My Blu Ray Pick For 9/26: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

I love Shout Factory! This dvd and blu ray distribution company is like Criterion's less snooty cousin. Shout will put out classics like Criterion, but they aren't above putting out some trash tastic gems as well. Such as today's pick, 1978's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Based off of the popular Beatles album, Sgt. Pepper's tells the story of a band who set out for fame and fortune. When they return to their beloved hometown, Heartland, they find that their magical musical instruments have been stolen by the evil Mr. Mustard, Frankie Howerd, which puts the town a dark state. The four fresh fellows set out to get back the instruments and save their community.

On paper, this probably seemed like a hit. Tie together some of The Beatles' most popular numbers into a story and cast some of the biggest names in music at that time to perform them. This probably seemed like a no brainer to producer Robert Stigwood, who was still riding on the success of Saturday Night Fever and Grease. He even cast the Bee Gee's, who helped turn the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack into a platinum seller, as the leads. Rounding out the foursome was Peter Frampton, who also had a huge album at the time with Frampton Comes Alive. The guys do an ok job covering the classics, but their acting is a bit stiff. Other big music stars at the time, like Alice Cooper, Areosmith, Earth, Wind, And Fire, and Billy Preston pop up in cameo's, as do non musicians like Donald Pleasance, George Burns, and Steve Martin, who pretty much steals the show with his performance of Maxwell Silver's Golden Hammer.

Is Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band a good movie? Not really, but it has an oddball charm that sucks me in everytime I see it.