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...And Justice for All

...And Justice for All

Starring: Al Pacino, Jack Warden, John Forsythe, Lee Strasberg, Christine Lahti, Jeffrey Tambor, Sam Levene, Robert Christian, Thomas G. Waites, Larry Bryggman, Craig T. Nelson, Dominic Chianese, Victor Arnold, Keith Andes, Vincent Beck, Vasili Bogazianos, Michael Gorrin, Baxter Harris, Jack Hollander, Joe Morton, Alan North, Thomas Quinn, Robert Symonds, Beverly Sanders, Connie Sawyer, Charles Siebert
Director: Norman Jewison

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Courtroom Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:00

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Editorial Reviews - ...And Justice for All

All Movie Guide
Norman Jewison's blackly satirical look at the American justice system has gained in stature as one of the more incisive social commentaries of its time. Al Pacino plays Arthur Kirkland, an incorruptible attorney who attempts to initiate reforms in the Maryland justice system. Kirkland is haunted by the fates of two past clients, one of whom committed suicide in jail; the other is still alive but is locked up on a trumped-up traffic violation. The ability of power and money to distort the pursuit of justice becomes all too clear as Kirkland finds out how deeply the rot has spread. He finally retaliates by representing a repulsive judge (John Forsythe) accused of rape. Pacino's and Forsythe's performances are intense and powerful. Many critics found the film biting and almost painful in its razor-sharp indictment of the justice system, while others declared the script too outrageous. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

28 Days

28 Days

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Viggo Mortensen, Dominic West, Diane Ladd, Elizabeth Perkins, Steve Buscemi, Alan Tudyk, Mike O'Malley, Azura Skye, Reni Santoni, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Margo Martindale, Jim Moody, Loudon Wainwright III
Director: Betty Thomas

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
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Running Time: 1:43

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Editorial Reviews - 28 Days

Barnes & Noble
Sandra Bullock discards her perky, girl-next-door persona to play a willful drunk in 28 Days, a potentially dreary drama brightened by sharp scripting, endearingly eccentric characterizations, and assured direction. Bullock, whose previous screen roles have traded on her unnaturally sunny disposition, reveals an unsuspected dark side as a self-absorbed, substance-abusing New York writer arrested after drunkenly driving into the side of a house. Offered the choice between stints in jail or rehab, she opts for the latter but resists total compliance with the program. Memorable supporting turns are contributed by Viggo Mortensen (playing a fellow patient), Dominic West (a hard-partying boyfriend), and Steve Buscemi (a sympathetic counselor), but it's Bullock herself who rates top acting honors. Wailing, retching, shaking, and sweating, she paints a vivid picture of a tormented young woman struggling with her inner demons. Director Betty Thomas (Private Parts) expertly steers the star's performance while restraining the tendency of Susannah Grant's screenplay to lapse into soap opera. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
In this romantic comedy, a journalist who's become too much the life of the party finds a new lease on life in a drug and alcohol treatment center. New York newspaper columnist Gwen Cummings (Sandra Bullock) has a fondness for liquor, a boyfriend (Dominic West) with a similar taste for the bottle, and a party girl image that camouflages plenty of emotional baggage. At the wedding of her sister (Elizabeth Perkins), Gwen's pursuit of a good time goes a bit too far when she topples the wedding cake and steals the bridal party's limousine. The result is a court-ordered, 28-day stay in a rehabilitation facility for drug and alcohol abusers. Gwen's failure to get with the program causes her to butt heads with the clinic's director (Steve Buscemi), but her attitude begins to change when she meets Eddie Boone (Viggo Mortensen), a baseball player trying to deal with his substance abuse problems. Diane Ladd, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, and Azura Skye play Gwen's fellow rehab inmates, and legendary roots rock band NRBQ performs at the wedding reception. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Absence of Malice (VHS)

Absence of Malice (VHS)

Starring: Paul Newman
Director: Sydney Pollack

Certification: NR
Category:
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Running Time: 1:57

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While investigating the death of a local union leader, an ambitious young reporter (Sally Field as Megan) becomes involved in a dangerous triangle of love, deceit, and national espionage. After all story leads fall through, shady government agent Rosen cajoles Megan into befriending financier, Gallagher (Paul Newman), a man with filial ties to the Mafia. Becoming Gallagher's confidant, Megan conducts a secret investigation of his life and is soon convinced that Gallagher is involved with the murder. Megan then publishes an article containing a staggering amount of incriminating evidence against him.Written by American journalist Kurt Luedtke, ABSENCE OF MALICE takes an honest look at the world of journalism. Its dialogue and characters are of the upmost realism. Newman delivers a riveting performance as the innocent "patsy," fingered by the government. Director Pollack and writer Kurt Luedtke team up again four years after this film to script the epic OUT OF AFRICA.

Industry Reviews
"...A whale of a good story with something important to say..."
Variety - Har. (11/18/1981)

"...Unusual and rewarding....One of [Newman's] better characters in years..."
New York Times - Janet Maslin (11/19/1981)

The Abyss

The Abyss

Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, Leo Burmeister, Todd Graff, John Bedford Lloyd, Kimberly Scott, J.C. Quinn, Capt. Kidd Brewer Jr., George Robert Klek, Chris Murphy, Adam Nelson, Richard Warlock, Jimmie Ray Weeks, J. Kenneth Campbell, Ken Jenkins, Michael Beach, Phillip Darlington, Chris Elliott, Joe Farago, Frank Lloyd, Joseph C. Nemec III, Peter Ratray, Brad Sullivan, William Wisher
Director: James Cameron

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action Thriller
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:20

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Editorial Reviews - Abyss

Barnes & Noble
James Cameron's spectacular underwater adventure The Abyss, which cost a then-unheard-of $50 million and was dismissed by many as a shipwreck of a movie, has nonetheless been a hit with home viewers. The Special Edition incorporates 28 minutes of footage excised from the theatrical release and restores the Titanic director's original vision, filling plot holes left by the studio cuts. Ed Harris is an undersea oil-rig engineer hired by the Navy to investigate the mysterious immobilization of a nuclear submarine. His estranged wife and fellow specialist, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, comes along on the mission, as does paranoid naval lieutenant Michael Biehn, whose deteriorating mental health endangers them all. The discovery of alien life-forms underwater adds to the tension, which is further enhanced by Cameron's claustrophobic settings. The restored footage answers most criticisms of this picture, enabling The Abyss to finally take its rightful place among the modern classics of sci-fi movies. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
The crew of an experimental, high-tech submersible is called into action to investigate a mysterious nuclear submarine crash. A series of strange encounters leads the crew to suspect the accident was caused by an extraterrestrial craft, and that they may be participating in an encounter with an alien species. However, in order to make contact, they must not only brave the abyss, an exceedingly deep underwater canyon, but also deal with the violent actions of one of their own crew members, an increasingly paranoid Navy SEAL officer. Approved by director James Cameron, The Abyss: Special Edition is an extended director's cut of the 1989 underwater science fiction epic, reinstating nearly a half hour of footage removed from the original release under studio pressure. Much of the restored footage places the film's events in a grander political context, as the crew's mission becomes a factor in the dangerous escalation of nuclear tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The largest change involves the film's ending, which provides further information on the aliens' mission on Earth, bringing the film to closer to Cameron's intention: a modern remake of Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Starring: Jim Carrey, Courteney Cox, Sean Young, Dan Marino, Troy Evans, Udo Kier, Raynor Scheine, Tone-Loc, Frank Adonis, John Archie, Chris Barnes, John Capodice, Judy Clayton, Randall "Tex" Cobb, Antoni Corone, Alice Drummond, Rebecca Ferratti, Will Knickerbocker, Mark Margolis, David Margulies, Terry Miller, Florence Mistrot, Scott Mitchell, Gary Munch, Tiny Ron, Don Shula, Noble Willingham, Bill Zuckert
Director: Gary Munch

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Detective Film
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:25

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Editorial Reviews - Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

All Movie Guide
When your dog, bird, or water-dwelling mammal disappears, who do you call? Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey) is a low-rent private eye who specializes in recovering lost animals, so when Snowflake, the Miami Dolphins' aquatic mascot, is kidnapped, team representative Melissa Robinson (Courtney Cox) puts Ace on the case. However, Snowflake isn't the only Miami Dolphin who has gone missing; several key members of the team also disappear, including quarterback Dan Marino (who plays himself), who is spirited away while filming a TV commercial. With the Super Bowl only two weeks away, will Ace be able to find Snowflake and the missing athletes in time to salvage the big game? Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was a surprise box office smash and catapulted manic comedian Jim Carrey to stardom. The supporting cast includes Sean Young as ill-tempered Lois Einhorn, Udo Kier as the sinister Ronald Camp, and rapper Tone Loc as Ace's detective pal Emilio (Loc also wrote and performed a song for the closing credits). Mark Deming

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

Starring: Jim Carrey, Ian McNeice, Simon Callow, Maynard Eziashi, Bob Gunton, Sophie Okonedo, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Danny D. Daniels, Tommy Davidson, Dev Kennedy, Michael Reid Mackay, Bruce Spence, Andrew Steel, Patti Tippo, Arsenio "Sonny" Trinidad
Director: Steve Oedekerk

Certification: NR
Category: Detective Film
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:32

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Editorial Reviews - Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

All Movie Guide
Overnight sensation Jim Carrey reprises his role as the eccentric detective in this follow-up to the runaway blockbuster Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. The sequel finds Ace on assignment in Africa to prevent a tribal war by saving a white bat sacred to both sides. Along the way, he nearly sleeps with a seductive African princess before her wedding, experiences astral projection with an enlightened monkey, masturbates, collects bat dung and, last but not least, is birthed by a mechanical rhino (much to the horror of an American tourist family). Often short on taste, the film is nonetheless full of good spirit and plenty of genuine belly laughs -- particularly during the fight scene with a diminutive tribal champion (Tommy Davidson, who demonstrates a gift for physical comedy equal to Carrey's). Not for every taste, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls is either hilarious or insufferable, depending on the viewer's opinion of Carrey's unique brand of slapstick and sight gags. Please note: the opening sequence may be upsetting to younger viewers. Jeremy Beday

An Affair to Remember

An Affair to Remember

Starring: Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Richard Denning, Neva Patterson, Cathleen Nesbitt
Director: Leo McCarey

Certification: NR (MPAA)
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:59

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Get out your handkerchiefs for this four-star weepie, a 1957 remake of the 1939 Love Affair, directed by Leo McCarey, who also made the original. Grant and Kerr are strangers on an ocean liner, involved with other people, but who can't resist each other for a shipboard romance. They decide to test whether this is the real thing by agreeing to split up, then meet in six months atop the Empire State Building. Is there anyone who can resist that setup or the tragic romantic mishap that nearly splits them up? Can you keep dry eyes during the famous finale? Some prefer the original (with Charles Boyer); practically no one liked the underrated 1994 remake with Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. While occasionally a shade slow, this one soars on Grant's charm and Kerr's noble suffering. --Marshall Fine

Product Description
Item Name: An Affair to Remember; Studio: 20th Century Fox

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

Alex & Emma

Alex & Emma

Starring: Kate Hudson, Luke Wilson, Jordan Lund, Sophie Marceau, David Paymer, Alexander Wauthier, Earl Carroll, Leili Kramer, Rip Taylor, Chino XL, Rob Reiner, Francois Giroday, Lobo Sebastian, Cloris Leachman, Gigi Bermingham, Jordi Caballero, Robert Costanzo, Michael Rapaport, Danica Sheridan, Paul Wilson, Pete Anthony
Director: Rob Reiner

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romance - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:36

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Editorial Reviews - Alex & Emma

All Movie Guide
Rob Reiner directs Luke Wilson and Kate Hudson in Alex & Emma, a romantic comedy about an author and his secretary. Gangsters will kill Alex (Wilson) in 30 days if he doesn't pay back his gambling debts. The only way he can do that is to finish his new novel. He hires sassy court stenographer Emma (Hudson) to transcribe his dictation. The film intercuts between the two of them writing the story, and the story within the story. Hudson plays three roles in the film, and Wilson plays two. Sophie Marceau and David Paymer round out the cast. The premise is (very) loosely based on a series of events that befell Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland

Starring: Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, Richard Haydn, Sterling Holloway, Jerry Colonna, Verna Felton, Pat O'Malley, Bill Thompson, Heather Angel, Joseph Kearns, Larry Grey, Queenie Leonard, Dink Trout, Doris Lloyd, James MacDonald, The Mello Men, Don Barclay, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, J. Pat O'Malley
Director: Clyde Geronimi

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Animated Musical
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:15

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Editorial Reviews - Alice in Wonderland

Barnes & Noble
Walt Disney's 1951 animated adaptation of Lewis Carroll's enchanting fable emerges through the looking glass and onto DVD in this two-disc "Watch Me" set that's brimming with fascinating archival treasures and fun interactive features. Following Snow White and Cinderella, Alice was the third storybook heroine Disney animators brought to life. Their Alice is a bored schoolgirl who, like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, yearns for a more exciting life. Things get "curiouser and curiouser" after she follows the frantic White Rabbit down the rabbit hole and has a series of surreal misadventures in a world where "nothing's impossible." Although less emotionally engaged than such Disney animated masterworks as Pinocchio and Bambi, Alice in Wonderland is still a riot of fantastic incidents and classic characters (the Walrus and the Carpenter, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Queen of Hearts, and, to quote Grace Slick, that hookah-smoking Caterpillar). The voice work is superb, from charmer Kathryn Beaumont as Alice to Ed Wynn as the Mad Hatter, Jerry Colonna as the March Hare, and Sterling Holloway as the Cheshire Cat. The musical score includes the Disney standards, "I'm Late" and the rollicking "The Unbirthday Song." And, for once in a Disney film, a wicked queen is more comical than terrifying. As for the bonuses: Rarities include "One Hour in Wonderland" form 1950, culled from Walt Disney's first television show, as well as the 1923 Disney cartoon "Alice's Wonderland," which combines live action and animation, and the classic Mickey Mouse cartoon "Thru the Mirror." An adult Beaumont appears in a surprising segment that reveals how unused music from Alice found its way into Peter Pan. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
This Disney feature-length cartoon combines the most entertaining elements of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Chasing after the White Rabbit, who runs into view singing "I'm Late! I'm Late!," Alice falls down the rabbit hole into the topsy-turvy alternate world of Wonderland. She grows and shrinks after following the instructions of a haughty caterpillar, attends a "Very Merry Unbirthday" party in the garden of the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, stands in awe as the Cheshire Cat spouts philosophy, listens in rapt attention as Tweedledum and Tweedledee relate the story of the Walrus and the Carpenter (a sequence usually cut when Alice is shown on TV), and closes out her day with a hectic croquet game at the home of the Red Queen. The music and production design of Alice in Wonderland is marvelous, but the film is too much of a good thing, much too frantic to do full honor to the whimsical Carroll original, and far too episodic to hang together as a unified feature film. One tactical error is having Alice weep at mid-point, declaring her wish to go home: This is Alice in Wonderland, Walt, not Wizard of Oz! Its storytelling shortcomings aside, Alice in Wonderland is superior family entertainment (never mind the efforts in the 1970s to palm off the picture as a psychedelic "head" film). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Aliens

Aliens

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser, Jenette Goldstein, Bill Paxton, William Hope, Barbara Coles, Valerie Colgan, Blain Fairman, Louise Head, Colette Hiller, Daniel Kash, John Lees, Al Matthews, Paul Maxwell, Alibe Parsons, Alan Polonsky, Mark Rolston, Ricco Ross, Cynthia Scott, Kiran Shah, Trevor Steedman, Tip Tipping, Carl Toop
Director: James Cameron

Certification: NR
Category: Sci-Fi Action
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:17

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Editorial Reviews - Aliens

Barnes & Noble
Running the gamut from self-pitying victim to battle-ready soldier, Sigourney Weaver's Ripley ranks among the most compelling heroines in American cinema. Aliens, the second entry in the hugely successful series, features this haunted survivor in top form, and takes off in a much more action-oriented direction than the Ridley Scott original. On a mission to rescue the colonists of a planet infested with predatory alien intruders, Ripley develops maternal feelings for the lone survivor, a little girl whom she must protect from a hideous alien queen. Weaver's performance nabbed her an Academy Award nomination, a most uncommon occurrence for a sci-fi/action role. The entire supporting cast -- which includes genre stalwarts Michael Biehn and Lance Henriksen as Ripley's comrades in arms -- offers such detailed characterizations that the impeccable effects and stunning action sequences never overwhelm the human element. This director's cut provides crucial background information on Ripley's character and clarifies a couple of minor plot points, giving it a distinct advantage over the original studio-cut release. Director James Cameron, fresh from his breakthrough 1984 hit The Terminator (also featuring Biehn), proved himself a formidable director with this film, again showing an uncanny knack for balancing intelligent storytelling with visceral thrills. Amy Robinson

All Movie Guide
Big-budget special effects, swiftly paced action, and a distinct feminist subtext from writer/director James Cameron turned what should have been a by-the-numbers sci-fi sequel into both a blockbuster and a seven-time Oscar nominee. Sigourney Weaver returns as Ellen Ripley, the last surviving crew member of a corporate spaceship destroyed after an attack by a vicious, virtually unbeatable alien life form. Adrift in space for half a century, Ripley grapples with depression until she's informed by her company's representative, Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) that the planet where her crew discovered the alien has since been settled by colonists. Contact with the colony has suddenly been lost, and a detachment of colonial marines is being sent to investigate. Invited along as an advisor, Ripley predicts disaster, and sure enough, the aliens have infested the colony, leaving a sole survivor, the young girl Newt (Carrie Henn). With the soldiers picked off one by one, a final all-female showdown brews between the alien queen and Ripley, who's become a surrogate mother to Newt. Several future stars made early career appearances in Aliens (1986), including Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, and Reiser. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Amadeus

Amadeus

Starring: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Simon Callow, Roy Dotrice, Christine Ebersole, Jeffrey Jones, Charles Kay, Kenny Baker, Lisbeth Bartlett, Barbara Byrne, Gil Amelio, Martin Cavani, Roderick Cook, Patrick Hines, Nicholas Kepros, Philip Lenkowsky, Kenneth McMillan, Herman Meckler, Jonathan Moore, Cynthia Nixon, Brian Pettifer, Vincent Schiavelli, Douglas Seale, Miroslav Sekera, John Strauss, Karl-Heinz Teuber, Dana Vávrová, Neville Marriner
Director: Milos Forman

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Biographical Feature
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:38

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Editorial Reviews - Amadeus

Barnes & Noble
The most searing exploration of artistic jealousy ever put on screen, this magnificent adaptation of Peter Shaffer's award-winning play dramatizes the tempestuous relationship between Viennese court composer Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham in his Oscar-winning characterization) and brilliant upstart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce). The starchily formal Salieri, an adroit court politician but a mediocre composer bitterly resents the irrepressible young Mozart -- not only because he's a vulgar hedonist and a buffoon but because he's a musical genius with whom the older musician is incapable of competing. The idea that God could bestow such a gift upon so inferior a being drives Salieri literally to madness. Hulce's Mozart has a primal drive and flair for showmanship -- an 18th century rock star -- and together, he and Abraham generate fireworks that more than justify the critical acclaim that helped the picture snag eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. A visually sumptuous production shot in Prague and expensively mounted with meticulous attention to period detail, Amadeus is a real treat for the eyes, and, of course, the music is celestial. Best of all, though, is the way director Milos Forman (Ragtime) turns Shaffer's literate, incisive script into a film bursting with raucous energy. Classical music was never less stodgy. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
For this film adaptation of Peter Shaffer's Broadway hit, director Milos Forman returned to the city of Prague that he'd left behind during the Czech political crises of 1968, bringing along his usual cinematographer and fellow Czech expatriate, Miroslav Ondricek. Amadeus is an expansion of a Viennese "urban legend" concerning the death of 18th-century musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. From the vantage point of an insane asylum, aging royal composer Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) recalls the events of three decades earlier, when the young Mozart (Tom Hulce) first gained favor in the court of Austrian emperor Joseph II (Jeffrey Jones). Salieri was incensed that God would bless so vulgar and obnoxious a young snipe as Mozart with divine genius. Why was Salieri--so disciplined, so devoted to his art, and so willing to toady to his superiors--not touched by God? Unable to match Mozart's talent, Salieri uses his influence in court to sabotage the young upstart's career. Disguising himself as a mysterious benefactor, Salieri commissions the backbreaking "Requiem," which eventually costs Mozart his health, wealth, and life. Among the film's many pearls of dialogue, the best line goes to the Emperor, who rejects a Mozart composition on the grounds that it has "too many notes." Amadeus won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor for F. Murray Abraham. In 2002, the film received a theatrical re-release as "Amadeus: The Director's Cut," a version that includes 22 minutes of additional footage. Hal Erickson

Amadeus

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Biographical Feature
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:38

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America's Sweethearts

America's Sweethearts

Starring: Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Cusack, Hank Azaria, Stanley Tucci, Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin, Seth Green, Scott Zeller, Larry King, Steve Pink, Rainn Wilson, Eric Balfour, Marty Belafsky, Keri Lynn Pratt, Maria Canals, Charley Steiner, Shaun Robinson, Jeff Michael, Siblia Vargas, Jane Yamamoto, Byron Allen, Wendy Schenker, Jim Ferguson, Lisa Joyner, Patrick Stoner, Sam Rubin, Susan Katz, Amber Barretto, Alexander Enberg, Sarah Loew, Joseph Feingold, Sherry Jennings, Julie Sorrels, Austin L. Sorrels, Julie Wagner, Leilani Muenter, Dimitri Moraitis, Shawn Driscoll, Misti See, Gail Laskowski, Pete Anthony
Director: Joe Roth

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:43

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Editorial Reviews - America's Sweethearts

All Movie Guide
Studio mogul Joe Roth returns to his roots as a director with this romantic comedy co-written by Billy Crystal and starring Roth's longtime friend Julia Roberts. Crystal stars as Lee, a studio publicist desperately trying to keep several facts secret from reporters during a high-profile motion picture's press junket. Among the developments that Lee is trying to obscure from view: the film's eccentric director (Christopher Walken) has essentially hijacked the $87 million movie and isn't allowing anyone to view it. Also, the film's high-profile, real-life married co-stars Gwen Harrison (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Eddie Thomas (John Cusack) have acrimoniously split since filming (over Gwen's adulterous affair with Latin lover Hector (Hank Azaria). Lee has led the press to believe that reconciliation is imminent, when in fact Gwen hates Eddie more than ever. Lee's secret weapon in his campaign of misinformation is Gwen's long-abused sister Kiki (Julia Roberts), who works as the pampered star's personal assistant while secretly pining for Eddie, who might just notice Kiki now that she's lost 60 pounds. America's Sweethearts co-stars Alan Arkin, Seth Green, and Stanley Tucci. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Washington Post
a terrifically funny romantic comedy... a slam-dunk for Julia Roberts, the Michael Jordan of cuteness. Desson Howe

San Francisco Examiner
The film does indeed deliver the laughs. Jeffrey Anderson

American Pie

American Pie

Starring: Jason Biggs, Shannon Elizabeth, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Natasha Lyonne, Seann William Scott, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge, Chris Owen, Clyde Kusatsu, Lawrence Pressman, Molly Cheek, John Cho, James DeBello, Christina Milian
Director: Paul Weitz

Certification: NR
Category: Sex Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:35

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Editorial Reviews - American Pie

All Movie Guide
It's said that most American men think about sex once every two or three minutes, but this statistic would seriously underestimate the horniness of Jim (Jason Biggs), a high school senior in suburban Michigan. Jim is thoroughly obsessed with sex, a fact of which his parents become aware when they discover him performing the sin of Onan with a gym sock while watching scrambled pay-per-view porn. Jim's buddies Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), and Oz (Chris Klein) are no less anxious to relieve themselves of their virginity, so they all make a pledge: they will go to bed with a woman in the three weeks before senior prom or die trying. Kevin appears to have the advantage, since he already has a girlfriend, Vicky (Tara Reid), but before he ventures into the Final Frontier, Kevin is urged to consult "The Bible," a hand-written how-to manual possessing erotic wisdom passed down through the ages. Oz is a good-looking jock who is actually a nice guy -- which is part of the problem, since he has his heart set on a nice girl, Heather (Mena Suvari), who does not seem the type to leap into bed within 21 days. Finch has no immediate prospects, though Jessica (Natasha Lyonne) is in a position to know if those rumors about him are true. And Jim is a truly hopeless case -- after his attempted seduction of beautiful Czech exchange student Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) turns out to be a disaster, he ends up going to the prom with Michelle (Alyson Hannigan), an annoyingly chatty band geek who does, however, have a fascinating story about a flute. American Pie was the directorial debut of Paul Weitz, who, along with his brother Chris Weitz (who served as producer), previously wrote several screenplays, including Antz and Madeline (where they presumably worked all their wholesome ideas out of their system). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The American President

The American President

Starring: Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, David Paymer, Richard Dreyfuss, Samantha Mathis, Joshua Malina, Thom Barry, Leslie Bega, Beau Billingslea, Ron Canada, Frank Cavestani, Tom Dahlgren, Clement Von Franckenstein, Rick Garcia, Steve Gonzales, Googy Gress, Anne Haney, Kathryn Ish, Joseph Latimore, Efrat Lavie, Jordan Lund, John Mahon, John Mahoney, Wendie Malick, Karen Maruyama, Bernie McInerney, Beans Morocco, George Murdock, Taylor Nichols, Mathew Saks, Arthur Senzy, Nina Siemaszko, Anna Deavere Smith, Aaron Sorkin, Richard Stahl, Andrew Steel, Gail Strickland, Mark Thompson, Shawna Waldron, Maud Winchester
Director: Rob Reiner

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romance - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:54

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Editorial Reviews - American President

All Movie Guide
This earnest, intelligent, and well-written romantic comedy is enjoyable and optimistic in classic Hollywood style, even if its idealism doesn't seem quite so credible against the cynical political backdrop of the Nineties. President Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas), an unabashedly liberal Democrat, is just gearing up for re-election when he meets an attractive and sharp environmental lobbyist named Sydney Wade (Annette Bening). The two fall in love and the President must soon deal with the political repercussions (Sydney is trying to get legislation through Congress), as well as the cynical machinations of Republican opponent Senator Bob Rumson (Richard Dreyfuss), who attempts to paint Sydney as a radical and use "family values" rhetoric to smear Shepherd. With the attacks affecting his standings in the all-important polls, and his love's legislation causing him headaches in the Capitol, Shepherd must decide whether he can risk continuing his relationship. A rich supporting cast, solid characterizations by Douglas and Bening, and an articulate approach make this an appealing, if not particularly weighty, study of the tensions between public and private life. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

Anywhere But Here

Anywhere But Here

Starring: Susan Sarandon, Natalie Portman, Eileen Ryan, Ray Baker, John Diehl, Shawn Hatosy, Bonnie Bedelia, Caroline Aaron, Hart Bochner
Director: Wayne Wang

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Comedy - General
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:54

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Editorial Reviews - Anywhere But Here

All Movie Guide
As with his earlier film The Joy Luck Club (1993), Chinese director Wayne Wang tackles mother-daughter relationships in this coming of age comedy-drama. Susan Sarandon stars as Adele August, a Bay City, Wisconsin, mother who longs for a more exciting and glamorous life in Beverly Hills, California. So she leaves her husband (Ray Baker) and packs her reluctant daughter Ann (Natalie Portman) into a gold Mercedes Benz, heading for L.A. When they arrive and move into an apartment they can't really afford, it becomes clear that Ann is the mature half of the duo, while Adele, a dreamer, is not firmly grounded in reality. Her plans include Ann's future career as an actress (a profession in which the girl has no interest) and landing a rich and handsome husband for herself, such as a dentist (Hart Bochner) who never calls Adele again after a one-night stand. When a family tragedy provokes a crisis between mother and daughter, the irresponsible Adele is forced to become a traditional mom for once. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Apollo 13

Apollo 13

Starring: Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan, David Andrews, Thom Barry, Xander Berkeley, Geoffrey Blake, Ben Bode, Frank Cavestani, J.J. Chaback, Christian Clemenson, Jack Conley, Roger Corman, Brett Cullen, Joseph Culp, Loren Dean, Julie Donatt, John Dullaghan, Wayne Duvall, Chris Ellis, Christopher John Fields, Googy Gress, Max Grodenchik, Todd Hallowell, Ryan Holihan, Jean Speegle Howard, Rance Howard, Clint Howard, Miko Hughes, Herbert Jefferson Jr., Andrew Lipschultz, Michelle Little, Emily Ann Lloyd, Todd Louiso, Paul Mantee, Louisa Marie, Brian Markinson, Ben Marley, Karen Martin, John M. Mathews, Marc McClure, Ray McKinnon, Andy Milder, Austin O'Brien, Tracy Reiner, James Ritz, Reed Rudy, Steve Ruge, Mary Kate Schellhardt, Arthur Senzy, John Short, Max Elliott Slade, Joe Spano, Ned Vaughn, Mark Wheeler, John Wheeler, Kenneth White, Larry B. Williams, Tom Wood, Bruce Wright, Carl Gabriel Yorke, Annie Lennox
Director: Ron Howard

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Adventure Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:20

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Editorial Reviews - Apollo 13

All Movie Guide
"Houston, we have a problem." Those words were immortalized during the tense days of the Apollo 13 lunar mission crisis in 1970, events recreated in this epic historical drama from

Ron Howard. Astronaut Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) leads command module pilot Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) and lunar module driver Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) on what is slated as NASA's third lunar landing mission. All goes smoothly until the craft is halfway through its mission, when an exploding oxygen tank threatens the crew's oxygen and power supplies. As the courageous astronauts face the dilemma of either suffocating or freezing to death, Mattingly and Mission Control leader Gene Kranz (Ed Harris) struggle to find a way to bring the crew back home, all the while knowing that the spacemen face probable death once the battered ship reenters the Earth's atmosphere. The film received an overwhelmingly enthusiastic critical response and a Best Picture nomination, but lost that Oscar to another (very different) historical epic, Mel Gibson's Braveheart. In 2002, the movie was released in IMAX theaters as Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience, with a pared-down running time of 116 minutes in order to meet the technical requirements of the large-screen format. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

Armageddon

Armageddon

Starring: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck, Will Patton, Peter Stormare, Keith David, Steve Buscemi, Owen Wilson, William Fichtner, Jessica Steen, Jason Isaacs, Ken Campbell, Grayson McCouch, Clark Heathcliffe Brolly, Marshall Teague, Chris Ellis, Eddie Griffin, Michael Clarke Duncan, John Mahon, Grace Zabriskie, Udo Kier, Seiko Matsuda, Lawrence Tierney, Charlton Heston, Ellen Cleghorne, Anthony Guidera, Judith Hoag
Director: Michael Bay

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:31

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Editorial Reviews - Armageddon

All Movie Guide
Michael Bay (The Rock) directed this science fiction action thriller in the When Worlds Collide tradition. After astronomy students discover a comet-asteroid collision, an asteroid fragment "the size of the Super Dome" threatens. It's destroyed by a secret USA defense in space, but a large chunk veers off toward Singapore. With another asteroid "the size of Texas" en route, a plan is devised to send oil drillers to land on the asteroid and drop a nuclear device down a 1000-foot shaft, a scheme calculated to crack the asteroid into two halves, saving Earth. NASA begins a crash program to train beer-besotted oil roughnecks for the mission. During a stopover to refuel at the Mir Station, the space station is accidentally destroyed, so a Russian cosmonaut also joins the team. Produced by Bay, Jerry Bruckheimer (Con Air), and Gale Anne Hurd (The Relic, The Abyss). ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

As Good as It Gets

As Good as It Gets

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear, Cuba Gooding Jr., Skeet Ulrich, Shirley Knight, Jesse James, Harold Ramis, Yeardley Smith, Lupe Ontiveros, Wood Harris, Jamie Kennedy, Leslie Stefanson
Director: James L. Brooks

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:19

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Editorial Reviews - As Good as It Gets

All Movie Guide
James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News) directed this $50 million-plus romantic comedy, set in Manhattan. Dysfunctional, acid-tongued romance novelist Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson), who suffers from an obsessive-compulsive disorder, takes pride in his ability to offend. At a nearby cafe, the only waitress willing to stand up to his sarcastic tirades is Carol Connelly (Helen Hunt), a single mother struggling to raise her chronically asthmatic son. In Melvin's West Village apartment building, talented contemporary artist Simon Nye (Greg Kinnear) lives across the hall from Melvin. Simon is the current darling of the New York art world, reason enough to draw Melvin's verbal fire, but Simon's gay lifestyle is further grist for the novelist's malicious mill. These three New Yorkers, none of whom appears to have a chance in hell at finding true happiness, discover their fates intertwined because of the fourth complicated character in the piece, Verdell, a tiny Brussels Griffon dog (played by newcomer Jill, after a 15-week training program). Melvin seems to have no friends or family, and he lives alone, working on his 62nd book.

When Simon goes into the hospital after a brutal mugging, Melvin has to take care of Verdell, and the dog actually warms Melvin's cold heart -- to the degree that he sets up unsolicited medical care for Carol's son. Eventually, Melvin is cornered into driving Simon and Carol to Baltimore, and during a hotel stopover, Melvin confesses to Carol, "You make me want to be a better man." The trip becomes an odyssey of self-realization for all three. Locations included Brooklyn's Prospect Park (Carol's neighborhood) and Greenwich Village (where Melvin's building is on 12th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues). Other exteriors were shot in downtown Los Angeles, where a dilapidated transient hotel at the corner of 4th Street and Main was transformed into the chic cafe where Carol works. Sets for the Simon/Melvin apartment interiors were erected on a soundstage at the Sony Pictures lot. Simon's paintings were created for the film by New York artist Billy Sullivan, whose work is part of the modern art collection at NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New Orleans Museum of Art. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Austin Powers in Goldmember

Austin Powers in Goldmember

Starring: Mike Myers, Beyoncé Knowles, Seth Green, Robert Wagner, Michael York, Mindy Sterling, Verne Troyer, Michael Caine, Katie Couric, Tom Cruise, Danny DeVito, Heather Graham, Aaron Himelstein, Clint Howard, Carrie Ann Inaba, Quincy Jones, Diane Mizota, Gwyneth Paltrow, Fred Savage, Kevin Spacey, Britney Spears, John Travolta, Josh Zuckerman
Director: Jay Roach

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

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Editorial Reviews - Austin Powers in Goldmember

All Movie Guide
Mike Myers' phenomenally successful spy spoof gains a few more characters, a slew of celebrity cameos, and even more free-associative laughs in this third installment of the popular franchise. Austin Powers in Goldmember continues the exploits of the swinging-'60s leftover, who, as the film opens, is busy critiquing a big-budget Hollywood production of his life story, replete with a 20-million-dollar star in the lead role and a slew of John Woo-style action scenes. But not far from the soundstage lurks arch nemesis Dr. Evil (Myers), who has opened up a talent agency representing some of the industry's biggest stars -- all the while channeling their profits into a diabolical world-destruction plan with the unfortunate code name Preparation H. Dr. Evil presents a distraction to Austin by kidnapping his similarly swingin' father, Nigel Powers, and transporting him back in time to 1975. Travelling there to save his father -- and in turn win back his dad's sometimes-errant affection -- Austin comes across the alluring superspy Foxxy Cleopatra (Beyonce Knowles). The three of them travel back to the present day, where they join forces to battle Dr. Evil and his posse of nefarious evil-doers, including the trusty clone Mini-Me (Verne Troyer); his snotty son, Scott (Seth Green); the inimitable Fat Bastard (Myers); and the eponymous new addition to the fold: the epidermis-obsessed, precious-metal-fortified Dutchman called Goldmember (Myers). ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Washington Post
One-ups the Austin Powers sequel that came before it. Desson Howe

Boston Globe
The most consistently funny of the Austin Powers films. Ty Burr

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

Starring: Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Robert Wagner, Michael York, Mindy Sterling, Seth Green, Mimi Rogers, Will Ferrell, Fabiana Udenio, Paul Dillon, Carrie Fisher, Clint Howard, Charles Napier, Joe Son
Director: Jay Roach

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Parody (spoof)
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:29

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Editorial Reviews - Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

Barnes & Noble
With its candy-colored sets and cheesy psychedelic effects, the runaway hit Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a hilarious spoof of '60s pop culture -- assorted James Bond films and Beatles movies are just a few of its targets. Star and writer Mike Myers has a blast playing the title character, a horny dork in Carnaby Street ruffles who doubles as a fashion photographer and secret agent, as well as Austin Powers's archenemy, Dr. Evil -- and his joy is infectious. After three decades in a cryogenic deep freeze, Powers time travels from 1967 Swinging London, where he's a reigning sex god, into the present to find that free love is a thing of the past. In the unforgiving 1990s it's a lot harder for a guy with bad teeth to "shag" gorgeous "birds" like Elizabeth Hurley while saving the world from a diabolical nuclear plot. But things change for bad guys too -- even Dr. Evil has to take time out from destroying the world in order to attend family counseling with his whiny son, Scott Evil. And while that's enough to make anyone nostalgic for the '60s, Austin Powers remains one of the brightest moments in '90s comedy. Kryssa Schemmerling

All Movie Guide
Less a parody of the early James Bond film than a parody of the films that parodied the early James Bond films, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery stars Mike Myers as Austin Powers, by day a hipster fashion photographer in mid-'60s swingin' London and by night a crime-fighting secret agent. Austin's wardrobe is pure Carnaby Street at its most outrageous, his vocabulary is crowded by the cool lingo of the day ("Groovy, baby! Yeah!!"), and he's irresistible to women, despite the fact that he can be charitably described as "stocky" and has teeth that strike fear into any practicing dentist. When his nemesis, the arch-enemy Dr. Evil (also played by Myers), has himself cryogenically frozen and sent into space, Powers also has himself put on ice so he can be thawed out when Dr. Evil returns. Come 1997, Dr. Evil returns to Earth and is back to his old tricks, so Austin is thawed out and returned to active service -- though he soon discovers his style doesn't play so well 30 years on. The supporting cast includes Elizabeth Hurley as Austin's sidekick, Vanessa Kensington; Michael York as his boss, Basil Exposition; Robert Wagner as Dr. Evil's assistant, Number Two; and Seth Green as Dr. Evil's troubled son, Scott Evil. Ming Tea, the swingin' pop band that periodically backs up Austin, includes real life pop-rockers Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was a mild box-office hit but an even bigger success on home video, which led to the 1999 sequel, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

Starring: Mike Myers, Heather Graham, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Rob Lowe, Seth Green, Mindy Sterling, Verne Troyer, Elizabeth Hurley, Kristen Johnston, Gia Carides, Burt Bacharach, Elvis Costello, Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, Charles Napier, Willie Nelson, Tim Robbins, Rebecca Romijn, Jerry Springer, Fred Willard, Clint Howard, Muse Watson
Director: Jay Roach

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: James Bond Type Spy Film
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:35

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Editorial Reviews - Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

All Movie Guide
Austin Powers -- fashion photographer, denizen of Swingin' London, international espionage agent, and bane of dental hygienists everywhere -- returns in his second screen adventure. Powers (once again played by Mike Myers), a 1960s superspy stranded in the 1990s, discovers that his nemesis, criminal genius Dr. Evil (also Mike Myers), has somehow stolen his "mojo" (the secret to his otherwise inexplicable sex appeal) and traveled back in time to the 1960s as part of his latest fiendish scheme. Powers must also travel back in time to retrieve it, but if Austin doesn't quite fit into 1998, he's been there just long enough not to fit in in 1968 anymore, either. Powers also discovers that Dr. Evil has new allies this time: Mini-Me (Verne Troyer), a clone of Dr. Evil one-eighth his size but just as nasty; Fat Bastard (Myers yet again), whose name describes him just fine; and vixenish assassin Robin Swallows (Gia Carides). Powers' lack of mojo also proves troublesome when he's paired with his new partner, saucy CIA operative Felicity Shagwell (Heather Graham). Other characters returning from the first film include Elizabeth Hurley as Vanessa Kensington, Robert Wagner as Number Two, Michael York as Basil Exposition, Seth Green as Scott Evil, and Mindy Sterling as Frau Farbissina. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me also includes cameo appearances from Tim Robbins, Jerry Springer, Woody Harrelson, and Burt Bacharach with his current songwriting partner, Elvis Costello. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Baby Einstein

Baby Einstein

Starring:
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 0:30

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
If you've been around babies in the last few years, you've seen these newfangled toys that are abstract in color (or just black, white, and red) and make curious, crunching noises. Studies have shown that these types of toys stimulate newborns, expanding the capacity of their little sponge-like minds. That concept comes to the video age in Baby Einstein. This 30-minute tape is called a "video board book" and the creators instruct parents of 1- to 18-month-olds to use it that way: huddle around the TV often pointing out objects and interacting with the child as you would with a book. Bright toys, patterns, blocks, and the like move across the screen accompanied by natural sounds, music, and voices. English, Japanese, Russian, German, and other languages are heard telling nursery rhymes or counting to 20. Now the creators don't expect your baby to recite "Humpty Dumpty" in Spanish by the end of the tape, but, as they state in the introduction, hearing different languages invigorates a baby's mind. These educators went on to combine classical music with their program on Baby Mozart and Baby Bach. --Doug Thomas

Product Description
The original video in the Baby Einsten series, this video is a delightful, creative introduction to the sounds of foreign language that will stimulate babies in uniquely positive ways. The video also uses visuals of colorful toys and real-world objects that are both easy to recognize and appealing to children. For infants 1 to 18 months of age.

Baby Einstein - Baby Bach

Baby Einstein - Baby Bach

Starring:
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Children
User Rating:
Running Time: 30:00

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Designed for infants and toddlers (1 to 36 months), Baby Bach is a nicely produced video that features recognizable, familiar toys and colorful objects, moving to the complexly beautiful music of Johann Sebastian Bach. According to the video producers, "Bach's music has shown to enhance creativity, improve academic achievement, reduce anxiety and heighten mental awareness." Any parent will embrace this theory. Not only did this video completely captivate a 22-month-old for its entire 30-minute run-time, but it's easy on the parents, too. The images are lively, clean, and sharp, and producers The Baby Einstein Company have a firm handle on what interests babies and toddlers. The extraneous segments with two pretty little blonde girls is silly, but forgivable. Given that most children elect to watch a video repeatedly, this is one that parents won't mind in the slightest. The music, available on CD, is simply lovely. --N.F. Mendoza

Baby Einstein - Baby Bach

Baby Einstein - Baby Bach

Starring:
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Children
User Rating:
Running Time: 30:00

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Review

Designed for infants and toddlers (1 to 36 months), Baby Bach is a nicely produced video that features recognizable, familiar toys and colorful objects, moving to the complexly beautiful music of Johann Sebastian Bach. According to the video producers, "Bach's music has shown to enhance creativity, improve academic achievement, reduce anxiety and heighten mental awareness." Any parent will embrace this theory. Not only did this video completely captivate a 22-month-old for its entire 30-minute run-time, but it's easy on the parents, too. The images are lively, clean, and sharp, and producers The Baby Einstein Company have a firm handle on what interests babies and toddlers. The extraneous segments with two pretty little blonde girls is silly, but forgivable. Given that most children elect to watch a video repeatedly, this is one that parents won't mind in the slightest. The music, available on CD, is simply lovely. --N.F. Mendoza

Release Note

A whimsical, playful music video that will delight and fascinate your child. Based on research in the area of music therapy and its positive effect on physical health and intelligence, this video uses child-friendly bits of music to expose your baby to the expressive and beautiful music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Interesting toys, kinetic art and other real-world objects will intrigue very young children. For infants and toddlers from 1 to 36 months of age.

Baby Geniuses

Baby Geniuses

Starring: Kathleen Turner, Christopher Lloyd, Kim Cattrall, Peter MacNichol, Dom DeLuise, Ruby Dee, Kyle Howard, Leo Fitzgerald, Myles Fitzgerald, Gerry Fitzgerald, Joshua Ryan Evans
Director: Bob Clark

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Children's Fantasy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:34

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Editorial Reviews - Baby Geniuses

All Movie Guide
Dr. Elena Kinder (Kathleen Turner) is the highly visible chief executive of BABYCO, the world's largest manufacturer of baby products. The company funds orphanages across the world and just opened an indoor theme park for children adjacent to its corporate headquarters in Los Angeles. Unbeknownst to the public, Kinder, with the help of Dr. Heep (Christopher Lloyd), has been conducting a vast research program devoted to decrypting in secret labs deep beneath BABYCO's corporate campus the language that babies speak. It's said that Tibetans believe all babies are born with complete knowledge of the universe and the ability to speak to each other in an ancient language. However, once infants turn two years old, they lose this knowledge as they bond more closely with adults. To study this theory, Dr. Kinder has culled the smartest babies from her orphanages to be raised in a special development program in her private lab. As a test of developmental progress, she has separated a pair of twins, Sly and Witt. While Sly is raised within the lab, Witt has been adopted by Kinder's niece, Robin Bobbins (Kim Cattrall) and her husband Dan (Peter MacNicol), who run an old-fashioned day care and child research center. Sly manages to escape the center and finds his way to a shopping mall during Christmas. While eluding Kinder's henchmen, Sly stumbles across Witt; Witt is promptly mistaken for Sly and taken away, while Sly goes to the day care center with his new mother. The two boys, who develop an empathic link, must find each other and free the children from the research center before Dr. Kinder can smuggle them out of the country. ~ Ron Wells, Rovi

Baby Mozart

Baby Mozart

Starring:
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:50

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
It's called "the Mozart Effect," the notion that exposing youngsters to the melodies of the maestro can improve verbal ability, spatial intelligence, creativity, and memory. It's a pretty big leap of faith to understand that effect unless you personally see a toddler react to the stimulation. The Baby Einstein folks have a series of tapes (Baby Einstein, Baby Bach) that add visual stimulation to the bouncy recordings (using vibraphone, Rhodes electric piano, and even a glockenspiel). The melodies are heard against colorful imagery of spinning tops, wave machines, soft baby toys, mobiles, and the like. Several parenting groups and magazines have heralded the tapes for children 1 to 36 months, but the Orwellian aspect of introducing babes in arms to the TV screen may cause many to just pick up the CD. --Doug Thomas

Product Description
The top-selling video of the Baby Einstein series, Baby Mozart is a playful, imaginative introduction for infants and toddlers to the music of Mozart. Mozart's music, timeless and lovely, has been shown to affect people of all ages in positive ways. Little eyes will light up at the images of brightly colored toys and visually captivating objects while little ears will love the carefully arranged, child-friendly bits of music and amusing sound effects. For infants and toddlers from 1 to 36 months of age.

