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Accepted

Accepted

Starring: Justin Long, Jonah Hill, Adam Herschman, Columbus Short, Maria Thayer, Lewis Black, Blake Lively, Mark Derwin, Ann Cusack, Hannah Marks, Robin Lord Taylor, Diora Baird, Joe Hursley, Jeremy Howard, Anthony Heald, Travis Van Winkle, Kaitlin Doubleday, Sam Horrigan, Ross Patterson, Artie Baxter, Kellan Lutz, Brendan Miller, Chantelle Tibbs, Christian Long, York Fryer, Skyler Stone, Jimmy Leung, Shaun Reyes, Matt Noble, Lisa Gleave, Alejandra Gutierrez, Jim O'Heir, Darcy Shean, Jay Harik, Mathew Vigil, Debbon Ayer, Carla Jimenez, Ned Schmidtke, Tim Bagley, Ray Santiago, Margaret Travolta, Brian Powell, Mike Daily, Jeff Duby, Scott Adsit, Lindy Loundagin, Steven E. Little, Ethan Hova, Paraic McGann, Arthur Leo, Criscilla Crossland, Larke Hasstedt, Holly Fielding, Meredith Giangrande, Kate French, Christina Diaz, Zoe Di Stefano, David Carmon, Armen Weitzman, Christopher Khai, Stephanie St. Hilaire, Shameka Banks, Nicholas Garren, Louie Heredia, Matthew St. Clair, Jamie Leffler, Nina Nam, Wendy Waller, Ronnie Lewis Jr., Matthew Ching, Richard Brown, Miylika Davis, Laurie Meghan Phelps, Portis Hershey, Joseph Robinson, Jaime Seibert, Joseph Stiteler, Greg Lutzka, Chad Fernandez, Richard Thorne, Mathias Ringstrom, Ben Snowden, Mike Crum, Kurtis Colamonico, Jason Jones
Director: Steve Pink

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:33

Color Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound

Editorial Reviews - Accepted

All Movie Guide
When the weight of rejection begins to set in after being denied entry to every college he has applied to, a high school burnout attempts to placate his mom and dad and win the heart of his dream girl by scheming with his friends to create a fake university in a hilarious comedy of artificial education directed by Steve Pink and starring Justin Long. Bartleby "B" Gaines (Long) is a high school senior whose street smarts just never seemed to translate into the classroom, and whose bad luck in love has left him pining for the unattainable Monica (Blake Lively). When Bartleby and his rebellious crew of outcasts find the frequent college rejection letters they have all been receiving bringing endless grief from their disappointed parents, they soon band together to create the fictional South Harmon Institute of Technology. After creating a believable façade in an abandoned psychiatric hospital, employing the talents of a close friend's brilliantly subversive uncle (Lewis Black) to pose as the dean, and creating a phony website in order to sell the school to their parents, Bartleby and friends soon realize that all of their hard work has paid off in ways than they never imagined. With a variety of college rejects attempting to enroll in classes at the ersatz university and the skepticism of some privileged students from a nearby college drawing unwanted attention to the South Harmon Institute of Technology, Bartleby and friends find their ruse becoming ever more difficult to maintain. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Air Force One

Air Force One

Starring: Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close, Wendy Crewson, Paul Guilfoyle, William H. Macy, Dean Stockwell, Liesel Matthews, Xander Berkeley, Bill Smitrovich, Elya Baskin, David Vadim, Tom Everett, Spencer Garrett, Philip Baker Hall, Donna Bullock, David Gianopoulos, Don McManus, Glenn Morshower, Jürgen Prochnow, Mario Roberts
Director: Wolfgang Petersen

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:04

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Editorial Reviews - Air Force One

All Movie Guide
In this action drama, Harrison Ford plays James Marshall, a onetime combat hero in the Vietnam War who is now President of the United States. While visiting the former Soviet Union, Marshall gives a speech in which he supports a get-tough attitude against both terrorists and a right-wing general and war criminal from Kazakhstan imprisoned in Moscow, earning him few friends in the Eastern Bloc. While flying back to the United States aboard Air Force One, Marshall and his staff discover that one of the journalists returning with them is actually Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman), a Kazakhstani terrorist, who hijacks the plane with three associates and holds the president hostage -- with his wife and daughter on board. Marshall must use his strength and intelligence to keep the terrorists at bay and devise a plan to allow his family to escape to safety, while on the ground the vice-president (Glenn Close), the secretary of defense (Dean Stockwell), and the attorney general (Philip Baker Hall) grapple over what to do and how much control to take in this crisis. Slam-bang action sequences and plot twists fly fast and furious in this nail-biter from director Wolfgang Petersen, who previously generated suspense under water (rather than in the air) with Das Boot. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

American Flyers

American Flyers

Starring: Rae Dawn Chong, Kevin Costner, David Marshall Grant, Alexandra Paul, Janice Rule, Luca Bercovici, Robert Townsend, Bobby Anderson, Robert Anderson, Gregg Hayden Bilson II, Christine Blackwell, Peter Boyles, Steven Burch, John J. Caraccioli, Cathy Carr, Martin Chenoweth, Brian Drebber, Jim Flanagin, Sig Frohlich, John Garber, Jennifer Grey, Michael Harshberger, Barbara Hinchcliffe, Debbie James, Doi Johnson, Judy Jordan, Katherine Kriss, Tom Lawrence, Craig Manning, Eddy Merckx, Jessica Nelson, Brad Peterman, Jan Speck, Kate Sullivan, James Terry, Greg Walker, Christopher Ziesmer
Director: John Badham

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Drama - General
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:53

Color Dolby Digital

Editorial Reviews - American Flyers

All Movie Guide
It takes a fierce three-day bicycle race up in the mountains to reunite two formerly feuding brothers in this film written by Steve Tesich, the creator of another cycle movie, 1979's Breaking Away. This film will please the cycling lovers out there, as it includes actual footage taken from the famous Coors International Bicycle Classic, held in the Colorado Rockies. The plot revolves around the suspicion that one of the two brothers -- either the pragmatic sports doctor Marcus (Kevin Costner) or the impudent, driven David (David Marshall Grant) -- is likely afflicted with an inherited tendency toward cerebral aneurysms. ~ All Movie Guide

American Graffiti

American Graffiti

Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Scott Beach, Jana Bellan, Jim Bohan, John Bracci, John Brent, Debbie Celiz, Del Close, James Cranna, Tim Crowley, Charles Dorsett, Jan Dunn, Flash Cadillac & the Continental, Beau Gentry, Ed Greenberg, Harrison Ford, Herby and the Heartbeats, Bo Hopkins, Wolfman Jack, Terry McGovern, George Meyer, Joseph Miksak, Charles A. Murphy, Al Nalbandian, William M. Niven, Manuel Padilla, MacKenzie Phillips, Christopher Pray, Kathleen Quinlan, Susan Richardson, Debra Scott, Suzanne Somers, Joe Spano, Lynne Stewart, Ron Vincent, Johnny Weissmuller Jr., Jan Wilson
Director: George Lucas

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Period Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:52

Color Dolby Digital Stereo

Editorial Reviews - American Graffiti

Barnes & Noble
Before jetting across the universe in Star Wars, George Lucas set his sights on mapping a more modest locale: American Graffiti follows four friends on the streets of Modesto, California one late summer night in 1962. With DJ Wolfman Jack (as himself) spinning rock 'n' roll classics (he's almost like a Greek chorus), the tunes blare from the hot rods cruising the main strip and set the tone for the evening's misadventures. Curt (Richard Dreyfuss) and his best friend Steve (Ron Howard) are about to leave for college in the east, but Curt's having a change of heart -- and searching for a blonde in a white Thunderbird (Suzanne Somers) -- while Steve and his girlfriend Laurie (Cindy Williams) try to say goodbye for the year. John Milner (Paul Le Mat), the aging king of the strip in his neon yellow hot rod, is unwittingly shackled with annoying street urchin Carol (Mackenzie Philips) and dogged by eager street racer Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford). Compared to Lucas's Star Wars trilogy -- to a degree, the protracted coming-of-age tale of Luke Skywalker -- American Graffiti exists much more within the moment. It savors youth's bittersweet last fandango, when looming maturity seems to make each moment more precious than the last. Matthew Johnson

All Movie Guide
It's the last night of summer 1962, and the teenagers of Modesto, California, want to have some fun before adult responsibilities close in. Among them are Steve (Ron Howard) and Curt (Richard Dreyfuss), college-bound with mixed feelings about leaving home; nerdy Terry "The Toad" (Charles Martin Smith), who scores a dream date with blonde Debbie (Candy Clark); and John (Paul Le Mat ), a 22-year-old drag racer who wonders how much longer he can stay champion and how he got stuck with 13-year-old Carol (Mackenzie Phillips) in his deuce coupe. As D. J. Wolfman Jack spins 41 vintage tunes on the radio throughout the night, Steve ponders a future with girlfriend Laurie (Cindy Williams), Curt chases a mystery blonde, Terry tries to act cool, and Paul prepares for a race against Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford), but nothing can stop the next day from coming, and with it the vastly different future ushered in by the 1960s. Fresh off The Godfather (1972), producer Francis Ford Coppola had the clout to get his friend George Lucas's project made, but only for $750,000 on a 28-day shooting schedule. Despite technical obstacles, and having to shoot at night, cinematographer Haskell Wexler gave the film the neon-lit aura that Lucas wanted, evoking the authentic look of a suburban strip to go with the authentic sound of rock-n-roll. Universal, which wanted to call the film Another Slow Night in Modesto, thought it was unreleasable. But Lucas' period detail, co-writers Willard Huyck's and Gloria Katz's realistic dialogue, and the film's nostalgia for the pre-Vietnam years apparently appealed to a 1973 audience embroiled in cultural chaos: American Graffiti became the third most popular movie of 1973 (after The Exorcist and The Sting), establishing the reputations of Lucas (whose next film would be Star Wars) and his young cast, and furthering the onset of soundtrack-driven, youth-oriented movies. Although the film helped spark 1970s nostalgia for the 1950s, nothing else would capture the flavor of the era with the same humorous candor and latent sense of foreboding. Lucia Bozzola

Anchorman - The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Anchorman - The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Starring: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell, Fred Armisen, Chuck D, Kevin Corrigan, Dave Allen, Chad Everett, Kathryn Hahn, Justin Long, Seth Rogen, Stephen Root, Maya Rudolph, Tara Subkoff, Vince Vaughn, Chris Williams
Director: Adam McKay

Certification: NR
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:38

Color Dolby Digital Stereo

Editorial Reviews - Anchorman - The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Barnes & Noble
To some people, Will Ferrell remains an acquired taste: Success in skit-comedy TV shows doesn't necessarily guarantee big-screen stardom. There are those who believe Ferrell is strictly a supporting actor and not a leading man, Elf notwithstanding. Anchorman -- one of 2004's goofiest and most entertaining comedies -- soundly refutes that notion. Set in the 1970s, when women's liberation and the sexual revolution turned the culture topsy-turvy, Anchorman chronicles the misadventures of Ron Burgundy (guess who), a clueless, misogynistic TV newsreader. Ron is the toast of San Diego, adored by women and admired by men, his Neanderthal attitudes notwithstanding. But he's about to get real competition from an ambitious female reporter (Christina Applegate) determined to become the station's first woman anchor -- even if it means undermining Burgundy by means both fair and foul. Anchorman would not have been such a giddy delight had writer/director Adam McKay (head writer on Saturday Night Live during Ferrell's tenure there) simply fallen back on tired battle-of-the-sexes tropes. In fact, the film's best bits involve comedy that verges on the absurd. Ferrell's Burgundy is a walking caricature, although he seems practically normal compared to the bizarre yes-men played by Paul Rudd, David Koechner, and especially Steve Carell, who is sidesplitting as dim-bulb weatherman Brick Tamland. Vince Vaughn adds to the general hilarity as a competing channel's anchor, while Luke Wilson, Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Tim Robbins, and many other familiar faces pop up in effective cameos. The Ferrell-McKay screenplay is peppered with snappy one-liners and pop-culture references, and while nobody will ever confuse Anchorman for sophisticated humor, this movie can be counted upon to put a smile on the viewer's face and keep it there. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Marking the directorial debut of Adam McKay, former head writer for Saturday Night Live and founder of the Upright Citizen's Brigade, Anchorman is set during the 1970s and stars Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy, San Diego's top-rated news anchorman. While Burgundy is outwardly willing to adjust to the idea of females in the workplace -- even outside of secretarial positions -- he certainly doesn't want his own job challenged. Keeping that in mind, it's no wonder that the arrival of Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), an aspiring newswoman, is, in Ron's eyes, not the studio's most welcome addition. After Veronica pays her dues covering so-called female-oriented fluff pieces (think cat fashion shows and cooking segments), the ambitious Veronica sets her eyes on the news desk; more specifically, on Ron's seat behind it. Not unpredictably, Ron doesn't take the threat lightly, and it isn't long before the rival newscasters are engaged in a very personal battle of the sexes. Anchorman was co-written by Ferrell, and features supporting performances from David Koechner, Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd, Tara Subkoff, and Maya Rudolph. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Andromeda Strain

Andromeda Strain

Starring: Arthur Hill, David Wayne, James Olson, Kate Reid, Paula Kelly, George Mitchell, Ramon Bieri, Walter Brooke, Richard Bull, John Carter, Eric Christmas, Bill Dunbar, Peter Helm, Peter Hobbs, Mark Jenkins, Kermit Murdock, Richard O'Brien, Joe di Reda, Frances Reid, Carl Reindel, Ken Swofford
Director: Robert Wise

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Disaster Film
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:11

Color Dolby Digital Stereo

Editorial Reviews - Andromeda Strain

All Movie Guide
Based on the novel by best-selling science-fiction alarmist Michael Crichton, The Andromeda Strain (1971) combines nuclear fears with space-age technophobia and early-'70s paranoia. Though the action occasionally flags, director Robert Wise documents a diverse group of scientists' efforts to identify a mysterious killer organism and vanquish it with clinical precision, making the most of split-screen editing to show the complexity of the work and ratchet up the suspense. Mostly shot on an elaborate set with a cast of unknowns, The Andromeda Strain also showcases the power and allure of technology, reaching a visually trippy climax as a young doctor scales the core of the multi-level, underground "Wildfire" lab and dodges lasers to avert a nuclear holocaust. One of the period's many dire cautionary tales about the perils of overreaching and the potential nefarious motives of the government, The Andromeda Strain still earned attention for its sleek look, garnering Oscar nominations for art direction and editing. Lucia Bozzola

Antitrust

Antitrust

Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Rachael Leigh Cook, Claire Forlani, Tim Robbins, Douglas McFerran, Richard Roundtree, Tygh Runyan, Yee Jee Tso, Nate Dushku, Ned Bellamy, Tyler Labine, Scott Bellis, David Lovgren
Director: Peter Howitt

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action & Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:48

Color Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Editorial Reviews - Antitrust

All Movie Guide
Just how far should one man go to stay ahead of his competition? Milo Hoffmann (Ryan Phillippe) is a young and gifted computer software designer who with his close friend Teddy is about to launch a high-tech start-up firm based on Milo's inventive ideas in convergence, in which he's helping to create new ways for different forms of digital technology to work in harmony. However, before Milo and Teddy can get their company off the ground, Milo receives a very tempting offer from Gary Winston (Tim Robbins), a trailblazing genius in the digital world who has turned his company N.U.R.V. (which stands for "Never Underestimate Radical Vision") into one of the richest and most powerful computer firms on Earth. While Milo is sympathetic to Teddy's beliefs that computer technology should belong to the people and that open source software is the most promising future lies, Winston has long been Milo's role model in design and research, and Milo feels Winston's offer is too good to pass up. Milo and his girlfriend Alice Poulson (Claire Forlani) move out to Silicon Valley, and at first Milo thrives on the challenges of his new position, and develops a close working relationship with fellow designer Lisa Calighan (Rachael Leigh Cook). But Milo underestimates the ruthlessness of the leading-edge software industry, and he soon learns there's a sinister undercurrent to Winston's drive to stay on top. Antitrust earned rising star Ryan Phillippe his first million-dollar paycheck after well-regarded roles in 54 and Cruel Intentions. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Be Kind Rewind

Be Kind Rewind

Starring: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Melonie Diaz, Chandler Parker, Irv Gooch, Arjay Smith, Marcus Carl Franklin, Blake Hightower, Amir Ali Said, Sigourney Weaver
Director: Michel Gondry

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Comedy of Errors
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:42

Color Stereo

Editorial Reviews - Be Kind Rewind

All Movie Guide
When a bumbling movie lover becomes magnetized while attempting to sabotage a local power plant and accidentally erases all of the videotapes in the small video store where his best friend works, the pair attempt to keep the store's loyal customer base by remaking as many of the top-renting movies as possible. Mike (Mos Def) is an employee at Be Kind Rewind, a modest mom and pop video store that is owned by Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover). Mike's best friend Jerry (Jack Black) works in an auto garage/junkyard directly adjacent to a local power plant. Lately Jerry has become increasingly paranoid about the effects that the power plant is having on his health. Convinced that he has developed a brain tumor from working in such close proximity to the power plant, Jerry attempts to sabotage the plant. Unfortunately for Jerry, his brain is magnetized in the process. The next time Jerry goes to visit Mike at Be Kind Rewind, the powerful magnetization emanating from his brain erases every videotape in the store. Now the only way for Mike and Jerry to be sure that Be Kind Rewind stays in business is to remake every film on the shelves before the customers notice. But when word gets out that Mike and Jerry have remade such Hollywood classics as Back to the Future, Robocop, The Lion King, and Rush Hour without permission, the store is threatened with copyright violations and forced to close its doors. In the aftermath of the closing, Mr. Fletcher and his employees discover just how loyal their customers really are when the entire neighborhood pools their resources to transform the junkyard into a legitimate movie studio and produce an entirely original film detailing the incredible adventures of a local jazz legend. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Beerfest

Beerfest

Starring: Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Will Forte, Ralf Moeller, Mo'nique, Eric Christian Olsen, Jürgen Prochnow, Cloris Leachman, M.C. Gainey, Cameron Scher, Owain Yeoman, Tom Tate, Allan Graf, Chris Moss, Bjorn Johnson, Collin Thornton, Pab Schwendimann, Philippe Brenninkmeyer, Jessica Williams, Steven Michael Quezada, Aaron Hendry, Michael Yurchak, Nat Faxon, Gunther Schlierkamp, Blanchard Ryan, Isaac Kappy, Robert Washington, Leanna Kristen, Audrey Marie Anderson, Megan Robinson, Arron Shiver, Justin Ocksrider, Amber Hay, Galen Hutchison, James Roday, Anna Lane, Candace Smith, Brittney Higgins, Sarah Figoten, Marc Mouchet, Simona Fusco Stratten, James Grace, Tom Carver, Ben Zeller, Ivan Brutsche, Sabrina Javor, Rohit Sang, Richard Perello, Gary Kanin
Director: Jay Chandrasekhar

Certification: NR
Category: Anarchic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:56

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Editorial Reviews - Beerfest

All Movie Guide
Two guys used to drinking beer for fun suddenly become fierce competitors in a sort of Lager Olympics in this over-the-top comedy. Todd Wolfhouse (Erik Stolhanske) and his brother Jan (Paul Soter) are from a German-American family but have never visited the Old Country until their grandfather dies and they fly to Germany to scatter his ashes. Todd and Jan arrive during the annual Oktoberfest celebration and accidentally discover a secret competition, "Beerfest," in which the world's leading beer guzzlers determine who can handle the most brew during several days of heated drinking games. Todd and Jan are no slouches when it comes to downing suds and offer to compete, but the German branch of the family, the Von Wolfhausens, scoff at their desire to enter the contest and inform them no mere American could hope to carry away the Beerfest honors. Determined to prove Yanks can swill beer and embarrass themselves just as well as anyone, Todd and Jan bring their most skilled drinking buddies to Germany to defend America's honor on the field of drunken battle and show their German relatives that the family's talent didn't vanish when they crossed the pond. Beerfest was written and directed by Jay Chandrasekhar of the comedy troupe Broken Lizard, and several other Broken Lizard members pop up in the film's cast, as do Will Forte, Mo'nique, Cloris Leachman, and Jürgen Prochnow. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Better off Dead

Better off Dead

Starring: John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, Kim Darby, Demian Slade, Scooter Stevens, Diane Franklin, Amanda Wyss, Laura Waterbury, Curtis Armstrong, Aaron Dozier, Yano Anaya, Frank Burt Avalon, J. Warren David, Rima Delane, Sebastian Dungan, Elizabeth Daily, Peter Ellenstein, Jonathan Charles Fox, Darren Harris, Sam High, Toby Iland, Brian Imada, Rich Little, Tina Littlewood, Edward Mehler, Chuck Mitchell, Taylor Negron, Yuji Okumoto, Stuart K. Robinson, Thomas Rollerson, Rick Rosenthal, Vincent Schiavelli, Dan Schneider, Randy Stoklos, Joey Tushnet, David Vaughan, Steven Williams
Director: Savage Steve Holland

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:37

Color Dolby Digital Stereo

Editorial Reviews - Better off Dead

Barnes & Noble
Easily one of the most refreshing teen comedies ever committed to film, Better Off Dead features John Cusack as Lane Myer, a jilted, angst-ridden high schooler whose multiple suicide attempts fail miserably, to great comic effect. This decidedly black angle, in the cheery years of Ronald Reagan's second term (1985), gave this conventionally plotted flick a patina of post-punk nihilism and may have scared some ticket buyers away. But those who have come to love it from repeated TV and video airings know that this film, writer-director "Savage" Steve Holland's first, is sweet and genuine despite its darker trappings. Cusack, an awkward 18-year-old when this was filmed, embodies the Everyteen -- surrounded by idiots, unable to catch a break, and utterly devastated when his girlfriend, Beth (Amand Wyss), dumps him in favor of the far more handsome and popular ski team captain, Roy Stalin (Aaron Dozier). When she explains her decision to hook up with Stalin without mincing words (oh, and she says his car's nicer, too), you're ready to follow poor Lane right over the brink. Holland surrounds Lane with hilarious caricatures while punctuating the action with dream/fantasy sequences that underscore his hapless lot, but he affords a glimmer of hope in the cute French exchange student living across the street from Lane. Yes, Better Off Dead slips back into teen-movie conventions with the inevitable Stalin-Myer downhill ski race in the last reel, but for 85 or so minutes it's a breakneck run that you'll want to try again. Greg Fagan

All Movie Guide
Most animation aficionados of the 1990s know "Savage Steve Holland" as the cocreator (with Bill Kopp) of the all-stops-out TV cartoon series Eek! The Cat. But Holland had been exercising his own peculiar brand of deviltry on live characters long before Eek! came into being. In Holland's Better Off Dead, John Cusack plays a lovestruck teenager, hopelessly enamored with Amanda Wyss. When she dumps him in favor of a more popular high-schooler, the boy's entire day quickly goes to Hell. In the words of Hamlet, all occasions do inform against Cusack: he is bullied, tormented and torn apart by everyone from the paperboy (who seemingly turns up everywhere) to the disembodied voice of a radio deejay. Cusack attempts suicide, but his efforts are just as unsuccessful-and amusing-as Bud Cort's in Harold and Maude. Meanwhile, French exchange student Diane Franklin, held a virtual prisoner by her host family, develops a long-distance crush on Cusack. Hal Erickson

Blade Runner

Blade Runner

Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh, Daryl Hannah, William Sanderson, Brion James, Joe Turkel, Joanna Cassidy, James Hong, Morgan Paull, Kevin Thompson, John E. Allen, Hy Pyke, Kimiko Hiroshige, Charles Knapp, Robert Okazaki
Director: Ridley Scott

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Future Dystopias
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:57

Color Surround Sound

Editorial Reviews - Blade Runner

Barnes & Noble
One of the most beautiful and visually influential science-fiction films ever made, Blade Runner established a futuristic film-noir style that combines and transcends the sci-fi and detective genres while pondering the nature of what it means to be human. Set in 2019, Los Angeles, director Ridley Scott's adaptation of author Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? stars Harrison Ford as world-weary android-hunter Rick Deckard, who slogs through the nightmarishly run-down, overcrowded urban dystopia that L.A. has devolved into, attempting to find and kill four escaped "replicants" -- physically superior artificial people bred for slavery. In the process of his investigation, he falls in love with a next-generation replicant (Sean Young), who is initially unaware that her human "memory" is largely implanted. Rutger Hauer, as the dangerous yet tragic replicant leader, and William Sanderson, as and infirmed, soul-burdened tinkerer who helped design the androids, turn in performances as stunning as the film's production design. For Blade Runner: The Director's Cut (1992), Scott removed Ford's noir-ish narration, changed the happily-ever-after ending (which had been added at the studios insistence), and added a short, dreamlike scene involving a unicorn that expanded Deckard's unspoken anxiety over his own murky nativity. Frank Lovece

All Movie Guide
A blend of science fiction and noir detective fiction, Blade Runner (1982) was a box office and critical bust upon its initial exhibition, but its unique postmodern production design became hugely influential within the sci-fi genre, and the film gained a significant cult following that increased its stature. Harrison Ford stars as Rick Deckard, a retired cop in Los Angeles circa 2019. L.A. has become a pan-cultural dystopia of corporate advertising, pollution and flying automobiles, as well as replicants, human-like androids with short life spans built by the Tyrell Corporation for use in dangerous off-world colonization. Deckard's former job in the police department was as a talented blade runner, a euphemism for detectives that hunt down and assassinate rogue replicants. Called before his one-time superior (M. Emmett Walsh), Deckard is forced back into active duty. A quartet of replicants led by Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) has escaped and headed to Earth, killing several humans in the process. After meeting with the eccentric Eldon Tyrell (Joe Turkel), creator of the replicants, Deckard finds and eliminates Zhora (Joanna Cassidy), one of his targets. Attacked by another replicant, Leon (Brion James), Deckard is about to be killed when he's saved by Rachael (Sean Young), Tyrell's assistant and a replicant who's unaware of her true nature. In the meantime, Batty and his replicant pleasure model lover, Pris (Darryl Hannah) use a dying inventor, J.F. Sebastian (William Sanderson) to get close to Tyrell and murder him. Deckard tracks the pair to Sebastian's, where a bloody and violent final confrontation between Deckard and Batty takes place on a skyscraper rooftop high above the city. In 1992, Ridley Scott released a popular director's cut that removed Deckard's narration, added a dream sequence, and excised a happy ending imposed by the results of test screenings; these legendary behind-the-scenes battles were chronicled in a 1996 tome, Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner by Paul M. Sammon. Karl Williams

Blazing Saddles

Blazing Saddles

Starring: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Harvey Korman, David Huddleston, Mel Brooks, Alex Karras, Madeline Kahn, Carol Arthur, Richard Collier, Dom DeLuise, Liam Dunn, George Furth, Burton Gilliam, John Hillerman, Robyn Hilton, Charles McGregor, Don Megowan, Darrell Sandeen, Claude Ennis Starrett Jr.
Director: Mel Brooks

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Parody (spoof)
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:33

Color Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound

Editorial Reviews - Blazing Saddles

Barnes & Noble
The face of movie comedy was changed forever by Mel Brooks's raucous but affectionate spoof of old-fashioned Hollywood westerns, and for that reason alone Blazing Saddles belongs in every DVD home library. Writer-director Brooks not only lampooned the hoariest horse opera clichés in this 1974 romp, he also challenged the self-censorial political correctness then just beginning to creep into Hollywood films. The justifiably notorious campfire scene, which some critics decried as unnecessarily coarse and vulgar, heralded a veritable flood of movie gags involving bodily functions. By today's standards, the flatulent frontiersmen seem pretty tame. But after 30 years, what still startles is the frequent and all-too-casual use of the n-word to describe Cleavon Little's character, the former railroad worker appointed as sheriff of Rock Ridge, a town beset by rustlers and bad guys working for a corrupt government official (Harvey Korman). Racial slurs aside, the laughs come fast and furious as the sheriff combats range ruffians with the aid of a drunken gunfighter (Gene Wilder, stealing nearly every scene he's in) and a leggy femme fatale (Madeline Kahn, in a hilarious takeoff on the saloon girl played by Marlene Dietrich in Destry Rides Again). Blazing Saddles and its successor, the Brooks-directed Young Frankenstein, forever changed the way Hollywood looked at itself. These no-holds-barred comedies, with their sophomoric innuendoes and self-referential excesses, remain templates for filmmakers who specialize in parody. Blazing Saddles, the first and more daring of the two, still has the power to raise eyebrows and drop jaws, three decades after its big-screen debut. Based on what has followed in its wake, that's pretty amazing. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Vulgar, crude, and occasionally scandalous in its racial humor, the hilarious bad-taste spoof of Westerns Blazing Saddles -- co-written by Richard Pryor -- features Cleavon Little as the first black sheriff of a stunned town scheduled for demolition by an encroaching railroad. Little and co-star Gene Wilder have great chemistry, and the delightful supporting cast includes Harvey Korman, Slim Pickens, and Madeline Kahn as a chanteuse modelled on Marlene Dietrich. As in Young Frankenstein (1974), Silent Movie (1976), and High Anxiety (1977), director and co-writer Mel Brooks gives a burlesque spin to a classic Hollywood movie genre; in his own manic, Borscht Belt way, Brooks was a central player in revising classic genres in light of Seventies values and attitudes, an effort most often associated with such directors as Robert Altman and Peter Bogdanovich. Some of this film's sequences, notably a gaseous bean dinner around a campfire, have become comedy classics. Robert Firsching

The Blues Brothers

The Blues Brothers

Starring: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, James Brown, John Candy, Ray Charles, Carrie Fisher, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Master Henry Gibson, John Lee Hooker, Murphy Dunne, Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Willie "Too Big" Hall, Tom Malone, Frank Oz, Kathleen Freeman, Steven Williams, Charles Napier, Twiggy, Stephen Bishop, Shotgun Britton, Blair Burrows, Jack Callahan, Joe Cirillo, Cindy Fisher, Toni Fleming, Ralph Foody, Andrew Goodman, Sean Hayden, Dean Hill, Walter Horton, Gary Houston, Elizabeth Hoy, Chaka Khan, John Landis, Steve Lawrence, Lou Marini, Norman Matlock, Stan Mazin, Gary McLarty, Jeff Morris, Matt Murphy, Jack Orend, Lou Perry, Ben Piazza, Paul Reubens, John Ring, Rosie Schuster, Joe Walsh, De'Voreaux White
Director: John Landis

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:28

Color Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Editorial Reviews - Blues Brothers

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Expanding on their Saturday Night Live characters, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd star as Jake and Elwood Blues, two white boys with black soul. Sporting cool shades and look-alike suits, Jake and Elwood are dispatched on a "mission from God" by their former teacher, Sister Mary Stigmata (Kathleen Freeman). Said mission is to raise $5000 to save an orphanage. In the course of their zany adventures, the Blues Brothers run afoul of neo-Nazi Henry Gibson, perform the theme from Rawhide before the most unruly bar crowd in written history, and lay waste to hundreds of cars on the streets and freeways of Chicago. In case you aren't swept up in the infectuous nuttiness of the brothers Blue, you might have fun spotting film's legion of guest stars, including James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, John Candy, Carrie Fisher, Steve Lawrence, Twiggy, Paul Reubens (aka Pee-Wee Herman), Frank Oz, and Steven Spielberg. Hal Erickson

The Boondock Saints

The Boondock Saints

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, Billy Connolly, David Ferry, Brian Mahoney, Bob Marley, Carlo Rota, Jimmy Tingle, Ron Jeremy, David Della Rocco, David Della Rooco
Director: Troy Duffy

Certification: NR
Category: Crime - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:48

Color Stereo

Editorial Reviews - Boondock Saints

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A wonderful direct-to-video hit, Boondock Saints delivers a wild and visceral experience in the form of a mythical modern tale of vigilante justice. The film begins unassumingly with two brothers, Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus, hanging out with their buddies at their favorite South Boston bar. When Russian mobsters show up looking for money, the affable pair defend their turf, eventually with extreme prejudice. This sets in motion a series of events that seem more calculated for startling cinematic effect than anything else, and it all pays off brilliantly. Flannery and Reedus, curiously devout Catholic boys, make a most unlikely pair of psychopathic assassins, and their elevation to sainthood by the locals makes sense only within the zany confines of a movie. However, the most gleeful departures from reality are reserved for Willem Dafoe, portraying the tortured FBI genius who is tracking the boys' escalating murder spree. Dafoe plays Agent Paul Smecker as a flamboyant and self-loathing homosexual: He arrives at a crime scene where the lads have slain at least a dozen thugs, slips on his headphones, turns up an opera, and exuberantly re-creates the action as if he had been there. To call the performance over the top would be an understatement. Is Smecker appalled by the atrocities? Oh yes. Does he approve of the vigilantes' actions? Maybe. But one does not get the feeling that rookie director Troy Duffy is trying to make any sort of social statement here, or that anything in the film should be taken seriously. This is pure entertainment for people who aren't afraid of a little blood -- and are also eager to see a toilet bowl employed as a murder weapon. Greg Fagan

