Based on the famous battle and stand off at...The Alamo... between the Texans and the Mexicans. Big budget, modern remake of the John Wayne version, with Billy Bob Thornton stepping into Davy Crockett's racoon hat.

It takes an aircraft-carrier of a release such as Live at the Beacon Theatre to remind us just how unique the Allman Brothers Band always was and still is. Traditionally a byword for down-home R&B/country blues-rock, the reality is that the band's gigantic sound is almost a musical form in itself. Make no mistake, the Allmans are still making big music, now with a two-guitar front line as well as their trademark two-drummer rhythm section (augmented these days with an additional percussionist), plus Gregg Allman's Hammond cutting through all of this like a serrated knife. The only anomaly is his voice, which has always had a strange, recessed quality, as though he sings without actually breathing. That said, his vocal style is a distinctive element of what the band's all about, so hey.

This release offers a massive set filmed in New York in March 2003 which is chock-full of things you'll need to hear (especially "Desdemona" and "Whipping Post"). The concert footage alone lasts about three hours and the whole thing is immaculately produced without detracting from the atmosphere of the event in any way. Never mind the ponytails, the Allmans give you the whole pony.

On the DVD: Live at the Beacon Theatre two-disc set has generous extras that turn what was already a good deal into a veritable bargain. The lengthy interview material gets off to a shaky start by focusing at embarrassing length on how much more sober and generally together the band is than it used to be, but when the apologies are over we get some genuine insights into both the personalities and the music involved. There's also behind-the-scenes and rehearsal footage (much of which is both funny and poignant) and a photo gallery. The DVD is in 4:3 aspect ratio and has stereo, Dolby 5.1 and DTS 5.1 sound options. --Roger Thomas

A mysterious, very old solicitor Mr. Blunden (Laurence Naismith) visits Mrs. Allen and her young children in her squalid&

The most successful public-television miniseries in American history, the 11-hour American Civil War defined what has since become known as the "Ken Burns approach"--voice-over narrators reading letters and documents dramatically and stating the writer's name at their conclusion, fresh live footage of places juxtaposed with still images (photographs, paintings, maps, prints), anecdotal interviews, and romantic musical scores taken from the era he depicts.

The American Civil War uses all of these devices to evoke atmosphere and resurrect an event that many knew only from stale history books. While Burns is a historian, a researcher, and a documentarian, he's above all a gifted storyteller, and it's his narrative powers that give this chronicle its beauty, overwhelming emotion, and devastating horror. Using the words of old letters, eloquently read by a variety of celebrities, the stories of historians like Shelby Foote and rare, stained photos, Burns allows us not only to learn and understand history, but also to feel and experience it. --Dave McCoy