Bachelor Party

Bachelor Party

Starring: Tom Hanks, Tawny Kitaen, Adrian Zmed, George Grizzard, Barbara Stuart, Robert Prescott, Angela Aames, Toni Alessandrini, Elizabeth Arlen, Bradford Bancroft, Dorothy Bartlett, Billy Beck, Bruce A. Block, John Bloom, Gregory Brown, Brett Baxter Clark, Ji-Tu Cumbuka, Barry Diamond, Michael Dudikoff, Martina Finch, Monique Gabrielle, Anne Gaybis, Gary Grossman, Deborah Harmon, Tad Horino, Jim Hudson, Peaches Johnson, Cynthia Kania, Rosanne Katon, Ken Kimmins, Milt [Lewis] Kogan, Coleen Maloney, Hugh McPhillips, Christopher D. Morley, Christopher Morley, Greg Norberg, Rebecca Perle, Gerard Prendergast, Pat Proft, Arlee Reed, Kim Robinson, George Sasaki, Florence Schauffler, Sheri Short, Ben Slack, Tracy Smith, Wendie Jo Sperber, Sumant, William Tepper, Donald Thompson, Michael Yama
Director: Neal Israel

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Sex Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:46

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Editorial Reviews - Bachelor Party

All Movie Guide
Tom Hanks stars in this raunchy teen comedy from veteran screenwriters Pat Proft and Neil Israel, who had previously collaborated on the amusing sketch film Tunnelvision (1976) and the disappointing Americathon (1980). Bus-driver Rick Gasko (Hanks) is engaged to wealthy Debbie Thompson (Tawny Kitaen), much to the chagrin of her father (George Grizzard), who considers Rick a loser. To keep an eye on her future groom, Debbie and her friends dress as prostitutes to attend his bachelor party, which quickly turns into a bacchanal of smutty debauchery. Familiar faces in the cast include action stars Michael Dudikoff and Ji-Tu Cimbuka, pin-ups Monique Gabrielle and Rosanne Katon, and teen-movie regulars Adrian Zmed and Wendie Jo Sperber. It's an occasionally hilarious excursion into bad taste, although one which two-time Oscar winner Hanks would probably like to forget. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Bad Boys

Bad Boys

Starring: Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, Téa Leoni, Tchéky Karyo, Theresa Randle, Joe Pantoliano, Michael Imperioli, Marg Helgenberger, Karen Alexander, Ed Amatrudo, Sam Ayers, Tony Bolano, Lisa Boyle, Kevin Corrigan, Saverio Guerra, Mike Kirton, Will Knickerbocker, Anna Levine, Marc Macaulay, Vic Manni, Dana Mark, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Mario Ernesto Sanchez, Nestor Serrano, Shaun Toub, Emmanuel Xuereb
Director: Michael Bay

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:58

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Editorial Reviews - Bad Boys

All Movie Guide
Former video director Michael Bay had his first big hit with this action comedy, which also returned producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson to the big-budget, high-violence movies that they successfully churned out in the Eighties. Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) are two Miami cops who watch as $100 million in heroin, from the biggest drug bust of their careers, is stolen out of the basement of police headquarters. This puts them hot on the trail of French drug lord Fouchet (Tcheky Karyo), who leaves a trail of bodies in his wake and only one witness, Julie Mott (Tea Leoni), who quickly teams up with our heroes. Comic hijinks ensue when plot complications force Mike to impersonate the married Marcus, to the point of moving in with his wife and children, while Marcus takes over Mike's bachelor pad and lifestyle. Car chases, snappy one-liners, and nonstop pacing fuel this umpteenth variation on the cop "buddy" formula. Don Kaye

Barbie in the Nutcracker

Barbie in the Nutcracker

Starring: Kelly Sheridan, Kirby Morrow, Tim Curry, Peter Kelamis, Christopher Gaze, Ian James Corlett, French Tickner, Kathleen Barr
Director: Owen Hurley

Certification: NR
Category: Animated Musical
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:18

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Editorial Reviews - Barbie in the Nutcracker

Barnes & Noble
Barbie fans who have been waiting for the platinum-tressed supertoy to break out of her mold will be enchanted by this computer-animated fantasy, a setting of classic holiday tale. Fans of The Nutcracker -- best known in for the timeless Tchaikovsky-scored ballet, which was based on an Alexander Dumas adaptation of E.T.A. Hoffman's original tale -- may question a few creative choices. Here the evil Mouse King (voiced by Tim Curry) shrinks plucky young Clara to toy size. Since only the Sugarplum Princess (yes, "Fairy" would appear to be copyrighted) can reverse the spell, Clara and the brave Nutcracker set out across the Sea of Storms to find her. There are daring rescues, comical snow fairies, and fantastic creatures to captivate youngsters. The computer animation is not up to Toy Story or Shrek standards, but the Mouse King and his hench-bat are memorably rendered. The London Symphony Orchestra performs Tchaikovsky's beloved music, and Peter Martins of the New York City Ballet choreographed the dazzling ballet sequences. Barbie gives a bravura performance in her dual roles as Clara and the Princess; Clara is a positive role model, yearning to discover the "world of wonders" and not content to let the Nutcracker fight her battles for her. The queen of dolls certainly makes this Nutcracker sweet. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
Through the use of computer generated imagery, everyone's favorite doll Barbie takes to the stage to portray both Clara and the Sugarplum Fairy, the two central roles in the Nutcracker. The dances were choreographed by the director of the New York City Ballet. The orchestration is provided by the London Symphony Orchestra. ~ Rob Ferrier, Rovi

Batman

Batman

Starring: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Gough, Jack Palance, Jerry Hall, Lee Wallace, Tracey Walter, Del Baker, Michael Balfour, David Baxt, Paul Birchard, Lachelle Carl, Carl Chase, Edwin Craig, Joel Cutrara, John Dair, Marion Dougherty, Sam Douglas, Richard Durden, Keith Edwards, Christopher Fairbanks, Garick Hagon, Kate Harper, Leon Herbert, Kit Hollerbach, William Hootkins, Michael Hough, Jazzer Jeyes, Amir M. Korangy, Dennis Lili, John Lurie, Mac McDonald, Bruce McGuire, Wayne Michaels, Philip O'Brien, Steve Plytas, Liz Ross, George Roth, Elliott Stein, John Sterland, Richard Strange, Philip Tan, Rocky Taylor, Vincent Wong
Director: Tim Burton

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:06

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Editorial Reviews - Batman

All Movie Guide
Behind the black cowl, Gotham City superhero Batman is really millionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton), who turned to crimefighting after his parents were brutally murdered before his eyes. The only person to share Wayne's secret is faithful butler Alfred (Michael Gough). The principal villain in Batman is The Joker (Jack Nicholson) who'd been mob torpedo Jack Napier before he was horribly disfigured in a vat of acid. The Joker's plan to destroy Batman and gain control of Gotham City is manifold. First he distributes a line of booby-trapped cosmetics, then he goes on a destruction spree in the Gotham Art Museum while the music of Prince blasts away in the background, and finally he orchestrates an all-out campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Gothamites, hoping to turn them against the Cowled One. Meanwhile, reporter Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) becomes the love of Batman's life-which of course plays right into the Joker's hands. Photographed by Roger Pratt, designed by Anton Furst, and scored by Tim Burton's favorite composer Danny Elfman, Batman was a monstrous box-office hit, making $100 million in the first ten days of release--$82,800,000 in North America alone. Incidentally, Billy Dee Williams' comparatively small role as DA Harvey Dent was originally designed to set up the sequel, wherein Dent was to convert into master criminal Two-Face; but by the time the producers got around to that character in 1995's Batman Forever, Two-Face was played by Tommy Lee Jones. Hal Erickson

Batman & Robin

Batman & Robin

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, Uma Thurman, Alicia Silverstone, Jesse Ventura, Michael Gough, Elle MacPherson, John Glover, Vivica A. Fox, Vendela K. Thommessen, Azikiwee Anderson, Lucas Berman, Michael Bernardo, Jack Betts, Steve Blalock, Christian Boeving, Steve Boyles, Anthony E. Cantrell, Steve Cardoza, Christopher Caso, Mark Chadwick, Michael Paul Chan, Dean Cochran, Coolio, Danny Costa, Alex Daniels, Stephan Desjardins, John Fink, Uzi Gal, Marc Glimcher, Todd Grossman, Elizabeth Guber, James Hardy, Pat Hingle, Doug Hutchison, John Ingle, Steve Ito, Tobias Jelinek, Nicky Katt, Dennis Keiffer, Stogie Kenyatta, James Kim, Simon Kim, Andy Lacombe, Greg Lauren, Mark Leahy, Patrick Leahy, Dennis Lefevre, Eric Lloyd, Jay Luchs, Jean-Luc Martin, Michael Reid McKay, Jim McMullan, Cory M. Miller, Christine Mitchell, Ralph Moeller, Roger Nehls, Christopher Nelson, Jim Palmer, Jeff Podgurski, Robert Powell, Bruce Roberts, Joe Sabatino, Elizabeth Sanders, Christopher Sayour, Kimberly Scott, Jon Simmons, Don Sinnar, Pau Sklar, Jeep Swenson, Sandra Taylor, Takis Triggelis, Peter Navy Tuiasosopo, Harry Van Gorkum, Howard Velasco
Director: Joel Schumacher

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:10

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Editorial Reviews - Batman & Robin

All Movie Guide
This is the third follow-up in Tim Burton's revived Batman series, the second directed by Joel Schumacher, and the first and last to feature George Clooney as the Caped Crusader. Like Schumacher's earlier Batman Forever, Batman & Robin features two super-villains, and adds a new heroine to fight crime alongside Bruce Wayne (aka Batman) and Dick Grayson (aka Robin) (Chris O'Donnell). The experiments of Dr. Victor Fries (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to preserve his late wife cryogenically have gone horribly wrong, turning him into the evil genius Mr. Freeze, who must keep his body at sub-zero temperature in order to say alive -- and he wants to put Gotham City on ice. Shy horticulturist Pamela Isley (Uma Thurman) goes a bit wild with a Venus Fly Trap-like creation she's been working on and mutates into Poison Ivy, who wants to kill all the people on Earth so plants can take over. Can Batman and Robin stop these fiends before their plans go too far? Meanwhile, Bruce and Dick's faithful butler Alfred (Michael Gough) isn't feeling well, so his niece Barbara (Alicia Silverstone) comes to pay a visit. When Barbara finds out what her uncle's employers do in their spare time, she decides she wants in on the action, and she joins the crime fighting twosome as Batgirl. Batman & Robin also features Jesse Ventura in a small role as a prison guard; it would be his last film role before becoming Governor of Minnesota in 1998. Mark Deming

Batman Forever

Batman Forever

Starring: Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman, Chris O'Donnell, Michael Gough, René Auberjonois, Ed Begley Jr., Jack Betts, Michael Paul Chan, Ria Coyne, Jed Curtis, Drew Barrymore, Jon Favreau, John Fink, Joe Grifasi, Cindy Herron, Pat Hingle, Corey Jacoby, Gary Kasper, Maurice Lamont, Greg Lauren, Debi Mazar, Mike Smith, Philip Moon, Dennis Paladino, Jim Palmer, Peter Radon, Bruce Roberts, Elizabeth Sanders, Kimberly Scott, Eileen Seeley, Jessica Tuck, Don "The Dragon" Wilson
Director: Joel Schumacher

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:01

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Editorial Reviews - Batman Forever

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Director Joel Schumacher inherited the Batman franchise from Tim Burton; and in Forever he began steering the series in the campier direction of the Sixties television show. First-time Batman/Bruce Wayne (Val Kilmer), in his only outing as the Caped Crusader, is effectively brooding as he ponders strange dreams about his parents' death and escapes his own near-demise at the hands of Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones), a former district attorney driven insane and turned into a master criminal when a gangster throws acid in his face. Meanwhile, as sexy psychologist Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman) tries to analyze and seduce both Bruce Wayne and Batman, Wayne Enterprises employee Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey) reacts badly to getting fired, using his self-invented mind-energy device to transform into the super-intelligent Riddler. The Riddler teams up with Two-Face to bring down Batman and drain the minds of Gotham City residents with his device, while Batman gets some much-needed help in the form of circus performer Dick Grayson (Chris O'Donnell), out for vengeance after being orphaned by Two-Face. Don Kaye

Beaches

Beaches

Starring: Bette Midler, Barbara Hershey, John Heard, Spalding Gray, Lainie Kazan, James Read, Grace Johnston, Mayim Bialik, Marcie Leeds, Mariann Aalda, Bill Applebaum, Judith Baldwin, Robert Ball, Anne Betancourt, Nicky Blair, Frank Buxton, Karin Calabro, Frank Campanella, Lucinda Crosby, Sam Denoff, Jane Dulo, Carla Earle, Michael Elias, Susan Forristal, Diane Frazen, Michael French, Ken Gibbel, Lynda Goodfriend, Joe Grifasi, Doris Hess, Harvey Keenan, Allan Kent, Phil Leeds, Mona Lyden, Steven Majewicz, Barbara Marshall, Kathi Marshall, Lori Marshall, Scott Marshall, Arnold McCuller, Keith McDaniel, Charles McGowan, Eddie Mekka, Harvey Miller, Kenny Miller, Julie Paris, Tracy Reiner, Steve Restivo, Patrick Richwood, Bo Sabato, Lisa Savage, Zachary Weintraub, Carol Williard
Director: Garry Marshall

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Drama - General
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:03

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Editorial Reviews - Beaches

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Based on a novel by Iris Rainer Dart, Beaches traces the 30-year oil-and-water friendship between free-spirited Bronx Jew CC Bloom (Bette Midler) and uptight San Francisco WASP Hillary Essex (Barbara Hershey). The two meet as children in Atlantic City (played by Mayim Bialik and Marcie Leeds) and are reunited in the 1960s, when CC is a struggling singer and Hillary is trying to break free from her staid upbringing by becoming an activist. The two ladies room together, then fall out when both are attracted to off-Broadway producer John Pierce (John Heard). CC wins John, but she quickly outgrows him as she matriculates into a bawdy performer. The recently patched-up friendship between CC and Hillary is torn asunder again when Hillary and her new husband express distaste for CC's performing style. Comes the 1970s, and CC and Hillary are reunited after shedding their respective spouses. Broke again, they once more become Manhattan roommates. Their bond strengthens, but there is tragedy in store for the duo. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Bed of Roses

Bed of Roses

Starring: Christian Slater, Mary Stuart Masterson, Pamela Segall, Josh Brolin, Ally Walker, Debra Monk, Edith Blume, Kenneth Cranham, S.A. Griffin, R.M. Haley, Michael Mantell, Mary Alice, Anne Pitoniak, Brian Tarantina, Nick Tate, Gina Torres
Director: Michael Goldenberg

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:27

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Editorial Reviews - Bed of Roses

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Two lonely people learn to say it with flowers in this romantic drama. Lisa (Mary Stuart Masterson) is a business executive who has gotten used to being alone but doesn't like it very much; she was abandoned by her birth parents, and then spent most of her childhood being raised by Stanley (S.A. Griffin), an abusive foster father, after her adopted mother died. One day, Lisa gets word that Stanley has died; alone in her apartment, she breaks down and cries uncontrollably. Later the same day, Lisa gets an unexpected delivery of a dozen roses from a secret admirer. Puzzled, Lisa presses the delivery man for information on who might have sent her the flowers, and he confesses -- he sent them himself. Lewis (Christian Slater) runs a flower shop and often takes long walks through the neighborhood, trying to lose his memories of his deceased wife and child. He saw Lisa crying in her window and hoped the roses would cheer her up. Before long, Lisa and Lewis begin dating, but both have some emotional issues to resolve before their story can have a happy ending. This film offers your only opportunity of the moviegoing week to hear someone say, "Oh, there's nothing worse than a finicky agapanthis." ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice

Starring: Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder, Glenn Shadix, Sylvia Sidney, Robert Goulet, Dick Cavett, Annie McEnroe, Simmy Bow, Jack Angel, Patrice Camhi, Marie Cheatham, Tony Cox, Cynthia Daly, Duane Davis, Mark Ettlinger, Carmen Filpi, Harold Goodman, Gary Jochimsen, Adelle Lutz, Rachel Mittelman, Maurice Page, Bob Pettersen, J. Jay Saunders, Hugo L. Stanger, Douglas Turner
Director: Tim Burton

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:32

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Editorial Reviews - Beetlejuice

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Thanks to the carelessness of a cute little dog, newlyweds Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin are killed in a freak auto accident. Upon arriving in the outer offices of Heaven, the couple finds that, thanks to a century's worth of bureaucratic red tape, they're on a long celestial waiting list. Before they can earn their wings, Davis and Baldwin must occupy their old house as ghosts for the next fifty years. Alas, the house is now owned by insufferable yuppies Catherine O'Hara and Jeffrey Jones. Horrified at the prospect of sharing space with these obnoxious interlopers, Davis and Baldwin do their best to scare O'Hara and Jones away, but their house-haunting skills are pathetic at best. In desperation, the ghostly couple engage the services of a veteran scaremeister: a yellow-haired, snaggle-toothed, profane, flatulent "gonzo" spirit named Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton). The problem: Beetlejuice cannot be trusted-especially when he falls in love with O'Hara and Jones' gloomy, black-clad teenaged daughter Winona Ryder. Beetlejuice producer David Geffen, director Tim Burton, and composer Danny Elfman were also involved in an animated TV-series spin-off. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Being John Malkovich

Being John Malkovich

Starring: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich, Orson Bean, Mary Kay Place, Charlie Sheen, Carlos Jacott, W. Earl Brown, Marlowe Bassett, Ned Bellamy, Jacqueline Benoit, Christopher Bing, William Nichols Buck, Jennifer Canzoneri, Kevin Carroll, Christine Coleman, Kristie Cordle, Kristin D'Andrea, Denise Dabrowski, Jeanne Diehl, K.K. Dodds, Gerald Emerick, Richard Fancy, Willie Garson, Audrey Gelfand, Yetta Ginsburg, Charlene Grimsley, Dan Hansen, Pamela Hayden, Reggie Hayes, Jayne Hess, Sylvester Jenkins, Roy C. Johnson, Christine Krejer, Madison Lanc, Kevin Lee, Erica Long, Eddie J. Low, Michelle Madden, Yvonne Montelius, James Murray, Jessica Neuberger, Mariah O'Brien, Greg O'Neill, Byrne Piven, Sara Rifkin, Elizabeth Rivera, Neil Ross, Bill M. Ryusaki, Chelsa Sjostrom, Ralph W. Spaulding, Octavia L. Spencer, Gregory Sporleder, Kelly Teacher, Patti Tippo, Eric Weinstein, Judith Wetzell, Bill Wittman, David Wyler, Flori Wyler
Director: Spike Jonze

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:52

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Editorial Reviews - Being John Malkovich

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This hilarious, breathtakingly original feature debut by music video director Spike Jonze is Alice in Wonderland for the age of celebrity: the rabbit hole that the characters fall into is actor John Malkovich's head. On the seventh and a half floor of a Manhattan office building (yes, half floor -- that's why everyone's stooping), a nebbishy puppeteer (John Cusack) discovers a door that delivers him straight into the mind of Malkovich. The ride is thrilling, but the portal turns out to be a Pandora's box: opening it sets hearts afire and desires running amuck. Cameron Diaz, sporting seriously bad hair, gamely turns her babe wattage way down to play Cusack's plain Jane wife, while Catherine Keener (Your Friends and Neighbors) plays Cusack's seductive office colleague and the object of everyone's obsession. Malkovich, playing himself, does a delicious satire on his own celebrity lifestyle. Watching this film, filled with mistaken identities and dizzying plot twists that never let up, is a bit like being in a car with a crazy but brilliant driver -- unnerving but an awful lot of fun. John Guida

All Movie Guide
Would you pay money to journey into the mind of the star of Con Air, The Killing Fields, and In The Line of Fire? Puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is having money problems, so he takes a temporary job as a file clerk on the seventh-and-a-half floor of a large office building. One day, while rummaging behind a cabinet, he finds a small door that leads to the center of the mind of actor John Malkovich (played by, you guessed it, John Malkovich). Craig discovers that entering the portal allows him to become John Malkovich for a brief spell, and in time he and his beautiful but aloof co-worker Maxine (Catherine Keener) get the bright idea to charge admission for the privilege of spending 15 minutes inside the head of a well-known actor. Malkovich realizes that something strange is happening to him, but can do little to stop it, as strangers take over his mind for a quarter-hour at a time. Craig's wife, Lotte (Cameron Diaz), eventually takes a trip into Malkovich's psyche, and she soon finds herself in love with Maxine, with whom Malkovich has an affair; meanwhile, Maxine in time becomes infatuated with both Craig and Lotte, but only when they're inside Malkovich. Being John Malkovich marked the feature-length debut of director Spike Jonze, who previously made acclaimed music videos for Weezer, the Beastie Boys, and the Breeders, among others. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Beverly Hills Cop II

Beverly Hills Cop II

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, Jürgen Prochnow, Ronny Cox, John Ashton, Brigitte Nielsen, Allen Garfield, Dean Stockwell, Paul Reiser, Gil Hill, Paul Guilfoyle, Robert Ridgely, Brian O'Connor, Alice Adair, Eugene Butler, Glenn Withrow, Stephen Liska, Gilbert Gottfried, Tom Bower, Carl Bringas, Larry Carroll, Carlos Cervantes, Catrin Cole, Anthony D'Andrea, Michael Demarlo, Joe Duquette, Rebecca Ferratti, Dana Gladstone, Richmond Harrison, Hugh Hefner, Michael Hehr, Darryl Henriques, Kymberly Herrin, John Hostetter, Michael Kelly, Venice Kong, Luann Lee, Carrie Leigh, Susan Lentini, Sheri Levinsky, Tom "Tiny" Lister Jr., Vic Manni, Eugene Mounts, Ray Murphy Sr, Dayna O'Brien, Kymberly Paige, Ed Pansullo, Robert Pastorelli, Frank Pesce, Rudy Ramos, Ola Ray, Teal Roberts, Chris Rock, Sam Sako, Peggy Sanders, Everett Sherman Jr., Ritch Shydner, Kopi Sotiropulos, Todd Susman, Richard Tienken, Bonnie Timmermann, Sydney Urshan, Kari Whitman, Valerie Wildman, John Lisbon Wood
Director: Tony Scott

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

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Editorial Reviews - Beverly Hills Cop II

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Detroit cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) has seemingly smoothed out his differences with his Beverly Hills superior Bogomil (Ronny Cox), but there's trouble ahead for both men, not to mention two other holdovers from the first Cop film, officers Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Taggart (John Ashton). The "untouchable" heavy this time out is masterminding a series of violent robberies, committed by leather-freak hoods Dean Stockwell and Brigitte Nielsen. Unaccumstomed to this nastiness, Bogomil entreats street-smart Foley to help find the miscreants. But mean-spirited chief of police Lutz (Allen Garfield) will brook no interference from outsiders-especially the profanely insouciant Mr. Foley. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Big

Big

Starring: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, John Heard, Jared Rushton, Robert Loggia, David Moscow, Mercedes Ruehl, Jon Lovitz, Mark Ballou, Oliver Block, Vinnie Capone, Josh Clark, Kimberlee M. Davis, Chris Dowden, James Eckhouse, Nancy Giles, Linda Gillen, Paul Herman, Lela Ivey, Bruce Jarchow, Dana Kaminski, Erika Katz, Gary Klar, Samantha Larkin, Paul L.Q. Lee, Jon Levita, George J. Manos, Peter McRobbie, Kevin Meaney, Dolores Messina, Harvey Miller, Gordon Press, Pasquale Pugliese, Max Raven, Keith Reddin, Rockets Redglare, Tracy Reiner, John Rothman, Debra Jo Rupp, Vaughn Sandman, Edward Schick, Alec Von Sommer, Jordan Thaler, Jaime Tirelli, Judd Trichter, Mildred R. Vandever, Allan Wasserman, Susan Wilder
Director: Penny Marshall

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:38

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Editorial Reviews - Big

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More than anything else, 13-year old New Jerseyite Josh (David Moscow) wants to be "big." That's the wish he makes at an odd-looking amusement pier fortunetelling machine. The next morning, Josh wakes up-only to discover that he's grown to manhood overnight! (At this point, the part is taken over by Tom Hanks). Still a 13-year-old mentally and emotionally, Josh decides to hide out in New York City until he can figure out what to do next. He lucks into a job with a major toy company run by kid-at-heart McMillan (Robert Loggia). By cannily bringing a child's eye view to McMillan's business, Josh rises to the top-and in process, he falls in love with fellow employee Susan (Elizabeth Perkins). But he's still a kid, and he'd like to go back to his own world and own body. Written by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg, Big proved a crucial success for budding director Penny Marshall, who'd work harmoniously with Hanks again on the radically different A League of Their Own. The cinematography was by Barry Sonenfeld, who went on to become a director himself with The Addams Family. That Big was heavily reliant upon the input of Tom Hanks and Penny Marshall was proven by the failed attempt to turn the property into a Broadway musical. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Big Daddy

Big Daddy

Starring: Adam Sandler, Joey Lauren Adams, Jon Stewart, Cole Sprouse, Dylan Sprouse, Josh Mostel, Leslie Mann, Allen Covert, Rob Schneider, Kristy Swanson, Joseph Bologna, Peter Dante, Jonathan Loughran, Steve Buscemi, George Hall
Director: Dennis Dugan

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

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Editorial Reviews - Big Daddy

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Prospective parents everywhere, meet the world's least likely paternal role model: Adam Sandler! In Big Daddy, Sandler plays 30-year-old bachelor Sonny Koufax, a carefree slob who has never much taken to adult responsibilities; he works one day a week as a tollbooth collector, and spends the remainder of his time living off of a $200,000 reward he collected from an auto accident. All told, the life suits him just fine. However, as his old buddies start getting married and drifting away, Sonny realizes that if he doesn't do something soon, he could end up all alone for the rest of his life. When his most recent girlfriend, Vanessa (Kristy Swanson), indicates that she needs some time off because she's sick of being with a man who can't act like a grown-up, he decides that it's time to take drastic action to win her back. Conveniently enough, a little boy named Julian (Cole Sprouse and Dylan Sprouse) turns up on his doorstep, claiming that he's the biological son of Sonny's roommate and friend from law school, Kevin (Jon Stewart). The kid tells Sonny that he's from Buffalo, New York; Kevin has never been to Buffalo, New York, but no matter - Sonny foresees, in Julian, an opportunity to convince Vanessa that he can face adult responsibilities. He thus takes charge of the little boy over a long Columbus Day weekend, pretending to be Kevin. However, the plan doesn't work as expected, and the authorities hone in on a discovery of Sonny's real identity. Meanwhile, Sonny finds himself genuinely drawn to the tyke. Also supporting Sandler in Big Daddy are Joey Lauren Adams, Josh Mostel and Rob Schneider. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Billy Blanks: Instructional & Basic Tae Bo Workouts - The Ultimate Total Body Workout

Billy Blanks: Instructional & Basic Tae Bo Workouts - The Ultimate Total Body Workout

Starring: Billy Blanks
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Aerobics
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:01

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Editorial Reviews - Billy Blanks: Instructional & Basic Tae Bo Workouts - The Ultimate Total Body Workout

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Punch and kick your way to fitness with this two-part exercise video hosted by World Martial Arts champion Billy Blanks. In part one, Blanks teaches the basic concepts and moves behind Tae-Bo, which combines aerobics, kickboxing and martial arts techniques for an exercise regime that tones the body, builds energy and works off tension and aggression. Once you've learned the steps, you can move on to part two, in which Blanks leads the viewer through a 27-minute Tae-Bo workout. Blanks' program has earned him wide acclaim for his charisma and motivational attitude as an instructor; in addition to his career in martial arts and fitness, he worked as an actor and fight choreographer on a number of motion pictures. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Bird on a Wire

Bird on a Wire

Starring: Mel Gibson, Goldie Hawn, David Carradine, Jeff Corey, Bill Duke, Stephen Tobolowsky, Joan Severance, Harry Caesar, Alex Bruhanski, John Pyper-Ferguson, Clyde Kusatsu, Michel Barbe, Ken Camroux, Lynne Carrow, Jackson Davies, Leslie Ewen, Mike Fenton, John Garber, Oscar Goncalves, Lynda Gordon, Tim Healy, Paul Jarrett, Doug Judge, James Kidnie, Kim Kondrashoff, Maria Leone, Lossen Chambers, Blu Mankuma, Kevin McNulty, Robert Metcalfe, Florence Patterson, Tim Price, Oscar B. Ramos, Judy Taylor, Robert Thurston, Brian Torpe, Wes Tritter, Wendy Van Riesen, Danny Wattley, Dan Zale
Director: John Badham

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:50

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Editorial Reviews - Bird on a Wire

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The can't-miss teaming of Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn is squandered on a clumsy, illogical romantic melodrama. Running across her old boyfriend Gibson at a Wisconsin gas station, Hawn is astounded that he seems not to recognize her. How could she have known that Gibson was put into the Witness Relocation Program after testifying against a homicidal mob boss (say, don't they usually alter your appearance when they put you in that program?) Curious over Gibson's furtive behavior, Hawn unknowingly sets herself up as a target for the bad guys. The whole affairs culminates in an after-hours showdown at a zoo (a plot device vastly improved upon in the 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle Eraser). While Bird on a Wire admittedly has its moments of enjoyment, most of the film is on a par with Gibson's embarrassing, homophobic scene with a pair of epicine hairdressers. And whoever heard of the Chinatown section of Racine, Wisconsin? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Blade II

Blade II

Starring: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Ron Perlman, Leonor Varela, Norman Reedus, Thomas Kretschmann, Luke Goss, Matt Schulze, Danny John-Jules, Donnie Yen, Karel Roden, Tony Curran, Santiago Segura, Sanaa Lathan
Director: Guillermo del Toro

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

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Editorial Reviews - Blade II

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A ruthless new breed of vampires threatens both the dead and the undead in Blade II, the high-speed sequel to 1998's adaptation of the action-horror comic book. Wesley Snipes returns as the titular half-vampire, a "daywalker" sworn to eliminate all bloodsuckers in the coolest possible way. After reviving his captured mentor, Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), Blade finds himself enlisted by his own enemies to help defeat the "Reapers," an evolved form of vampire that poses a serious threat to regular vamps and, quite possibly, humans. Reluctant yet cool, Blade teams with those he cannot trust, a crackerjack squad of vamps (which includes a menacing Ron Perlman) that prove to be as adversarial as the Reapers. The gore is intense, the action is fast-paced, and Snipes keeps up every step of the way, once again flying through the role of vampire hunter -- often literally. With so many faces returning from the first movie, the freshest aspect here is Mexican genre whiz Guillermo Del Toro (Mimic) in the director's chair. While maintaining the kinetic style of the original, Del Toro milks the film's Prague locale for some atmosphere and style, an approach that enhances the film's flair and makes it much more fun than your average horror sequel. Tony Nigro

All Movie Guide
Four years after scoring a box-office touchdown with Blade (1998), actor Wesley Snipes returns to portray the Marvel Comics character again in this sequel that teams him with Mexican horror director Guillermo del Toro. A half-vampire, half-human hybrid, Blade (Snipes) is a merciless vampire hunter bent on destroying the bloodsuckers that feed on humanity. The keys to Blade's success are a serum that allows him to resist the urge for blood and an array of inventive, deadly weapons, both of which were once supplied by his mentor, Whistler (Kris Kristofferson). Since Whistler's death, Blade has relocated to Prague and recruited the pot-smoking slacker Scud (Norman Reedus) to take the place of his father figure, but then he discovers that Whistler's not dead after all: He's been infected with the vampire virus. Reunited with Whistler, Blade is dealt an even bigger surprise: His greatest enemy, vampire leader Damaskinos (Thomas Kretschmann), wants to make peace with him. It seems that the vampires are facing a greater threat than Blade and hope to persuade him to fight the Reapers, a mutated super-race of vampires on a rampage of murder, indiscriminately killing both humans and their fellow bloodsuckers while sucking their victims dry. Blade agrees to a truce and joins the Bloodpack, an elite squad of commandos originally formed to fight Blade himself. Soon, the vampire soldiers discover that the virus responsible for creating their enemies is spreading rapidly and can be traced back to a mysterious "Patient Zero." Blade 2 (2002) co-stars Ron Perlman, Leonor Varela, Donnie Yen, and Matt Schulze. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Chicago Sun-Times
1/2
You can sense the difference between a movie that's a technical exercise (Resident Evil) and one steamed in the dread cauldrons of the filmmaker's imagination. Roger Ebert

Los Angeles Times
Like the original, Blade II has superior production values and visual and special effects. Snipes and Kristofferson build on the resonance of their original portrayals. Kevin Thomas

Blair Witch Project

Blair Witch Project

Starring: Heather Donahue, Michael Williams, Joshua Leonard, Bob Griffith, Jim King, Sandra Sanchez, Ed Swanson, Patricia Decou, Kim Richards
Director: Daniel Myrick

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Horror - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:27

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Editorial Reviews - Blair Witch Project

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Massively hyped before its release, this high-concept, low-budget, mega-grossing indie horror film achieved instant cult status with its improvised performances, handheld cameras, and a savvy Internet marketing campaign that boosted the film's suspense quotient to the stratosphere. It's also one of the scariest movies of the '90s. The story chronicles the misadventures of three film students who get lost in the woods of Maryland while shooting a documentary about a legendary local witch. Cocky and full of Gen-X attitude when they start out, the trio quickly lose their cool as they are terrorized by the strange sounds and enigmatic offerings of an unseen predator. While The Blair Witch Project taps deftly into ancient fears about the evil that lurks in dark forests, it is also very much of the moment -- a cautionary tale about overzealous snoops with movie cameras. Kryssa Schemmerling

All Movie Guide
Combining Hi-8 video with black-and-white 16 mm film, this film presents a raw look at what can happen when college students forego common sense and enter the world of voodoo and witchcraft. Presented as a straightforward documentary, the film opens with a title card explaining that in 1994, three students went into the Maryland back woods to do a film project on the Blair Witch incidents. These kids were never seen again, and the film you are about to see is from their recovered equipment, found in the woods a year later. The entire movie documents their adventures leading up to their final minutes. The Blair Witch incident, as we initially learn from the local town elders, is an old legend about a group of witches who tortured and killed several children many years ago. Everyone in town knows the story and they're all sketchy on the details. Out in the woods and away from their parked car (and civilization), what starts as a school exercise turns into a nightmare when the three kids lose their map. Forced to spend extra days finding their way out, the kids then start to hear horrific sounds outside their tents in the pitch-black middle of night. They also find strange artifacts from (what can only be) the Blair Witch, still living in the woods. Frightened, they desperately try to find their way out of the woods, with no luck. Slowly these students start to unravel, knowing they have no way of getting out, no food, and it's getting cold. Each night they are confronted with shrieking and sounds so haunting that they are convinced someone is following them, and they quickly begin to fear for their lives. The film premiered in the midnight movie section at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Chris Gore, Rovi

Bogus

Bogus

Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Gérard Depardieu, Haley Joel Osment, Denis Mercier, Andrea Martin, Nancy Travis, Don Francks, Barbara Hamilton, Kevin Jackson, Ute Lemper, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Fiona Reid, Al Waxman
Director: Norman Jewison

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

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Editorial Reviews - Bogus

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Albert Franklin (Haley Joel Osment) is the son of stage magician Lorraine Franklin, and has learned to do a few magic tricks of his own. However, when his mother dies and he is sent to live with his aunt Harriet (Whoopi Goldberg), it becomes clear that for him the boundary between stage magic and the real kind is just a bit fuzzy. This is fortunate, because the young man needs a friend. The friend magically appears in the form of a spirit (Gerard Depardieu) calling himself "Bogus," who helps him figure out how to meet the challenge of relating to his very preoccupied aunt. She is more concerned with keeping her restaurant supply company afloat than she is with her new ward. Things change when she, too, catches a glimpse of the spirit. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Braveheart

Braveheart

Starring: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Catherine McCormack, Brendan Gleeson, Ian Bannen, Alun Armstrong, Julie Austin, Michael Byrne, Liam Carney, James Cosmo, Brian Cox, Martin Dempsey, Martin Dunne, Tommy Flanagan, David Gant, Donal Gibson, Peter Hanly, Bernard Horsfall, John Kavanagh, Phil Kelly, Jimmy Keogh, Sean Lawlor, Angus MacFadyen, Jeanne Marine, Sean McGinley, Barry McGovern, David Mckay, Gerard McSorley, Peter Mullan, Martin Murphy, John Murtagh, Sandy Nelson, Alex Norton, Niall O'Brien, David Patrick O'Hara, Robert Paterson, Ralph Riach, James Robinson, Joe Savino, Alan Tall, Malcolm Tierney, Rupert Vansittart, Tam White, Mal Whyte
Director: Mel Gibson

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Adventure Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:57

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Editorial Reviews - Braveheart

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A massively mounted historical epic starring and directed by Mel Gibson, Braveheart celebrates our natural yearning for freedom and the ability of one heroic man to define an entire revolution. It's the amazing story of William Wallace (Gibson), a 13th-century Scottish warrior who rallies his countrymen to combat the tyranny of England's King Edward (Patrick McGoohan). By virtue of his charismatic leadership, Wallace turns a ragtag army of peasants into a formidable fighting unit that battles the British army to a standstill. As played by Gibson, he's a dedicated patriot who leads his people toward freedom with messianic fervor. The battle scenes are presented in uncompromising, graphic detail; Gibson won't let his viewers forget that liberty is achieved only at great personal cost. Sprawling, passionate, and very much in the tradition of Spartacus, Braveheart fully deserved its many Oscars (including Best Picture and Best Director) and has taken its place in the firmament of classic movie spectacles. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Mel Gibson, long-time heartthrob of the silver screen, came into his own as a director with Braveheart, an account of the life and times of medieval Scottish patriot William Wallace and, to a lesser degree, Robert the Bruce's struggle to unify his nation against its English oppressors. The story begins with young Wallace, whose father and brother have been killed fighting the English, being taken into the custody of his uncle, a nationalist and pre-Renaissance renaissance man. He returns twenty years later, a man educated both in the classics and in the art of war. There he finds his childhood sweetheart Murron (Catherine McCormack), and the two quickly fall in love. There are murmurs of revolt against the English throughout the village, but Wallace remains aloof, wishing simply to tend to his crops and live in peace. However, when his love is killed by English soldiers the day after their secret marriage (held secretly so as to prevent the local English lord from exercising the repulsive right of prima noctae, the privilege of sleeping with the bride on the first night of the marriage), he springs into action and single-handedly slays an entire platoon of foot soldiers. The other villagers join him in destroying the English garrison, and thus begins the revolt against the English in what will eventually become full-fledged war. Wallace eventually leads his fellow Scots in a series of bloody battles that prove a serious threat to English domination and, along the way, has a hushed affair with the Princess of Wales (the breathtaking Sophie Marceau) before his imminent demise. For his efforts, Gibson won the honor of Best Director from the Academy; the movie also took home statuettes for Best Picture, Cinematography, Makeup, and Sound Effects. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi

Breakfast Club

Breakfast Club

Starring: Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Paul Gleason, John Kapelos, Jackie Burch, Mary Christian, Perry Crawford, Ron Dean, Tim Gamble, Fran Gargano, Mercedes Hall, Maureen McGovern
Director: John Hughes

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Drama - Coming of Age
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Running Time: 1:37

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Editorial Reviews - Breakfast Club

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John Hughes wrote and directed this quintessential 1980s high school drama featuring the hottest young stars of the decade. Trapped in a day-long Saturday detention in a prison-like school library are Claire, the princess (Molly Ringwald); Andrew, the jock (Emilio Estevez); John, the criminal (Judd Nelson); Brian, the brain (Anthony Michael Hall); and Allison, the basket case (Ally Sheedy). These five strangers begin the day with nothing in common, each bound to his/her place in the high school caste system. Yet the students bond together when faced with the villainous principal (Paul Gleason), and they realize that they have more in common than they may think, including a contempt for adult society. "When you grow up, your heart dies," Allison proclaims in one of the film's many scenes of soul-searching, and, judging from the adults depicted in the film, the teen audience may very well agree. Released in a decade overflowing with derivative teen films, The Breakfast Club has developed an almost cult-like status, and it has become a classic of the genre thanks to its band of talented stars and attempt to examine the stereotypes found in American high schools. Dylan Wilcox

Bridge Too Far

Bridge Too Far

Starring: Dirk Bogarde, JAMES CAAN, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Edward Fox, Elliott Gould, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Hardy Kruger, Laurence Olivier, Ryan O'Neal, Robert Redford, Maximilian Schell, Liv Ullmann, Arthur Hill, Wolfgang Preiss, Siem Vroom, Mary Smithuysen, Nicholas Campbell, Christopher Good, Keith Drinkel, Peter Faber, Alun Armstrong, David Auker, Hartmut Becker, Hans von Borsody, Michael Byrne, Milton Cadman, Simon Chandler, Erik Chitty, Stephen Churchett, Paul Copley, Michael Graham Cox, Jon Croft, Ben Cross, Shaun Curry, Patrick Dickson, Harry Ditson, Donald Douglas, Denholm Elliott, David English, Colin Farrell, Jack Galloway, Peter Gordon, Frank Grimes, John Hackett, Garick Hagon, Brian Hawksley, Ben Howard, George Innes, Frank Jarvis, Ray Jewers, John Judd, Richard Kane, Jeremy Kemp, Neil Kennedy, Walter Kohut, Hardy Kurger, Stanley Lebor, Ian Liston, Sean Mathias, Paul Maxwell, Barry McCarthy, Edward McDermott, Jack McKenzie, Anthony Milner, Hilary Minster, Stephen Moore, John Morton, Niall Padden, Donald Pickering, John Ratzenberger, Patrick Ryecart, Toby Salaman, John Salthouse, Peter Settelen, Gerald Sim, James Snell, David Stockton, John Stride, Lex Van Delden, Jason White, Fred Williams, Chris Williams, Michael Wolf
Director: Richard Attenborough

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Combat Films
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Running Time: 2:55

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Editorial Reviews - Bridge Too Far

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It's late 1944, and the Allied armies are confident they'll win the World War II and be home in time for Christmas. What's needed, says British general Bernard Law Montgomery, is a knockout punch, a bold strike through Holland, where German troops are spread thin, that will put the Allies into Germany. Paratroops led by British major general Robert Urquhart (Sean Connery) and American brigadier general James Gavin (Ryan O'Neal) will seize a thin road and five bridges through Holland into Germany, with paratroops led by Lieutenant Col. John Frost (Sir Anthony Hopkins) holding the most critical bridge at a small town called Arnhem. Over this road shall pass combined forces led by British Lieutenant Gen. Brian Horrocks (Edward Fox) and British Lieutenant Col. Joe Vandeleur (Michael Caine). The plan requires precise timing, so much so that one planner tells Lieutenant Gen. Frederick Browning (Dirk Bogarde), "Sir, I think we may be going a bridge too far." The plan also has one critical flaw: Instead of a smattering of German soldiers, the area around Arnhem is loaded with crack SS troops. Disaster ensues. Based on a book by historian Cornelius Ryan, A Bridge Too Far is reminiscent of another movie based on a Ryan book, The Longest Day. Like that movie, it is loaded with more than 15 international stars, including Sir Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, Hardy Krueger, Gene Hackman, Maximilian Schell, and Liv Ullman. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., Rovi

Broken Arrow

Broken Arrow

Starring: John Travolta, Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Delroy Lindo, Bob Gunton, Frank Whaley, Carmen Argenziano, Daniel Von Bargen, Casey Biggs, Charlie Brewer, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Gary Epper, Howie Long, James MacDonald, Chris Mulkey, Jim Palmer, J.N. Roberts, Mario Roberts, Vyto Ruginis, Myke Schwartz, Kurtwood Smith, Jeffrey J. Stephan, French Stewart, Jack Thompson, Shaun Toub
Director: John Woo

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action Thriller
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Running Time: 1:48

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Editorial Reviews - Broken Arrow

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Hong Kong director John Woo's second U.S. film (his first was Hard Target) delivers a number of exciting action sequences but is let down by a credibility-straining plot. John Travolta plays Vic Deakins, an Air Force pilot on what is supposed to be a routine night flight mission with his co-pilot, the younger Riley Hale (Christian Slater), whom Deakins constantly kids for lacking the "will to win." Deakins is actually a traitor who crashlands their Stealth Bomber in Death Valley so that he can steal two nuclear warheads onboard and sell them to terrorists who plan to blackmail the government. Deakins meets up with his cohorts, who have been waiting in the park, while Hale survives and teams up with a young, attractive park ranger (Samantha Mathis) to foil Deakins's plans. Plenty of action ensues, with car chases, collapsing mine shafts, fights on burning trains, and even the underground detonation of a nuclear device. Despite the script's implausibilities and inconsistencies, Woo amply displays the expertise with action sequences and man-to-man conflict that has made his Hong Kong films cult favorites. ~ Don Kaye, 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: 1:41

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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

Bull Durham

Bull Durham

Starring:
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 0:00

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video
Bull Durham is about minor league baseball. It's also about romance, sex, poetry, metaphysics, and talent--though not necessarily in that order. Susan Sarandon plays a loopy lady who just loves America's national pastime--and the men who play it. At the opening of every season, she attaches herself to a promising rookie and guides him through the season. Unfortunately, the player she bestows her favors upon does not really deserve it. She knows it, and veteran Kevin Costner knows it. Her choice, a dim bulb played for laughs by Tim Robbins, is the only one who doesn't know it. The film, directed by its writer, Ron Shelton, a former minor league player, is rich in subtle detail. There are Edith Piaf records playing in the background, fast-talking managers, and minor characters as developed as the leads. Sarandon's retro-'50s outfits make you think she's just another bimbo, not an English teacher very much in control of her life. And Costner's clear-eyed, slightly vitriolic performance is devastatingly sexy and keenly witty. The love scenes, though tasteful, are almost as humorous as they are hot. Sarandon's character likes to tie her players up and expand their horizons by reading Walt Whitman to them, "'cause a guy will listen to anything if he thinks it's foreplay." How can you not love a movie with such a wicked sense of humor? --Rochelle O'Gorman

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins

Starring: Tim Allen, Wayne Knight, Nicole Sullivan, Stephen Furst, Larry Miller, Adam Carolla, Diedrich Bader, Patrick Warburton
Director: Tad Stones

Certification: NR
Category: Children
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:10

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Editorial Reviews - Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins

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To fans of Disney's mega-successful Toy Story and Toy Story II, the title says it all: Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins. The gung-ho toy in the totally cool space suit sets the stage for his upcoming television series in this 70-minute direct-to-video feature. As in the original movies, Tim Allen supplies Lightyear's voice, while the evil Emperor Zurg (voiced by Wayne Knight) provides the villainy. Other voices include those of Terminator mother figure Linda Hamilton, Comedy Central Man Show fixture Adam Carolla, Animal House's "Flounder" Stephen Furst, and squinty-eyed 3rd Rock From the Sun spaceman French Stewart. For those who have been waiting to explore the deeper meaning of Buzz's brave battle cry -- "To infinity, and beyond" -- your time has come!

All Movie Guide
Buzz Lightyear, the plastic spaceman who helped conquer the toy box in the wildly popular Toy Story films, returns in this animated adventure. Buzz (voice of Tim Allen) and his partner Agent Z (voice of Diedrich Bader) have devoted themselves to keeping Gamma Quadrant in Deep Space free of evildoers, but when Agent Z is lost in battle, Buzz is determined that from now on, he has to go it alone. However, after the evil Emperor Zurg (voice of Wayne Knight) kidnaps Buzz's allies, the LGM -- aka Little Green Men (voice of Patrick Warburton) -- Commander Nebula (voice of Adam Carolla) orders Buzz to bring along reinforcements as he flies into battle. With the help of female Space Ranger Mira Nova (voice of Nicole Sullivan), LGM-designed android XR (voice of Larry Miller), and janitor/aspiring Space Ranger Booster (voice of Stephen Furst), Buzz sets out to defeat Zurg's minions and bring back the LGM safe and sound. Unlike the first two Toy Story features, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins was created using traditional cel animation rather than digital computer animation techniques, though computer animation was used for the film's prologue. The film's theme song is sung by another noted space voyager, William Shatner. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Casper: A Spirited Beginning

Casper: A Spirited Beginning

Starring: Steve Guttenberg, Lori Loughlin, Brendon Ryan Barrett, Rodney Dangerfield, Michael McKean, James Earl Jones, Pauly Shore, Jeremy Foley, Bill Farmer, Jess Harnell, James K. Ward
Director: Sean McNamara

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Children's Fantasy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:34

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Editorial Reviews - Casper: A Spirited Beginning

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It's a "poltergeist party" when newly minted ghost Casper finds himself AWOL from spook training school. He makes his very first friend, a kindred misfit spirit named Chris, who loves comic books and sci-fi and isn't afraid of ghosts. Chris's workaholic father (Steve Guttenberg) is determined to tear down a condemned mansion, putting him at odds with a local schoolteacher (Full House star Lori Laughlin), who rallies the town to save it. This direct-to-video treat is hauntingly heartwarming and hilarious with spook-tacular slapstick, courtesy of the mischief-making Ghostly Trio. The age-appropriate scares make for ideal family fright night viewing. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
Billed as a prequel to the 1995 family film Casper, which in turn is based on an enduring Harvey cartoon character "Casper the Friendly Ghost," this direct-to-video entry is aimed at younger kids (though some of the scenes may be inappropriate for really young children). The story begins as Casper, who is new to the ghostly plane, rides a death train towards Ghost Central Station where he is to attend a camp to train him to scare people. Instead, he irritates another passenger and is tossed off the train. The bewildered little spirit lands in Deedstown where he becomes friends with 10-year-old Chris Carson, a troubled boy whose mother is gone and whose work-obsessed father ignores him. Chris sees that Casper is troubled too and so decides to show him how to be a real ghost by taking him to Applegate Manor, the town's haunted house, and introducing him to the riotous Ghostly Trio. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Cast Away

Cast Away

Starring: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Chris Noth, Nick Searcy, Lari White, Michael Forest, Viveka Davis
Director: Robert Zemeckis

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

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Editorial Reviews - Cast Away

Barnes & Noble
By updating Robinson Crusoe for contemporary audiences, director Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump) and megastar Tom Hanks created one of the more unusual and engrossing Hollywood movies to wash up on the big screen in quite a while. Hanks plays Chuck Noland, a workaholic Federal Express engineer whose plane goes down over the South Seas, leaving him stranded alone on the proverbial desert island for four years -- a cruelly ironic fate for a man obsessed with time to the point of compulsion. For the better part of Cast Away, we watch as Hanks figures out how to stay alive using the meager resources available to him -- including the contents of the FedEx packages that wash ashore from his wreck -- and his rudimentary progress makes for entertainment as involving as any effects-laden blockbuster. There is suspense in anticipating how he will solve the problems that confront him: opening a coconut, collecting drinking water, and most daunting of all, making fire. Cast Away, like its hero, only comes alive when stripped of the trappings of civilization. Everything leading up to and following Noland's stay on the island -- even the extended and terrifying plane crash -- feel beside the point. There is more genuine pathos in his final scene with the anthropomorphized volleyball that becomes his cherished companion than there is in any of the teary-eyed exchanges with girlfriend Helen Hunt. Although the movie is overly freighted with allegorical and spiritual significance, the scenes on the island work because they hark back to primal pleasures of earliest cinema, when audiences were spellbound simply by the sight of a human being on the screen going through the basic routines of existence. Kryssa Schemmerling

All Movie Guide
An exploration of human survival and the ability of fate to alter even the tidiest of lives with one major event, Cast Away tells the story of Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks), a Federal Express engineer who devotes most of his life to his troubleshooting job. His girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt) is often neglected by his dedication to work, and his compulsive personality suggests a conflicted man. But on Christmas Eve, Chuck proposes marriage to Kelly right before embarking on a large assignment. On the assignment, a plane crash strands Chuck on a remote island, and his fast-paced life is slowed to a crawl, as he is miles removed from any human contact. Finding solace only in a volleyball that he befriends, Chuck must now learn to endure the emotional and physical stress of his new life, unsure of when he may return to the civilization he knew before. Cast Away reunites star Hanks with director Robert Zemeckis, their first film together since 1994's Oscar-winning Forrest Gump. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

Entertainment Weekly
Hanks towers as a near naked, near biblical man. Zemeckis tells his story -- the screenplay is by William Broyles -- with a control magnificent in what isn't shown as much as in what is. Lisa Schwartzbaum

Cell

Cell

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'Onofrio, Colton James, Dylan Baker
Director: Tarsem Singh

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:47

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Schizoid serial killer Carl Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio) has been captured at last, but a neurological seizure has rendered him comatose, and FBI agent Peter Novak (Vince Vaughan) has no way to determine the location of Stargher's latest and still-living victim. To probe the secrets contained in Stargher's traumatized psyche, the FBI recruits psychologist Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez), who has mastered a new technology that allows her to enter the mind of another person. What she finds in Stargher's head is a theater of the grotesque, which, as envisioned by first-time director Tarsem Singh, is a smorgasbord of the surreal that borrows liberally from the Brothers Quay, Czech animator Jan Svankmajer, Hieronymous Bosch, Salvador Dali, and a surplus of other cannibalized sources.