All Movie Guide
Feeling that they are doing God's will, two Catholic men from Boston set out to kill everyone in this Reservoir Dogs-style vigilante thriller. Brothers Conner and Murphy MacManus (Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus) take to performing their divine duty against the Russian mob. They massacre a bunch of unsuspecting Mafioso in a scene of absurd violence, then they let more blood in a mass killing of porn-shop customers. Instead of getting thrown in jail, they are dubbed "saints" by the Boston Herald, and they are praised by brilliant, tortured, and gay FBI agent Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe). ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Bruce Almighty

Bruce Almighty

Starring: Jim Carrey, Jennifer Aniston, Morgan Freeman, Philip Baker Hall, Catherine Bell, Lisa Ann Walter, Steve Carell, Nora Dunn, Sally Kirkland, Tony Bennett, Mark Adair-Rios, Lillian Adams, Jovan Allie, Koby Allie, Enrique Almeida, Micayla Bowden, Samantha Boyarsky, Michael Brownlee, P.J. Byrne, David Carrera, Laura Carson, Ara Celi, David A. Clemons, Greg Collins, Robert Curtis-Brown, Moe Daniels, Christopher Darga, Alfred Dennis, Dan Desmond, Lou Felder, Dylan Ferguson, Rina Fernandez, Darcy Fowers, Ted Garcia, Mary Pat Gleason, Christina Grandy, Laura Shay Griffin, Noel Guglielmi, Andrew Hateley, Nick Huff, Edward Jemison, Jack Jozefson, Mark Kiely, Cubbie Kile, Zachary Aaron Krebs, Howard S. Lefstein, Ben Livingston, Madeline Lovejoy, Nelson Mashita, Jessica Mattson, Allison McCurdy, Rolando Molina, Emily Needham, Adrian Neil, Dohn Norwood, Patti O'Donnell, Michael Olifiers, Dougald Park, Janelle Perzina, Timothy Di Pri, Maria Quiban, Bette Rae, Emilio Rivera, Shaun Robinson, Saida Rodriguez-Pagan, Darius Rose, John Rosenfeld, Ken Rudulph, Vanna Salviati, Albert P. Santos, Paul Satterfield, Carey Scott, Gina St. John, Selma Stern, Bradley Stryker, Brian Tahash, William Thomas, Michael Villani, Alex Villiers, Susan Ware, Annie Wersching, Micah Williams, Miah Won, Jamison Yang, Ashley Yegan, Glen Yrigoyen, Pete Anthony
Director: Tom Shadyac

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:42

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Editorial Reviews - Bruce Almighty

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After a bad day at work, a man suddenly gets a new job -- as the world's new Heavenly Father -- in this comedy. Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is a television reporter working in Buffalo, NY, who has been growing increasingly dissatisfied with his existence, and after an especially bad day, he flies into a rage and curses God for making his life miserable. To Bruce's great surprise, the Supreme Being Himself (Morgan Freeman) appears, and tries to convince Bruce of the enormity of his task. Bruce, however, isn't buying it, so God gives him a chance to find out what he's up against; God bestows all of his powers on Bruce for a week, to see how he'd handle things. At first, Bruce has a great time bending the world around him to his will, much to the puzzlement of his girlfriend, Grace (Jennifer Aniston), but after six days God stops by to remind Bruce he hasn't done much to make the Earth a better place. Disappointed, God presents Bruce with an ultimatum -- he has one day to improve the world in a concrete way, or God will toss the planet back into the void. Bruce Almighty was directed by Tom Shadyac, who previously teamed with Jim Carrey for Liar, Liar and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Washington Post
Carrey is so gifted a physical comedian that even mediocre material shines in his talented hands, not to mention his talented feet, face, elbows, ears, hair and, ahem, derriere. Michael O'Sullivan

Dallas Morning News
Bruce Nolan is one deeply disgruntled barrel of laughs -- the emotional kin of Bill Murray's cynical weatherman in Groundhog Day. Billy Gallo

Bullitt

Bullitt

Starring: Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset, Don Gordon, Robert Duvall, Simon Oakland, Norman Fell, Justin Tarr, Carl Reindel, Felice Orlandi, Vic Tayback, Ed Peck, John Aprea, Georg Stanford Brown, Joanna Cassidy, Al Checco, Charles Dorsett, Paul Genge, Bill Hickman, Robert Lipton, Pat Renella, Suzanne Somers
Director: Peter Yates

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Action Thriller
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:54

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Editorial Reviews - Bullitt

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Robert L. Pike's crime novel Mute Witness makes the transition to the big screen in this film from director Peter Yates. In one of his most famous roles, Steve McQueen stars as tough-guy police detective Frank Bullitt. The story begins with Bullitt assigned to a seemingly routine detail, protecting mafia informant Johnny Ross (Pat Renella), who is scheduled to testify against his Mob cronies before a Senate subcommittee in San Francisco. But when a pair of hitmen ambush their secret location, fatally wounding Ross, things don't add up for Bullitt, so he decides to investigate the case on his own. Unfortunately for him, ambitious senator Walter Chalmers (Robert Vaughn), the head of the aforementioned subcommittee, wants to shut his investigation down, hindering Bullitt's plan to not only bring the killers to justice but discover who leaked the location of the hideout. Matthew Tobey

All Movie Guide
1968's surprisingly influential Bullitt is a precursor to the hyper-explosive action movies that ruled the box-office in the 1980s and 1990s. More immediately, it made car chases de rigueur for nearly every police film of the 1970s. Bullitt's chase scene, a roaring ten minutes up and down seemingly every hill in San Francisco, took about three weeks to shoot; along with the two in The French Connection and the more protracted one in The Road Warrior, the scene is still regarded as one of the best pursuits ever filmed. Apart from this rather dubious legacy, Bullitt is also significant for recharging the crime-thriller genre with its snappy, faux-naturalistic look. Finely stylized by director Peter Yates and editor Frank Keller (who won an Oscar for his work), the film wears its gritty, urban feel on its sleeve; such an attitude would become a major hallmark of American films in the 1970s. Bullitt also elevated Steve McQueen from the status of mere star to that of worldwide superstar. The actor delivers perhaps the most consequential performance of his career as the fashionably icy title character. Brendon Hanley

Caddyshack

Caddyshack

Starring: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, Michael O'Keefe, Ted Knight, Sarah Holcomb, Cindy Morgan, Scott Colomby, Dan Resin, Henry Wilcoxon, Elaine Aiken, Albert Salmi, John F. Barmon Jr., Fred Buch, Allison Caine, Thomas A. Carlin, Jackie Davis, Brian Doyle-Murray, Cordis Heard, Brian McConnachie, Bruce McLaughlin, Hamilton Mitchell, Mel Pape, Ann Ryerson, Minerva Scelza, Frank Schuller
Director: Harold Ramis

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Satire
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:39

Color Dolby Digital Mono

Editorial Reviews - Caddyshack

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A free-wheeling, irreverent comedy featuring some of the screen's top funnymen, Caddyshack employed the same brand of cheerfully anarchic, low-brow humor that made Animal House a smash hit just two years earlier. In this 1980 romp, the members of a posh country club are terrorized by the arrival of Rodney Dangerfield, portraying a nouveau riche slob who cracks tasteless jokes about everything, including his own flatulence ("Oooh! What, did somebody step on a duck?"). Chevy Chase is appropriately droll as a wealthy idler who applies zen principles to his golf game, and Bill Murray engages in periodic scene-stealing as a goofy grounds-keeper beset with gopher problems. To balance all the oddball characterizations, sitcom regular Ted Knight is cast as one of the club's most dyspeptic members, and surprisingly, he makes for an admirable straight man. Director Harold Ramis (Groundhog Day) never allows the plot to intrude upon the zany antics of his gifted players, who keep Caddyshack moving at a giddy pace. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
The smash success Caddyshack became a prototype for countless other wacky T&A-tinged teen comedies of the early 1980s. At an exclusive country club for WASPish snobs, an ambitious young caddy (Michael O'Keefe) from an overpopulated home eagerly pursues a caddy scholarship in hopes of attending college and, in turn, avoiding a job at the lumber yard. In order to succeed, he must first win the favor of the elitist Judge Smails (Ted Knight), then the caddy golf tournament which the good judge sponsors. Of course, there are love interests as well -- one good, one naughty -- not to mention several foes he must vanquish along the way. The story itself serves to string along a series of slapstick scenes involving an obnoxious nouveau riche land developer (Rodney Dangerfield) who wants to turn the site into a condominium community; an oddball, Zen-quoting, millionaire slacker/golf ace (Chevy Chase); and a psychotic groundskeeper (Bill Murray) with a gopher-fixation. Caddyshack was a bona fide hit; throughout the '80s and '90s, director Harold Ramis would continue to create such hits as Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, and Analyze This. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi

Can't Buy Me Love

Can't Buy Me Love

Starring: Patrick Dempsey, Amanda Peterson, Courtney Gains, Seth Green, Tina Caspary, Devin DeVasquez, Darcy de Moss, Eric Bruskotter, Wayne Chandler, Ami Dolenz, Dennis Dugan, Sharon Farrell, Steve Franken, Lisa Givens, James Gooden, George Gray III, Ty Gray, Will Hannah, Cort McCown, Gerardo Mejia, Corissa Miller, Jimmie ZLee Mithcell, Cloyce Morrow, Jennifer Nelson, Erin O'Flaherty, Max Perlich, Jan Rooney, David Schermerhorn, Tudor Sherrard, Phil Simms, Wagelie, Todd Walsh
Director: Steve Rash

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:34

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Editorial Reviews - Can't Buy Me Love

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Although the teen-movie genre underwent a renaissance of sorts in the 1980s, Can't Buy Me Love inexplicably failed to achieve the enormous success of films like The Breakfast Club or Pretty in Pink. But now, thanks to DVD, you'll have another chance to catch up with this underrated, often imitated comedy from 1987. Working-class teen Ronny Miller (Patrick Dempsey) is a social misfit who craves popularity and the chance to date his dream girl, sexy Cindy Mancini (Amanda Peterson). When fate unexpectedly throws them together, Ronny pays Amanda to pose as his girlfriend, thereby granting him "star" status at their high school. Sound familiar? It should: The plot of Can't Buy Me Love, with minor variations, has been appropriated for no less than a half dozen teen movies over the last 15 years. The original still outshines the knockoffs, though, owing to the facile direction of Steve Rash (The Buddy Holly Story) and the winning performances of Dempsey and Peterson. Unmistakably a product of its era -- you can tell by the hairstyles, fashions, and music -- this charming, low-key farce hasn't lost any of its resonance. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Borrowing a chapter from the John Hughes school of teen comedy, this likeable caper was a box office success. Patrick Dempsey stars as Ronald Miller, a high school nerd about to enter his senior year, who longs for acceptance as one of the "cool kids." His next-door neighbor Cindy Mancini (Amanda Peterson) is a cheerleader and one of the most popular girls in school, but she doesn't even know that Ronald exists. When she ruins an expensive outfit of her mother's, Ronald offers the $1,000 needed to replace it, if she will pretend to date him for one month. Although skeptical about Ronald's plan, Cindy agrees, and her "new boyfriend" turns out to be right about what he thinks dating Cindy will do for him -- he becomes accepted by the school's snobs because of his association with one of their own. At least, for a while. Originally titled "Boy Rents Girl," Can't Buy Me Love (1987) was the first production launched by former studio executive Thom Mount after leaving his high-profile post. His company went on to produce weightier material such as Bull Durham (1988), The Indian Runner (1991), and Natural Born Killers (1994). Karl Williams

The Cannonball Run

The Cannonball Run

Starring: Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Jack Elam, Adrienne Barbeau, Terry Bradshaw, Jackie Chan, Bert Convy, Jamie Farr, Peter Fonda, George Furth, Michael Hui, Bianca Jagger, Molly Picon, Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, Mel Tillis, Rick Aviles, Warren Berlinger, Tara Buckman, Lois Areno, John Fiedler, Fred Smith, Norman Grabowski, Lois Hamilton, Joe KJecko, Jimmy Lewis, Richard Losee, Linda McClure, Susan McDonald, John Megna, Dudley Remus, Kathleen M. Shea, Laura Lizer Sommers, Grayce Spence, Roy Tatum, Robert Tessier, Alfie Wise, Brock Yates, Johnny Yune, Al Capps
Director: Hal Needham

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Action Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:36

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Editorial Reviews - Cannonball Run

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Burt Reynolds and director Hal Needham team up for the fourth time, this time bringing an all-star cast of characters on a cross-country car race in the vein of 1976 release The Gumball Rally. The police are the least of the Cannonballers' worries as they push the pedal to the metal in a race from Connecticut to California. Reynolds stars as J.J. McClure, a speed-loving racer disguised as an ambulance driver to outsmart the police. He is paired up with Dom Deluise, who plays his dimwitted sidekick Victor and who, on occasion, dons the suit of Captain Chaos. Rat Packers Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. join the lineup as Ferrari-driving priests, while martial arts expert Jackie Chan takes on one of his first U.S. film roles driving a souped-up Subaru. Among the many other stars are Roger Moore doing a parody of his 007 character, complete with secret devices and weapons, Farrah Fawcett as Pamela, a woman McClure and Chaos pick up, and Jamie Farr as a deranged Islamic sheik. Jack Elam joins the cast as a crazed proctologist along for McClure's ambulance ride, and Needham makes a cameo as a patient. ~ Rachel Koetje, Rovi

Click

Click

Starring: Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale, Christopher Walken, Henry Winkler, David Hasselhoff, Julie Kavner, Jennifer Coolidge, Sean Astin, Jake Hoffman, Sophie Monk, Rachel Dratch, Joseph Castanon, Tatum McCann, Katie Cassidy, Jonah Hill, Lorraine Nicholson, Cameron Monaghan, Michelle Lombardo, Jana Kramer, Nick Swardson, Sid Ganis, Michael Yama, Mio, Eiji Inoue, Toshi Toda, George K. Eguchi, Katheryn Cain, Frank Coraci, John Pagano, Tim Herlihy, Ireesha, Emilio Cast, Elliot Cho, Willy Goldstein, Lily Mo Sheen, Carolyn Hennessey, Gary Holm, Elena Patten, Cheyenne Dean, Alan Au, Ryan Keiser, Christopher Gutierrez, Nickole Reyes, Brianne Davis, Robert Jones, Jenae Altschwager, Manish Goyal, Marco Kahn, Ahmad Jordan, Jamil N. Hodaly, Alireza Tanbakoochi, Dolores O'Riordan, Sally Insul, Nate Torrence, Blake Neely
Director: Frank Coraci

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:47

Color Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Editorial Reviews - Click

Barnes & Noble
It's always refreshing to see Adam Sandler in a role that doesn't force him to act childish or imbecilic to get laughs. The generally imaginative Click actually gives Sandler a character with which we can both identify and empathize. Sandler portrays perpetually harried architect Michael Newman, who works tirelessly to provide for his loving wife, Donna (Kate Beckinsale), and children (Joseph Castanon and Tatum McCann) but as a result spends far less time with them than he should. Stumbling onto a mysterious white-coated technician (Christopher Walken), Michael receives an "all-purpose" remote control that allows him to adjust every aspect of his life. One click of the "mute" button silences his barking dog, while punching "fast forward" enables him to speed through traffic jams, interminable projects, and even domestic arguments. But eventually the remote control begins running Michael, rather than vice versa, producing unwelcome results. Given an uncharacteristically meaty role, Sandler steps up to the plate, balanced by effective supporting turns by Beckinsale, David Hasselhoff, and Henry Winkler. For all the fans who adore Sandler, there seem to be an equal number of viewers that find him less appealing. Viewers in the latter group are encouraged to give Click a shot: You won't find yourself reaching for the remote control. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
A workaholic architect, frustrated in his job but determined to make a better life for his family, is bestowed with a powerful universal remote that allows him more control over his life than he ever knew possible in director Frank Coraci's high-concept fantasy comedy. On the surface, Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) seems to have it all, yet with all the demands forced upon him by his ungrateful boss (David Hasselhoff), Michael finds that setting aside time to spend with his loving wife, Donna (Kate Beckinsale), and two picture-perfect children, Ben (Joseph Castanon) and Samantha (Tatum McCann), has grown increasingly difficult. When a frustrating bout with the television remote leads the overworked husband and father to a nearby Bed, Bath & Beyond in search of a universal remote with the power to control all of his electronic devices, a curious peek into the back room leads Michael into the company of eccentric employee and talented inventor Morty (Christopher Walken). It seems that Morty has created a device that will not only allow Michael complete control over his television and stereo, but his entire life as well. As Michael discovers that the remarkable device has the power to muffle the barks of the family dog, zoom himself past an irritating quarrel with his wife, and even allow him to travel back and forth through time to different points in his life, the rush of being able to skip straight to the good parts in life soon leaves him feeling as if he's missing out on the total experience. Only when Michael begins to realize that the he has lost control of his life and the remote is now programming him does he finally learn that life is as much about the moments he'd rather forget as it is the moments he will always remember. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Contact

Contact

Starring: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, James Woods, John Hurt, Tom Skerritt, William Fichtner, David Morse, Angela Bassett, Geoffrey Blake, Max Martini, Rob Lowe, Jake Busey, Jena Malone, Tucker Smallwood, David St. James
Director: Robert Zemeckis

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Psychological Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:30

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Editorial Reviews - Contact

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The search for life outside our solar system becomes a personal and spiritual quest for a young researcher. Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster) is a scientist who lost her faith in God after her parents died when she was a child. However, Ellie has learned to develop a different sort of faith in the seemingly unknowable: working with a group that monitors radio waves from space, Ellie hopes that some day she will receive a coherent message from another world that will prove that there is a world beyond our own. Ellie's hard work is rewarded when her team picks up a signal that does not appear to be of earthly origin. Ellie decodes the message, which turns out to be plans for a space craft, which she takes as an invitation for a meeting with the aliens. Ellie and her fellow researchers soon run into interference from a White House scientific advisor, David Drumlin (Tom Skerritt), who cuts off their funding and tries to take credit for their achievements. However, Ellie receives moral support from Palmer Joss (Matthew McConaughey), a spiritual teacher who advises President Clinton and tries to persuade her to accept the existence of a higher power, and financial backing from S.R. Hadden (John Hurt), a multi-millionaire willing to fund her attempts to contact the source of the message. Contact was based on a novel by Carl Sagan, who advised director Robert Zemeckis during the film's production until his death in 1996. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Curb Your Enthusiasm - Complete First Season

Curb Your Enthusiasm - Complete First Season

Starring: Larry David, Cheryl Hines, Jeff Garlin, Wanda Sykes
Director: Andy Ackerman

Certification: NR
Category: Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 6:00

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Editorial Reviews - Curb Your Enthusiasm - Complete First Season

Barnes & Noble
The missing link between Seinfeld and Larry Sanders, Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm is a line-blurring gem of a show, based not so loosely on the mundane daily travails of its accomplished if not terribly well known leading man. David -- who co-created NBC's long-running hit Seinfeld with its eponymous star -- provided the original model for that show's George Costanza character, portrayed in the series by Jason Alexander. Here, though, he plays himself in a parallel video-vérité world, turning the everyday events of his life in L.A. into wry comedic fodder, as David's mild social gaffes and misunderstandings inevitably send the action into a hilarious downward spiral. Shot with minimal scripting, the program also features Cheryl Hines as Larry's neurosis-prone wife and Jeff Garlin as his annoying manager, Jeff Greene. Various actors portray themselves over the course of these first ten episodes, most notably Richard Lewis, who turns up in "The Pants Test," "The Bracelet," and "Affirmative Action." Also showing up as themselves in Season 1 are David's fellow Seinfeld alum Julia Louis-Dreyfus (together with husband Brad Hall in "The Wire") and Diane Keaton (in "Interior Decorator"). Mr. Show costar Bob Odenkirk makes a splash in an especially funny character role as the titular sleazeball of "Porno Gil," an adult-entertainment industry executive who invites Larry and Cheryl to a party -- with deliciously awkward results, of course.

Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Second Season

Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Second Season

Starring: Larry David, Cheryl Hines, Jeff Garlin
Director: Jeff Garlin

Certification: NR
Category: Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 5:00

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Editorial Reviews - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Second Season

Barnes & Noble
It's hard not to be enthused by this irreverent, often outrageous comedy series developed by and starring Seinfeld co-creator Larry David. Released from the constraints of network TV, David has used this HBO series to push the envelope in more ways than one, gleefully reveling in tastelessness whenever necessary to advance one of his savagely funny story lines. He plays himself -- a successful comedy writer and performer who is developing projects at what seems a leisurely pace, and mainly interacting in daily life with his wife (Cheryl Hines), agent (Jeff Garlin), and various Hollywood pals. The ten episodes of the 2001 season have as an underlying theme Larry's attempt to launch a series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus (playing herself, of course). Memorable episodes include the self-referential "The Car Salesman," in which Seinfeld costar Jason Alexander (also playing himself) tries to interest Larry in helping him develop a show about an actor who can't find work because he's typecast as the "jackass" character on a hit series. Louis-Dreyfus appears in the jaw-dropping "Shrimp Incident," which finds Larry branded as a misogynist after uttering the "c" word at a poker game, and Shaquille O'Neal guest stars as himself in "Shaq," in which Larry becomes a villain when he accidentally trips the basketball player by stretching his legs while seated courtside. The season's high point is arguably "The Doll," a hilarious comedy of errors that has Larry traumatizing the young daughter of an ABC executive by cutting off her doll's hair. David's offbeat sensibilities, which helped elevate Seinfeld to a sitcom landmark, get free rein in this wildly creative and unpredictable show, a small-screen masterpiece in its own right. Ed Hulse

Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Third Season

Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Third Season

Starring: Larry David
Director: Andy Ackerman

Certification: NR
Category: Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 5:00

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Editorial Reviews - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Third Season

Barnes & Noble
Larry David's inventive HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm -- which relies on talented actors to improvise their scenes from sketchy plot outlines -- undergirds the ten episodes of Season 3 with an ongoing narrative that finds him investing with Ted Danson in a restaurant venture. The 2002 opener, "Chet's Shirt," has Larry blowing off his dentist's lavish dinner soiree to attend the birthday party of his new partner's daughter, only to find himself in need of emergency dental work after Danson's child accidentally whacks him in the mouth with a baseball bat. Another regular in this season's shows is Richard Lewis (playing himself, like Danson and many other guest stars), prominently featured in "The Benadryl Brownie," involving Larry's new infatuation with cell phones and an important message that goes awry with hilarious consequences. David's trademark appreciation of black comedy informs "The Special Section" in which he uses his mother's unexpected death as an excuse to decline unwanted invitations. The somewhat inflated threat of an imminent terrorist attack disrupts an Alanis Morissette benefit performance in what might be the year's best show, "The Terrorist Attack," and the season ends on a high note as the already-stressed Larry frantically copes with last-minute crises prior to the restaurant's opening in "The Grand Opening." Regular cast members Cheryl Hines and Jeff Garlin return as Larry's wife and manager, respectively, with Michael York and Paul Reiser making frequent appearances as themselves. Some shows are a little weaker than others, but on balance this is an exceptionally strong group of episodes. Ed Hulse

Daredevil

Daredevil

Starring: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Colin Farrell, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jon Favreau, Joe Pantoliano, Ellen Pompeo, David Keith, Erick Avari, Paul Ben-Victor, Derrick O'Connor, Leland Orser, Scott Terra, Frankie Jay Allison, John S. Bakas, Louis Bernstein, Dan Brinkle, Pat Crawford Brown, Jude Ciccolella, Greg Collins, Sonya Didenko, Josie DiVincenzo, David Doty, Lakeith S. Evans, Jim Fitzgerald, Joe J. Garcia, Carrie Geiben, Albert Gutierrez, Robert Iler, Kane Hodder, Lennie Loftin, Jamie Mahoney, Ron Mathews, Casey McCarthy, Bruce Mibach, Stefanos Miltsakakis, Jorge Noa, Jeff Padilla, Christopher Prescott, Ari Randall, Jackie Reiss, John Rothman, Kevin Smith, Greg "Christopher" Smith, Luke Strode, Chad Christopher Tucker, Levett M. Washington, Daniel B. Wing, Jorn H. Winther, Chic Daniel, Les Zoeller
Director: Mark Steven Johnson

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:43

Color Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Editorial Reviews - Daredevil

Barnes & Noble
In the contradictory comic-book-movie tradition of Tim Burton's Batman, director Mark Steven Johnson's Daredevil is decidedly dark and dominated by a tragic, vengeful hero, effectively replicating the odd insouciance of its four-color inspiration. Daredevil, like Batman, is a relentless crime fighter who preys on evildoers to avenge the murder of his father. But that's where the similarity ends, because Daredevil -- lawyer Matt Murdock by day -- is blind. Fortunately, a childhood accident has attuned his other four senses to an incredible degree, and he can "see" adversaries by the way sound waves register in his brain. Matt finds an unlikely comrade-in-arms in the exotic Elektra (played with leathery verve by Jennifer Garner), who's also looking for revenge. Their common enemy is a veteran crime lord known as the Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan), who orders his psychopathic henchman, Bullseye (Colin Farrell), to remove these threats to his dominance of the underworld. Ben Affleck is appropriately stoic as the tormented Murdock and looks great in the form-fitting red rubber suit that is Daredevil's trademark. He's also very effective in expansively choreographed fight sequences that rely more on good, old-fashioned stunt work than computer-generated imagery. Performancewise, though, Affleck is nearly upstaged by both Garner and Farrell, whose intriguing characters are sufficiently colorful to warrant movies of their own. Broadly faithful to its Marvel Comics namesake and lavishly mounted, Daredevil is dazzling, dynamic, and delightful. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
One of Marvel Comics' most popular characters comes to the screen for the first time in this sci-fi action-thriller. Matthew Murdock (Ben Affleck) is a lawyer whose father, a prizefighter, was killed by gangsters when Murdock was just a boy. Since then, Murdock has devoted his life to bringing wrongdoers to justice and is willing to help others by taking on cases no other attorney will touch. Murdock is also blind, after being struck down by a truck while trying to save a man from being hit. What no one knows is that Murdock was also doused with an unusual radioactive isotope which had a strange effect on him -- while Murdock's sight may be gone, his other senses have been raised to such a keen pitch that they act like radar, allowing him to tell where he's going and what happens around him, both near and far away. Murdock puts his gifts to use at night as the costumed crime-fighter Daredevil, whose pursuit of justice has earned him the wrath of underworld leader Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan). Kingpin wants Daredevil out of his way once and for all, and hires Bullseye (Colin Farrell), a super-assassin with an uncanny ability to throw blades, to do the job. Daredevil also makes the acquaintance of Elektra Natchios (Jennifer Garner), a woman with super-heroic talents who is also on Kingpin's bad side, though it remains to be seen if she has aligned herself with the forces of good as Daredevil has done. Jon Favreau, Joe Pantoliano, and David Keith highlight Daredevil's supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight

Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Monique Curnen, Ron Dean, Cillian Murphy, Chin Han, Nestor Carbonell, Eric Roberts, Ritchie Coster, Anthony Michael Hall, Colin McFarlane, Joshua Harto, Melinda McGraw, Nathan Gamble, Michael Vieau, Michael Stoyanov, Bill Smille, Michael Jai White, Matthew O'Neill, William Fichtner, Olumiji Olawumi, Greg Beam, Erik Hellman, Beatrice Rosen, Vincenzo Nicoli, Edison Chen, Nydia Rodriguez Terracina, Andy Luther, James Farruggio, Thomas McElroy, Will Zahrn, James Fierro, Sam Derence, Jennifer Knox, Patrick Clear, Sarah Jayne Dunn, Chucky Venn, Winston Ellis, David Dastmalchian, Sophia Hinshelwood, Keith Kupferer, Joseph Luis Caballero, Richard Dillane, Daryl Satcher, Crhis Perschler, Aidan Feore, Philip Bulcock, Paul Birchard, Walter Lewis, Vincent Riotta, Nancy Crane, K. Todd Freeman, Matt Shallenberger, Michael Andrew Gorman, Lanny Lutz, Peter DeFaria, Matt Rippy, Andrew Bicknell, Ariyon Bakare, Doug Ballard, Helene Wilson, Tommy Campbell, Craig Heaney, Lorna Gayle, Joshua Rollins, Dale RIvera, Matthew Leitch, Tom "Tiny" Lister Jr., Thomas Gaitsch, William Armstrong, Adam Kalesperis, Tristan Tait, Bronson Webb, Gertrude Kyles, Jonathan Ryland, James Scales, Nigel Carrington, Ian Pirie, Lateef Lovejoy, Grahame Edwards, Roger Monk, Ronan Summers, Wai Wong, Michael Corey Foster, Hannah Gunn, Brandon Lambdin
Director: Christopher Nolan

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Crime Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:33

Color Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound

Editorial Reviews - Dark Knight

All Movie Guide
Christopher Nolan steps back into the director's chair for this sequel to Batman Begins, which finds the titular superhero coming face to face with his greatest nemesis -- the dreaded Joker. Christian Bale returns to the role of Batman, Maggie Gyllenhaal takes over the role of Rachel Dawes (played by Katie Holmes in Batman Begins), and Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger dons the ghoulishly gleeful Joker makeup previously worn by Jack Nicholson and Cesar Romero. Just as it begins to appear as if Batman, Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman), and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) are making headway in their tireless battle against the criminal element, a maniacal, wisecracking fiend plunges the streets of Gotham City into complete chaos. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Deep Impact

Deep Impact

Starring: Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, Vanessa Redgrave, Morgan Freeman, Leelee Sobieski, James Cromwell, Ron Eldard, Maximilian Schell, Jon Favreau, Richard Schiff, Mary McCormack, Alimi Ballard, Laura Innes, Dougray Scott, Kurtwood Smith
Director: Mimi Leder

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Disaster Film
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:01

Color Stereo

Editorial Reviews - Deep Impact

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Mimi Leder (The Peacemaker) directed this science-fiction disaster drama about the possible extinction of human life after a comet is discovered headed toward Earth with the collision only one year away. Ambitious MSNBC reporter Jenny Lerner (Tea Leoni) stumbles onto the story, prompting a White House press conference. United States President Beck (Morgan Freeman) announces the government's solution: a team of astronauts will travel to the comet and destroy it. The team leader aboard the spaceship Messiah is Spurgeon Tanner (Robert Duvall), who was once the last man to walk on the moon. However, the mission fails, splitting off a chunk of the comet, now due to land in the Atlantic with the impact sending a 350-foot tidal wave flooding 650 miles inland, destroying New York and other cities. The larger part of the comet, hitting in Canada, will trigger an E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event), not unlike a "nuclear winter" as dust clouds block out the sun and bring life to an end. President Beck reveals Plan B: a cavernous underground retreat constructed to hold one million Americans, with most to be selected through a national lottery. Since teenage amateur astronomer Leo Biederman (Elijah Wood) discovered the comet, his family gets a pass to enter the cave, but his girlfriend Sarah (Leelee Sobieski) and her parents will be left behind. Meanwhile, still in space, Spurgeon Tanner devises a plan for a kamikaze-styled operation that could possibly save the Earth. Special visual effects by Scott Farrar and Industrial Light & Magic. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Die Hard

Die Hard

Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Alexander Godunov, Reginald VelJohnson, William Atherton, Paul Gleason, De'Voreaux White, Hart Bochner, James Shigeta, Robert Davi, Grand L. Bush, Clarence Gilyard Jr., Selma Archerd, Cheryl Baker, Scot Bennett, Gerard Bonn, P. Randall Bowers, Rebecca Broussard, Hans Buhringer, Lorenzo Caccialanza, Betty Carvalho, George Christy, Rick Cicetti, Terri Lynn Doss, Bruno Doyon, Rick Ducommun, Kate Finlayson, Taylor Fry, Mark Goldstein, Jon E. Greene, Stella Hall, Dennis Hayden, Shanna Higgins, Wilhelm von Homburg, Diana James, Bob A. Jennings, David Katz, Noah Land, Matt Landers, Michele Laybourn, Al Leong, Fred Lerner, Robert Lesser, Kym Malin, Bill Marcus, Bill Margolin, Richard Parker, Anthony Peck, Joey Plewa, Shelley Pogoda, Tracy Reiner, Gary Roberts, Bruce P. Schultz, Dustyn Taylor, Mary Ellen Trainor, David Ursin, Kip Waldo, Andreas Wisniewski, Carmine Zozzora
Director: John McTiernan

