The Movie

(Intro same as Cribs: Hip-Hop edition)

Ain't nothin' like seeing the bling bling of the rich and famous, baby. Today, successful music artists have more money than should be legally allowed. Not that that's such a bad thing really, but it sure makes us po' middle class workers feel inadequate with our modest homes, dirty living rooms, and Honda Accords sittin' in the driveway. But it's the lavish lifestyles of the absurdly rich that peaks our curiosity. It allows us the opportunity to ask ourselves, what kind of place would I live in if I were rich beyond my wildest dreams? MTV Cribs answers this question from the music stars' point of view.

You just never know what you're going to see in a house featured on MTV Cribs. You might see an exotic indoor pool with Greek statures surrounding the perimeter. You might see a three-story house with it's own fully working see-through elevator. You might see a family room with more TV monitors than NASA's mission control room. You might see a home with a full-length indoor basketball court complete with wood floors. You might even see a lounge area that has its own stripper's pole! (You know, for those late nights when you just want to kick back, relax and enjoy the show) Like I said, you just never know.

Back when I used to watch MTV regularly, Cribs was my absolute favorite show. I've always loved looking at houses, and love looking at rich people's houses even more. So when a show came around that took the viewing audience into the personal dwelling of MTV's hottest music stars, pure magic was bound to happen. The MTV Cribs Collection is a series of DVD's that show us the best of MTV Cribs.

Cribs: Rock

MTV Cribs: Rock takes us to some of the strangest and most customized homes of today's wildest rock stars. These homes are highly customized to fit the personalities of their owners, which upon seeing them may frighten you just a bit, as was the case with Rob Zombies rather large house of horrors. You might also be surprised to see the elegantly decorated homes of two of the members of Blink 182. And you might be shocked at what kinky devices Tommy Lee has hanging in his wild bedroom.

We're taken to see the homes of Travis Barker of Blink 182, Jerry Cantrell, Fieldy, Mark Hoppus, Incubus, Tommy Lee, Iann Robinson, Rob Zombie, and Jacoby Shaddix. Every home had something unique and interesting about it.

Some of the highlights are: Incubus' secret hideaway "John Malkovich" room, Tommy Lee's breathtaking front yard garden and pool along with his freaky-deeky bedroom, Rob Zombie's stuffed polar bear from the original Adam's Family TV show, Fieldy's 14,000 sq. ft. 15-car garage, Mark Hoppus' elegant California home with stylish indoor/outdoor kitchen area, Travis Barker's collection of Cadillac cars and stunning backyard rock cliff, Jerry Cantrell's self-built Oklahoma cow ranch, Iann Robinson's personal toy figurine collection, and Jacoby Shaddix's special "lunatic room" where he mixes all of his vocals.

As a whole, I found the Hip-Hop edition to be more entertaining, but this edition had its memorable moments too. After seeing some of these guys' homes, you'll begin to wonder what the heck goes on at these guy's after-hours parties? In the case of Tommy Lee, you'll wonder what wild things his lady friends do when the music gets loud, and the booze starts a flowin'. Crazy stuff.


The DVD

Video:
(Same as Cribs: Hip-Hop)

Cribs: Rock is presented in 1.33:1 full screen. This is pretty much an awful looking DVD. The picture is pixilated, jaggy, and slightly blurry. This is one television release that can at times look much worse than it did when it originally aired on MTV. Given the content, I'm not heartbroken over this transfer, as it isn't imperative for it to look stellar, but some of the scenes look so bad, I think to myself that a much better job should have been done. If all the MTV Collection DVD's look this bad, some letters may have to start pouring in to the studios' headquarters demanding a higher quality product.

Audio:
(Same as Cribs: Hip-Hop)

Cribs: Rock comes with a standard Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track. The audio is the biggest bright spot for this DVD. Despite having a 2.0 track the rear surrounds light up often creating a cozy musical atmosphere. The audio clear, and dialogue is easy to decipher, with the exception of the audio commentary track, which can be hard to hear at times. Nothing special here, but nothing detrimental either.

Extras:
After listening to the extremely entertaining audio commentary on the Cribs: Hip-Hop edition, I was very excited to experience the same with the Rock edition. But when I perused the special features section of this disc, there was not audio commentary offered, just an "extra crib" episode of Jacoby Shaddix's home. I did like this segment mainly because Jacoby is so likeable and appreciative of all he has earned, but I really wanted to listen to another commentary. I don't see why they didn't include another commentary with this release. I feel gypped.


Final Thoughts:
MTV Cribs: Rock was interesting to watch, especially the homes of Tommy Lee, Travis Barker, and Rob Zombie, but it didn't leave as lasting of an impression like the Hip-Hop edition did. And without the wonderful audio commentary to supplement this package, the entertainment factor drops dramatically. If you want to buy only one of these two sets, skip this one and go right to the Hip-Hop edition. Rent It