This provides one of the wildest, weirdest visual feasts ever committed to film, and The Cell earns a place among such movie mind-trips as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Altered States, What Dreams May Come, and Un Chien Andalou. Is this a good thing? Sure, if all you want is freakazoid eye-candy. If you're looking for emotional depth, substantial plot, and artistic coherence, The Cell is sure to disappoint. The pop-psychology pablum of Mark Protosevich's screenplay would be laughable if it weren't given such somber significance, and Singh's exploitative use of sadomasochistic imagery is repugnant (this movie makes Seven look tame), so you're better off marveling at the nightmare visions that are realized with astonishing potency. The Cell is too shallow to stay in your head for long, but while it's there, it's one hell of a show. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker
A man's intestines twirled around a golden spit; the pulsating organs of a dissected horse encased in glass; dead women pieced together as mechanical dolls-these are just some of the gruesome tableaux encountered by Jennifer Lopez, who plays a child psychologist who travels, via experimental drug, into the mind of a serial killer. The plot doesn't make much sense, but the imagery is arresting. The director, Tarsem Singh, made his name in music videos, and his feature début is full of intense visual trickery; he relies on surreal contrasts (snowflakes falling on a sunlit desert) and clever cuts (from pouring milk to a body drenched in bleach). Since most of the film takes place inside a psychopath's mind, the normal, comforting conventions of suspense don't apply. -Michael Agger
Copyright ® 2006 The New Yorker

A Charlie Brown Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Starring: Sally Dryer, Bill Melendez, Peter Robbins, Christopher Shea, Tracy Stratford
Director: Bill Melendez

Certification: NR
Category: Animation
User Rating:
Running Time: 0:25

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Editorial Reviews - Charlie Brown Christmas

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The first prime-time Peanuts special introduced Charles M. Schulz's timeless gang to the world of television and was awarded both an Emmy and a Peabody award. Originally broadcast December 9, 1965, on CBS -- years before Seasonal Affective Disorder entered our lexicon -- the story is driven by Charlie Brown, sort of a tyro Scrooge made even more miserable by the increasingly crass commercialism of holiday cheer. Charlie agrees to direct the school Christmas pageant and in the process tries to discover the true meaning of the holiday. Although its animation is dated and its evangelism is unsubtle, A Charlie Brown Christmas -- like all the Peanuts holiday specials -- is so good-hearted that it's very easy to overlook its flaws. Linus wrapping his blanket around the tiny, stunted tree remains among the most endearing images ever produced for network television. For grown-ups, this is how Charlie Brown and Snoopy and Sally will always be remembered, stumbling and dancing around the school stage in a childish torrent of goodwill. For kids, the simple charm of the white beagle with black ears and his friends will likely beguile them from here to next Tuesday. The new DVD is unedited and includes footage that was shorn after the initial broadcast, as well as the more recent special, It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown. Pete Segall

All Movie Guide
As incredible as it seems, CBS head man James Aubrey originally vetoed his network's presentation of the animated A Charlie Brown Christmas on the grounds that Charles M. Schultz's round-headed protagonist was a "loser" who wouldn't attract an audience! The story proposes that Charlie Brown is convinced that the true meaning of Christmas has been forgotten by his Peanuts friends, not to mention the rest of the world. "Psychiatrist" Lucy advises Charlie Brown to get into the holiday spirit by directing the kids' upcoming Christmas play. Despite his utter lack of control over his cast, Charlie Brown takes his job seriously, even setting out to find a genuine Christmas tree to decorate the set instead of the usual aluminum job. But Charlie Brown's tree is a scrawny, pathetic thing, and all seems lost. That is, until the rest of the Peanuts gang decide to pitch in and decorate the woebegone tree. An instant hit when first telecast December 9, 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas has been rebroadcast virtually every year since. It was produced by Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez, the latter providing the squeals and growls of Charlie Brown's hyper-intelligent dog, Snoopy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web

Starring: Debbie Reynolds, Paul Lynde, Master Henry Gibson, Robert Holt, Agnes Moorehead, Rex Allen, Danny Bonaduce, Pamelyn Ferdin, Joan Gerber, Dave Madden, Don Messick, Charles Nelson Reilly, Martha Scott, John Stephenson, Herb Vigran, William B. White, Irwin Kostal
Director: Charles A. Nichols

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Children
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:34

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Editorial Reviews - Charlotte's Web

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This animated musical, based on E.B. White's children's book classic, is about a courageous spider who helps save the life of an ill-fated pig. Wilbur is a young pig (voice of Henry Gibson) who's owned by New England farmer Homer Zuckerman (voice of Robert Holt). One day he is sold to a neighbor, where he meets a sheep who warns him that his fate lies in the confines of the slaughterhouse. Wilbur is terrified of this news until he meets Charlotte, a charming spider (voice of Debbie Reynolds), who is determined to save Wilbur from this dire destiny. By weaving words into her web, she convinces the farmer that Wilbur is some sort of prodigious animal too important to kill. The music for Charlotte's Web was written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, who wrote the scores for countless Disney movies, including Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book. Don Kaye

Christmas in Connecticut

Christmas in Connecticut

Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet, Reginald Gardiner, Robert Shayne, Una O'Connor, Frank Jenks, Joyce Compton, Dick Elliott, Charles Arnt, Betty Alexander, Arthur Ayleswofth, Walter S. Baldwin, Marie Blake, Lillian Bronson, Douglas Carter, John Dehner, Allen Fox, Jo Gilbert, Olaf Hytten, Fred Kelsey, Pat Lane, Robert Machray, Charles Marsh, Jack Mower, John O'Connor, S.Z. Sakall, Charles Sherlock, Emmett E. Smith
Director: Peter Godfrey

Certification: NR
Category: Comedy of Errors
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:41

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Editorial Reviews - Christmas in Connecticut

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War hero Dennis Morgan becomes the object of a publicity stunt staged by magazine publisher Sidney Greenstreet. The corpulent print mogul announces that Morgan has won a Christmas dinner, to be prepared by the magazine's housekeeping expert Barbara Stanwyck in her own Connecticut home. The catch: Not only does Stanwyck not have a home in Connecticut, but she's never been in a kitchen in her life! She also doesn't have a husband (as her articles claim), so Stanwyck's erstwhile beau Reginald Gardiner is pressed into service as the hubby. As for the cooking, that will be handled by master chef S. Z. "Cuddles" Sakall. This solves everything, right? No way, Jose. Long dismissed as a lesser film farce, Christmas in Connecticut has its own irresistible charm, and has in recent years become a perennial Christmas TV attraction. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

City Hall

City Hall

Starring: Al Pacino, John Cusack, Bridget Fonda, Danny Aiello, Martin Landau, Anthony Franciosa, David Paymer, Stanley Anderson, Ray Aranha, Steve Aronson, Jordan Baker, Tony Lo Bianco, Fran Brill, Harry Bugin, Angel David, Lindsay Duncan, John Finn, Richard Gant, Murphy Guyer, Sylvia Kauders, Joseph Kelly, Edward I. Koch, Rob La Belle, Mark Lonow, Lucia Mendoza, Mary Murphy, Brian Murray, Roberta Peters, Larry Romano, Richard Schiff, Nestor Serrano, Miguel Sierra, John Slattery, Tamara Tunie, Lauren Vélez, Mel Winkler
Director: Harold Becker

Certification: NR
Category: Drama - General
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:51

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Editorial Reviews - City Hall

All Movie Guide
Three A-list screenwriters -- (Nicholas Pileggi, Bo Goldman, and Paul Schrader) -- contributed to the script of this idealistic political drama. John Pappas (Al Pacino) is the popular, ethical Mayor of New York; Kevin Calhoun (John Cusack) is his even more idealistic and principled deputy. When a detective and mobster kill each other and an innocent six-year-old black child in a shootout, questions arise about what the cop was doing meeting with the gangster in the first place. The Mayor and his staff handle the situation ably, but Calhoun digs deeper and finds troubling evidence that even his seemingly incorruptible boss has not escaped the shadier aspects of political life. The Mafia boss (Tony Franciosa) whose nephew was the dead gangster, along with a Brooklyn political boss (Danny Aiello) with his own agenda, come into the story, becoming part of a series of larger links, secret relationships, and bonds of "honor" between men who, on the surface, would have no reason to be in business with each other. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

City of Angels

City of Angels

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Meg Ryan, Andre Braugher, Dennis Franz, Colm Feore, Robin Bartlett, Joanna Merlin, Sarah Dampf, Deirdre O'Connell
Director: Brad Silberling

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Heaven-Can-Wait Fantasies
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Running Time: 1:57

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Editorial Reviews - City of Angels

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An angel must decide if love is more important than eternal peace in this Americanized adaptation of Wim Wenders' modern classic Wings of Desire. Seth (Nicholas Cage) is an angel who hovers over the city of Los Angeles, listening to people's thoughts, observing their lives, and guiding them to the next world when they die. While Seth and his fellow angels try to offer comfort to people as they can, they are discouraged from direct contact with humans and are usually invisible to them. While at a hospital, Seth sees Maggie (Meg Ryan), a dedicated heart surgeon who attempts to save the life of a patient Seth was to call upon. Maggie is distraught after the patient passes, and her agony touches something inside the reserved Seth; he finds himself falling in love with her, and he decides to make himself visible so he can communicate with her. As Maggie gets to know the strange visitor in black who has suddenly appeared in her life, she finds herself torn between her new feelings for Seth and her attachment to her fiancé Jordan (Colm Feore), a fellow doctor. Seth, on the other hand, has a serious choice to make -- between immortality and giving it up in order to know both the pleasures and pains of being a human being. City of Angels also stars Dennis Franz as Messinger, a patient at the hospital who has some important advice for Seth. The film's soundtrack featured two Top Ten hits, "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls and "Uninvited" by Alanis Morissette. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

City Slickers

City Slickers

Starring: Billy Crystal, Jack Palance, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby, Patricia Wettig
Director: Ron Underwood

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Movies
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Running Time: 1:52

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Editorial Reviews

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Three middle-age buddies (Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby) facing personal crises decide to sign up for a two-week cattle run for a change of pace. The trail proves a tougher place than anyone thought, and the boss (Jack Palance) is a grizzled taskmaster who doesn't cotton to tenderfoot urbanites. Popular in theaters, the film is both funny and moving, with Crystal giving one of his most complete performances and Palance (who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar) a lot of colorful fun. Director Ron Underwood (Heart and Souls) subtly shifts the tone of the film from broad comedy to poignancy over its running time, and he makes the story's end a bittersweet victory that feels like life as most people know it. --Tom Keogh

From The New Yorker
This feel-good comedy, directed by Ron Underwood from a script by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, is a depressingly efficient piece of Hollywood product. The hero, Mitch Robbins (Billy Crystal), is a thirty-nine-year-old New York family man who's going through a killer midlife crisis. His wife (Patricia Wettig) gets so fed up with his moping that she virtually orders him to take a vacation with his buddies Ed (Bruno Kirby) and Phil (Daniel Stern); Ed, a daredevil, macho type, has arranged for them to spend two weeks on a real cattle drive out West. Mitch's wife looks him in the eye, and says earnestly, "Go and find your smile"-and, ninety minutes later, there it is, a grin as big as all outdoors. His pals pick up the odd nugget of wisdom along the trail, too. The movie alternates predictable tenderfoot gags (sore behinds, stampedes, and the like) with long, ludicrous passages of group-therapy-on-the-range. Jack Palance, as Curly, the trail boss, manages some dry, macabre comic effects, and the animals are good-they're interesting to look at, and they don't make bad jokes. You can't help sympathizing with the cattle; by the time the movie is over, you know what it feels like to be part of the herd. Also with Helen Slater. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright ® 2006 The New Yorker

Class Action

Class Action

Starring: Gene Hackman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Colin Friels, Joanna Merlin, Laurence Fishburne, Donald Moffat, Jan Rubes, Fred Dalton Thompson, Jonathan Silverman, David Byron, Matt Clark, Judge John Dearman, Greg Goossen, Gretchen Grant, Ken Grantham, Robert David Hall, Dan Hicks, Tim Hopper, Lora Kennedy, Lickettes, Linda Lowy, Joan McMurtrey, Elizabeth Monti, Hajna O. Moss, Wood Moy, Carolyn Reynolds Najera, Davia Nelson, Anne Ramsay, Renn Reynolds, Carolyn Shelby, Victor Talmadge, Abigail van Alyn, James Van Harper, Acoustic Warriors, Richard Zitrin
Director: Michael Apted

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Courtroom Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:50

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Editorial Reviews - Class Action

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A pair of lawyers must balance their professional principles (such as they are) against family loyalties in this courtroom drama. Jedediah Ward (Gene Hackman) is a leftist lawyer who has based his career on helping people avoid being taken for a ride by the rich and powerful; he's pursued principle at the expense of profit, though he has a bad habit of not following up on his clients after their cases are settled. Jed's daughter, Maggie (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), has had a bad relationship with her father ever since she discovered that he was cheating on her mother, and while she also has made a career in law, she has taken a very different professional route by working for a high-powered corporate law firm and has adopted a conservative political agenda. Jed is hired to help field a lawsuit against a major auto manufacturer whose station wagons have a dangerous propensity to explode on impact, but while his research indicates he has an all but airtight case against them, the case becomes more complicated for him when he discovers that Maggie is representing the firm he's suing. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Clear and Present Danger

Clear and Present Danger

Starring: Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe, Anne Archer, Joaquim de Almeida, Henry Czerny, Harris Yulin, Donald Moffat, Miguel Sandoval, Benjamin Bratt, Ray Cruz, Dean Jones, Thora Birch, Ann Magnuson, Hope Lange, Tom Tammi, Tim Grimm, Belita Moreno, James Earl Jones, Vaughn Armstrong, Mark Bailey, Patrick Bauchau, Patricia Belcher, Alejandro Bracho, Cam Brainard, Reg E. Cathey, Jared Chandler, Juan Carlos Colombo, Chris Conrad, Kevin Cooney, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Elizabeth Dennehy, Reed Diamond, Kim Flowers, Colleen Flynn, Ellen Geer, Greg Germann, Jaime Gomez, Clark Gregg, Blanca Guerra, Ken Howard, Tom Isbell, Denice Kumagai, John La Fayette, Rex Linn, Kamala Lopez, Marjorie Lovett, Jorge Luke, Aaron Lustig, Honorato Magaloni, M. Martinez, Christine Moore, John Rixey Moore, Miguel Perez, John Putch, Theodore Raimi, Guillermo Rios, Diana Sowle, Lynne Stewart, Cameron Thor, Harley Venton
Director: Phillip Noyce

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
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Running Time: 2:21

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Editorial Reviews - Clear and Present Danger

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This is the third film based on Tom Clancy's high-tech espionage potboilers starring CIA deputy director Jack Ryan. Harrison Ford, returning to the Ryan role after his first go-round in 1992's Patriot Games, is assigned to a delicate anti-drug investigation after a close friend of the President (a Reaganesque Donald Moffat) is murdered by a Colombian drug cartel. When Ryan discovers that the President's wealthy friend was in league with the cartel, the President's devious national security adviser (Harris Yulin) and an ambitious CIA deputy director (Henry Czerny) send a secret paramilitary force into Colombia to wipe out the drug lords. The force is captured and then abandoned by the President's lackeys. It falls to Ryan to enter Colombia and rescue them, aided only by a renegade operative named Clark (Willem Dafoe), with both his life and career on the line. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

Cleopatra

Cleopatra

Starring: Leonor Varela, Timothy Dalton, Billy Zane, Rupert Graves, John Bowe, Art Malik, Nadim Sawalha, Owen Teale, Philip Quast, Daragh O'Malley, Bruce Payne, Sean Pertwee, David Schofield, Kassandra Voyagis, Indra Ové, Josephine Amankwah, Caroline Langrishe, Elisabeth Dermot Walsh, Ralph Brown, James Cosmo, Denis Quilley, James Saxon, Oded Fehr
Director: Franc Roddam

Certification: NR
Category: Epic
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Running Time: 4:00

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Editorial Reviews - Cleopatra

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The epic saga of the Queen of Egypt gets yet another retelling in Cleopatra, a four-hour, two-part spectacular produced for television. Leonor Varela plays Cleopatra, the Egyptian monarch who uses her wisdom, charm, ruthlessness, and seductive powers to work her way into the heart (and bed) of Roman leader Julius Caesar (Timothy Dalton). But Cleopatra shifts her romantic alliances to Marc Anthony (Billy Zane) just in time for Caesar's death and Anthony's rise to the throne. When Rome goes to war, however, Cleopatra realizes that she can only remain in power for so long, eventually making a late date with an asp when things get especially grim. This is at least the 12th film based on Cleopatra's life (the best-known being the infamously expensive 1962 version starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton). Produced by Hallmark for NBC television, this version first aired as a two-part miniseries in May 1999. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Clifford the Big Red Dog: Clifford's Best Friends

Clifford the Big Red Dog: Clifford's Best Friends

Starring:
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Animation
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Running Time: 10:00

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Editorial Reviews - Clifford the Big Red Dog: Clifford's Best Friends

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As fans of the PBS Kids series know, the words "Clifford" and "Best Friends" promise loads of screen time for two of kid-vid's most charming sidekicks: T-Bone (voiced by Kel Mitchell) and Cleo (Cree Summer). Of course, Clifford's human pal Emily Elizabeth (Grey DeLisle) counts among his closest companions, too; and their bond is the object of a school show-and-tell in "My Best Friend." But doesn't it always seem that the Big Red Dog's most telling moments of self-realization come from his relationships with his pals? Certainly the two best episodes included here, "False Friends" and "A New Friend," give that impression. Each of these introduces a fourth canine into the three-dog Clifford dynamic, with edifying results each time. In the final episode, "The Dog Who Cried Woof," we get a bit off the friendship theme, but the central trio's reaction to the scary story of Whiffy the Ghost Skunk is welcome fun indeed. Greg Fagan

All Movie Guide
In the animated PBS children's television series Clifford the Big Red Dog, the huggable, lovable, giant red canine Clifford provides young viewers with some valuable lessons on self-acceptance, friends, and community. The series stars the big-hearted pooch, voiced by John Ritter; his eight-year-old owner Emily Elizabeth; and Clifford's canine pals, T-Bone and Cleo. The episode "My Best Friend" features one of Clifford's Ten Big Ideas which children can apply to their own lives. In this program, the focus idea is the importance of believing in yourself. Emily hunts high and low for an extraordinary item to share for Show-and-Tell. Her search finally ends when she realizes that often, our most valuable treasures are right in front of our eyes. This series, geared for youngsters age three and older, is based upon the book series written and illustrated by Norman Bridwell. Sally Barber

Clueless

Clueless

Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd, Dan Hedaya, Donald Faison, Wallace Shawn, Breckin Meyer, Jeremy Sisto, Jace Alexander, Julie Brown, Twink Caplan, Elisa Donovan, Carl Gottlieb, Roger Kabler, Aida Linares, Ron Orbach, Justin Walker
Director: Amy Heckerling

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
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Running Time: 1:37

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Editorial Reviews - Clueless

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Returning to the milieu of her genre-defining teen masterpiece, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Amy Heckerling again found the sweet spot in the teen world of the time with Clueless -- scoring an enduring hit that appeals to viewers of all ages. A loose adaptation of Jane Austen's 19th-century comedy of manners Emma, Clueless employs high school as a microcosm of a larger society; in this case, the sun-drenched paradise of conspicuous consumption known as Beverly Hills. Leading the pack as a rich, blonde cutie named Cher is Alicia Silverstone, in a career-making performance. With the help of her best friend, Dionne (Stacey Dash), well-meaning busybody Cher attempts to turn the school nerd, Tai (Brittany Murphy), into a teen queen -- with unexpected results. Heckerling's witty satire is dead-on, particularly in its rendering of the kids' speech, an adolescent patois peppered with vacuous expressions like "as if!" and "whatever!" The beauty of Clueless is that, even as it makes fun of Cher's relentless pursuit of popularity, it reveals an insightful, well-meaning individual beneath its heroine's image-obsessed surface. Kryssa Schemmerling

All Movie Guide
Jane Austen might never have imagined that her 1816 novel Emma could be turned into a fresh and satirical look at ultra-rich teenagers in a Beverly Hills high school. Cher (Alicia Silverstone) and Dionne (Stacey Dash), both named after "great singers of the past that now do infomercials," are pampered upper-class girls who care less about getting good grades than wearing the right clothes and being as popular as possible. But Cher, who lives with her tough yet warm-hearted lawyer dad (Dan Hedaya) and hunky, sensitive stepbrother (Paul Rudd), also has an innate urge to help those less fortunate -- like the two introverted teachers she brings together ("negotiating" herself improved grades in the process) and new friend Tai (Brittany Murphy), who starts out a geek and ends up a Cher prodigy. Cher also possesses her own sensitive side, and she is looking for the perfect boyfriend, whom she ends up finding where she least expected. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

Cocktail

Cocktail

Starring: Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown, Elisabeth Shue, Lisa Banes, Laurence Luckinbill, Kelly Lynch, Gina Gershon, Ron Dean, Ellen Foley, Paul Abbott, Harvey Alperin, Gregg Baker, Gerry Bamman, Bill Bateman, E. Hampton Beagle, Reathel Bean, Paul Benedict, Larry Block, Peter Boyden, David Chant, Kelly Connell, Rich Crater, David Crowley, Robert Donley, Diane Douglass, James Eckhouse, Adam Furfaro, Leroy Gibbons, Johnny Graham, Robert Greenberg, Luther Hansraj, Dianne Heatherington, Donna Isaacson, Richard Livingston, Justin Louis, John Lyons, Dan MacDonald, Ellen Maguire, James Mainprize, Rosalyn Marshall, Arlene Mazerolle, Ken McGregor, Andrea Morse, Kim Nelles, Jack Newman, Chris Owens, Jean Pflieger, Liisa Repo-Martell, Lew Saunders, Jeff Silverman, George Sperdakos, Allan Wasserman, Parker Whitman, Joseph Zaccone
Director: Roger Donaldson

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

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Editorial Reviews - Cocktail

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Tom Cruise juggles Martini shakers and ice cubes as the materialistic Brian Flanagan, a bartender who drops out of school to search for the perfect "rich chick" who will bankroll him into luxury. Brian meets up with bar veteran Doug Couglin (Bryan Brown) and they put together a dance-duo bar-tending act, taking five minutes to a mix a drink as they dance and toss gin bottles behind the bar to cutting-edge rock music circa 1988. The patrons, instead of demanding the booze, are dazzled by their antics and cheer them on. As a result, the bartenders become wildly popular -- in particular, Brian, who finds the bar babes falling all over each other to hop into the sack with him. As a result of their bar-tending success, they get hired to tend bar at a swanky disco, but there Brian and Doug have a falling out, and Brian takes off for Jamaica. There he meets vacationing New York City waitress Jordan Mooney (Elisabeth Shue) and the two fall in love. But then Brian meets rich New York fashion executive Bonnie (Lisa Banes) who wants to take Brian back to Manhattan with her to become her drink-mixing stud. When Jordan sees this, the love affair is put on hold. But not for long, as pangs of consciousness begin to filter through Brian's drunken haze. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Conspiracy Theory

Conspiracy Theory

Starring: Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, Patrick Stewart, Cylk Cozart, Stephen Kahan, Terry Alexander
Director: Richard Donner

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action Thriller
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:15

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Editorial Reviews - Conspiracy Theory

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Jerry Fletcher (Mel Gibson) is a New York City cab driver who seems to have absorbed every bit of crackpot information passed along as "suppressed news" that's surfaced on talk radio or the Internet in the past 20 years. Anti-United Nations militia men who are actually U.N. operatives? NASA scientists engineering earthquakes? Oliver Stone's secret life as a government agent discrediting conspiracy theorists? Jerry's heard 'em all and believes most of them, and even publishes his own journal of forbidden information, with a subscription list that now totals five people. In short, Jerry seems like just another New York City lunatic, and while he spends a fair amount of his spare time following Alice Sutton (Julia Roberts), a government attorney, Alice regards him as harmless; he once intervened while she was being mugged, and he's been acting like her benign if whacked-out protector ever since. However, one day Jerry is kidnapped and worked over by CIA operatives; he is convinced that one of the theories he uncovered must be for real -- but he has no idea which one. He tries to get Alice to help him, and before long both are drawn into a dangerous web that leads to a startling revelation of just how Jerry got this way. Mel Gibson gives a fine comic performance, and those with a taste for alternative media will have fun dissecting which of the theories Jerry spouts are "real" (or at least appeared before this film was made) and which were the invention of the screenwriters. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Coyote Ugly

Coyote Ugly

Starring: Piper Perabo, Adam Garcia, Maria Bello, John Goodman, Melanie Lynskey, Izabella Miko, Bridget Moynahan, Tyra Banks, Del Pentacost, Michael Weston, LeAnn Rimes, Johnny Knoxville, Chris Wylde
Director: David McNally

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Comedy - General
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:40

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Editorial Reviews - Coyote Ugly

Barnes & Noble
Viewers who appreciate loud music, bodacious babes, and high-spirited fun will find plentiful quantities of each at this film's eponymous establishment. Coyote Ugly, a rollicking romp directed by David McNally, stars appealing newcomer Piper Perabo as Violet Sanford, a young New Jersey native who moves to New York to fulfill her dream of becoming a singer-songwriter. Like most aspiring talents who make their way to the Big Apple, Violet finds the road to success pockmarked with potholes, and to make ends meet she takes a job as barmaid at Coyote Ugly, where the employees are just as rowdy as the customers. Perabo winningly portrays the insecure songstress whose inhibitions gradually melt away as she becomes accustomed to the bar's raucous atmosphere. McNally directs energetically, eliciting lively supporting performances from Maria Bello (as the bar's hard-boiled proprietor), Kevin O'Donnell (as Violet's new beau), and John Goodman (as her justifiably worried dad). Supermodel Tyra Banks is among the beautiful barmaids whose vigorous dance numbers are guaranteed to keep interest from flagging. The DVD includes documentaries about the casting of the film's lead role, the filming of the bar scenes, a LeAnn Rimes music video, and deleted scenes. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
An aspiring musician becomes one of the most famous bartenders in New York in this high-spirited comedy-drama. Small-town girl Violet Sanford (Piper Perabo) dreams of making a name for herself as a singer and songwriter, so she moves to New York City in hopes of landing her big break. Needing to support herself until stardom rolls around, she takes a job as a barmaid at a new nightspot called Coyote Ugly, where the owner Lil (Maria Bello) and the staff of attractive young women dance on the bar, flirt with the mostly male clientele, sing along with the jukebox, and goad the customers into matching them shot for shot. Soon, local media pick up on the bar's success, turning the staff into unexpected celebrities, a situation that presents its own set of problems. Coyote Ugly also stars John Goodman as Violet's straight-laced father, Adam Garcia as a customer Violet becomes involved with, and Tyra Banks, Melanie Lynskey, Bridget Moynahan, and Izabella Miko as the barmaids; action-film titan Jerry Bruckheimer produced. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Crimson Tide

Crimson Tide

Starring: Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, George Dzundza, Viggo Mortensen, James Gandolfini, Matt Craven, Daniel Von Bargen, Earl Billings, Christopher Birt, Bob Stone, Jim Boyce, Lillo Brancato Jr., Eric Bruskotter, Scott Burkholder, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Rocky Carroll, Michael Chieffo, Rad Daly, Chris Ellis, Dennis Garber, Jaime Gomez, Scott Grimes, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Michael Milhoan, Henry Mortensen, Danny Nucci, Sean O'Bryan, Warren Olney, Ryan Phillippe, Jason Robards Jr., Rick Schroder, Jacob Vargas, Michael D. Weatherred, Steve Zahn
Director: Tony Scott

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action Thriller
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:55

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Editorial Reviews - Crimson Tide

Barnes & Noble
When it comes to building too-close-for-comfort tension and suspense, there's nothing like setting a film in the confines of a submarine. In the case of this gripping 1995 thriller, potential nuclear warfare ratchets the intensity that much higher. When rebels seize control of a Russian missile base, concerned Pentagon officials order the USS Alabama to destroy the site with their own nukes. That's just fine with Capt. Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman), but when a garbled follow-up order suggests the presence of complicating factors, newly assigned Lt. Commander Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington) suggests they wait before launching a first strike. The resulting clash threatens to provoke a mutiny, which promises profound consequences. Director Tony Scott (Domino) eschews his trademark camera wizardry and concentrates on establishing a grim mood enhanced by the claustrophobic setting. Washington and Hackman, whose increasingly heated exchanges will raise the hair on the back of your neck, superbly convey the mounting tension. These two fine actors -- backed up by a great supporting cast that includes future stars Viggo Mortensen and James Gandolfini -- bring a complex human dimension to this modern action classic. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Two leaders with different philosophies about battle and leadership wage war with each other in this tense military thriller. Capt. Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman) is the commanding officer of a nuclear submarine, the U.S.S. Alabama. Ramsey is a distinguished veteran near the end of his career, and he leads his men with an iron hand; as he puts it, "We're here to preserve democracy, not to practice it." Ramsey is assigned a new second-in-command, Lt. Cmmdr. Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington); Hunter is much younger than Ramsey, Harvard educated, and believes the goal of the military in the nuclear age is to prevent war, not fight it. While at sea, word reaches the Alabama that a splinter group of Russian forces have seized missile silos, and the ship is put on red alert. The Alabama has orders to fire, but as it is receiving a new incoming order the radio malfunctions. It's Ramsey's contention that an order is an order and they are to move forward with the attack, while Hunter feels if there is any question at all about their mission, they should wait until they can receive further instruction, with Hunter going so far as to threaten mutiny against Ramsey if the missile strike is carried out. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Towne both contributed to the screenplay without credit. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, Chang Chen, Sihung Lung, Cheng Pei-Pei
Director: Ang Lee

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Costume Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:59

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Editorial Reviews - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

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A hypnotically fascinating hybrid produced by crossing martial-arts adventure with fairy-tale romance, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon quickly became the most successful foreign film ever released in the U.S. Chow Yun-Fat, an international superstar whose English-language films include Anna and the King, portrays a Chinese warrior who retires from a life of violence and relinquishes custody of his fabled sword, the magnificent Green Destiny. Hong Kong action star and erstwhile Bond girl Michelle Yeoh plays the longtime friend and admirer whose father is entrusted with the sword. A thrill-seeking young aristocrat (Zhang Ziyi), working with an evil mentor whom Chow once swore to kill, steals the sword -- and the chase is on. The characters square off in a series of exhilarating, occasionally dreamlike confrontations -- including a particularly memorable scene that unfolds amid windblown treetops -- staged with split-second precision and choreographic grace. As directed by Ang Lee (The Ice Storm), Crouching Tiger assumes multiple aspects; it offers two contrasting love stories that are at various points wistful, soaring, melancholy, and profoundly spiritual. It is, in every way, an impeccably executed film that refuses to be confined by formula and therefore delights on many levels. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee took a break from making Western period dramas to fashion this wild and woolly martial arts spectacular featuring special effects and action sequences courtesy of the choreographer of The Matrix (1999), Yuen Woo Ping. In the early 19th century, martial arts master Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) is about to retire and enter a life of meditation, though he quietly longs to avenge the death of his master, who was killed by Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-pei). He gives his sword, a fabled 400-year-old weapon known as Green Destiny, to his friend, fellow martial arts wizard and secret love Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), so that she may deliver it to Sir Te (Sihung Lung). Upon arrival in Peking, Yu happens upon Jen (Zhang Ziyi), a vivacious, willful politician's daughter. That night, a mysterious masked thief swipes Green Destiny, with Yu in hot pursuit -- resulting in the first of several martial arts action set pieces during the film. Li arrives in Beijing and eventually discovers that Jen is not only the masked thief but is also in cahoots with the evil Jade. In spite of this, Li sees great talent in Jen as a fighter and offers to school her in the finer points of martial arts and selflessness, an offer that Jen promptly rebukes. This film was first screened to much acclaim at the 2000 Cannes, Toronto, and New York film festivals and became a favorite when Academy Awards nominations were announced in 2001: Tiger snagged ten nods and later secured four wins for Best Cinematography, Score, Art Direction, and Foreign Language Film. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Chicago Sun-Times
Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is the most exhilarating martial arts movie I have seen.... But like all ambitious movies, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" transcends its origins and becomes one of a kind. It's glorious, unashamed escapism and surprisingly touching at the same time. Roger Ebert

Boston Globe
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a magical dream of a martial arts epic. It surpasses any you've ever seen. Jay Carr

Cruel Intentions

Cruel Intentions

Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, Selma Blair, Louise Fletcher, Swoosie Kurtz, Christine Baranski, Joshua Jackson, Eric Mabius, Sean Patrick Thomas, Tara Reid
Director: Roger Kumble

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Psychological Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:35

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Editorial Reviews - Cruel Intentions

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In an adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos' novel, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillippe) are step-brother and step-sister living in Manhattan. With their absent parents travelling in Europe, the wealthy pair have the family penthouse to themselves as they while away their summer break before beginning senior year at a private high school. Sebastian, bad-boy lothario, has apparently slept with all the girls in town and appears numb to it all. Kathryn, who appears to be the good girl class president, is actually far more amoral and malicious than Sebastian, but maintains appearances to the contrary. When she is dumped by her boyfriend, Court Reynolds (Charlie O'Connell), for the innocent Cecile Caldwell (Selma Blair), she schemes revenge by destroying Cecile's reputation. She challenges Sebastian to deflower Cecile and transform her into a tramp to humiliate Court. Sebastian isn't as interested as Cecile -- she's spent her whole life in a Catholic girl's school and presents no challenge. The girl who has caught his attention is Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon), the new headmaster's daughter. Annette had written an article for Seventeen Magazine on her plans to stay a virgin until she finds her one true love. Kathryn makes a wager. If Sebastian fails to lure Annette into bed before the summer is over, Kathryn gets his car. If he succeeds, Sebastian gets Kathryn, whom he wants anyway. Sebastian accepts the bet, but Annette turns out to be more than either of them bargained for. ~ Ron Wells, Rovi

Dad

Dad

Starring: Jack Lemmon, Ted Danson, Olympia Dukakis, Kathy Baker, Kevin Spacey, Ethan Hawke, Zakes Mokae, J.T. Walsh, John Apicella, Patti Arpaia, Andi Chapman, Edith Fields, Takayo Fischer, Richard Fiske, Mary Fogarty, Art Frankel, Ray Girardin, Peter Michael Goetz, Sprague Grayden, Lucas Hall, Jimmy Higa, Gregory Itzin, Tony Kienitz, Katie Kissell, Emily Kuroda, Chris Lemmon, Patrick Massett, Richard McGonagle, Bill Morey, Jan Munroe, Nancy Paul, Justin Petersen, Donna Porter, Gina Raymond, Vickilyn Reynolds, Charles Stranski, Terry Wills
Director: Gary David Goldberg

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Drama - General
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:57

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Editorial Reviews - Dad

All Movie Guide
Looking like death warmed over, Jack Lemmon plays the aging father of Ted Danson. Always proud of being able to fend for himself, Lemmon despises being reliant upon others, but his enfeebled state does not allow him his old independence. For his part, Danson resents having to care for his dad as he would for an infant. Things take an upward turn when a "Doctor Feelgood" (Zakes Mokae) enters the scene, pumping Lemmon full of self-confidence. But then Lemmon is stricken with cancer, an affliction that he can't jolly himself out of. As the reality of his imminent death strikes everyone around him, Lemmon retreats into fantasy, recalling the past happy events of his life as though they're happening here and now. The rest of the family humors their dying dad, and in so doing draws closer together than they've been in years. TV sitcom maestro Gary David Goldberg co-produced and directed Dad, and also adapted the screenplay from the novel by William Wharton. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves

Starring: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant, Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman, Tantoo Cardinal, Robert Pastorelli, Charles Rocket, Maury Chaykin, Jimmy Herman, Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, Kirk Baltz, Ryan White Bull, Billy Burton, Doris Leader Charge, Richard Leader Charge, Buffalo Child, Otakuye Conroy, Frank P. Costanza, Annie Costner, Maretta Big Crow, Bill W. Curry, R.L. Curtin, Elise Daniel, Chad Dowdell, Conor Duffy, Clayton Big Eagle, Tom Everett, David J. Fuller, Robert Goldman, Wayne Grace, Carter Hanner, Kent Hays, Jason R. Lone Hill, Marvin Holy, Donald Hotton, Larry Joshua, Elisabeth Leustig, James Mitchell, Raymond Newholy, Redwing Ted Nez, Tony Pierce, Percy White Plume, Steve Reevis, Michael Spears, Steve Chambers, Wes Studi, John Tail, Nick Thompson, Sheldon Peters Wolfchild
Director: Kevin Costner

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Epic Western
User Rating:
Running Time: 3:01

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Editorial Reviews - Dances with Wolves

All Movie Guide
A historical drama about the relationship between a Civil War soldier and a band of Sioux Indians, Kevin Costner's directorial debut was also a surprisingly popular hit, considering its length, period setting, and often somber tone. The film opens on a particularly dark note, as melancholy Union lieutenant John W. Dunbar attempts to kill himself on a suicide mission, but instead becomes an unintentional hero. His actions lead to his reassignment to a remote post in remote South Dakota, where he encounters the Sioux. Attracted by the natural simplicity of their lifestyle, he chooses to leave his former life behind to join them, taking on the name Dances with Wolves. Soon, Dances with Wolves has become a welcome member of the tribe and fallen in love with a white woman who has been raised amongst the tribe. His peaceful existence is threatened, however, when Union soldiers arrive with designs on the Sioux land. Some detractors have criticized the film's depiction of the tribes as simplistic; such objections did not dissuade audiences or the Hollywood establishment, however, which awarded the film seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Dances with Wolves

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Epic Western
User Rating:
Running Time: 3:01

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Dante's Peak

Dante's Peak

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton, Charles Hallahan, Grant Heslov, Elizabeth Hoffman, Jamie Renee Smith, Arabella Field, Jeremy Foley, James Fox, Brian Reddy, Kirk Trutner
Director: Roger Donaldson

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

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Editorial Reviews - Dante's Peak

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Old Smokey develops a bad temper in this volcanic disaster spectacle. Harry Dalton (Pierce Brosnan) is a volcano expert whose interest became more than academic after he lost the woman he loved in a volcanic emergency. When he is sent to investigate unusual seismic activity in the quiet Pacific Northwest community of Dante's Peak, he discovers people boiled to death in the local hot spring and plant and animal life dying or displaying unusual illnesses near the city's supposedly dormant volcano. Harry becomes convinced that a major volcanic catastrophe is in the cards. Rachel Wando (Linda Hamilton), the town's mayor, is a single mother who also runs the local cafe, and now that Dante's Peak has been named one of the most desirable small towns in America, tourists have been flocking to the diner and other local businesses. While concerned with the safety of her community, Rachel takes a cynical view of Harry's warnings about the volcano; she has no desire to alarm either the town's residents or the wealthy visitors lining the city's pockets. Nevertheless, Harry tries to convince Rachel of the potential danger, as they begin to develop feelings for each other that are not strictly professional. The summer of 1997 was a big season for killer volcanoes at the movies, as Dante's Peak and Volcano opened within a few months of each other. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Dave

Dave

Starring: Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Frank Langella, Kevin Dunn, Ving Rhames, Ben Kingsley, Charles Grodin, Faith Prince, Dawn Arnemann, Parley Baer, Bonnie Bartlett, Lexie Bigham, Frank Birney, Dan Butler, Michael Chinich, Paul Collins, Tom Dugan, Robin Gammell, Stefan Gierasch, Wendy Gordon, Charles Hallahan, Tom Harkin, Heather Hewitt, Bonnie Hunt, Bernard Kalb, Larry King, Tom Kurlander, Aaron Michael Lacey, Jay Leno, Laura Linney, Ralph Manza, Sarah Marshall, George Martin, Chris Matthews, John McLaughlin, Alba Oms, Richard Reeves, Catherine Reitman, Jason Reitman, Genevieve Robert, Stephen Root, Gary Ross, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Paul Simon, Alan Simpson, Anna Deavere Smith, Ben Stein, Oliver Stone, Kathleen Sullivan, Helen A. Thomas, Bonnie Timmermann, Nina Totenberg, Sander Vanocuer, Robert Walsh, Peter White, Steve Witting
Director: Frank Birney

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Political Satire
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:50

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Editorial Reviews - Dave

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The ghost of Frank Capra must have smiled when he saw Dave, an amusing and effective update of one of Capra's favorite themes -- the scrupulously honest little guy who becomes a force for good against a corrupt system. Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline) runs an employment agency and seems to genuinely enjoy finding work for people who need it. He also bears a striking resemblance to the president of the United States, Bill Mitchell (also played by Kline) and occasionally gets work as a Bill Mitchell impersonator. One day, Dave gets a call from the Secret Service -- for security purposes, they want to hire him to act as a decoy for an upcoming appearance by the president. All goes well, but later that evening President Mitchell suffers a massive stroke while in bed with his mistress. Wanting to keep the matter a secret, two of the president's top advisors appeal to Dave to stand in as Bill Mitchell until he regains his health. One of the men behind this scheme, Bob Alexander (Frank Langella), hopes to use Mitchell's absence to promote his own right-wing political agenda, but after a few weeks "in office," Dave decides it's time to promote some changes of his own that will help increase employment and keep homeless shelters open. Dave also finds himself growing fond of Ellen Mitchell (Sigourney Weaver), the President's wife, while Ellen sees in Dave the idealism her husband left behind years ago. Dave features numerous cameo appearances by politicians, Washington insiders, and journalists; Oliver Stone also appears to explain a conspiracy theory regarding sudden changes in Bill Mitchell's behavior. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Dead Poets Society

Dead Poets Society

Starring: Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, Josh Charles, Gale Hansen, Dylan Kussman, Allelon Ruggiero, James Waterston, Norman Lloyd, Kurtwood Smith, Carla Belver, Leon Pownall, Joe Aufiery, Lara Flynn Boyle, Kevin Cooney, John Cunningham, Howard Feuer, Charles N. Lord, George Martin, Debra Mooney, Jane Moore, Alan Pottinger, Alexandra Powers, Melora Walters, Welker White
Director: Peter Weir

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Drama - Coming of Age
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:08

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Editorial Reviews - Dead Poets Society

Barnes & Noble
Unconventionality and nonconformity are often desirable qualities, but attaining them occasionally carries some risk, especially when the society around you seems to value them insufficiently. That's the message of this earnest, uncompromising drama, which won the 1989 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and reminded viewers just how effective veteran funnyman Robin Williams could be when applying his considerable talents to a dramatic role. Under the direction of Peter Weir, Williams abandoned his sometimes annoying, hyperkinetic performance style to play iconoclastic English teacher John Keating, who labors overtime to fan the flames of creativity and freethinking in his New England prep school students, most of whom seem destined for Ivy League colleges and soul-deadening careers. Captivated by Keating's ebullience and enthusiasm, outgoing student Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard) revives the aged school's secret club, the Dead Poets Society, and enlists among its members the deeply withdrawn Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke). The story is predictable up to a point, but it has a shattering climax that even today, more than 15 years after the film's theatrical release, retains the power to shock and dismay audiences. The young actors are uniformly excellent in their sharply drawn characters, and Kurtwood Smith is outstanding as Neil's domineering father, but it's Williams who makes this Society worth joining. The film soars whenever he's on camera, and even the most jaded home viewer will be moved by the influence his character wields over the impressionable students. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Robin Williams toned down his usually manic comic approach in this successful period drama. In 1959, the Welton Academy is a staid but well-respected prep school where education is a pragmatic and rather dull affair. Several of the students, however, have their thoughts on the learning process (and life itself) changed when a new teacher comes to the school. John Keating (Williams) is an unconventional educator who tears chapters of his textbooks and asks his students to stand on their desks to see the world from a new angle. Keating introduces his students to poetry, and his free-thinking attitude and the liberating philosophies of the authors he introduces to his class have a profound effect on his students, especially Todd (Ethan Hawke), who would like to be a writer; Neil ( Robert Sean Leonard), who dreams of being an actor, despite the objections of his father; Knox (Josh Charles), a hopeless romantic; Steven (Allelon Ruggiero), an intellectual who learns to use his heart as well as his head; Charlie (Gale Hansen), who begins to lose his blasé attitude; unconventional Gerard (James Waterston); and practical Richard (Dylan Kussman). Keating urges his students to seize the day and live their lives boldly; but when this philosophy leads to an unexpected tragedy, headmaster Mr. Nolan (Norman Lloyd) fires Keating, and his students leap to his defense. Dead Poets Society was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Williams; it won one, for Tom Schulman's original screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, 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: 2:00

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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

Demolition Man

Demolition Man

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne, Benjamin Bratt, Bob Gunton, Glenn Shadix, Denis Leary, Ken Baldwin, Jack Black, Paul Bollen, Vanna Bonta, Brett Jones, Grand L. Bush, Ferne Cassel, Alex Chapman, Bill Cobbs, Dan Cortese, Melinda Dillon, John Enos, Troy Evans, Andre Gregory, Lara Harris, Stephen Kahan, Michael Tennessee Lee, Susan Lentini, Kristopher Logan, Billy Lucas, Don Charles McGovern, Rhino Michaels, Toshishiro Obata, Paul Perri, Lori Petty, Brandy Sanders, Rob Schneider, Pat Skipper, Joy Todd, Jesse Ventura, Carlton Wilborn
Director: Marco Brambilla

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:55

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Editorial Reviews - Demolition Man

All Movie Guide
The plot of this action film begins in 1996, with Los Angeles in a violence-crazed conflagration. One of the LAPD's most notorious cops, John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone), known as "the demolition man," is in hot pursuit of blonde-haired psychopath Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), who is so nasty he even kills sometimes just because he feels cranky. John captures Simon, but not before Simon kills innocent hostages. John is blamed for the deaths of the hostages, and both he and Simon are cryogenically frozen to remove their brand of ultra-violence from a society that is simply just too violent. The film shifts to the future world of 2032, where Los Angeles has become a megalopolis called San Angeles. There is no poverty, Arnold Schwarzenegger was (at one time) president of the United States, and Taco Bell is the sole survivor of the Franchise Wars. Into this peaceful and bland society, Simon is summarily defrosted by reigning benevolent dictator Dr. Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne) to have Simon murder Edgar Friendly (Denis Leary), the leader of a group of underground rebels. But Cocteau bites off more than he can chew when the melted-down Simon proceeds to go on a murder-and-looting spree. Reluctantly, Cocteau defrosts John to hunt down his old adversary. As John adjusts to self-driving cars and having sex wearing helmets, he pairs up with Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock), a bored cop with a nostalgic fascination for 20th-century culture. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Desperado

Desperado

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Joaquim de Almeida, Cheech Marin, Steve Buscemi, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Arevalo, Carlos Goméz, Consuelo Gomez, Tito Larriva, Peter Marquardt, Mike Moroff, Danny Trejo, Abraham Verduzco
Director: Robert Rodriguez

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

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Editorial Reviews - Desperado

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Director Robert Rodriguez picks up where his successful independent debut El Mariachi left off with this slam-bang South of the Border action saga. Bucho (Joaquim DeAlmeida) is a wealthy but casually bloodthirsty drug kingpin who rules a seedy Mexican border town. Bucho and his men make the mistake of angering El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas), a former musician who now carries an arsenal in his guitar case. Bucho was responsible for the death of El Mariachi's girlfriend and put a bullet through his fretting hand, making him unable to play the guitar. Bent on revenge, the musician-turned-killing machine arrives in town to put Bucho out of business, though he finds few allies except for Carolina (Salma Hayek), who runs a bookstore that doesn't seem to attract many readers. Desperado features supporting performances from Cheech Marin as a cynical bartender, Steve Buscemi as the cantina patron who sets up the story, and Quentin Tarantino as a man with a really terrible joke to tell.