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:12

Color Stereo

Editorial Reviews - Die Hard

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John McTiernan's Die Hard introduced a type of character that hadn't been seen much in big-budget action films of the 1980s: the working class hero. Apart from Sylvester Stallone's Rambo movies and some of the cruder, decidedly low-budgeted, martial-arts movies starring Chuck Norris, there wasn't a precedent for Bruce Willis's gruff John McClane. In contrast to its predecessors, Die Hard was such a high-profile production that Willis was suddenly elevated to the status of cultural icon, not unlike Sean Connery and his alter ego James Bond. Willis and McTiernan can take credit for bringing back the kind of distinctly American, masculine swagger John Wayne used to bring to his roles, albeit with a dirtier lexicon of catch-phrases than Wayne ever would've used on camera. The director and his crew of special effects experts could also take credit for a series of explosions that rivaled the combined fire-power and energy expended in Wayne's The Hellfighters, Back To Bataan, The Sands of Iwo Jima, Chisum, and The Longest Day combined. It's a testament to Willis' star power that his work in this vein is still taken seriously at the box-office, as evidenced by Die Hard: With a Vengeance, and not yet an object of excessive burlesque or parody -- something that cannot be said of Stallone's 1990s action pictures. Bruce Eder

All Movie Guide
It's Christmas time in L.A., and there's an employee party in progress on the 30th floor of the Nakatomi Corporation building. The revelry comes to a violent end when the partygoers are taken hostage by a group of terrorists headed by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), who plan to steal the 600 million dollars locked in Nakatomi's high-tech safe. In truth, Gruber and his henchmen are only pretending to be politically motivated to throw the authorities off track; also in truth, Gruber has no intention of allowing anyone to get out of the building alive. Meanwhile, New York cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) has come to L.A. to visit his estranged wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), who happens to be one of the hostages. Disregarding the orders of the authorities surrounding the building, McClane, who fears nothing (except heights), takes on the villains, armed with one handgun and plenty of chutzpah. Until Die Hard came along, Bruce Willis was merely that wisecracking guy on Moonlighting. After the film's profits started rolling in, Willis found himself one of the highest-paid and most sought-after leading men in Hollywood. Hal Erickson

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

Starring: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Christine Taylor, Justin Long, Stephen Root, Joel Moore, Rip Torn, Alan Tudyk, Missi Pyle, Jamal Duff, Gary Cole, Jason Bateman, Hank Azaria, Al Kaplon, Lance Armstrong, Chuck Norris, William Shatner, David Hasselhoff, Cayden Boyd, Julie Gonzalo, Christopher Williams
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Comedy - General
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:32

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Editorial Reviews - Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

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One of 2004's real cinematic surprises, Dodgeball is an unabashedly lowbrow comedy, the type that gleans laughs by heaping indignities on its cast members. Most of the men sustain blows to their private parts (some repeatedly), and whenever the action flags director Rawson Marshall Thurber has somebody smacked in the head as well. In short, Dodgeball offers an endless procession of lowest-common-denominator sight gags and pratfalls. But it also manages to invest a hackneyed story with energy and infectious humor, of the "slobs vs. snobs" variety. Vince Vaughn -- who, alone among the male cast members, emerges with his dignity relatively intact -- plays the lackadaisical owner of a ramshackle gym about to be foreclosed on by successful health-club owner Ben Stiller. Having only a few days to come up with the 50 grand Stiller requires, Vaughn and his motley customers enter a champion dodgeball tournament in Las Vegas -- only to find that they'll be playing against Stiller's highly trained, hyper-competitive team. Christine Taylor (Stiller's real-life wife) portrays a sympathetic accountant who joins Vaughn's hapless band of geeks, and Rip Torn engages in some scenery chewing as a former dodgeball champ coaxed out of retirement to coach the team. (His coaching regimen mainly involves throwing wrenches at his players.) The tournament sequence is a hoot, with supporting players Gary Cole and Jason Bateman nearly stealing the show as overly enthusiastic ESPN commentators. Some clever verbal jokes are sprinkled throughout the script, and Vaughn tosses off some snappy one-liners with improvisational brio. For a film that happily traffics in bad-taste humor, Dodgeball is surprisingly entertaining, in a "guilty pleasure" sort of way. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story revolves around amiable underachiever Peter LaFleur (Vince Vaughn), whose rundown gym, Average Joe's, is populated by a less-than-average clientele including a self-styled pirate, an ultra-obscure sports aficionado, and a pining high school nerd. It soon becomes apparent that Joe's is in financial trouble and will soon be foreclosed by attractive attorney Kate Veach (Christine Taylor) - unless Peter can cough up $50,000. Despite Average Joe's posing little threat to Globo Gym, a fitness Goliath across the street that is owned by egomaniacal White Goodman (Ben Stiller) - Goodman senses an easy acquisition and decides to take over the facility. Peter's ragtag group of regulars, however, are less than thrilled with the prospects, and mobilize a showdown, winner-takes-all Dodgeball tournament against Globo Gym. The film also features Missi Pyle, Rip Torn, Stephen Root, and Alan Tudyk. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Elf

Elf

Starring: Will Ferrell, Ed Asner, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Bob Newhart, Zooey Deschanel, Daniel Tay, Faizon Love, Peter Dinklage, Amy Sedaris, Michael Lerner, Andy Richter, Jon Favreau, Kyle Gass, Leon Redbone
Director: Jon Favreau

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:35

Color Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound

Editorial Reviews - Elf

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It's not easy to make a Christmas classic. For every A Charlie Brown Christmas and Miracle on 34th Street, there are countless films that put special effects where their hearts ought to be. Elf is a rare exception. With genuine charm and the immense likability of its star, Elf gives holiday cheer a good name. Will Ferrell stars as Buddy, a human raised by elves at the North Pole. But the over-six-foot-tall Buddy literally does not fit in, and he ventures to New York (via the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, the sea of swirly, twirly gum drops, and the Lincoln Tunnel) where he is reunited with Walter, his biological father (James Caan), a children's book editor, who was not aware of Buddy's existence. Clad in yellow tights and a whimsical elfin coat, Buddy's childlike enthusiasm for all things sugar and all things Christmas converts cynics like Walter, melts the heart of Jovie (indie queen Zooey Deschanel), a wary department store clerk, and inspires the faith that is needed to power Santa's sleigh. There are warm and wonderful scenes, including Buddy and Jovie's impromptu duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside," and Buddy's inevitable tangle with a department store Santa ("You sit on a throne of lies," Buddy tells the imposter). The supporting cast is another of this film's gifts that keeps on giving: Mary Steenburgen as Walter's very understanding wife; Bob Newhart as Walter's adoptive elf father; Ed Asner as Santa; and real-life dwarf Peter Dinklage as an author who doesn't much appreciate Buddy's mistaking him for one of Santa's helpers. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
For his sophomore stab at directing, actor/writer/director Jon Favreau (Swingers, Made), took on this holiday comedy starring Saturday Night Live-alum Will Ferrell. Ferrell stars as Buddy, a regular-sized man who was raised as an elf by Santa Claus (Edward Asner). When the news is finally broken to Buddy that he's not a real elf, he decides to head back to his place of birth, New York City, in search of his biological family. Elf also stars James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Zooey Deschanel, and Bob Newhart. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Farscape, Vol. 1

Farscape, Vol. 1

Starring:
Director: Andrew Prowse

Certification: NR
Category: Action & Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:58

Color Dolby Digital

Editorial Reviews - Farscape, Vol. 1

Barnes & Noble
The demise of the various Star Treks and Babylon 5, combined with network television's belabored push towards "realism" (for everyone who thinks Dharma & Greg is particularly real), has left a void in the world of science-fiction programs. Filling that void is the Sci-Fi Channel's best-rated program, Farscape, a spunky, fast-paced adventure, relying on the tried-and-true theme of Man Far From Home (When He Doesn't Want To Be). A new series of DVDs and videos of the show, presented in glorious surround sound, offer a fresh look at Farscape for those who haven't unearthed it on Sci-Fi and may pose a threat to the booming VHS bootlegging market that has thrived among the show's devoted fans. "Premiere" introduces us to John Crichton (Ben Browder), a clean-cut American astronaut with great teeth, who is testing an experimental spacecraft, using the earth's gravitational pull to slingshot him into more distant reaches. A wormhole, however, drags him smack into the middle of an interstellar war and onto a renegade prison transport ship, operated by a cadre of unusual escapees: D'argo (Anthony Simcoe) a tank of a man from a warrior race; Zhaan (Virginia Hey, The Road Warrior) an azure, scaly high-priestess with a very gentle side; and Rygel XVI, a deposed royal who looks like a cross between Norman Mailer and a walrus (the puppets and creatures are done by the always adroit folks at the Jim Henson Creature Shop). Uncertain of his place either on this ship or in the universe, Chrichton is forced to flee the Peacekeepers, a dominant, black-clad force in the universe, after accidentally killing the brother of a general. While running away, Crichton and his new companions take on a new traveler, a feisty peacekeeper pilot named Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black, Pitch Black) who is none too eager to join the band of renegades. In "I, E.T.," the prison ship lands in a swamp on a planet not unlike Louisiana to block a Peacekeeper beacon, and Crichton learns what it's like to be on the other side of a close encounter, while still trying to figure out where home is. Science-fiction vet Rockne S. O'Bannon (Alien Nation) crafts Farscape as a smart, lively voyage. The aliens have depth and so does the space they occupy: who knows how long it may take Crichton to reach home, but the gulf in between seems very exciting to search through.

Farscape, Vol. 8

Farscape, Vol. 8

Starring:
Director: Geoff Bennett

Certification: NR
Category: Action & Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:00

Color Dolby Digital

Editorial Reviews - Farscape, Vol. 8

Barnes & Noble
Created by Rockne S. O'Bannon (Alien Nation) with some effects help from the Henson Company, the Stranger in a Strange Spaceship series Farscape continues to be the best rated program on the ever-growing Sci-Fi Channel. And continuing a traiditon of top-notch collections for ravenous fans, this eighth installment includes two more first-season episodes. In "Durka Returns," Rygel is confronted with a figure of torment from his past after the Leviathan's near collision with a Nebari transport vessel. Rygel's desire for revenge upon the man who tortured him during his time of captivity, Durka (David Wheeler), sets off a chain of events that lead Durka to return to his evil ways as he takes both Rygel and Aeryn (Claudia Black) hostage. Crichton (Ben Browder) must come to the rescue, but in order to do that he has to trust the dangerous prisoner Chiana (Gigi Edgley). In "A Human Reaction," Crichton finally finds his way home after traveling through a wormhole, but does not receive the homecoming he had hoped for -- his father (Kent McCord) is the only person who believes that he is in fact John Crichton! Worried for their comrade, Aeryn, D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe), and Rygel follow Crichton to Earth through the worm hole -- but they are not met with open arms either. Is Earth ready for the likes of these space travelers, or is there something not quite right about the Earth Crichton and his crew landed on? R.J. Wafer

The Fast and the Furious

The Fast and the Furious

Starring: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Johnny Strong, Matt Schulze, Ted Levine, Ja Rule, Thom Barry, Vyto Ruginis
Director: Rob Cohen

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:47

Color Stereo

Editorial Reviews - Fast and the Furious

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This supercharged melodrama was the year's undisputed sleeper hit for good reason. Edgy and stylish, The Fast and the Furious goes beyond the extremely limited parameters of youth-oriented action films and very nearly attains the mythic quality associated with the rugged westerns of John Ford and Howard Hawks. Teen-movie hunk Paul Walker, in his first leading role, plays a hotshot driver who joins a cultlike coterie of Los Angeles street racers and becomes the protégé of local legend Dominic Torreto (Vin Diesel), whose posse rules the ?hood. Their sleek, souped-up cars are fueled as much with testosterone as with gasoline, and violent clashes with rival gangs account for the film's non-racing action highlights. Rob Cohen, who previously directed Walker in The Skulls, deliberately and effectively contrasts the brash and enigmatic novice with his unsavory mentor, a thoroughgoing hoodlum who adheres rigidly to his own peculiar code of honor. With his shaved head, muscular physique, and deep bass voice, Diesel is quickly becoming the most imposing screen presence of his generation. He imbues Torreto with charisma to spare. With the less complex part, Walker displays a heretofore unsuspected star quality, and Jordana Brewster shines as Diesel's loyal sister. Occasionally improbable to the point of absurdity, The Fast and the Furious nonetheless succeeds in achieving a sort of surreal authenticity that makes it not only believable but genuinely gripping. The Collectors Edition DVD offers a commentary by Cohen in addition to deleted scenes, a making-of documentary, a montage of visual effects used to enhance the first racing sequence, an interactive segment showing the same car stunt from eight different angles, a featurette on the film's editing, storyboard-to-film comparisons, and several music videos Ed Hulse

Barnes & Noble
"It delivers what it promises to deliver, and knows that a chase scene is supposed to be about something more than special effects." -- Roger Ebert,

All Movie Guide
A magazine article about real-life car racing gangs for Vibe becomes this fast-paced automotive thriller from director Rob Cohen. Paul Walker stars as Brian O'Conner, a youthful FBI agent investigating a series of hijackings by going undercover with a street gang led by charismatic Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel). Caught up in Toretto's world of gang conflict that is resolved in late-night car races, Spindler starts to sympathize with his chief suspect and falls in love with Toretto's younger sister Mia (Jordana Brewster). In the meantime, Spindler initially suspects the wrong gang of complicity in the crimes he's probing, while Toretto remains involved in a forbidden romance, à la Romeo and Juliet, with his girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). The Fast and the Furious co-stars Ted Levine, Rick Yune, and Matt Schulze. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Chicago Sun-Times
It delivers what it promises to deliver, and knows that a chase scene is supposed to be about something more than special effects. Roger Ebert

Hollywood Reporter
Has B-movie grit, with sexy young actors, even sexier cars and the smarts to realize a teen movie will only work if you empathize with its characters. Kirk Honeycutt

The Fifth Element

The Fifth Element

Starring: Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Ian Holm, Gary Oldman, Chris Tucker, Luke Perry, Christopher Adamson, Maïwenn Le Besco, John Bluthal, Lee Evans, Mia Frye, Brion James, Mathieu Kassovitz, Tom "Tiny" Lister Jr., Charlie Creed Miles, John Neville, Indra Ové, Eve Salvail, Tricky, Fred Williams
Director: Luc Besson

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Future Dystopias
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:05

Color Dolby Digital Stereo

Editorial Reviews - Fifth Element

All Movie Guide
Good and evil battle for the future of 23rd century Earth in this visually striking big-budget science fiction epic. In the movie's prologue, which is set in 1914, scientists gather in Egypt at the site of an event that transpired centuries earlier. Aliens, it seemed, arrived to collect four stones representing the four basic elements (earth, air, fire and water) - warning their human contacts that the objects were no longer safe on Earth. A few hundred years later (in the 23rd century), a huge ball of molten lava and flame is hurtling toward Earth, and scientist-holy man Victor Cornelius (Ian Holm) declares that in order to prevent it from destroying the planet, the same four elemental stones must be combined with the fifth element, as embodied by a visitor from another world named Leeloo (Milla Jovovich). However, if the force of evil presents itself to the stones instead, the Earth will be destroyed, and an evil being named Zorg (Gary Oldman) will trigger the disaster. Despite her remarkable powers, Leeloo needs help with her mission, and she chooses her accomplice, military leader-turned-cab driver Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis), when she literally falls through the roof of his taxi. Writer and director Luc Besson began writing the script for The Fifth Element when he was only 16 years old, though he was 38 before he was able to bring it to the screen.

~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Chicago Sun-Times
The Fifth Element...is one of the great goofy movies -- a film so preposterous I wasn't surprised to discover it was written by a teenage boy. That boy grew up to become Luc Besson, director of good smaller movies and bizarre big ones, and here he's spent $90 million to create sights so remarkable they really ought to be seen. Roger Ebert

Finding Amanda

Finding Amanda

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Brittany Snow, Steve Coogan, Maura Tierney, Peter Facinelli, Ed Begley Jr.
Director: Peter Tolan

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Satire
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:36

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Editorial Reviews - Finding Amanda

All Movie Guide
Rescue Me co-creator Peter Tolan makes his feature directorial debut with this comedy starring Matthew Broderick as a moderately successful television writer whose addiction to alcohol, gambling, and drugs make dealing with the latest family crisis especially difficult. Taylor Peters (Broderick) is the writer and producer of a low-rated television sitcom that gets repeatedly bashed by critics and fares only slightly better with the viewing public. His career thrown off the tracks years ago due to his penchant for compulsive gambling, heavy drinking, and frequent recreational drug use, Taylor struggles to keep his additions under control. Sure, he still plays the horses every now and then, but the less that his wife Lorraine (Maura Tierney) knows about that, the better. When Lorraine's sister discovers that her 20-year old daughter Amanda (Brittany Snow) has been working as a Las Vegas prostitute, she calls the family together for an emergency meeting. Later, during the ride home, Lorraine discovers Taylor's racing stubs stashed in the glove compartment and announces that she is filing for divorce. Desperate not to lose his wife, Taylor hatches an ingenious plan to win back her affections and prove he's a changed man: he'll travel to Las Vegas, locate Amanda, and take her to rehab in Malibu. It's a noble plan indeed, but can a man given to such vices truly exercise the Herculean restrain needed to avoid the blackjack tables and accomplish his noble mission while traveling through the sordid streets of a city built on the very foundation of temptation? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Finding Forrester

Finding Forrester

Starring: Sean Connery, Rob Brown, F. Murray Abraham, Anna Paquin, Busta Rhymes, April Grace, Matt Damon, Michael Nouri
Director: Gus Van Sant

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Drama - Coming of Age
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:16

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Editorial Reviews - Finding Forrester

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In the spirit of his Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting, Gus Van Sant directs this tale of the unlikely bond that develops between an aging, reclusive novelist named Forrester (Sean Connery) -- who hasn't written anything since winning a Pulitzer Prize decades earlier -- and Jamal (Rob Brown), a 16-year-old with a hidden desire to be a writer. When Jamal is cited for his athleticism in basketball by an elite Manhattan prep school, he is forced to adapt to an environment far from his South Bronx upbringing, and a small mishap leads him to the eccentric, uneasy Forrester. After their initial apprehension of each other, they begin to fuel each other's fire for writing, and become unlikely friends despite their ages and backgrounds. Forrester's devotion to Jamal becomes enhanced when he must defend allegations of plagiarism enforced by Professor Crawford (F. Murray Abraham), jeopardizing Jamal's future. The film also features Anna Paquin, Busta Rhymes, and Zane Copeland, Jr.. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

Chicago Sun-Times
*** The scenes between the old man and the teenager are at the heart of the movie, and it's a pleasure to watch the rapport between Connery, in his 50th year of acting, and Brown, in his first role.... I was reminded of another movie, a great one, named "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" (1962). In both that movie and this one, a disadvantaged young man simply refuses to perform like a trained seal, because he knows that will be a lethal blow against his adult tormentors. In a movie where sports supplies an important theme, Jamal's crucial decision supplies the best insight in the story about his journey between two worlds. Roger Ebert

Fletch

Fletch

Starring: Chevy Chase, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Tim Matheson, Joe Don Baker, Richard Libertini, Geena Davis, George Wendt, M. Emmet Walsh, Kenneth Mars, Larry "Flash" Jenkins, Ralph Seymour, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Avery, Mary Battilana, Donald Chaffin, Reid Cruickshanks, Nico de Silva, Darren Dublin, Bruce French, Rick Garcia, Grace Gaynor, Burton Gilliam, David W. Harper, Chick Hearn, Bill Henderson, Freeman King, Alison La Placa, Tony Longo, Irene Olga Lopez, Joe Praml, William Sanderson, Penny Santon, Bill Sorrells, Robert Sorrells, Beau Starr, William Traylor, Arnold Turner, George Wyner
Director: Michael Ritchie

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:38

Color Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound

Editorial Reviews - Fletch

All Movie Guide
Chevy Chase added a classic comic hero to the film landscape with Fletch, one of his few truly popular star vehicles in a famously misguided post-Saturday Night Live career. Chase plays Irwin M. Fletcher, known to everyone as Fletch, a Los Angeles Lakers-loving investigative reporter with a gleeful disdain for deadlines and a knack for pushing the buttons of his frustrated editor (Richard Libertini). He's also known for donning numerous disguises and assuming zany false identities to help gain information. While pursuing an ongoing story about a powerful drug dealer who operates from Venice Beach, he comes across an intriguing offshoot in which he becomes intimately involved. Aviation executive Alan Stanwyk (Tim Matheson) has an unusual proposition for Fletch: If Fletch agrees to an elaborate plan to kill him, for reasons Stanwyk refuses to divulge beyond explaining that he has bone cancer, Fletch will walk away with a healthy sum of money and a plane ticket to Brazil. Curious yet suspicious by profession, Fletch begins investigating Stanwyk's true motives, which leads him through numerous misadventures. Among them are a visit to a stuffy country club; a high-speed car chase with an unwitting passenger; repeat encounters with Stanwyk's wife (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson), although she may not be his only one; and a trip to Provo -- that's Utah, not Spain. Inspired by a novel of the same name by Gregory McDonald, Fletch went from thriller to comedy as it was adapted into a vehicle for Chase. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

Force 10 from Navarone

Force 10 from Navarone

Starring: Robert Shaw, Harrison Ford, Edward Fox, Barbara Bach, Franco Nero, Richard Kiel, Carl Weathers, Jurgen Andersen, Dicken Ashworth, Alan Badel, Petar Buntic, Michael Byrne, Graeme Crowther, Nick Ellsworth, Robert Gillespie, Richard Hampton, Paul Humpoletz, Paul Jerricho, Wolf Kahler, Philip Latham, Angus MacInnes, Christopher Malcolm, Michael Osborne, Edward Peel, Leslie Schofield, Michael Sheard, Ron Goodwin
Director: Guy Hamilton

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: War Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 4:04

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Editorial Reviews - Force 10 from Navarone

All Movie Guide
Force 10 From Navarone was a sequel to the 1961 blockbuster The Guns of Navarone and tells the tale of ten widely divergent WW II troubleshooters who attempt to blow up a crucial bridge in Yugoslavia. As in the first Navarone film, one of the guerillas is a traitor: group leader Mallory (Robert Shaw) knows the identity of the turncoat, but can't prove it until it's almost too late. The beautiful female resistance leader is played by Barbara Bach, while Harrison Ford, fresh from his Star Wars success, is the romantic lead. Others in the cast include Edward Fox, Franco Nero and Alan Badel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Starring: Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand, Bill Hader, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd, Jack McBrayer, Maria Thayer, William Baldwin, Jason Bateman, Billy Bush
Director: Nick Stoller

Certification: NR
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 3:49

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Editorial Reviews - Forgetting Sarah Marshall

All Movie Guide
In desperate need of a vacation after being unceremoniously dumped by his TV-star girlfriend, a man travels to a lavish Hawaiian resort to nurse his wounds and forget his heartache, only to discover that his ex and her handsome new boyfriend are currently staying at the exact same island hot spot. Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) may be just another struggling musician, but for the past six years he's been dating Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), one of the hottest stars on television. Sarah is everything in the world to Peter, so when she kindly but firmly tells him that they should each go their separate ways, he is absolutely devastated. Later, after attempting to salvage his ego by awkwardly attempting to become a womanizer and nearly losing his job because of a nervous breakdown, an emotionally fragile Peter attempts to put the past behind him by escaping to the sun-soaked beaches of Oahu. While at first it seems as if Peter has discovered the perfect prescription for a bad case of lost love, his plan soon turns to dust when Sarah and her new rock-star boyfriend, Aldous (Russell Brand), turn up at the exact same resort. Though accepting Sarah's lavish new lifestyle won't be easy for the crestfallen Peter, the laid-back companionship of flirtatious resort employee Rachel (Mila Kunis) -- not to mention a continuous regimen of fruity cocktails -- goes a long way in mending the wounds of a broken heart. Forgetting Sarah Marshall was penned by Segel and produced by Judd Apatow. Fun with Dick and Jane screenwriter Nicholas Stoller makes his directorial debut. The cast also includes Paul Rudd, Bill Hader, Jack McBrayer, and Jonah Hill. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Fringe - Season 1

Fringe - Season 1

Starring: Joshua Jackson, Lance Reddick, John Noble, Kirk Acevedo, Anna Torv
Director: Akiva Goldsman

Certification: NR
Category: Science Fiction & Fantasy
User Rating:
Running Time: 17:08

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Editorial Reviews - Fringe - Season 1

From the Studio
Teleportation. Mind control. Invisibility. Astral projection. Mutation. Reanimation. Phenomena that exist on the Fringe of science unleash their strange powers in this thrilling series, co-created by J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias), combining the grit of the police procedural with the excitement of the unknown. The story revolves around three unlikely colleagues -- a beautiful young FBI agent, Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), a brilliant scientist, Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble), who has spent the last 17 years in a mental institution, and the scientist's sardonic son, Peter (Joshua Jackson) -- who investigate a series of bizarre deaths and disasters known as "The Pattern." Someone is using our world as an experimental lab, and all clues lead to Massive Dynamic, a shadowy global corporation that may be more powerful than any nation.

All Movie Guide
In the pilot episode, an FBI agent recruits a brilliant but incarcerated scientist (John Noble) and his estranged, sharp-witted son (Joshua Jackson) to investigate an airborne tragedy that may harbinger a trend of increasingly unsettling phenomena. The executive producers include J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
The bizarre death of a woman who gave birth to a rapidly aging baby after an hours-long pregnancy challenges the nascent partnership between Dr. Bishop, Peter and Olivia, who reaches out to Massive Dynamic's Nina Sharp for answers. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
During the investigation of the bizarre deaths of a bus full of commuters, Olivia, Peter and Dr. Bishop reach out to a troubled man with prognosticative powers of Pattern-related catastrophes who might be able to help them prevent another tragedy. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
The only thing found intact after an explosion rocks a New York City construction project is a mysterious cylinder, so Broyles enlists the trio of Olivia, Dr. Bishop and Peter to investigate the significance of the object, which seems to be related to a string of inexplicable behavior and events. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
Dangerous consequences of a man's peculiar ability to harness electricity draw the attention of Olivia, Peter and Dr. Bishop, whose unorthodox methods extend to including the use of homing pigeons to aid their investigation. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
The reappearance of a missing woman with a rare disease puts everyone she meets in jeopardy and coincides with detections of dangerous radiation levels, raising suspicions of a link to illegal drug trials involving humans. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
The appearance of a strange parasite inside the body of an ailing FBI agent prompts a hurried trip to Germany for Olivia, who learns even more unpleasant news from a man imprisoned there. Meanwhile, Dr. Bishop and Peter try to read a dead man's brain waves. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
The circumstances surrounding a music prodigy's kidnapping cause Dr. Bishop to be reminded of a fellow inmate at St. Claire's, but Olivia's suggestion that he return to the hospital draws criticism from Peter. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
The investigation of a bizarre tragedy at Massive Dynamic spawns Olivia's desire to erase her memories of John Scott, while Peter's whereabouts are revealed to some unsavory players from his murky past. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
A series of bank robberies are investigated by Olivia, Peter and Dr. Bishop, whose discovery o a personal link to the tech-savvy thieves' ambition ultimately puts one of the trio in grave danger. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
A visit from Olivia's sister (Ari Graynor) and a formal review of the Fringe Division coincide with the investigation of the murder of a famous scientist, which may have something to do with Olivia's recent abduction. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
A series of particularly gruesome murders across the country lead Walter to determine that the killer is turning the victims' brains into liquid, but solving the case has a special urgency for Olivia, who fears for the welfare of a loved one. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
The investigation of another airborne disaster yields evidence of a strange virus, but Olivia and Peter must go undercover to determine the scope of danger presented by this new threat. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
While the Division is flummoxed by a mysterious toxin that is killing people by making their facial features disappear, German authorities want to know all about Olivia's contact with escaped convict David Robert Jones, who has relocated to the U.S. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
Olivia establishes a silent bond with a mute child who has been living under a building targeted for demolition, and their connection coincides with the reappearance of a serial killer who is known for macabre public displays of his deadly deeds. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
An animal-rights organization's rescue mission at a laboratory backfires when it releases a vicious beast, almost mythological in appearance with a lion's body and eagle's talons, and Charlie is in danger of being its latest victim. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
An actual suicide at New York City's Grand Central station is witnessed by Olivia -- in Boston -- in a dream, kicking off a baffling series of nightmares that may be linked to the ZFT manifesto, the drug Cortexiphan and her own childhood. Written and directed by Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind). ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
When a serial killer is draining victims of spinal fluid, the investigation by Olivia, Peter and Walter leads to a scientist who may be linked to a ZFT cell of bioterrorists. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
The investigation of a suspected case of spontaneous combustion coincides with Olivia's detailed but inexplicable visions, Walter's focus on the ZFT manifesto and a potentially pivotal revelation from Peter. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

All Movie Guide
The first-season finale includes an appearance by the much-discussed, but never seen, Massive Dynamics founder, William Bell (Leonard Nimoy), the return of David Robert Jones and a mysterious vanishing act by Walter. ~ Joe Friedrich, Rovi

Gettysburg

Gettysburg

Starring: Stephen Lang, Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen, Richard Jordan, Jeff Daniels, C. Thomas Howell, Kevin Conway, Andrew Prine, Maxwell Caulfield, James Lancaster, Royce D. Applegate, Sam Elliott, Brian Mallon, Richard Anderson, Bo Brinkman, Dwier Brown, Ken Burns, Warren Burton, Michael Callahan, Bill Campbell, Scott Allan Campbell, David Carpenter, David Cole, John Diehl, MacIntyre Dixon, John Durant, John Fitzpatrick, Joseph Fuqua, Patrick Gorman, Alex Harvey, Cooper Huckabee, Ivan Kane, George Lazenby, Michael Tennessee Lee, Donal Logue, Robert Lucas, Peter Miller, Herb Mitchell, Mark Moses, Kieran Mulroney, Michael Phillips, John Rothman, Timothy Scott, William Morgan Sheppard, Patrick D. Stuart, Buck Taylor, Leonard Termo, Joy Todd, Ted Turner
Director: Ronald F. Maxwell

Certification: NR
Category: Epic
User Rating:
Running Time: 4:14

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Editorial Reviews - Gettysburg

All Movie Guide
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara becomes this sprawling historical epic. As in Shaara's novel, director Ronald Maxwell focuses on a handful of major players to dramatize the events of July 1863, when the armies of the Union and Confederacy clash at the small Pennsylvania town of the title. Among them are Martin Sheen as General Robert E. Lee, who disagrees with his top advisor, General James Longstreet (Tom Berenger) over battle strategy, and Jeff Daniels as Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a college professor whose unorthodox techniques save the day (and possibly the war) for his beleaguered army. Other cast standouts include Richard Jordan in his final film appearance as the ill-fated General Lewis Armistead, and cameo roles for Civil War buff Ken Burns and media mogul producer Ted Turner. Filmed on-location at Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg was shot as a television miniseries for Turner's TNT cable channel, but earned a limited theatrical release. Karl Williams

Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters

Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, William Atherton, David Margulies, Steven Tash, Slavitza Jovan, Michael Ensign, Alice Drummond, Timothy Carhart, Jordan Charney, Joe Cirillo, Bill Couch, Larry Dilg, Patty Dworkin, Paddi Edwards, Joe Franklin, Rhoda Gemignani, Roger Grimsby, Stanley Grover, James Hardie, Carol Henry, Kymberly Herrin, Tommy Hollis, Casey Kasem, Jean Kasem, Nancy Kelly, Larry King, Ric Mancini, Norman Matlock, Winston May, Tom McDermott, Eda Reiss Merin, Sam Moses, Frances E. Nealy, Ruth Oliver, Jason Reitman, John Ring, John Rothman, Murray Rubin, Jennifer Runyon, Danny Stone, Frantz Turner, Reginald VelJohnson, Christopher Wynkoop
Director: Ivan Reitman

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Comedy Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:47

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Editorial Reviews - Ghostbusters

All Movie Guide
Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson star as a quartet of Manhattan-based "paranormal investigators." When their government grants run out, the former three go into business as The Ghostbusters, later hiring Hudson on. Armed with electronic paraphernalia, the team is spectacularly successful, ridding The Big Apple of dozens of ghoulies, ghosties and long-legged beasties. Tight-lipped bureaucrat William Atherton regards the Ghostbusters as a bunch of charlatans, but is forced to eat his words when New York is besieged by an army of unfriendly spirits, conjured up by a long-dead Babylonian demon and "channelled" through beautiful cellist Sigourney Weaver and nerdish Rick Moranis. The climax is a glorious sendup of every Godzilla movie ever made-and we daresay it cost more than a year's worth of Japanese monster flicks combined. Who'd ever dream that the chubby, cheery Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man would turn out to be the most malevolent threat ever faced by New York City? When the script for Ghostbusters was forged by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, John Belushi was slated to play the Bill Murray role; Belushi's death in 1982 not only necessitated the hiring of Murray, but also an extensive rewrite. The most expensive comedy made up to 1984, Ghostbusters made money hand over fist, spawning not only a 1989 sequel but also two animated TV series (one of them partially based on an earlier live-action TV weekly, titled The Ghost Busters. Hal Erickson

The Girl Next Door

The Girl Next Door

Starring: Elisha Cuthbert, Emile Hirsch, Timothy Olyphant, James Remar, Christopher Marquette, Paul Dano, Timothy Bottoms, Donna Bullock, Jacob Young, Brian Kolodziej, Brandon Irons, Amanda Swisten, Ulysses Lee, Maria Arce, Nicolas Downs, Dane Garretson, Sung Hi Lee, Autumn Reeser, Laird Stuart, Nicholas Thomas, Olivia Wade
Director: Luke Greenfield

Certification: NR
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:49

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Editorial Reviews - Girl Next Door

All Movie Guide
Boy meets girl who's already met all sorts of boys and girls in this teen-slanted comedy. Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch) is a straight-laced and highly ambitious high school student who plans to study at Georgetown University and dreams of a career in politics. While most of his classmates are in the throes of an epidemic of senioritis, Matthew is obsessed with schoolwork and has a hard time relaxing and having fun. But he finds himself a bit less focused on his future career when Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert), a beautiful 19-year-old blonde, moves in next door. Danielle is playful, spontaneous, and doesn't always remember to draw her shades, and before long Matthew is head over heels in love. Danielle soon finds herself taken with Matthew as well, but their relationship takes an unusual turn when he discovers that, before she moved to town, Danielle had a successful career as a porn actress. Matthew is able to convince Danielle that she's cut out for better things in life than appearing in porn videos, but his advice doesn't especially please Kelly (Timothy Olyphant) or Hugo (James Remar), two porn moguls who figure Matthew owes them big-time after convincing their leading lady to drop out of the adult industry. The Girl Next Door -- which, appropriately enough, shares its title with a 1999 documentary about adult film superstar Stacy Valentine -- also features Timothy Bottoms, Paul Dano, and Chris Marquette. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Entertainment Weekly
Risky Business had a great opening act and then descended into contrivances. This genial cardboard knockoff is contrived from the start but gets better as it goes along. Owen Gleiberman

Washington Post
An entertaining affair whose wild-card creativity never ceases to surprise. Desson Thomson

Dallas Observer
Best of all, in this movie about high school boys, the high school boys sound and look quite authentic (Paul Dano and Chris Marquette are outstanding in this regard), not watered down as would be the norm. Luke Y. Thompson

The Gods Must Be Crazy Series

The Gods Must Be Crazy Series

Starring: N!xau, Lena Farugia, Hans Strydom, Eiros, Nadies
Director: Jamie Uys

Certification: NR
Category: Action & Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 3:25

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
South African director Jamie Uys caught lightning in a bottle with The Gods Must Be Crazy--a Coke bottle, to be specific. This slaphappy collection of goofy pratfalls and culture-clash gags became an enormous international smash, and made a sort of star out of the Bushman selected to play the central role, the completely ingratiating N!Xau. He plays a man, unaware of white culture, who finds a Coca-Cola bottle in the Kalahari (dropped by a passing pilot) and promptly has his life turned around by this mystical object. The movie looks slipshod and even amateurish at times, yet its attitude is so bubbly it's hard to resist. Proving that physical comedy remains a true international language, millions of moviegoers around the world drank it up.

