All or Nothing at All: Best $20 Ever Spent

I mentioned in an earlier post how I was pleased as punch at whatever I receive for Christmas.  It's true. I used to ask for DVDs and Blu-ray's but the number of places with gigantic selections has dwindled considerably. I don't even bother to ask anymore, it's not a simple purchase.  I'm not sending my sainted mother all over creation to find something that probably isn't stocked in the big box stores to begin with.

Thankfully, the simplicity of the gift card  is the gift that keeps on giving. I can order items online without having to send out a search party.   My tastes run towards the classic, the quirky, the documentarian, and not the latest comic book-derived CGI fest. If I have to have titles shipped to me, so be it.

in the middle of last year, I saw Alex Gibney's four-hour, two-night bio-documentary on Frank Sinatra. Gibney's the gutsiest guy in Hollywood, taking on all of Scientology with his film Going Clear. One week after that controversial doc premiered, Alex unveiled All or Nothing at All.  If you're going to go, go bold.

This documentary was five years in the making. Unlike the Scientology profile, Alex and his producer Frank Marshall – yes,  George Lucas's producer - approached the Sinatra family for cooperation, most notably Nancy and Tina, and received it in full. Included for the first time was footage of the 1971 retirement concert in full stereo.

Naturally, I had to have a pristine copy of this feature.  Blu-ray set. Only $20. Best I ever spent.