Filmed in two weeks on a budget of $7000, El Mariachi was one of the singular pleasures of the 1993-94 movie season. Kind-spirited guitarist El Mariachi (Carlos M. Gallardo) simply wants to wander through life as his father and grandfather did, with a song in his heart and a smile on his lips. He wanders into a small mob-run town, guitar case in hand. It so happens that the local criminal element is awaiting the arrival of vicious hit man Azul (Reinol Martinez), who is well known for carrying his weapons in...a guitar case. Just when you think you've got a lock on what's going to happen next, director Robert Rodriguez throws us for a loop, unexpectedly alternating whimsical comedy with graphic violence. Rodriguez later retooled the plot of El Mariachi for his far more expensive (and far less satisfying) Antonio Banderas vehicle Desperado (1995). Hal Erickson Mark Deming

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: 1:54

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Editorial Reviews - Die Hard

Barnes & Noble
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, Rovi

Die Hard 2

Die Hard 2

Starring: Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, Bill Sadler, William Atherton, Franco Nero, Dennis Franz, John Amos, Reginald VelJohnson, Art Evans, Fred Dalton Thompson, Tom Bower, Sheila McCarthy, Don Harvey, Tony Ganios, Robert Patrick, Michael Cunningham, John Leguizamo, Tom Verica, John Costelloe, Michael Francis Clarke, Steve Pershing, Tom Everett, Sherry Bilsing, Carla Tamburrelli, Jeanne Bates, Colm Meaney, Steffan Gregory Foster, James Lancaster, Paul Abascal, Nick Angotti, Ken Baldwin, Carol Barbee, Robert J. Bennett, Alan Berger, Paul Bollen, Mark Boone Jr., Bob Braun, Earl Bullock, Jackie Burch, John Cade, Bob Rocky Cheli, Robert Costanzo, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Ed de Fusco, Richard Domeier, Danial Donai, Anthony Droz, Tom Finnegan, Gilbert Garcia, Jessica Gardner, Edward Gero, Dwayne Hargray, Amanda Hillwood, Jim Hudson, Wynn Irwin, Dale Jacoby, Dominique Jennings, David Katz, Greg Kovan, Jeff Langton, Charles Lanyer, Ben Lemon, Lauren Letherer, Connie Lillo-Thieman, Robert Lipton, Martin Lowery, Vincent Joseph Mazzella Jr., Dick McGarvin, Don Charles McGovern, Stafford Morgan, Peter Nelson, Patrick O'Neal, Jerry Parrott, Julian Reyes, Jason Ross-Azikiwe, Joseph Roth, John Rubinow, Robert Sacchi, Rande Scott, Bill Smille, Ken Smolka, Robert Steinberg, Thomas Tofel, Vance Valencia, Felicity Waterman, Danny Weselis, David Willis Sr.
Director: Renny Harlin

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

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Editorial Reviews - Die Hard 2

All Movie Guide
"Another basement, another elevator...how can the same thing happen to the same guy twice?" asks John McClane (Bruce Willis), in what is doubtless the key question of this film. A year after foiling the terrorist takeover of a high-rise office building in the first movie, McClane is waiting to pick up his wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), at Dulles International Airport just outside Washington, D.C., on Christmas Eve. Scheduled to arrive the same evening is Ramon Esperanza (Franco Nero), a South American political figure who is being brought to the United States to stand trial for his role in a drug-smuggling ring. However, a group of terrorists, led by renegade American military officer Col. Stuart (William Sadler), take control of the airport, scuttling radio transmissions and placing their own men in the control tower. Stuart and his men ensure that Esperanza's plane lands safely, and then demand that Stuart and his men be given a fully-fueled 747 and free passage wherever they choose to go. Otherwise, they will guide the many circling jets waiting for landing instructions into definite crash landings, killing the many passengers on board. Not willing to stand aside as terrorists once again threaten his wife's life, the wise-cracking McClane once again leaps into action to foil Stuart's plans and bring the passenger jets safely to the ground. William Atherton, John Amos, Dennis Franz, and John Leguizamo highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Die Hard With a Vengeance

Die Hard With a Vengeance

Starring: Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson, Graham Greene, Colleen Camp, Larry Bryggman, Ray Aranha, Gerry Becker, Patrick Borriello, Richard Council, Michael Cristofer, Charles Dumas, Darryl Edwards, Birdie M. Hale, Mischa Hausserman, J.R. Horne, Patricia Mauceri, John McTiernan Sr., Stephen Pearlman, Anthony Peck, Sam Phillips, Richard Russell Ramos, Victor Rojas, James Saito, Robert Sedgwick, Phyllis Stickney, Michael Tadross, Anthony Thomas, John Robert Tillotson, Tony Travis, Sharon Washington, Nicholas Wyman, Joe Zaloom
Director: John McTiernan

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:08

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Editorial Reviews - Hard With a Vengeance

Barnes & Noble
Bruce Willis and John McTiernan -- the star-director team that established an often imitated action-movie blueprint with 1988's Die Hard -- reunited for this explosive, thrill-a-minute 1995 sequel. Willis reprises the role of tough, taciturn cop John McClane, playing cat-and-mouse yet again with a vicious terrorist. In a nod to the original film, the sadistic madman tormenting McClane is Simon Gruber (Jeremy Irons), brother to the character played by Alan Rickman in Die Hard, who's out to avenge his sibling's death at the cop's hands. With bombs planted in schools all over New York, Gruber sends McClane on a succession of fool's errands before implementing the plan calculated to ensure his revenge. Although the Willis character fought alone in the first two Die Hard films, McTiernan gives him a reluctant sidekick in the ubiquitous Samuel L. Jackson, here playing a Harlem shopkeeper caught up in the terrorist's game. The Willis-Jackson bickering gives Vengeance a Lethal Weapon feel and offers viewers a few seconds to catch their breath between suspenseful action set pieces. The episodic plotline and driving pace is reminiscent of an old cliff-hanger serial, and like those continued-next-week thrillers of yore, Die Hard with a Vengeance will keep you perched on the edge of your chair. The new two-disc Five-Star Edition offers a commentary by McTiernan, an interview with Willis, two TV specials about the film, a making-of featurette, behind-the-scenes vignettes, a sequence shown in storyboard form, and special-effects breakdowns, plus various trailers and TV spots. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Bruce Willis returns as misfit cop John McClane in the third film in the Die Hard series. McClane has fallen on hard times; after moving to New York City and breaking up with his wife, he's developed a drinking problem and has been suspended from the NYPD. However, his past comes back to haunt him in the form of Simon (Jeremy Irons), a terrorist bomber who has been using McClane as his contact as he plants a series of bombs in public places and gives McClane inane "clues" to their whereabouts in the form of riddles and bizarre games. McClane soon discovers he's been involved in Simon's scheme as part of a personal grudge; while associated with an international terrorist group, Simon is also the brother of the man McClane threw off the side of a skyscraper several years back (in the original Die Hard). Now McClane, with the help of a Harlem shopkeeper named Zeus (Samuel L. Jackson), has to find out where Simon has planted the bombs, guess where he'll strike next, and try to find his base of operations before more bombs go off and thousands of people die. The supporting cast features Graham Greene and Colleen Camp; singer Sam Phillips made her acting debut as a member of Simon's terrorist group (Phillips never speaks, so as to not to reveal her Texas accent). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Chicago Sun-Times

Die Hard With a Vengeance is basically a wind-up action toy, cleverly made, and delivered with high energy. It delivers just what it advertises, with a vengeance. Roger Ebert

Disclosure

Disclosure

Starring: Michael Douglas, Demi Moore, Donald Sutherland, Caroline Goodall, Dylan Baker, Roma Maffia, Dennis Miller, Allan Rich, Nicholas Sadler, Rosemary Forsyth, Suzie Plakson, Jacqueline Kim, Joe Urla, Pat Asanti, Michael Chieffo, Wayne Duvall, Farrah Forke, Bernard Hocke, Jeff Joy, Lynne Killmeyer, Michael Laskin, Donal Logue, Edward Power, Marie Rowe, Michael Runyard, Jack Shearer, Ralph Tabakin, Lynn Tufeld, Kate Williamson, Nancy Yee
Director: Barry Levinson

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Courtroom Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:07

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Editorial Reviews - Disclosure

All Movie Guide
Michael Douglas runs afoul of a treacherous supervisor in this film version of Michael Crichton's novel. Douglas plays Tom Sanders, an executive at DigiCom, a leading computer software firm. DigiCom is about to launch a new virtual reality-based data storage system that is expected to revolutionize the industry, and Bob Garvin (Donald Sutherland), the owner of the company, is in the midst of negotiating a merger that could bring $100 million into the firm. However, while Tom is expecting a promotion, he discovers the position has been given instead to a new hire, Meredith Johnson (Demi Moore), with whom Tom had an affair years ago, before he was married. After her first day of work, Meredith invites Tom up to her office and makes a concerted attempt to seduce him; while Tom doesn't fight off her advances with very much gusto at first, eventually he decides things have gone too far and leaves in a huff. The next morning, Meredith accuses Tom of sexual harassment, and he realizes this was merely a power ploy to get him out of DigiCom for good; Tom, determined to fight, files a counter-suit, which makes him no friends at the company, since rocking the boat too hard could very well scotch the merger. Dennis Miller also appears as one of Tom's wise-cracking co-workers. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Disclosure

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Courtroom Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:07

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Disney's Sing Along Songs - Very Merry Christmas Songs

Disney's Sing Along Songs - Very Merry Christmas Songs

Starring: Wayne Allwine, Eddie Carroll
Director:

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 0:54

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
While most of Disney's Sing-Along titles are compilations of theme songs from movies, here is a musical collection presented for the sole purpose of celebrating Christmas. The holiday video oozes with merriment as it blends traditional carols and seasonal favorites with Disney's unique brand of quality animation and beloved characters. Mickey Mouse opens the 30-minute program with an original song, "From All of Us to All of You," while Chip and Dale scamper around the Christmas tree. "Deck the Halls" will never sound the same after hearing Donald Duck's rendition, and even Santa gets in on the animated action as he plunges down the chimney in "Up on the Housetop." As a reverent reminder of the Christ-child's birth, Disneyland Children's Sing-Along Chorus harmonizes "Silent Night" and "Joy to the World." Especially captivating is this latter tune, accompanied by hundreds of animated fairies dancing through a snow-covered forest before they transform into glistening stars. Lest we forget this is Disney, all 13 songs add cameo appearances by favorite characters Jiminy Cricket, Bambi, Minnie, and many more. Nostalgia reigns as Bing Crosby lilts "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" while plenty of snowy shenanigans from Mickey and Goofy remind viewers why Disney characters are so endearing. If Disney is tooting its own horn (and it does through a couple minutes of live-action footage from Disneyland's Magic Kingdom), it is discreet. The real star of this sing along is the spirit of Christmas, alive in full measure. --Lynn Gibson

Product Description
Get ready to celebrate this warm and wonderful time of year and sing along with the Christmas carols you love best! Plus, join in a jolly chorus of new holiday sing alongs -- featuring your favorite Disney characters! Learning the lyrics is easy and fun because the words appear right on the screen. Whether you're having a party, starting a brand-new family tradition, or simply getting into the Yuletide spirit, Disney's VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS SING-ALONG SONGS brings the gift of music and laughter home for the holidays!

Disney's Sing Along Songs: Merry Christmas

Disney's Sing Along Songs: Merry Christmas

Starring:
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 0:27

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Doc Hollywood

Doc Hollywood

Starring: Michael J. Fox, Julie Warner, Barnard Hughes, Woody Harrelson, David Ogden Stiers, Bridget Fonda, Frances Sternhagen, George Hamilton, Mel Winkler, Roberts Blossom, Tom Lacy, Macon McCalman, Raye Birk, Edye Byrde, Eric Bechtel, Dan Bell, Roxanne Benseman, Janis Bjorkland, Douglas Brush, Vince Burnes, Michael Caton-Jones, Daniel Cerny, Michael Chapman, Dan Charles, Cristi Conaway, Darrell Jay Cook, William Cowart, Ted Davis, Amanda Junette Donatelli, Marion Dougherty, David Dupre, Billy Gillespie, Karen Hartman-Golden, Martin Alan Johnson, Ken Josefsberg, Emily Lester, Jordan Lund, Melanie MacQueen, Adele Malis-Morey, Helen Martin, Kelly Minter, Robert Munns, Owens Hill, Kathy Poling, Kelly Roland, Kirsche Smith, Barry Sobel, Amzie Strickland, David Thompkins, David H. "Dutch" van Dalsem, K.T. Vogt, Tim Winters
Director: Michael Caton-Jones

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:50

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Editorial Reviews - Doc Hollywood

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A big city doctor is stranded in a small rural town, where he finds love, professional challenges, and a pet pig, in this comedy. Fresh out of residence at a Washington D.C. hospital, hot-shot plastic surgeon Ben Stone (Michael J. Fox) hops in his Porsche and is headed for California, where a lucrative practice in Beverly Hills awaits. However, Ben accidentally plows into a fence in Grady, South Carolina; the wreck puts Ben's car out of commission, and the town's mayor, Nick Nicholson (David Ogden Stiers), sees to it that Ben is sentenced to perform community service while he's waiting to get his car back on the road. For a week, Ben will serve as the community's general practitioner, filling in for the aging Dr. Hogue (Barnard Hughes). Many of the locals go out of their way to make Ben feel welcome, since they need a new full-time doctor and hope he'd be interested in staying on a permanent basis. Ben isn't especially interested until he meets Lou (Julie Warner), a beautiful, intelligent, and feisty local woman he first meets as she's enjoying a morning skinny-dip. Ben now finds himself wondering what the odds are of winning her away from her less-than-brilliant boyfriend Hank (Woody Harrelson). Bridget Fonda has a memorable supporting role as Nancy Lee, who doesn't make much of a secret of her attraction to Ben. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Don Juan DeMarco

Don Juan DeMarco

Starring: Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp, Faye Dunaway, Géraldine Pailhas, Bob Dishy, Rachel Ticotin, Carmen Argenziano, Jo Champa, Al Corley, Nada Despotovich, Santiago Garcia, Marita Geraghty, Ken Gutstein, Teresa Hughes, Nick LaTour, Gilbert Lewis, Tom "Tiny" Lister Jr., Franc Luz, Sara Mansfield, Tom Mardirosian, Patricia Mauceri, Sanjay, Richard Sarafian, Esther Scott, Talisa Soto
Director: Jeremy Leven

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
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Running Time: 1:30

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Editorial Reviews - Don Juan DeMarco

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A psychiatrist treats a most unusual patient, only to find that the doctor is the one who gains the most from their sessions in this philosophical romantic comedy. A young man in a mask and cape (played by Johnny Depp) is standing atop a billboard, threatening to jump. When the potential suicide is finally talked down, he's brought to a psychiatric facility where after one doctor washes his hands of the case, he's placed under the supervision of Dr. Jack Mickler (Marlon Brando), an aging psychiatrist soon to retire. The patient informs Mickler that he is actually the great lover Don Juan, who has seduced over 1,500 women, but has fallen into a deep depression after being unable to win the hand of the woman of his dreams. Mickler has ten days to work with "Don Juan," after which he will either be released on medication or committed to a long-term stay in a mental hospital. As Mickler talks with the young man, who speaks rapturously of the art of love, the doctor finds that his philosophies are helping to kick start his failing relationship with his wife (Faye Dunaway), and he slowly becomes convinced that his patient might really be Don Juan after all. Don Juan DeMarco's theme song, "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman," became a major hit for singer and songwriter Bryan Adams; after working with Marlon Brando on this film, Johnny Depp cast the legendary actor in a key supporting role in his directorial debut, The Brave. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Double Impact

Double Impact

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Geoffrey Lewis, Alan Scarfe, Alonna Shaw, Philip Chan, Cory Everson, Bolo Yeung, Andy Armstrong, Paul Aylett, Georges Bejue, Donn Berdahl, John Cheung, Simon Cheung, Wong Chung Ching, Lee Bing Chiu, Lee Tat Chiu, Eugene Choy, Ching Wai Chung, Jack Gilardi Jr., David Ho, Ng Kwok Kai, Yu Wai Keung, Wong Chi Kin, Kamel Krifa, Tsang Sing Kwok, Rita Lau, Dave Lea, Leo Lee, Christopher Leung, Roland Lor, Wu Fong Lung, Evan Lurie, Peter Malota, Shelley Michelle, Eric Ng, Chow Kwok Po, Shum Kin Sang, Chan Siu Sing, Stasha, Alicia Stevenson, Jennifer Stone, Julie Strain, Tam Chum To, Sarah Jane Varley, Chan Siu Wah, Galen Yuen, Sarah Yuen
Director: Sheldon Lettich

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
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Running Time: 1:47

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Editorial Reviews - Double Impact

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Jean-Claude Van Damme proves that two cracked heads are better than one in Double Impact. Van Damme plays twins Chad and Alex, who were separated at birth when their parents were brutally murdered by members of a Hong Kong criminal cartel. Incredibly both Chad and Alex have grown up to become world-class martial arts experts. Chad is a snobbish Californian karate instructor, while Alex is a cigar-smoking smuggler in Hong Kong. The two are brought back together by the family bodyguard Frank Avery (Geoffrey Lewis) to team up to avenge their parents' murder. But stacked against them is a thoroughly nasty, over-the-top assassin named Moon (martial arts film great Bolo Yeung). ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Dr. Dolittle

Dr. Dolittle

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Ossie Davis, Oliver Platt, Peter Boyle, Richard Schiff, Kristen Wilson, Jeffrey Tambor, Kyla Pratt, Raven Symone, Steven Gilborn, Norm MacDonald, Albert Brooks, Chris Rock, Reni Santoni, John Leguizamo, Julie Kavner, Garry Shandling, Gilbert Gottfried, Ellen DeGeneres
Director: Betty Thomas

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Comedy
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Running Time: 1:25

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Editorial Reviews - Dr. Dolittle

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Betty Thomas directed this adaptation of the classic children's stories by Hugh Lofting (1886-1947), updating the original concepts into the present day. When noted surgeon Dr. John Dolittle (Eddie Murphy) swerves his car to avoid hitting a dog, he hits his head on the windshield, triggering his long-dormant gift for holding conversations with animals. Friends, associates and his wife Lisa (Kristen Wilson), all express concern, but Dr. Dolittle is happy as he takes on new animal clients. Soon Dolittle's clinic becomes a haven for talking rats, birds, and other assorted members of the animal kingdom, and Dolittle's new four-legged and furry friends, in turn, teach him a few things about being human. The effects seamlessly combine Jim Henson Creature Shop animatronics, computer graphics, and real animals, but some viewers might yearn for a return of the Great Pink Sea Snail and Lofting's other imaginative creatures. The 1967 20th Century Fox musical Dr. Dolittle starred Rex Harrison in a strange storyline that began with Dolittle escaping from a lunatic asylum and leaving the Victorian village Puddleby-by-the-Marsh, England, to search the South Seas for the Great Pink Sea Snail. Along the way, he gathered diverse Dolittle denizens and animal anomalies, including the Giant Moon Moth and the famed, two-headed Pushmi-Pullyu. The earlier film spawned the Oscar-winning popular song success, "Talk To The Animals," along with numerous now-forgotten toys, books, and collectibles. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Dr. Dolittle 2

Dr. Dolittle 2

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wilson, Jeffrey Jones, Kevin Pollak, Raven Symone, Kyla Pratt, Lil' Zane, Steve Zahn, Norm MacDonald, Lisa Kudrow, Jacob Vargas, J. Michael Epps, Michael Rapaport, Isaac Hayes, Richard Sarafian, Andy Dick, Cedric the Entertainer, John Witherspoon, Joey Lauren Adams, Bart the Bear, Steve Irwin, Jamie Kennedy, Andy Richter, Hal Sparks
Director: Steve Carr

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Comedy
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Running Time: 1:27

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Editorial Reviews - Dr. Dolittle 2

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This PG-rated sequel to Eddie Murphy's critter-crazy 1998 hit is much more family-friendly than the original, and that's a good thing. Murphy, too, seems to be a bit more at ease here, even as the animals continue to get all the best lines. Dr. Dolittle's veterinary practice couldn't be better, but his ability to talk to the animals still embarrasses his 16-year-old daughter. The good doctor's life is thrown into further turmoil when the Godbeaver, a woodland capo, makes him an offer he can't refuse: Save a forest from unscrupulous developers (Jeffrey Jones and Kevin Pollack). To do that, he will have to find a mate for an endangered female bear (voiced by Friends star Lisa Kudrow). The solution involves coaxing a third-rate circus bear (Steve Zahn) who is, well, a bit sheepish. So Dolittle goes into Dr. Ruth Westheimer mode, which recalls the original Dr. Dolittle, Rex Harrison, in another role -- as Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, tutoring?Eliza Doolittle! It would be enough to give you Hepburn, were it not such good fun. Dolittle 2 has all the bear necessities: animal antics and the bodily-function gags to make youngsters giggle, plus pop-culture references and the occasional mildly naughty joke to keep adults from squawking. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
Eddie Murphy returns as a doctor with a gift for talking to animals in this sequel to a box-office blockbuster. Murphy is John Dolittle, who this time around attempts to save an endangered Pacific forest from lumber industry forces by reintegrating an endangered species of bear back into the wild. Unfortunately, Dolittle's candidate is a performing bear (voice of Steve Zahn) with a taste for junk food and no natural skills in the wild. If Dolittle is going to save the species and its habitat, he must get him to mate with a fussy female (Lisa Kudrow) by providing lessons in winning the heart of the opposite sex. Dr. Dolittle's problems are compounded by a local animal work stoppage and furry woodland creatures who have organized their own version of the Mafia. Norm Macdonald returns as the voice of Lucky the Dog, co-starring with Kevin Pollak, Jeffrey Jones, Michael Rapaport, Molly Shannon, Reni Santoni, and Kristen Wilson. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Dr. Seuss: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Dr. Seuss: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Starring: Boris Karloff, Thurl Ravenscroft, June Foray
Director: Ben Washam

Certification: NR
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 0:26

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With the talents of Chuck Jones, Boris Karloff, and Dr. Seuss combined, there was almost no way this could be anything but an instant classic. Watched regularly every holiday season and beloved by children and cynical adults alike, this animated gem is just that and more. Boris Karloff narrates and stars as the odious Mr. Grinch, the sinister green monster who plots to steal all the Christmas presents in the town of Whoville. All goes well with his dastardly plan until little Cindy Loo Who (who was no more than two) gums up the works with her innocent Christmas spirit. Jones directed, with Karloff supplying the sweetly sinister narration and voice of the Grinch. The story is from the book by Dr. Seuss. Thurl Ravenscroft (of "Tony the Tiger" breakfast commercial fame) provides the memorable bass singing voice for the tune "You're a Mean One, Mister Grinch." Filled with close attention to comic detail, memorable characterizations, and delightful wordplay, this is essential holiday viewing for the whole family.

Synopsis
The animation talent of Chuck Jones combined with the delightful prose of the great Dr. Seuss results in a Christmas cartoon classic that will make even the most resolute cynic warm to its sneaky holiday message. Horror icon Boris Karloff supplies the voice of the Grinch, who plans on spitefully ruining Christmas for the town of Whoville by stealing all the presents. It's great, mischievous fun plotting along with this diabolical humbug, and ultimately moving as he warms to the spirit of Christmas.

Dragonheart

Dragonheart

Starring: Dennis Quaid, Sean Connery, David Thewlis, Pete Postlethwaite, Dina Meyer, Julie Christie, Jason Isaacs, Milan Bahul, Thom Baker, Wolf Christian, Kyle Cohen, John Gielgud, Peter Hric, Sandra Kovacicova, Terry O'Neill, Lee Oakes, Brian Thompson, Eva Vejmelkova
Director: Rob Cohen

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Adventure
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Running Time: 1:43

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Editorial Reviews - Dragonheart

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A boy and his dragon unite to fight evil in this fantasy. Bowen (Dennis Quaid), a Knight of The Old Code in Medieval times, is summoned by Aislinn the Queen (Julie Christie) to the bedside of her son, Einon, who is also Bowen's student. Einon has been wounded and is near death; with his heart about to give out, Bowen calls upon Draco (voice of Sean Connery), the mightiest dragon in the land, asking for a sliver of his mighty heart so that the boy might survive. Draco makes Bowen pledge that when Enion grows to adulthood and becomes king, he will rule with fairness and compassion before the beast will donate a piece of his heart. Einon agrees to the pledge, but years later, the adult Einon (David Thewlis) has become a cruel despot, in no way good on his promises. Bowen, angry at Einon's betrayal, is convinced that the dragon is somehow responsible and goes on a spree, killing the mammoth reptiles at a fevered pace. However, when Bowen once again encounters Draco, the dragon convinces him that a dragon-slayer who has killed the last dragon also puts himself out of a job; Draco and Bowen work out a business arrangement, where the monster "attacks" villages and Bowen is paid to "kill" him. In time, however, Draco and Bowen realize that they must set aside their lucrative business in order to challenge the authority of the evil ruler. Draco the Dragon was the first fully-computer animated character to have a speaking part along side flesh and blood actors in a film; Sean Connery's recording sessions as the voice of Draco were recorded on video as well as audio tape, so that his facial expressions and mouth movements could be adapted to the character. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Dumb and Dumber

Dumb and Dumber

Starring: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Lauren Holly, Teri Garr, Karen Duffy, Mike Starr, Charles Rocket, Victoria Rowell, Cam Neely, Felton Perry, Clint Allen, Joe Baker, Helen Boll, Hank Brandt, Cecile Krevoy, Mark Levine, Hillary Matthews, Rob Moran, Connie Sawyer, Lin Shaye, Harland Williams
Director: Peter Farrelly

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

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Editorial Reviews - Dumb and Dumber

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When the dunderheaded duo of Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) first arrived on the big screen during the 1994 holiday season, their lovably lame-brained antics helped make this comedy an unexpected hit. It also instantly turned sibling filmmakers Peter and Bobby Farrelly into hot Hollywood comedy commodities. This new Unrated Edition adds more than ten minutes of heretofore unseen footage to the film and additionally presents (as extras) two alternate endings and nine deleted and/or alternate scenes. As the story opens, Lloyd is working as a limo driver who takes wealthy, beautiful Mary Swanson (Lauren Holly) to the local airport. When she leaves her briefcase in the terminal, he retrieves it and, accompanied by Harry, drives cross-country to Aspen to return it to her personally. What they don't know is that the briefcase, bulging with cash, was deliberately left behind by Mary as a ransom payment to the kidnappers of her husband. Dumb and Dumber is exactly what its title suggests -- a goofball comedy with zero pretension to high art. Carrey's brand of rubber-faced, loose-limbed physical comedy is well deployed here, but what's still surprising is how closely Daniels keeps up with his more facile costar. The two of them work extremely well together, and Holly -- at that time, Carrey's girlfriend -- makes a charming foil. No doubt you've seen this film already, perhaps numerous times, in various TV airings. But the extra footage on the 2006 Unrated DVD edition -- including 40-plus minutes worth of deleted and alternate scenes -- is definitely worth an upgrade for Lloyd and Harry fans. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels play the title roles (though viewers may find themselves debating which is which) in this genially low-brow comedy. Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) are two intellectually-challenged best friends who share an apartment so messy that gangsters aren't sure how to trash the place; the guys also have a certain problem (not difficult to understand) holding on to jobs. Lloyd is working as a limo driver in Rhode Island when he picks up a beautiful and wealthy woman named Mary Swanson (Lauren Holly) who is being taken to the airport. Lloyd immediately falls head over heels in love with Mary, and when she leaves a briefcase at the airport, he's determined to return it in hopes of impressing her. Lloyd isn't able to get aboard Mary's flight (though not for lack of trying). Harry has a van decorated to look like a dog (to promote his failing dog-grooming business), and the pair hop in the Poochmobile to find Mary in Aspen. What Lloyd and Harry don't know is that the briefcase is full of money, which Mary deliberately left at the airport as a ransom payment to save the life of her kidnapped husband. Incidentally, Lloyd's chipped front tooth happens to be real; while Jim Carrey had the injured tooth capped many years ago, he thought a broken smile would suit Lloyd's character and had the cap removed for the duration of filming. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Dune

Dune

Starring: Francesca Annis, Leo Cimino, Brad Dourif, José Ferrer, Linda Hunt, Kyle MacLachlan, Jürgen Prochnow, Freddie Jones, Richard Jordan, Virginia Madsen, Silvana Mangano, Everett McGill, Kenneth McMillan, Jack Nance, Sian Phillips, Paul L. Smith, Patrick Stewart, Sting, Dean Stockwell, Max von Sydow, Alicia Witt, Sean Young, Daniel Bryan Corkill, Jane Jenkins, Honorato Magaloni, Judd Omen
Director: David Lynch

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Sci-Fi Action
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Running Time: 2:20

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Editorial Reviews - Dune

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Surrealist auteur David Lynch turned down the intergalactic chance to direct Return of the Jedi in order to work on this screen adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic novel, and a fine decision it was, as Dune certainly creates a better playground for Lynch's infamous imagery. In the year 10,191, the most sought-after substance in the feudal universe is the powerful spice known as Melange. However, the sole source of the spice is the desert wasteland of Arrakis, otherwise known as Dune. Emperor Shaddam (Jose Ferrer) sets up Duke Leto Atreides (Jurgen Prochnow) with the spice trade on Dune, only to attempt to steal it back from him, all in a backwards effort to eliminate competition. Lynch regular Kyle MacLachlan puts in a fine performance as Paul, Leto's son, who is hinted at as a messiah and reminiscent of Luke Skywalker. Lynch had to cut a lot from Herbert's original vision, which sometimes causes for a confusing plot, but oddities such as grotesquely large sand worms and notoriously disturbing villains make up for any convolutions. Kenneth McMillan is beautifully over-the-top as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, a balloon-like pustule of pure evil and bad skin, and Sting is delightfully cold as the Baron's equally evil but much more attractive nephew, Feyd. Bordering on camp with dozens of classic lines like, "Uzul, we have wormsign the likes of which even God has never seen," Dune is a unique necessity for any sci-fi fan's collection. Simon Goetz

All Movie Guide
David Lynch wades through dark waters in his adaptation of Frank Herbert's cult science fiction novel. In condensing Herbert's rambling and complex book by eliminating characters and compacting events, Lynch succeeds in rendering the story incomprehensible to those unfamiliar with the novel and making the film look like a sketchy greatest hits collection of the book for Herbert fans. The story takes place in the year 10,191. The universe is governed through a system of feudal rule, presided over by Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV ({|José Ferrer|}), who appears to take his marching orders from something that resembles a talking vagina. In the kingdom are two rival houses -- the House of Atreides and the House of Harkonnen. Each house is trying to gain dominion over the universe, but that dominion can only be gained by the house that controls the Spice, a special substance that permits the folding of time. The Spice is only available on the desert world of Arrakis, or Dune. Shaddam, tired of the feuding between the two houses, permits the Atreides to take over the Spice production on Dune, while secretly working with the Harkonnens to launch a sneak attack on the Atreides and destroy them. The leader of the Atreides is Duke Leto ({|Jürgen Prochnow|}), who rules with the help of his concubine Jessica (Francesca Annis) and son Paul (Kyle MacLachlan). The rival Harkonnens are headed by the pus-oozing degenerate Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Kenneth McMillan, in a thoroughly through-the-roof performance) and his two unsavory nephews, Rabban (Paul L. Smith) and Feyd (Sting). When his father is murdered by the Harkonnens, Paul escapes to Dune, where he is greeted by the Fremen (the desert dwellers on Dune who prepare the Spice) as the messiah foretold in Fremen legend. Paul assumes the mantle of messiah and leads the Fremen in a revolt that topples the balance of power in the universe. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Edtv

Edtv

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrelson, Sally Kirkland, Martin Landau
Director: Ron Howard

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:02

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The third entry of 1998-99's cinematic TV trilogy kind of got lost in the shuffle following The Truman Show, an art film masquerading as a blockbuster, and Pleasantville, a heartfelt feel-good movie masquerading as a special-effects extravaganza. EDtv is nothing more than it appears: a scruffy comedy about fame and its discontents. Matthew McConaughey stars as Ed, a white-trash rube who gets his own dawn-to-midnight TV series in which every aspect of his life, no matter how sordid or dull or embarrassing, becomes mass entertainment (it inverts Truman by having the protagonist invite the pervasive cameras). Predictably, fame makes him miserable and, unsurprisingly, he finds a way out of his predicament. Albert Brooks covered this same territory in the funnier Real Life, and it's probably not the best idea for a load of comfy celebs to preach to us about how difficult fame is. But the film is cannily cast, including a number of performers who themselves have fallen victim to stupid media tricks (McConaughey, Ellen DeGeneres as the network executive, Elizabeth Hurley as a vamp hitching her star to Ed's, and Woody Harrelson as Ed's even dumber brother). Structurally, the movie is a mess. It looks as if the filmmakers had the choice between making a fully realized, two-and-a-half-hour-long movie that no one would sit through or one that clocks in under two hours but has a lot of plot holes; they opted for the latter (Hurley's character disappears, practically without comment). Still, there are enough laughs to keep things moving, and as a shaggy dog tale it's decent fun. --David Kronke

From The New Yorker
At a slipping cable channel, two rancidly intelligent executives (Rob Reiner and Ellen DeGeneres) hold a contest, choose an appealing but ordinary guy-one Ed Pekurny (Matthew McConaughey), a video-store clerk in San Francisco-and put him on the air, live, twenty-four hours a day. The whole world watches and gets involved in Ed's life, which quickly resembles a soap opera. On the surface, this rambunctious comedy, which was written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, and directed by Ron Howard, is a satire of media ruthlessness and the public's hunger for instant fame. But it's so broadly conceived that it never achieves any distance from its subject. How can you put down the crass public and "expose" cynical TV executives when you're making a crude, populist, cynical movie? With Woody Harrelson as Ed's jerky older brother, Jenna Elfman as his girlfriend, Sally Kirkland and Martin Landau as his mother and stepfather, and a slinky, overheated Elizabeth Hurley as a model who throws herself at Ed. -David Denby
Copyright ® 2006 The New Yorker

Edward Scissorhands

Edward Scissorhands

Starring: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Alan Arkin, Vincent Price, Kathy Baker, Robert Oliveri, Conchata Ferrell, Caroline Aaron, Bee Albano, Carmen J. Alexander, Doyle Anderson, Harvey Bellman, Susan Blommaert, Tammy Boalo, Steven Brill, Michael Brown, Jackie Carson, Suzanne Chrosniak, Andrew B. Clark, Gary Clark, Andrew Crofton, Carol Crumrine, John Davidson, Ken de Vaul, Ellin Dennis, Kathy Dombo, Sherry Ferguson, Kathy Fleming, Alan Fudge, Gina Gallagher, Jalaine Gallion, Michael Gaughan, Miriam Goodspeed, Diane L. Green, Russell Green, Marti Greenberg, Cecil Hawkins, Mary Jane Heath, Linda Hess Hess, O-Lan Jones, Jack W. Kapfhamer, Carol D. Klasek, Bill Klein, Stuart Lancaster, Brian Larkin, Tricia Lloyd, Aaron Lustig, Marc Macaulay, John McMahon, Eileen Meurer, Laura Nader, Phil Olson, Peter Palmer, Linda Perri, Donna Pieroni, Victoria Price, Lee Ralls, Brett Rice, Joe Sheldon, James Spicer, Tabetha Thomas, Rosalyn Thomson, Dick Anthony Williams, Biff Yeager
Director: Tim Burton

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:40

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Editorial Reviews - Edward Scissorhands

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A contemporary fairy tale from director Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands tells the unusual story of a man-made youth with scissor blades for fingers (Johnny Depp), who lives alone in the abandoned mansion of his dead creator (Vincent Price in a fantastic cameo). Soon poor Edward is discovered, and then adopted, by a kindly Avon lady (Dianne Wiest). In the first of his starring roles for Burton, Depp makes an arresting lead with his black latex jumpsuit, pasty white skin, and Medusa-like hair. But it is through an unusual warmth and tenderness that Depp's performance truly defines Edward. Weist and Alan Arkin are superb as the amiably clueless parents who welcome him into their home, and Winona Ryder, in a full turn from her brooding teen in Burton's Beetlejuice, is radiant as their cheerleader daughter on whom Edward develops a hopeless crush. As engaging as the love story is Burton's savage lampooning of suburbia, which he presents as innocuously bland-looking but seething with petty intrigues and thinly veiled intolerance. His sympathies clearly run to Edward, whose bittersweet experiences in the "real" world will both delight and haunt viewers of this charming cinematic fable. The tenth anniversary edition DVD cements Edward Scissorhands's place in Burton's oeuvre, featuring an entertaining and informative audio commentary from Burton and composer Danny Elfman. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands opens as an eccentric inventor (Vincent Price) lovingly assembles a synthetic youth named Edward (Johnny Depp). Edward has all the essential ingredients for today's standard body, with the exception of a pair of hands. For what is initially thought to be a temporary period, he is fitted with long, scissor-like extremities that, while able to trim a mean hedge, are hardly conducive to day-to-day life. When the kindly inventor dies, however, Edward is left lonely and cursed with some very heavy metal for hands. He is eventually taken in by Peg Boggs (Dianne Weist), an Avon lady who takes pity on him after seeing his bleak existence. Edward, in spite of his inherent ability to slay anyone he comes across, is a gentle soul whose only wish is to be loved. His impromptu family has, at best, a limited understanding of Edward, but he finds himself drawn to Peg's weary but sympathetic daughter, Kim (Winona Ryder), who is dating Jim (Anthony Michael Hall), the neighborhood bully. Meanwhile, Edward finds himself a local celebrity after the town realizes that his talents include creative hedge trimming and an unrivaled ability to cut hair. His so-called friends are proven fair-weather when Edward is accused of a crime, after which his only supporters are Peg and Kim. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Entrapment

Entrapment

Starring: Sean Connery, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ving Rhames, Will Patton, Maury Chaykin
Director: Jon Amiel

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:53

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Editorial Reviews - Entrapment

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After a long career playing good guys, Sean Connery gets to have some fun playing a crook for a change in the romantic crime thriller Entrapment -- and he even gets to break the law with the lovely Catherine Zeta-Jones. When a priceless Rembrandt painting is stolen from a New York skyscraper in a daring and technically sophisticated robbery, ace insurance investigator Virginia "Gin" Baker (Catherine Zeta-Jones) begins looking into the matter and is soon convinced it's the work of master art thief Robert "Mac" MacDougal (Sean Connery). Gin thinks the best way to get the goods on Mac (and perhaps recover the painting) is to work her way inside his operation, so she locates him in London and, posing as a fellow art thief, offers to work as his partner. While Mac is smart enough to not accept an offer like that from just anyone, most thieves don't look as good as Gin does in a leotard, and she soon proves an able assistant in a shakedown robbery where they pinch a rare Chinese mask from a British museum. After this success, Mac agrees to join forces with Gin for what is literally the heist of the millenium -- as Midnight rolls around in Kuala Lumpur on December 31, 1999, the security computers in a major multinational banking facility will be breached for a split second as the computers roll over to a new program for Y2K. Is that long enough for Gin and Mac to nab $8 billion in bank transfers? Is 14 days long enough to prepare for a robbery of this scale? And will Mac and Gin's professional relationship pave the way for some capers in the bedroom? In addition to playing the male lead, Sean Connery also co-produced this film; the supporting cast includes Ving Rhames and Maury Chaykin. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Eraser

Eraser

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, JAMES CAAN, Vanessa L. Williams, James Coburn, Robert Pastorelli, James Cromwell, Craig Barnett, Rick Batalla, Gerry Becker, Terry Beeman, Gerald Berns, David L. Bilson, Michael Cameron, Ismael Carlo, Al Cerullo, Glenndon Chatman, Nick Chinlund, Charles Chiquette, James Clark, Tim Colceri, Pat Collins, Cylk Cozart, Steve Ford, Denis Forest, K. Todd Freeman, Kevin Fry, Anthony Fusco, Michael Gregory Gong, Michael Gregory, Thomas Huff, Patrick Kilpatrick, Sonny H. King, Olek Krupa, Sebastian LaCause, Clayton Landey, Brian Libby, Tony Longo, Roma Maffia, Matthew Michael Mahaney, Camryn Manheim, Christopher Mankiewicz, Dominic Marcus, Rick Marzan, Greg McKinney, Frank Minitello, Robert Miranda, Diana Morgan, A.J. Nay, Danny Nucci, Michael Papajohn, Tony Plana, Vic Polizos, Mark Rolston, Andy Romano, Edward Rote, Sam Scarber, Dorin Seymour, Ben Shenkman, James Short, Richard Shuster, Rocco Sisto, John Slattery, John Snyder, Mike "Clay" Stone, Skipp Sudduth, Corey Joshua Taylor, Dieter R. Trippel, Richie Varga, Joe Viterelli, Melora Walters, Camille Winbush, David Wolos-Fonteno, Danny Wynands
Director: Chuck Russell

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:55

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Editorial Reviews - Eraser

All Movie Guide
Top-notch action sequences and exciting stunt work highlight this fast-moving thriller. John Kruger (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a top agent in the U.S. Marshalls' Witness Protection Program; it's his job to "erase" the pasts of Federal witnesses under his watch and deal with anyone who tries to hurt them. Kruger's latest assignment is to protect Lee Cullen (Vanessa Williams), who while working for a major weapons manufacturing firm discovered evidence that the company was selling new, high-tech weapons to intentional terrorists groups with the cooperation of a faction of enemy agents within the United States government. However, when Kruger discovers that the Witness Protection Program has a rat in the house -- and that rat is his boss, U.S. Marshall Robert Deguerin (James Caan) -- Kruger has to guard his own life while trying to protect Lee's. The supporting cast is highlighted by James Coburn, Robert Pastorelli, and James Cromwell. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Erin Brockovich

Erin Brockovich

Starring: Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart, Marg Helgenberger, Cherry Jones, Veanne Cox, Conchata Ferrell, Tracey Walter, Peter Coyote, Scotty Leavenworth, Gemmenne De la Pena, Jamie Harrold
Director: Steven Soderbergh

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Courtroom Drama
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Running Time: 2:12

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Editorial Reviews - Erin Brockovich

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A long-awaited commercial smash from acclaimed art-house director Steven Soderbergh and a personal triumph for star Julia Roberts, Erin Brockovich energizes audiences with its unique combination of humor, pathos, and suspense. Roberts has never been better, bringing earthy wit and rough-hewn charm to her characterization of Erin, the real-life law clerk whose dogged pursuit of the truth culminates in a precedent-setting judgment against California's largest utility company. When a routine investigation reveals that Pacific Gas & Electric's toxic waste has slowly poisoned an entire desert community, Erin convinces her boss, ambulance-chasing attorney Ed Masry (played with gruff lovability by the superb Albert Finney), to bring suit against the giant corporation. Soderbergh (The Limey) directs in an appealingly straightforward manner, allowing his leggy star to dominate this contemporary David-and-Goliath story with her most vital performance to date. Genuinely involving, raucously funny, and at times profoundly moving, Erin Brockovich is one of those rare movies that truly does gets better with repeated viewings. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Julia Roberts stars in this legal drama based on the true story of a woman who helped win the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit. Erin Brockovich (Roberts) is a single mother of three who, after losing a personal injury lawsuit, asks her lawyer, Ed Masry (Albert Finney), if he can help her find a job. Ed gives her work as a file clerk in his office, and she runs across some information on a little-known case filed against Pacific Gas and Electric. Erin begins digging into the particulars of the case, convinced that the facts simply don't add up, and persuades Ed to allow her to do further research; in time, she discovers a systematic cover-up of the industrial poisoning of a city's water supply, which threatens the health of the entire community. Erin Brockovich was directed by Steven Soderbergh; Julia Roberts earned a $20 million payday for her work on the film, the highest salary paid to a female film star up to that time. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Evening Star

The Evening Star

Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Bill Paxton, Juliette Lewis, Miranda Richardson, BEN JOHNSON, MacKenzie Astin, China Kantner, Donald Moffat, George Newbern, Jack Nicholson, Marion Ross, Scott Wolf
Director: Robert Harling

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Drama - General
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Running Time: 2:08

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Editorial Reviews - Evening Star

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Shirley MacLaine reprises her award-winning performance as Aurora Greenway in this sequel to Terms of Endearment. Fifteen years after the death of her daughter Emma, Aurora is still keeping an eye on her three grandchildren and not having very good luck with it. Tommy (George Newbern) is currently doing time on drug charges; Teddy (MacKenzie Astin) has a job with no future and an ill-mannered child whose mother, Jane (China Kantner), doesn't believe in traditional discipline; and Melanie (Juliette Lewis) is bound and determined to put Aurora through as much grief as Emma did. Aurora has a number of other adversarial relationships to contend with; she often spars with Patsy (Miranda Richardson), a friend of Emma's dead mother, and her housekeeper Rosie (Marion Ross), who is having a tentative late-term romance with the next-door neighbor, Arthur (Ben Johnson). Aurora's own love life is not doing so well. Her affair with The General (Donald Moffat) is on its last legs, she ends up sleeping with her analyst Jerry (Bill Paxton), and she confesses to her former flame Garrett (Jack Nicholson) that she has yet to meet the love of her life. Like Terms of Endearment, The Evening Star was based on a novel by Texas author Larry McMurtry; this was the final film for actor Ben Johnson, who died before it was released and who received an Academy Award and made a major comeback for his work in another film based on a McMurtry novel, The Last Picture Show. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Ever After

Ever After

Starring: Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott, Patrick Godfrey, Megan Dodds, Melanie Lynskey, Jeanne Moreau, Timothy West, Judy Parfitt, Jeroen Krabbé, Lee Ingleby, Kate Lansbury, Matyelok Gibbs, Richard O'Brien, Toby Jones
Director: Andy Tennant

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Period Drama
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Running Time: 2:00

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Editorial Reviews - Ever After

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Andy Tennant directs Ever After, a period romance that reimagines the Cinderella legend with several fresh twists. The Brothers Grimm arrive at the home of a wealthy Grande Dame (Jeanne Moreau) who speaks of the many legends surrounding the fable of the cinder girl before telling the "true" story of her ancestor. In flashback, the story then focuses on eight-year-old Danielle, daughter of a wealthy widower, a 16th-century landowner. After returning to France with his new wife Rodmilla (Anjelica Huston) and her two daughters, he dies of a heart attack. Ten years later, Danielle (Drew Barrymore) is now treated as a servant by the trio. Fortunately, she has an encounter with Prince Henry (Dougray Scott), who is fleeing an arranged marriage. Later, when Danielle poses as a Lady, the Prince takes an interest in her. Inventor-artist Leonardo da Vinci (Patrick Godfrey), accepting the French court's patronage, offers advice to Prince Henry on matters of the heart. George Fenton's music adds an accompaniment to the lush look of this period romance. Bhob Stewart

Face/Off

Face/Off

Starring: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola, Gina Gershon, Dominique Swain, Nick Cassavetes, Harve Presnell, Colm Feore, John Carroll Lynch, CCH Pounder, Robert Wisdom, Margaret Cho, Jamie Denton, Matt Ross, Joe Bob Briggs, Tommy Flanagan
Director: John Woo

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
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Running Time: 2:18

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Editorial Reviews - Face/Off

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The third of John Woo's American-made feature films, Face/Off stars John Travolta as Sean Archer, an FBI agent obsessed with capturing Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage), a criminal genius who years before killed Archer's son while trying to assassinate the agent. Archer's single-minded pursuit of Troy has caused serious harm to his marriage, but Archer thinks the light may have appeared at the end of the tunnel when a seriously wounded Troy is captured in a bloody shootout. However, it turns out that Troy has planted a time bomb, with a biological payload that could destroy the entire city of Los Angeles -- and Troy isn't about to say where it is. The only other person who knows the bomb's location is Troy's brother, Pollux (Alessandro Nivola), who is no more helpful than Castor. FBI scientists hatch a plan: they have developed an experimental surgery which would allow them to graft Troy's face temporarily on Archer's head and allow him to question Pollux as if he were his brother. But after Archer has taken Troy's face, Troy regains consciousness and forces the doctors to give him Archer's face. Now the criminal mastermind has the FBI at his disposal, and the lawman is underground with few places to turn. Along with Woo's usual elaborately choreographed action scenes, Face/Off features a number of notable supporting performances, including Joan Allen as Archer's wife, Colm Feore and C.C.H. Pounder as FBI scientists, and Gina Gershon as Troy's loyal but long-suffering girlfriend. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Fair Game

Fair Game

Starring: William Baldwin, Cindy Crawford, Steven Berkoff, Christopher McDonald, Miguel Sandoval
Director: Andrew Sipes

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Movies
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Running Time: 1:31

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
She's a lawyer. He's a cop. Some former KGB-types with a wide variety of slippery accents and enough sophisticated technological surveillance gadgets to make one wonder how the Soviet Union could have possibly failed, want her dead. The cop (William Baldwin) is the only man who can save her. It helps that the high-powered attorney is played by Cindy Crawford, who gives new meaning to the phrase "habeas corpus." So the plot doesn't make any sense: First they try to kill her, no questions asked. Then they capture her and spill their guts about all the details of their nefarious plan. But logic is not what Fair Game is about. It's about explosions, car crashes, and more explosions. The only pauses in the action are for showers (one for Baldwin, two for Crawford) and a change of clothing (Crawford slips out of a tight T-shirt into an even tighter tank top). The best feature of the DVD is the addition of a Gallic track. With very little actual sex in the movie, having the main characters conversing in French definitely adds some sauciness to the dialogue scenes. --Richard Natale

From The New Yorker
Cindy Crawford's screen début (she plays a lawyer on the run-God knows why-from former K.G.B. agents) is a true disaster from start to finish. She has the impressive physical qualities that James Cameron finds so attractive in his action heroines, but her voice, like Keanu Reeves's, is inflectionless. It doesn't matter much, anyway-the abominable screenplay is filled with zingers on the order of "My job is like the toilet: it ain't over till the paperwork's done." Not all the bad acting is Crawford's (who, at least, is game); William Baldwin and Steven Berkoff do their share, too. Directed, with tremendous explosions, by Andrew Sipes. -Bruce Diones
Copyright ® 2006 The New Yorker

The Family Man

The Family Man

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Téa Leoni, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Piven, Saul Rubinek, Josef Sommer, Makenzie Vega, Jake Milkovich, Ryan Milkovich, Lisa Thornhill, Harve Presnell, Mary Beth Hurt, Amber Valletta, Francine York, John O'Donohue, Daniel Whitner, Tarri Markel
Director: Brett Ratner

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Comedy
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Running Time: 2:05

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Editorial Reviews - Family Man

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Ghosts of A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life haunt The Family Man, a 2000 comedy from director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour). Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) -- a wealthy, womanizing bachelor in Manhattan -- wakes up one Christmas morning to discover that he is a suburban tire salesman and is married to the woman (Téa Leoni) he dumped 13 years earlier to pursue his investment-banking career. This alternate reality comes complete with two kids and a dog, and the comic potential of the situation is milked to its fullest, as Cage stumbles unhappily through nuclear-family routines. Changing diapers, making breakfast, and walking the pooch are clearly the stuff of Jack's nightmares -- until the upside of his new situation gradually becomes apparent to him. With a straightforward premise and few plot twists, The Family Man relies on the strength of its lead actors. While Cage is certainly more than effective, it is Leoni who anchors the film with smarts and sexiness, as a woman still madly in love with her husband of more than a decade. Don Cheadle adds some spice as the ersatz angel who gives Campbell this "glimpse," and Jeremy Piven is solidly cast as Campbell's suburban bowling buddy and best friend. For all those who've wondered what their lives would have been like if they had taken that other fork in the road, The Family Man is likely to kindle a few daydreams. Gregory Baird

All Movie Guide
In this whimsical romantic comedy that recalls It's a Wonderful Life, Nicolas Cage plays Jack Campbell, a workaholic bachelor who gets to see what his life might have been like had he stayed with his old sweetheart, Kate (Tea Leoni). Thirteen years before, Jack accepted a brokerage internship that marred his relationship with Kate, under the promise that they would only be separated one year. But much later, Jack has become an urban Wall Street exec with no wife or family of his own, and a mysterious proxy (Don Cheadle) offers him the opportunity to step into the life he left behind. After falling asleep in his posh New York apartment, Jack awakens to find himself in bed with his now-wife Kate, daughter Annie (Makenzie Vega), and a new baby, none of which he has ever experienced in his fast-paced single life. After discovering his "real" life has been eliminated, he begrudgingly tries to fit in with his newly appointed life as a family man. The Family Man also stars Saul Rubinek and Jeremy Piven. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

Fantasia

Fantasia

Starring: Walt Disney, Bela Lugosi, Philadelphia Orch., Leopold Stokowski, Deems Taylor
Director: James Algar

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Animated Musical
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Running Time: 1:56

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Editorial Reviews - Fantasia