The Gods Must Be Crazy II (1989) returns N!Xau to the bizarre world of the white man, this time in a slicker plot (and a with a bigger budget) that, perhaps predictably, yields fewer real belly laughs than the first time around. Director Jamie Uys sticks to his cherished notions that tribesmen are wiser than civilized people, and that fast-motion comedy is inherently funny. The storyline begins with N!Xau's innocent Bushman searching for his lost children; he then gets sidetracked by subplots. The humor is basic, but in best silent-movie tradition Uys prepares his set-pieces with elaborate care, and he understands the value of the long-delayed pay-off. --Robert Horton

Product Description
When a primitive Bushman finds a coke bottle, he sets out to return it to the gods, and encounters the insanity of \civilization" for the first time; Xixo"

Grandma's Boy

Grandma's Boy

Starring: Linda Cardellini, Allen Covert, Peter Dante, Shirley Jones, Shirley Knight, Joel David Moore, Kevin Nealon, Doris Roberts, Nick Swardson, Jonah Hill, Kelvin Yu, Abdoulaye N'Gom, Shana Hiatt, Todd Holland, Jonathan Loughran, Katherine Ann McGregor, Kevin Nash, Jen Sung Outerbridge, Rob Schneider, David Spade, Ted Stryker
Director: Nicholaus Goossen

Certification: NR
Category: Comedy - General
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:34

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Editorial Reviews - Grandma's Boy

All Movie Guide
Can the world's oldest adolescent maintain his cool while living with his grandmother? Alex (Allen Covert) is a 35-year-old video-game fanatic who gave up a career in accounting to take a job testing games for Brainasium, the company behind the wildly popular game "Eternal Death Slayer." While Alex took a big pay cut to land his dream job, he's happy with his work and is making ends meet -- until he discovers that his roommate hasn't paid the rent for the last six months, using the money to finance repeated visits to a local massage parlor. After running out of friends who will let him sleep on their couch, Alex swallows his pride and moves in with his grandma Lily (Doris Roberts), who loves Alex and is happy to give him a place to stay in exchange for doing chores around the house. Lily shares her home with two friends, perpetually confused Bea (Shirley Knight) and sexually adventurous Grace (Shirley Jones), and between the three of them, there's always work to be done, keeping Alex busy nearly every night. While Alex tells his co-workers he's living with three attractive women who are running him ragged, they don't know the real story; in the meantime, Alex is trying to charm Brainasium's beautiful new executive, Samantha (Linda Cardellini), while butting heads with the firm's space-case CEO Cheezle (Kevin Nealon) and J.P. (Joel David Moore), a teenage game designer who is no longer in touch with reality. Grandma's Boy was the first feature film from director Nicholaus Goossen. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Great Outdoors

The Great Outdoors

Starring: Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Stephanie Faracy, Annette Bening, Chris Young, Lucy Deakins, Ian Giatti, Hilary Gordon, Rebecca Gordon, Robert Prosky, Lewis Arquette, Chris Bass, Bart the Bear, Cliff Bemis, John Bloom, Raleigh Bond, Paul Hansen, Shirley Harris, Brian Healy, Christopher Kinsman, Britt Leach, Nancy Lenehan, Debra Lee Ortega, Andy Prosky, Zoaunne Le Roy, Sierra Somerville, Christine Spiotta, Barry Thompson
Director: Howard Deutch

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Comedy of Errors
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:31

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Editorial Reviews - Great Outdoors

All Movie Guide
In the John Hughes-scripted The Great Outdoors, John Candy stars as Chet Ripley, an oafish paterfamilias who takes his family on a vacation at a lakeside resort. Their enjoyment is seriously compromised when brother-in-law Roman Craig (Dan Aykroyd) shows up with his wife and kiddies. The rest of the film is an ongoing war between Ripley's carefree aggregation and Craig's obnoxiously prissy brood, and making things worse, a driving rainstorm forces both families to remain under one roof well-past their threshold of patience. Annette Bening makes her film debut as Aykroyd's ill-tempered wife. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not

He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not

Starring: Audrey Tautou, Samuel Le Bihan, Isabelle Carré, Sophie Guillemin, Clément Sibony, Elodie Navarre, Eric Savin, Vania Vilers
Director: Laetitia Colombani

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Psychological Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:36

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Editorial Reviews - He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not

All Movie Guide
He Loves Me ... He Loves Me Not is a black comedy with a dramatic twist. Talented art student Angélique (Audrey Tautou) is wildly in love with Loïc (Samuel Le Bihan of Brotherhood of the Wolf), a married cardiologist whose wife, Rachel (Isabelle Carré) is expecting their first child. She sends him mash notes and gifts, and tells her friend, Héloïse (Sophie Guillemin of With a Friend Like Harry...) that, despite appearances, Loïc plans to leave his wife. Angélique also ignores the attentions of her lovesick friend, David (Clément Sibony), who begins to resent the way Loïc treats Angélique. As Angélique grows less discreet in her affections, Loïc's home life begins to fall apart. His wife grows suspicious, and then miscarries. His career is jeopardized when a patient accuses him of assault. All the while, Angélique is desperate to be by his side. About 40 minutes in, writer/director Laetitia Colombani's film reverses perspective, showing the preceding events from Loïc's (very different) point-of-view. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Hot Fuzz

Hot Fuzz

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine, Timothy Dalton, Billie Whitelaw, Edward Woodward, Rafe Spall, Olivia Colman, Paul Freeman, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Steve Coogan, Bill Bailey, Julia Deakin, Kenneth Cranham, Patricia Franklin, Anne Reid, Stuart Wilson, Peter Wight, Kevin Eldon, Karl Johnson, Adam Buxton, Joe Cornish, Alice Lowe, Nicolas Dodd
Director: Edgar Wright

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:01

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Editorial Reviews - Hot Fuzz

All Movie Guide
A top London cop who is so good at his job that he makes his fellow officers look like slackers by comparison is "promoted" to serve in the sleepy village of Sandford in this contemporary action comedy from the creators of Shaun of the Dead. Police constable Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) always gets his man, but these days his impeccable record seems to be more indicative of his fellow officers' shortcomings than his own formidable skills as a keeper of the peace. Loathe to stand idly by as their once respectable track record is steadily soiled by the hyper-competent actions of one lone overachiever, Sergeant Angel's superiors at the Met soon determine to remedy their problem by relocating the decorated constable to the West Country village of Sanford -- where tranquil garden parties and neighborhood watch meetings stand in stark contrast to the violent crime and heated gunplay of the city. As Sergeant Angel does his best to adjust to the relative calm of his new environment, his oafish new partner Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) strives to gain the respect of his fellow constables while sustaining himself on fantasies of his favorite action films and police shows. Later, just as it begins to appear as if Sergeant Angel has been relegated to an uneventful existence in the relative calm of the countryside, a series of horrific "accidents" lead him to suspect that the tranquil hamlet of Sanford has fallen prey to a sinister plot which reeks of foul play. Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Steve Coogan, and Martin Freeman co-star in the Edgar Wright film. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

I Love You, Man

I Love You, Man

Starring: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, J.K. Simmons, Jane Curtin, Jon Favreau, Jaime Pressly, Thomas Lennon, Sarah Burns, Joe Lo Truglio, Rob Huebel
Director: John Hamburg

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:44

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Editorial Reviews - I Love You, Man

All Movie Guide
Engaged to the woman of his dreams yet uncomfortable with the prospect of not having a best man for his upcoming wedding, a successful real estate agent with no male friends schedules a series of "man dates" in hopes of finding a suitable candidate for the big day. Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) is just like most other guys, only when it comes to making friends he's always been a bit withdrawn. After proposing to his girlfriend, Zooey (Rashida Jones), however, Peter quickly realizes that he doesn't even have any friends close enough to qualify for the role of best man. And what better method to find the perfect best man than to spend some time getting to know the most qualified candidate for the position? While most of Peter's "man dates" are incredibly awkward from the very beginning, the desperate bridegroom is surprised to hit it off with Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) on their very first meeting. Sydney is charming, personable, and opinionated, and before long he and Peter have become inseparable. But this isn't exactly what Zooey had in mind, because the closer that Peter grows to his new "bro," the further he drifts from the woman who will soon be his wife. Now, with the wedding closing in and the drama heating up, Peter begins to ponder a means of staying good friends with Sydney while still remaining true to the woman he loves. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

I, Robot

I, Robot

Starring: Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Alan Tudyk, Bruce Greenwood, Chi McBride, Shia LaBeouf, James Cromwell, Simon Baker, Terry Chen, Kyanna Cox, Nicola Crosbie, Aaron Douglas, Shayla Dyson, Marrett Green, Roger Haskett, David Haysom, Scott Heindl, Fiona Hogan, Aaron Joseph, Tiffany Knight, Kenyan Lewis, Craig March, Darren Moore, Angela Moore, Adrian Ricard, Peter Shinkoda, Michael St. John Smith, Bobby Stewart, Emily Tennant, Essra Vischon, Jerry Wasserman, Travis Webster, Sharon Wilkins, Ryan Zwick
Director: Alex Proyas

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Crime Thriller
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:54

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Editorial Reviews - I, Robot

Barnes & Noble
Having firmly established his sci-fi credentials with Independence Day and Men in Black, Will Smith returns to the genre in this fast-paced, action-packed, but extremely loose adaptation of Isaac Asimov's influential robot stories. The year is 2035, and technophobe Chicago cop Del Spooner (Smith) is assigned to investigate the supposedly accidental death of a brilliant scientist, Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell). Del eventually has reason to believe that Lanning was actually murdered by a robot, Sonny (voiced by Alan Tudyk), one of a new line that's being rolled out all over the world. There's just one problem with his theory: Robots are programmed to never harm human beings. Or are they? Director Alex Proyas -- no sci-fi slouch himself, having helmed the stylish Dark City and The Crow -- doesn't waste too much footage on the scientific aspects of robotics; he develops the story like a classic whodunit at first, allowing Spooner to interact with a beautiful assistant (Bridget Moynahan), his increasingly impatient lieutenant (Chi McBride), and the guilty-looking CEO of the company that makes the robots (Bruce Greenwood). Asimov's famous Three Laws of Robotics are briefly outlined, but the author's subtleties regarding ethics don't make it to the screen. Once certain critical revelations are made, Proyas switches into high gear; the pace picks up and I, Robot turns into a slam-bang action movie that taxes the ingenuity of special-effects wizards already challenged by mingling thousands of computer-generated robots with an equal number of humans. Aside from the fact that Smith seems to be exploiting his already established persona instead of portraying a new character, the film works surprisingly well, even though the "surprise" plot twist is telegraphed well in advance. While Asimov's stories probably deserved a more cerebral adaptation, the movie doesn't stint on any of the elements generally thought to make contemporary sci-fi offerings successful with audiences. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Director Alex Proyas (Dark City, The Crow) helmed this sci-fi thriller inspired by the stories in Isaac Asimov's nine-story anthology of the same name. In the future presented in the film, humans have become exceedingly dependent on robots in their everyday lives. Robots have become more and more advanced, but each one is preprogrammed to always obey humans and to, under no circumstances, ever harm a human. So, when a scientist turns up dead and a humanoid robot is the main suspect, the world is left to wonder if they are as safe around their electronic servants as previously thought. Will Smith stars as Del Spooner, the robot-hating Chicago cop assigned to the murder investigation. Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, James Cromwell, and Chi McBride also star. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Idiocracy

Idiocracy

Starring: Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Terry Crews, Stephen Root, Anthony 'Citric' Campos, David Herman, Andrew Wilson, Thomas Haden Church, Brad "Scarface" Jordan, Sara Rue, Mitch Baker, Danny Cochran, Patrick Fischler, Darlene Hunt, Heather Kafka, Justin Long, Earl Mann, Michael McCafferty, Robert Musgrave, Lonnie Nelson, Turk Pipkin, Greg Pitts, Lidia Porto, Valerie Posas, Randal Reeder, Daniel Smith, Mark Turner, Chris Warner
Director: Mike Judge

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Future Dystopias
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:27

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Editorial Reviews - Idiocracy

Barnes & Noble
Beavis and Butt-head creator Mike Judge's 1999 live-action feature film, Office Space, tanked at the box office but quickly built a following on video and DVD, earning cult-classic status and whetting his audience's appetite for more feature films. Still, the studio shelved this long-awaited follow-up -- a futuristic satire depicting a hilariously dumbed-down America -- for over a year before slipping it out for a brief, unpublicized theatrical run. Despite the studio's lack of confidence, fans have nothing to worry about -- Idiocracy delivers the goods. It begins in the present with career serviceman Joe Bowers (Luke Wilson), an essentially lazy guy biding his time in uniform for the pension to come, being chosen as a guinea pig for an army experiment in cryogenics. Frozen along with a hooker named Rita (Maya Rudolph), Joe is forgotten in the aftermath of a base shutdown and thawed out some 500 years later. By this time, American society has devolved so precipitously that he and Rita are the smartest people in the country. Think of it as Planet of the Butt-heads. Most of the laughs, and there are many, derive from Judge's extrapolations of current social trends: In this Brave New World, the crops are watered with energy drink ("It has the electrolytes plants crave!"); lawyers attain their degrees from Costco; the president is a wrestling champ; and the most popular TV show is Ow! My Balls! In its way, Idiocracy equals in foreboding the widely hailed documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Only it does so with a smile. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Mike Judge wrote and directed this offbeat sci-fi comedy which gives a new meaning to the expression "people are getting dumber all the time." In 2005, Pvt. Joe Bowers (Luke Wilson) is a soldier chosen to take part in a secret military scientific experiment in which he will be put into induced hibernation for one year, along with a woman named Rita (Maya Rudolph). Bowers is chosen for the assignment because he is statistically the most average man in the Army, while Rita is a hooker ordered to do some community service; however, Bowers and Rita are forgotten when the military base where the experiment took place is closed down, and when they wake up in the year 2505, Bowers finds himself living in a society where intelligence has taken such a landslide he's now the smartest man in the world. Can Bowers save America from its own remarkable stupidity, and he can he get the dunderheads around him to believe what he says? Produced under the title 3001, Idiocracy also stars Dax Shepard as Bowers's numb-skull lawyer, Stephen Root as a judge, and Terry Crews as Camacho, a former porn star and professional wrestler who is now president of the United States. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In Memoriam - New York City, 9/11/01

In Memoriam - New York City, 9/11/01

Starring: Rudolph W. Giuliani, Bernard Kerik, George Pataki
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Documentary
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:00

Color Dolby

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Originally shown on HBO on May 26, 2002, In Memoriam is one of the most vital documents to emerge after the events of September 11, 2001. Compiled from over 100 sources, this collage of audio, video, and photography will provoke tears, anger, and grief all over again... so why watch it? The title states the purpose: as disturbing as some of these images are, they are also bursting with tenacious and inspiring humanity, bolstered by the wisdom of New York City's then-mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who recalls--along with his executive staff--the horrendous events of 9/11 as he entered the chaos of Ground Zero. With its closing montage of numerous memorial services, this exemplary 60-minute film, supplemented on the DVD by an interactive timeline of pivotal events, makes it virtually impossible to forget the 3,047 lives lost to terrorist brutality. Despite the astonishing scope of coverage provided, this is not a journalistic endeavor, but a potent visual reminder that 9/11 was a day of unity, transcending the horrors witnessed here. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description
THIS POWERFUL, SORROWFUL DOCUMENTARY PRESENTS AN HISTORICAL RECORD OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF THEMAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY AT THAT TIME, RUDY GIULIANI.

The Island

The Island

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Sean Bean, Steve Buscemi, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Clarke Duncan, Phil Abrams, Max Baker, Eamon Behrens, Troy T. Blendell, Katy Boyer, Yvette Nicole Brown, Michael Canavan, Alex Carter, Don Creech, Kevin Daniels, Lew Dauber, Kevin Dorman, Whitney Dylan, Svetlana Efremova, Chris Ellis, Siobhan Flynn, Trent Ford, Grant Garrison, Taylor Gilbert, Mary Pat Gleason, James Granoff, Wendy Haines, Tim Halligan, James Hart, Kenneth Hughes, Rich Hutchman, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Brian Leckner, Shelby Leverington, Richard V. Licata, Mitzi Martin, James McBride, Kevin McCorkle, Gonzalo Menendez, Darren Mitchell, Glenn Morshower, Gary Nickens, Randy Oglesby, Marty Papazian, Don Michael Paul, Kathleen Perkins, Ethan Phillips, Craig Reynolds, Robert Sherman, Jimmy Smagula, Shawnee Smith, Phil Somerville, Brian Stepanek, Eric Stonestreet, Ryan Tasz, Sage Thomas, Noa Tishby, Ben Tolpin, Olivia Tracey, Kirk Ward, Richard F. Whiten, Ray Xifo, Kelvin Han Yee, Ashley Yegan, Blake Neely
Director: Michael Bay

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Future Dystopias
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:16

Color Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound

Editorial Reviews - Island

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Roundly panned by critics and slighted by moviegoers who paid too much attention to the negative buzz, this futuristic action thriller didn't really get a fair shake at the nation's box offices. Granted, The Island is a little slow to get going and unnecessarily confusing in spots, but it's hardly the unmitigated disaster its detractors claimed. Ewan McGregor stars as Lincoln Six-Echo, one of the innumerable residents housed in a hermitically sealed community during the mid-21st century. Like his neighbors and co-workers in this highly regulated society, Lincoln hopes to win the lottery that awards passage to a utopian island rumored to be the last uncontaminated spot on Earth. This ordered society holds a dark secret, however, and when Lincoln discovers this he stages an escape with fellow resident Jordan Two-Delta (Scarlett Johansson) -- and then the fun really begins. Pearl Harbor director Michael Bay, no stranger to overblown, noisy, and explosive action sequences, works his magic on the third act of this exposition-heavy yarn, which kicks into gear with McGregor and Johansson's elaborate escape. There's a mystery element to The Island that, while not terribly difficult to unravel, shifts the focus away from the seemingly allegorical import of the film's earlier section. It also heightens the suspense; once viewers know the secret of the island, they become more emotionally vested in the safety of Lincoln and Jordan. At times the whole thing seems pretty foolish, but that's where the skillful supporting turns of Steve Buscemi, Sean Bean, and Djimon Hounsou come in: their earnest performances in small but important roles lend much-needed credibility to the picture. The end result is an entertaining if minor action film with sci-fi trappings. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Blockbuster action director Michael Bay delivers a striking look at a strange world of the future in this sci-fi action drama. Midway through the 21st century, Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor) lives in a confined indoor community after ongoing abuse of the Earth has rendered most of the planet uninhabitable. One of the only places in the outside world still capable of sustaining life is an idyllic island where citizens are chosen to live through a lottery. Or at least that's what Lincoln and his fellow citizens are taught to believe; the truth is that Lincoln, like everyone he knows, is actually a clone who is kept under wraps to provide needed organs when the person who supplied his or her DNA falls ill. When he becomes aware that his existence is a fraud, Lincoln escapes to the outside world with a fellow clone, Jordan Two Delta (Scarlett Johansson), though the powers that be are determined to see that no one gets away alive. The Island also stars Steve Buscemi, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Sean Bean. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Jerk

The Jerk

Starring: Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Catlin Adams, Mabel King, Richard Ward, Dick Anthony Williams, Bill Macy, M. Emmet Walsh, Dick O'Neill, Maurice Evans, Helena Carroll, Jackie Mason, Carl Reiner, Lillian Adams, Alston Ahern, Domingo Ambriz, Kimberly Cameron, Alfred Dennis, Debbie Evans, Richard Foronjy, Carl Gottlieb, David Landsberg, Fred Lerner, Joe Lynn, Elizabeth Macey, Ken Magee, Maurice Marsac, Brownie McGee, Lenny Montana, Clete Roberts, Pepe Serna, Trinidad Silva, Sonny Terry, Frances Williams, Ren Woods
Director: Carl Reiner

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Slapstick
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:34

Color Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound

Editorial Reviews - Jerk

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Carl Reiner directs Steve Martin (who co-wrote the script with Carl Gottlieb) in this gag-laden comedy about an idiotic white man, raised by a poor family of black sharecroppers, who doesn't realize he's not black. Navin R. Johnson (Steve Martin) is told the horrible truth when he finds himself instinctively tapping his feet to an easy listening tune on the radio, instead of a low-down blues. His mother (Mabel King) tells him he's white and Navin takes to the road (in a World war II bomber helmet and goggles) to start a new life in St. Louis. A filling station owner, Harry Hartounian (Jackie Mason), give Navin his first break, hiring him to pump gas. One day at the station, Navin has a brainstorm, concocting an invention called "The Opti-grab," a combination handle and nose-brace for eyeglasses. But Navin runs into trouble when a crazed killer (M. Emmet Walsh) picks out his name at random from the telephone book and tries to kill him. Navin escapes to a traveling carnival, where he wrangles a job as the "guess-your-weight" man. At the carnival, he discovers his sexual nature, thanks to stunt rider and S&M enthusiast Patty Bernstein (Catlin Adams). But Navin meets the beautiful Marie (Bernadette Peters) and he quickly falls in love. In the meantime, the "Opti-grab" has taken off and soon Navin is a millionaire. Paul Brenner

Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park

Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, Joseph Mazzello, Ariana Richards, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight, Richard Kiley, Jophery Brown, Greg Burson, Dean Cundey, Christopher John Fields, Whitby Hertford, Janet Hirshenson, Jane Jenkins, Jerry Molen, Miguel Sandoval, Cameron Thor, B.D. Wong
Director: Steven Spielberg

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Adventure - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:07

Color Dolby Digital Surround

Editorial Reviews - Jurassic Park

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With roaringly realistic digital dinosaurs courtesy of Industrial Light and Magic, summer blockbuster master Steven Spielberg tops even himself with Jurassic Park; not since Jaws have audiences loved terror so much. Michael Crichton's script, adapted from his own novel, follows the team of two doctors (Sam Neill and Laura Dern) and a mathematician (Jeff Goldblum) on a tour through the experimental dinosaur theme park of eccentric Dr. John Hammond (Sir Richard Attenborough). The tour, needless to say, goes horribly wrong, as the wondrous cloned dinosaurs run amok and turn what should have been a delightful field trip into a battle for survival. Despite the movie's impressive human talent pool, the real stars are the frighteningly lifelike digital dinos. Whether naughty or nice, they are the film's most memorable characters. Considering that Jurassic Park is one of the most technically impressive releases in the history of film, it is only appropriate that the DVD release and its follow-ups The Lost World and Jurassic Park III would leave equally enormous footprints. Fans will love the laundry list of high-class DVD extras: "The Making of Jurassic Park" documentary, rare behind-the-scenes footage of preproduction meetings, animatics by Oscar-winning special effects creator Phil Tippett, production photographs, a dinosaur encyclopedia, storyboards, production notes, cast and filmmaker bios, and theatrical trailers for all three movies. Tony Nigro

All Movie Guide
Steven Spielberg's phenomenally successful sci-fi adventure thriller is graced by state-of-the-art special effects from the team of Stan Winston, Phil Tippett and Michael Lantieri from George Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic. The film follows two dinosaur experts -- Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr. Ellie Sattler Laura Dern) -- as they are invited by eccentric millionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) to preview his new amusement park on an island off Costa Rica. By cloning DNA harvested from pre-historic insects, Hammond has been able to create living dinosaurs for his new Jurassic Park, an immense animal preserve housing real brachiosaurs, dilophosaurs, triceratops, velociraptors, and a Tyrannosaur Rex. Accompanied by cynical scientist Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), who is obsessed with chaos theory, and Hammond's two grandchildren (Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello), they are sent on a tour through Hammond's new resort in computer controlled touring cars. But as a tropical storm hits the island, knocking out the power supply, and an unscrupulous employee (Wayne Knight) sabotages the system so that he can smuggle dinosaur embryos out of the park, the dinosaurs start to rage out of control. Grant then has to bring Hammond's grandchildren back to safety as the group is pursued by the gigantic man-eating beasts. Paul Brenner

Jurassic Park III

Jurassic Park III

Starring: Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, Michael Jeter, John Diehl, Laura Dern, Bruce A. Young, Taylor Nichols, Mark Harelik, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Sonia Jackson, Bruce French
Director: Joe Johnston

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Prehistoric Fantasy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:33

Color Dolby Digital

Editorial Reviews - Jurassic Park III

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Prehistory's progeny run amok again in Jurassic Park 3, the latest exciting installment in this popular series based on the bestselling Michael Crichton novel. Original leading man Sam Neill, who sat out Part 2 (Jurassic Park: The Lost World), returns as the intrepid paleontologist whose knowledge of Jurassic Park and its raptor residents proves invaluable to a married couple (William H. Macy and Téa Leoni) searching the island in a desperate bid to find their missing son, apparently stranded there following a parasailing mishap. Laura Dern, the first film's leading lady, also reprises her role and figures prominently in this episode's suspenseful climax. Director Joe Johnston (Jumanji), an old hand at effects-laden adventure movies, establishes his characters in a leisurely fashion -- but once the island is reached, the action begins with a bang, after which the pace picks up and never slackens. As in the previous two films, animatronic creatures and computer-generated effects are employed in tandem to create the illusion that the prehistoric creatures are as real as the actors themselves. A rousing romp in the best Saturday-matinee tradition, Jurassic Park 3 supplies a surfeit of thrills and chills. Johnston explains many filmmaking secrets in his commentary for the DVD edition, which also includes a "making of" documentary, a montage of behind-the-scenes footage, photo and storyboard galleries, and alternate theatrical trailers. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Director Joe Johnston takes over the creative reins from Steven Spielberg for this third installment in the thriller franchise. Sam Neill returns as Dr. Alan Grant, a scientist who's tricked by wealthy couple Paul and Amanda Kirby (William H. Macy and Tea Leoni) into a fly-over of Isla Sorna. The object of their sightseeing tour is one of the Costa Rican islands populated by ferocious, genetically bred dinosaurs and the "site B" setting of Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World (1997). After their plane crash-lands, it's revealed that the Kirbys are actually seeking their teenage son, lost on the island after a paragliding accident. Trapped on Isla Sorna, Grant and his companions discover some painful truths the hard way. Among their discoveries: some of the scaly monsters possess more advanced communicative abilities than previously believed, the dreaded Tyrannosaurus Rex has a larger and more lethal competitor, and flying Pteranodons pose an even graver threat than some of their land-locked brethren. Jurassic Park III is the first in the series not to be based upon a novel by original author Michael Crichton. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

New York Times
All it wants to do is scare a smile onto your face, and it often succeeds. Elvis Mitchell

Los Angeles Times
It's a tribute to the action skills of director Joe Johnston (Jumanji is the relevant credit) that this film is as brisk and involving as it is. Kenneth Turan

Les Miserables

Les Miserables

Starring: Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman, Claire Danes, Hans Matheson, Reine Brynolfsson, Peter Vaughan, Mimi Newman, Kathleen Byron, Toby Jones
Director: Bille August

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Epic
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:13

Color Dolby Surround

Editorial Reviews - Miserables

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Bille August directed this Rafael Yglesias adaptation of the 1862 classic by Victor Hugo (1802-1885) about the quest of Inspector Javert to capture escaped convict Jean Valjean, originally an honest man who was jailed for stealing a single loaf of bread to feed the family of his starving sister. This new interpretation of Hugo's epic begins with Valjean (Liam Neeson), released after 20 years of cruelties and hard labor, reporting for parole in Dijon. Stopping at a bishop's house, he's treated with respect, but even so, he steals silverware, flees, and is captured. However, the bishop says the silverware was a gift, proving Valjean's innocence by giving him two silver candlesticks. Valjean is free, but the bishop asks him to treat others with equal kindness. By 1822, Valjean has risen to mayor of the village of Vigau, where he also maintains a successful factory. Joining the local police, Inspector Javert (Geoffrey Rush) is suspicious of Valjean's identity and eventually recognizes him as a former convict, but Javert has no proof when he carries his accusations to Paris. Valjean develops a relationship with Fantine (Uma Thurman), who lost her factory job because of local attitudes about her illegitimate daughter. The starving Fantine turns to prostitution, is arrested and tortured by Javert, and becomes ill. As she dies, Valjean promises to raise her daughter Cosette. Focusing on Valjean's life with Cosette (Claire Danes), the story is set amid the action of the July 1832 Revolution, a time when Cosette falls in love with a militant student, Marius (Hans Matheson). On the banks of the Seine, Valjean and Javert have their final confrontation. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Live Free or Die Hard

Live Free or Die Hard

Starring: Bruce Willis, Justin Long, Timothy Olyphant, Cliff Curtis, Maggie Q, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kevin Smith, Yancey Arias, Christina Chang, Yorgo Constantine, Andrew Friedman, Kang Sung, Matt O'Leary, Cyril Raffaelli, Jonathan Sadowski, Chris Palermo, Zeljko Ivanek, Jake McDorman, Rosemary Knower, Gerald Downey, Allen Maldonado, Jim Cantafio, Chris Ellis, Regina McKee Redwing, Tony Colitti, Tim de Zarn, Kurt David Anderson, Nadine Ellis, Ethan Flower, Nick Jaine, Tim Russ, Joe Gerety, Edward James Gage, David Walrod, Edoardo Costa, John Reha, Rick Cramer, Vito Pietanza, Dennis Depew, Howard Tyrone Ferguson, John Lacy, Diana Gettinger, Melissa Knowles, Pete Anthony, Marco Beltrami
Director: Len Wiseman

Certification: NR
Category: Action Thriller
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:09

