Rating: 
Summary: A tremendous bargain
Review: This DVD is a tremendous bargain from the finished movie to all of the extra stuff. It will keep you amused and entertained for days. As a 53 yr old fan, I'm not the demographic that the guys are going for. However, I am always amazed at their creativity and diversity of all that they do. This movie is a real showcase for their talent.
Rating: 
Summary: Not to put too fine a point on it...
Review: This is a pretty good documentary about the two man band They Might Be Giants. I would by no means call it the "definitive" look at the group, but it is still interesting. It is sure to be of interest to fans of the band, but I am not really sure how non-fans will react to it. There are also plenty of bonus features, which will give TMBG fans hours of entertainment. All in all, this is a well put together DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Servicable rock doc made great by the format
Review: This review can be broken into two: the film, and the DVD. Positive and negative reviews of "Gigantic" stressed A.J. Schnack's uncritical look at the band, which worried me at first: the violins from "Kiss Me, Son of God" started playing in my head. Fortunately, that isn't a valid criticism of this film. Schnack loves his Giants, but it's not like rock documentaries, for all their preening and scowling ("The Filth and the Fury" immediately comes to mind), really get down to smashing icons. John Flansburgh and John Linnell, to their credit, don't take a Johnny Rotten plunge into ego and self-congratulation: whatever you think of their music, the Johns seem perfectly affable and modest about their particular niche in pop culture. Despite that, "Gigantic" as a film is flawed. TMBG's story of non-conformists not conforming is worth telling, but Schnack's narrative is extremely choppy. He starts in their childhood, shoots out to New York, spends an inordinate amount of time on "Don't Let's Start," skips "Lincoln" and barrels into Elektra, all in the space of a few breathless minutes. You feel like you've just landed on your head when the segment on "Flood" begins, and you wish you could hear more about the East Village Club scene of the 80s, or the recording of the first albums. The interviews aren't especially well-edited, either, and Ira Glass and Sarah Vowell (no slam on their other work) go on too long about the uniqueness of TMBG, which has already been established by the time they appear. The film is saved in part by Schnack's sense of humor: he does a killer parody of Ken Burns at one point in the film. The Johns themselves -- funny, creative and immensely likeable -- are the great grace of "Gigantic." As Robert Krulwich says, they're secure in their "somethingness," and you gradually grow to admire their hard work and stubborn refusal to bow to label or audience. What's left at the end is an imperfect but unusual music film, one with little conflict but an inspiring point about being yourself, keeping your head and following your muse, an accomplishment few other professional bands can claim. Once you plunge into the remainder of the disc, though, the failings of "Gigantic" are quickly forgotten. The DVD is terrific, and not simply because of the quantity of extras: there's plenty of stuff diehards will enjoy, from concert chatter to an appearance on Nick Rocks in the late 80s, as well as an amusing and generally insightful commentary from Flansburgh, Linnell, Schnack and Vowell. Other extras, though, make the band's case for greatness in ways "Gigantic" alone could not: five of Adam Bernstein's groundbreaking videos for the band are showcased, with introductions from Bernstein and the Johns themselves. There's also rare and exhilarating footage of the two-man band performing "Mr. Me" and "Hide Away Folk Family" in Milwaukee in the late 80s. And, in a rare and laudable bit of generosity from musician to musician, you get Cub's original "New York City," a great song in its own right that got better in the Johns' rearrangement. A number of DVDs will add extras willy-nilly with little thought toward advancing the viewer's understanding of the film. "Gigantic" not only illuminates the film, but strengthens its argument: the features ultimately enhance the movie's point on the Johns' greatness. It's rare to see a DVD flesh out a film so well, and it's a shame we don't see it more.
Rating:
Summary: The Review at the end of the tour...
Review: This was the best documentary I have ever seen.. I take that back.. this is not only the best documentary but the best movie I have ever seen! This is tied with Star Wars episode 4! Yeah, that good! It sheds light on to the secret history of John and John in an origional way. It also has countless hours of bonus stuff! If you hear only one song this year there's something terribly wrong with you, and if you don't see this movie, there's something else wrong with you... It even has a special place in the movie all about coffee! What more does a movie need?
Rating:
Summary: No "Might" about it, this is a great disc.