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It is titles like Fantasia that make the DVD player seem essential. Unavailable for purchase on VHS for nearly a decade, one of Walt Disney's most magnificent achievements is back, and grander than ever, in this DVD-only Special 60th Anniversary Edition. For the first time on any home video format, Walt Disney's "grand experiment" -- combining animation with classical music -- is presented in its original 1940 Roadshow edition, complete with intermission and narration, which viewers have not seen since that original theatrical release. Incredibly, like It's a Wonderful Life, Fantasia was not fully appreciated at the time of its release, but with such hallucinatory sequences as "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," "The Dance of the Hours" with the tutu-clad hippos and "The Nutcracker Suite" with the dancing vegetables, it's no wonder it was embraced in the 1960s and '70s by college kids looking for the ultimate cinematic trip. This DVD is loaded with state-of-the-art supplemental features including archival interviews with Walt Disney and a segment about the making of this groundbreaking masterpiece. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
Fantasia, Walt Disney's animated masterpiece of the 1940s, grew from a short-subject cartoon picturization of the Paul Dukas musical piece "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." Mickey Mouse was starred in this eight-minute effort, while the orchestra was under the direction of Leopold Stokowski. Disney and Stokowski eventually decided that the notion of marrying classical music with animation was too good to confine to a mere short subject; thus the notion was expanded into a two-hour feature, incorporating seven musical selections and a bridging narration by music critic Deems Taylor. The first piece, Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor," was used to underscore a series of abstract images. The next selection, Tschiakovsky's "Nutcracker Suite," is performed by dancing wood-sprites, mushrooms, flowers, goldfish, thistles, milkweeds and frost fairies. The Mickey Mouse version of "Sorcerer's Apprentice" is next, followed by Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring," which serves as leitmotif for the story of the creation of the world, replete with dinosaurs and volcanoes. After a brief jam session involving the live-action musicians comes Beethoven's "Pastorale Symphony," enacted against a Greek-mythology tapestry by centaurs, unicorns, cupids and a besotted Bacchus. Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours" is performed by a Corps de Ballet consisting of hippos, ostriches and alligators. The program comes to a conclusion with a fearsome visualization of Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain," dominated by the black god Tchernobog (referred to in the pencil tests as "Yensid," which is guess-what spelled backwards); this study of the "sacred and profane" segues into a reverent rendition of Schubert's "Ave Maria." Originally, Debussy's "Clair de Lune" was part of the film, but was cut from the final release print; also cut, due to budgetary considerations, was Disney's intention of issuing an annual "update" of Fantasia with new musical highlights and animated sequences. A box-office disappointment upon its first release (due partly to Disney's notion of releasing the film in an early stereophonic-sound process which few theatres could accommodate), Fantasia eventually recouped its cost in its many reissues. For one of the return engagements, the film was retitled Fantasia Will Amaze-ya, while the 1963 reissue saw the film "squashed" to conform with the Cinemascope aspect ratio. Other re-releases pruned the picture from 120 to 88 minutes, and in 1983, Disney redistributed the film with newly orchestrated music and Tim Matheson replacing Deems Taylor as narrator. Once and for all, a restored Fantasia was made available to filmgoers in 1990. A sequel, Fantasia 2000, was released in theaters in 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Father of the Bride

Father of the Bride

Starring: Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams, Kieran Culkin, George Newbern, Martin Short, Peter Michael Goetz, Kate McGregor-Stewart, Robert Bauer, Christine Beliveau, Bruce A. Block, Gibby Brand, Peter Cooper, David Day, Morgan Dox, Ed Williams, Martha Gehman, Carmen Hayward, Ira Heiden, Scott Hogan, Tom Irish, Donna Isaacson, Sarah Rose Karr, Eric Kay, Frank Kopyc, Marissa Lefton, Chauncey Leopardi, Eugene Levy, Elisa Mandell, Irving Meyers, Patricia Meyers, Annie Meyers-Shyer, Hallie Meyers-Shyer, Peter Murnik, April Ortiz, David Pasquesi, Barbara Perry, Richard Portnow, Kevin Shaw, Mark Steen, Steve Tyrell, Mina Vasquez, Thomas Wagner, Natasha Wieland, B.D. Wong, Amy Young
Director: Charles Shyer

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
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Running Time: 1:45

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Editorial Reviews - Father of the Bride

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Steve Martin stars in this remake of the 1950 Vincente Minnelli classic as shoe executive George Banks, whose happily married existence hits a bump when he greets his daughter Annie (Kimberly Williams), home from a semester studying in Europe. She tells her father that she is engaged to be married. When the shocked George asks to whom, she says his name is Bryan (George Newbern) and that he is an "independent communications consultant." George is even more shocked when he finds out what the wedding will cost (when George goes through the card file for invited wedding guests and is told someone is deceased, George chirps, "He died? That's great!"). As George is ignored during the mad preparations for the wedding, he wistfully looks back to all the good times he has had with Annie and sadly looks forward to the time when he loses his little girl. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Feeling Minnesota

Feeling Minnesota

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Vincent D'Onofrio, Cameron Diaz, Delroy Lindo, Courtney Love, Tuesday Weld, Dan Aykroyd, Levon Helm, Michael Rispoli
Director: Steven Baigelman

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Comedy - Black
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Running Time: 1:35

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Editorial Reviews - Feeling Minnesota

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It's not unusual in the movies for a woman to be torn between two brothers, but she usually doesn't change her mind on her wedding day. Then again, hardly anything goes the way one might expect in this black comedy. Freddie (Cameron Diaz), a pretty but hard-as-nails stripper, dreams of some day dancing in a Las Vegas revue, but for the meantime she works at a seedy dive in Minnesota. Freddie is forced by the owner of the club, Red (Delroy Lindo), to marry his accountant, the less-than-charming Sam Clayton (Vincent D'Onofrio), as punishment for supposedly stealing from the strip joint's till (as a further indignity, Red has also had the word "slut" tattooed on her arm). Sam has a rocky relationship with his brother Jjaks (Keanu Reeves) -- his curious name is the result of a typing error on his birth certificate -- but Jjaks receives an invitation to the nuptials from their mother Nora (Tuesday Weld), and he arrives at the wedding reception only a few hours after he's released from prison. When Freddie and Jjacks meet for the first time, there's an immediate chemistry between them, so immediate that before the evening is out, the new in-laws are making love in a bathroom and Freddie has persuaded Jjacks to run away with her; Freddie has also grabbed Sam's bankroll to finance the unscheduled vacation. Sam, understandably enraged, vows to track them down and enlists the help of Ben Costikyan (Dan Aykroyd), a sleazy career criminal. Feeling Minnesota was the debut feature for writer and director Steven Baigelman. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones, Jennifer Grey, Cindy Pickett, Lyman Ward, Edie McClurg, Charlie Sheen, Del Close, Virginia Capers, Richard Edson, Larry "Flash" Jenkins, Jason Robert Alderman, Louie Anderson, Lisa Bellard, Stephanie Blake, Scott Coffey, Joey Garfield, Robert Kim, Edward LeBeau, Paul Manzanero, Robert McKibbon, Debra Montague, Polly Augusta Noonan, Bob Parkinson, Max Perlich, Dee Dee Rescher, Richard Rohrbough, Anne Ryan, Eric Saiet, Jonathan Schmock, Dave Silvestri, Dick Sollenberger, Tom Spratley, Ben Stein, Kristy Swanson, Joey Viera, Miranda Whittle
Director: John Hughes

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Comedy - General
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Running Time: 1:43

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Editorial Reviews - Ferris Bueller's Day Off

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Before graduating to more adult-oriented films, writer-director John Hughes capped his high school quartet with this 1986 comedy that, like Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, has become an era-defining touchstone. But new generations can join the all-inclusive legions of sportos, motorheads, geeks, bloods, wasteoids, and dweebies who consider eight-time truant Ferris Bueller ?a righterous dude.? Who cannot relate to such teenage logic as Ferris's rationalization of day off No. 9: ?How can I possibly be expected to handle school on a day like this?? Substitute the word ?job? for ?school? and you can understand why this liberating comedy continues to strike a chord. As Bueller famously observes, ?Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around, you could miss it.? Matthew Broderick's immense likability goes a long way toward saving Ferris from coming off as an obnoxious spoiled brat, or, to quote Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), the dean of students determined to catch Bueller, ?a snot-nosed punk.? The film's many classic scenes still make the grade, including Ben Stein's career-launching ?Bueller?...Bueller?...Bueller??; the ?Sausage King?; and Ferris's parade rendition of ?Twist and Shout.? But what puts this edition in a class by itself are the new bonus features, including the nearly half-hour-long ?Getting the Class Together,? featuring new and archival interviews with Hughes, Broderick, Stein, and the rest of the lightning-in-a-bottle ensemble, including Jennifer Gray (as Ferris's resentful younger sister), Alan Ruck (as Ferris's neurotic best friend, Cameron), Mia Sara (as Ferris's girlfriend, Sloane), and Edie McClurg (as Rooney's secretary). Subtract half a grade for the exclusion of Hughes's audio commentary, which was included on the 1999 DVD. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
Teenaged Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) is a legend in his own time thanks to his uncanny skill at cutting classes and getting away with it. Intending to make one last grand duck-out before graduation, Ferris calls in sick, "borrows" a Ferrari, and embarks on a one-day bacchanal through the streets of Chicago. Dogging Ferris' trail at every turn is high-school principal Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), determined to catch Bueller in the act of class-cutting. Writer/director John Hughes once again tries to wed satire, slapstick, and social commentary, as Ferris Bueller's Day Off starts like a house afire and goes on to make "serious" points about status-seeking and casual parental cruelties. It brightens up considerably in the last few moments, when Ferris' tattletale sister (Jennifer Grey) decides to align herself with her merry prankster sibling. A huge moneymaker, Ferris Bueller's Day Off eventually spawned a TV sitcom. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Few Good Men

Few Good Men

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Pollak, James Marshall, J.T. Walsh, Christopher Guest, J.A. Preston, Matt Craven, Wolfgang Bodison, Association of Former Fish Drill Team, Xander Berkeley, David Bowe, Harry Caesar, Frank Cavestani, Michael de Lorenzo, Cuba Gooding Jr., Janet Hirshenson, John M. Jackson, Jane Jenkins, Oscar Jordan, Lawrence Lowe, Joshua Malina, John M. Mathews, Jan Munroe, Geoffrey Nauffts, Ron Ostrow, Mathew Saks, Arthur Senzy, Aaron Sorkin, Cameron Thor, Al Wexo, Gene Whittington, Maud Winchester, Noah Wyle
Director: Rob Reiner

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Courtroom Drama
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Running Time: 2:18

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Editorial Reviews - Few Good Men

Barnes & Noble
A taut script and bravura performances distinguish Rob Reiner's masterfully directed adaptation of the award-winning play written by West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin. Tom Cruise heads the powerhouse cast, portraying a callow Navy lawyer who defends two young Marines accused of murdering a fellow Leatherneck on their Guantánamo Bay base. Although he's got only three major scenes, Jack Nicholson sparkles as the stern commanding officer, a much-decorated veteran who resents Cruise's intimation that the accidental death resulted from the misinterpretation of orders from higher-ups. Nicholson's fiery courtroom confrontation with Cruise precipitates a shattering climax, and it has come to rank among the most memorable sequences in any Hollywood movie. The direction by Reiner (The American President) is assured but unobtrusive, relying more on the forcefulness of Sorkin's screenplay and the skill of a stellar ensemble cast (which also includes Demi Moore, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, and J. T. Walsh) than on flashy camera moves. Solid and unpretentious, albeit somewhat floridly melodramatic in spots, A Few Good Men certainly makes riveting entertainment, but it also reminds us that courage, honor, and integrity are virtues worth defending -- even when the defenders themselves are the ones making mistakes. The Special Edition DVD includes a feature-length commentary by Reiner and a documentary entitled "Code of Conduct." Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
In this military courtroom drama based on the play by Aaron Sorkin, Navy lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) is assigned to defend two Marines, Pfc. Louden Downey (James Marshall) and Lance Cpl. Harold Dawson (Wolfgang Bodison), who are accused of the murder of fellow leatherneck Pfc. William Santiago (Michael de Lorenzo) at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Kaffee generally plea bargains for his clients rather than bring them to trial, which is probably why he was assigned this potentially embarassing case, but when Lt. Commander JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) is assigned to assist Kaffee, she is convinced that there's more to the matter than they've been led to believe and convinces her colleague that the case should go to court. Under questioning, Downey and Dawson reveal that Santiago died in the midst of a hazing ritual known as "Code Red" after he threatened to inform higher authorities that Dawson opened fire on a Cuban watchtower. They also state that the "Code Red" was performed under the orders of Lt. Jonathan Kendrick (Kiefer Sutherland). Kendrick's superior, tough-as-nails Col. Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson), denies any knowledge of the order to torture Santiago, but when Lt. Col. Matthew Markinson (J.T. Walsh) confides to Kaffee that Jessup demanded the "Code Red" for violating his order of silence, Kaffee and Galloway have to find a way to prove this in court. A Few Good Men also features Kevin Bacon as prosecuting attorney Capt. Jack Ross and Kevin Pollak as Kaffee and Galloway's research assistant, Lt. Sam Weinberg. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Field of Dreams

Field of Dreams

Starring: Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, Burt Lancaster, Timothy Busfield, Gaby Hoffmann, Frank Whaley, Dwier Brown, James Andelin, C. George Baisi, Larry Brandenburg, Kelly Coffield, Steve Eastin, Brian Frankish, Beatrice Fredman, Lee Garlington, Mary McDonald Gershon, Joe Glasberg, Mike Hodge, Charles Hoyes, Mary Anne Kean, Robert Kurcz, Art La Fleur, Fred S. Martin, Michael Milhoan, Geoffrey Nauffts, Mike Nussbaum, Fern Persons, Don John Ross, Joseph R. Ryan, Anne Seymour, Howard Sherf, Jeffrey Neal Silverman
Director: Phil Alden Robinson

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Classics - General
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Running Time: 1:47

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Editorial Reviews - Field of Dreams

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"If you build it, he will come." That's the ethereal message that inspires Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) to construct a baseball diamond in the middle of his cornfield. At first, "he" seems to be the ghost of disgraced ballplayer Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta), who materializes on the ballfield and plays a few games with the awestruck Ray. But as the weeks go by, Ray receives several other messages from a disembodied voice, one of which is "Ease his pain." He realizes that his ballfield has been divinely ordained to give a second chance to people who have sacrificed certain valuable aspects of their lives. One of these folks is Salingeresque writer Terence Mann (James Earl Jones), whom Ray kidnaps and takes to a ball game and then to his farm. Another is Doc Graham (Burt Lancaster), a beloved general practitioner who gave up a burgeoning baseball career in favor of medicine. The final "second-chancer" turns out to be much closer to Ray. That "magical" field in Dyersville, Iowa still draws thousands of baseball-happy tourists each year. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Field of Dreams

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Classics - General
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Running Time: 1:47

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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
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Running Time: 2:06

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Editorial Reviews - Fifth Element

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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

Final Analysis

Final Analysis

Starring: Richard Gere, Kim Basinger, Uma Thurman, Eric Roberts, Paul Guilfoyle
Director: Phil Joanou

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:04

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
This film, which again pairs Richard Gere and Kim Basinger (who starred in 1986's No Mercy), offers up elements of classic noir: a hapless man becomes intimately involved with a beautiful blonde who may or may not be who or what she appears to be. Dedicated psychiatrist Isaac Barr (Gere) reluctantly, and then more obsessively, becomes involved with Heather Evans (Basinger), the sister of his patient, Diana Baylor (Uma Thurman). Evans is unhappily married to a gangster (appropriately played by a muscular and menacing Eric Roberts in a trademark role). Gere and Basinger make a credible, if dangerous couple, and Thurman delivers a subtle, understated performance and demonstrates her range and potential.

The thriller is appropriately shot in gorgeous San Francisco, where the literal and figurative curving and hilly roads wind throughout. Credit legendary art director Dean Tavoularis for some amazing sets and scenes, notably the elegantly cavernous restaurant where Evans and her husband have a fateful dinner.

This film is, in a way, glossy director Phil Joanou's Hitchcockian tribute--as a climactic lighthouse scene best demonstrates. Final Analysis doesn't offer an intimate look at its characters, but a beautifully stylized one, moody and gloomy. The intricate plot experiments with the device of "pathological intoxication," in which the subject completely loses control after drinking alcohol. And this doesn't mean a conventional ugly drunk; it means a frightening psychotic. Good and evil, hope and despair, beauty and repulsion are often juxtaposed in the film's complex world. --N.F. Mendoza

The Firm

The Firm

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook, Ed Harris, Terry Kinney, Wilford Brimley, Holly Hunter, David Strathairn, Gary Busey, Steven Hill, Tobin Bell, Barbara Garrick, Jerry Hardin, Paul Calderon, Jerry Weintraub, Karina Lombard, Joey Anderson, John Beal, Tommy Cresswell, David Dwyer, Rebecca Glenn, Greg Goossen, Mark W. Johnson, Donald Jones, Jonathan Kaplan, Jonathan E. Kaplan, David A. Kimball, Margo Martindale, Dean Norris, Afemo Omilami, Clint Smith, Paul Sorvino, Debbie Turner, Lou Walker, James White, Bart Whiteman
Director: Sydney Pollack

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Crime Thriller
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Running Time: 2:34

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Editorial Reviews - Firm

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In this drama, based on the best-selling novel by John Grisham, Mitch McDeer (Tom Cruise) is a young man from a poor Southern family who has struggled through Harvard Law School to graduate fifth in his class. Mitch is entertaining offers from major firms in New York and Chicago, but when Memphis-based Bendini, Lambert, & Locke offer him a 20 percent higher salary than the best offer he's received, in addition to an enticing variety of perks and fringe benefits, he decides to sign on and remain in the South. Mitch's wife, Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn), warns him that the deal sounds almost too good to be true, but it's not until after several weeks of working with Avery Tolar (Gene Hackman) that Mitch discovers that the vast majority of BL&L's business is tied to organized crime, with crime boss Joey Morolto (Paul Sorvino) using the firm to launder Mafia money. FBI agents Wayne Tarrance (Ed Harris) and F. Denton Voyles (Steven Hill) try to blackmail Mitch into helping them make a case against the firm, while BL&L's "security director" William Devasher (Wilford Brimley) is blackmailing him to do as he's told after Mitch foolishly allows himself to be seduced by a prostitute hired by the firm. The Firm was adapted for the screen by acclaimed playwright David Rabe and features performances by Hal Holbrook, Holly Hunter, and Gary Busey. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flash Gordon

Flash Gordon

Starring: Sam Jones, Melody Anderson, Topol, Max von Sydow, Ornella Muti, Brian Blessed, Timothy Dalton, Peter Wyngarde, Mariangela Melato, John Osborne, Richard O'Brien, John Hallam, Philip Stone, Peter Brace, Andrew Bradford, Bobbie Brown, Jim Carter, Celeste, Irene Champlin, Imogen Claire, Robbie Coltrane, Mike Cottrell, Leslie Crawford, Graeme Crowther, Suzanne Danielle, Malcolm Dixon, Peter Duncan, Michael Edmonds, Terry Forrestal, Marie Green, Leon Greene, George Harris, John Hollis, William Hootkins, Karen Johnson, Kenny Baker, Stanley Lebor, John Lees, Oliver Macgreevy, John Morton, David Neal, Anthony Olivier, Michael Potter, Eddie Powell, Racquel, Richard Jones, Terry Richards, Ken Roberson, Tiny Ross, Deep Roy, Roy Scammell, Sophie, Eddie Stacey, John Sullivan, Burnell Tucker, Viva, Trevor Ward, Frederick Warder, Chris Webb
Director: Mike Hodges

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Sci-Fi Action
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Running Time: 1:51

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Editorial Reviews - Flash Gordon

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Heroic earthling Flash Gordon saves the world from the nefarious Ming the Merciless in this lavish, intentionally campy adaptation of the famous sci-fi comic strip. The story is as basic as space operas get: Ming (Max von Sydow) has developed a plan to destroy the Earth, and Flash (Sam J. Jones) and his attractive companion, Dale Arden (Melody Anderson), are called upon to stop him. Along the way, Flash must battle Ming's goons and the temptations of a luscious space princess. Previously the basis for a more straight-faced 1930s adventure serial, Flash's story is mined here for exaggerated, cartoon humor by screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr., a central figure in the similarly campy '60s Batman television series. The simplistic plot mainly serves as an excuse for spectacular sets and cartoonish action sequences, all set to an appropriately over-the-top rock score by Queen. Certainly not a film to turn to for serious excitement, fine performances, or character development, Flash Gordon has nevertheless developed an appreciative cult of fans who admire the film's humorous approach and the detailed, colorful production design. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

All Movie Guide
A director treads a precarious artistic line when setting out to consciously make a campy film. How exactly does one take seriously a film that asks not to be taken seriously? Mike Hodges answers that question in Flash Gordon. Near the end of this film Dale Arden announces to Flash, while he's in the middle of a possibly fatal fistfight, "Flash, I love you but we only have 14 hours to save the Earth!" That line does a good job of encapsulating the movie's goofy charm. Full of bright, primary colors and sets that manage to look simultaneously ostentatious and cheap, Flash Gordon looks like a comic strip. Skyscapes look like matte paintings (because they are) and the costumes, while seemingly outrageous, fit right into this world. With this much eye candy, the story itself hardly matters. Luckily, the filmmakers take their narrative cue from the serials of the '30s and present a breathless, cliffhanger-filled tale of last second escapes, thrilling fights, and heroic adventures, all delivered with tongue firmly planted in cheek. All this and Queen too. What's not to love? Just when you think they can't possibly squeeze in another great visual joke, the hawkmen, with whom Flash has defeated Ming the Merciless, show their gratitude to our hero by flying in a formation that reads "thanks." They then disband and reform in a pattern that reads "Flash." Such sublime silliness is what brings the film's cult audience back time after time. --Perry Seibert Seibert

The Flintstones

The Flintstones

Starring: John Goodman, Elizabeth Perkins, Rick Moranis, Rosie O'Donnell, Kyle MacLachlan, Halle Berry, Elizabeth Taylor, Dann Florek, Richard Moll, Jonathan Winters, Harvey Korman, Joseph Barbera, Mel Blanc, Alan Blumenfeld, Dean Cundey, Rick Dees, Jim Doughan, Bill Hanna, Janice Kent, Irwin Keyes, Jay Leno, Rod McCary, Nancy Nayor, Laraine Newman, Jack O'Halloran, Kate Pierson, Jean Vander Pyl, Sam Raimi, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Fred Schneider, Alex Zimmerman
Director: Brian Levant

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Action/Adventure - Family
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Running Time: 1:32

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Editorial Reviews - Flintstones

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The good (if not fully evolved) citizens of Bedrock make their way to the big screen in this live-action adaptation of the popular animated series of the 1960s. Fred Flintstone (John Goodman) and his best friend Barney Rubble (Rick Moranis) work together at the Slate and Company Rock Quarry. When Fred loans Barney some money that allows him and his wife Betty (Rosie O'Donnell) to adopt a child, Barney is looking for a way to show his gratitude. Barney thinks he's found one when the executives at Slate and Company announce that they're giving all their employees intelligence tests to help determine future promotions. When Barney switches his high-scoring test with Fred's, his plan works -- but not quite the way he had hoped: Fred is deemed executive material and given a big promotion, complete with a sexy secretary (Halle Berry) who makes his wife Wilma (Elizabeth Perkins) jealous, while Barney is soon out of a job and can't pay his bills. Bill Hanna and Joseph Barbara, who created the original television series, make cameo appearances here; Elizabeth Taylor gives a fine comic performance as Wilma's nagging mother, and Harvey Korman provides the voice of the Dictabird. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Fools Rush In

Fools Rush In

Starring: Matthew Perry, Salma Hayek, Jon Tenney, Carlos Goméz, Siobhan Fallon, Jill Clayburgh, Tomas Milian, Anne Betancourt, Stanley de Santis, John Bennett Perry, Suzanne Snyder
Director: Andy Tennant

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
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Running Time: 1:49

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Editorial Reviews - Fools Rush In

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Two relative strangers try to turn a one night stand into a marriage in this romantic comedy. Alex Whitman (Matthew Perry) is a designer from New York City who is sent to Las Vegas to supervise the construction of a nightclub that his firm has been hired to build. Alex is a straight-laced WASP-ish type who, while enjoying a night on the town, meets Isabel Fuentes (Salma Hayek), a free-spirited Mexican-American photographer. Alex and Isabel are overtaken by lust at first sight and end up spending the night together; however, their immediate attraction doesn't last in the cold light of day, and they don't see each other for another three months. When they do meet again, it's because Isabel has some interesting news for Alex: she's pregnant with his child. Alex and Isabel decide that they should do the right thing and quickly get married (with an Elvis impersonator serving as witness), but after Isabel meets Alex's mom (Jill Clayburgh), and Alex is confronted by Isabel's father (Tomas Milian), both start to wonder if "doing the right thing" was just that, especially as Alex tries to balance his career in New York with Isabel's desire to continue working in Nevada. Fools Rush In gave Matthew Perry his first big-screen starring role following his success on the TV series Friends. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Forces of Nature

Forces of Nature

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ben Affleck, Maura Tierney, Steve Zahn, Blythe Danner, Ronny Cox, Michael Fairman, Janet Carroll, Richard Schiff, David Strickland, Meredith Scott Lynn, George D. Wallace, Steve Hytner, John Doe
Director: Bronwen Hughes

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Comedy Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:44

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Editorial Reviews - Forces of Nature

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Ben (Ben Affleck) has two days to get from New York to Savannah, Georgia for his wedding to Bridget Cahill (Maura Tierney). Everything is running smoothly until his plane skids off the runway. Ben inadvertently saves the life of his seatmate, Sarah (Sandra Bullock), who becomes his companion for the longest two days of his life. As fate begins to repeat itself through a series of disasters involving a rental car, a train, and a bus (not to mention a hurricane), Ben has to wonder if someone's trying to give him a message. Inevitably, he also finds himself falling in love with Sarah. Meanwhile, Bridget wonders where, exactly, Ben is, and her old boyfriend Steve (David Strickland) attempts to take advantage of the situation. Not that Bridget's dad (Ronny Cox) really minds, since Steve is much more successful than Ben. En route, Ben and Sarah collide with Ben's best man, Alan (Steve Zahn) and his girlfriend, the maid of honor (Meredith Scott Lynn), which further adds to the series of cosmic tests that Ben must try to answer. ~ Ron Wells, Rovi

Forget Paris

Forget Paris

Starring: Billy Crystal, Debra Winger, Joe Mantegna, Cynthia Stevenson, Richard Masur
Director: Billy Crystal

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:41

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Billy Crystal plays Mickey, a basketball referee who has to accompany his estranged father's body to France, where the old man requested to be buried with the other members of his D-Day platoon. Unfortunately for Mickey, the airline loses his body. Fortunately for Mickey, this leads him to meet Ellen (Debra Winger), an airline executive who takes personal charge of the case and even joins him at the funeral. A whirlwind Paris romance leads to marriage, but that's when the complications begin... The story of Mickey and Ellen's marriage is recounted by their friends (played by Joe Mantegna, Cynthia Stevenson, Julie Kavner, Richard Masur, John Spencer, and Cathy Moriarty) as they wait for Mickey and Ellen to arrive at a dinner party. And of course these friends have their own stories, which are played out in witty shorthand as they bicker about who's going to tell the next part of the Mickey/Ellen saga. Forget Paris is uneven (unsurprisingly, Winger is stronger in the dramatic sections and Crystal in the comic parts, a schism that takes its toll on their chemistry), but its best parts hold up, even if the whole is shaky. Plus, the movie's theme (that romantic memories aren't what makes a marriage work, you have to live in the present) is explored with conviction and tenderness. --Bret Fetzer

From The New Yorker
A Billy Crystal movie with a vengeance: he produced, directed, and stars, as Mickey, a basketball referee who flies to Paris (or a tourist parody of Paris) and loses his heart to Ellen (Debra Winger), an airline worker. They get married, and the problems start-for them, and for the movie. Crystal and Winger make one of the great no-sparks couples in recent cinema: he cracks jokes, she looks baffled and strained. He also co-wrote, with the team of Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, whose scripts since "Splash" (1984) have been getting less nutty and more therapeutic; this one turns into a marriage-counselling session. -Anthony Lane
Copyright ® 2006 The New Yorker

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump

Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, Sally Field, Michael Conner Humphreys, Hanna R. Hall, Joe Alaskey, Sam Anderson, Peter Bannon, Geoffrey Blake, Charles Boswell, Stephen Wesley Bridgewater, David Brisbin, Michael Burgess, Dick Cavett, Hallie D'Amore, Kevin Davis, Peter Dobson, Nora Dunfee, Siobhan Fallon, Don Fischer, John Galt, Al Harrington, Harold G. Herthum, Mike Jolly, George Kelly, Aaron Michael Lacey, Ellen Lewis, Jason McGuire, Byron Minns, Afemo Omilami, Haley Joel Osment, Bob Penny, Paul Raczkowski, Brett Rice, Gary Robinson, Sonny Shroyer, Mary Ellen Trainor, Valentino, John Voldstad, Joe Washington, Jeff Winner
Director: Robert Zemeckis

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Historical Film
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:22

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Editorial Reviews - Forrest Gump

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A paean to the enduring values of faith, humility, and common decency, 1994's Forrest Gump remains a shining beacon that overlooks the sea of coarse, cynical, and violent movies currently proffered by Hollywood filmmakers. Tom Hanks won a much-deserved Academy Award for his portrayal of the eponymous protagonist, a dull-witted member of the baby-boom generation who overcomes adversity, survives war, enjoys success, and transforms the lives of all who come into contact with him. Robin Wright is unaccountably touching as the girl he loves; Gary Sinise offers a sharply limned portrayal as Forrest's scornful army buddy; and Sally Field is memorable as his devoted, long-suffering mother. Director Robert Zemeckis won an Oscar for his inspired directing, which partially blunts the satirical edge of Winston Groom's novel but creates an alternative reality that's much more soothing to audiences. Digital technology -- innovative for 1994, when the movie was produced -- places Forrest at the scene of decisive historical and cultural events recorded on film over several decades, which lends a comforting air of inevitability to his personal odyssey. Uplifting, warm, and sweet without being saccharine, Forrest Gump celebrates the human spirit with a sureness few contemporary films have ever achieved. The two-disc DVD Special Edition offers a whopping two hours of supplemental features, including a behind-the-scenes documentary on the film's production; separate featurettes demonstrating the creation of makeup, sound, and visual effects; and photo galleries, screen tests, and theatrical trailers. Additionally, Zemeckis, producers Steve Starkey and Wendy Finerman, and production designer Rick Carter provide commentaries to accompany the film itself. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
"Stupid is as stupid does," says Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks in an Oscar-winning performance) as he discusses his relative level of intelligence with a stranger while waiting for a bus. Despite his sub-normal IQ, Gump leads a truly charmed life, with a ringside seat for many of the most memorable events of the second half of the 20th century. Entirely without trying, Forrest teaches Elvis Presley to dance, becomes a football star, meets John F. Kennedy, serves with honor in Vietnam, meets Lyndon Johnson, speaks at an anti-war rally at the Washington Monument, hangs out with the Yippies, defeats the Chinese national team in table tennis, meets Richard Nixon, discovers the break-in at the Watergate, opens a profitable shrimping business, becomes an original investor in Apple Computers, and decides to run back and forth across the country for several years. Meanwhile, as the remarkable parade of his life goes by, Forrest never forgets Jenny (Robin Wright Penn), the girl he loved as a boy, who makes her own journey through the turbulence of the 1960s and 1970s that is far more troubled than the path Forrest happens upon. Featured alongside Tom Hanks are Sally Field as Forrest's mother; Gary Sinise as his commanding officer in Vietnam; Mykelti Williamson as his ill-fated Army buddy who is familiar with every recipe that involves shrimp; and the special effects artists whose digital magic place Forrest amidst a remarkable array of historical events and people. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Washington Post
Forrest Gump is as poignant as it is romantic, for it is not only a love story but a war story featuring fine supporting performances from Gary Sinise, as a bitter amputee who becomes Forrest's first mate on the shrimp boat, and Mykelti Williamson, as the hero's equally guileless war buddy whom Forrest rescues during an ambush by the Viet Cong. Rita Kempley

Chicago Sun-Times
What a magical movie. Roger Ebert

Four Weddings and a Funeral

Four Weddings and a Funeral

Starring: Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Scott Thomas, Simon Callow, James Fleet, John Hannah, Corin Redgrave, Charlotte Coleman, David Bower, Rowan Atkinson, Anna Chancellor, John Abbott, Richard Allen, Richard Butler, Rosalie Crutchley, Ken Drury, Elspet Gray, Kenneth Griffith, David Haig, Susanna Hamnett, Nigel Hastings, Ronald Herdman, Marc James, Jeremy Kemp, Robert Lang, Robin McCaffrey, Michael Mears, Emily Morgan, Neville Phillips, Struan Rodger, Paul Stacey, Pat Starr, Bernice Stegers, Sophie Thompson, Rupert Vansittart, Philip Voss, Neil Richardson
Director: Mike Newell

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:57

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Editorial Reviews - Four Weddings and a Funeral

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This acclaimed British comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral centers on the intermittent romance between a charming (if slightly bumbling) Englishman and a beautiful American woman, who seem to always run into each other at weddings. Indeed, it is at the first of the title's four weddings that Charles (Hugh Grant) and Carrie (Andie McDowell) meet, enjoying a brief but fleeting connection. The spark is rekindled several months later, when they unexpectedly meet at another wedding. Unfortunately, however, Carrie has become engaged to another, a fact that complicates matters for them both. The story may seem simple, but the film is elevated by screenwriter Richard Curtis' ear for witty dialogue and a colorful supporting cast. Director Mike Newell's sympathetic attention to character keeps the proceedings believable, and prevents the film's more serious moments from seeming mawkish. These elements, along with Grant's star-making performance as Charles, helped the film achieve unexpected international success, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home

Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home

Starring: Jason James Richter, August Schellenberg, Michael Madsen, Jayne Atkinson, Mary Kate Schellhardt, Francis Capra, Doug Ballard, Jeff Brooks, Susan Brooks, June Christopher, John Considine, Wally Dalton, John Harms, Julie Inouye, Stephen Kahan, Joan Lunden, Marguerite Moreau, Elizabeth Peña, Edward J. Rosen, Al Sapienza, Jon Tenney, Paul Tuerpé, Basil Wallace, M. Emmet Walsh, Mykelti Williamson
Director: Dwight H. Little

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

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Editorial Reviews - Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home

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Jesse (Jason James Richter) and Willy, a boy and his whale, are making waves again! This exciting sequel to the 1993 surprise box office hit ups the emotional ante and heightens the peril for these two best friends. Former delinquent Jesse's now-happy life with his foster parents is upended by the arrival of Elvis (Francis Capra), a brother he did not know he had, who is a real handful. Meanwhile, Willy has been reunited with his family (all computer-generated this time around), who face renewed threats of an oil spill and capture. A subplot involving Jesse's first crush raises the "ick" factor, but those who thrilled to the heartwarming first film will be eager to take the plunge again. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
Two unlikely friends -- a boy and a killer whale -- are reunited under potentially dangerous circumstances in this sequel to the successful family adventure Free Willy. Jesse (Jason James Richter) has finally found stability and contentment with his foster parents Glen and Annie Greenwood (Michael Madsen and Jayne Atkinson), but he is confronted with a new emotional challenge when his birth mother (a drug addict who abandoned him when he was young) dies, and his troubled half brother Elvis (Francis Capra) comes to live with the Greenwoods. Jesse also deals with new feelings when he develops a serious crush on Nadine (Mary Kate Schellhardt), the goddaughter of Randolph (August Schellenberg), an animal trainer at the theme park where Jesse helps out. But a much bigger problem is on the horizon when the safety of Willy, the killer whale he befriended and helped return to the wild, is threatened. An oil spill spoils the ocean environment where Willy and his family now live, and an unscrupulous owner of an oceanarium, Wilcox (M. Emmet Walsh), attempts to capture Willie and put him back into captivity as a performing attraction. While Free Willy featured Keiko, a trained whale who (ironically) was living in captivity when the film was shot, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home instead utilized mechanical models and digital animation to bring "Willy" to life. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

French Kiss

French Kiss

Starring: Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline, Timothy Hutton, Jean Reno, François Cluzet, Marie-Christine Adam, Adam Brooks, Fausto Constantino, Alain Frerot, Victor Garrivier, Jerry Harte, Nicholas Hawtrey, Thomasine Heiner, Renee Humphrey, Michael Riley, Barbara Schulz, Laurent Spielvogel
Director: Lawrence Kasdan

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:51

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Editorial Reviews - French Kiss

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An American woman discovers that Paris truly is the city of love -- though not in the manner she expected -- in this romantic comedy. Kate (Meg Ryan) is desperately afraid of flying, so when her fiancée Charlie (Timothy Hutton) flies to Paris on business, she must stay behind. Kate has been having second thoughts about her impending marriage, but that changes when Charlie calls her to say that the engagement is off -- he's met a beautiful French woman named Juliette (Susan Anbeh), and he's fallen in love. Determined to win Charlie back, Kate confronts her fears and hops on board the next flight to Paris, where she finds herself seated next to Luc Teyssier (Kevin Kline), a French thief who stashes some valuable jewelry in her baggage hoping to avoid capture. While Luc simply wants to get his jewels back, he pretends to be willing to help Kate find Charlie and win him back in order to keep her luggage out of harm's way, but to his surprise (as well as Kate's), the two become infatuated as they make their way through the City of Lights. Leading lady Meg Ryan also served as co-producer for this film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Fried Green Tomatoes

Fried Green Tomatoes

Starring: Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary-Louise Parker, Cicely Tyson, Nick Searcy, Gailard Sartain, Stan Shaw, Gary Basaraba, Jo Harvey Allen, Nancy Moore Atchison, Suzi Bass, Reid Binion, Haynes Brooke, Michael Burgess, Chris O'Donnell, David Dwyer, Tom Even, Genevieve Fisher, Fannie Flagg, Grayson Fricke, Bob Hannah, Tres Holton, Catherine Larson, Evan Lockwood, Ted Manson, James Mayberry, Ronald McCall, Macon McCalman, Wallace Merck, Carole Mitchell-Leon, Danny Nelson, Enjolik Oree, Ginny Parker, Bob Penny, Lashondra Phillips, La Tanya Richardson, Richard Riehle, Raynor Scheine, Timothy Scott, Constance Shulman, Afton Smith, Lois Smith, Missy Wolff, Grace Zabriskie
Director: Jon Avnet

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Comedy - General
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:10

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Editorial Reviews - Fried Green Tomatoes

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The very model of the contemporary "chick flick," Fried Green Tomatoes still ranks among the best of the breed. Adapted from her bestselling novel, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, Fanny Flagg's screenplay expertly evokes the 1920s in the Deep South while drawing a vivid picture of female resourcefulness and fortitude. Skillfully slipping in and out of time periods, the dual story unfolds as dowdy, unhappily married Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates), begins visiting a nursing home to chat with Ninny Threadgoode (Jessica Tandy). The still sprightly Ninny, a former resident of Whistle Stop, Alabama, tells Evelyn about a young woman named Ruth Jamison (Mary-Louise Parker), who operated the book's titular café, which specialized in breaded fried green tomatoes. Married to a loutish redneck, Ruth grew much closer to her friend Idgie Threadgoode (Mary Stuart Masterson), her partner in the café. The flashback sequences to the 1920s describe Whistle Stop's racial tensions, which bubble over into violence when Ruth's no-account husband disappears and is presumed to have been murdered by a black man named Big George (Stan Shaw). Less specifically described, but clearly inferred, is a lesbian relationship between Ruth and Idgie. Director Jon Avnet elicits terrific performances from Parker and Masterson, who were then near the beginning of their careers. Avnet sensitively portrays Flagg's underlying subject -- a narrow-minded society's response to nonconformity -- without wallowing in sentimentality or preachiness. The result is an uplifting movie that wins new fans with every screening. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
A woman learns the value of friendship as she hears the story of two women and how their friendship shaped their lives in this warm comedy-drama. Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates) is an emotionally repressed housewife with a habit of drowning her sorrows in candy bars. Her husband Ed (Gailard Sartain) barely acknowledges her existence, and while he visits his aunt at a nursing home every week, Evelyn is not permitted to come into the room because the old women doesn't like her. One week, while waiting out Ed's visit, Evelyn meets Ninny Threadgoode (Jessica Tandy), a frail but feisty old woman who lives at the same nursing home and loves to tell stories. Over the span of several weeks, she spins a whopper about one of her relatives, Idgie (Mary Stuart Masterson). Back in the 1920s, Idgie was a sweet but fiercely independent woman with her own way of doing things who ran the town diner in Whistle Stop, Alabama. Idgie was very close to her brother Buddy (Chris O'Donnell), and when he died, she wouldn't talk to anyone except Buddy's girl, Ruth Jamison (Mary-Louise Parker). Idgie gave Ruth a job at the cafe after she left her abusive husband, Frank Bennett (Nick Searcy). Between her habit of standing up for herself, standing up to Frank, and serving food to Black people out the back of the diner, Idgie raised the ire of the less tolerant citizens of Whistle Stop, and when Frank mysteriously disappeared, many locals suspected that Idgie, Ruth, and their friends may have been responsible. Evelyn finds herself looking forward to her weekly visits with Ninny, and is inspired by her story to take a new pride in herself and assert her independence from Ed. Fried Green Tomatoes was based on the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by actress-turned-author Fannie Flagg, who makes a cameo appearance as the leader of a self-help group. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

From Russia with Love

From Russia with Love

Starring: Sean Connery, Daniela Bianchi, Pedro Armendariz, Lotte Lenya, Robert Shaw, Bernard Lee, Eunice Gayson, Walter Gotell, Francis de Wolff, George Pastell, Nadja Regin, Lois Maxwell, Jan Williams, Neville Jason, Peter Bayliss, Martine Beswicke, Peter Brayham, Alizia Gur, Fred Haggerty, Leila, Desmond Llewelyn, Peter Madden, Vladek Sheybal, John Barry
Director: Terence Young

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: James Bond Type Spy Film
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:05

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Editorial Reviews - From Russia with Love

All Movie Guide
From Russia With Love, the second in the series of James Bond films, is the film that solidifies all the Bond film elements into a formula -- the action sequences are intensified and lend greater tension to the proceedings; John Barry's inimitable score makes its first appearance; Q is seen for the first time; and Sean Connery as Bond has nailed down his role as 007 -- accentuating Bond's stylishness and sophistication, while toning down his cold-bloodedness. In From Russia With Love, the bad guys don't want to take over the world. They want something more mundane -- a Russian decoding device. Assigned to the mission of stealing the decoding device are #3, former KGB agent Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya), and #5, Kronsteen (Vladek Sheybal), an expert chess player who has plotted every move of the mission. Kronsteen's plan requires using Bond's weakness for women as an element in acquiring the decoding device. Once Bond obtains the decoding device from Russian cipher clerk Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi), SPECTRE muscleman Red Grant (Robert Shaw) is to forcibly take it from Bond and kill him. But Bond suspects a trap. Being Bond, however, he can't resist the lure of a beautiful woman. So, flaunting danger, Bond travels to Istanbul to meet Tatiana. The centerpiece of this 007 feature is the thrilling fight to the death between Bond and enemy agent Red Grant (Shaw) aboard the Orient Express. Paul Brenner

The Fugitive

The Fugitive

Starring: Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Joe Pantoliano, Jeroen Krabbé, Julianne Moore, Andreas Katsulas, Daniel Roebuck, L. Scott Caldwell, Tom Wood, Mike Bacarella, Cynthia Baker, Gene Barge, Cheryl Lynn Bruce, Drucilla A. Carlson, Kevin Crowley, Dick Cusack, Bill Cusack, David Darlow, Johnny Lee Davenport, Ron Dean, Pancho Demmings, John Drummond, Oksana Fedunyszyn, Orlando Garcia, Cody Glenn, Danny Goldring, Joe Guastaferro, Joe Guzaldo, Allen Hamilton, Alex P. Hernandez, Michael James, B.J. Jones, Joseph Kosala, Nick Kusenko, Joe D. Lauck, Jane Lynch, Amanda Mackey-Johnson, Margaret Moore, Miguel Nino, David Pasquesi, Frank Ray Perilli, Juan Ramirez, Richard Riehle, Joel Robinson, Andy Romano, Cathy Sandrich, Nick Searcy, Brent Shaphren, Thomas Charles Simmons, Michael Skewes, Eddie Bo Smith Jr., Thom Vernon, John M. Watson Sr., Ann Whitney, Jim Wilkey, Afram Bill Williams
Director: Andrew Davis

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:11

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Editorial Reviews - Fugitive

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This tense chase-thriller, based on the old TV series, wowed audiences and critics alike with its beautifully choreographed action sequences, dazzling stunts, and superb acting. Harrison Ford stars as the fugitive, a surgeon wrongly convicted of killing his wife. After he escapes during a spectacular train wreck, an indefatigable U.S. marshal (Tommy Lee Jones in an Oscar-winning role) makes it a personal mission to bring the fugitive to justice. While director Andrew Davis (UNDER SEIGE) shows an almost Hitchcockian flair for inventive action and suspenseful plotting, it is the strength of the characterizations that earned THE FUGITIVE its Best Picture nomination. Jones's bemused and disdainful lawman and Ford's stoic hero play out their battle of wit and wills to perfection. Edgy and nuanced, Jones's performance generates almost as much excitement as the fugitive's spectacular, death-defying escapes. Kryssa Schemmerling

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This 1993 box-office smash partly adheres to the 1960s TV series on which it is based and partly goes off on several tangents of its own. Harrison Ford stars as Dr. Richard Kimble, convicted of murdering his wife. While being transferred to prison by bus, Kimble is involved in a spectacular bus-train collision (one of the best of its kind ever filmed). Surviving the disaster, Kimble escapes, vowing to track down the elusive professional criminal whom he holds responsible for the murder. Dogging the fugitive every foot of the way is U.S. marshal Sam Gerard (an Oscar-winning turn by Tommy Lee Jones), who announces his intention to search "every whorehouse, doghouse, and outhouse" to bring Kimble to justice. Unlike his dour TV-series counterpart Barry Morse, Jones plays the role with a sardonic sense of humor: when a cornered Kimble screams, "I didn't kill my wife," Gerard shrugs and famously replies, "I don't care." Once the premise has been established, scripters Jeb Stuart and David Twohy and director Andrew Davis pull off several audacious plot twists, ranging from Kimble's rendezvous with a sympathetic lab technician to a jaw-dropping dive into a huge waterfall. The second half of the film offers one surprise after another (including the true identity of the murderer), brilliantly avoiding the letdown that plagues many movie adaptations of old TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Fugitive

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:10

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G.I. Jane

G.I. Jane

Starring: Demi Moore, Viggo Mortensen, Anne Bancroft, Jason Beghe, Scott Wilson, Lucinda Jenney, Morris Chestnut, Josh Hopkins, James Caviezel, Angel David, Boyd Kestner, Kevin Gage, David Vadim, Gregg Bello, John Michael Higgins, Stephen Ramsey, Daniel Von Bargen, Daniel van Bargen, David Warshofsky
Director: Ridley Scott

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Military-Life Drama
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Running Time: 2:04

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Editorial Reviews - G.I. Jane

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Ridley Scott directed this flawed but involving study of Lt. Jordan O'Neil (Demi Moore), a Navy topographic analyst who is chosen as a test case for the presence of women in combat. Aware that she is making history and knowing that 60% of all male trainees will fail the rigorous training, Lt. O'Neil struggles to prove herself physically and mentally worthy of becoming a Navy SEAL. What she doesn't know is that she is being sold out by hardbitten Texas senator Lillian DeHaven (Anne Bancroft in an amusing turn), who is being blackmailed by the Defense Department with politically fatal base closings unless O'Neil fails the program. The complicated political subplot, however, only distracts from the film's real virtues -- the wonderfully staged scenes of CRT selection training -- and fizzles at its climactic moment. The training scenes are wonderful, however, as the central recruits are pushed to their physical limits by a grueling weeding-out process. Viggo Mortensen is outstanding as Master Chief John James Urgayle, a steely-eyed, tough-as-nails instructor who somehow finds time to quote D.H. Lawrence when he isn't making people eat garbage and beating O'Neil senseless as part of a training exercise. Mortensen and the believably-buffed Moore are terrific, and their scenes of confrontation are the film's high points. Unfortunately, the screenplay by David Twohy and Danielle Alexandra falls down every time it attempts to sidestep a cliche, and the climactic mission (involving a downed satellite in the Libyan desert) positively wallows in a predictable Top Gun muddle. Still, the characters are engaging and those looking for an enjoyable variant on the basic-training subgenre of high-octane modern action films should be pleased. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Galaxy Quest

Galaxy Quest

Starring: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, Enrico Colantoni, Daryl Mitchell, Robin Sachs, Patrick Breen, Missi Pyle, Jed Rees, Justin Long, Jeffrey Howard, Kaitlin Cullum, Kevin McDonald
Director: Dean Parisot

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Horror - general
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Running Time: 1:42

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Editorial Reviews - Galaxy Quest

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Anyone who's even tangentially familiar with the Star Trek phenomenon can appreciate Galaxy Quest, a fast-paced romp combining sci-fi action with puckish observations on pop culture. It begins at a convention for fans of a TV cult favorite not unlike you-know-what. After answering the same old questions and signing a zillion autographs, the show's cast members -- played with tongue firmly in cheek by Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and Tony Shalhoub -- are recruited by real aliens for their aid in fending off hostile invaders. Having intercepted rerun broadcasts, the aliens believe Allen and company to be authentic space soldiers. David Howard and Robert Gordon's script provokes laughs by plunging the actors into perilous situations from which they can extricate themselves only by responding as their series characters would. Affectionate spoofing of sci-fi traditions and a surfeit of in-jokes make Galaxy Quest a must-have for genre fans of the Star Trek generation. Ed Hulse