Color DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound

Editorial Reviews - Live Free or Die Hard

All Movie Guide
An old-fashioned cop emerges to foil a high-tech attack on the country's computer infrastructure as Bruce Willis brings back one of the biggest action franchises in screen history. It's been over a decade since audiences last saw New York cop John McClane (Willis), but now, as the world's greatest criminal mastermind (Timothy Olyphant) attempts to cripple the entire country with an innovative act of technological terrorism, only one cop can insure that the integrity of the system stays intact. In this, the fourth installment of the long-running action series, Underworld director Len Wiseman picks up the torch formerly carried by directors John McTiernan and Renny Harlin to helm a script penned by Mark Bomback. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, Richard Attenborough, Vince Vaughn, Vanessa Lee Chester, Thomas F. Duffy, Arliss Howard, Harvey Jason, Joseph Mazzello, Ariana Richards, Richard Schiff, Peter Stormare
Director: Steven Spielberg

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Prehistoric Fantasy
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:09

Color Dolby Surround

Editorial Reviews - Lost World: Jurassic Park

All Movie Guide
Just when you'd think that scientists would realize dinosaurs and humans don't mix, along comes The Lost World: Jurassic Park to prove you wrong. In this sequel, John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) summons chaos theorist and onetime colleague Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) to his home with some startling information -- while nearly everything at his Jurassic Park had been destroyed, engineers were also operating a second site, where other dinosaurs, resurrected through DNA cloning technology, had been kept in hiding. Hammond has learned the dinosaurs on the second island are alive and well and even breeding; Hammond wants Malcolm to observe and document the reptiles before Hammond's financiers can get to them. Malcolm declares he had enough of the dinosaurs the first time out, but decides to make the trip when he finds out that his girlfriend, paleontologist Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore), is already there. However, Ian and Sarah aren't the only visitors expected on the island; a camera crew led by ecological activist Nick Van Owen (Vince Vaughn) is on the way, as is Roland Tembo (Pete Postlethwaite), a world-class wild game hunter who is supposed to round up the dinosaurs and who hopes to bag a prehistoric trophy for himself in the process. This sequel to Jurassic Park boasted even more impressive special effects than the first film, though the acting and screenplay aren't always at the same level. Mark Deming

Mad Max

Mad Max

Starring: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley, Roger Ward, Tim Burns, Vince Gil, Lulu Pinkus, Nick Lathouris, John Ley, Sheila Florance, Max Fairchild, George Novak, David Bracks, Tom Broadbridge, David Cameron, Reg Evans, Peter Ford, Jonathan Hardy, Clive Hearne, Phil Motherwell, Geoff Parry, Neil Thompson, Paul Young
Director: George Miller

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Biker Film
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:34

Color Dolby Digital

Editorial Reviews - Mad Max

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The stunning, post-apocalyptic action thriller Mad Max, from director George Miller, introduces Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, a policeman in the near future who is tired of his job. Since the apocalypse, the lengthy, desolate stretches of highway in the Australian outback have become bloodstained battlegrounds. Max has seen too many innocents and fellow officers murdered by the bomb's savage offspring, bestial marauding bikers for whom killing, rape, and looting is a way of life. He just wants to retire and spend time with his wife and son but lets his boss talk him into taking a peaceful vacation and he starts to reconsider. Then his world is shattered as a gang led by the evil Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne) murders his family in retaliation for the death of one of its members. Dead inside, Max straps on his helmet and climbs into a souped-up V8 racing machine to seek his bloody revenge. Despite an obviously low budget and a plot reminiscent of many spaghetti Westerns, Mad Max is tremendously exciting, thanks to some of the most spectacular road stunts ever put on film. Cinematographer David Eggby and stunt coordinator Grant Page did some of their best work under Miller's direction and crafted a gritty, gripping thrill ride which spawned two sequels, numerous imitations, and made Mel Gibson an international star. One sequence, in which a man is chained to a car and must cut off a limb before the machine explodes is one of the most tense scenes of the decade. The American version dubbed all the voices -- including Gibson's -- in a particularly cartoonish manner. Trivia buffs should note that Max's car is a 1973 Ford Falcon GT Coupe with a 300 bhp 351C V8 engine, customized with the front end of a Ford Fairmont and other modifications. Robert Firsching

The Matrix

The Matrix

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Gloria Foster, Joe Pantoliano, Marcus Chong, Paul Goddard, Robert Taylor, Julian "Sonny" Arahanga, Matt Doran, Belinda McClory, Anthony Ray Parker
Director: Andy Wachowski

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:16

Color Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Editorial Reviews - Matrix

Barnes & Noble
Take a pinch of The Terminator, a dash of William Gibson's computer cowboy sensibility, add a healthy dollop of Hong Kong action cinema and the result is The Matrix, the most inventive science fiction flick to light up a movie screen in recent years. Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), a super-cool, philosophy-spouting rebel with psychic abilities, and his latex-sheathed female sidekick, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), turn disaffected computer wiz Neo (Keanu Reeves) into a kung fu-fighting warrior who goes head to head against the forces of evil deep in cyberspace. Even if some viewers get lost in the twisting storyline, the dazzling special effects and mind-blowing sets will keep most of them on the very edge of their seats. Kryssa Schemmerling

All Movie Guide
What if virtual reality wasn't just for fun, but was being used to imprison you? That's the dilemma that faces mild-mannered computer jockey Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) in The Matrix. It's the year 1999, and Anderson (hacker alias: Neo) works in a cubicle, manning a computer and doing a little hacking on the side. It's through this latter activity that Thomas makes the acquaintance of Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), who has some interesting news for Mr. Anderson -- none of what's going on around him is real. The year is actually closer to 2199, and it seems Thomas, like most people, is a victim of The Matrix, a massive artificial intelligence system that has tapped into people's minds and created the illusion of a real world, while using their brains and bodies for energy, tossing them away like spent batteries when they're through. Morpheus, however, is convinced Neo is "The One" who can crack open The Matrix and bring his people to both physical and psychological freedom. The Matrix is the second feature film from the sibling writer/director team of Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski, who made an impressive debut with the stylish erotic crime thriller Bound. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Matrix Reloaded

The Matrix Reloaded

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving, Jada Pinkett Smith, Gloria Foster, Harold Perrineau Jr., Monica Bellucci, Harry J. Lennix, Lambert Wilson, Randall Duk Kim, Nona Gaye, Anthony Zerbe, Helmut Bakaitis, Neil Rayment, Adrian Rayment, Daniel Bernhardt, Ray Anthony, Christine Anu, Andy Arness, Alima Ashton-Sheibu, Steve Bastoni, Donald Battee, Valerie Berry, Ian Bliss, Liliana Bogatko, Michael Budd, Stoney Burke, Kelly Butler, Josephine Byrnes, Noris Campos, Tammy Cheney, Michael E. Cole, Paul Cotter, Marlene Cummins, Attila Davidhazy, Essie Davis, Terrell Dixon, Nash Edgerton, David Franklin, Brandon Freeman, Yukie Fujimoto, Austin Galuppo, Jenifer Golden, Daryl Heath, Chae Hill, Lachy Hulme, Roy Jones Jr., Malcolm Kennard, Maurya Kerr, David A. Kilde, Chris Kirby, Peter Lamb, Nathaniel Lees, Tony Lynch, Robert Mammone, Joshua Mbakwe, Matt McColm, Scott McLean, Christine Mitchell, Monique Montez, Steve Morris, Tory Mussett, Rene Naufahu, Robyn Nevin, David No, Genevieve O'Reilly, Socratis Otto, Montaño Rain, Rupert Reid, David Roberts, Shane C. Rodrigo, Nick Scoggin, Kevin Scott, Tahei Simpson, Ngai Sing, Frankie Stevens, Monique Strauss, Nicandro Thomas, Che Timmins, Gina Torres, Andrew Valli, Steve Vella, Silfredo Lao Vigo, John Walton, Clayton Watson, Cornel West, Leigh Whannell, Damon White, Anthony Wong
Director: Andy Wachowski

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Future Dystopias
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:18

Color Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Editorial Reviews - Matrix Reloaded

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Keanu Reeves is back as Neo, the erstwhile hacker and reluctant messiah, in this visually stunning sequel from the imaginative writing-producing-directing siblings Andy and Larry Wachowski. Once again, we are transported to the ersatz reality of the future, created and sustained by computers under the direction of a malevolent entity. In this second installment of the trilogy, the hidden city of Zion, home to all humans freed from the tyranny of the Matrix, is threatened by an army of probes a quarter million strong. Neo, working with his mentor, Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), has just 72 hours to stave off the attack, and he's handicapped by the mental torture resulting from a recurring dream in which his beloved Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) meets a horrible death at the hands of the enemy. Having redefined sci-fi action with the first Matrix, the Wachowski brothers labor mightily to top themselves with several bravura sequences, including a vertigo-inducing scene in which Neo battles an army of dark-suited, sunglasses-wearing villains cloned from his nemesis, Agent Smith (played with wry insouciance by Hugo Weaving). But The Matrix Reloaded isn't just a collection of action scenes: The Wachowskis delve deeper into their mythology, making the film considerably more challenging to absorb. Reeves is, once again, properly enigmatic as Neo, while Moss gets an opportunity to exhibit the smoldering passion bubbling beneath Trinty's surface. Monica Bellucci lends able support as, you guessed it, a temptress. Other welcome additions include Jada Pinkett Smith as a swift-kicking former lover of Morpheus's and Anthony Zerbe as a wise patriarch of Zion. The tremendous cult of Matrix fans has been more than satisfied by this visually sumptuous, intellectually stimulating sequel. Movie lovers eager for a few hours of eye-popping pyrotechnics won't be disappointed, either. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
After creating an international sensation with the visually dazzling and intellectually challenging sci-fi blockbuster The Matrix, the Wachowski brothers returned with the first of two projected sequels that pick up where the first film left off. Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) have been summoned by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) to join him on a voyage to Zion, the last outpost of free human beings on Earth. Neo and Trinity's work together has been complicated by the fact the two are involved in a serious romantic relationship. Upon their arrival in Zion, Morpheus locks horns with rival Commander Lock (Harry J. Lennix) and encounters his old flame Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith). Meanwhile, Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) has returned with some surprises for Neo, most notably the ability to replicate himself as many times as he pleases. Neo makes his way to The Oracle (Gloria Foster), who informs him that if he wishes to save humankind, he must unlock "The Source," which means having to release The Key Maker (Randall Duk Kim) from the clutches of Merovingian (Lambert Wilson). While Merovingian refuses to cooperate, his wife, Persephone (Monica Bellucci), angry at her husband's dalliances with other women, offers to help, but only in exchange for a taste of Neo's affections. With The Keymaker in tow, Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus are chased by Merovingian's henchmen: a pair of deadly albino twins (Neil Rayment and Adrian Rayment). Filmed primarily in Australia and California (the extended chase scene was shot on a stretch of highway build specifically for the production outside of San Francisco), The Matrix Reloaded was produced in tandem with the third film in the series, The Matrix Revolutions. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Matrix Revisited

The Matrix Revisited

Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Keanu Reeves
Director: Josh Oreck

Certification: NR
Category: Documentary - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:03

Color Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Editorial Reviews - Matrix Revisited

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Take a trip back into The Matrix with this no-holds-barred, behind-the-scenes look at the modern classic that, like Star Wars before it, redefined the sci-fi/action genre for all time. From the grueling physical training of stunt-performing stars Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, and Carrie-Anne Moss to the revelatory footage, fans will find themselves even more deeply ensnared within The Matrix. In new interviews, directors Larry and Andy Wachowski, producer Joel Silver, and master choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) offer more details on the film's origins and the development of its Oscar-winning special effects. And just when you thought it was over, the real gem comes: A special sneak peek at the top-secret sets of the upcoming sequels, plus a first look at the upcoming Matrix television anime project. R.J. Wafer

All Movie Guide
Josh Oreck directed this look at the making of The Matrix. In addition to an explanation of the technical achievements, the documentary contains behind-the-scenes footage of stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Laurence Fishburne. One of the most informative sections of the film details the work that went into creating the thrilling fight sequences that appear in the film. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

The Matrix Revolutions

The Matrix Revolutions

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mary Alice, Ngai Sing, Bruce Spence, Nathaniel Lees, Clayton Watson, Harold Perrineau Jr., Nona Gaye, Harry J. Lennix, Monica Bellucci, Lambert Wilson, Ian Bliss, Helmut Bakaitis, David Roberts, Essie Davis, Bernard White, Tanveer K. Atwal, Kate Beahan, Francine Bell, Rachel Blackman, Henry Blasingame, David Bowers, Zeke Castelli, Dion Horstmans, Lachy Hulme, Kathryn Jenkins, Chris Kirby, Peter Lamb, Robert Mammone, Joe Manning, Matt McColm, Maurice Morgan, Tharini Mudaliar, Rene Naufahu, Robyn Nevin, Genevieve O'Reilly, Kittrick Redmond, Rupert Reid, Kevin Richardson, Nicole Roberts, Richard Sydenham, Che Timmins, Gina Torres, Cornel West, Cassandra Williams, Anthony Wong, Jessica Wynands, Anthony Zerbe
Director: Andy Wachowski

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Future Dystopias
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:09

Color Dolby Digital

Editorial Reviews - Matrix Revolutions

Barnes & Noble
The final installment in the Matrix trilogy brings the saga to a rousing conclusion, pitting the remnants of humanity against the mechanical minions of the Merovingian in all-out war. Sibling directors Andy and Larry Wachowski, whose previous entries in the series helped redefine action-oriented sci-fi movies, throw everything but the proverbial kitchen sink into this eye-popping sequel. As in the previous Matrix movies, the seemingly incongruous blending of sophisticated special-effects sequences with the screenplay's elliptical mysticism makes for a uniquely entertaining hybrid. All along we have been told that reluctant hero Neo (Keanu Reeves) is "The One," humanity's chosen savior, and he gets to prove it repeatedly. The climactic clash with his indefatigable adversary, Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) looks like a live-action version of a comic-book battle, and it's one the film's many highlights. Also back again to fulfill their destinies are Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), who've been with Neo from the beginning of his struggles within the Matrix. Occasionally it appears as though the Wachowskis' reach has exceeded their grasp: some of the supporting characters are insufficiently developed, and the presence of Italian sex siren Monica Bellucci amounts to barely a cameo. But Revolutions never stints on the action, which includes extensive battle sequences that rate among the best ever attempted. As the grand finale of an epic trilogy, the movie may not have the most rewarding ending, but the exciting impact of The Matrix -- both on movies and pop culture in general -- remains undeniable. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Shot back-to-back with The Matrix Reloaded, the third and final installment of Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski's sci-fi action saga picks up where the second film left off. Neo (Keanu Reeves) remains unconscious in the real world, caught in a mysterious subway station that lies between the machine world and the Matrix, and Bane (Ian Bliss) is still a conduit for Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), who continues to grow out of control, threatening to destroy both worlds. Meanwhile, as the sentinels get closer and closer to Zion, the citizens of the earth's last inhabited city prepare for the inevitable onslaught. By bargaining with The Merovingian (Lambert Wilson), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) are able to free Neo who, after meeting with The Oracle (Mary Alice stepping in for the late Gloria Foster), decides that he must leave Zion and head for the machine mainframe. As Neo and Trinity venture into the dangerous machine world, with hopes of stopping both the machines and Agent Smith, their comrades in Zion attempt to fight off the attacking sentinels with the odds stacked greatly against them. Other cast members returning include Monica Bellucci, Ngai Sing, and Harold Perrineau Jr. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Meatballs

Meatballs

Starring: Bill Murray, Harvey Atkin, Kate Lynch, Russ Banham, Jack Blum, Greg Swangon, Ron Barry, Paul Boyle, James McLarty, Kristine de Bell, Chris Makepeace, Sarah Torgov, Keith Knight, Cindy Girling, Todd Hoffman, Margot Pinvidic, Matt Craven, Norma dell'Agnese, Michael Kirby, Vince Guerriero, Heather Preece, Alison Diver, Valerie Fersht, Allan Levson, Patrick Hynes, Hadley Kay, Billie Kishonti, Peter Hume, Ruth Rennie
Director: Ivan Reitman

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Anarchic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:34

Color Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound

Editorial Reviews - Meatballs

All Movie Guide
Set at a low-end summer camp and aimed squarely at a teen audience, Meatballs is a light screwball comedy that turned its low-budget Canadian roots into a very profitable box-office run. The biggest reason for the film's success is Bill Murray who stars as Tripper, the head counselor who runs things at Camp Northstar with the help of his love interest Roxanne (Kate Lynch) and the camp's director Morty (Harvey Atkins), who is affectionately known as Mickey. Camp opens with Tripper and Morty preparing the misfit counselors-in-training -- Spaz, Fink, Crockett, A.L., Candace, Wendy, and Wheels among them -- for the arrival of their hyperactive little charges. After settling in, kids and counselors begin their activities with a soccer game in which depressed 11-year-old Rudy (Chris Makepeace) accidentally loses the game. Cast out by the other children, Rudy runs away only to come across Tripper, who befriends the boy and makes him his running partner. Romance, sexy fun, and comic hijinx -- usually with the heavy-sleeping Morty as their target -- lead up to an annual Olympiad in which Camp Northstar battles the wealthier and athletically superior residents of Camp Mohawk. The challenging events include cup stacking, potato-sack racing, and a nauseating hot dog-eating contest in which the portly Fink devours his way to victory. With the two-day event tied up, it comes down to the cross-country run, in which Tripper enters Rudy. Meatballs was the first major directorial effort by multi-talented filmmaker Ivan Reitman, whose name has since become synonymous with the comedy genre. ~ Patrick Legare, All Movie Guide

Minority Report

Minority Report

Starring: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max von Sydow, Lois Smith, Peter Stormare, Tim Blake Nelson, Steve Harris, Kathryn Morris, Mike Binder, Daniel London, Spencer Treat Clark, Neal McDonough, Jessica Capshaw, Patrick Kilpatrick, Jessica Harper, Ashley Crow, Arye Gross, Jason Antoon, Joel Gretsch, Dominic Scott Kay, Caroline Lagerfelt, Victor Raider-Wexler
Director: Lois Smith

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action Thriller
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:26

Color Dolby Digital Surround

Editorial Reviews - Minority Report

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Chalk up another triumph for Steven Spielberg, whose latest sci-fi effort ranks among his very best films. Minority Report, a futuristic thriller based on a story by author Philip K. Dick (Blade Runner), is also something of a tour de force for Tom Cruise. He plays police officer John Anderton, whose "future crimes" task force uses scientific technology and psychic premonitions to identify contemplated crimes and arrest the would-be perpetrators before they follow through with them. This expansive, revolutionary approach to law enforcement, overseen by visionary Lamar Burgess (Max von Sydow), seems to be foolproof -- until Anderton himself is identified as the potential murderer of a man he's never met. Minority Report's script synthesizes sci-fi stories, psychological thrillers, and police procedurals; the result is a complex melodrama that plays out like a particularly intricate whodunit. Spielberg's trademark virtuosity manifests itself in the film's striking visuals and elaborately staged action sequences. But the muscular performances of Cruise, von Sydow, and Colin Farrell (as a skeptical cop who becomes Anderton's nemesis) -- along with those of supporting players Lois Smith, Tim Blake Nelson, and Steve Harris -- keep the story's human element in the forefront and prevent the film from becoming an extravagantly produced piece of eye candy. To those disappointed by Spielberg's previous genre offering, A.I., Minority Report will be seen as a much-welcome return to form. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Based on a short story by the late Philip K. Dick, this science fiction-thriller reflects the writer's familiar preoccupation with themes of concealed identity and mind control. Tom Cruise stars as John Anderton, a Washington, D.C. detective in the year 2054. Anderton works for "Precrime," a special unit of the police department that arrests murderers before they have committed the actual crime. Precrime bases its work on the visions of three psychics or "precogs" whose prophecies of future events are never in error. When Anderton discovers that he has been identified as the future killer of a man he's never met, he is forced to become a fugitive from his own colleagues as he tries to uncover the mystery of the victim-to-be's identity. When he kidnaps Agatha (Samantha Morton), one of the precogs, he begins to formulate a theory about a possible frame-up from within his own department. Directed by Steven Spielberg, who hired a team of futurists to devise the film's numerous technologically advanced gadgets, Minority Report co-stars Colin Farrell, Max von Sydow, and Neal McDonough. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

New York Times
The film is magnificently creepy, a calculated bad dream that stays with you like the best of Roger Corman. Elvis Mitchell

Chicago Sun-Times

This film is such a virtuoso high-wire act, daring so much, achieving it with such grace and skill. Roger Ebert

Hollywood Reporter
One of [Spielberg's] most compelling and entertaining films ever. Kirk Honeycutt

San Francisco Chronicle
This is the kind of pure entertainment that, in its fullness and generosity, feels almost classic. Mick LaSalle

Monsters, Inc.

Monsters, Inc.

Starring: John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Mary Gibbs, Steve Buscemi, James Coburn, Jennifer Tilly, Bob Peterson, John Ratzenberger, Frank Oz, Daniel Gerson, Steve Susskind, Bonnie Hunt, Jeff Pidgeon, Sam Black, Rodger Bumpass, Kay Panabaker
Director: Pete Docter

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:33

Color THX-Supervised Mastering

Editorial Reviews - Monsters, Inc.

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The DVD edition of Monsters, Inc. -- the latest Disney-Pixar collaboration -- is really something to scream about. Its many supplemental features include the Academy Award-winning computer-animated short "For the Birds," as well as a new animated short created for the DVD, "Mike's New Car." There are also exclusive "outtakes" and, for animation buffs, a behind-the-scenes look at the artistic evolution of the film, from abandoned concepts to animation tests. But Monsters, Inc. -- an Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature and Oscar winner for Randy Newman's rollicking ode to friendship, "If I Didn't Have You" -- is itself a sheer joy to behold. While the Disney-Pixar Toy Story films and A Bug's Life revealed the secret lives of toys and insects, Monsters, Inc. confirms something that generations of children have always known: There really are monsters lurking in their bedroom closets! What they don't know is that these beasts are employees of the titular corporation, and their job is to scare children -- whose screams somehow fuel the power grid in Monstropolis (where monsters live). The real revelation here, though, is that monsters are deathly afraid of children. John Goodman is the voice of the bearlike Sully, Monsters, Inc.'s leading scream producer. His sidekick is Mike (Billy Crystal), a giant eyeball with a mouth, arms, and legs. Chaos ensues when a fearless little girl follows Sully through the closet door and into Monstropolis. Monsters, Inc. brims with visual invention (a climactic chase aboard an assembly line of closet doors is a particular tour de force), as well as in-jokes for keen-eyed viewers. Like the Toy Story films, it's a state-of-the-art crowd pleaser. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
After exploring the worlds of toys and bugs in the two Toy Story films and A Bug's Life, the award-winning computer animation company Pixar delves into the realm of monsters with its fourth feature. Hulking, blue-furred behemoth James P. "Sully" Sullivan (John Goodman) and his one-eyed assistant Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) are employed by Monsters, Inc., a scream processing factory. It seems that the denizens of their realm thrive on the screams of kids spooked by monsters lurking under their beds and in their closets. It's the job of Sully, Mike, and their co-workers, including sarcastic Randall Boggs (Steve Buscemi), crab-like CEO Henry J. Waternoose (James Coburn), and lovely snake-headed receptionist Celia (Jennifer Tilly) to keep the frights flowing. When Sully and Mike are followed back into the monster world by a very unafraid little human girl named Boo (Mary Gibbs), they are exiled to her universe, where they discover that such a modern-day mythological specimen as the Abominable Snowman is a fellow refugee. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

National Lampoon's Animal House

National Lampoon's Animal House

Starring: John Belushi, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Tom Hulce, Stephen Furst, Cesare Danova, Donald Sutherland, James Daughton, Mary Louise Weller, Bruce McGill, Mark Metcalf, DeWayne Jessie, Karen Allen, James Widdoes, Martha Smith, Sarah Holcomb, Kevin Bacon, Peter Riegert, Douglas Kenney, Joshua Daniel, Stephen Bishop, Robert Cray, Otis Day, Robert Irvin Elliott, Reginald H. Farmer, John Freeman, Eliza Garrett, Sunny Johnson, John Landis, Pricilla Lauris, Helen Vick
Director: John Landis

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Anarchic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:49

Color Stereo

Editorial Reviews - National Lampoon's Animal House

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Drubbed by critics who sniffed at its bawdy, tasteless gags, 1978's National Lampoon's Animal House became a box-office smash that spawned a host of imitations (right up to the present day) and wormed its way into our collective consciousness. Inexpensively produced with a talented but largely unknown cast and a director with one modest hit (Kentucky Fried Movie) to his credit, Animal House revolutionized the way Hollywood makes comedies. The raucous antics at Faber College's disreputable Delta House had audiences howling with laughter: Who knew dead horses and toga parties could be so funny? Rowdy frat boys and '60s pop tunes in movies became de rigueur overnight; John Landis became a hot director; cast members Tom Hulce, Karen Allen, Kevin Bacon went on to become stars; and many of the film's punch lines became part of our cultural vernacular. Best of all: More than 20 years later, Animal House is just as funny as ever. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Director John Landis put himself on the map with this low-budget, fabulously successful comedy, which made a then-astounding 62 million dollars and started a slew of careers for its cast in the process. National Lampoon's Animal House is set in 1962 on the campus of Faber College in Faber, PA. The first glimpse we get of the campus is the statue of its founder Emil Faber, on the base of which is inscribed the motto, "Knowledge Is Good." Incoming freshmen Larry "Pinto" Kroger (Tom Hulce) and Kent "Flounder" Dorfman (Stephen Furst) find themselves rejected by the pretentious Omega fraternity, and instead pledge to Delta House. The Deltas are a motley fraternity of rejects and maladjusted undergraduates (some approaching their late twenties) whose main goal -- seemingly accomplished in part by their mere presence on campus -- is disrupting the staid, peaceful, rigidly orthodox, and totally hypocritical social order of the school, as represented by the Omegas and the college's dean, Vernon Wormer (John Vernon). Dean Wormer decides that this is the year he's going to get the Deltas expelled and their chapter decertified; he places the fraternity on "double secret probation" and, with help from Omega president Greg Marmalard (James Daughton) and hard-nosed member Doug Neidermeyer (Mark Metcalf), starts looking for any pretext on which to bring the members of the Delta fraternity up on charges.

The Deltas, oblivious to the danger they're in, are having a great time, steeped in irreverence, mild debauchery, and occasional drunkenness, led by seniors Otter (Tim Matheson), Hoover (James Widdoes), D-Day (Bruce McGill), Boon (Peter Riegert), and pledge master John "Bluto" Blutarsky (John Belushi). They're given enough rope to hang themselves, but even then manage to get into comical misadventures on a road trip (where they arrange an assignation with a group of young ladies from Emily Dickinson University). Finally, they are thrown out of school, and, as a result, stripped of their student deferments (and, thus, eligible for the draft). They decide to commit one last, utterly senseless (and screamingly funny) slapstick act of rebellion, making a shambles of the university's annual homecoming parade, and, in the process, getting revenge on the dean, the Omegas, and everyone else who has ever gone against them. Bruce Eder

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Starring: Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, Diane Ladd, John Randolph, E.G. Marshall, Doris Roberts, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Mae Questel, William Hickey, Brian Doyle-Murray, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki, Nicholas Guest, Miriam Flynn, Ellen Hamilton Latzen, Cody Burger, Snots the Dog, Tony Epper, Alexander Folk, Risa Bramon Garcia, Hank Hooker, Billy Hopkins, Heidi Levitt, Keith MacKechnie, Sam McMurray, Natalia Nogulich, Jeremy Roberts, Nicolette Scorsese
Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Comedy of Errors
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:37

Color Dolby Digital

Editorial Reviews - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

All Movie Guide
Chevy Chase, star of National Lampoon's Vacation and its sequel, is back as the paterfamilias of the Griswold family (including Beverly D'Angelo as his missus) to skewer the Yuletide season. Chevy mugs, trips, falls, mashes his fingers and stubs his toes as he prepares to invite numerous dysfunctional relatives to his household to celebrate Christmas. Amidst the more outrageous sight gags (including the electrocution of a cat as the Christmas tree is lit) the film betrays a sentimental streak, with old wounds healing and long-estranged relatives reuniting in the Griswold living room. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation was still capable of attracting an audience five years after its release -- it was one of the top-rated seasonal TV specials of 1994, outrating even the first network telecast of It's a Wonderful Life. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

NewsRadio - Seasons 1 & 2

NewsRadio - Seasons 1 & 2

Starring: Dave Foley, Phil Hartman, Stephen Root
Director: Alan Myerson

Certification: NR
Category: Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 10:59

Color Stereo

Editorial Reviews - NewsRadio - Seasons 1 & 2

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Launched in March 1995 as a spring replacement, this quirky comedy set in a New York radio station immediately captured viewers' hearts and was added to that year's fall schedule. This box set collects the seven episodes of that truncated first season and the 21 that followed in the '95-'96 broadcast year. In the pilot episode, Wisconsin journalist Dave Nelson (Dave Foley) is named news director at New York's WNYX. Working in Manhattan poses challenges to this midwesterner, who strains to maintain some semblance of order in an office packed with odd characters, not the least of whom is his boss, Jimmy James (Stephen Root). Also to be dealt with are self-important anchorman Bill McNeal (Phil Hartman), irrepressible secretary Beth (Vicki Lewis), reporter Matthew Brock (Andy Dick), and electrician Joe Garelli (Joe Rogan). And then there's writer Lisa Miller (Maura Tierney), with whom Dave secretly begins a romantic relationship. Smartly written by a host of top-notch talent and snappily directed by such sitcom legends as James Burrows (Cheers) and Tom Cherones (Seinfeld), NewsRadio breathed new life into an old formula thanks to its superb comedic ensemble. Foley, a former member of the comedy troupe Kids in the Hall, anchors the show with his grounded, commonsense characterization, while Hartman provokes laughter just about every time he's on screen. The first two seasons feature a host of terrific guest stars, including John Ritter, Bebe Neuwirth, and Saturday Night Live alumni Dennis Miller, Janeane Garofalo, and Chris Kattan. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
The only thing harder to predict than tomorrow's news is what the folks at WNYX, an all-news radio outlet in New York City, might do next on the popular situation comedy NewsRadio. NewsRadio focuses on news director Dave Nelson (Dave Foley), a recent arrival in New York from the Midwest who's not always certain how to deal with the whims of station owner Jimmy James (Stephen Root). Dave also has to juggle a not-so-professional relationship with staff writer Lisa Miller (Maura Tierney), massage the egos of on-air anchors Bill McNeal (Phil Hartman) and Catherine Duke (Khandi Alexander), and keep the many other eccentrics on the staff happy. NewsRadio debuted on NBC on March 21, 1995, and ran for five seasons. Khandi Alexander left the cast seven episodes into the show's fourth season; her character Catherine quit WNYX to take a job in England, while Alexander stayed busy in both television and movies. In the final season, Jon Lovitz joined the cast as news reader Max Lewis, a character added to the show after the tragic death of Phil Hartman, who was shot by his wife while the series was on hiatus. The final new episode aired on May 4, 1999. Mark Deming

NewsRadio - The Complete Fourth Season

NewsRadio - The Complete Fourth Season

Starring:
Director: Alan Myerson

Certification: NR
Category: Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 8:00

Color Stereo

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
With the departure of Khandi Alexander in the seventh episode, the radio-station sitcom became looser and wackier as the season went on. No new costar was immediately brought in, allowing other actors to do more, especially Phil Hartman as WNYX's blowhard anchor, Bill McNeil. Hartman rises to the challenge in his last season; he tragically died before the start of season 5. Bill gets to be boss for a day, works on his lounge act, interviews a jumper (fellow SNL alum Jon Lovitz, his second go-around on the show), tries to prove he can tell jokes, seeks adoption, and invents interviews with celebrities. The penultimate 22-epoisode fourth season starts off with a goody-two-shoes efficiency expert played by future Gilmore Girl Lauren Graham raising havoc: Matthew (Andy Dick) is fired (but still hangs around the station), Lisa (Maura Tierney) takes over as manager, and Dave (Dave Foley) winds up as Bill's producer. When the expert leaves, things return to relatively normal with episodes on the new security system, owner Mr. James's (Stephen Root) ballooning adventure, Joe (Joe Rogan) showing his Ultimate Fighting persona, Beth (Vicki Lewis) going British for a charity auction, and the annual fantasy-episode placing the station on the Titanic. The show seemed ready to hit the mainstream by the end of the season, even introducing a new character, Mr. James's hunk nephew (Brad Rowe) who short circuits the office romances (Dave and Lisa are still apart, despite the "help" of others). Alexander certainly didn't have enough to do on the show, but her final episode is the season's best. When she quickly states she's leaving and runs out the door, everyone has a different version of what happened, played out with hilarious results. As before, the DVD set has commentary roundtables on a few key episodes and 20 minutes of knee-slapping bloopers. --Doug Thomas

