October 1, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, III & IV • Page 23 ‘Motown 25’ concert features iconic performances by Dennis Seuling “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever” (Star Vista) is a three-disc DVD containing performances from the May 16, 1983 NBC- TV special celebrating the artists who rose to fame recording for Motown Records and made the label a formidable force in pop music. Taped before a live audi- ence, the event showcases virtually every Motown artist from the company’s incep- tion, including Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, The Supremes, The Jackson 5, The Miracles, The Temptations, Four Tops, and many others. Also featured are sev- eral artists outside the Motown family who were influenced by Motown performers, including Linda Ronstadt, who performs a duet with Smokey Robinson; Billy Dee Williams; and José Feliciano. The evening was hosted by Richard Pryor, one of the hottest comedians in the world at the time. The concert provided the backstory for the Tony-nominated musical, “Motown: The Musical.” Clearly the highlight is Michael Jackson, whose “Thriller” album was breaking sales records. Since he was recording for another label at the time, it was never certain he would appear to pay homage to the label that launched his career, but there he was, with his brothers, reprising some of The Jackson 5’s hits. It was Jackson’s solo per- formance of “Billie Jean” and what would become his trademark moonwalk, however, that brought down the house and presented to the world the adult Jackson strutting his stuff. The concert also included a Temptations/ Four Tops “battle of the bands,” Marvin Michael Jackson performs ‘Billie Jean’ on the ‘Motown 25’ TV special. Gaye’s speech about black music history and his performance of “What’s Going On,” and an abbreviated reunion of Diana Ross and The Supremes, who performed their final Number 1 hit, “Someday We’ll Be Together.” Other featured perform- ers include Stevie Wonder, The Miracles, Lionel Ritchie, The Commodores, Martha Reeves, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and The Marvelettes. The six hours of extras include four featurettes, six interviews with key production members and performers, Marvin Gaye rehearsal footage, and round table discussions with Smokey Robinson, Otis Williams (The Temptations), and Duke Fakir (Four Tops). There is also a six-disc deluxe edition containing nine featurettes, additional interviews, a copy of the original “Motown 25” program, a 48-page collector’s booklet containing information about the show and artists, production materials, and never- before-seen photos from the production. “Chef” (Universal), written, produced, and directed by Jon Favreau -- who is also the film’s star -- will definitely have view- ers craving a tasty snack, if not an entire seven-course meal. Carl Casper (Favreau) is a professionally frustrated Los Angeles chef navigating a complex relationship with his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara) who treats their preteen son, Percy (Emjay Anthony), as an inconvenience. Carl works for Riva (Dustin Hoffman), an arrogant, condescending res- taurant owner, and dreams of having his own dishes on the menu. He is prompted by sous chef Tony (Bobby Cannavale), line cook Martin (John Leguizamo), and on- and-off girlfriend Molly (Scarlet Johansson) to go out on his own. Eventually, a situation with a renowned food critic leads to Carl and his coworkers to venture into a whole new enterprise with freedom to innovate. This small film is miles apart from Favreau’s “Iron Man” pictures and his sci- fi shoot ‘em up, “Cowboys and Aliens.” It benefits from outstanding ensemble work from a terrific cast and a lighter-than-air touch. Bonuses on the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack include deleted scenes and feature commentary with Favreau. “Transformers: Age of Extinction” (Par- amount), the fourth-biggest money maker of summer 2014, continues the popular Michael Bay franchise. Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), a single Texas father, is raising his teenage daughter Tessa (Nicole Peltz) and trying to keep his home out of foreclo- sure. He has a makeshift robotics business running out of his barn, but the economy has hit him pretty hard. The government is out to round up all remaining Transform- ers and destroy them after Chicago was left in ruins in the previous installment, “Dark of the Moon.” It turns out that the damaged Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, is actually a beat-up truck bought by Cade. This makes Cade a target, and lots of chases, near-death incidents, and chaos ensue. Though the cast includes strong perfor- mances by Kelsey Grammar, Titus Welliver, (continued on Crossword page)