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A team of intrepid adventurers travels through the outer reaches of the galaxy, each week finding excitement and adventure on Galaxy Quest! Or at least that's the way it was in the mid-1970s, when brave if reckless Captain Peter Quincy Taggart, lovely Lieutenant Tawny Madison, and inscrutable alien Dr. Lazarus were the leaders of an interstellar law enforcement team on the TV series of that name. Twenty years later, the show is still in reruns, and Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen), Gwen DeMarco (Sigourney Weaver), and Alexander Dane (Alan Rickman) prop up their sagging careers by making appearances at sci-fi conventions, where they grudgingly shake hands and give autographs for the show's socially inept following. However, it turns out that nerdy sci-fi fans aren't the only ones watching: somewhere in another solar system, a group of alien rebels living under a regime of violence and repression have picked up broadcasts of Galaxy Quest, and they aren't aware that it's fiction. They travel to Earth and encounter the Galaxy Quest cast, who figure that they're just another bunch of guys who like to dress funny. However, they soon realize that they're being hired not for another autograph-signing session but for a real-life outer space rescue mission. Galaxy Quest was directed by Dean Parisot, who had a background in TV directing before his theatrical debut with the dark comedy Home Fries. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

George of the Jungle

George of the Jungle

Starring: Brendan Fraser, Leslie Mann, Thomas Haden Church, Richard Roundtree, John Cleese, Greg Cruttwell, Abraham Benrubi, Holland Taylor, Kelly Miller, John Bennett Perry, Keith Scott
Director: Sam Weisman

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Action Comedy
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Running Time: 1:31

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Editorial Reviews - George of the Jungle

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Jay Ward's fondly-remembered cartoon series about a klutzy king of the jungle gets the big-screen, live-action treatment in this comedy from Walt Disney Pictures. A young boy named George becomes lost in the jungles of the African nation of Bukuvu following a plane crash, where he's rescued and raised to manhood by an articulate ape called Ape (voice of John Cleese). George grows to become a strapping adult (played by Brendan Fraser) who is cheerful and good-hearted but not terribly bright, not to mention his nasty habit of running into trees while swinging on vines from one part of the jungle to another. Ursula Stanhope (Leslie Mann), an heiress from San Francisco, travels to Bukuvu for a safari, both to satisfy her thirst for adventure and because she's trying to get away from the snooty Lyle Van Der Groot (Thomas Haden Church), whom she is engaged to marry even though she doesn't like him very much. Lyle follows Ursula to Bukuvu, hoping to catch up with her and locate the legendary White Ape of the Jungle; when Ursula becomes stranded and is rescued by George, Lyle is determined to rescue her from the savage ape man, even though George is a greater threat to himself than anyone else. George finds himself infatuated with the lovely Ursula, and he hopes to win her heart, even though he's a bit rusty on the particulars of the human courtship ritual (Ape tries to help by lending him a copy of "Coffee, Tea, or Me?"). We also get to meet George's faithful pet Shep, an elephant who seems to have gotten the idea that he's a Cocker Spaniel. Blaxploitation legend Richard Roundtree also appears as Bukuvu dignitary Kwame. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Get Carter

Get Carter

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Miranda Richardson, Rachael Leigh Cook, Alan Cumming, Mickey Rourke, Michael Caine, John Cassini, John C. McGinley, Rhona Mitra, Gretchen Mol, Garwin Sanford, Johnny Strong
Director: Stephen Kay

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action Thriller
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Running Time: 1:44

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Editorial Reviews - Get Carter

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Sylvester Stallone assumes the title role in this gritty crime drama, a graphically violent remake of the 1970 British thriller Get Carter with Michael Caine as the lead. This version, directed by Stephen Kay (The Last Time I Committed Suicide), sticks closely to the original film despite its change of locale. Stallone is aptly cast as small-time thug Jack Carter, a mob enforcer working out of Las Vegas, who goes to Seattle for his brother's funeral. Upon learning that his wayward sibling was bumped off, Carter undertakes a one-man campaign of vengeance. Kay makes Seattle a dreary, gray, sordid town where constant rain forces human rats underground. He lavishes obvious care on his images while coaxing memorable performances from a talented cast. Miranda Richardson takes top acting honors for her relatively brief, understated turn as Carter's embittered sister-in-law, and Rachael Leigh Cook is very appealing as his wistful niece. In a nod to the original, Michael Caine portrays a devious saloon owner and makes an appropriately menacing presence. The heavy, doom-laden atmosphere is frequently punctuated by bursts of violent action, making Get Carter a meritorious specimen of the genus neo-noir. Stephen Kay provides a full-length commentary on the DVD, which also includes deleted scenes and theatrical trailers for both versions. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
A man who has made murder his business is thrown into the underbelly of an unfamiliar criminal world in this thriller. Jack Carter (Sylvester Stallone) is a ruthless hired killer whose bloody career in Los Angeles has driven a wedge between himself and his family in the Northwest. When he learns that his brother has died, he flies back to Seattle, hoping to pay his respects and reconnect with his relatives. At the funeral, his brother's wife, Gloria (Miranda Richardson), and her daughter, Doreen (Rachael Leigh Cook), are wary of Jack's attempts to reach out to them, but when he learns that his brother's death was no accident, Jack forms an uneasy alliance with Doreen to find the killers and deal out his own brand of justice. Get Carter is based on the novel Jack's Return Home by Ted Lewis, which was previously filmed in 1971 with Michael Caine as the gangster seeking revenge. Caine also appears in this remake as Cliff, the boss of Jack's late brother; Mickey Rourke, Alan Cumming, and Gretchen Mol also highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Get Shorty

Get Shorty

Starring: John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, Danny DeVito, Dennis Farina, Delroy Lindo, James Gandolfini
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Comedy - General
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Running Time: 1:45

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Editorial Reviews - Get Shorty

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A gangster is looking to get away from crooked deals and double-crossing people but ends up in the movie business anyway in this comic crime story. Chili Palmer (John Travolta) is a Miami-based loan collector for the mob trying to collect a gambling debt. His assignment takes him to Hollywood to collect money from Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), a mildly sleazy producer of low-budget horror movies. Although Chili intends to hurt Harry if necessary, he takes a certain liking to him and an even keener interest in Karen (Rene Russo), Harry's girlfriend, whom Chili recognizes from Harry's grade-B monster epics. It seems Harry has a script that he feels is Academy Award material, and he could get the project off the ground if he could get the right actor for the lead -- say, the well-respected but egocentric (and diminutive) Martin Weir (Danny DeVito). Chili thinks he has a feel for the movie business and decides to see what he can do to persuade Weir to get behind the project. Chili soon finds himself hip deep in the film industry, which at least puts him in contact with a higher grade of scumbags than he's used to. But Chili isn't the only criminal Harry's been dealing with; he's been obtaining financing from Bo Catlett (Delroy Lindo), a drug dealer with a highly uncertain temperament. An intelligently constructed crime story and a hilarious look at the absurdities of the film business, Get Shorty was based on the novel of the same name by Elmore Leonard; Leonard based Chili on a real-life former gangster of his acquaintance, though Chili's model never worked in Hollywood. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Ghost

Ghost

Starring: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn, Rick Aviles, Vincent Schiavelli, Gail Boggs, Armelia McQueen, Alma Beltran, Vivian Bonnell, Faye Brenner, Susan Breslau, William Cort, Thom Curley, Laura Drake, Angelina Estrada, Said Faraj, Tom Finnegan, Macka Foley, Janet Hirshenson, John Hugh, Bruce Jarchow, Jane Jenkins, Mike Jittlov, Christopher Keene, Stanley Lawrence, Phil Leeds, Minnie Lindsay, Stephen Root, J. Christopher Sullivan, Derek Thompson, Charlotte Zucker
Director: Jerry Zucker

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Drama
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Running Time: 2:06

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Editorial Reviews - Ghost

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A highly improbable but richly emotional love story that charmed moviegoers in 1990 and became -- to the surprise of its numerous detractors -- a blockbuster hit, Ghost still retains the romantic aura that first endeared it to audiences. The film certainly boosted the careers of its stars, Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, who portray Sam and Molly, well-to-do Manhattanites so passionately devoted to one another that not even death can rattle their bond. After a street thug shoots and kills Sam, his ghost communicates with the heartbroken Molly through medium Whoopi Goldberg, an amiable charlatan genuinely stunned by her newfound ability to converse with spirits. Director Jerry Zucker, previously known for his comedies (Airplane, Kentucky Fried Movie), made an effective transition to dreamier, dramatic fare with this multiple Oscar nominee, which briefly falters when a melodramatic subplot is dragged in but recovers handily just in time for a touching denouement. At times a bit somber but generally upbeat, Ghost shows its three principal players at their most appealing, and it can still be depended upon to induce a few sighs and tears in romantically inclined viewers. The DVD includes commentaries by Zucker and screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin, and also features a newly made documentary looking back at the film's production. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
An interesting hybrid of popular film genres, Ghost showcases the talents of its entire cast. While out on the town one evening, New York couple Sam (Patrick Swayze) and Molly (Demi Moore) are confronted by a mugger. After submitting to his demands, Sam is murdered anyway. He then finds himself a disembodied spirit, invisible to the living world, wandering without hope until he finds a spiteful spirit aboard the subway (Vincent Schiavelli) who gives him some helpful pointers on how to co-exist. Soon Sam comes back into contact with those he knew in life, and he begins to learn piece-by-piece of his close friend and co-worker Carl's (Tony Goldwyn) embezzling plot which caused his death; the apparent mugging was, in fact, a premeditated murder. In the meantime, Carl has designs on Molly, and Sam is determined to extract revenge. He contacts a psychic (Whoopi Goldberg), and together, the two set out to serve justice and stop the maniacal Carl from getting to Molly. Blending comedy, romance, action, and horror, Ghost was a box-office smash and managed to garner five Academy Award nominations, including "Best Picture," "Best Supporting Actress" (Goldberg), "Best Original Screenplay," "Best Editing," and "Best Score"; Goldberg won her first Oscar. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi

The Ghost and the Darkness

The Ghost and the Darkness

Starring: Michael Douglas, Val Kilmer, Tom Wilkinson, John Kani, Om Puri, Bernard Hill, Brian McCardie, Henry Cele, Emily Mortimer
Director: Stephen Hopkins

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Adventure - general
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Running Time: 1:49

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Editorial Reviews - Ghost and the Darkness

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A man bringing modern transportation to the ancient jungles of Africa discovers one of man's oldest enemies lays in wait for him in this period adventure drama. John Beaumont (Tom Wilkinson) is the owner of a British railroad firm who is building a rail line through Uganda. A bridge is needed so that the tracks may cross a large river, and engineer John Henry Patterson (Val Kilmer) is summoned to the African nation to supervise construction. While Beaumont has placed Patterson under a strict deadline, the bridge designer is certain that with his guidance, the local laborers will be able to complete the job in time. However, when several workers are killed in an attack by a lion, Patterson is forced to deal with the animal; while he bags a lion who invades the work site one evening, it soon becomes obvious that there's more than one predator in the nearby jungle. The lion attacks continue, eventually claiming the lives of 130 men, and Patterson and Beaumont finally agree to call in Charles Remmington (Michael Douglas), an expert hunter who understands the nature of the man-eaters and knows how to lure them into his trap. The Ghost and the Darkness is based on a true story, which was previously brought to the screen in 1953, in Arch Oboler's pioneering 3-D adventure Bwana Devil. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Gladiator

Gladiator

Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Richard Harris, Tomas Arana, Spencer Treat Clark, David Hemmings, Djimon Hounsou, David Schofield, John Shrapnel, Ralph Moeller, Giorgio Cantarini, Omid Djalili, Sven Ole Thorsen, Gavin Greenaway
Director: Ridley Scott

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Costume Adventure
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Running Time: 2:34

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Editorial Reviews - Gladiator

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Ridley Scott (Blade Runner) vividly recreates the waning days of the Roman Empire in this lavishly mounted epic directed in the grand manner of sword-and-sandal sagas such as Ben Hur and Spartacus. Gladiators' sweeping narrative focuses on battle-weary Roman general Maximus (Russell Crowe), bent on returning to his family despite the urgings of aging emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) to remain in Rome's service. After his wife and son are executed by the ruthless Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), who has also murdered Marcus and seized power, the recently enslaved Maximus becomes the empire's most celebrated gladiator -- and waits for an opportunity to avenge himself on the deranged usurper. Crowe's sullen demeanor and massive physique perfectly suit him to play this brooding, taciturn warrior, and Phoenix (equally convincing as the spoiled, petulant young tyrant), Harris, Connie Nielsen,and the late Oliver Reed provide able support. Richly atmospheric, Gladiator is shrouded in muted colors and dark tones, but Scott's penchant for moody lighting doesn't inhibit the film's dynamism at all. The brutal, chaotic battle scenes that regularly punctuate the episodic plot are truly spectacular. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
A man robbed of his name and his dignity strives to win them back, and gain the freedom of his people, in this epic historical drama from director Ridley Scott. In the year 180, the death of emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) throws the Roman Empire into chaos. Maximus (Russell Crowe) is one of the Roman army's most capable and trusted generals and a key advisor to the emperor. As Marcus' devious son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) ascends to the throne, Maximus is set to be executed. He escapes, but is captured by slave traders. Renamed Spaniard and forced to become a gladiator, Maximus must battle to the death with other men for the amusement of paying audiences. His battle skills serve him well, and he becomes one of the most famous and admired men to fight in the Colosseum. Determined to avenge himself against the man who took away his freedom and laid waste to his family, Maximus believes that he can use his fame and skill in the ring to avenge the loss of his family and former glory. As the gladiator begins to challenge his rule, Commodus decides to put his own fighting mettle to the test by squaring off with Maximus in a battle to the death. Gladiator also features Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou, and Oliver Reed, who died of a heart attack midway through production. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Godzilla

Godzilla

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria, Kevin Dunn, Michael Lerner, Harry Shearer, Arabella Field, Vicki Lewis, Doug Savant, Malcom Danare, Lorry Goldman, William O'Leary
Director: Roland Emmerich

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Sci-Fi Action
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Running Time: 2:18

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Editorial Reviews - Godzilla

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Dedicated to Tomoyuki Tanaka (1910-1997), who produced the 1954 original and sequels, the Devlin/Emmerich interpretation displays a redesign of Godzilla, now a large lizard mutated after fallout from French nuclear tests. A blinding flash of white light fills the Eastern sky. Thousands of miles away, the Pacific Ocean churns, engulfing a freighter. On another part of the globe, giant footsteps plow a path through miles of Panamanian forests, Tahitian villages, and Jamaican beaches. In the Ukraine, biologist Dr. Niko Tatopoulos (Matthew Broderick), with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is examining the impact of radiation on Chernobyl earthworms. Colonel Hicks (Kevin Dunn) and a military team escort Niko to check out giant claw marks on the beached freighter; they're joined by paleontologists Elsie Chapman (Vicki Lewis) and Mendel Craven (Malcolm Danare). Blood and giant-size footprints indicate "some sort of enormous reptile." French secret agent Philippe Roache talks to the freighter's only survivor, who keeps repeating, "Gojira...Gojira." Tatopoulos et al arrive in Manhattan's Fulton Fish Market where Godzilla surfaces, moving on to the NYC financial district where Mayor Ebert (Michael Lerner) is speaking. Ambitious Audrey Timmonds (Maria Pitillo), who works for TV news anchor Charles Caiman (Harry Shearer), is Niko's former girlfriend, and she uses this to her professional advantage. As the wave of destruction continues, Niko and Roache track the creature through the evacuated city and discover Godzilla's eggs about to hatch in Madison Square Garden. They are followed by Audrey and TV cameraman Victor "Animal" Palotti (Hank Azaria), and soon the hatching Godzilla offspring prowl the Garden corridors, leading to a final showdown. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

GoldenEye

GoldenEye

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, Joe Don Baker, Judi Dench, Samantha Bond, Trevor Byfield, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Cumming, Minnie Driver, Serena Gordon, Constantine Gregory, Ravil Isyanov, Gottfried John, Tchéky Karyo, Michael Kitchen, Desmond Llewelyn, Peter Majer, Billy Mitchell, Tina Turner
Director: Martin Campbell

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:10

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Editorial Reviews - GoldenEye

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Pierce Brosnan made his first appearance as James Bond in this action thriller, the 17th in the series (excluding the 1967 Casino Royale and the 1983 Never Say Never Again) featuring the suave British super-agent. As the story begins, Agent 007 and his partner, Agent 006 (Sean Bean), pull a daring raid on a chemical weapons plant in the Soviet Union; however, they are captured by Russian troops, and while Bond is able to escape, 006 is not so lucky. Several years later, the Soviet Union and the Cold War are a thing of the past, but Bond is still at work ferreting out evildoers everywhere. Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen), a beautiful but vicious villain working with the Russian Mafia, spearheads the theft of the controls to GoldenEye, a high-tech satellite weapons system, and with her gunmen, she kills most of the soldiers and guards at a top-secret military facility in the process. Bond joins forces with Natalya Simonova (Izabella Scorupco), one of the base's few survivors, to help track down Onatopp's minions and the controls to GoldenEye, which can destroy all electronic circuits in a given area in a matter of seconds; however, in time, Bond discovers the true identity of the criminal mastermind who is behind this bid for unholy power and world domination -- none other than Alec Trevelyan, the man Bond once knew as 006. In addition to Brosnan, GoldenEye also marked another significant cast change for the Bond series -- Judi Dench made her debut as M, Bond's superior. Minnie Driver also has a cameo as a nightclub singer. Sadly, this was the last film in the Bond series for special-effects supervisor Derek Meddings, who died in the midst of production; the film was dedicated to him. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Goldfinger

Goldfinger

Starring: Sean Connery, Gert Fröbe, Honor Blackman, Harold Sakata, Shirley Eaton, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn, Tania Mallet, Cec Linder, Austin Willis, Martin Benson, Bill Nagy, Alf Joint, Nadja Regin, Raymond Young, Richard Vernon, Denis Cowles, Michael Mellinger, Burt Kwouk, Hal Galili, Victor Brooks, Gerry Duggan, Mai Ling, Jane Lumb, Robert MacLeod, John McLaren, Margaret Nolan
Director: Guy Hamilton

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

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Editorial Reviews - Goldfinger

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"He's the man, the man with the Midas touch?." Though the lyrics of the famous title song refer to the villain of GOLDFINGER, they just as aptly describe its hero, James Bond. Suave and virile, with an impeccable palate for fine spirits and eye for beautiful women, moviedom's greatest spy has personified the ultimate swinging 1960s bachelor -- no matter what decade he's operating in. With 1964's GOLDFINGER -- the film widely considered to be the best of the phenomenally popular Bond series -- Sean Connery portrays 007 to perfection, calibrating the multidimensional charms of the überspy: dapper yet macho, dangerous and glib, sexy but oh so cool. The third installment of the series, directed by Guy Hamilton, centers on archfiend Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) and his convoluted scheme to irradiate Fort Knox in order to corner the gold market. Bond's effort to stop the villain leads our man to plenty of exotic locales and into the company of assorted gorgeous females, including a beautiful gilded corpse. But not even a bizarre manservant armed with a deadly bowler hat can deter Bond from his goal of seducing superbabe Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) and -- oh, yes -- saving the free world. --Regina Raiford

All Movie Guide
With Goldfinger, the James Bond series took a turn away from relatively straightforward spy thrillers and toward campy gadgetry, extravagant sets, and kitschy jokes. Bond (Sean Connery) has to prevent a notorious gold smuggler, appropriately named Goldfinger ({|Gert Fröbe|}), from robbing Fort Knox. Goldfinger is surrounded by evil henchmen such as the sexy female pilot Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) and Oddjob (Harold Sakata), who kills with his steel-rimmed bowler hats. In order to stop Goldfinger, Bond has to survive several perilous situations, including a huge, deadly laser. Goldfinger is one of the most popular films in the James Bond series, and it set the tone not only for the rest of the series but also for most of the action/adventure films of the late '60s and early '70s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Good Morning, Vietnam

Good Morning, Vietnam

Starring: Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, Tung Thanh Tran, Chintara Sukapatana, Bruno Kirby, J.T. Walsh, Robert Wuhl, Noble Willingham, Juney Smith, Richard Portnow, Floyd Vivino, Cu Ba Nguyen, Danny Aiello, Richard Edson, Louis Di Giaimo, J.J., Greg Knight, Peter MacKenzie, James McIntire, Marie Rowe, Sangad Sangkao, Don Stanton, Ralph Tabakin
Director: Barry Levinson

Certification: NR
Category: Anti-War Film
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Running Time: 2:01

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Editorial Reviews - Good Morning, Vietnam

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The film begins in 1965, when disc jockey Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams) is assigned to take over the AFR's Saigon radio broadcasts. In contrast to the dull, by-rote announcers that have preceded him, Cronauer is a bundle of dynamite, heralding each broadcast with a loud "Goooooood morning, Vietnaaaaam," playing whatever records tickle his fancy (even those not officially sanctioned by his hidebound superiors), and indulging in wild flights of improvisational fancy. Cronauer's immediate superior Lt. Hauk (Bruno Kirby), whose own notions of humor are puerile and pathetic, jealously attempts to dethrone Vietnam's favorite rock jock. Fortunately, Cronauer's popularity is such that he enjoys the full protection of the higher-ups. But when Cronauer, after experiencing the horrors of war first-hand, insists upon telling his listeners the truth instead of the official government line, he is instantly replaced by the unfunny Hauk and must struggle to get back on the air. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Grease

Grease

Starring: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway, Didi Conn, Eve Arden, Joan Blondell, Dinah Manoff, Barry Pearl, Michael Tucci, Kelly Ward, Susan Buckner, Eddie Deezen, Lorenzo Lamas, Dennis Stewart, Annette Charles, Dick Patterson, Fannie Flagg, Darrell Zwerling, Ellen Travolta, Frankie Avalon, Edward Byrnes, Sid Caesar, Alice Ghostley, Dody Goodman, Sha-Na-Na, Michael Biehn, Dennis Daniels, Steve M. Davison, James Donnelly, Gamblers, Johnny Casino & the Sha-Na-Na, Daniel Levans, Mimi Lieber, Sean Moran, Andy Tennant
Director: Randal Kleiser

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Musical
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Running Time: 1:50

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Editorial Reviews - Grease

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"Grease," said the poster and the Barry Gibb song, "is the word." Transferring its setting from Chicago to sunny California, and adding a dash of disco to the ersatz '50s score, producer Allan Carr and director Randal Kleiser turned this long-running Jim Jacobs-Warren Casey Broadway smash into the biggest blockbuster of 1978. 1950s teens Danny (John Travolta) and Australian transfer Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) spend their "Summer Nights" falling in love, but once fall comes, it's back to Rydell High and its cliques. As one of the bad-boy T-Birds, Danny has to act cool for best pal Kenickie (Jeff Conaway) and their leather-clad mates Sonny (Michael Tucci) and Doody (Barry Pearl, in the role Travolta played on-stage). Despite befriending Frenchy (Didi Conn), one of the rebel Pink Ladies, virginal Sandy is "too pure to be Pink," as the Ladies' leader, Rizzo (Stockard Channing), acidly observes. Declaring their devotion in such ballads as "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "Sandy," Sandy and Danny split, reconcile, and split again amidst a pep rally, dances, drive-ins, and a drag race, before deciding "You're the One That I Want" at the climactic carnival. With Travolta white-hot from Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease soundtrack singles climbed the charts and summer movie crowds poured in. With the presence of Joan Blondell, Eve Arden, Sid Caesar, Edd "Kookie" Byrnes, and Frankie Avalon appealing to grown-up memories, Grease became the highest-grossing film of 1978, the highest-grossing movie musical ever, and the third most popular film of the new blockbuster '70s after Star Wars (1977) and Jaws (1975). Its sequel, Grease 2, did not exactly set the world on fire in 1982. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Great Expectations

Great Expectations

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hank Azaria, Chris Cooper, Anne Bancroft, Robert De Niro, Josh Mostel, Kim Dickens, Nell Campbell, Gabriel Mick, Jeremy James Kissner, Raquel Beaudene, Stephen Spinella, Fritz Michel
Director: Alfonso Cuarón

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Magic Realism
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Running Time: 1:51

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Editorial Reviews - Great Expectations

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Alfonso Cuaron (The Little Princess) directed this Mitch Glazer screenplay, a modernization of the 1860-61 classic by Charles Dickens. Some situations in the film are presented as memories -- the way the central figure, Finnegan Bell (Ethan Hawke) recalls events many years later. At a Florida fishing village, eight-year-old orphan Finn Bell (Jeremy James Kissner), talented at art, is left in the care of his sister and her husband, Joe (Chris Cooper). One day, Finn helps a chained, escaped convict who appears in the surf. On other days, he visits Paradiso Perduto, where he plays with young Estella (Raquel Beaudene), niece of the mansion's colorful, flamboyant, and extremely wealthy owner, Ms. Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft), who parallels the novel's tragic Miss Havisham, a woman jilted at the altar and left emotionally scarred and mentally imbalanced. As Ms. Dinsmoor watches Finn draw a portrait of Estella, she plots to mold Estella into a hard woman capable of destroying men. In a flash forward to the '90s, Finn (Hawke) and Estella (Gwyneth Paltrow), now in their late teens, re-create the water-fountain kiss of their childhood, but Estella vanishes, breaking Finn's heart to such a degree that he doesn't draw or paint for seven years, choosing to eke out a marginal existence with his uncle Joe (after Finn's sister abandons the two). Then Manhattan art representative Jerry Ragno (Josh Mostel) turns up with a startling offer -- if Finn will return to painting and relocate in New York, Ragno will give him a one-man show. With an apparent assist from Ms. Dinsmoor, Finn makes the move and begins his new life with great expectations and a deadline of 10 weeks to complete the necessary paintings. When Finn next encounters Estella, she has a wealthy boyfriend, Walter (Hank Azaria). As Finn once again becomes entranced by Estella, he also begins to question exactly how his life is being manipulated. Francesco Clemente did the paintings and drawings seen in the film. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

The Green Mile

The Green Mile

Starring: Tom Hanks, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan, James Cromwell, Michael Jeter, Graham Greene, Gary Sinise, Doug Hutchison, Sam Rockwell, Barry Pepper, Jeffrey DeMunn, Patricia Clarkson, Harry Dean Stanton, Dabbs Greer, Eve Brent, Brent Briscoe, Bill Sadler
Director: Frank Darabont

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Psychological Drama
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Running Time: 3:07

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Editorial Reviews - Green Mile

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Most of this adaptation of Stephen King's bestselling novel unfolds in the death house of a Southern prison -- an unlikely setting for a story that's not only uplifting but, at times, positively ethereal. Tom Hanks, Hollywood's favorite Everyman, is ideally cast as Paul Edgecomb, the death row guard who discovers that condemned murderer John Coffey (massive Michael Clarke Duncan) can heal the sick with a simple laying on of his huge hands. Justifiably skeptical of Edgecomb's claims, his fellow guards eventually become convinced that the gentle, wrongly convicted Coffey is blessed with divine power. Writer-director Frank Darabont, who also directed the film version of King's other prison story, The Shawshank Redemption, takes ample time to flesh out his characters and build sympathy for the doomed prisoner whose menacing appearance masks an almost childlike innocence. As captivating as it is long, the Academy Award-nominated Green Mile takes viewers on an emotional journey that they won't soon forget. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Director Frank Darabont, who made an acclaimed feature film debut with The Shawshank Redemption (1994), based on a Stephen King novel set in a prison, returns for a second feature, based on King's 1996 serialized novel set in a prison. In 1935, inmates at the Cold Mountain Correctional Facility call Death Row "The Green Mile" because of the dark green linoleum that tiles the floor. Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) is the head guard on the Green Mile when a new inmate is brought into his custody: John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), convicted of the sadistic murder of two young girls. Despite his size and the fearsome crimes for which he's serving time, Coffey seems to be a kind and well-mannered person who behaves more like an innocent child than a hardened criminal. Soon Edgecomb and two of his fellow guards, Howell (David Morse) and Stanton Barry Pepper), notice something odd about Coffey: he's able to perform what seem to be miracles of healing among his fellow inmates, leading them to wonder just what sort of person he could be, and if he could have committed the crimes with which he was charged. The Green Mile also stars James Cromwell as the warden; Michael Jeter, Sam Rockwell, and Graham Greene as inmates awaiting dates with the electric chair; and Harry Dean Stanton as a clever trustee. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Gremlins

Gremlins

Starring: Zach Galligan, Hoyt Axton, Frances Lee McCain, Phoebe Cates, Polly Holliday, Scott Brady, Glynn Turman, Corey Feldman, Keye Luke, Judge Reinhold, Jonathan Banks, Edward Andrews, Susan Arnold, Belinda Balaski, John C. Becher, Joe Brooks, Harry Carey Jr., Peter Cullen, Kenny Davis, Mark Dodson, Donald Elson, Lois Foraker, Bob Holt, Chuck Jones, Jackie Joseph, Nicky Katt, John Louie, James MacKrell, Howie Mandel, Jim McKrell, Richard Miller, Arnie Moore, Mushroom, Fred Newman, Michael Sheehan, Steven Spielberg, Don Steele, Frank Welker, Michael Winslow
Director: Joe Dante

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy - general
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Running Time: 1:46

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Editorial Reviews - Gremlins

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Executive producer Steven Spielberg teamed with horror director Joe Dante (The Howling) for this comical shockfest, written by Chris Columbus (Mrs. Doubtfire) in his Hollywood breakthrough. A Capra-inspired Christmas classic -- bizarro-world Frank Capra, at least -- Gremlins gleefully straddles the line between funny and frightening, as an army of animatronic creatures wreak havoc in a small town before the human residents figure out what's hit them and strike back. The story follows precocious Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan), who receives a cute-and-fuzzy (pre-Furby) "Mogwai" named Gizmo (voiced by Howie Mandel) from his inventor dad (Hoyt Axton). Gizmo comes with three strict, if cryptic, rules of pet care: no bright light; no water; and, most important, no midnight snacks. But rules are made to be broken: Soon enough, the winter wonderland of Kingston Falls catches a bad case of the Gremlins, and we have a monster movie on our hands. Ugly, green, and extremely mean, these Mogwai transmutations are the polar opposite of cuddly Gizmo. They seek only to torture and humiliate, which results in some shockingly crude physical comedy. From Billy's sweetly sarcastic coworker Kate (Phoebe Cates) to mean old Mrs. Deagle (Polly Holliday), no one escapes the depredations of these creepy critters. In 1990, Dante directed a sequel, which concentrated more on comedy than fright, but it's the original Gremlins that stays in moviegoers' minds. Jason Bergenfeld

All Movie Guide
"Don't expose him to bright light. Don't ever get him wet. And don't ever, ever feed him after midnight." This sage advice is ignored midway through Gremlins, with devastating results. This comic Joe Dante effort is set in a Norman Rockwell-esque small town at Christmastime. Seeking a unique gift for his son an erstwhile inventor (Hoyt Axton) purchases a cute, fuzzy little "Mogwai" from a Chinatown shopkeeper's (Keye Luke) grandson (John Louie), who dispenses the above-mentioned warning before closing the deal. Meanwhile, young bank clerk Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) must suffer such antagonists as rich-bitch Mrs. Deagle (Polly Holliday) and priggish Gerald (Judge Reinhold) while pursuing his romance with Kate (Phoebe Cates). These and a variety of other plot strands are tied together when the lovable mogwai (named Gizmo) is exposed to bright light and gotten wet. In short order, the town is invaded by nasty, predatory Gremlins, who lay waste to everything in sight as Billy and Kate try to contain the destruction. Like most of Joe Dante's works, Gremlins is chock-full of significant cameo appearances: in this instance, such pop-culture icons as Dick Miller, Jackie Joseph, Chuck Jones, Scott Brady, Harry Carey Jr., Steven Spielberg (the film's executive producer) and even Robby the Robot all show up briefly on screen. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Grumpy Old Men

Grumpy Old Men

Starring: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, Daryl Hannah, Kevin Pollak, Ossie Davis, Buck Henry, Christopher McDonald, Steve Cochran, Joe Howard, Sharon Howard-Field, John Carroll Lynch, Isabell Monk, Ollie Osterberg, Buffy Sedlachek
Director: Donald Petrie

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Comedy - General
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Running Time: 1:45

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Editorial Reviews - Grumpy Old Men

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The cheerful holiday comedy Grumpy Old Men, a surprise box office smash, featured a generous dollop of raunchy, crude humor and was greatly elevated by the presence of masterful performers in the lead roles. Jack Lemmon is John Gustafson, an ice-fishing Minnesota native who has been feuding with his neighbor and former best friend Max Goldman (Walter Matthau) for decades. The battle of wills between John and Max is characterized by crude name calling and harmless practical jokes. Max is unaware that John is having serious problems, chiefly that his daughter Melanie (Daryl Hannah) is experiencing marital woes and that his house is about to be confiscated by an officious IRS agent (Buck Henry). When it seems that John and Max may finally put aside their childish rivalry, however, sexy new neighbor Ariel (Ann-Margret) arrives and dates both men, pitting them against each other more fiercely than ever before. Despite their mutual loathing, the death of a friend, John's problems, and a budding romance between Max's son Jacob (Kevin Pollak) and Melanie may force the two old friends to reconcile. Karl Williams

Guilty As Sin

Guilty As Sin

Starring: Rebecca deMornay, Don Johnson, Stephen Lang, Jack Warden, Dana Ivey, Ron White, Norma dell'Agnese, Sean McCann, Luis Guzman, Stuart Aikins, Denis Akiyama, Harvey Atkin, Chris Benson, James Blendick, Tom Butler, Lynne Cormack, Lili Francks, John Kapelos, Robert Kennedy, Gene Mack, Tom McCamus, Jack Newman, Melanie Nicholls-King, Tom Quinn, Sandi Ross, Anthony Sherwood, Lynn Stalmaster
Director: Sidney Lumet

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

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Editorial Reviews - Guilty As Sin

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Sidney Lumet directed this Larry Cohen-scripted courtroom procedural that owes more than it should to Jagged Edge. Jennifer Haines (Rebecca De Mornay), one of the top female lawyers in the country and flush from the success of defending a gangster, has a new client to defend. A suave ladies man in an Armani suit, David Greenhill (Don Johnson) has come to solicit Jennifer's services. It seems that his rich socialite wife has been pushed to her death through an open window, and David stands to inherit a very large fortune. Needless to say, David is a prime suspect in his wife's murder. David admits to Jennifer the he is a womanizer and an oily manipulator, but nevertheless Jennifer decides to take his case as a challenge -- as she puts it: "People who are guilty are rarely this blunt." The result is an intricate chess game between Jennifer and David as they manipulate events, other people, and each other in order to determine the guilt or innocence of the playboy widower. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Hamburger Hill

Hamburger Hill

Starring: Anthony Barrile, Michael Boatman, Don Cheadle, Michael Dolan, Don James, Dylan McDermott, M.A. Nickles, Harry O'Reilly, Daniel O'Shea, Tim Quill, Tommy Swerdlow, Courtney Vance, Steven Weber, Tegan West, Kieu Chinh, Doug Goodman, J.C. Palmore, J.D. VanSickle
Director: John Irvin

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Anti-War Film
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:44

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Editorial Reviews - Hamburger Hill

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Though the anti-war sentiments of Hamburger Hill come through loud and clear, the film is squarely on the side of those courageous, much-maligned Americans who fought and died in Vietnam. Based on a true incident, the story takes place in 1969, as the 101st Airborne Division confronts the Vietcong in a bloody battle over Hill 937 (aka "Hamburger Hill") in the A Shau Valley. During the next ten days, both sides incur heavy losses, but the Cong refuse to surrender the hill. The ultimate American "victory" turns out to be a hollow one indeed. Scripted by Vietnam War vet Jim Carabatsos, Hamburger Hill not only underlines the futility of the war but also the pressures brought to bear upon the troops by an insensitive, often hostile media. By utilizing a cast of unknowns, director John Irvin deftly avoids the Hollywoodized slickness of such bigger-budgeted efforts as Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Happy Gilmore

Happy Gilmore

Starring: Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, Frances Bay, Carl Weathers, Allen Covert, Brett Armstrong, Bob Barker, Phillip Beer, Ian Boothby, Charles L. Brame, Dave Cameron, Ken Camroux, Brent Chapman, Lisanne Collett, Jim Crescenzo, Ted Deeken, John Destrey, Stephen Dimopoulos, Dennis Dugan, Rich Elwood, Joe Flaherty, Frank L. Frazier, Jessica Gunn, Ellie Harvie, Michelle Holdsworth, Helen Honeywell, Fat Jack, D.J. Jackson, Andrew Johnston, David Kaye, Peter Kelamis, Richard Kiel, Lou Kliman, Edward Lieberman, Betty Linde, Verne Lundquist, Mark Lye, Donald MacMillan, Nancy McClure, Kevin Nealon, Douglas Newell, Louis O'Donoghue, Fred Perron, Paul Raskin, Kimberly Restell, William Samples, Will Sasso, John Shaw, Robert Smigel, Ben Stiller, Stephen Tibbetts, Lee Trevino, Jared Van Snellenberg, Simon Webb, Zachary Webb, Helena Yea
Director: Dennis Dugan

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

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Editorial Reviews - Happy Gilmore

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Adam Sandler's second popular starring vehicle after Billy Madison is a goofy lowbrow paean to golf, hockey, and the comic hysterics of its childlike star. In Happy Gilmore, Sandler plays the title character, a raw, determined, but ultimately untalented hockey player who keeps trying out for the pros. When Happy discovers his grandmother (Frances Bay) will lose her home if she doesn't fork over 270,000 dollars to the IRS, he tries to figure out how he can possibly scrounge up the cash. An idea strikes during a game of one-upmanship with a couple furniture movers stripping his grandmother's home: On his first-ever swing, he drives a golf ball farther than the movers have ever seen. Before long, he has transplanted the foul-mouthed, aggressive persona of the hockey rink to the links, winning an amateur tourney that earns him a spot on the pro tour. Throttling everyone from a helpless caddy to game show host Bob Barker during the course of his 90-day quest to amass prize money, Happy also wins the sport a legion of new fans with his in-your-face style. Guiding him on his quest is a whimsical retired pro who lost his hand to an alligator (Carl Weathers) and an attractive public relations woman charmed by Happy's antics (Julie Bowen). Opposing him, however, is sneering hotshot Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald), who will do anything to win his championship jacket and see Happy fail. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Kenneth Branagh, Robbie Coltrane, Richard Harris, Sean Biggerstaff, David Bradley, Alfred Burke, John Cleese, Christian Coulson, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Richard Griffiths, Robert Hardy, Shirley Henderson, Jason Isaacs, Gemma Jones, Matthew Lewis, Miriam Margolyes, Rik Mayall, Kathrin Nicholson, Chris Rankin, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, Mark Williams, Bonnie Wright, Julian Glover, Toby Jones
Director: Chris Columbus

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Children's Fantasy
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:41

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Editorial Reviews - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

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The hotly anticipated sequel to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone didn't disappoint the millions of fans who eagerly awaited its release. Even more imaginative and elaborate than its predecessor, Chamber of Secrets abounds in magic, mystery, and adventure. Chamber now comes to DVD in a deluxe two-disc edition that teems with special features, and the film itself has been beautifully transferred to the digital medium. As the story begins, young wizard-in-training Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) embarks on his second year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, along with his loyal friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). But something's not quite right: Harry constantly hears a mysterious voice that warns him of impending danger, and while investigating a series of attacks bedeviling Hogwarts he uncovers a sinister, dangerous secret. Kenneth Branagh is a colorful addition to the Hogwarts faculty, and his blustery, egotistical instructor fits right in along with Harry veterans Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, and Alan Rickman. Although they've tried to keep Chamber of Secrets lighthearted with a full quota of humorous episodes, director Chris Columbus and screenwriter Steven Kloves have actually made this sequel a darker, more grimly suspenseful tale. Very young fans should watch the film with their parents, as its vivid depiction of fanciful monsters and perilous combat makes for an occasionally intense viewing experience. Watching the DVD edition could easily be an all-day affair: The film is accompanied by no fewer than 19 deleted or extended scenes, conversations with cast and crew members, interviews of Harry Potter creator J. K. Rowling and screenwriter Steven Kloves, and a wide variety of interactive special features that include self-guided tours of the Chamber of Secrets itself, Dumbledore's office, and Diagon Alley. There are also some 15 animated puzzles, sliders, and screen savers to be accessed. All told, these two discs will provide families with countless hours of entertainment. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Youthful wizard Harry Potter returns to the screen in this, the second film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's wildly popular series of novels for young people. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) return for a second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Headmaster Dumbledore (Richard Harris), Professor Snape (Alan Rickman), Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith), and Hagrid the Giant (Robbie Coltrane) are joined by new faculty members Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh), a self-centered expert in Defense against the Dark Arts, and Sprout (Miriam Margolyes), who teaches Herbology. However, it isn't long before Harry and company discover something is amiss at Hogwarts: Students are petrified like statues, threats are written in blood on the walls, and a deadly monster is on the loose. It seems that someone has opened the mysterious Chamber of Secrets, letting loose the monster and all its calamitous powers. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione set out to find the secret chamber and slay the beast, speculation is rife that one of the heirs of Salazar Slytherin, the co-founder of the school, opened the chamber as a warning against the presence of "mudbloods" (magic-users of impure lineage) at the school -- and that the culprit may be fellow student Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets featured Richard Harris' second and final appearance as Headmaster Dumbledore; he died less than a month before the film was released in the United States. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Chicago Sun-Times

Brimming with invention and new ideas, and its Hogwarts School seems to expand and deepen before our very eyes into a world large enough to conceal unguessable secrets -- What a glorious movie. Roger Ebert

Variety
Darker and more dramatic, this account of Harry's troubled second year at Hogwarts may be a bit overlong and unmodulated in pacing, but it possesses a confidence and intermittent flair that begin to give it a life of its own apart of the literary franchise, something the initial picture never achieved. Todd McCarthy

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Gary Oldman, David Thewlis, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Peter Best, David Bradley, Julie Christie, John Cleese, Alfie Enoch, Tom Felton, Pam Ferris, Dawn French, Jimmy Gardner, Richard Griffiths, Robert Hardy, Joshua Herdman, Matthew Lewis, Devon Murray, Kathrin Nicholson, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Chris Rankin, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, Jim Tavare, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Jamie Waylett, Paul Whitehouse
Director: Alfonso Cuarón

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Children's Fantasy
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:21

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Editorial Reviews - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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As noted at the time of its theatrical release, the third Harry Potter film is somewhat darker in tone than its predecessors, but the change in mood was certainly beneficial -- Azkaban is clearly the best of the series to date. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) begins his third year at Hogwarts under an ominous cloud: A killer wizard named Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from prison, and there's every indication that he's heading for the well-hidden sorcery school to do young Potter in. The bulk of the film finds Harry, accompanied by loyal friends Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint), trying to unravel the tangled strands of a mystery, with occasional help from their favorite new teacher, Professor Lupin (David Thewlis). The relatively benign witchcraft on display in the first two Potter films takes a backseat to more malignant occultism in Azkaban; the constant threat of impending death, along with some genuinely frightening scenes involving lycanthropy, makes this installment somewhat problematic for very young viewers. Seeing it from the security of home will lessen the impact on kids, but parents might want to prepare their most impressionable children for a slightly more scary time than they would normally have at Hogwarts. Director Alfonso Cuaron skillfully employs atmospheric visual effects and gives the film a more genuinely gothic look than the earlier Potter entries. Recurring cast members Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, and Robbie Coltrane are seen to good advantage; and Michael Gambon, taking over as Dumbledore for the late Richard Harris, figures prominently in a time-shift subplot that's extremely well worked out. Oldman is suitably menacing as the accused killer, and Thewlis brings genuine warmth to his sympathetic but complex character. Prisoner of Azkaban abounds in the delightful fantasy trappings that engage a youthful sense of wonder, but the darker undercurrents of its complicated plot make it unusually engrossing for older viewers as well. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
After directing the first two movies in the Harry Potter franchise, Chris Columbus opted to serve as producer for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and passed the baton to Y Tu Mamá También director Alfonso Cuarón. Though "immensely popular" is an understatement when it comes to Harry Potter, Azkaban is somewhat of a departure from its predecessors, and particularly beloved among fans for its surprise ending. Prisoner of Azkaban also marks the introduction of Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who has escaped from the title prison after 12 years of incarceration. Believed to have been the right-hand-man of the dark wizard Voldemort, whom Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) mysteriously rendered powerless during his infancy, some of those closest to Harry suspect Black has returned to exact revenge on the boy who defeated his master. Upon his return to school, however, Harry is relatively unconcerned with Black. Run by Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) -- who is widely regarded as the most powerful wizard of the age -- Hogwarts is renowned for its safety. Harry's nonchalance eventually turns to blind rage after accidentally learning the first of Black's many secrets during a field trip to a neighboring village. Of course, a loose serial killer is only one of the problems plaguing the bespectacled wizard's third year back at school -- the soul-sucking guards of Azkaban prison have been employed at Hogwarts to protect the students, but their mere presence sends Harry into crippling fainting spells. With the help of his friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), and Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), Harry struggles to thwart the Dementors, find Sirius Black, and uncover the mysteries of the night that left him orphaned. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Richard Harris, Warwick Davis, Richard Griffiths, Ian Hart, John Hurt
Director: Chris Columbus

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Children's Fantasy
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:22

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Editorial Reviews - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

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A remarkably faithful adaptation of J. K. Rowling's bestselling children's novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone brings its characters vividly to life and presents their supernatural adventures with verve and imagination. Director Chris Columbus (Bicentennial Man) hews closely if not slavishly to Rowling's original, but his few embellishments enhance the yarn's cinematic effectiveness. Daniel Radcliffe is enormously appealing as Harry, the wistful and gifted orphan whose life changes radically when he is accepted into the Hogwarts School for aspiring young wizards. Accompanied by new friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), the bespectacled sorcerer-in-training makes a name for himself and figures prominently in the perilous search for a long-lost talisman. Fans of Rowling's books will be delighted with the film's visualizations of their favorite Potter people, including headmaster Dumbledore (Richard Harris), professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith), and gamekeeper Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane). The special effects are truly dazzling, but Columbus doesn't rely solely on virtuoso visuals to thrill his viewers; he takes time to flesh out the characters and imbue their surroundings with the proper mystical atmosphere. Ultimately, what he creates isn't just a rousing fantasy film -- it's a unique, magical little world that will envelop and entrance all who venture near. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
For all but the most nitpicking Potter-philes out there, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is nothing less than the perfect visual incarnation of J.K. Rowling's world of swooping owls and flying broomsticks. However, it's never precisely more than that, either; the very act of giving image and voice to these rich literary precepts places them in a realm inevitably less magical than the imagination. Still, it's hard to picture a more essentially faithful adaptation of Rowling's tone and story, which weighs in at a hefty two and a half hours despite streamlining some of the more vestigial elements of a quick 300-page read. Steve Kloves' adaptation of the wildly popular bestseller lingers less on some of the episodic Hogwarts' adventures, only briefly touching on such red herring plot points as the wise centaur and Hagrid's dragon. The eye-popping visuals have numerous other opportunities to shine, chief among them the grippingly rendered Quidditch match, in which players on broomsticks zoom and jockey like the speeder bikes of Endor in Return of the Jedi. It's no surprise that Harry Potter should occasionally invoke a Star Wars movie, since its hero is an orphaned boy who yearns for a destiny beyond what his aunt and uncle can provide, and who possesses unparalleled mystical powers that the dark side seeks to corrupt. The landscape Chris Columbus and cinematographer John Seale have created with its levitating banquet hall decorations, animated games of wizard chess, ominous trolls, and three-headed dogs is of equal vividness and complexity as that galaxy far, far away, and it should make just as much if not more money. Besides the film's many technical achievements, the actors really deliver, well beyond the who's who of British thespians who comprise the Hogwarts' teachers. Daniel Radcliffe has the look and reluctant heroism of Harry down perfectly, if a little too languidly; he's bested by Emma Watson's deliciously petulant and precocious Hermione, as well as the masterful line deliveries and comic timing of Rupert Grint as Ron. Derrick Armstrong

Entertainment Weekly
[Alan] Rickman is practically incandescent with purpose; he emits a high-voltage zap of electricity with every glare. Lisa Schwarzbaum

Chicago Sun-Times

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a red-blooded adventure movie, dripping with atmosphere, filled with the gruesome and the sublime, and surprisingly faithful to the novel. Roger Ebert

Hart's War

Hart's War

Starring: Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, Terrence Howard, Marcel Iures, Vicellous Shannon, Jonathan Brandis, Scott Michael Campbell, Rory Cochrane, Linus Roache, Cole Hauser, Michael Landes, Michael Weston, Sam Worthington, Sam Jaeger, Adrian Grenier, Sebastian Tillinger, Joe Spano, Maury Sterling, Danny Babbington, David Barrass, Karel Belohradsky, Michel Beran, Jim Boeven, Dugald Bruce-Lockhart, Martin Cizek, Ruaidhri Conroy, Tony Devlin, Jan Dostal, Petr Drozda, Stephen H. Fisher, Daniel Fleischer-Brown, Gary Gold, Holger Handtke, Vit Herzina, Brad Hunt, René Ifrah, Jan Jakubec, Christian Kahrmann, Lukas Kantor, Richard Kardhordo, Martin Kohout, Radek Kuchar, Vladimir Kulhavy, Ladislav Lahoda, Marcel Lures, Rocky Marshal, Jan Marsik, Jan Nemejovsky, Rick Ravanello, Steve Sarossy, Jiri M. Sieber, Joel Sugerman, Bohumil Svarc, Jan Tesarz, Dan van Husen, Peter Varga, Georg Vietje, Alan T. Ward, Grey Williams, Jakub Zdenek, David Snell
Director: Gregory Hoblit

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

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Editorial Reviews - Hart's War