Product Description
NEWSRADIO:THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON - DVD Movie

NewsRadio - The Complete Third Season

NewsRadio - The Complete Third Season

Starring: Dave Foley, Stephen Root, Maura Tierney, Phil Hartman, Khandi Alexander, Andy Dick, Vicki Lewis, Joe Rogan
Director: Alan Myerson

Certification: NR
Category: Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 9:23

Color Stereo

Editorial Reviews - NewsRadio - The Complete Third Season

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At the mercy of NBC's scheduling whims over its entire broadcast run, NewsRadio moved into the 8 p.m. Wednesday night slot for its third season. Long underappreciated, NewsRadio hit its stride in Season 3 with a number of hilariously bizarre episodes. Returning to the madcap workplace of New York radio news station WNYX are owner Jimmy James (Stephen Root), the irresponsible boss; Dave Nelson (Dave Foley), harried station manager; Lisa Miller (Maura Tierney), the on-air talent with a secret relationship with Dave; Bill McNeal (the great Phil Hartman), the caustic, egotistical announcer; Catherine Duke (Khandi Alexander), Bill's on-air foil; Matthew Brock (Andy Dick), a spazzy, often-picked on copywriter; Joe (Joe Rogan), office repairman and busybody; and Beth (Vicki Lewis), the secretary who can never keep messages straight. As with most ensemble workplace comedies, NewsRadio derives much of its humor from personality conflicts and office tension, but Radio takes its scripts to strange new levels. In "Review," Matthew becomes obsessed with the comic strip "Dilbert" and quits his job; Bill orders an expensive massage chair for his desk in "Massage Chair," despite financial cutbacks; Dave gets stuck covering for his co-workers and can't get home for the holidays in "Christmas"; and in "Kids," the staff is forced to baby-sit a bunch of rambunctious third graders so Jimmy can get a date with their teacher. The best of the bunch, however, is "Arcade," in which Bill laments the loss of the office vending machine by holding on to its last, moldy sandwich out of nostalgia. Christina Urban

Night at the Museum

Night at the Museum

Starring: Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs, Jake Cherry, Ricky Gervais, Robin Williams, Kim Raver, Patrick Gallagher, Rami Malek, Pierfrancesco Favino, Charlie Murphy, Steve Coogan, Mizuo Peck, Kerry Van Der Griend, Owen Wilson, Dan Rizzuto, Matthew Harrison, Jody Racicot, Paul Rudd, Anne Meara, Martin Christopher, Martin Sims, Randy Lee, Darryl Quon, Gerald Wong, Paul Chih-Ping Cheng, Teagle F. Bougere, Pat Kiernan, Nico McEown, Meshach Peters, Matthew Walker, Jason McKinnon, Jonathan Lee, Jason Vaisvila, Cade Wagar, Cory Martin, Brad Garrett, Jason Glass, Brent Woolsey, Blaise Corrigan, Adam Bryant, Kimberly Bailey, Gil Birmingham, Robby Bruce, Doug Burch, Alexander J. Castillo, Catherine Cavadini, Paul Chen, Alex Cong, Jessie Flower, Pedro U. Garcia, Aaron Hendry, Barbara Iley, Erica Jones, Cohl Kenneth Klop, Daamen Krall, Tommy Lamey, Mirayda Levi, Raymundo Magana, Zahn McClarnon, Roberto Medina, Arlin Miller, Khanya Mkhize, Abdoulaye N'Gom, Vivianne Nacif, Benjamin A. Onyango Ochieng, Maggie Palomo, Martin Poz Perez, Michael Ralph, Noreen Reardon, Richard Scobie, Craig Ricci Shaynak, Gubbi Sigurdsson, Stefan Karl Stefansson, Mark Sussman, Joel Sweto, Regina Taufen, Travis Quentin Young, Ruth Zalduondo, Mike Desabrais
Director: Shawn Levy

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Comedy Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:50

Color DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound

Editorial Reviews - Night at the Museum

All Movie Guide
The new night watchman at New York's Museum of Natural History finds that the job comes with more responsibility than he ever dreamed in this wild fantasy comedy directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Mickey Rooney, and Dick Van Dyke. Larry Daley (Stiller) is a kind-hearted dreamer who always knew that he was destined for greatness, he just never quite knew how. None of his ideas or inventions has panned out, so with a heavy heart, he takes a regular job as a lowly graveyard-shift security guard at the Museum of Natural History in order to provide a more stable life for himself and his ten-year-old son. His first night on the job, however, he finds that guardianship of the museum is far from stable -- at nightfall, an Egyptian spell brings the artifacts and wax figures to life! With Attila the Hun charging to war through the hallways, the diorama miniatures embroiled in a deadly feud, and a two-ton Tyrannosaurus Rex nagging to play fetch, Larry has half a mind to turn tail and run. On top of cleaning up after two million years of historical chaos every night, he also has to make sure that not a single museum piece leaves the building -- from the bratty Capuchin monkey in the African exhibit, to the life-sized Neanderthal in the prehistoric display -- because if morning light falls on an escaped artifact, it will turn to dust. Larry turns to a wax replica of President Roosevelt (Williams) for a little advice on keeping things in tact, but Teddy seems to think that a man of Larry's greatness needs little help. Larry isn't sure if the former commander in chief is right; this is hardly what he signed up for, but he can't pass up the chance to care for a museum where history really does come to life. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

O Brother Where Art Thou?

O Brother Where Art Thou?

Starring: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, Charles Durning, John Goodman, Michael Badalucco, Holly Hunter, Stephen Root, Chris Thomas King, Wayne Duvall, Daniel Von Bargen, Daniel van Bargen, J.R. Horne, Brian Reddy, Frank Collison, Ray McKinnon, Del Pentecost, Musetta Vander
Director: Joel Coen

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Period Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:43

Color Dolby Digital

Editorial Reviews - O Brother Where Art Thou?

Barnes & Noble
Sibling filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen (The Big Lebowksi) enhanced their well-deserved reputation for comedic ingenuity with this rib-tickling and extremely loose adaptation of Homer's epic poem The Odyssey. O Brother chronicles the picaresque adventures of three chain-gang escapees traversing Depression-era Mississippi in search of treasure (the title is that of the social issues picture the director wants to +make in Presten Sturges's Sullivan's Travels). George Clooney (who positively radiates star quality), John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson play the hapless ex-cons who encounter oracles, sirens, and even a Cyclops (John Goodman sporting an eye patch) before achieving unexpected and improbable stardom at the end of their journey. The Coens chart this bizarre voyage with customary meticulousness, replicating 1930s Mississippi and its inhabitants down to the tiniest detail. As always with these filmmakers, the supporting players are perfectly cast, especially Charles Durning, Holly Hunter, and Goodman -- the latter in a terrific turn as a psychotic Bible salesman. Yet the movie's most effective "character" may well be its musical score, an assortment of bluegrass standards and slavery-era spirituals that set the period and enhance the narrative. Inventive and unpredictable (even to those who remember their Homer), O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a tuneful funfest that represents the Coens at the top of their game. They, along with major cast members, are interviewed for a making-of featurette included on the DVD, which also features a documentary on the digital enhancement technology used during the movie's postproduction period, comparisons of script and storyboards with the finished film, and a "Man of Constant Sorrow" music video. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
The writing, directing, and producing team of Joel Coen and Ethan Coen created this picaresque comedy (inspired in part by Homer's The Odyssey) set in the Deep South during the Depression. Suave and fancy-talking Everett Ulysses McGill (George Clooney), dim-witted Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson), and easily-excitable Pete (John Turturro) are serving time together on a prison chain gang. Everett knows where $1.2 million is hidden that's theirs for the taking, and the three manage to escape; however, a stranger soon warns them that they'll find treasure, but not the sort they're looking for. As Everett and his partners hit the road, they happen upon a gluttonous bible salesman, Big Dan Teague (John Goodman); meet up with Baby Face Nelson (Michael Badalucco) as he robs a bank; encounter three Sirens doing their washing; run into Everett's estranged wife Penny (Holly Hunter), who has told everyone her husband was killed in a train wreck; find themselves in the middle of a heated campaign between political boss Pappy O'Daniel (Charles Durning), and reformist candidate Homer Stokes (Wayne Duvall); and even find time to make a hit record as The Soggy Bottom Boys. Noted songwriter T-Bone Burnett helped compile the songs (combining vintage country blues tunes with originals in the same style), while Carter Burwell composed the background score. Incidentally, the title O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a reference to the classic Preston Sturges comedy Sullivan's Travels, in which a director plans to make a serious "message picture" with that name. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

New York Times
Rather than wallow in nostalgia for the past, [the Coen brothers] dare to reinvent it, to make it something strange, beautiful and new. O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a tribute to, and example of, the persistent vitality of the American imagination. It's bona fide... A.O. Scott

One Crazy Summer

One Crazy Summer

Starring: John Cusack, Demi Moore, Joel Murray, Curtis Armstrong, Bobcat Goldthwait, Tom Villard, Matt Mulhern, Mark Metcalf, William Hickey, Kristen Goelz, Deborah Bial, Billie Bird, Earl Blank, John Blood, Robert Boardman, Donna Clements, Jim Cooke, Grenville Cuyler, Barry Doe, Joan Drott, Bob Duncan, Elizabeth Field, John Fiore, Joe Flaherty, Kimberly Foster, Bob Gage, Alberta Glover, Rich Hall, Judith Holstra, Sharon Hope, Bill Hoversten, Barry Karas, Paul Lane, Len Lawrence, Donald Li, Rich Little, Gary Littlejohn, Isidore Mankofsky, John Matuszak, Pat McGroarty, Lisa Melilli, Herb Mingace, Al Mohrmann, Taylor Negron, Jeremy Piven, Scott Richards, Don Ruffin, Pamela Shadduck, Sky, Rachel C. Telegan, Anthony Viveiros, Bruce Wagner, Linda Warren, Laura Waterbury, Donald Watson, Jerry Winsett, Jennifer Yahoodik
Director: Savage Steve Holland

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Comedy - General
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:33

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Editorial Reviews - One Crazy Summer

All Movie Guide
In this madcap comedy, Demi Moore plays Cassandra and John Cusack is Hoops McCann, two people who eventually fall in love and help each other out. Hoops is a cartoonist working on a teen love story that he hopes will get him accepted into art school. Cassandra is a troubled young woman about to lose her home to a money-hungry developer. Characters with names like Squid Calamari, Clay Stork, or Ack Ack Raymond are involved in the unfolding romance and figure in several slapstick routines. Several cartoon sequences are inserted throughout this comedy to comment on the story. This was director Savage Steve Holland's second feature-length film. Eleanor Mannikka

Outbreak

Outbreak

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Cuba Gooding Jr., Donald Sutherland, Dana Anderson, Jim Antonio, Julie Araskog, Conrad Bachmann, Joe Don Baker, Ed Beechner, Diana Bellamy, Robert Alan Beuth, Malick Bowens, Mark Brown, J.J. Chaback, Daniel Chodes, George Christy, Patrick Dempsey, Dale Dye, Cynthia Harrison, Leland Hayward III, Susan Lee Hoffman, Bruce Jarchow, Michelle Joyner, Lance Kerwin, Joseph Latimore, Peter Looney, Gordon Michaels, Zakes Mokae, Kellie Overbey, Patricia Place, Jack Rader, Tim Ransom, Brian Reddy, Mathew Saks, Michael Sottile, Bill Stevenson
Director: Wolfgang Petersen

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Adventure Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:08

Color Dolby Digital Surround

Editorial Reviews - Outbreak

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A handful of scientists struggle to prevent the destruction of a small town -- and possibly the entire country -- in this suspense drama. In the mid-1960s, a deadly virus is discovered in Zaire that wipes out an entire village in 24 hours. Government researchers are brought in to investigate, but the military opts to destroy the village rather than risk further infection. Thirty years later, Sam Daniels (Dustin Hoffman), an expert on contagious diseases, is called in when the virus re-emerges in Africa. A monkey carrying the bug is smuggled into the U.S., and a suburban California town soon begins to succumb to the illness. Sam scrambles to find an antidote with the help of his ex-wife Robby (Rene Russo), a Center for Disease Control researcher, and their colleague Casey (Kevin Spacey), while Gen. McClintock (Donald Sutherland) has his own reasons for wanting to use bombs to contain the epidemic, and Army surgeon Gen. Ford (Morgan Freeman) is caught in the middle. Outbreak was produced in the hopes of beating the film version of Richard Preston's bestseller The Hot Zone (about a real-life epidemic) into theaters; script problems shelved The Hot Zone, and Outbreak had the infectious disease market to itself. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Pianist

The Pianist

Starring: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Maureen Lipman, Emilia Fox, Ed Stoppard, Julia Rayner, Jessica Kate Meyer, Ruth Platt, Michal Zebrowski, Katarzyna Figura
Director: Roman Polanski

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Period Drama
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Running Time: 2:30

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Editorial Reviews - Pianist

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After a string of mediocre movies that hardly hinted at Roman Polanski's early glory, The Pianist represents a dazzling comeback -- the director's best work since Chinatown. Call it the anti-Spielberg Holocaust movie. Like Schindler's List, The Pianist is based on a true story -- in this case, the autobiography of classical pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody), a Polish Jew who escaped the Nazis and spent World War II hiding out in Warsaw. But where Spielberg's film is operatic and ultimately sentimental, Polanski's is austere, tightly focused, almost clinical in the way it details Szpilman's quest for survival. An upper-class dandy whose interests in life are limited to music and women, Szpilman is miraculously spared when his entire family, along with the rest of the Warsaw Ghetto, is carted off to the death camps. Brody, in an Oscar-winning performance, is magnificent as a man who is single-minded in his obsession with his music and tenacious in his will to live but hardly heroic: Szpilman's initial salvation is a stroke of sheer luck. Later, in a stunning and lyrical scene that the entire film builds toward, we see that ultimately his talent as a pianist is the only thing that saves him. If many of the early images from The Pianist are familiar from other Holocaust films, once Szpilman is alone, holed up in a series of empty apartments, peering helplessly through the windows at the war's devastation, Polanski brings a fresh perspective. The shots of an emaciated, barely alive Szpilman, wandering like a ghost through the rubble of the bombed-out ghetto, are unforgettable. A Polish Holocaust survivor himself, the director films Szpilman's story with a clarity and authority that clearly derive from his own experience. Both Polanski -- who fled the U.S. decades ago after statutory rape charges -- and newcomer Brody scored upsets at the 2003 Academy Awards, winning the Best Director and Best Actor awards, respectively. Their surprise triumphs are testaments to the power of this remarkable film. Kryssa Schemmerling

All Movie Guide
This powerful film by Roman Polanski tackles a subject matter and time that has been covered exhaustively in feature films, TV movies and documentaries, but The Pianist is another exceptional story that needed to be told. There have been plenty of dramas regarding the Warsaw Ghetto and the Jewish resistance, but less about the nearly complete destruction of Warsaw by the Nazis near the end of the war just as the Russians were closing in. The Pianist is mostly from the perspective of Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody), who escapes the concentration camps by luck and is briefly involved in smuggling guns into the Warsaw Ghetto. He escapes the Ghetto with the help of the Polish resistance and spends the rest of the film struggling to survive, while watching the unfolding events in Warsaw as the city is torn to pieces by the Nazis. It is a harrowing and moving story and Szpilman is a completely sympathetic character who doesn't seem at first cut out to survive under such conditions. There are both good and bad Jews, Poles and Nazis in the story, though most of the Nazi characters with the exception of Captain Hosenfeld (Thomas Kretschmann) are monstrous. Aside from the relentless horrors that Szpilman witnesses, there are moments of great beauty in the film especially in the scenes where he plays piano. The cinematography by Pawel Edelman is fantastic. Beyond being a great film, The Pianist is a testament to the incredible struggle of the Polish people during World War II. Adam Bregman

Entertainment Weekly
A movie of riveting power and sadness. Lisa Schwarzbaum

New York Times
One of the very few nondocumentary movies about Jewish life and death under the Nazis that can be called definitive. A.O. Scott

Washington Post
A near-masterpiece. Desson Howe

New York Observer
A great film of integrity and unforgettable power that leaves you breathless with gratitude. Rex Reed

Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl

Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl

Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport, Kevin McNally, Jonathan Pryce, Zoe Saldana, Treva Etienne, David Bailie, Lee Arenberg, Mackenzie Crook, Trevor Goddard, Isaac C. Singleton Jr., Brye Cooper, Greg Ellis, Martin Klebba, Lauren Maher, Paula Jane Newman, Dylan Smith
Director: Gore Verbinski

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Adventure - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:23

Color DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound

Editorial Reviews - Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl

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Just when it seemed the pirate movie was moribund, along comes Johnny Depp to revive it, playing one of the wildest buccaneers to ever grace the screen. It's all the more startling to find this witty, wonderfully eccentric performance in a summer blockbuster produced by action maven Jerry Bruckheimer (Pearl Harbor) and based on, of all things, a Disney theme park ride. What sounded like a recipe for a Cutthroat Island-style disaster turns out to be a thoroughly enjoyable romp in the grand swashbuckling tradition. The setting is the 18th-century West Indies, and Depp is Jack Sparrow, a down-on-his-luck pirate recruited by a handsome blacksmith (Orlando Bloom) to rescue the governor's beautiful daughter (Bend It Like Beckham's Keira Knightly) from the clutches of a deadly band of pirates. Led by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush, in a juicy turn), these black-hearted sea dogs are operating under a curse -- they are actually the living dead, who, under moonlight, are revealed to be skeletons. This plot twist adds a nice dash of the supernatural, and the bouts of moonlit swordplay are a ghoulish delight, thanks to first-rate special effects. But the real kick in Pirates of the Caribbean is watching Depp strut and mince in a characterization reportedly inspired by rock ?n' roller Keith Richards. Heavily mascaraed, dreadlocked, and effeminate, Depp seems to be subtly acknowledging the homosexuality that was part of the pirate tradition (though not in classic Hollywood swashbucklers). Not that this welcome hint of subversion in any way detracts from the film's old-fashioned, PG appeal. Despite being a wee bit long at two-plus hours, Pirates of the Caribbean is a joyous and unexpected return to the adventure movies of yore, anchored by a memorable star turn. Kryssa Schemmerling

All Movie Guide
Following his surprise-hit American remake of The Ring in 2002, director Gore Verbinski took on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the second of recent films to be based upon Disney theme-park rides (the first being The Country Bears). When Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), the daughter of Governor Swann (Jonathan Pryce) is kidnapped by a group of pirates led by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and taken aboard their ship, The Black Pearl, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), the young man who loves Elizabeth despite the fact that she is promised to another, sets out to rescue her. But he can't do it alone, so he enlists the help of swashbuckling ship captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). Together the two chase after The Black Pearl, but they soon discover that the captain and crew aren't your average pirates. Cursed to remain between the living and the dead, Barbossa and his men look like skeletons when basked in the moonlight. When it is revealed that the only thing that can break the curse is Elizabeth's blood, Jack and Will are faced with a race against time and a battle against the undead to save the Governor's daughter. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

All Movie Guide
Pirate films have been a curse on cinema for a quite a while in recent years (Cutthroat Island, anyone?), and outside of releasing Pixar flicks, Disney hadn't been doing any better quality-wise, so when Gore Verbenski (fresh off The Ring remake) and virtuoso Johnny Depp came aboard the beloved adaptation of the Pirates of the Caribbean theme-park ride, eyebrows were definitely raised. So how does it stack up? Well, in a time of massive summer blockbusters, this high-sailing ship is definitely a crowd-pleaser. The scale is huge, with technical brilliance in front and behind the camera, while swords clash, cannons roar, and wit is dished out at every corner. Following a kind of Stephen Sommers' Mummy-esque tradition, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl has "lighthearted" written all over it, no small thanks to Depp's brilliantly over-the-top creation, Captain Jack Sparrow. Mix Keith Richards and Depp's Hunter S. Thompson together and you're about halfway there with this brilliantly wild performance. Turning in another juicy role is Geoffrey Rush as the cursed Captain Barbossa, a dastardly villain whom Rush was no doubt meant to play. Also worth mentioning are heartthrobs Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley as the film's love interests. Knightley perks it up as the spunky female lead just fine, though Bloom's soft-spoken manner and delivery are frankly starting to wear thin outside of his Legolas gig. The ILM skeletal effects are well done and neat, especially in the final sword fight between Sparrow and Barbossa (where columns of light are used ingeniously in the final effect). For all the thrilling moments though, Pirates is hobbled by one thing: its running time. Well over two hours, it's just flat out too long. Thankfully, with zombie monkey skeletons and Depp virtually stealing the show, the film still manages to deliver. So take the kids, put up your feet, and sing "Yo Ho," for this is one Disney pirate flick that surprisingly does not disappoint. Jeremy Wheeler

New York Times
The movie is better than it deserves to be, given its origins: a ride at Disneyland and Disney World. Elvis Mitchell

USA Today
Pirates will enthrall kids and amuse adults. Claudia Puig,

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Starring: Steve Martin, John Candy, Laila Robins, William Windom, Michael McKean, Kevin Bacon, Dylan Baker, Carol Bruce, Olivia Burnette, Diana Douglas, Martin Ferrero, Richard Herd, Susan Kellerman, Edie McClurg, George Petrie, Gary Riley, Charles Tyner, Diana Castle, Ruth de Sosa, Bill Erwin, Grant Forsberg, Larry Hankin, Susan Isaacs, John Randolph Jones, Matthew Lawrence, Gaetano Lisi, John Moio, Lulie Newcomb, Gary Palmer, Ben Stein, Victoria Vanderkloot, Lyman Ward, Nicholas Wyman
Director: John Hughes

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Comedy of Errors
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:32

Color Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Editorial Reviews - Planes, Trains and Automobiles

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Were it not for its profanity-laden opening scenes, John Hughes' Planes, Trains and Automobiles might have been suitable family entertainment: certainly it's heaps less violent and mean-spirited than Hughes' Home Alone. En route to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with his family, easily annoyed businessman Neal Page (Steve Martin) finds his first-class plane ticket has been demoted to coach, and he must share his flight with obnoxious salesman Del Griffith (John Candy). A sudden snowstorm in Chicago forces the plane to land in Wichita. Unable to find a room in any of the four-star hotels, Neal is compelled to accept Del's invitation to share his accommodations in a cheapo-sleazo motel. Driven to distraction by Del's annoying personal habits, the ungrateful Neal lets forth with a stream of verbal abuse. That's when Del delivers the anticipated (but always welcome) "I don't judge, why should you?"-type speech so common to John Hughes flicks. The shamefaced Neal tries to make up to Del, but there's a bumpy time ahead as the mismatched pair make their way back to Chicago, first in a balky train, then by way of a refrigerator truck. We know from the outset that the oil-and-water Neal and Del will be bosom companions by the end of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, but it's still a fun ride. The best bit: a half-asleep Del thinking that he's got his hand tucked between two pillows -- until his bedmate, Neal, bellows "Those aren't pillows!" Hal Erickson

Robocop

Robocop

Starring: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, Dan O'Herlihy, Robert DoQui, Miguel Ferrer, Tyrees Allen, Angie Bolling, Mark Carlton, Charles Carroll, Darryl Cox, John Davies, Lee de Broux, Edward Edwards, Executive, Bill Farmer, Leeza Gibbons, Jesse D. Goins, Michael Gregory, Kim Greist, Jerry Haynes, Fred Hice, Michael Hunter, Calvin Jung, Rick Lieberman, Jo Livingston, Mario Machado, Paul McCrane, Mike Moroff, S.D. Nemeth, David Packer, Kevin Page, Sage Parker, Felton Perry, Spencer Prokop, Karen Radcliffe, Diane Robin, Neil Summers, Ray Wise, Del Zamora
Director: Paul Verhoeven

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:43

Color Dolby Surround

Editorial Reviews - Robocop

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Shooting its way into theaters in 1987, RoboCop garnered a large following as an action-packed, satirical, and, yes, ultraviolent film about the bleak future of law enforcement in Detroit. A good, honest cop named Murphy (Peter Weller), brutally murdered in the line of duty, finds his body reconstructed into a cybernetic crime-fighting weapon by the evil corporation that runs the police department. But Murphy proves he has ideas of his own, as he seeks revenge on the malicious thugs who savagely killed him. Strewn with high-intensity action and eye-popping stop-motion animation, director Paul Verhoeven (Total Recall) intelligently balances the film with a strong emotional element, as Murphy searches not only for revenge but for his identity. The film is at its best when crossing the story's inherent drama with satirical and often self-reflexive humor. Followed by two sequels, a forgettable TV series, and numerous comic books and novels, RoboCop has earned its place among the premier science-fiction films of the '80s. Greg Kalleres

All Movie Guide
Paul Verhoeven's American breakthrough film, Robocop, is an exceedingly violent blend of black comedy, science fiction, and crime thriller. Set in Detroit sometime in the near future, the film is about a policeman (Peter Weller) killed in the line of duty whom the department decides to resurrect as a half-human, half-robot supercop. The RoboCop is indestructible, and within a matter of weeks he has removed crime from the streets of Detroit. However, his human side is tortured by his past, and he wants revenge on the thugs who killed him. The film was later followed by two feature-length sequels and a live-action television series, neither of which were as successful as the original film. Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Chicago Sun-Times
Most thriller and special-effects movies come right off the assembly line. You can call out every development in advance, and usually be right. RoboCop is a thriller with a difference. Roger Ebert

Ronald Reagan: A Legacy Remembered

Ronald Reagan: A Legacy Remembered

Starring: James Baker III, John Barletta, Pat Buchanan, George H.W. Bush
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Biographical Documentary
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:40

B&W Dolby Digital Stereo

Editorial Reviews - Ronald Reagan: A Legacy Remembered

All Movie Guide
For this up-close-and-personal TV documentary, former CNN Washington bureau chief Frank Cesno was given unprecedented access to the memories of those people whose lives were profoundly touched by former President Ronald Reagan: family members, friends, political colleagues, advisors, fellow world leaders, employees. Bypassing Reagan's Hollywood career and controversial tenure as head of the Screen Actors Guild, the two-hour film focuses on his political career, and the events in his childhood and early adulthood that helped shape his vision and character. Impeccably unbiased, the film explores both the highs and lows of the Reagan administration, giving equal time to his adherents and detractors. Among the fascinating revelations herein are former Soviet premiere Gorbachev's affirmation that no one but Reagan could have successfully brokered the US-USSR peace summits, and the observation by son Ron Reagan that his father, though affable and outgoing, always held back "that last ten percent," refusing to allow anyone to get truly close to him. This evenly balanced film will confirm Reagan's greatness to his supporters, and reiterate the man's shortcomings to his non-supporters; even decades after the Reagan regime, there is no middle ground so far as his friends and foes are concerned. Rovi

Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan

Starring: Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Jeremy Davies, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi, Matt Damon, Dennis Farina, Ted Danson, Harve Presnell, Dale Dye, Bryan Cranston, David Wohl, Paul Giamatti, Ryan Hurst, Harrison Young, Dylan Bruno, Max Martini
Director: Steven Spielberg

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Combat Films
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:49

Color Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Editorial Reviews - Saving Private Ryan

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Steven Spielberg's 1998 film Saving Private Ryan instantly took its place in the pantheon of great war movies by setting a new standard for its shockingly realistic D-Day sequences -- scenes that redefined the graphic depiction of film violence. When a platoon, led by Tom Hanks, receives orders to rescue the title character (Matt Damon) from behind enemy lines, the value of a life is questioned. Can Ryan be worth the potential sacrifice of eight men? Spielberg put his young actors through a modified boot camp, and their harrowing real-life experience informs their portrayals. Tom Sizemore (one of the many psychos in Natural Born Killers) displays great humanity as Sergeant Horvath, while Giovanni Ribisi and Barry Pepper turn in career-making performances as a medic and a sniper. Through it all, Spielberg's remarkable, unfussy technique keeps the narrative's preachiness from overwhelming the film. He and Academy Award-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski always place the camera in exactly the right perspective to the action, providing even the quiet moments with great power. Squeamish viewers be forewarned: The violence here is truly brutal. But that is part of Spielberg's point: War is hell. Or, as Hanks puts it: "Every time I kill somebody, I get farther away from home." Ben Wolf

All Movie Guide
Steven Spielberg directed this powerful, realistic re-creation of WWII's D-day invasion and the immediate aftermath. The story opens with a prologue in which a veteran brings his family to the American cemetery at Normandy, and a flashback then joins Capt. John Miller (Tom Hanks) and GIs in a landing craft making the June 6, 1944, approach to Omaha Beach to face devastating German artillery fire. This mass slaughter of American soldiers is depicted in a compelling, unforgettable 24-minute sequence. Miller's men slowly move forward to finally take a concrete pillbox. On the beach littered with bodies is one with the name "Ryan" stenciled on his backpack. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George C. Marshall (Harve Presnell), learning that three Ryan brothers from the same family have all been killed in a single week, requests that the surviving brother, Pvt. James Ryan (Matt Damon), be located and brought back to the United States. Capt. Miller gets the assignment, and he chooses a translator, Cpl. Upham (Jeremy Davis), skilled in language but not in combat, to join his squad of right-hand man Sgt. Horvath (Tom Sizemore), plus privates Mellish (Adam Goldberg), Medic Wade (Giovanni Ribisi), cynical Reiben (Edward Burns) from Brooklyn, Italian-American Caparzo (Vin Diesel), and religious Southerner Jackson (Barry Pepper), an ace sharpshooter who calls on the Lord while taking aim. Having previously experienced action in Italy and North Africa, the close-knit squad sets out through areas still thick with Nazis. After they lose one man in a skirmish at a bombed village, some in the group begin to question the logic of losing more lives to save a single soldier. The film's historical consultant is Stephen E. Ambrose, and the incident is based on a true occurance in Ambrose's 1994 bestseller D-Day: June 6, 1944. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Saving Silverman

Saving Silverman

Starring: Jason Biggs, Steve Zahn, Jack Black, Amanda Peet, R. Lee Ermey, Amanda Detmer, Neil Diamond, Lillian Carlson, Kyle Gass
Director: Dennis Dugan

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Comedy - Black
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:36

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Editorial Reviews - Saving Silverman

All Movie Guide
This romantic comedy is from director, former actor, and regular Adam Sandler collaborator Dennis Dugan. Darren Silverman (Jason Biggs) is a loser at love, so his best friends J.D. (Jack Black) and Wayne (Steve Zahn) set him up on a date with his dream girl, Judith (Amanda Peet). A serious relationship develops and threatens to become a marriage, but J.D. and Wayne come to the conclusion that Judith is totally wrong for Darren. In an effort to reunite their pal with Sandy (Amanda Detmer), his long-lost love from school, they kidnap Judith. However, the wily bride to be is at least one step ahead of her captors in the wits department. Saving Silverman also stars R. Lee Ermey and Neil Diamond in a cameo role as himself. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Village Voice
As the villain, Peet clearly wields the brains to harness...this movie's decentered male threesome. Alongside Jack Black, she rescues the flick from director Dennis Dugan's flip, hassling rhythms. Black injects archness and fun into the movie mainly by evoking Chris Farley recast as a Method actor. Edward Crouse

School of Rock

School of Rock

Starring: Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, Sarah Silverman, Jordan-Claire Green, Veronica Afflerbach, Miranda Cosgrove, Joey Gaydos Jr., Robert Tsai, Angelo Massagli, Kevin Clark, Maryam Hassan, Caitlin Hale, Cole Hawkins, Brian Falduto, James Hosey, Aleisha Allen, Zachary Infante, Rebecca Brown, Jaclyn Neiderthal
Director: Richard Linklater

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Musical Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:49

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Editorial Reviews - School of Rock

Barnes & Noble
With School of Rock, the irrepressible Jack Black takes a hackneyed premise and almost single-handedly transforms it into a buoyant, frequently hilarious comedy. He plays Dewey Finn, an egotistical rock-star wannabe whose self-absorption gets him ejected from the band he started. Determined to succeed but strapped for cash, Dewey impersonates a friend in order to take a substitute-teacher job at a tiny prep school, where he recruits young music students to play in his new band. This is, essentially, no more substantive than the premise for a sitcom episode, but Black's manic performance alone makes it seem fresh and innovative. There's a surfeit of nervous energy in that bulky body of his, and his impish countenance reflects every sneaky little thought that flits through his mind. Director Richard Linklater attempts to bring some individuality to the kids, but none of them is especially memorable; in fact, only Joan Cusack (as the school's uptight administrator) manages to capture a share of the viewer's attention while Black is also onscreen. School of Rock represents a considerable concession for Linklater, who made his reputation by directing such quirky little indies as Slacker and Dazed and Confused. His handling of this fairly conventional material is decidedly mainstream and nonthreatening -- it's even, dare we say, cute. In the end, it's Black's gleefully subversive persona that gives this enjoyable comedy its edge. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
The world's least-employable heavy metal guitarist is entrusted with the minds of upstate New York's best and brightest in this fish-out-of-water comedy. Jack Black plays Dewey Finn, axe-bearer for a fitfully successful bar band determined to win a regional battle-of-the-bands competition. There's only one thing standing in their way: the self-indulgent solos and crowd-diving antics of their "embarrassing" lead guitarist. When his band votes him out in favor of a would-be rock god, Dewey has to make the rent somehow, and after intercepting a call for his substitute-teacher roomie Ned (Mike White), the pot-bellied slacker finds himself in front of a class of elite elementary school students. At a loss for a lesson plan, Dewey takes offense at the pre-teen prodigies' staid musical regimen and makes it his goal to preach them the gospel of the Who, Led Zeppelin, and AC/DC -- with the ulterior motive of getting them to compete against his former band for a cash prize. But no matter how willing his pupils, Dewey runs up against the consternation of the school's stern headmistress Principal Mullins (Joan Cusack), the battle-of-the-bands' promoter (Frank Whaley), and not least, his identity-deprived roomie Ned. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Serendipity

