturbing is the fact that Nigel's obvious obsessive compulsive disorder, goes unrecognized and untreated. It was so disturbing to watch him crumble the rye bread into oblivion backstage that I could barely watch. Nigel's mental problems could have been documented by narrator Marti Dibergi in a way not seen on film since "Sybil". Instead, this scene, like many others is played for laughs. Nigel doesn't require bigger slices of bread because he is a pampered aging has-been rocker. He requires it because he has a disease, one that often went unrecognized and untreated in 1984. Nigel's mental fraily is witnessed a second time in the scene where he insists that his amplifier is louder just because "it goes to eleven". Such auditory hallucinations are common in pscyotic individuals. In summary, Tap raises more questions than it answers, and it answers very few. DiBergi fails time and again to ask insightful questions and not surprising, receives dim witted answers. Unfortunately Tap crumbles like a Nigel prepared Sh-t Sandwich.
Rating:
Summary: This DVD goes to 11!
Review: After years of waiting, This Is Spinal Tap is finally released on DVD (replacing the deleted Criterion Edition), with all the bells and whistles one expects from this format. First off, you get the film, remixed with far superior picture and sound quality. All the sounds, all the smells, are there for you to enjoy. And as for the film, what is there left to say? It is a brilliant look at what passed for rock n roll, circa 1984, without being condescending. This is a film a fan of heavy metal could enjoy equally as much as someone who felt that this was just a passing fad. The disc is great because you also get a great (albeit short) introduction by Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner, completly in character), as well as great trailers for the film (lookout for the "cheese festival" bit-it's a hoot). Also, David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel, and Derek Smalls (Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer, also in character) contribute a wonderful commentary track that is just as funny as the film (it turns out that Spinal Tap HATE the film-it makes them look too stupid). As if that weren't enough, you also get over an hour of deleted scenes, edited together to give you a completely alternate film. The only thing missing are the opening/closing credits. Plus, all the music videos shot for the film, and a very funny TV appearence (from the Joe Franklin Show, who doesn't seem to be in on the joke). All this on one disc! A great film, and a great DVD. Tap into "Tap"!
Rating: 
Summary: Yeah, This is Spinal Tap!
Review: Hesitate no further, this is a must-have DVD! You get all the info you could want about the Loudest Band, including loads of outtakes you wish could have made the movie. I deduct one star because they didn't include the commentary with the director and actors from the Criterion DVD, which is no longer in print, and very hard to get for the new fan who didn't have the foresight to buy it when it was available. This is one of the funniest movies ever made, with satisfying extras, and needs to be in your collection!
Rating:
Summary: It's a Very Fine Line, Indeed!
Review: The words of David St. Hubbins ("It's such a fine line between clever and stupid") could be applied in many ways to this film. Rob Reiner and the rest of the cast, McKean, Guest, and Shearer, walk a very fine line between silly and extremely clever. Fortunately, they almost get it perfect. But an even more interesting line is the one between parody and reality. I have seen real 'rockumentaries' that are almost as self-important, dim, and pretentious as this one. Part of the brilliance of this film is that it could almost be taken seriously. Almost. It is amazing to watch this and see the other people who show up in the backbround (or briefly in the foreground) of the rather impressive cast. It includes Fran Drescher, Patrick MacNee, Dana Carvey, Billy Crystal, Bruno Kirby, Howard Hessman, Angelica Huston, and Fred Willard. This is truly a comic gem that invented its own genre as a 'mockumentary.'
Rating:
Summary: A Mockumentary worthy of the Hall of Fame
Review: If I could, I would give this movie 11 stars. Meathead Rob Reiner plays a rock journalist documenting a mid-80's (when the movie was made) British rock band, Spinal Tap. This movie has non-stop comedy: the bass player stuck in the chamber, lost in Cleveland, the metal detector at the airport, just to name a few.
Rating:
Summary: The mockumentary that really got the genre rolling
Review: When I read the last guys review from Feb 25th which gives "Spinal Tap" 1 star and complains that they should have picked another band to follow around, it only makes me laugh harder. THAT'S THE POINT. Spinal Tap makes true fun out of the often mundane documentaries that seem to be all over the place now. The fact that some don't get the idea that it's fake all but adds to the amazing job of the director and actors in the improv-heavy film. It certainly gave the push Chris Guest needed to make other great mockumentaries like "Waiting for Guffman" or his recent "Best in Show." I highly suggest that anyone who has seen either of the previously mentioned films check out "This is Spinal Tap." It will give you a better view of how the pacing of dialogue, editing, and refusing to turn the camera "off" can create brilliant comedy. The DVD is packed with loads of extra features, and visual/sound quality does show improvement, but to clean it up too much would take away from the style of the film. It's meant to not sound JUST right (or look it for that matter). If you just feel that you can't make the jump yet to this film, start with Best in Show then work your way back to the more obscure. You'll thank everyone who has written reviews here later.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Comedy
Review: Christopher Guest is a comic genius. If you haven't seen any of his satirical, psuedo-documentary films and you want a starting place, This Is Spinal Tap is where to begin. The cast is perfect. Every character is strategically placed to spoof a particular element of the rock industry. Spinal Tap is like a perfect, feature length, Saturday Night Live skit. Any fan of this type of comedy, or of Christopher Guest will love this classic film. Also check out Waiting For Guffman, and Best In Show, both by Guest. Pure comedy.
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