Review: Though not an "official" TMBG release in the strictest sense this documentary DVD is a great package of the band's history and makes a fine complement to the "Dial-A-Song" CD collection. The documentary itself provides a history and appreciation of the band while at the same time an homage of sorts to past rockumentaries (both "The Last Waltz" and "This Is Spinal Tap" come to mind, and even, strangely enough, "Woodstock"). It's also very similar in style to what you might expect from the Two Johns themselves, quirky tangents and all. The appreciations are well-woven into the history. The best part is that the history is by and large a friendly one. No drug breakdowns to record, no rise-and-fall Behind The Music scenario, and no bittersweet "where are they now" ending because the band is just as active now as ever. The mighty fine documentary is more than supplemented by the wealth of extra materials here. I don't have the "Direct From Brooklyn" DVD so there might be some overlap with some of the videos, but there are so many extra features things here that it's almost like the movie is the supplement, providing context for all the short clips. The historic early videos all receive proper introductions that are in the same style (same interviews) as the movie itself. There are rare TV appearances for Nickolodeon and the BBC. Concert footage filmed for the movie but not used in the movie is shown in full here. (Not the full concert, but 3 songs from it.) I could go through the list but you can see the list above and agree that there's a lot to see, and most of it is quite good. The reason for the 4 stars instead of five is that the sound and image on some of the archival stuff isn't that great. No surprise, given the age of some of the footage, or the low-budget conditions under which it was filmed. This goes for elements shot for the doc itself (the instore performances from Sep. 10 '01 for instance) as well as some of the ancient TV performances. Probably not much that could have been done about this, and it's not a disappointment but the defects are really noticeable on this DVD. Also the sound levels change from one clip to the next so that you might have to raise or lower the volume every few minutes while watching the bonus clips. But overall this is a great bargain. Although the documentary wasn't a Gigantic money maker, it's a great document of the band and hopefully in this form can spread the group's reknown and popularity a bit farther so that these guys can afford to keep making fun music.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been so much better
Review: What a documentary is supposed to do is give a respectful homage to the subject, give a clear thorough history, and make the unitiated instant converts to the subject. This just doesn't accomplish it -- not even close. The early material, the live footage, and the interviews with two Johns are interesting, but there is just too much blathering from people I've never heard of and the result is too disjointed, poorly edited, amateurish and painful -- even for a devoted TMBGer as myself. TMBG deserved much better and, unfortunately, this will be lasting tribute documentary to their legacy -- pathetic. Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Janeane Garafolo are the only noteworthy celebrities (sorry Paul Simon, you're still cool too) and they are relegated to reciting TMBG lyrics as poetry (for comedic purposes, no less). The comedy doesn't work. Heck, if you're going to try that, bring in master Shatner and he'll provide a Shakespearean delivery of "End of the Tour" that'll make your sides hurt! The rare extra clips are nice to have, but they don't make up for the real reason to buy this, the documentary. I would recommend this DVD only to hard core TMBG fans -- it will put the unitiated to sleep...no joke.
Rating:
Summary: Could have been so much better
Review: What a documentary is supposed to do is give a respectful homage to the subject, give a clear thorough history, and make the unitiated instant converts to the subject. This just doesn't accomplish it -- not even close. The early material, the live footage, and the interviews with two Johns are interesting, but there is just too much blathering from people I've never heard of and the result is too disjointed, poorly edited, amateurish and painful -- even for a devoted TMBGer as myself. TMBG deserved much better and, unfortunately, this will be lasting tribute documentary to their legacy -- pathetic. Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Janeane Garafolo are the only noteworthy celebrities (sorry Paul Simon, you're still cool too) and they are relegated to reciting TMBG lyrics as poetry (for comedic purposes, no less). The comedy doesn't work. Heck, if you're going to try that, bring in master Shatner and he'll provide a Shakespearean delivery of "End of the Tour" that'll make your sides hurt! The rare extra clips are nice to have, but they don't make up for the real reason to buy this, the documentary. I would recommend this DVD only to hard core TMBG fans -- it will put the unitiated to sleep...no joke.
Rating:
Summary: Maestro...I say, "RIGHT ON!"
Review: While I agree with one of the other reviewers that, "Schnack's narrative is extremely choppy,"...as a fan of TMBG this can be easily overlooked. I was left with the satisfaction of hearing the story of TMBG from John & John themselves. Even if you suspect you like TMBG, this is well worth the $$$. Good stuff, kids.
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