Serendipity

Starring: John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, Molly Shannon, Jeremy Piven, John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan, Eugene Levy, Kate Blumberg
Director: Peter Chelsom

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:31

Color Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Editorial Reviews - Serendipity

Barnes & Noble
Is there really such a thing as a benevolent destiny that will eventually reunite true soul mates separated by time and distance? That's the question posed by Serendipity, a whimsical romance graced with ingenious scripting and charming performances. It begins at Christmastime in a New York department store, where John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale meet by chance -- while shopping for their "significant others" -- and are immediately attracted to each other. After spending a romantic evening together, they reluctantly part, secretly hoping that fate will reunite them some day. Director Peter Chelsom (Town and Country) devotes the remainder of the film to rendering believable a series of remarkable coincidences intended to facilitate that reunion. Cusack and Beckinsale are appropriately appealing as the would-be lovers, although they're very nearly overshadowed by Jeremy Piven and Molly Shannon, who are hilarious as their respective best friends. Eugene Levy contributes a scene-stealing turn as a prissy store clerk, but perhaps the best supporting character is New York City, reasserting itself as the nation's most romantic city. Serendipity sometimes strains credulity with its outrageous plot contrivances, but this bewitching little film celebrates everything that's kinder and gentler about us -- and for that alone deserves to be seen again and again. The DVD offers Chelsom commentary on both the full-length movie and deleted scenes; other bonus features include an Encore "On the Set" documentary, the director's own "production diary," storyboard-to-film comparisons, and an extensive photo gallery. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
After the long-delayed Town and Country, director Peter Chelsom turns in his second 2001 effort with this love-at-first-sight romantic comedy that revolves around fate, destiny, and chance. Jonathan (John Cusack) and Sara (Kate Beckinsale) are two New Yorkers already in relationships when they meet one another, each reaching for the last pair of cashmere gloves at a department store. Over coffee, they strike up an intimate conversation, and Jonathan thinks they should see each other again. Unconvinced, Sara arranges an elaborate series of "fate" games; if they're meant to be together, she reasons, she and Jonathan will receive some sort of sign in the future. Flash forward several years, and the two are at opposite ends of the country -- Jonathan in New York and Sara in San Francisco, both engaged to be married. Still, neither can shake the memory of their chance encounter, and they both enlist their best friends (Molly Shannon and Jeremy Piven) to help them find their true love again. Serendipity had its Gala World Premiere at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Shadowlands

Shadowlands

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger, Edward Hardwicke, Michael Denison, John Wood, Peter Firth, Joseph Mazzello, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Sylvia Barter, Norman Bird, Lucy Boulting, Julian Fellowes, Julian Firth, Robert Flemyng, James Frain, Abigail Harrison, Andrew Hawkins, Peter Howell, Pat Keen, Howard Lew Lewis, Karen Lewis, Roddy Maude-Roxby, Tim McMullan, Pauline Melville, Giles Oldershaw, John Quentin, Terry Rowley, Ninka Scott, Andrew Seear, Gerald Sim, Charles Simon, Walter Sparrow, Sophie Stanton, Alan Talbot, Chris Williams
Director: Richard Attenborough

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Biographical Feature
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:13

Color Dolby Surround

Editorial Reviews - Shadowlands

All Movie Guide
This lavishly mounted adaptation of the play by William Nicholson tells the true story of the doomed love affair between novelist and noted Christian scholar C.S. Lewis and a Jewish-American poet. Anthony Hopkins stars as C.S. "Jack" Lewis, an Oxford professor and successful author of the Chronicles of Narnia series of children's fantasy novels. A confirmed bachelor, Jack's existence is an inward life of the mind. Somewhat detached from the world, his only social outlet is evenings out at a local pub discussing philosophy and religion with his fellow lecturers. Jack has been corresponding with a bluntly intelligent American woman, Joy Gresham (Debra Winger), who arrives to visit him, with her young son Douglas (Joseph Mazzello) in tow. She tells Jack that she has actually fled from an abusive marriage and plans to divorce, and Jack astonishes friends and family by agreeing to a platonic marriage with Joy so that she can obtain British citizenship. As their friendship deepens and Joy discovers that she has a terminal illness, the relationship between Joy and Jack becomes a genuine romance, and their marriage turns into a real commitment. Shadowlands (1993) had previously been filmed as a well-regarded British television movie in 1985 starring Joss Ackland as Lewis. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Signs

Signs

Starring: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Cherry Jones, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin, Patricia Kalember, M. Night Shyamalan, Ted Sutton, Merritt Wever, Lanny Flaherty, Marion McCorry, Michael Showalter, Rhonda Overby
Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Science Fiction/Fantasy - Aliens
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:46

Color THX-Supervised Mastering

Editorial Reviews - Signs

Barnes & Noble
The worldwide phenomenon of "crop circles" -- supposedly engineered by visiting aliens -- provides a suitably eerie jumping-off point for the latest spine-tingling thriller directed by M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense). Signs is something of a tour de force for Mel Gibson, uncharacteristically understated in his portrayal of a recently widowed minister whose isolated farm is the scene of inexplicable events. The sudden appearance of crop circles, followed by nocturnal visits from unseen strangers, unnerves the minister, his children (Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin), and his younger brother (Joaquin Phoenix). They choose to remain barricaded inside their run-down farmhouse to defend it against invasion by extraterrestrials. In both his screenwriting and his direction, Shyamalan studiously avoids the sensationalistic trappings of most alien-invasion movies; in fact, as the opening reels unspool, it's not at all clear that there are aliens in the vicinity. But as the evidence mounts, so does the tension, and the film's second half dispels any ambiguity while convincingly portraying the claustrophobic terror that grips the protagonists. Gibson is superb as the embittered preacher whose loss of faith initially leaves him ill equipped to deal with the crisis, and Phoenix is very nearly as good as the underachieving brother who rises magnificently to the occasion when his loved ones are imperiled. Shyamalan's directorial technique is refreshing in its simplicity: His camera moves aren't flashy, he doesn't rely on special effects, and his measured pacing gives viewers time to absorb each scene for maximum emotional impact. Moreover, he realizes that what you don't see is often scarier than what you do see. Such restraint, so unusual in today's genre films, is largely responsible for making Signs one of the most effective horror/sci-fi movies of recent years. Shyamalan supplies a feature-length commentary for the DVD, which also includes deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes featurettes. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Following the smash hit The Sixth Sense (1999) and the under-performing follow-up Unbreakable (2000), directing phenom M. Night Shyamalan returns to the summer box office landscape that served as the backdrop for his cinematic breakthrough. In Signs, another paranormal outing for the writer-director, Shyamalan explores the eerie implications of a 500-foot crop circle that mysteriously appears on the Bucks County, PA farm of reverend Graham Hess (Mel Gibson). As Hess and his family (Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin) try to take stock of what the sign means, and how its message incorporates into their faith, they start to get the feeling they are not alone in the fields behind their house. Shyamalan re-teams with producers Frank Marshall, Sam Mercer and Kathleen Kennedy, and produces the project in association with his Blinding Edge Pictures banner and Touchstone Pictures. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

The Simpsons - Season 12

The Simpsons - Season 12

Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith
Director: Bob Anderson

Certification: NR
Category: Animation
User Rating:
Running Time: 7:53

Color Stereo

Editorial Reviews - Simpsons - Season 12

Barnes & Noble
It's not all perfection, but The Simpsons keeps pumping out the laughs in the 21 episodes of Season 12 (2000-01). In "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes," Homer decides to enter the 21st century by finally buying a computer and creating an anonymous website that exposes the darkest secrets of Springfield's residents, leading to anger and resentment. As the Comic Book Guy exclaims, "There's no emoticon for what I'm feeling!" In "HOMR," Homer discovers that a crayon lodged in his brain is the cause of his low IQ. When it's removed, he and Lisa develop an intellectual bond that's quite touching. The episode "Trilogy of Error" is a brilliant Run, Lola, Run parody wherein one single story is told via varying points of view by Homer, Marge, Lisa, and Bart. Marge, cutting brownies, severs Homer's thumb ("Sorry doesn't put thumbs on the hand, Marge!"); they race off to the emergency room, leaving Lisa and her science project behind -- but Lisa can't get to school because Bart has stolen her bike. It's an absolute Simpsons classic. It's curtains for Krusty in "Day of the Jackanapes" when Sideshow Bob (Kelsey Grammer) returns to "taste the sweet nectar of vengeance." Krusty had deleted the old Bob episodes of The Krusty the Clown Show, so Bob targets him with a "boy-bomb": Bart, hypnotized, and laden with explosives. And in one of The Simpsons' fictional history lessons, "Simpsons Tall Tales," Homer imagines he's Paul Bunyan, Lisa is Johnny Appleseed, and Bart is Tom Sawyer. Christina Urban

Slap Shot (DVD, 2002, 25th Anniversary Edition)

Slap Shot (DVD, 2002, 25th Anniversary Edition)

Starring: Paul Newman
Director: George Roy Hill

Certification: NR
Category: Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:03

Color Stereo

A rougher version of George Roy Hill's pet theme of men as overaged adolescents, SLAP SHOT stars Paul Newman as Reggie Dunlop, the venerable player-coach of the Charlestown Chiefs, a fifth-rate minor league hockey team. When their blue-collar town falls prey to Rust Belt ills of the 1970s, attendance drops, and the greedy owner starts looking for a buyer, anxious to cash out. Dunlop is informed that the players need to crank up the box office to keep their jobs in what will likely be their last season. To the coach's dismay, general manager Joe McGrath (Strother Martin) imports the Hanson brothers, a hockey Three Stooges who like to assault soda machines and play with toys. But once Dunlop turns them loose, they're a Panzer division on ice, and the team starts winning by adopting their bone-crushing style. Although the team is on the upswing, Dunlop's wife, Francine (Jennifer Warren), seems to be through with him, and the isolated wives of the other players aren't much happier with their fate. This sidesplitting, profanity saturated film is one of the funniest ever made about any sport. While writer Nancy Dowd intended to probe darker issues--such as the greed of ownership, the blood lust of fans, and the childishness of the players--Hill submerges them in raucous laughter. Newman is near his peak as the romantic, manipulative, womanizing, hard-drinking coach, and the high-sticking Hanson brothers achieve comic immortality in their only film appearance.

Industry Reviews
"...[The actors] are impeccable....You know that it's an original..."
New York Times - Vincent Canby (02/26/1977)

"...Paul Newman's foul-mouthed hockey comedy is a classic of sorts in the rarefied sports-cinema genre..."
USA Today - Mike Clark (01/08/1999)

"...A sports movie that manages to send sentimentality skittering while gripping tight to its appeal..."
Total Film - Jonathan Crocker (11/01/2003)

Smokey and the Bandit Pursuit Pack

Smokey and the Bandit Pursuit Pack

Starring:
Director: Hal Needham

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Action & Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 4:42

Color Dolby Digital Stereo

Editorial Reviews - Smokey and the Bandit Pursuit Pack

All Movie Guide
"Smoky," aka Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason), is the prospective father-in-law of unwilling bride Carrie (Sally Field). The Bandit (Burt Reynolds), a maverick race car driver, makes an $80,000 bet that he can transport a shipment of Coors beer from Texarkana, Texas to Atlanta within 28 hours. It's important to note that in 1977, it was illegal to sell the Coors brand east of the Mississippi River without a permit; if we don't note that, then the plot won't make sense at times. Already in danger of arrest from redneck lawmen like Buford T. Justice, Bandit furthers his chances at a stiff jail term when he offers a ride to Carrie, who hopes to escape her unwanted wedding to Justice's boy. The rest of the film is one long chase, not quite as subtle as a Road Runner/Coyote cartoon, not quite as restrained as a Three Stooges comedy. Universally panned by critics upon its first release, Smokey and the Bandit reaped something in the neighborhood of $50,000,000 at the box office. Hal Erickson

All Movie Guide
In this plotless, mindless chase movie, papa Big Enos and son Little Enos (Pat McCormick and Paul Williams) hire Cletus (Jerry Reed) to haul a Jaws-replica shark from Miami to Texas to advertise their new seafood restaurant. There is big money in it for Cletus if he can get to Texas on time. Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason) mistakes Cletus for his old nemesis the Bandit (Burt Reynolds, who only appears briefly at the beginning of the film), postpones his retirement, and with his inept son Junior (Mike Henry) in tow, chases Cletus across the South for a disconnected series of misadventures and bad jokes. Eleanor Mannikka

All Movie Guide
Former stuntman Hal Needham made his directorial debut with the first Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and repeated his success with the sequel, a virtual remake that substituted a live elephant for a truckload of beer. Burt Reynolds returns as law-defying anti-hero Bandit, now a washed-up alcoholic whose girlfriend Carrie (Sally Field) has left him. When a pair of eccentric, wealthy brothers named Big Enos (Pat McCormick) and Little Enos (Paul Williams) approach Bandit with an offer of work, he and trucker pal Cledus (Jerry Reed) jump at the chance. The gig involves transporting an elephant to the Republican National Convention in twenty-four hours. The wrinkle is that the pachyderm is about to give birth -- any minute. Enter "Doc" (Dom DeLuise) a bizarre medical man who joins the team to care for the expectant mother, and Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason), who has not forgotten the humiliations that he suffered during Bandit's last "mission." Needham's films were instantly forgettable cocktails of car chases, car crashes, and lowbrow humor. Reynolds and Needham teamed up over a dozen times in various action comedy pictures. Audiences of the late Seventies loved their anti-authority redneck humor and made their early collaborations into box office smashes. Karl Williams

Sneakers

Sneakers

Starring: Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Ben Kingsley, Dan Aykroyd, Mary McDonnell, River Phoenix, David Strathairn, Timothy Busfield, George Hearn, Ed Jones, Donal Logue, Lee Garlington, Stephen Tobolowsky, James Earl Jones, Jo Jo Marr, Gary Hershberger, Jun Asai, Amy Benedict, Juel Bestrop, Michael Boston, Jacqueline Brand, Roger Callard, George Cheung, James Craven, Denise Dowse, Bodhi Elfman, Ellaraino, R.C. Everbeck, Al Foster, Risa Bramon Garcia, Julie Gigante, Lori Hall, Hanyee, Leslie Hardy, George Hartmann, Dayna Hollinquist, Paul Jenkins, Jeff Joy, Michael Kinney, Michael Milhoan, Victoria Miskolczy, John Moio, Ralph Monaco, Rudy Francis Nementz, Jeffrey Daniel Phillips, John Shepard, Hayward Soo-Hoo, David Speltz, Ernie Tetrault, Anthony Winters, Tim Winters
Director: Phil Alden Robinson

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Caper
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:05

Color Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Editorial Reviews - Sneakers

All Movie Guide
In this tech-thriller from director Phil Alden Robinson, a group of five renegade computer hackers, led by Martin Bishop (Robert Redford), are hired by the government to steal a black box, containing a code-breaking machine, from the mathematician who invented the device. The government is able to persuade Martin to take the job by convincing him that they will drop a decades-old federal warrant for his involvement in computer fraud. Martin agrees and he takes his team on the mission, eventually taking the box. Shortly after the hackers have stolen the device, the mathematician turns up dead. Before long, the quintet realize that they've gotten themselves into more than they'd originally bargained for, as Bishop's old rival Cosmo (Ben Kingsley) enters into the fold. The eclectic ensemble also includes River Phoenix, Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, David Strathairn, Mary McDonnell, and James Earl Jones. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

The Spy Who Loved Me

The Spy Who Loved Me

Starring: Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curd Jurgens, Richard Kiel, Caroline Munro, Walter Gotell, Geoffrey Keen, Bernard Lee, George Baker, Michael Billington, Desmond Llewelyn, Edward de Souza, Vernon Dobtcheff, Valerie Leon, Lois Maxwell, Sydney Tafler, Nadim Sawalha, Sue Vanner, Marilyn Galsworthy, Milton Reid, Cyril Shaps, Yasher Adem, Irvin Allen, Barry Andrews, Rafiq Anwar, David Auker, Olga Bisera, Dennis Blanch, Robert Brown, Keith Buckley, Jeremy Bulloch, Sean Bury, Nicholas Campbell, Nick Ellsworth, Ray Evans, Anthony Forrest, Kim Fortune, Tom Gerrard, Garick Hagon, Ray Hassett, Michael Howarth, Ray Jewers, Bryan Marshall, Vincent Marzello, Kevin McNally, Keith Morris, Albert Moses, Christopher Muncke, Anika Pavel, Peter Ensor, Eva Reuber-Staier, Doyle Richmond, Shane Rimmer, George Roubicek, Murray Salem, John Salthouse, Bob Sherman, Milo Sperber, John Truscott, Peter Whitman, Carly Simon
Director: Lewis Gilbert

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Action Thriller
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:05

Color Dolby Digital Surround

Editorial Reviews - Spy Who Loved Me

All Movie Guide
Though not Ian Fleming's most famous James Bond novel, 1962's The Spy Who Loved Me was distinguished by the unique device of telling the story from the heroine's point of view; in fact, Bond doesn't make an appearance until the book is two-thirds over. This would hardly work in the film world's Bond franchise, so the original austere plotline of the novel was eschewed altogether in favor of a labyrinthine story involving outer-space extortion. The leading lady, a "hard-luck kid" in the original, is now sexy Russian secret agent Barbara Bach, who joins forces with Bond (Roger Moore, making his third appearance as 007) to foil yet another megalomaniac villain (Curt Jurgens), who plans to threaten New York City with nuclear weaponry. Beyond the eye-popping opening ski-jump sequence, the film's best scenes involve seven-foot-two Richard Kiel as steel-toothed henchman Jaws. Fifteen scriptwriters worked on The Spy Who Loved Me; only two were credited, including Bond-film veteran Richard Maibaum. Hal Erickson

Stargate Sg-1, Vol. 1

Stargate Sg-1, Vol. 1

Starring:
Director: Mario Azzopardi

Certification: NR
Category: Science Fiction - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 3:05

Color Dolby Digital

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The Showtime cable series Stargate SG-1 turns the premise of Stargate into a surprisingly viable formula, with former MacGyver star Richard Dean Anderson assuming Kurt Russell's role as Air Force hero Jack O'Neill. Michael Shanks inherits James Spader's role as archeologist Daniel Jackson, and the series' 1997 pilot, "Children of the Gods," reunites the adventurers when the Air Force's Stargate facility on Earth is attacked by sentries from Abydos, the distant planet on the other side of the space-warping Stargate. Faced with a new nemesis from Abydos, O'Neill and the fresh recruits of Unit SG-1 must return to the planet and close off the Stargate to prevent further attacks on Earth. It's a pretty standard adventure, with brief, gratuitous R-rated nudity not seen in the original cablecast, but Anderson's an appealing leader of the well-chosen cast (including Alexis Cruz, reprising his role from the film), and the show's production values are consistently high. Taking logical steps from Stargate, series developers Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner have managed an admirable feat, creating a spin-off that doesn't feel like a rip-off.

Episode One, "The Enemy Within," continues the SG-1 pilot, with the discovery that officer Kawalsky (Jay Acavone) is now the enslaved host of a Goa'uld larvae--a snakelike parasite from Abydos that has seized control of Kawalski's nervous system. Only an elaborate surgical procedure can save Kawalski's life, and the SG-1 loyalty of Teal'c (Christopher Judge)--a former enemy from Abydos who is also a Goa'uld host--is put to the test.

Episode Two, "Emancipation," guest-stars Soon-Tek Oh as the leader of the Shavadai, a Mongolian-like tribe on the planet Simarka, where the SG-1 Unit has arrived via the Stargate to begin their first expedition. The Shavadai view women as subservient and submissive, so the presence of SG-1 Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) causes an instant--and, for Carter, potentially deadly--uproar. This episode offers an enjoyable balance of humor and suspense, and establishes Tapping as a witty sparring partner for Anderson. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description
Episode #8.1: New Order Part 1 - When Carter and TealÂ'c fly to the Asgard world of Hala in hopes of finding a way to revive OÂ'Neill, they are attacked by Replicators, who take Carter prisoner. Meanwhile, Dr. Weir and Daniel Jackson attempt to negotiate a treaty with GoaÂ'uld System Lords who wish to unite against a common enemy. Episode #8.2: New Order Part 2 - The GoaÂ'uld send a mothership to Earth, demanding that it prove its superior defenses. As Dr. Weir applies her most expert diplomatic tactics, Daniel and the still unconscious body of Colonel O'Neill are unexpectedly beamed aboard ThorÂ's ship, where Thor tries to access the knowledge of the Ancients. Episode #8.3: Lock Down - When Jackson contracts a mysterious illness from a Russian colonel, OÂ'Neill is convinced that a contagion has infected the base and orders a lockdown. But when Jackson reveals that he was actually possessed by Anubis, who is now loose on the base, OÂ'Neill must discover the identity of the new host! Episode #8.4: Zero Hour - OÂ'Neill finds his plate full with a visit from the president and negotiations between two warring tribes from the planet Amra. But when SG-1 is captured by a GoaÂ'uld System Lord and heÂ's forced to choose between the safety of the team and the fate of an entire planet, OÂ'Neill begins to question his competency!

Stargate Sg-1: Season 1, Vol. 3

Stargate Sg-1: Season 1, Vol. 3

Starring:
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Action & Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 3:41

Color Dolby Digital

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
"The Nox," considered a classic by Stargate SG-1 devotees, is the centerpiece of this, the third of five discs comprising Stargate SG-1's first season. It's not hard to see why; with its combination of theme (the futility of fighting), characters (including Apophis, the recurring Goa'uld villain, and the appealing, fairylike title race), and the usual special effects wizardry, "The Nox" has all the elements that make Stargate SG-1 a superior sci-fi/adventure show. But the other episodes included have merit as well, including "The Torment of Tantalus," about a young professor who went through the gate 50 years ago, and "Bloodlines," in which Teal'c, the former SG-1 adversary, reveals the existence of the family he left behind when he joined the good guys (the other episodes are "Fire and Water" and "Hathor"). Once again, the only disappointment is the DVD bonus features, here limited to a profile of SG-1 big shot General Hammond (played by Don Davis). --Sam Graham

Product Description
Episode #8.9: Sacrifices - During a meeting with IshtaÂ's rebel Jaffa faction on planet Haktyl, TealÂ'c receives some distressing news: his son, Ryac, intends to marry one of IshtaÂ's warriors. Refusing to give his blessing to the marriage puts TealÂ'c at odds with IshtaÂ...even as they are ambushed by enemy forces! Episode #8.10: Endgame - When the Stargate disappears in a flash of light, Carter and JacksonÂ's investigation leads them to an industrial warehouse storing VX rockets and vials filled with what appears to be nerve gas. Meanwhile, TealÂ'c discovers the mass deaths of Jaffa, spread across four planets. Could this horrifying event be connected to the gas? Episode #8.12: Gemini - The team receives a message from a Replicator that looks exactly like Carter. Created by another Replicator called Fifth, Replicator Carter was meant to serve by FifthÂ's side. However, possessing CarterÂ's personality, she resisted Fifth, and escaped. Now on the run, she informs SG-1 that Fifth and his entire armada are headed their way, and that she wishes to be destroyed! Episode #8.11: Prometheus Unbound - Jackson embarks on a mission to search for the lost Atlantis team aboard the starship Prometheus. But when an unseen Super Soldier boards the Prometheus and incapacitates the crew, only Daniel is able to escape. And if he is to save the Prometheus, he must now face the Super Soldier alone!

Stargate Sg-1: Season 1, Vol. 4

Stargate Sg-1: Season 1, Vol. 4

Starring:
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Action & Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 3:41

Color Dolby Digital

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Scattered through the five episodes contained on this fourth DVD from Stargate SG-1's first season are echoes of such science fiction classics as The Terminator (the cyborgs in "Tin Man"), Aliens (Carter's maternal instincts in "Singularity"), and Planet of the Apes (the story twist in "Solitudes"), along with such popular themes as cloning ("Tin Man" again) and the might-makes-right preoccupation of the military ("Enigma"). So the show is derivative. Stargate SG-1 still does a better job than most of creating engaging stories--such as "Cor-ai," which deals with issues of retribution and forgiveness when Teal'c (Christopher Judge) is put on trial for his actions when he was still a Goa'uld henchman. And let's face it: the effect of going into and through the gate itself never gets old. What is lacking are superior DVD bonus materials; here they include a featurette spotlighting Carter (Amanda Tapping) and an overview of the show that provides more promo than the promised behind-the-scenes insights. --Sam Graham

Product Description
Episode #8.13: ItÂ's Good to Be King - Hoping to warn Harry Maybourne of GoaÂ'uld attacks, SG-1 arrives at his last known whereabouts to find that he has been appointed king of a primitive peopleÂ...and that he believes he possesses writings by a time-traveling Ancient predicting these events. The team is skepticalÂ...until they discover what appears to be a time machine. Episode #8.14: Full Alert - When OÂ'Neill finds the door to his home forced open and former Vice President Robert Kinsey waiting for him inside, his first instinct is to call the police. But he changes his mind Â? and allies himself with his Kinsey Â? when he learns that the rogue organization known as The Trust plan to ally themselves with the Russian government! Episode #8.18: Citizen Joe - At a tag sale, civilian Joe Spencer comes across a small stone that gives him visions of SG-1 in action. Delighted, he shares the stories with anyone who will listen. But when he inadvertently learns that SG-1 really exists, his excitement turns into obsession. As he slowly alienates everyone around him, Joe resolves to expose the truth about SG-1, no matter the cost! Episode #8.15: Reckoning Part 1 - TealÂ'c and Bratac believe the time is right to lead their people in an uprising against their GoaÂ'uld masters. However, their plan suffers a setback when an army of Replicators begins to systematically take control of GoaÂ'uld ships and Jackson is taken prisoner. Meanwhile, OÂ'Neill consults with an old alien ally about the decimation of the GoaÂ'uld by another, more powerful enemy.

Stargate Sg-1: Season 1, Vol. 5

Stargate Sg-1: Season 1, Vol. 5

Starring:
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Action & Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:13

Color Dolby Digital

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
This fifth and final DVD from Stargate SG-1's first season contains three episodes that, unlike the rest of the show, are intended to be viewed in sequence. In the first, "There but for the Grace of God," Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks, a dead ringer for James Spader, who played the role in the feature film) finds himself in a parallel reality in which the dreaded Goa'ulds are attacking Earth. In the second episode, "Politics," the SG-1 team goes head-to-head with a sardonic, ignorant senator bent on closing the gate down; numerous flashbacks from earlier shows are included. "Within the Serpent's Grasp," the season finale, has the Goa'ulds actually on their way to Earth, with our heroes the only ones capable of stopping them. But be warned: this episode is a cliffhanger as well, so those who missed the second season when it aired will just have to wait until it's released on DVD, too. However, we're guessing everything turned out OK. --Sam Graham

Product Description
Episode #8.16: Reckoning Part 2 - GoaÂ'uld system lord Baal reveals to OÂ'Neill that he has been taking orders from Anubis, long thought to be dead. In the face of a losing battle with the Replicators, Anubis seeks a powerful weapon that could destroy all life in the galaxy. Afraid of the consequences of such an event, Baal pleads with OÂ'Neill to persuade TealÂ'c and the rebel Jaffa to destroy the temple where the weapon is buried. Episode #8.17: Threads - With a climactic battle behind them, the team turns towards personal matters. But unbeknownst to them, Anubis prepares one final attempt to take power! Meanwhile, Jackson awakens in a way station between the living world and the world of beings that have Â"ascended.Â" When he learns of AnubisÂ' campaign, will he ascend himselfÂ...or try to find a way back to save his friends? Episode #8.19: Moebius Part 1 - Jackson receives documents that point to the location of a ZPM in ancient Egypt. Hoping that the energy source could be used to power EarthÂ's defenses and open a wormhole to Atlantis, SG-1 uses an Ancient time machine to travel back to 3000 BC. But after the team locates the ZPM, Egyptians discover the time machine, and SG-1 must find a way to retake it without altering the timeline! Episode #8.20: Moebius Part 2 - SG-1Â's attempt to recover a ZPM from 3000 BC has altered the timeline, leading to a present in which the Stargate was never discovered! The alternate-reality Carter and Jackson convince a reluctant OÂ'Neill to take them on their first mission through the Stargate. But when the team is captured by TealÂ'c, once again the First Prime of Apophis, can they convince him to join their side?

Stargate Sg.1 2

Stargate Sg.1 2

Starring:
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Action & Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 3:41

Color Dolby Digital

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
You have to love a TV program whose titles alone manage to evoke the Old and New Testaments ("The First Commandment" and "Cold Lazarus," respectively), Shakespeare ("Brief Candle"), Norse mythology ("Thor's Hammer"), and more--and those are just four of the episodes contained on this, the second disc of Stargate SG-1's first season. Yet, while stories dealing with the nature of fear ("Thor's Hammer"), the value of enjoying life, no matter how short ("Brief Candle"), and other weighty issues certainly offer the potential for pretension, these largely manage to steer clear of it. As usual, the creators have spent their money on special effects rather than a lot of elaborate sets or enormous action pieces; there's also a refreshing emphasis on the stories, with their elements of humor, suspense, drama, and emotional resonance. Each episode has a menu for selecting the different scenes; DVD bonus features are limited to language and subtitle choices, along with a very slight, self-serving cast and crew featurette. --Sam Graham

Product Description
Episode #8.5: Icon - SG-1Â's sudden appearance sparks a civil war on the planet Tegalus, whose inhabitants were unaware of the StargateÂ's true nature. Intent on easing the situation, Jackson stays behind as the team returns to Earth, but finds himself pitted against a tyrannical religious leader with no tolerance for those who donÂ't share his beliefs! Episode #8.6: Avatar - A virtual reality training scenario goes terribly wrong when the simulation begins to learn from TealÂ'c, trapping him and endangering his life. Jackson volunteers to enter the simulation on a rescue mission. But will he be able to rescue TealÂ'c or become a victim himself? Episode #8.8: Affinity - Given clearance to live off-base, TealÂ'c tries in vain to blend in as an ordinary civilian. But when his unwavering ethical code compels him to help ordinary people in trouble, specifically, a neighbor with an abusive boyfriend, he soon finds himself thrust into the spotlight as the prime suspect in the boyfriendÂ's murder! Episode #8.7: Covenant - When a billionaire industrialist threatens to reveal the existence of alien life at a press conference, SG-1 is charged with the job of keeping him quiet. Carter, who has worked with him in the past, tries to explain that the information will cause panic, but ultimately she must decide how far she is willing to go to stop this threat to national security.