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Bruce Willis brings his instinctive authority to the role of an American colonel imprisoned by the Nazis in this edge-of-the-seat thriller, an effective commingling of elements from war movies, courtroom dramas, and murder mysteries. Based on a novel by whodunit specialist John Katzenbach, Hart's War unfolds entirely within the confines of a German prisoner-of-war camp: New arrival Lt. Tom Hart (Colin Farrell) is assigned by commanding officer Colonel William McNamara (Willis) to defend an African-American pilot accused of killing a racist fellow inmate. Camp commandant Visser (Marcel Iures), amused by the prospect of seeing American military justice in action, has sanctioned a trial -- but he is unaware that McNamara is using the sideshow to cover an elaborate sabotage plan. Director Gregory Hoblit (Primal Fear) initially steers the film as if it were just another prison-camp drama, but he shifts gears when the trial gets underway and it becomes apparent that the pilot might be innocent after all. Colin Farrell handles a demanding role with just the right measure of skepticism, but it's Willis who dominates the screen with an understated turn as the crafty C.O., for whom the trial is just another chess move in a potentially deadly game with his brilliant, cynical Nazi counterpart. After getting off to a slow start, Hart's War becomes a tense thriller that will bring you to the edge of your seat and keep you there. Willis and Hoblit supply a commentary for the DVD, which also includes deleted scenes, photo galleries, and theatrical trailers. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Based on the novel by John Katzenbach, author of Just Cause (1995), this prison camp drama combines elements of A Soldier's Story (1984) and the classic Stalag 17 (1953). Colin Farrell stars as Lt. Tommy Hart, a second-year Harvard Law School student who enlists to fight in World War II but ends up being taken prisoner by the Germans. When a murder at the Nazi-run Stalag Luft 13 leaves a black Tuskegee airman named Lt. Lincoln Scott (Terrence Dashon Howard) accused of the crime, high-ranking prisoner (and fourth-generation war hero) Col. William McNamara (Bruce Willis) persuades camp commandant Col. Werner Visser (Marcel Iures) to allow the prisoners to hold their own trial. Hart is recruited to defend his fellow officer, but as he reluctantly investigates, he discovers that not all of his fellow allied soldiers are fighting the same war and that his "client" may well have been framed. In the meantime, it becomes apparent that McNamara is using events to mask his true intent, a mission to destroy a nearby munitions plant that he still intends to carry out despite his incarceration. Hart's War (2002) co-stars Vicellous Shannon, Cole Hauser, Rory Cochrane, and Jonathan Brandis. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Hollywood Reporter
A well-made, solidly acted drama that essentially eschews louder actions in favor of fighting words. Michael Rechtshaffen

New York Observer
An exciting, thoughtful and adrenaline-pumping war picture that is provocative and different. Rex Reed

Hideaway

Hideaway

Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Christine Lahti, Alicia Silverstone, Jeremy Sisto, Alfred Molina, Rae Dawn Chong, Roger R. Cross, Don S. Davis, Mara Duronslet, Tiffany Foster, Suzy Joachim, Hiro Kanagawa, Gaetana Korbin, Tom McBeath, Michael McDonald, Rebecca Toolan, Kenneth Welsh
Director: Brett Leonard

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Occult Horror
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:43

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Editorial Reviews - Hideaway

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A man has a near-death experience and awakens to find himself spiritually attached to another who went through a similar experience in this horror movie. The story is based on a Dean Koontz novel. Hatch Harrison, an antique dealer, finds himself in an extraordinary position following the car wreck in which he was broad-sided by a semi-truck. Although his wife and teenage daughter survive, Hatch was actually dead for two hours before innovative resuscitator Dr. Jonas Nybern was able to bring him back. Hatch tries to resume his normal life, but encounters difficulty when he begins having horrific hallucinations. It turns out that the "visions" are really the experiences of Vassago, a Satanist who ritually kills people. Somehow he and the killer are connected. Vassago, too can experience events in Hatch's life; he begins to threaten Hatch by telling him he will use his daughter for a virgin sacrifice. The two men must battle it out spiritually. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Highlander: Endgame

Highlander: Endgame

Starring: Adrian Paul, Christopher Lambert, Bruce Payne, Lisa Barbuscia, Donnie Yen, Jim Byrnes, Peter Wingfield, Damon Dash, Beatie Edney, Sheila Gish, Oris Erhuero, Ian Paul Cassidy, Edge, Douglas Aarniokoski, Paul Bigley, Adam Copeland, Donald Douglas, Candace Hallinan, Robert Hewett, Kananu Kimiri, Abigail Kingsbury, Christopher Leps, Thomas Lockyear, Thomas Lockyer, Jessica Leigh Mann, Charmian May, John Medlen, David Nicholls, Daniel Parker, Wendy Partridge, Vernon Rieta, Liviu Timus, Mihnea Trusca, June Watson
Director: Douglas Aarniokoski

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Costume Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:28

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Editorial Reviews - Highlander: Endgame

Barnes & Noble
An energetic romp with dazzling special effects and a surfeit of sword-swinging action, Highlander: Endgame continues the epic saga of immortal Scottish warrior Connor MacLeod. The title character -- created in 1986's Highlander and portrayed for the fourth time by Christopher Lambert -- dominates the early reels but then yields center stage to dashing Adrian Paul, who plays Connor's younger clansman Duncan and is known best as the star of the successful Highlander television series. As the film opens, a bitter, disillusioned Connor retreats to the hidden sanctuary where battle-weary immortals seek seclusion when they tire of "the game" -- a flip abbreviation for hunting down and decapitating other immortals. The malevolent Kell (Bruce Payne), an archenemy of the MacLeods from the 16th century, lays waste to the sanctuary and then, to complete his revenge, hastens to the city in which the unsuspecting Duncan lives. Director Douglas Aarniokoski, working from a script that elaborates on concepts established by the TV show, brings a dynamic visual sensibility to the creatively staged clashes between Duncan and Kell, and he keeps things moving at a rapid clip to maintain the story's intensity. Replete with the quasi-mythical elements and warrior-ethos references that have made this screen franchise so popular, Highlander: Endgame will delight hard-core fans and series newcomers alike. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
In this fantasy adventure tale, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) and his kinsman Duncan (Adrian Paul) are "Immortals," members of a secret clan who can be killed only through decapitation. Connor and Duncan find themselves thrown into a tournament where Immortals both good and evil battle one another in a bid to become the last of their kind. Highlander: Endgame was the fourth feature film in the Highlander franchise, but its narrative draws from the storyline of the Highlander television series and ignores the events of the second and third films. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Home Alone

Home Alone

Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O'Hara, John Heard, Roberts Blossom, John Candy, Gerry Bamman, Gerry Becker, Mark Beltzman, Billie Bird, Edward Bruzan, Kenneth Hudson Campbell, Daiana Campeanu, Frank R. Cernugel, Jedediah Cohen, Victor Cole, Tracy Connor, Kieran Culkin, Hope Davis, Monica Devereux, Matt Doherty, Bill Erwin, Richard J. Firfer, Ralph Foody, Angela Goethals, Michael Guido, Larry Hankin, Michael Hansen, John Hardy, Janet Hirshenson, Jane Jenkins, Kate Johnson, Eddie Korosa, Sandra Macat, Lynn Mansbach, Michael C. Maronna, Kristen Minter, Senta Moses, Robert Okrzesik, Jim Ortlieb, Clarke P.Devereux, Peter Pantaleo, Leo Perion, Porscha Radcliffe, Devin Ratray, Jim Ryan, Jean-Claude Sciore, Dianne B. Shaw, Peter Siragusa, Anna Slotky, Virginia Smith, Terrie Snell, Ray Toler, Vince Waidzulis, Ann Whitney, Alan Wilder, Jeffrey Wiseman, Hillary Wolf, Dan Charles Zulcoski
Director: Chris Columbus

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

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Editorial Reviews - Home Alone

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Home Alone is the highly successful and beloved family comedy about a young boy named Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) who is accidentally left behind when his family takes off for a vacation in France over the holiday season. Once he realizes they've left him "home alone," he learns to fend for himself and, eventually has to protect his house against two bumbling burglars (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) who are planning to rob every house in Kevin's suburban Chicago neighborhood. Though the film's slapstick ending may be somewhat violent, Culkin's charming presence helped the film become one of the most successful ever at the time of its release. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O'Hara, John Heard, Tim Curry, Devin Ratray, Brenda Fricker, Eddie Bracken, Gerry Bamman, Donna Black, Daiana Campeanu, Ron Canada, Anthony Cannata, Al Cerullo, Thomas Civitano, Jedediah Cohen, James Cole, A.M. Columbus, Eleanor Columbus, Kieran Culkin, William Dambra, Daniel Dassin, Monica Devereux, Patricia Devereux, Bob Eubanks, Ralph Foody, Karen Giordano, Michael Goldfinger, Michael Hansen, Janet Hirshenson, Clare Hoak, Harry Hutchinson, Dana Ivey, Jane Jenkins, Fred Krause, Andre Lachaumette, Joe Liss, Sandra Macat, Michael C. Maronna, Teri McEvoy, Fran McGee, Mark Morettini, Jaye P. Morgan, Senta Moses, Abdoulaye N'Gom, Clarke P.Devereux, Peter Pantaleo, Warren Rice, Rob Schneider, Rod Sell, Rick Shafer, Maureen Elisabeth Shay, Ally Sheedy, Anna Slotky, Terrie Snell, Rip Taylor, Leonard Tepper, Kevin Thomas, Mario Todisco, Donald Trump, Venessia Valentino, Jimmie Walker, Hillary Wolf, Cedric Young, Leigh Zimmerman
Director: Chris Columbus

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Children
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:00

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Editorial Reviews - Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

All Movie Guide
John Hughes and Chris Columbus repeat their best-selling formula from the first Home Alone film with this sequel. Once again Kevin McCallister's (Macaulay Culkin) family leave him behind, only now he gets on a flight to New York instead of going with his family to Miami. Kevin manages to hail a cab and is delivered to the doorsteps of the Plaza Hotel, where, using his father's credit card, he rents out a suite and has the time of his life -- although a smarmy hotel clerk (Tim Curry) and bellboy (Rob Schneider) eye him with suspicion. But ingenious Kevin keeps them at bay, using the same tomfoolery he applied to his uncle in the first picture. He takes time out from his consumer debauch to chat with a friendly old toy-store magnate (Eddie Bracken) and pontificate to a homeless Pigeon Lady (Brenda Fricker) on the meaning of Christmas. But then he runs into his old enemies Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern).When he finds out that they plan on robbing the old man's toy store on Christmas Eve, he mans the battle stations once again, complete with electric prods, flames of fire, and sundry blunt instruments. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco

Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco

Starring: Robert Hays, Kim Greist, Veronica Lauren, Kevin Timothy Chevalia, Michael J. Fox, Sally Field, Benji Thall, Michael Rispoli, Ralph Waite, Michael Patrick Bell, Tisha Campbell, Adam Goldberg, Carla Gugino, Tommy Lasorda, Ross Malinger, Al Michaels, Max Perlich, Jon Polito, Will Sasso, Sinbad, Stephen Tobolowsky, Bob Uecker
Director: David R. Ellis

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Adventure - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:28

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Editorial Reviews - Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco

All Movie Guide
Two dogs and a cat, separated from their human family, must find their way home and face the dangers of a big city for the first time in this adventure story for the whole family. Bob Seaver (Robert Hays) and his wife Laura (Kim Greist), who live in Northern California, are taking their kids on a camping vacation in Canada, and they're bringing along their pets -- spunky bulldog Chance (voice of Michael J. Fox), self-centered Himalayan cat Sassy (voice of Sally Field), and wise old Golden Retriever Shadow (voice of Ralph Waite). However, Chance doesn't like being cooped up in his travelling cage at the airport, and when he escapes, Sassy and Shadow follow him to the nearest city, San Francisco. After a scary night on their own, the trio are befriended by a gang of stray dogs and cats who have learned to live on their own after running away from their cruel masters. However, Chance, Sassy, and Shadow soon realize that life on the streets is not for them, and they set out to find the Seaver house they call home. Sports fans take note: Bob Uecker, Tommy Lasorda, and Al Michaels appear as themselves and also provide the voices of their pets. The voice of Shadow was performed by Don Ameche in the preceding film Homeward Bound; it proved to be Ameche's last film released before his death in late 1993 (his final film, Corrina, Corrina, didn't reach theaters until several months after his passing), leading the producers of this sequel to cast Ralph Waite in the role. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

Starring: Robert Hays, Kim Greist, Jean Smart, Michael J. Fox, Benji Thall, Don Ameche, Veronica Lauren, Sally Field, Kevin Timothy Chevalia, Don Adler, Ed Bernard, Ted D'Arms, Woody Eney, Rich Hawkins, Jane Jones, Dave MacIntyre, Mary Marsh, Kit McDonough, Jesse Merz, William Edward Phipps, Frank Roberts, Gary Taylor, Mark L. Taylor, Frank Welker
Director: Duwayne Dunham

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Adventure - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:25

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Editorial Reviews - Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

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Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, Disney's 1993 remake of the 1963 hit The Incredible Journey, follows three household pets as they travel across mountains and plains on their way to find their owners. A misunderstanding leads the animals to mistakenly believe that they have been abandoned by their loved ones, when in reality they have been left in the care of a friend while the family has moved from the country to the city for the father to take a temporary assignment . All three pets--a golden retriever (Don Ameche), a cat (Sally Field), and a bulldog puppy (Michael J. Fox)--can talk, and they bicker and crack jokes as they set off on a truly incredible journey chock full of misadventures as they wend their way back to their owners. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Hook

Hook

Starring: Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins, Maggie Smith, Phil Collins, Caroline Goodall, Charlie Korsmo, Amber Scott, Laurel Cronin, Arthur Malet, Isaiah Robinson, Jasen Fisher, Raushan Hammond, James Madio, Thomas Tulak, Alex Zuckerman, Ahmad Stoner, Bruce Armstrong, Wayne Aten, Dante Basco, Brad Blumenthal, Andre Bollinger, Tony Burton, Glenn Close, Jan Cobler, David Crosby, Don S. Davis, Mary Bond Davis, Ruth de Sosa, Gary Epper, Ryan Francis, Lauren Friedler-Gow, Stephanie Furst, Kevin Gasca, Bogdan Georghe, Rene Gonzalez, Alyson Healing, Michael Hirshenson, Janet Hirshenson, Jacob Hoffman, Maxwell Hoffman, Rebecca Hoffman, Jewel Newlander Hubbard, Brenda Isaacs, Jane Jenkins, Shannon Marie Kies, Zoe Koehler, Goeff Lower, Don McLeod, Adam McNatt, Kim O'Kelley, Gwyneth Paltrow, Randi Pareira, Beverly Polcyn, Jeannine Renshaw, Kim Robillard, Kelly Rowan, Mike Runyard, Regina Russell, Francesca Serrano, Margie Takeda, Nick Tate, Cameron Thor, Ray Tveden, Nick Ullett, Matthew Van Ginkel, Jeannine Wagner, Stuart White, Scott Williamson, Brett Willis
Director: Steven Spielberg

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Children's Fantasy
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:22

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Editorial Reviews - Hook

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Steven Spielberg filters J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan through a distinctly 1990s sensibility in Hook. Peter Pan has become Peter Banning (Robin Williams), a 40-year-old mergers and acquisitions lawyer with a permanent scowl on his face and a cellular phone in his belt. Banning has lost any memory of being Peter Pan, and he is also in danger of losing his wife Moira (Caroline Goodall) and two children, Jack (Charlie Korsmo) and Maggie (Amber Scott). Peter and his family travel to London to visit Granny Wendy (Maggie Smith) who recalls Peter's lost youth and asks him, "Peter, dear, don't you know who you are?" With Peter's children asleep in the same bedroom where the original Peter Pan story began, there is a blinding flash. Peter comes into the room to discover a note from Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman), informing Peter that he has kidnapped his children. Granny Wendy now tells him who he really is and encourages him to re-discover his happy thoughts, transform himself into the Peter Pan of the past, and go rescue his children. With the encouragement of Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts), Peter recalls the birth of his son and once again takes wing. Then it's off to Never Land to rescue his kids. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Hoosiers

Hoosiers

Starring: Gene Hackman, Dennis Hopper
Director: David Anspaugh

Certification: NR
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:55

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Based on the incredible true story of how a small-town high school's basketball team became Indiana State Champs in 1954. This film follows the controversial outsider who came to town to teach high school history and coach basketball and who was not afraid to make big waves in a small pond. Academy Award Nominations: Best Supporting Actor--Dennis Hopper, Best Original Score.

Industry Reviews
"...Irresistible....HOOSIERS is about as sweetly unself-conscious as a film can be..."
New York Times - Janet Maslin (02/27/1987)

"...HOOSIERS is an involving tale....[The] lensing is excellent....[The] score is engaging and uncharacteristically throbbing..."
Variety - Cart. (10/15/1986)

"...It's as engaging, as modest, as utterly American and as thrilling as the true-life story it's based on..."
Los Angeles Times - Sheila Benson (12/11/1986)

"...There's lots to like..."
Total Film - Jonathan Crocker (11/01/2003)

"Immensely enjoyable....For those viewers who have dreamed of sinking that last big shot, or get misty-eye when their favorite team wins it all, HOOSIERS will look like a masterpiece."
Premiere - Premiere Staff (03/01/2005)

Hope Floats

Hope Floats

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick Jr., Gena Rowlands, Mae Whitman, Michael Paré, Cameron Finley, Kathy Najimy, Bill Cobbs, Connie Ray, Rosanna Arquette, Norman Bennett
Director: Forest Whitaker

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:54

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Editorial Reviews - Hope Floats

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Actor/director Forest Whitaker (Waiting to Exhale) helmed this romantic drama about a one-time high-school beauty queen who returns to her hometown of Smithville, TX. The Steven Rogers screenplay begins in Chicago, where blonde Connie (Rosanna Arquette, uncredited) appears on a trashy daytime talk show and tells a nationwide TV audience about her affair with the husband of her best friend, Birdie Pruitt (Sandra Bullock). Walking into the ambush, Birdie is paraded forth for a public humiliation as Connie's claim is confirmed by husband Bill ({|Michael Paré|}). Birdie and her young daughter, Bernice (Mae Whitman), then move back to Texas to live with Birdie's eccentric mother, Ramona (Gena Rowlands), a taxidermist who has filled the house with stuffed animals. Since most of Smithville saw the TV show, embarrassment keeps Birdie sitting around the house in her pajamas; however, her moment of glory as the homecoming "Queen of Corn" has not been forgotten by handyman Justin Matisse (Harry Connick Jr.), the first guy who kissed her back in high school, so a romance soon begins. "Just give hope a chance to float up and it will," says Birdie. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

The Horse Whisperer

The Horse Whisperer

Starring: Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sam Neill, Dianne Wiest, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Cooper, Cherry Jones, Ty Hillman, Catherine Bosworth, Austin Schwarz, Dustin Schwarz, Jeanette Nolan, Steve Frye, Don Edwards, Jessalyn Gilsig
Director: Robert Redford

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Marriage Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:48

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Editorial Reviews - Horse Whisperer

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Robert Redford directed himself for the first time in this romantic drama adapted from the 1995 best-seller by Nicholas Evans. Fourteen-year-old Grace MacLean (Scarlett Johansson of Manny & Lo) and her friend Judith go horseback riding in upstate New York on a winter morning, but their horses lose their footing on ice and slide onto a road, where Judith and her horse are killed by a jackknifing truck. Grace and her horse are also seriously injured -- doctors must amputate Grace's right leg -- and the frightening incident leaves a lasting trauma not only on Grace but also on her horse, Pilgrim. Grace's mother -- magazine editor Annie MacLean (Kristin Scott Thomas) -- seeking Grace's recovery, feels there's a link between her crippled, embittered daughter and Pilgrim's behavior. Learning about a horse trainer with a special gift, she takes Grace and Pilgrim to Montana where horse whisperer Tom Booker (Robert Redford) lives on a ranch with his younger brother Frank (Chris Cooper), Frank's wife Diane (Dianne Wiest) and their children. Tom's work with the horse also has a rejuvenating effect on the guilt-ridden Grace. Annie loses her magazine job, and the low-key romantic involvement between Annie and Tom develops during the summer, stifled by the unexpected arrival of Annie's husband, Robert MacLean (Sam Neill). Screenplay by Eric Roth and Richard LaGravenese (who adapted The Bridges of Madison County). Filmed in Montana and Saratoga Springs, New York. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Houseguest

Houseguest

Starring: Sinbad, Phil Hartman, Jeffrey Jones, Kim Greist, Stan Shaw, Tony Longo, Chuck Aber, Mason Adams, Kirk Baily, Paul Ben-Victor, Tina Benko, Don Brockett, William Cameron, Susan Chapek, Alex Coleman, Greg Collins, Lisa Davis, David Earle, Marilyn Eastman, Jan Eddy, Ron Glass, John Hall, Kevin Jordan, Chauncey Leopardi, Valerie Long, Larry John Meyers, Randall Miller, Kim Murphy, Bingo O'Malley, Susan Richards, Vickie Ross-Norris, Jody Savin, Talia Seider, Wynonna Smith, Harold Surratt, Kevin West, Kate Young
Director: Randall Miller

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Comedy of Errors
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:49

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Editorial Reviews - Houseguest

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Sinbad offers some unusual advice on how to make friends in this wacky comedy. Kevin Franklin (Sinbad) is a guy who dreams of starting his own business. However, getting it off the ground is another matter altogether, and soon Kevin discovers that the two loan sharks who fronted him money want to be paid, and paid promptly, otherwise Kevin will be spending some time in the hospital. On the run through an airport, Kevin is trying to find a way out when he overhears Gary Young (Phil Hartman) wondering where his friend is. It seems that Gary has arranged a reunion with an old friend from childhood, but since he hasn't seen him in 25 years, he has no idea what he looks like today, beyond the fact that he's black. Kevin fits the bill that far and claims to be Gary's long lost buddy, which Gary buys hook, line, and sinker. Gary seems to enjoy bonding with his old friend, and Kevin likes staying at Gary's fine home (and raiding his large icebox), but Kevin discovers that impersonating a stranger is a lot more complicated than he expected after he's forced to perform oral surgery and give a speech at a grade school "Career Day" presentation. However, this is all small potatoes on the "oh, no" scale when the loan sharks track Kevin back to Gary's home in the suburbs. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Housesitter

Housesitter

Starring: Steve Martin, Goldie Hawn, Dana Delany, Julie Harris, Donald Moffat, Peter MacNichol, Richard B. Shull, Laurel Cronin, Roy Cooper, Christopher Durang, Heywood Hale Broun, Cherry Jones, Vasek Simek, Suzanne Whang, Mary Klug, Alice Duffy, Ken Cheeseman, Grenville Cuyler, Hazel Gardner, Molly D. Gerard, Phyllis Jubett Gould, David Hannegan, George Jones, John Lyons, Patricia Madden, Rose-Ann San Martino, Edward Mason, Moira J. McCarthy, Belle McDonald, Bill L. McDonald, Michael Nurse, Kevin O'Brien, Howe F. Perrigo, Ricardo Pitts-Wiley, Maggie Steig, Tony V.
Director: Frank Oz

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:42

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Editorial Reviews - Housesitter

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In this romantic comedy from director Frank Oz, Steve Martin plays Boston architect Newton Davis, an impulsive dreamer who builds a bucolic dream home for his girlfriend (Dana Delany) as a means of proposing to her -- only she turns him down. Three months later, the depressed Davis meets a waitress who calls herself Gwen (Goldie Hawn), though pretending to be Hungarian proves to be only the first of her many deceptions. Davis has a one-night stand with Gwen during which he tells her the sad story of the house, which remains unoccupied just outside the city in his hometown of Dobbs Mills, because he can't bear to sell it. Following what seems to be a familiar path for this con artist, Gwen locates the house, figuring she can take up residence without anyone noticing. During a trip to the local grocery, she ends up telling the proprietor she's Davis' wife while trying to charge her purchases to his account. When she offers the same story to a local furniture dealer (Donald Moffat), unaware he's Davis' father, it triggers a string of fabrications in which the shocked Davis unwittingly becomes a co-conspirator. Seeing an opportunity of his own, Davis allows Gwen to stay in the house and agrees to go along with her story in hopes of winning back his jealous ex. Of course, this also necessitates outlandish lie upon outlandish lie, leaving the whole enterprise forever on the verge of collapse. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

Starring: Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey, Adam Goldberg, Michael Michele, Shalom Harlow, Bebe Neuwirth, Robert Klein, Kathryn Hahn, Thomas Lennon, Annie Parisse, Tony Longo, James Mainprize, Liliane Montevecchi, Celia Weston
Director: Donald Petrie

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:56

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Editorial Reviews - How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

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Two New Yorkers fight the battle of the sexes to a standstill (without entirely realizing it) in this romantic comedy. Andie (Kate Hudson) is a young journalist who longs to cover political stories, but in the meantime she finds herself writing for a women's magazine called Composure, where her editor Lana Jong (Bebe Neuwirth) has her writing a fluffy advice column. After hearing of the latest dating laments of her relationship-challenged friend Michelle (Kathryn Hahn), Andie sells Lana on the idea of writing a piece on the things women do to alienate the men they love, which she'll demonstrate by winning and then driving away a man in a mere ten days. Meanwhile, Ben (Matthew McConaughey) is an advertising man who wants to land a prestige diamond account at his firm. Ben is competing with his pals, Spears (Michael Michele) and Green (Shalom Harlow), for the assignment, so Ben tells his boss Phillip Warren (Robert Klein) that he's the man for the job because he understands the fair sex so well he can make any woman fall for him in less than two weeks. As fate would have it, Andie and Ben end up choosing one another for their mutual assignments, with neither knowing about each other's secret agenda as Ben strives to hold on to Andie while she does everything in her power to annoy him. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days was loosely based on the self-help book of the same name (subtitled The Universal Don't of Dating) written by Michele Alexander and Jeannie Long. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

San Francisco Chronicle
It's about as close to French farce as romantic comedies get, and the closer the better.

Howard the Duck

Howard the Duck

Starring: Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Jones, Tim Robbins, Ed Gale, Chip Zien, Paul Guilfoyle, Tim Rose, Steve Sleap, Peter Baird, Mary Wells, Lisa Sturz, Jordan Prentice, Tommy Swerdlow, Lee Anthony, Marcia Banks, James Brady, Virginia Capers, Debbie Lee Carrington, Miles Chapin, Paul Comi, Maureen Coyne, Dominique Davalos, Denny Delk, Thoams Dolby, Richard Edson, Sheldon Feldner, Margarita Fernandez, Nancy Fish, John Fleck, Martin Ganapoler, William Hall, Monty Hoffman, Ed Holmes, Richard Kiley, Steve Kravitz, Ted Kurtz, Jeanne Laruen, James Lashly, Gary Littlejohn, Kristopher Logan, Wanda McCaddon, Jorli McClain, William McCoy, Carol McElheney, Richard McGonagle, Wood Moy, Tom Parker, David Paymer, Reed Kirk Rahlmann, Tom Rayhall, Holly Robinson, Liz Sagal, Miguel Sandoval, Michael Sandoval, Felix Silla, Anne Tofflemire
Director: Willard Huyck

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Sci-Fi Action
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:51

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Editorial Reviews - Howard the Duck

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In this sci-fi comedy from executive producer George Lucas, Howard the Duck is an extra-terrestrial fowl who is accidentally beamed to earth by physicist Dr. Jenning (Jeffrey Jones) and his assistant Phil (Tim Robbins). The two go looking for Howard and find him in the home of Beverly Switzer (Lea Thompson), who was rescued by the interstellar duck from some mean-looking thugs. Beverly and Phil are friends, and when the government finds out about Howard, she helps Phil and Dr. Jenning hide him from the authorities until they can zap him back home. In the meantime, several wild chases and spectacular special effects keep the picture rolling along. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Hunt For Red October

Hunt For Red October

Starring: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones, Sam Neill, Joss Ackland, Richard Jordan, Peter Firth, Tim Curry, Courtney B. Vance, Stellan Skarsgård, Jeffrey Jones, Fred Dalton Thompson, Daniel Davis, Tomas Arana, Peter Antico, Vlado Benden, Michael George Benko, George H. Billy, Louise Borras, Robert Buckingham, Timothy Carhart, Arthur Cybulski, Anatoly Davydov, Andrew Divoff, Mark Draxton, Rick Ducommun, Larry Ferguson, Tom Fisher, Ivan G'Vera, Radu Gavor, Ronald Guttman, Ben Hartigan, Ivan Ivanov, Denise E. James, Christopher Janczar, Amanda Mackey-Johnson, Kenton Kovell, Boris Krutonog, A.C. Lyles, Gates McFadden, John McTiernan Sr., F.J. O'Neil, Anthony Peck, Reed Popovich, Ray Reinhardt, David Sederholm, John Shepherd, Herman Sinitzyn, Don Oscar Smith, William Bell Sullivan, Sven Ole Thorsen, Ned Vaughn, Tony Veneto, Michael Welden, George Winston, Ping Wu, Peter Zinner
Director: John McTiernan

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Action Thriller
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:14

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Editorial Reviews - Hunt For Red October

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The first of several films based on Tom Clancy's "Jack Ryan" technothrillers, Hunt for Red October stars Alec Baldwin as eccentric CIA analyst Ryan and Sean Connery as Soviet submarine commander Marko Ramius. Ramius sets the plot in motion when he murders his political adviser, burns his orders, and steers his sub Red October towards American waters, hoping to defect. The CIA, aware that the Red October was about to embark on an evasive mission to demonstrate its ability to avoid detection and fire its nuclear missiles upon U.S. installations, believes that Ramius is insane, and that he plans to start World War III. To cover their own behinds, the Russians back up the CIA's suspicion. Only Jack Ryan believes that Ramius' mission is not as apocalyptic as it seems -- and it is Ryan who is assigned to infiltrate the Red October to prove his theory. The sort of film that in an earlier era would have been called a "thinking man's thriller," The Hunt for Red October ushered in a new series of Hollywood-produced post-Cold War adventure films, including 1995's Crimson Tide. Hal Erickson

Indecent Proposal

Indecent Proposal

Starring: Robert Redford, Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, Oliver Platt, Seymour Cassel, Billy Connolly, Billy Bob Thornton, Rip Taylor, Selma Archerd, Matthew Barry, Joe Bays, Joel Brooks, Art Chudabala, Mariclare Costello, Catlyn Day, Sheena Easton, Pierre Epstein, Nicholas Georgiade, Herbie Hancock, Pamela Holt, Myra J., Jedda Jones, Israel Juarbe, Joe La Due, Richard Livingston, Chi Muoi Lo, Irene Olga Lopez, Rudy E. Morrison, Toru Nagai, Lydia Nicole, Elsa Raven, David Rees, Hilary Reynolds, Jerome Rosenfeld, Joseph Ruskin, Maurice Sherbanee, Victoria Thomas, Kevin West, Robert "Bobby Z" Zajonc, Danny Zorn
Director: Adrian Lyne

Certification: NR
Category: Erotic
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:59

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Editorial Reviews - Indecent Proposal

Barnes & Noble
This provocative, high-concept drama, which generated countless newspaper and magazine stories and many hours of broadcast commentary when it hit theater screens in 1993, was saved from terminal tawdriness by the thoughtful, measured performances of its three stars. The movie's simple premise still seems titillating: A destitute married couple (Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore) are offered a million dollars by a wealthy businessman (Robert Redford), on the condition that the wife sleep with him for one evening. With no better options available, the couple agree -- not realizing that the illicit assignation will plunge them into an abyss of guilt, jealousy, and resentment. Essentially just a glossy melodrama, Indecent Proposal doesn't linger on the overtly sensational; director Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction) suggests more than he shows. But the questions he raises, and the emotions he stirs, enable this compelling film to get under a viewer's skin like few others. Lyne, whose fondness for subversively erotic subjects is well known, explains and justifies his thematic preoccupation in a new commentary for the DVD release. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Adrian Lyne buffs the premise of Honeymoon in Vegas to a fine gloss in this yuppie melodrama that poses the conundrum of whether the loving husband of an equally loving wife will accept $1 million to allow his wife to spend one night with a billionaire who looks like Robert Redford. All the cynics please take a number and form a line at the right. Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson play Diana and David Murphy, high-school sweethearts who marry and who are doing very well -- Diana is a successful real-estate agent, and David is an idealistic architect who has built a dream house by the ocean -- until the recession hits. Suddenly, David loses his job, and they can't make the mortgage payments. Dead broke, they borrow $5000 from David's father and head to Las Vegas to try to win money to pay the mortgage on their house. At first, they get $25,000 ahead -- but inevitably the house always wins, and they end up losing it all. While Diana is in the fancy casino boutique trying to lift some candy, she is spotted by billionaire John Gage (Robert Redford), who is immediately attracted to her. John invites Diana and David to an opulent party, and it is there that John offers David $1 million for a night with his wife. David is wracked by this moral dilemma, but Diana finally makes the decision on her own, with ensuing consequences for their ideal marriage and their bank account. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Chicago Sun-Times

I mentioned Pretty Woman earlier. I could also have mentioned The Crying Game. What those movies and Indecent Proposal all do brilliantly is allow the audience to be voyeurs while acceptable people do unacceptable things. Roger Ebert

Independence Day

Independence Day

Starring: Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, Margaret Colin, Jay Acovone, Giuseppe Andrews, Sayed Badreya, Ross Elliot Bagley, Adam Baldwin, Fred Barnes, Thom Barry, Kimberly Beck, John Bradley, Arthur A. Brooks, Arthur Brooks, John Capodice, Eleanor Clift, Joyce Cohen, Greg Collins, Harry Connick Jr., Anthony Crivello, Deenie Dakota, Malcom Danare, Thomas F. Duffy, Jerry Dunphy, James Duval, Harvey Fierstein, Joe Fowler, Vivica A. Fox, Jack Germond, Steve Giannelli, Robin Groth, Devon Gummersall, Bobby Hosea, Rance Howard, Jana Marie Hupp, Lisa Jakub, James Wong, James J. Joyce, Andrew Keegan, Tim Kelleher, Morton Kondracke, Carlos Lacamara, Ross Lacy, Carlos Lara, Dan Lauria, Robert Loggia, Nelson Mashita, Jon Mathews, John McLaughlin, Michael G. Moertl, Mike Monteleone, Jack Moore, Julie Moran, Marisa Morell, Barry Nolan, Frank Novak, Randy Oglesby, Leland Orser, Richard Pachorek, Vivian Palermo, Matt Pashkow, Eric Paskel, John Bennett Perry, Jeffrey Daniel Phillips, Jim Piddock, Robert Pine, David Pressman, George Putnam, Randy Quaid, James Rebhorn, Elston Ridgle, Raphael Sbarge, Kevin Sifuentes, Pat Skipper, Bill Smitrovich, Richard Speight Jr., Brent Spiner, Lisa Star, John Storey, Lee Strauss, Mark Thompson, Adam Tomei, Lyman Ward, Kiersten Warren, Frank Welker, Mae Whitman, Wayne Wilderson, Mirron E. Willis, Troy Willis, Michael Winther, Eric Michael Zee
Director: Roland Emmerich

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Adventure - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:25

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Editorial Reviews - Independence Day

Barnes & Noble
Independence Day's grand-scale invasion of theaters marked it one of the biggest summer blockbusters of the 1990s. The story is simple enough: Aliens show up over the Fourth of July weekend and without reason blow up most of the world. It's up to the heroic survivors -- stern-faced president Bill Pullman, amiable Army pilot Will Smith, and plucky software programmer Jeff Goldblum among them -- to save the planet. Independence Day is a lot of things: patriotic battle cry; special effects extravaganza; really, really scary and loud. Though the film is not particularly dramatic or thought provoking, director Roland Emmerich (The Patriot) makes an entertaining ride out of fabulous effects, particularly the horrifyingly fiery obliteration of cities worldwide. Smith is fresh once again with a terrific alien-whuppin' swagger, and though Pullman's rousing Fourth of July speech before the climactic battle is not on the literary level of Henry V's St. Crispin's Day speech, it is equally motivational. A loud throwback to alien paranoia of the H. G. Wells classic War of the Worlds, ID4 more than found itself a place in sci-fi/action history, it attacked and took over. Pete Segall

All Movie Guide
A group of intrepid humans attempts to save the Earth from vicious extraterrestrials in this extremely popular science-fiction adventure. Borrowing liberally from War of the Worlds, Aliens, and every sci-fi invasion film inbetween, director Roland Emmerich and producer and co-writer Dean Devlin present a visually slick, fast-paced adventure filled with expensive special effects and large-scale action sequences. The story begins with the approach of a series of massive spaceships, which many on Earth greet with open arms, looking forward to the first contact with alien life. Unfortunately, these extraterrestrials have not come in peace, and they unleash powerful weapons that destroy most of the world's major cities. Thrown into chaos, the survivors struggle to band together and put up a last-ditch resistance in order to save the human race. As this is a Hollywood film, this effort is led by a group of scrappy Americans, including a computer genius who had foreseen the alien's evil intent (Jeff Goldblum), a hot-shot jet pilot (Will Smith), and the President of the United States (Bill Pullman). While some critics objected to the film's lack of originality and lapses in logic, the combination of grand visual spectacle and crowd-pleasing storytelling proved irresistible to audiences, resulting in an international smash hit. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies, River Phoenix, Julian Glover, Michael Byrne, Kevork Malikyan, Robert Eddison, Richard Young, Alexei Sayle, Alex Hyde-White, Paul Maxwell, Nina Almond, Tom Branch, Maggie Cartier, Graeme Crowther, Vince Deadrick Jr., Vernon Dobtcheff, Julie Eccles, Mike Fenton, Mrs. Glover, Martin Gordon, Bradley Gregg, Ted Grossman, Luke Hanson, J.J. Hardy, Jerry Harte, Tim Hiser, Paul Humpoletz, Frederick Jaeger, Chris Jenkinson, Stefan Kalipha, Eugene Lipinski, George Malpas, Marc Miles, Will Miles, Billy Mitchell, Dave Murray, Jeff O'Haco, Peter Pacey, Pat Roach, Suzanne Roquette, Larry Sanders, Nicolas Scott, Michael Sheard, Louis Sheldon, Judy Taylor
Director: Steven Spielberg

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Adventure - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:06

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Editorial Reviews - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

All Movie Guide
The third installment in the widely beloved Spielberg/Lucas Indiana Jones saga begins with an introduction to a younger Indy (played by the late River Phoenix), who, through a fast-paced prologue, gives the audience insight into the roots of his taste for adventure, fear of snakes, and dogged determination to take historical artifacts out of the hands of bad guys and into the museums in which they belong. A grown-up Indy (Harrison Ford) reveals himself shortly afterward in a familiar classroom scene, teaching archeology to a disproportionate number of starry-eyed female college students in 1938. Once again, however, Mr. Jones is drawn away from his day job after an art collector (Julian Glover) approaches him with a proposition to find the much sought after Holy Grail. Circumstances reveal that there was another avid archeologist in search of the famed cup -- Indiana Jones' father, Dr. Henry Jones (Sean Connery) -- who had recently disappeared during his efforts. The junior and senior members of the Jones family find themselves in a series of tough situations in locales ranging from Venice to the most treacherous spots in the Middle East. Complicating the situation further is the presence of Elsa (Alison Doody), a beautiful and intelligent woman with one fatal flaw: she's an undercover Nazi agent. The search for the grail is a dangerous quest, and its discovery may prove fatal to those who seek it for personal gain. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade earned a then record-breaking $50 million in its first week of release. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Starring: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone, Roy Chiao, David Yip, Ric Young, Chua Kah Joo, Rex Ngui, Philip Tann, Dan Aykroyd, Pat Roach, Stany de Silva, Lorraine Doyle, Moti Makan, Akio Mitamura, Mellan Mitchell, D.R. Nanayakkara, Frank Olegario, Bhasker Patel, Jonathan Ke Quan, Michael Yama
Director: Steven Spielberg

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Adventure - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:58

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Editorial Reviews - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

All Movie Guide
The second of the George Lucas/Steven Spielberg Indiana Jones epics is set a year or so before the events in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1984). After a brief brouhaha involving a precious vial and a wild ride down a raging Himalyan river, Indy (Harrison Ford) gets down to the problem at hand: retrieving a precious gem and several kidnapped young boys on behalf of a remote East Indian village. His companions this time around include a dimbulbed, easily frightened nightclub chanteuse (Kate Capshaw), and a feisty 12-year-old kid named Short Round (Quan Ke Huy). Throughout, the plot takes second place to the thrills, which include a harrowing rollercoaster ride in an abandoned mineshaft and Indy's rescue of the heroine from a ritual sacrifice. There are also a couple of cute references to Raiders of the Lost Ark, notably a funny variation of Indy's shooting of the Sherpa warrior. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jack

Jack

Starring: Robin Williams, Diane Lane, Jennifer Lopez, Brian Kerwin, Fran Drescher, Bill Cosby, Todd Bosley, Rickey D'Shon Collins, Hugo Hernandez, Jeremy Lelliott, Michael McKean, Don Novello, Allan Rich, Seth Smith, Mario Yedidia, Adam Zolotin
Director: Francis Ford Coppola

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

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Editorial Reviews - Jack

All Movie Guide
In this film by director Francis Ford Coppola, Robin Williams stars as Jack, a boy who is growing normally, but at many times the normal rate. In a bizarre flashback, we see that he was born when his mother was only ten weeks pregnant. Kept out of school for years, the neighborhood children consider him a freak, and generally avoid him. He is finally required to go to public school, and we catch up to him as he enters the fourth grade for the first time, a 10-year-old boy who appears to be a fully grown man in his 40s. His classmates tease him mercilessly until they begin to see the advantages of having him around. He must also have some grown-up feelings to go along with his grown-up body, because he asks his teacher out for a date. When she refuses him, he goes off into town and gets into adult-type trouble as he courts nightclub denizen Dolores Durante (Fran Drescher) over the objections of her boyfriend. Teacher Lawrence Woodruff (Bill Cosby) tries (with some success) to help Jack cope with his situation. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Jerry Maguire

Jerry Maguire

Starring: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, Kelly Preston, Jay Mohr, Jerry O'Connell, Bonnie Hunt, Jonathan Lipnicki, Regina King, Beau Bridges, Todd Louiso, Larina Adamson, Troy Aikman, Alberto Alfavo, Lisa Amsterdam, Alison Armitage, Beaumont Bacon, Brent Barry, Ingrid Beer, Drake Bell, Nada Bestopovich, Dean Blasucci, Drew Bledsoe, Amaryllis Borrego, Nada Bospotovich, Klair Bybee, Jerry Cantrell, Ki-Juana Carter, Christine Cavanaugh, Brandon Christianson, Kelly Coffield, Kerry Collins, Charlie Cronin, Alice Marie Crowe, Luis Damian, Dan Dierdorf, Roy Firestone, Wayne Fontes, Evelyn Fontes, Glenn Frey, Tom Friend, Stephanie Furst, Tom Gallop, Frank Gifford, Angela Goethals, Reagan Gomez-Preston, Theo Greenly, Jesus Alberto Guzman, Lisa Ann Hadley, Gale Hillman, Winnie Holzman, Toby Huss, Jim Irsay, Meg Irsay, Lamont Johnson, Rick Johnson, Michael James Johnson, Diana Jordan, Jared Jussim, Kymberly Kaill, Mel Kiper, Richie Kortite, Kirsten Krueger, Lightfield Lewis, Jonathan Lipinski, Lucy Liu, Donal Logue, Russel Lunday, Jeffrey Lurie, Dallas Malloy, Ivana Marina, Tim McDonald, Al Michaels, Ivana Milicevic, Rick Mirer, Jim Moffatt, Art Monk, Warren Moon, Rob Moore, Herman Moore, Juan Arnoldo Morales, Johnnie Morton, Susan Norfleet, Lauren Parker, Mark Pellington, Susan Pingleton, Emily Procter, Emily Proctor, Thomas J. Reilly, Rebecca Rigg, Danny Rimmer, Drew Rosenhaus, Jordan Ross, Cha-Cha Sandoval, Erica Sergi, Stanley Sessoms, Samantha Smith, Benjamin Kimball Smith, Aries Spears, Lisa Stahl, Golde Starger, Eric Stoltz, Jeremy Suarez, Rod Tate, Shannon Thornton, Mike Tirico, Leslie Upson, David Ursin, Justina Vail, Hynden Walch, Jann Wenner, Alexandra Wentworth, Mike White, Stacey Williams, Katarina Witt, Lee Zick, Jerry Ziesmer
Director: Cameron Crowe

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Marriage Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:19

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Editorial Reviews - Jerry Maguire

Barnes & Noble
The surprise box-office smash of 1996, Jerry Maguire reestablished Tom Cruise as a star of romantic comedies, earned stardom for Renée Zellweger, and won writer-director Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous) a spot on Hollywood's A-list. It also scored an Oscar for supporting player Cuba Gooding Jr. and thrust a new catchphrase -- "Show me the money!" -- into the popular lexicon. Crowe's zesty romance has an enduring charm: Cruise still shines as the brash but vulnerable sports agent whose moment of uncharacteristic frankness gets him fired. Opening his own small agency, the dispirited go-getter receives encouragement from his only employee, a single mom (Zellweger) who secretly adores him. Tom's twinkling eyes and toothy grin notwithstanding, the show is nearly stolen by Gooding's comically conceited athlete -- Maguire's lone client -- who makes his demands very clear. Crowe's Oscar-nominated script sparkles with clever lines and fleshes out characters in ways not typical of breezy Hollywood love stories. This winning combination of snappy storytelling, endearing characters, and incisive direction keeps Jerry Maguire fresh and contemporary; it's a modern classic that merits addition to every home library. The new DVD Special Edition is a two-disc set: Disc One presents the film itself, accompanied by commentary from Crowe, Cruise, Zellweger, and Gooding; Disc Two features a video commentary from these principals, deleted scenes, and rehearsal footage, with commentaries by Crowe, a profile of sports agent Drew Rosenhaus, a making-of featurette, Bruce Springsteen's music video for the song "Secret Garden," and much more. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Combining drama, comedy, and romance, Jerry Maguire was a critical and commercial success built on an original script by writer/director Cameron Crowe and an Oscar-nominated performance by Tom Cruise. Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) is an agent with a major sports management firm. He's enthusiastic, successful, a great negotiator and people like him. But it begins to dawn on Jerry that there's something wrong with what he's doing, and not long after a troubling encounter with the son of an injured athlete he represents, Jerry has a serious crisis of conscience. In the midst of a sleepless night, Jerry writes a memo calling on himself and his colleagues to think more about the long-term welfare of the clients they represent and less about immediate profits. While everyone around him applauds the sentiment, Jerry's superiors think his ideas are bad for business; Jerry is fired, and, rather than standing in solidarity with him, his "friends" in the firm scramble like sharks to claim Jerry's clients. At the end of his last day, the only people willing to join Jerry as he strikes out on his own are staff accountant Dorothy (Renee Zellweger), a single mother secretly in love with Jerry, and Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a football player whose pride and arrogance have gotten in the way of his reaching his potential. Jerry Maguire earned an Academy Award for Cuba Gooding Jr.'s performance as Tidwell and provided a breakthrough role for Renee Zellweger; it also made "Show me the money!" an unavoidable catchphrase for several months. Mark Deming

Chicago Sun-Times

There are a couple of moments in Jerry Maguire when you want to hug yourself with delight. Roger Ebert

USA Today
1/2
Cameron Crowe's overstuffed but exuberantly humane Jerry Maguire is a Tom Cruise vehicle that gives equal time to brilliantly cast co-stars in elaborately conceived roles. Mike Clark

Jungle Book

Jungle Book

Starring: Sabu, Joseph Calleia, John Qualen, Frank Puglia, Rosemary DeCamp
Director: Zoltan Korda

Certification: NR (MPAA)
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:48

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Disney has mined Rudyard Kipling's Mowgli stories twice, but it has never topped this elegant, lush classic by the British Korda brothers. Producer Alexander Korda brought director Zoltan and designer Vincent to California, where they used Hollywood's resources to create a storybook India of verdant jungles, beautiful lagoons, and modest peasant villages. Sabu plays Mowgli, the man-cub raised by wolves and schooled in the jungle who returns to civilization as a young man. When greedy villagers discover that he knows of a hidden treasure, they turn the town against him and follow him to the ruins of an ancient palace (a magnificent, crumbling temple of glowing blue stone overrun with vines and vegetation). Sabu gives a vital, energetic performance, leaping and climbing like he was born to the wild and innocent of corruption and fear that infects the village. As the treasure hunters turn on one another and resort to murder for the prize they all desire, the film gets darker and fiercer than Disney ever dared in its remakes. It's still the most glorious of all versions, a grandly realized epic vision with a sense of wonder and a magnificent fantasy landscape of deep, rich colors, like a painting come to life. Joseph Calleia plays the greedy villain with his usual conniving flair. Miklós Rósza wrote the gorgeous score. Be wary of inferior video copies: the film has fallen into the public domain and is available in a proliferation of substandard prints. --Sean Axmaker

Additional Information
This is not the classic Disney animated movie.

