The Blues Brothers: 25th Anniversary Edition

In what is arguably their greatest film together, writer/actor Dan Aykroyd and director John Landis create one of the most accomplished coups in movie musical history. 25 years later, The Blues Brothers is still an addictive array of sights and sounds that few other films have had the nerve to match. Aykroyd and John Belushi are the dynamic duo whose rhythm and blues-infused blood ties them closely together on their adventurous "mission from God." Amidst some of the most costly, elaborate and ludicrous car chase sequences ever captured on celluloid, Landis corrals a legendary cast of guest stars. It's amusing to hear the director discuss his frustration with the perception of his film. Landis is completely exasperated that a story featuring performances by Ray Charles, James Brown, John Lee Hooker, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway and the incredible Blues Brothers band is somehow not considered a musical. Most of the stellar band, including Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn, chime in with their recollections about being recruited for the band and their early interactions with Belushi. While hearing Belushi's widow Judy and brother James pay tribute to the late comedian is touching, Aykroyd's revised Blues Brothers show is a bit sad. Aykroyd's genius has withered irreparably in the past decade and his attempts to revisit the chemistry he shared with Belushi and the original band as a new live act are pathetic at best. With two versions of the original film included, however, even a crass, fifth tier Blues Brothers cannot sully the great iconoclastic significance of young Jake and Elwood Blues. Plus: "making of," cast and crew interviews, "Going Rounds," "Transposing the Music," "Remembering John," musical highlights. (Universal)