Starship Troopers

Starship Troopers

Starring: Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Jake Busey, Neil Patrick Harris, Clancy Brown, Seth Gilliam, Patrick Muldoon, Michael Ironside, Rue McClanahan, Marshall Bell, Eric Bruskotter, Matt Levin, Blake Lindsley, Anthony Ruivivar, Brenda Strong, Dean Norris
Director: Paul Verhoeven

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Satire
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:10

Color Dolby Digital

Editorial Reviews - Starship Troopers

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Director Paul Verhoeven (Showgirls, Total Recall) reunited many from his 1987 Robocop team for this $100-million science fiction adventure, adapted from Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 novel, originally serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (October-November, 1959). After graduation, Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) volunteers for the Mobile Infantry to do his Federal service -- but also to win over his girlfriend, Carmen Ibanez (Denise Richards), who has signed with the Fleet Academy to become a starship pilot. Johnny joins other boot-camp recruits -- Dizzy Flores (Dina Meyer), who has had a crush on Johnny since school, and Ace Levy (Jake Busey). Ace and Johnny become pals, and Johnny's abilities earn him the squad leader position. A training accident occurs on Johnny's watch, and he is about to resign when Earth is attacked by alien insects intent on eradicating all human life. Johnny's home, Buenos Aires, is no longer on the map. Horrified, he chooses to stay on and fight to destroy the insect threat. The Mobile Infantry travels to the planet Klendathu to battle the warrior bugs, a ruthless enemy with only one goal -- survival of their species no matter what. In the initial encounter, some 100,000 lives are lost. At a distant fort, Johnny's unit discovers that the bugs drain brains to acquire knowledge. Soon they are overwhelmed by an advancing arthropod army of immense proportions, attacking both in space and on the planet surface. The notion of human extinction becomes a possibility. For this $100-million production, some 300 artists and technicians combined models and miniatures with CGI effects to fashion a variety of creatures -- from breeder bugs to armored tanker bugs. The film employed hundreds of extras and has over 500 visual effects shots. Filming began 4/29/96 in California (LA and Long Beach, where Cal State's pyramid gym was used for the Jumpball game), New York, South Dakota, Wyoming (Casper, Hell's Half Acre), and Utah (an abandoned Wendover airstrip where the Enola Gay WWII bomber crew trained). At an abandoned airfield in Fountain Valley, California, an elaborate set was constructed to resemble a military boot camp of the future -- complete with an array of pup tents, gull-winged spaceships, hurdle obstacle course, and training facility buildings. Cinematography by Jost Vacano (Showgirls). Bhob Stewart

Stripes

Stripes

Starring: Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P.J. Soles, Sean Young, John Candy, John Larroquette, John Voldstad, John Diehl, Lance Le Gault, Roberla Leighton, Conrad Dunn, Judge Reinhold, Antone Pagan, Glenn-Michael Jones, Bill Lucking, Fran Ryan, Lois Areno, Pamela Bowman, Sue Bowser, Samuel Briggs, Nancy Brock, Yetim Buntsis, Timothy Busfield, Dawn Clark, Gerald J. Counts, J.A. Crawford, Robert Du Laine, Linda Dupree, Bruce E. Ellis, Joe Flaherty, Michael Flynn, Larry Gillette, Gino Gottarelli, Hershel B. Harlson, Joyce D. Helmus, Leslie Henderson, Robin Klein, Larry Odell Lane, Mark S. Markowicz, Glen Leigh Marshall, Susan Mechsner, Juanita Merritt, Norman Mont-Eton, David A. Mullins, Bill Paxton, David D. Platko, Dale Prince, Arkady Rakhman, Craig Schaefer, Gene Scherer, Solomon Schmidt, William R. Sykes, Dave Thomas, Nick Toth, Philip A. Urbansky, Semyon Veyts, Jeff Viola, Robert J. Wilke
Director: Ivan Reitman

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Comedy - General
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:46

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Editorial Reviews - Stripes

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Bill Murray decides to be all that he can be -- and it ain't pretty -- in this hit comedy. John Winger (Murray) is a quick-witted but unambitious loser who comes home after getting fired to discover that his car has been repossessed and his girlfriend is leaving him. With no idea of what to do next, John and his best friend Russell Ziskey (Harold Ramis) impulsively join the Army, more as a practical joke than a career goal. John and Russell find themselves in basic training under the hard-nosed and impatient Sgt. Hulka (Warren Oates), who is stuck with an outfit of goofballs, including overweight Ox (John Candy), naive Cruiser (John Deihl), perpetually stoned Elmo (Judge Reinhold), and the appropriately-nicknamed Psycho (Conrad Dunn). The platoon succeeds in impressing the generals spite of themselves, and John and Russell even find time to romance two pretty female MPs, Stella (P.J. Soles) and Louise (Sean Young). However, when John and Russell commandeer a high-tech military vehicle for a European weekend getaway with the girls, they happen into Soviet territory and stumble into an international incident. Remarkably, Stripes was made with the full cooperation of the U.S. Army, despite its less-than-rosy view of the all-volunteer armed forces. Mark Deming

Summer Rental

Summer Rental

Starring: John Candy, Rip Torn, Richard Crenna, Karen Austin, Kerri Green, Aubrey Jene, Joey Lawrence, John Larroquette, Leonard Altobell, Lisa Anthony, Sal Biagini, Tom Blackwell, Marion L. Boswell, Tina Burton, Carmine Caridi, Christian Chicles, Rob Cleveland, Yvonne Cook, Bill Cordell, Penny Perry Davis, Murphy Dunne, Saundra Dunson-Franks, Tanzia Franks, Walter Franks, Leigh French, Lois Hamilton, Richard Herd, Patricia Herd, Al Hesse, Colin Male, Pierrino Mascarino, Tracey May, Frank McCarthy, Santos Morales, Roger Perkovich, Carolyn B. Peterson, Jerry Previch, Scot Samis, Reni Santoni, Peggy Shay, Dolores Starling, Robert Starr, Robert Stout, Elyn Swofford, Cindi Vicino, Barbara Wells, Bob Wells, Dick Anthony Williams, Jack C. Woods, Harry Yorku
Director: Carl Reiner

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Comedy - General
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:26

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Editorial Reviews - Summer Rental

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This routine comedy is about a series of misadventures during a family vacation at the beach and stars John Candy (who died of a heart attack while filming in Mexico in 1994) as John Chester and Karen Austin as his long-suffering wife Sandy. When the family leave for what turns out to be a pretty decrepit shack on a public beach, Jack eventually locks horns with the owner of this dubious piece of real estate, and their conflict terminates in a boat race in which Jack and his motley crew are at first glance, and even second, no match for the others in the race. In the meantime, there are plenty of skits with Jack dressed as anything from an ample, unintentional likeness of a geisha to the normal tourist dude in a Hawaiian shirt. His wife and daughter tackle their own problems, related to sex in one way or another, mostly another. Eleanor Mannikka

Superman: The Movie

Superman: The Movie

Starring: Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford, Trevor Howard, Jack O'Halloran, Valerie Perrine, Maria Schell, Terence Stamp, Susannah York, Jeff East, Marc McClure, Sarah Douglas, Harry Andrews, Lee Quigley, Aaron Smolinski, Keith Alexander, Kirk Alyn, Vass Anderson, Paul Avery, Bill Bailey, David Baxt, Phil Brown, David Calder, John Cassady, John Cording, Robert Dahdah, Norwich Duff, Ray Evans, Rex Everhart, Ben Feitelson, Weston Gavin, Michael Gover, Larry Hagman, Ray Hassett, Robert Henderson, Lise Hilboldt, John Hollis, Chuck Julian, Randy Jurgensen, Stephen Kahan, Larry Lamb, Penelope Lee, Robert MacLeod, Vincent Marzello, Graham McPherson, Michael Ensign, Billy Mitchell, David Neal, Noel Neill, Robert O'Neill, Brian Protheroe, John Ratzenberger, Rex Reed, Bo Rucker, William Russell, Matt Russo, Antony Scott, Diane Sherry, Colin Skeaping, Roy Stevens, John Stuart, Phyllis Thaxter, Alan Tilvern, Jayne Tottman, Lawrence Trimble, Burnell Tucker, Paul Tuerpé, Norman Warwick, Robert Whelan, Leueen Willoughby, Mark Wynter, David Yorston
Director: Richard Donner

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:34

Color Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Editorial Reviews - Superman: The Movie

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Nowadays moviegoers don't raise an eyebrow when Hollywood announces the imminent arrival of a big-budget, blockbusting action film based on a comic strip. But back in 1978 -- before Batman, Spawn, and X-Men -- director Richard Donner took the cinema world by storm, ducking into a phone booth a mild-manned moviemaker, and emerging an industry darling, with what would become the mother of all superhero epics. Superman: The Movie set standards for comic book adventures to follow. It's star, newcomer Christopher Reeve, was jaw-droppingly handsome -- not to mention the spitting image of the original pen-and-ink incarnation. The plot was basic -- alien baby escapes doomed home planet, arrives on Earth, is adopted by midwestern farmers, develops superpowers, and becomes a crime-fighting "Man of Steel" -- and true to the original. Equally important, since such movies must compete with powerful, preconceptions, the special effects defined the cutting-edge of their day. This was arguably the first film of the modern era in which the flying didn't look hokey and faked -- nearly delivering on the marketing tag of "You will believe a man can fly." To ensure the film's success, Donner assembled a letter-perfect cast of costars, including Gene Hackman as the deliciously wicked Lex Luthor, Margot Kidder as sassy Daily Planet reporter and Mrs. Superman wannabe Lois Lane; and Marlon Brando, in his much ballyhooed, million-dollar return to the screen, as the caped hero's dad. Few superhero flicks before or since have come anywhere near this film's creative punch. Bruce Kluger

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Richard Donner's big-budget blockbuster Superman: The Movie is an immensely entertaining recounting of the origin of the famous comic book character. Opening on Krypton (where Marlon Brando plays Superman's father), the film follows the Man of Steel (Christopher Reeve) as he's sent to Earth where he develops his alter-ego Clark Kent and is raised by a Midwestern family. In no time, the movie has run through his teenage years, and Clark gets a job at the Daily Planet, where he is a news reporter. It's there that he falls in love with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), who is already in love with Superman. But the love story is quickly sidetracked once the villainous Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) launches a diabolical plan to conquer the world and kill Superman. Superman: The Movie is filled with action, special effects and a surprising amount of humor. Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, Earl Boen, Joe Morton, S. Epatha Merkerson, Castulo Guerra, Jenette Goldstein, Dalton Abbott, Xander Berkeley, Ennalls Berl, Lisa Brinegar, Charles Robert Brown, Casey Chavez, Danny Cooksey, Nikki Cox, Gwenda Deacon, Michael Edwards, Noel Evangelisti, Terrence Evans, Leslie Hamilton Gaerren, Ken Gibbel, J. Rob Jordan, Peter Kent, Pat Kouri, Don Lake, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Van Ling, Jared Lounsberry, Colin Patrick Lynch, Tom McDonald, Mike Muscat, DeVaughn Walter Nixon, Dean Norris, Jim Palmer, Denney Pierce, Abdul Salaam El Razaac, Diane Rodriguez, Pete Schrum, Tony Simotes, Dan Stanton, Don Stanton, Charles Tamburro, Richard Vidan, Shane Wilder, Gerard G. Williams, Robert Winley, Ron Young
Director: James Cameron

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:32

Color THX-Supervised Mastering

Editorial Reviews - Terminator 2: Judgment Day

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James Cameron continued the enormously entertaining saga of the Terminator with this in-your-face blockbuster that garnered four Oscars for its spectacular and revolutionary special effects. Arnold Schwarzenegger is back as the futuristic killing machine, only this time he has a new mission: to protect ten-year-old John Connor (Edward Furlong) from a faster, stronger Terminator (played to scary perfection by Robert Patrick). Linda Hamilton returns as John's mother, Sarah Connor, delivering one of the stronger female roles this side of Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in the Alien series. Cameron supplies much needed humor this time around and makes a breakthrough in movie magic -- supplying the new Terminator with the ability to morph into whatever he touches. The mind-boggling special effects didn't come cheap; this flick's budget doubled that of the first Terminator. But it was worth it: Unlike most sequels, T2 is actually better than the original. J. D. Merill

All Movie Guide
A sequel to the sci-fi action thriller that made him and star Arnold Schwarzenegger A-list Hollywood names, writer/director James Cameron upped the ante with this follow-up by employing a more sweeping storyline and cutting-edge special effects. Linda Hamilton returns as Sarah Connor, now a single mother to rebellious teen John Connor (Edward Furlong), during the late nineties. Having been informed by a time-traveling soldier in the first film that John will one day grow up to become humanity's savior from a computer-controlled Armageddon, Sarah has responded by becoming a muscle-bound she-warrior bent on educating John in survival tactics and battle strategies. Her ranting about humankind's future has landed Sarah in an insane asylum and John in the foster care system. The rebellious John has responded to his situation by getting into scrapes with the law. When a new and improved Terminator android called the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) arrives from the future to eliminate John, an older model T-800 (Schwarzenegger) is sent to protect the boy. The T-1000, however, has the ability to morph itself into any shape it desires, allowing it chameleon-like powers and near indestructibility. The T-800 saves John's life and helps break Sarah out of the institution. Staying only one step ahead of the dogged T-1000, Sarah leads her son and the T-800 to the headquarters of Cyberdyne Systems, the company that will invent a robotic intelligence that will eventually take over the world. There, they attempt to convince inventor Miles Dyson (Joe Morton) to help them stop the future from ever occurring by destroying his work. Dyson sacrifices himself in an explosion to save the world, leading to a final showdown between the two Terminators at a steel foundry. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), which won four Oscars in technical categories for its groundbreaking effects, was followed by a short sequel filmed exclusively as an attraction for theme parks, Terminator 2: 3-D Battle Across Time (1996). Karl Williams

Terminator Salvation

Terminator Salvation

Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard, Common, Jane Alexander, Helena Bonham Carter, Jadagrace Berry, Michael Ironside, Ivan G'Vera, Chris Browning, Dorian Nkono, Terry Crews, Victor Ho, Isaac Kappy, Anjul Nigam, Greg Plitt, Buster Reeves, Greg Serano, Boots Southerland, Kevin Wiggins
Director: McG

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Sci-Fi Action
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Running Time: 1:55

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Editorial Reviews - Terminator Salvation

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The fourth installment of the Terminator series follows an adult John Connor (played by Christian Bale) as he attempts to organize a human resistance force which could prove to be mankind's last true hope in the war against the machines. Opening in the year 2018, Terminator Salvation finds John Connor's certainty about the future shaken by the sudden appearance of a mysterious stranger named Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), whose last memory is of sitting on death row and awaiting execution. Unable to determine whether Marcus was sent from the future or rescued from the past, Connor begins to wonder whether there is still any hope left for the human race as the robots grow more powerful and aggressive than ever before. It appears that Skynet is preparing a devastating final attack designed to eliminate the human resistance once and for all, leaving Connor and Marcus with no choice but to strike back at the cybernetic heart of Skynet's operations. Once there, the two battle-scarred soldiers discover a devastating secret regarding the potential annihilation of all humankind. Anton Yelchin fills Michael Biehn's shoes as a young Kyle Reese in the first installment of a planned Terminator trilogy from director McG (Charlie's Angels). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Tomorrow Never Dies

Tomorrow Never Dies

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher, Joe Don Baker, Ricky Jay, Götz Otto, Judi Dench, Desmond Llewelyn, Vincent Schiavelli, Geoffrey Palmer, Colin Salmon, Samantha Bond, Hugh Bonneville, Gerard Butler
Director: Roger Spottiswoode

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:57

Color Dolby Digital

Editorial Reviews - Tomorrow Never Dies

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Roger Spottiswoode (Air America) directed this film, the 18th chapter in the 35-year-old James Bond series (excluding Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again). James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) learns billionaire media mogul Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) is manipulating world events via an exclusive flow of information through his satellite system reaching all corners of the planet. With a stealth battleship sinking a British naval vessel, Carver sees that the Chinese are blamed. Crashing Carver's party in Hamburg, Bond meets "journalist" Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh), later revealed as a Chinese agent. In a brief tryst, Bond renews his past relationship with Carver's wife Paris (Teri Hatcher). Carver dispatches Stamper (Gotz Otto) and other goons to cancel Bond, who eludes attackers with some of his new gadgets. In Southeast Asia, after Bond and Wai Lin scuba dive into the sunken British ship, they are captured by Stamper, handcuffed, and taken to Saigon where they make a motorcycle escape. To thwart Carver's plans for WWIII, the two agents head for Carver's stealth ship where a cruise missile is aimed at Beijing. Principal photography began April 1, 1997 in the new Eon Productions studio facility at Frogmore, northwest of London, and on the 007 stage at Pinewood Studios. Locations included the UK, Hamburg, Southeast Asia, Mexico, and off the Florida coast. The trademark Bond pre-title sequence was filmed in the French Pyrenees snowfields, centered around one of the few high-altitude operational airfields in Europe. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Trading Places

Trading Places

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kristin Holby, Robert Curtis-Brown, Florence Anglin, Paul Austin, B. Constance Barry, Jim Belushi, Bill Boggs, Philip Bosco, Charles Brown, W.B. Brydon, Lucianne Buchanan, Ralph Clanton, Bryan Clark, Bill Cobbs, Maurice Copeland, Kelly Leigh Curtis, Joshua Daniel, Jack Davidson, Tom Davis, Tom Degidon, Alan Dellay, Barry Dennen, Bo Diddley, Alfred Drake, Sue Dugan, James Eckhouse, Giancarlo Esposito, Gwyllum Evans, Al Franken, Paul Garcia, Paul Gleason, Walter Gorney, Nicholas Guest, Peter Hock, Richard Hunt, Ed Jones, Robert Earl Jones, John Randolph Jones, Barra Khan, Gary Klar, Robert Lee, John Bedford Lloyd, Avon Long, William Magerman, Michelle Mais, Tom Mardirosian, John McCurry, Bernie McInerney, Don McLeod, Jim Newell, Afemo Omilami, Frank Oz, Herb Peterson, Jacques Sandulescu, P. Jay Sidney, Clint Smith, Stephen Stucker, Ron Taylor, Maurice Woods
Director: John Landis

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Satire
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:56

Color Dolby Digital Mono

Editorial Reviews - Trading Places

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The "nature-nurture" theory that motivated so many Three Stooges comedies is the basis of John Landis's hit comedy. The fabulously wealthy but morally bankrupt Duke brothers (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche) make a one-dollar bet over heredity vs. environment. Curious as to what might happen if different lifestyles were reversed, they arrange for impoverished street hustler Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) to be placed in the lap of luxury and trained for a cushy career in commodities brokerage. Simultaneously, they set about to reduce aristocratic yuppie Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd to poverty and disgrace, hiring a prostitute (Jamie Lee Curtis) to hasten his downfall. When Billy Ray figures out that the brothers intend to dump him back on the streets once their experiment is complete, he seeks out Winthorpe, and together the pauper-turned-prince and prince-turned-pauper plot an uproarious revenge. With the good-hearted prostitute and Winthorpe's faithful butler (Denholm Elliott) as their accomplices, they set about to hit the brothers where it really hurts: in the pocketbook. Hal Erickson

Transformers

Transformers

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Rachael Taylor, Peter Cullen, Jon Voight, John Turturro, Michael O'Neill, Kevin Dunn, Julie White, Amaury Nolasco, Zack Ward, Luis Echagarruga, Patrick Mulderrig, Brian Shehan, Michael Trisler, Ashkan Kashanchi, Rizwan Manji, W. Morgan Sheppard, C.J. Thomason, Bernie Mac, Carlos Moreno Jr., Jimmie Wood, Johnny Sanchez, John Robinson, Travis Van Winkle, Peter Jacobson, Glenn Morshower, Frederic Doss, Charlie Bodin, Josh Feinman, Chris Ellis, Steve Ford, Michael Shamus Wiles, Craig Barnett, Brian Prescott, Scott Peat, Colleen Porch, Brian Stepanek, Jamie McBride, Wiley M. Pickett, Ronnie Sperling, Sean Smith, Andy Milder, Brian Reece, Samantha Smith, Ravi Patel, Rick Gomez, Andy Dominguez, Mike Fisher, Colin Fickes, Tom Lenk, Jamison Yang, Esther Scott, Madison Mason, Jeremy Jojola, Jessica Kartalija, Andrew Altonji, Andrew Caldwell, J.P. Manoux, Pete Gardner, Sophie Bobal, Laurel Garner, Chip Hormess, Ray Toth, Dan Ferris, Michael Adams, Ron Henry, Benjamin Hoffman, Michael McNabb, Jason White, Adam Ratajczak, Maya Klayn, Michelle Pierce, Odette Yustman, Bob Stephenson, Anthony Anderson, Mark Ryan, Darius McCrary, Robert Foxworth, Jess Harnell, Hugo Weaving, Jim Wood, Reno Wilson, Charlie Adler, James Brett, Nick Glennie-Smith
Director: Michael Bay

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Sci-Fi Action
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:23

Color Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound

Editorial Reviews - Transformers

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The interstellar battle between the Autobots and Decepticons rains destruction down on planet Earth as director Michael Bay adapts Hasbro and Takara's popular Transformers franchise into a big-budget, live-action summer tentpole extravaganza in this ambitious sci-fi action feature starring Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Bernie Mac, John Turturro, Jon Voight, and, of course, Optimus Prime and Megatron. Long ago, on the planet of Cybertron, a massive, powerful alien race divided into two factions, the noble Autobots, and the devious Decepticons. They fought for the sole access to a talisman known as the Allspark, a cube with the capacity to grant infinite power, and eventually the Autobots smuggled it off the planet's surface, hiding it in an unknown location on Earth. Now, hundreds of years later, the Deceptacons have come looking for it, and if the Autobots don't find it first, the Earth will be enslaved or destroyed by the evil aliens' use of its massive power. The Autobots don't know where the cube was hidden, but the information may be stored in the most unlikely of sources, as a gangly young Earthling named Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) who's just picked up his first car, has a strange connection to the Allspark's history, making him the unlikely ally of these enormous creatures, as they fight for humankind's survival and the chance to return home. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Truman Show

Truman Show

Starring: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Ed Harris, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor, Brian Delate, Una Damon, Paul Giamatti, Philip Baker Hall, Peter Krause, John Pleshette, Heidi Schanz, Blair Slater
Director: Peter Weir

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Satire
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:43

Color Dolby Digital

Editorial Reviews - Truman Show

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Peter Weir directed this comedy-drama, a commentary on all-pervasive media manipulation. Scripted by Andrew M. Niccol (Gattaca), the film plays like a combination of the British TV series The Prisoner and Paul Bartel's The Secret Cinema. Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) is unaware that his entire life is a hugely popular 24-hour-a-day TV series. In this real-time documentary, every moment of Truman's existence is captured by concealed cameras and telecast to a giant global audience. His friends and family are actors who smile pleasantly at Truman's familiar catchphrase greeting, "In case I don't see you later, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!" Employed at an insurance company, Truman is married to merry Meryl (Laura Linney), and they live in the cheerful community of Seahaven, an island "paradise" where the weather is always mild and no unpleasantness intrudes. This is the basic situation of the series, which has grown over the years into a billion-dollar franchise for the TV network. As an unwanted pregnancy, Truman was adopted by the network and raised in the zoolike environment of a TV soundstage. Thus, the TV audience became hooked when Truman was very young. Now, at age 30, he still doesn't know he's a prisoner on an immense domed city-size soundstage, simulating Seahaven. Both the illusion and the ratings will collapse if Truman ever leaves Seahaven. In addition to elaborate events staged to make sure he stays put, Truman is given constant reminders of how wonderful Seahaven is compared to dangers in other parts of the world. However, his growing suspicions make him curious enough to try to leave, and the show's director and master manipulator Christof (Ed Harris) must constantly devise ways to thwart Truman's escape attempts. To enter the harbor, Truman must overcome his fear of water, intentionally instilled in him when his father "died" in a boating accident and was written out of the script. Exteriors were filmed in the Victorian-styled upscale community of Seaside, Florida. In addition to the Burkhard Dallwitz score, original music by Philip Glass and classical excerpts are also featured. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

A View to a Kill

A View to a Kill

Starring: Roger Moore, Christopher Walken, Tanya Roberts, Grace Jones, Patrick Macnee, Patrick Bauchau, Fiona Fullerton, David Yip, Manning Redwood, Alison Doody, Willoughby Gray, Desmond Llewelyn, Lois Maxwell, Walter Gotell, Geoffrey Keen, Bill Ackridge, Carole Ashby, Daniel Benzali, Robert Brown, Gerard Buehr, Gerard Buhr, Anthony Chinn, Joe Flood, Lucien Jerome, Bogdan Kominowski, Dolph Lundgren, Taylor McAuley, Seva Novgorodtsev, Peter Ensor, Dominique Risbourg, Jean Rougerie, Tony Sibbald, Papillon Soo Soo, Mary Stavin, Ron Tarr
Director: John Glen

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Action Thriller
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:11

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Editorial Reviews - View to a Kill

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Secret Agent 007 must stop a megalomaniacal technology mogul from destroying Silicon Valley in this unexceptional entry in the James Bond series. Computer baron Max Zorin (Christopher Walken) is planning to trigger a major California earthquake in order to wipe out his competitors. Bond is assigned to stop him, but first he must do battle with Zorin's statuesque partner in crime, May Day (Grace Jones). The expected high-wire confrontations ensue, as Bond battles the villains at international landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and takes the occasional break to romance an attractive geologist. Unfortunately, nothing fresh is brought to the familiar formula, and even the well-staged action sequences prove less than exciting. Indeed, this otherwise by-the-numbers production is most notable for the fact that it marked the final appearance of Roger Moore as the dashing Bond. Judd Blaise

The Visitor

The Visitor

Starring: Richard Jenkins, Hiam Abbass, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Gurira, Marian Seldes, Richard Kind, Michael Cumpsty, Maggie Moore, Bill McHenry, Tzahi Moskovitz, Amir Arison, Neal Lerner, Ramon Fernandez, Frank Pando, Waleed Zuaitor, Deborah Rush, Ashley Springer, Laith Nakli, Jacqueline Brogman, Walter T. Mudu, Yevgeniy Dekhtyar, Earl Baker Jr., Walter the Dog
Director: Tom McCarthy

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Psychological Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:44

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Editorial Reviews - Visitor

All Movie Guide
A lonesome widower and college economics professor finds his mundane existence suddenly shaken up when he befriends a pair of illegal immigrants, one of whom has recently been threatened with deportation by U.S. immigration authorities, in the sophomore feature from The Station Agent director Tom McCarthy. Years after losing his wife, 62-year-old Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) has also lost his passion for writing and teaching. In an effort to fill the empty void that his life has become, Walter makes a half-hearted attempt to learn to play classical piano. Later, when Walter's college sends him to a conference in Manhattan, he is surprised to discover that a young couple has moved into his seldom-used apartment in the city. Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and his Senegalese girlfriend Zainab (Danai Gurira) have fallen victims to an elaborate real-estate scam, and as a result they no longer have a place to call home. When Walter reluctantly allows the couple to remain in his apartment, talented musician Tarek insists on repaying his host's kindness by teaching him to play the African drum. Over the course of Walter's lessons, the ageing academic finds his spirits revitalized while gaining a newfound appreciation for New York jazz clubs and Central Park drum circles. Later, Tarek is arrested in the subway and threatened with deportation after police learn that he is an undocumented citizen. Suddenly, in his attempt to help his new friend, Walter's passion for life is unexpectedly awakened. When Tarek's radiant mother Mouna (Hiam Abbass) arrives in the city in search of her son, that passion turns to romance -- something that Walter had previously thought he would never experience again. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Volcano

Volcano

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Anne Heche, Gaby Hoffmann, Don Cheadle, Jacqueline Kim, Keith David, John Corbett, Ken Kerman, John Carroll Lynch, Michael Rispoli
Director: Mick Jackson

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Disaster Film
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:43

Color Dolby Digital Surround

Editorial Reviews - Volcano

All Movie Guide
Disaster visits jaded L.A. in the form of an underground volcano, not the big earthquake all the citizens expect. Shot on the largest set ever constructed in the U.S., in nearby Torrance, California, Volcano is a big-budget, special-effects-laden disaster movie with a standard plot. Tommy Lee Jones plays Mike Roark, a by-the-book emergency management director who is spending the weekend with his daughter, Kelly (Gaby Hoffmann), when the previously-unknown volcano blows. Sassy, brainy scientist Dr. Amy Barnes (Ann Heche) is the first to warn of the threat, which begins by sucking one of her co-workers into a steaming fissure. As the lava starts to spurt in red-hot fireballs, Kelly is injured, and Mike sends her to the hospital in order to attend to his duties, rescue citizens, and run the city's emergency response. Eventually, Roark and Barnes team up to battle the eruption while sparks of romantic attraction fly. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

Weeds - Season 1

Weeds - Season 1

Starring: Mary-Louise Parker, Kevin Nealon, Elizabeth Perkins, Justin Kirk
Director: Burr Steers

Certification: NR
Category: Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 4:43

Color Stereo

Editorial Reviews - Weeds - Season 1

Barnes & Noble
Few TV shows last year generated as much water-cooler buzz as this Showtime series about a suburban Southern California housewife who takes to dealing marijuana to make ends meet. The appealing, underrated Mary-Louise Parker plays Nancy Botwin, a suddenly widowed soccer mom with no marketable skills, who begins selling pot to avoid becoming, as she puts it, "the oldest Gap employee in Southern California." The ten episodes of Season 1 establish this premise as it introduces Nancy's circle of acquaintances -- including best friend and neighbor Celia Hodes (Elizabeth Perkins, another fine, underrated actress) and city councilman Doug Wilson (Saturday Night Live alumnus Kevin Nealon). There's a lot of subversive humor here, much of it generated by Nancy's newfound dedication to entrepreneurship in a decidedly illegal endeavor. But Weeds goes further than that: It's another in the progression of movies and TV series dedicated to the proposition that neatly trimmed lawns and well-maintained houses conceal suburbia's moral decay. Nancy's criminal activities thus are made to seem wholly defensible and relatively harmless, and certainly less egregious than the offenses of her hypocritical, posturing neighbors. That's a dicey premise, but Weeds gets away with it because the series boasts sharp writing and impeccable performances. Ed Hulse

The World is Not Enough

The World is Not Enough

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards, Robbie Coltrane, Judi Dench, Desmond Llewelyn, John Cleese, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Samantha Bond, Michael Kitchen, Colin Salmon, Goldie, David Calder, Serena Scott Thomas, Ulrich Thomsen, John Seru, Claude-Oliver Rudolph, Omid Djalili
Director: Michael Apted

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: James Bond Type Spy Film
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:08

Color Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Editorial Reviews - World is Not Enough

Barnes & Noble
Brimming with lavishly mounted and inventively staged action sequences -- not to mention beautiful women and exotic locations -- the 19th James Bond film ranks among the series' best. Pierce Brosnan, playing 007 for the third time, seems quite comfortable in Bond's skin: He trades bullets, quips, and kisses with supreme self-assuredness. The plot, characteristically simplistic but unusually credible, has terrorist Robert Carlyle threatening to nuke a pipeline that would link oil-rich Azerbaijan to Europe. Director Michael Apted (42 Up) augments breathtaking action set pieces (including a speedboat chase on the Thames) with stunning visuals, not the least of which are sultry Sophie Marceau and super-curvaceous Denise Richards. The regal Judi Dench returns as intelligence chief M, and the late series regular Desmond Llewelyn makes his final appearance as gadget master Q. Surpassing the expectations of Bond devotees while subtly updating the series' conventions to reflect post-cold war realities, World powerfully demonstrates the continuing appeal of this venerable movie franchise. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
James Bond, the world's greatest secret agent, is sent once more into the breach in the name of Queen, Country, and a dry martini. In the 19th Bond adventure, 007 (Pierce Brosnan) must resolve a potentially deadly power struggle between two unstable nations, with control of the world's oil supply as the ultimate prize. Bond is assigned as bodyguard to Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), the daughter of a petroleum magnate who was brutally murdered, and is trying to foil the fiendish plot of Renard (Robert Carlyle), a villain who was shot in the head with an unusual result: he cannot feel physical pain, an apparent failing that proves to be a considerable asset. Denise Richards appears as Dr. Christmas Jones, an expert on nuclear weapons, alongside Desmond Llewelyn as Q, Judi Dench as M, Samantha Bond as Miss Moneypenny, and John Cleese as R. Alternative rock band Garbage performs the theme song. Mark Deming

Accepted

Air Force One

Alien 1-3 (3 Discs)

American Flyers

American Graffiti

Anchorman - The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Andromeda Strain

The Andromeda Strain

Antitrust

Battlestar Galactica

Be Kind Rewind

Beerfest

Better off Dead

Blade Runner

Blazing Saddles

The Blues Brothers

The Boondock Saints

Bruce Almighty

Bullitt

Caddyshack

Can't Buy Me Love

The Cannonball Run

Christmas with The Simpsons

Click

Contact

Curb Your Enthusiasm - Complete First Season

Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Second Season

Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Third Season

Daredevil

The Dark Knight

Deep Impact

Die Hard

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

Easy Money/Back to School

Elf

Farscape - The Peacekeeper Wars

Farscape, Vol. 1

Farscape, Vol. 8

The Fast and the Furious

The Fifth Element

Finding Amanda

Finding Forrester

Fletch

Force 10 from Navarone

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Fringe - Season 1

Genesis: When in Rome 2007

Gettysburg

Ghostbusters

The Girl Next Door

The Go-Getter

The Gods Must Be Crazy Series

Grandma's Boy

The Great Outdoors

He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not

Hot Fuzz

I Love You, Man

I, Robot

Idiocracy

In Memoriam - New York City, 9/11/01

The Island

The Jerk

Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park III

Les Miserables

Live Free or Die Hard

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Mad Max

The Matrix

The Matrix Reloaded

The Matrix Revisited

The Matrix Revolutions

Meatballs

Minority Report

Monsters, Inc.

National Lampoon's Animal House

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

NewsRadio - Seasons 1 & 2

NewsRadio - The Complete Fourth Season

NewsRadio - The Complete Third Season