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: 2:06

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Editorial Reviews - Jurassic Park

Barnes & Noble
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, Rovi

Just Cause

Just Cause

Starring: Sean Connery, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Capshaw, Blair Underwood, Ed Harris, Christopher Murray, Brooke Alderson, Ned Beatty, Tony Bolano, Ruby Dee, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Taral Hicks, Melanie Hughes, Scarlett Johansson, Hope Lange, Richard Liberty, Kevin McCarthy, Gary Landon Mills, George Plimpton, Chris Sarandon, Victor Slezak, Lynne Thigpen, Liz Torres, Daniel J. Travanti
Director: Arnold Glimcher

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Courtroom Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:42

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Editorial Reviews - Just Cause

All Movie Guide
The novel by John Katzenbach becomes this legal thriller starring Sean Connery as Harvard Law School professor Paul Armstrong. A legal expert whose days of trying cases are long behind him, Armstrong is moved by a plea he receives from a Florida death row inmate, Bobby Earl (Blair Underwood). It seems that the educated, upstanding Earl has been railroaded by an overeager sheriff (Laurence Fishburne) zealously trying to solve the kidnapping and murder of a little girl. Once Armstrong arrives in Florida, he is able to locate the murder weapon and cast doubt on Earl's innocence, even identifying a much more likely culprit in the homicidal genius Blair Sullivan (Ed Harris). All is not as it seems in the case of Bobby Earl, however, and Armstrong is going to end up regretting his interest in the case. Ruby Dee, Kate Capshaw, and Ned Beatty costar in this film from producer-turned-director Arne Glimcher. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Kangaroo Jack

Kangaroo Jack

Starring: Jerry O'Connell, Anthony Anderson, Estella Warren, Michael Shannon, Christopher Walken, Bill Hunter, Marton Csokas, David Ngoombujarra, Dyan Cannon
Director: David McNally

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Comedy Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:29

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Editorial Reviews - Kangaroo Jack

Barnes & Noble
Critics hopped all over this buddy comedy, but children, lured by the somewhat deceptive previews that played up the antics of the eponymous marsupial, made it a modest box office hit. The fish-out-of water story line finds lifelong Brooklyn buddies Charlie (Jerry O'Connell) and Louis (Anthony Anderson) on a forced errand for the Mob in Australia, where they wind up chasing a runaway kangaroo through the Outback. Charlie's mobster stepfather (the always welcome Christopher Walken) dispatches the pair to deliver $50,000 on a mission of absolution, but in one of those only-in-the-movies mishaps, the pair's 50K winds up in the possession of the titular critter, and the chase is on. The kangaroo has the uncanny ability to anticipate their every move (much like the mouse in Mouse Hunt), and he's a sequel-ready scene-stealer, whether delivering martial-arts kicks, sucking on an atomic fireball jawbreaker, or, in one dream sequence, breaking it down to "Rapper's Delight." A trio of flatulent camels provide the requisite scatological humor in a scene that makes the campfire scene in Blazing Saddles look like a model of decorum. But a comical, computer-generated kangaroo does not a family movie make. A subplot involving Mob goons sent to kill Charlie and Louis plays out with too much menace. And Charlie fondles a ravishing conservationist (Estella Warren), whom he mistakes for a mirage. By the time the camera ogles the former swimmer-turned-model during an impromptu bath in a waterfall, you're thinking "lovely," but a PG-13 rating would have been more appropriate. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
Two low-level American crooks head to Australia, where they match wits with a kangaroo (who appears to have an intellectual edge on his pursuers) in this broad comedy. Charlie Carbone (Jerry O'Connell) is a hairdresser from Brooklyn whose best friend, Louis Booker (Anthony Anderson), scrapes together a living moving stolen merchandise. Charlie's stepfather, Sal Maggio (Christopher Walken), is a crime kingpin who has loaned Charlie a lot of money and wants to know when he'll get it back; Sal's not especially fond of Louis, especially after he and Charlie accidentally lead the police to a storehouse of burgled goods owned by Sal. Charlie owes Sal a big favor, and Sal wants Charlie and Louis out of his hair for a while, so Sal sends them to Australia, where they're to deliver a large amount of cash to a mysterious Mr. Smith (Marton Csokas). En route to their meeting in the outback, Charlie and Louis accidentally run over a kangaroo, and the half-bright tourists decide to dress the dead marsupial in sunglasses and Louis' favorite jacket for snapshots. However, the animal wasn't as dead as they imagined, and it soon hops away, shortly after Louis realizes the payment to Mr. Smith was in the pocket. Now Louis and Charlie are out to find the fast-moving critter, with the help of Jessie (Estella Warren), a wildlife expert; Mr. Jimmy (David Ngoombujarra), a wilderness guide; and Blue (Bill Hunter), a pilot familiar with the outback. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Kate & Leopold

Kate & Leopold

Starring: Meg Ryan, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Breckin Meyer, Natasha Lyonne
Director: James Mangold

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:58

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Hokey but heartfelt, Kate & Leopold revitalizes an old idea, and amiable casting makes this romantic fantasy work almost in spite of itself. Knowing that he'd be risking comparison to Time After Time and Somewhere in Time if he delved too deeply into time travel, director James Mangold (Girl, Interrupted) briefly introduces an elusive "time portal," then wisely skirts the issue altogether. Instead, he focuses on kismet, etiquette, and fading traditions of chivalry as bachelor Duke Leopold of Albany (Hugh Jackman) is accidentally swept from 1876 to present-day 2001. Adjusting to the shock of his temporal displacement, he falls in love with Manhattan executive Kate (Meg Ryan), whose ex-boyfriend (Liev Schreiber) is Leopold's great-great-grandson. But Leo can't stay in the future, and this breezy comedy proves yet again that time is no barrier when true love is involved. Hardly original, but Ryan's doing what she does best, making Kate & Leopold a bona-fide crowd pleaser--past, present, and future. --Jeff Shannon

Kindergarten Cop

Kindergarten Cop

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Penelope Ann Miller, Pamela Reed, Linda Hunt, Richard Tyson, Carroll Baker, Joseph Cousins, Christian Cousins, Bethany Jaye Allyn, Frankie Avina, Angela Bassett, Ian Baumer, Remone Bradley, Jayne Brook, Susan Burns, Robert Cave, James Chance, Michael Chapman, Molly Cleator, Ed Crick, Kim Delgado, Ben Diskin, Tom Dugan, Lee Dupree, Gene Elman, Medha Garg, Ray Glanzmann, Terry Golden, John Christian Graas, John Hammil, Tina Hart, Betty Lou Henson, Charlie Holliday, Gary Hollis, Miko Hughes, Jim Jim Jackson, Rick Jones, Sarah Rose Karr, Alix Koromzay, Tom Kurlander, Leo Lee, Emily Ann Lloyd, Chi Muoi Lo, Ross Malinger, Zachary March, Krystle Mataras, Tiffany Mataras, Ben McCreary, Anne Merrem, Cathy Moriarty, Nicole Nagorsky, Bob Nelson, Park Overall, Justin Page, Stephen Park, Richard Portnow, Peter Rakow, Amber Reaves, Tiffany Reaves, Catherine Reitman, Jason Reitman, Roma, Stephen Root, Marissa Rosen, Tameka Runnels, Jason Stuart, Heidi Swedberg, Haley Urman, Peter Mark Vasquez, Brian Wagner, Amy Wald, Anthony Wong, Adam Wylie, Galen Yuen, Odette Yustman
Director: Ivan Reitman

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:51

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Editorial Reviews - Kindergarten Cop

All Movie Guide
Arnold Schwarzenegger sheds his action image in Ivan Reitman's police comedy Kindergarten Cop, where he plays an undercover cop teaching a class of hyperactive six-year-olds. As the film begins, John Kimble (Schwarzenegger) and his partner Phoebe O'Hara (Pamela Reed) are in pursuit of notorious drug dealer Cullen Crisp (Richard Tyson) and his scabrous mother Eleanor (Carroll Baker). John learns Cullen is searching for his ex-wife and his little boy, and Kimble plans to nail them when they find the former wife, who is believed to have $3 million of Cullen's drug profits. John and Phoebe follow the trail to Astoria, Oregon, where they believe Cullen's son is attending kindergarten. Although the child and his mother have changed names, John hopes they can pick up some clues. By coincidence, Phoebe used to be a schoolteacher and the school board permits her teach the kindergarten class, but Phoebe gets food poisoning and John is forced to teach the six-year-old whippersnappers himself. Along with lighthearted gags with the kids and the pursuit of the drug dealers, John has time for a little romance when he falls in love with one of the teachers (Penelope Ann Miller), who ends up surprising him with more than love. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Kiss The Girls

Kiss The Girls

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Cary Elwes, Tony Goldwyn, Jay O. Sanders, Bill Nunn, Brian Cox, Alex McArthur, Richard T. Jones, Jeremy Piven, William Converse-Roberts, Gina Ravera, Roma Maffia, Mena Suvari, Justina Vail
Director: Gary Fleder

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Detective Film
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:00

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Editorial Reviews - Kiss The Girls

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This thriller is adapted from the 1995 novel by James Patterson about a serial killer prowling a Southern university. Washington, D.C., forensic psychologist Dr. Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) is also a best-selling author. After his niece Naomi (Gina Ravera) is reported missing, he heads his Porsche for Durham, North Carolina, where eight young women have been reported missing. Bodies are found by local policemen (Cary Elwes and Alex McArthur), along with the killer's signature, "Casanova." Casanova is a "collector" of strong-willed women who are forced to submit to his demands. Soon, local doctor Kate McTiernan (Ashley Judd) is abducted from her home and taken to a dungeon -- where other women are imprisoned in underground chambers. After McTiernan succeeds in escaping, she joins Cross and other detectives in the search for Casanova -- a trail that leads to Los Angeles, where similar crimes are being committed by someone known as "The Gentleman Caller." Are these two criminals in competition with each other or are they working together? ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

The Klumps: Nutty Professor II - Uncensored

The Klumps: Nutty Professor II - Uncensored

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Janet Jackson, Larry Miller, John Ales, Richard Gant, Anna Maria Horsford, Melinda McGraw, Jamal Mixon
Director: Peter Segal

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:45

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Editorial Reviews - Klumps: Nutty Professor II - Uncensored

Barnes & Noble
From the family barbeque sketch on his second album, Comedian, to the rollicking barbershop quartet of Coming to America, Eddie Murphy has always tested the boundaries of character creation. Now, in the second installment of the Nutty Professor, The Klumps, Murphy is finally given free rein, returning as Sherman Klump, as well as Sherman's supercool alter-ego Buddy Love, and the entire Klump family. Sherman discovers a Fountain-of-Youth serum, his bosses seek to exploit it, and Buddy Love wants to steal and sell it. All the while, Sherman courts Denise Gaines (Janet Jackson), and fends off his cacophonous family. But the story is secondary to the textured antics of Murphy breathing life into every one of his Klumps -- especially Sherman's parents. With Murphy -- as with the late Sir Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets -- you constantly forget you are watching the same actor in multiple roles. David Schneiderman

All Movie Guide
Overweight scientific genius Sherman Klump and his extended family are back in this sequel to the 1996 comedy smash The Nutty Professor. Sherman (played once again by Eddie Murphy) has come up with a discovery that ought to make him a multimillionaire: a youth serum that turns back the user's body clock. Sherman has also found time for a social life and has fallen in love with Denise Gains (Janet Jackson), a brilliant woman involved in DNA research. Sherman and Denise are engaged, but Sherman is still troubled by Buddy Love, the dark side of his personality that he wants to purge from his psyche forever. He persuades Denise to help him by splicing Buddy out of his DNA structure, but the experiment doesn't go as planned: instead of destroying Buddy, Sherman and Denise free him, and Buddy's first order of business is to get his hands on Sherman's youth serum, which Sherman has hidden at his family's house. In addition to Klump and Love, Murphy also plays Mama, Papa, Grandma, and nephew Ernie Klump, thanks to the makeup magic of Rick Baker. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

New York Times
"Parts of the film are tremendously funny...But some of the cheap laughs to which the picture stoops will give you the blues."

A Knight's Tale

A Knight's Tale

Starring: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, Paul Bettany, Shannyn Sossamon, Alan Tudyk, Laura Fraser, Christopher Cazenove, Bérénice Bejo, James Purefoy, Olivia Williams
Director: Brian Helgeland

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

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Editorial Reviews - Knight's Tale

Barnes & Noble
Erstwhile teen heartthrob Heath Ledger finally attains stardom as the charismatic leading man of A Knight's Tale, a breezy, briskly paced romp that chronicles the hilarious misadventures of an ersatz nobleman and his band of merry men. Ledger plays a lowly squire who assumes the identity of a recently deceased knight in hopes of competing in a lavish tournament. Mark Addy lends support as a skeptical fellow squire, while Shannyn Sossamon brightens the screen as a beautiful princess, and Rufus Sewell shows suave style as a cruel competitor. Paul Bettany steals many scenes in an absolutely first-rate turn as a garrulous, unknown writer by the name of Geoffrey Chaucer, who forges documents attesting to Ledger's nobility and thus embroils himself in the perilous scheme. Writer-director Brian Helgeland (Payback) employs a delightfully novel approach in the telling of this Tale by liberally sprinkling it with deliberate anachronisms: a tournament audience sings Queen's "We Will Rock You," for example, and the characters spice the King's English with 20th-century slang. Both Helgeland and Bettany discuss the rationale for this in their commentary for the DVD, which also includes an HBO "making of" documentary and a whopping 11 behind-the-scenes featurettes in addition to deleted scenes (introduced by Helgeland), production notes, music videos, web site links, and DVD-ROM content. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
This crowd-pleasing medieval adventure tale is very loosely inspired by Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales and mixes the anachronistic elements of modern-day rock music and colloquialisms with a period setting and characters. Heath Ledger stars as William Thatcher, a low-born 14th century squire who, in a fit of inspired spontaneity, replaces his deceased employer as the competitor at a jousting competition. Jousting is a pastime only permitted to knights, who are of noble birth, but Thatcher wins and decides to continue his new pursuits. With the help of his two fellow squire friends Wat and Roland (Alan Tudyk and Mark Addy) and none other than the gambling-addicted Geoffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany), Thatcher has soon adopted a false identity and is winning one joust after another on his way to a championship in London. His victories inspire the affection of a female fan, Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon), and the ire of a competitor, Count Adehmar (Rufus Sewell), but Thatcher's ruse is threatened with exposure. A Knight's Tale is the sophomore directorial effort of acclaimed screenwriter Brian Helgeland, who won an Oscar for his work on L.A. Confidential (1997) and debuted behind the camera with the troubled production of Payback (1999). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Washington Post
Savvy without being smug, cute without being saccharin, and funny without slipping into over-the-top goofiness, this is a 14th-century good time. Desson Howe

Lassie

Lassie

Starring: Tom Guiry, Helen Slater, Jon Tenney, Brittany Boyd, Frederic Forrest, Richard Farnsworth, Michelle Williams, Charlie Hofheimer, Clayton Barclay Jones, Yvonne Brisendine, Lassie the Dog, Joe Inscoe, Gretchen Rennell, Rick Warner, Jordan Young
Director: Daniel Petrie

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Adventure Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:32

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Editorial Reviews - Lassie

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The story of an intelligent, heroic collie and his young owner, previously featured in numerous films and a successful 1950s television series, was updated for the 1990s in this family feature. This time, Lassie is determined to help a cynical city boy named Matt (Thomas Guiry), who turns even more resentful when his family relocates to a small town in rural Virginia. Soon after this move, a bright collie enters the family's life and winds up with the name Lassie because of the television show, which Matt's younger sister (Brittany Boyd) watches passionately. Lassie sets out to cheer Matt up and introduce him to the wonders of nature, while also helping the family stand its ground against rich, unpleasant neighbors. There are also run-ins with vicious wild animals and a daring rescue over river rapids, but the main focus remains on the emotional relationship between Matt and the dog, a story that will seem old-fashioned and charming to some viewers while familiar and sentimental to others. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Last Action Hero

Last Action Hero

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austin O'Brien, F. Murray Abraham, Art Carney, Frank McRae, Anthony Quinn, Charles Dance, Mercedes Ruehl, Tom Noonan, Robert Prosky, Ian McKellen, Prof. Toru Tanaka, Joan Plowright, Noah Emmerich, Tina Turner, Bridgette Wilson, Robert Patrick, Sharon Stone, Adam Ant, Morgan Brittany, Colleen Camp, Michael Chieffo, Christopher Connelly, Tony Curtis, Timothy Dalton, Danny DeVito, Nick Dimitri, Rick Ducommun, Angie Everhart, John Finnegan, Edward Furlong, Michael Vincente Gazzo, Janet Hirshenson, James Cameron, Jane Jenkins, Billy Lucas, John McTiernan Sr., Mike Muscat, Anna Navarro, Anthony Peck, Tori Spelling, Sven Ole Thorsen, Ryan Todd, Tony Danza
Director: John McTiernan

Certification: NR
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:11

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Editorial Reviews - Last Action Hero

All Movie Guide
Arnold Schwarzenegger appears as a pumped-up Shakespearian hero while an announcer bellows, "Something is rotten in Denmark -- and Hamlet is taking out the trash!" This gag sets the stage for the post-modernist action epic The Last Action Hero. The film concerns Danny Madigan (Austin O'Brien), a lonely eleven-year-old boy who escapes from his bleak New York City reality by glorying in the action adventure movies of his favorite film character, Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Danny's friend is an elderly movie projectionist, Nick (Robert Prosky), who lets Danny into the shabby Times Square movie theater where he works so Danny can see Slater's new movie. He hands Danny a magic ticket given to him years ago by Houdini, and when Nick rips the ticket and gives Danny the stub, Danny finds himself catapulted from the theater into the back seat of Slater's speeding sports car in "Jack Slater IV." Danny becomes Slater's helper as Jack battles a trio of nefarious bad guys --Benedict (Charles Dance), Vivaldi (Anthony Quinn) and The Ripper (Tom Noonan). But things get out of hand when Benedict steals Danny's magic ticket stub and transports himself into Danny's reality. Benedict and The Ripper proceed to wreak havoc along Broadway, forcing Slater to cross into reality to get the villains and, in the process, learn about blood and pain. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

A League of Their Own

A League of Their Own

Starring: Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Lori Petty, Madonna, Jon Lovitz, Rosie O'Donnell, Bill Pullman, David Strathairn, Garry Marshall, Megan Cavanagh, Renee Coleman, Ann Cusack, Anne Ramsay, Tracy Reiner, Bitty Schram, Freddie Simpson, Pauline Brailsford, Justin Scheller, Ed Jones, Lynn Cartwright, Rae Allen, Eunice Anderson, Blair Baron, Douglas Blakeslee, Shirley Burkovich, Kathleen Butler, Ray Chapman, Larissa Collins, Laurel Cronin, Don S. Davis, Dolores "Pickles" Dries, Marvin Einhorn, Barbara Erwin, Stephen Feagley, Brenda Ferrari, Brian Flannery, David Franks, Brian Boru Gleeson, R.M. Haley, Lisa Hand, Joette Hodgen, Mark Holton, Ryan Howell, Vera Johnson, Amanda Mackey-Johnson, Cheryl Jones, Cherry Jones, Janet Jones, Robin Knight, Joe Krowka, Téa Leoni, Ellen Lewis, Stephen Mailer, Kathleen Marshall, Eugenia McLin, Eddie Mekka, Betty Miller, Shelly Niemeyer, Ryan Olsen, Patti Pelton, Barbara Pilavin Gelber, Connie Pounds-Taylor, Sally Rutherford, Wantland L. Sandel Jr., Lita Scmitt, Harry Shearer, Kelli Simpkins, Joey Slotnick, Gregory Sporleder, Robert Stanton, Sharon Szmidt, Neezer Tarleton, Amanda Walker, Brenda Watson, Ellie Weingardt, Alan Wilder, Patricia J. Wilson
Director: Penny Marshall

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Period Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:07

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Editorial Reviews - League of Their Own

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The All-American Girls' Professional Baseball League was founded in 1943, when most of the men of baseball-playing age were far away in Europe and Asia fighting World War II. The league flourished until after World War II, when, with the men's return, the league was consigned to oblivion. Director Penny Marshall and screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel re-create the wartime era when women's baseball looked to stand a good chance of sweeping the country. The story begins as a candy-bar tycoon enlists agents to scour the country to find women who could play ball. In the backwoods of Oregon, two sisters -- Dottie (Geena Davis) and Kit (Lori Petty) -- are discovered. Dottie can hit and catch, while Kit can throw a mean fastball. The girls come to Chicago to try out for the team with other prospects that include their soon-to-be-teammates Mae Mordabito (Madonna), Doris Murphy (Rosie O'Donnell), and Marla Hooch (Megan Cavanagh). The team's owner, Walter Harvey (Gary Marshall) needs someone to coach his team and he picks one-time home-run champion Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks), who is now a broken-down alcoholic. After a few weeks of training, as Dugan sobers up, the team begins to show some promise. By the end of the season, the team has improved to the point where they are competing in the World Series (which is no big deal, since there are only four teams in the league). ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Rolling Stone

Lots of laughs, lots of heart and very little sermonizing. Peter Travers

Chicago Sun-Times
The movie has a real bittersweet charm. Roger Ebert

Left Behind: The Movie

Left Behind: The Movie

Starring: Kirk Cameron, Brad Johnson, Clarence Gilyard Jr., Colin Fox, Gordon Currie, Chelsea Noble, Daniel Pilon, Tony de Santis, Jack Langedijk
Director: Vic Sarin

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:40

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Editorial Reviews - Left Behind: The Movie

Barnes & Noble
In one chaotic moment, millions people around the world suddenly disappear. Mass confusion hits while vehicles suddenly unmanned veer out of control, fires erupt and hysteria breaks out as the living stare in disbelief and fear at the empty places where their loved ones were just seconds before. This is the rapture, the first sign to begin the unraveling of the end of time. Kirk Cameron stars as a reporter who gets caught in the turmoil, experiencing the rapture first-hand. Left Behind: The Movie is an exciting, direct-to-video feature based on the bestselling book.

All Movie Guide
In the Holy Bible, the Book of Revelations speaks of an event called "The Rapture," in which it is believed God will call those who have been saved to Heaven, while those who have not repented their sins will remain on Earth. Authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins have written a series of novels based upon the premise of how the Rapture would affect ordinary people in the modern world, and Left Behind is the first feature film to be adapted from their work. Rayford Steele (Brad Johnson) is an airline pilot whose relationship with his wife has gone sour; she responds by devoting more of her time and energy to the church, while he ponders having an affair with an attractive flight attendant, Hattie Durham (Chelsea Noble). In the midst of a flight to London, a number of their passengers mysteriously disappear, and chaos takes hold as a number of vehicles on the ground and in the air are suddenly unmanned. Meanwhile, Buck Williams (Kirk Cameron), a television journalist, is pondering the rash of sudden disappearances as he works on a report about Dr. Chaim Rosenzweig (Colin Fox), an Israeli scientist who has devised a formula that would make any soil on earth easy to cultivate. However, Cameron wonders if there's more to Rosenzweig than he first imagined when he discovers the doctor is in cahoots with two multi-millionaires who plan to broker the invention to promote their own agenda of international domination. Produced by Cloud Ten Productions, a Christian filmmaking concern, Left Behind was released with an unusual marketing strategy -- the film was made available on home video in October 2000, with a theatrical release scheduled to follow in February 2001. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Left Behind: The Movie

Certification: NR
Category: Fantasy - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:40

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Legally Blonde

Legally Blonde

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber, Jennifer Coolidge, Holland Taylor, Ali Larter, Jessica Cauffiel, Alanna Ubach, Oz Perkins, Linda Cardellini, Bruce Thomas, Meredith Scott Lynn, Raquel Welch, Natalie Barish, Sasha Barrese, Allyce Beasley, Lacey Beeman, John Cantwell, Jason Christopher, Kevin Cooney, Ondrea De Vincentis, Kelly Driscoll, Wayne Federman, Jodi Harris, Richard Hillman, Brody Hutzler, Ted Kairys, Patricia Kimes, Chaney Kley, Lisa Kushell, Niklaus Lange, Cici Lau, Samantha Lemole, Lily, Victoria Mahoney, Elizabeth Matthews, Tane McClure, Kimberly McCullough, Terence Michael, Moonie, David Moreland, Nectar Rose, Kelly Nyks, Shannon O'Hurley, James Read, Corinne Reilly, Francesca Roberts, Ted Rooney, Greg Serano, Michael B. Silver, Doug Spinuzza, Kennedy Stone, Lisa K. Wyatt, Melissa Young
Director: Robert Luketic

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:36

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Editorial Reviews - Legally Blonde

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Reese Witherspoon stars in this romantic comedy, the feature film debut of award-winning Australian director Robert Luketic. As a ravishing Miss Hawaiian Tropic, sorority president, and calendar girl, Elle Woods (Witherspoon) is a big hit on the campus of her sun-drenched Los Angeles college. She's also got the perfect boyfriend in Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis), a wealthy East Coast blue blood. Fearing that his snooty friends and family will never accept the bubble-headed Elle, however, Warner dumps her before heading off to graduate law school at Harvard University. Determined to win back her man, Elle enrolls in the same imposing institution, quickly becoming an object of scorn and ridicule, especially to Warner's old prep school flame (Selma Blair). Despite her penchant for malls, makeup, and tanning, Elle is no dummy and is soon showing elite Ivy League snobs a thing or two about class, self-confidence, and courtroom victory. Karl Williams

Legends of the Fall

Legends of the Fall

Starring: Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn, Henry Thomas, Julia Ormond, Tantoo Cardinal, Karina Lombard, Gondon Tootoosis, Paul Desmond, Stuart Aikins, Charles Andre, Bart the Bear, Nigel Bennett, Mary Colquhoun, Bill Croft, Bill Dow, Ray Godshall Jr., David Kaye, Marc Levy, Weston McMillan, John Novak, Christina Pickles, Kenneth Welsh, Robert Wisden
Director: Edward Zwick

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

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Editorial Reviews - Legends of the Fall

Barnes & Noble
Brad Pitt's star, already on the ascent when Legends was released in 1994, zoomed to stratospheric heights as a result of his work in this multilayered saga of Montana ranch life during the early 20th century. Anthony Hopkins contributes one of his customarily assured performances as the former cavalry officer who, disgusted by the government's persecution of Native Americans, concentrates on building the sprawling cattle ranch that will one day belong to his three sons. The siblings are Aidan Quinn (playing the oldest), Henry Thomas (the youngest), and top-billed Pitt (the unruly middle brother), whose squabbling and rivalries intensify when pretty Julia Ormond happens along. Director Edward Zwick (Glory) focuses his storytelling energies on the conflicts among the sons and their relationship with their iconoclastic patriarch, maintaining the integrity of Jim Harrison's novella and never allowing the narrative to degenerate into mere soap opera. Ormond is radiant, and Quinn and Thomas are superb as the "bookend" brothers, but Legends belongs almost entirely to Pitt, who, in this lyrical period piece, finally reveals himself to be a charismatic leading man. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
The sweeping, melodramatic saga of three brothers, their powerful father, and a beautiful woman, the popular period drama Legends of the Fall presents a romanticized view of rugged masculinity against lush Montana scenery. Based on a novel by Jim Harrison, the film covers decades in the lives of Alfred (Aidan Quinn), Tristan (Brad Pitt), and Samuel (Henry Thomas) Ludlow, the sons of retired military man William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins). Raised by the unorthodox Ludlow after the departure of their mother, the boys grow up close, sharing an appreciation of the land and a pioneering spirit. The family becomes divided, however, when young Sam enlists in World War I over his father's objections, and his brothers follow suit to protect him. Despite these efforts, Sam dies in battle, leaving Alfred and Tristan to return home and deal with the lingering torment. Further complicating matters is the presence of Sam's beautiful fiancée, Susannah (Julia Ormond). After Sam's death, she attracts the romantic attention of both the responsible Alfred and the brooding Tristan, a conflict that threatens to drive the brothers apart. Aspiring to epic status, the film utilizes period detail and attractive landscapes as a backdrop for tragic, doomed romance. While some critics complained that the film resembled a romance novel writ, veering at times into the overwrought, audiences embraced the combination of emotion and grand historical scale, making the film a box-office success. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Lethal Weapon

Lethal Weapon

Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Mitchell Ryan, Tom Atkins, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe, Jackie Swanson, Damon Hines, Ebonie Smith, Selma Archerd, Cheryl Baker, Gail Bowman, Sharon K. Brecke, Henry Brown, Grand L. Bush, Allison Caine, Patrick Cameron, Burbank the Cat, Everitt Wayne Collins Jr., Blackie Dammett, Deborah Dismukes, Sam the Dog, Terri Lynn Doss, Marion Dougherty, Peter Dupont, Robert Fol, Donald Gooden, Don Gordon, Chad Hayes, Shaun Hunter, Lenny Juliano, Teresa Kadotani, Stephen Kahan, Bill Kalmenson, Gilles Kohler, Al Leong, Alphonse Philippe Mouzon, Lycia Naff, Tom Noga, John O'Neill, Ed O'Ross, Frank Reinhard, Jason Ronard, Michael Shaner, Jimmie F. Skaggs, Jack Thibeau, Sven Ole Thorsen, Mary Ellen Trainor, Paul Tuerpé, Gustav Vintas, Richard Whitaker, Natalie Zimmerman
Director: Richard Donner

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:50

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Editorial Reviews - Lethal Weapon

All Movie Guide
L.A. cop Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson), whose wife has recently died, is a loose cannon with a seeming death wish. This makes him indispensable in collaring dangerous criminals, but a liability to any potential partners. Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), a conservative family man who wants to stay alive for his upcoming 50th birthday, is partnered with Riggs. As Riggs gets to know Murtaugh and his family, he begins to mellow, though his insistence on using guerilla tactics to catch criminals is still (put mildly) above and beyond the call of duty. The main villain is The General (Mitchell Ryan), a drug dealer responsible for the death of the daughter of one of Murtaugh's oldest friends. The General is also in charge of a deadly, militia-like gang of smugglers. Adding fuel to the fire is The General's chief henchman, played with all stops out by Gary Busey. Moviegoers familiar only with the relatively tongue-in-cheek Lethal Weapon sequels may be amazed to find out how dangerous and unpredictable Riggs is in the first Lethal Weapon -- and how likely it seems that Murtaugh might not survive until fade-out time. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Lethal Weapon 2

Lethal Weapon 2

Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Joss Ackland, Derrick O'Connor, Patsy Kensit, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe, Stephen Kahan, Jim Birge, Orlando Bonner, Cynthia Burr, Grand L. Bush, Patrick Cameron, Tony Carreiro, Burbank the Cat, Marian Collier, Jay Della, Sam the Dog, Marion Dougherty, Lionel Douglass, Robert Fol, Jenette Goldstein, Catherine Guel, Damon Hines, Tommy Hinkley, Sherman Howard, Salim Jaidi, Guy Mack, David Marciano, Jack McGee, Jeanne McGuire, Philip Maurice Miller, Allan Dean Moore, Dean Norris, James Oliver, Danny Ondrejko, Jim Piddock, Mark Rolston, Edward J. Rosen, Nestor Serrano, Virginia Shannon, Pat Skipper, Ebonie Smith, Juney Smith, Philip Suriano, Kenneth Tigar, Mary Ellen Trainor, Paul Tuerpé, Al Weber Jr., Norm Wilson, Danny Wynands, Bruce A. Young
Director: Richard Donner

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:54

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Editorial Reviews - Lethal Weapon 2

All Movie Guide
Lethal Weapon 2 re-teams Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as, respectively, "loose cannon" L.A. detective Martin Riggs and his partner, the cautious family man Roger Murtaugh. The villain this time is a South African diplomat (Joss Ackland) who doubles as a drug dealer. Though Riggs knows what's going on thanks to characterless character witness Joe Pesci, he can't touch the villain because of "diplomatic immunity." After perils too numerous to mention, Riggs and Murtaugh shoot it out with the heavies on the deck of a South African cargo ship. Lethal Weapon 2, of course, contains as one of its comic high-points a now famous suspense scene: Mel Gibson agonizingly attempting to extricate a terrified Danny Glover from a booby-trapped toilet seat. Director Richard Donner, Gibson, Glover, and Joe Pesci would be reunited three years later for Lethal Weapon 3 and in 1998 for Lethal Weapon 4. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Liar Liar

Liar Liar

Starring: Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney, Jennifer Tilly, Swoosie Kurtz, Amanda Donohoe, Krista Allen, Jason Bernard, Anne Haney, Justin Cooper, Benjamin Brown, Randall "Tex" Cobb, Cary Elwes, Moon Jones, Chip Mayer, Mitchell Ryan
Director: Tom Shadyac

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:27

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Editorial Reviews - Liar Liar

All Movie Guide
An attorney who tells the truth for 24 hours straight? This has got to be the movies! Fletcher Reede (Jim Carrey) is a lawyer obsessed with his career, and he's devoted his life to bending the truth to his advantage. This habit has broken up his marriage to Audrey (Maura Tierney) and isn't doing much good for his relationship with his young son Max (Justin Cooper). Fletcher repeatedly promised Max that he'll be there for Max's eighth birthday party, but when an important assignment comes up at work, Fletcher calls Audrey and makes an excuse so flimsy that even Max can see through it. When it comes time to blow out the candles on his cake, Max makes a wish: that his Dad could go just one day without telling a lie. Suddenly, Max finds himself physically incapable of saying anything that isn't true -- which, given the divorce settlement case he's just been handed, is going to make his next day in court very interesting indeed. While designed to show off a warmer and more likable side of Jim Carrey's personality, Liar Liar still revels in the broad physical comedy that made Carrey a star in Ace Ventura, Pet Detective -- which makes sense, since both were directed by Tom Shadyac. Both Carrey's fans and foes will get a chuckle out of Swoosie Kurtz's tongue-in-cheek insult to the film's star in the blooper reel that runs under the final credits. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Liar Liar

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:27

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The Lion King

The Lion King

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Moira Kelly, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Robert Guillaume, Rowan Atkinson, Niketa Calame, Jim Cummings, Madge Sinclair, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Zoe Leader, Joseph Williams, Jason Weaver, David McCharen, Philip Proctor, Frank Welker, Cathy Cavadini, Judi M. Durand
Director: Roger Allers

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Animated Musical
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:27

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Editorial Reviews - Lion King

All Movie Guide
One of the most popular Disney animated musicals, The Lion King presents the story of a lion cub's journey to adulthood and acceptance of his royal destiny. Simba (voiced first by Jonathan Taylor Thomas, then by Matthew Broderick) begins life as an honored prince, the son of the powerful King Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones). The cub's happy childhood turns tragic when his evil uncle, Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons), murders Mufasa and drives Simba away from the kingdom. In exile, the young lion befriends the comically bumbling pair of Pumbaa the warthog (voiced by Ernie Sabella) and Timon the meerkat (voiced by Nathan Lane), he and lives a carefree jungle life. As he approaches adulthood, however, he is visited by the spirit of his father, who instructs him to defeat the nefarious Scar and reclaim his rightful throne. Borrowing elements from Hamlet, classical mythology, and African folk tales, The Lion King tells its mythic coming-of-age tale with a combination of spectacular visuals and lively music, featuring light, rhythmic songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, and a score by Hans Zimmer. Embraced by children and adults alike, the film also spawned hit songs ("Can You Feel the Love Tonight," "The Circle of Life") and a hit Broadway musical. In late 2002, The Lion King was re-released in the large-screen IMAX format. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Little Big Man

Little Big Man

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Martin Balsam, Richard Mulligan, Chief Dan George, Jeff Corey, Kelly Jean Peters, Carol Androsky, Cal Bellini, Ray Dimas, Alan Howard, James Anderson, Jack Bannon, Don Brodie, Emily Cho, Bud Cokes, Bert Conway, Lou Cutell, Thayer David, Aimee Eccles, Leonard George, William Hickey, Phil Kenneally, Ken Mayer, Ruben Moreno, Jack Mullaney, Herbert Nelson, Alan Oppenheimer, Steve Shemayne, Robert Little Star, Helen Verbit, Jesse Vint, M. Emmet Walsh
Director: Arthur Penn

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Epic Western
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:19

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Editorial Reviews - Little Big Man

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Recounting how the West was won through the eyes of a white man raised as a Native American, Arthur Penn's 1970 adaptation of Thomas Berger's satirical novel was a comic yet stinging allegory about the bloody results of American imperialism. As a misguided 20th-century historian listens, 121-year-old Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman) narrates the story of being the only white survivor of Custer's Last Stand. White orphan Crabb was adopted by the Cheyenne, renamed "Little Big Man," and raised in the ways of the "Human Beings" by paternal mentor Old Lodge Skins (Chief Dan George), accepting non-conformity and living peacefully with nature. Violently thrust into the white world, Jack meets a righteous preacher (Thayer David) and his wife (Faye Dunaway), tries to be a gunfighter under the tutelage of Wild Bill Hickock (Jeff Corey), and gets married. Returned to the Cheyenne by chance, Jack prefers life as a Human Being. The carnage wreaked by the white man in the Washita massacre and the lethal fallout from the egomania of General George A. Custer (Richard Mulligan) at Little Big Horn, however, show Crabb the horrific implications of Old Lodge Skins' sage observation, "There is an endless supply of White Men, but there has always been a limited number of Human Beings." ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Little Nicky

Little Nicky

Starring: Adam Sandler, Patricia Arquette, Harvey Keitel, Rhys Ifans, Tom "Tiny" Lister Jr., Robert Smigel, Allen Covert, Peter Dante, Jonathan Loughran, Blake Clark, Rodney Dangerfield, Kevin Nealon, Reese Witherspoon, Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz, Quentin Tarantino, Michael McKean, Carl Weathers, Rob Schneider, Clint Howard, Lewis Arquette, George Wallace, Henry Winkler, Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Walton, Regis Philbin, Todd Holland, Sylvia Lopez
Director: Steven Brill

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Anarchic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:30

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Editorial Reviews - Little Nicky

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The youngest child of the family often has the most problems -- so why should things be different for the Prince of Darkness and his offspring? Satan (Harvey Keitel) is considering retirement, and is pondering which of his sons should take over the family business -- ambitious Adrian (Rhys Ifans), strapping Cassius (Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.), or Nicky (Adam Sandler), an accident-prone demon who prefers to stay in his room playing his favorite heavy metal tunes. When Satan decides to stay on for another 10,000 years, Adrian is outraged, and leaves Hell to go to New York, where he and Cassius attempt to round up enough souls to vote Satan out of power. Satan, understandably upset, sends Nicky to bring Adrian and Cassius back home, but Nicky finds life on Earth is more complicated than he expected. Things don't get any easier when he develops a crush on Valerie (Patricia Arquette), a good-hearted mortal woman. Little Nicky also features Michael McKean as a city official trying to put Nicky behind bars, Kevin Nealon as Hell's gatekeeper, Rodney Dangerfield as Satan's father, Robert Smigel as the voice of Beefy -- a talking dog who is Nicky's guide on earth, Allen Covert as Todd -- Nicky's new roommate, and Peter Dante and Jonathan Loughran as a pair of metalheads who dig Satan. Jon Lovitz and Reese Witherspoon play cameo roles, and Regis Philbin and Ozzy Osbourne appear as themselves. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Little Women

Little Women

Starring: Winona Ryder, Gabriel Byrne, Trini Alvarado, Samantha Mathis, Susan Sarandon, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes, Eric Stoltz, John Neville, Christian Bale, Mary Wickes, David Adams, Scott Bellis, Ahnee Boyce, Jay Brazeau, Beverley Elliott, Brian Finn, Michelle Goodger, Christine Lippa, Donal Logue, Janne Mortil, Marilyn Norry, Florence Patterson, Kate Robbins, John Shaw, Rebecca Toolan, Matthew Walker, Janie Woods-Morris
Director: Gillian Armstrong

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Romance - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:55

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Editorial Reviews - Little Women

Barnes & Noble
As unpredictable as youth, and told with rare gentleness, director Gillian Armstrong's 1994 film of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women (adapted by Robin Swicord) merits strong consideration in the pantheon of great literary adaptations. Armstrong's effort is the second filming of the book, following George Cukor's 1933 effort starring Katharine Hepburn. For the usual mysterious commercial reasons, Armstrong's film performed modestly at the box office, but that certainly can't be blamed on the cast, for they breathe more life into this story of the road from girlhood to womanhood than Cukor's august bunch. Susan Sarandon is Marmee March, a Massachusetts abolitionist during the Civil War raising four daughters while her husband is away with the Union army. Each of her daughters is uniquely strong and independent. Jo (Winona Ryder), the second daughter (who narrates the film), aspires to be a writer and finds a kindred spirit in neighbor Laurie Lawrence (Christian Bale, American Psycho). Her older sister Meg (Trini Alvarado) searches local society for a suitor, finding one in Laurie's tutor, John Brooke (Eric Stolz). Along with younger sisters Beth (Claire Danes) and Amy (Kirsten Dunst and later Samantha Mathis), Jo and Meg entertain themselves in an island of freedom during an age when women were second-class citizens. The bias against women -- best illustrated when Jo, as a struggling writer in New York, falls in love with Professor Friedrich Bhaer (Gabriel Byrne) -- only helps to strengthen the bonds of the four sisters and their mother. Matthew Johnson

All Movie Guide
Louisa May Alcott's classic novel about a family of women in Civil War-era New England is again brought to the screen in this adaptation. The focus is on the March sisters, four young girls raised by their mother (Susan Sarandon) after their father leaves for battle as part of the Union Army. At the center is Jo March (Winona Ryder), an idiosyncratic would-be writer said to be based on Alcott herself, but the film also focuses on the stories of her sisters -- the more conventional Meg (Trini Alvarado), the innocent Beth (Claire Danes), and the precocious Amy (Kirsten Dunst and Samantha Mathis, who represent Amy at different ages.) The film spans years, following the girls' struggles with life's challenges and illustrating how their family connection remains strong in the face of tragedies large and small. Australian director Gillian Armstrong emphasizes the story's feminist elements, particularly in Jo's journey to independence. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Live and Let Die

Live and Let Die

Starring: Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Seymour, Clifton James, Julius Harris, Geoffrey Holder, B.J. Arnau, Earl Jolly Brown, Joie Chitwood, Michael Ebbin, David Hedison, Gloria Hendry, Ruth Kempf, Tommy Lane, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Lon Satton, Madeline Smith, Roy Stewart, Arnold Williams
Director: Guy Hamilton

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:01

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Editorial Reviews - Live and Let Die

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Roger Moore makes his first appearance as "Bond...James Bond" in 1973's Live and Let Die. Bond is dispatched to the States to stem the activities of Mr. Big (Yaphet Kotto), who plans to take over the Western Hemisphere by converting everyone into heroin addicts. The woman in the case is Solitaire (Jane Seymour in her movie debut), an enigmatic interpreter of tarot cards. The obligatory destructive-chase sequence occurs at the film's midpoint, with Bond being chased in a motorboat by Mr. Big's henchmen, slashing his way through the marshlands and smashing up a wedding party. Clifton James makes the first of several Bond appearances as redneck sheriff Pepper, while Geoffrey Holder is an enthusiastic secondary villain. The title song, written by Paul McCartney and Lisa McCartney, provides the frosting on this 007 confection. Hal Erickson

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Ian Holm, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Bean, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, Dominic Monaghan, Marton Csokas, Craig Parker, Lawrence Makoare
Director: Peter Jackson

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Epic
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:58

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Editorial Reviews - Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

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J.R.R. Tolkien's fabled Ring trilogy, originally published in the 1950s, set a new standard for fantasy fiction -- and its Oscar-winning live-action adaptation does the same for movies of the sword-and-sorcery genre. Perhaps the most eagerly awaited fantasy film of all time and nearly five years in the making, The Fellowship of the Ring captures the spirit of Tolkien's Middle-earth saga far more faithfully than its millions of fans dared hope. (Ralph Bakshi offered an animated adaptation in 1978, but to a much less rousing response.) The story begins as elderly hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) relinquishes possession of his most valuable keepsake, a golden ring possessing magical powers, to his youthful heir, Frodo (Elijah Wood). Charged with casting the ring into the fires from which it was forged, the young hobbit begins an arduous trek across Middle-earth, accompanied by a sturdy band that includes his best friend, Sam Gamgee (Sean Astin), the mercurial wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), the haunted warrior Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), and the blustery dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), among others. Opposed by treacherous sorcerer Saruman (Christopher Lee) and the demonic emissaries of the Dark Lord, Sauron, this continuously embattled Fellowship makes its way slowly toward the cruel land of Mordor. Studded with remarkable action sequences enhanced by state-of-the-art computer effects, Fellowship is a veritable feast for eye and ear. Director Peter Jackson shot the film in his native New Zealand, where he found stunning, picturesque locations in which to set his scenes. These marvelous natural settings combine with the beautifully crafted sets, costumes, makeup, and props to convincingly bring Tolkien's mythical world to life. The actors, one and all, play their roles as if they were born to them; even such briefly seen stars as Cate Blanchett (elf queen Galadriel) and Liv Tyler (elf maiden Arwen) perform with panache. Fellowship departs from the sacred texts in a number of ways, but Jackson's movie replicates the trilogy's first book faithfully. A rousing adventure-fantasy that will delight Tolkien devotees and newbies alike, this is truly an unforgettable film -- one that will yield new pleasures with each viewing, and which therefore belongs in every video collection. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson fulfills his lifelong dream of transforming author J.R.R. Tolkien's best-selling fantasy-epic into a three-part motion picture that begins with this holiday 2001 release. Elijah Wood stars as Frodo Baggins, a Hobbit resident of the medieval "Middle-Earth" who discovers that a ring bequeathed to him by beloved relative and benefactor Bilbo (Ian Holm) is in fact the "one ring," a device that will allow its bearer to manipulate dark powers and enslave the world. Frodo is charged by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) to return the ring to Mount Doom, the evil site where it was forged millennia ago and the only place where it can be destroyed. Accompanying Frodo is a fellowship of eight others: his Hobbit friends Sam (Sean Astin), Merry (Dominic Monaghan), and Pippin (Billy Boyd); plus Gandalf; the human warriors Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Boromir (Sean Bean); Elf archer Legolas (Orlando Bloom); and Dwarf soldier Gimli (John Rhys-Davies). The band's odyssey to the dreaded land of Mordor, where Mount Doom lies, takes them through the Elfish domain of Rivendell and the forest of Lothlorien, where they receive aid and comfort from the Elf princess Arwen (Liv Tyler), her father Elrond (Hugo Weaving), and Queen Galadriel (Cate Blanchett). In pursuit of the travelers and their ring are Saruman (Christopher Lee) -- a traitorous wizard and kin, of sorts, to Gandalf -- and the Dark Riders, under the control of the evil, mysterious Sauron (Sala Baker). The Fellowship must also do battle with an ogre, flying spies, Orcs, and other deadly obstacles both natural and otherwise as they draw closer to Mordor. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001) was filmed in Jackson's native New Zealand simultaneously with its pair of sequels, The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003). Karl Williams

Rolling Stone
1/2
Fellowship is the real deal, a movie epic that pops your eyes out, piles on thrills and fun, and yet stays intimately attuned to character. Peter Travers

New York Times
The playful spookiness of Mr. Jackson's direction provides a lively, light touch, a gesture that doesn't normally come to mind when Tolkien's name is mentioned. Elvis Mitchell

Time Magazine
Though faithful in every detail to Tolkien, it has a vigorous life of its own -- grandeur, moral heft and emotional depth. Richard Corliss

Los Angeles Times
Made with intelligence, imagination, passion and skill, propulsively paced and shot through with an aged-in-oak sense of wonder, the trilogy's first film so thrillingly catches us up in its sweeping story that nothing matters but the vivid and compelling events unfolding on the screen. Kenneth Turan

Lost In Space

Lost In Space

Starring: William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham, Lacey Chabert, Jack Johnson, Gary Oldman, Matt LeBlanc, Jared Harris, Mark Goddard, Lennie James, Marta Kristen, June Lockhart, Edward Fox, Adam Sims, Angela Cartwright, Dick Tufeld
Director: Stephen Hopkins

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Adventure - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:11

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Editorial Reviews - Lost In Space

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This $90 million science fiction adventure is adapted from the television series, created by Irwin Allen, which originally ran on CBS from 1965 to 1968. The original series employed a Swiss Family Robinson in outer space premise; sent to colonize a planet in the Alpha Centauri system, the Robinson family was thrown off course by a stowaway and was left wandering from planet to planet (and changing along the way from a black-and-white series to a color series). The 1998 remake is set in the year 2058, when the United Global Space Force sends Professor John Robinson (William Hurt) and family -- wife Maureen (Mimi Rogers), daughter Judy (Heather Graham), teen Penny (Lacey Chabert), and 10-year-old Will (Jack Johnson) -- on a promotional space jaunt to herald the "offshore" future for the human race (now saddled with eco problems on Earth). Major Don West (Matt LeBlanc), more accustomed to fighting menacing Global Sedition forces, is reluctant to sign on as the Jupiter II pilot but quickly changes his mind after he gets a good look at Judy in her fetish-fashioned space togs. Space spy Dr. Smith (Gary Oldman), hired to sabotage the mission, programs in problems but winds up aboard the craft unconscious. Once awake, he summons the Robinsons from suspended animation, and they save the ship just in time, passing through hyperspace to arrive near an Earth ship where they encounter space-pet Blawp and hordes of teethy spiders. A spider bite makes the villainous Smith mutate, one of some 750 special effects, from animatronics (Jim Henson Creature Shop) to CGI, and other adventures await throughout the galaxy. Cameos include actors from the original series, including June Lockhart and Robot Voice Dick Tufeld. In a curious coincidence, the TV series took place in the future of 1997, the year this movie was produced. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Lost World: Jurassic Park

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: 2:14

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Editorial Reviews - Lost World: Jurassic Park

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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

Louvre 200, Vol. 1: A Museum in Time

Louvre 200, Vol. 1: A Museum in Time

Starring:
Director: Stan Neumann

Certification: NR
Category: International - French
User Rating:
Running Time: 59:00

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Editorial Reviews - Louvre 200, Vol. 1: A Museum in Time

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In the late 18th century, amidst the democratic spirit of the Age of Enlightenment, the Louvre palace opened its doors to the public. For the first time, people from all over the world could view masterpieces owned by the royal family and the Church, and the museum's curators began to build ever greater collections -- today, the Louvre is the largest art museum in the world. In this sweeping documentary series, producers Serge Lalou and Pierre Coural celebrate two centuries of the museum's history and cultural influence. In Volume I, we follow the crucial historical events that shaped, and were in turn shaped by, the extraordinary experiment in public life that a museum signifies. From the French Revolution through the reign of Napoleon and the eventual transformation of the palace, the history of the Louvre is inextricably bound to the history of Paris and of Europe itself. This in-depth look is a treat for art lovers and a useful tool for educators. ~ Sarah Welsh, Rovi

The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns

The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns

Starring: Randy Quaid, Whoopi Goldberg, Roger Daltrey, Colm Meaney, Kieran Culkin
Director: John Henderson

Certification: NR (MPAA)
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:19

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
There's a war goin' on in this bit o' blarney, but it's more than the feud between the fairies and the leprechauns, upon which most of the overwrought tale hangs. It's also a struggle between competing, derivative story lines in this bloated, plodding film that can't decide what it wants to be. It's part Romeo and Juliet, via the seemingly doomed romance of the princess fairy and teenage leprechaun; part contemporary romance, with an uncomfortable-looking Randy Quaid in the romantic lead; and a large part unfocused fable that fills out its Irish stew with a feud reminiscent of Ireland's Catholic-Protestant conflict while throwing in fantastical Braveheart-style battle scenes and Riverdance-like interludes. The most stunning scenes are the fairy sequences that take place in a futuristic castle in the sky (think Wizard of Oz meets Star Wars) and the epic battles with innovative leprechaun bark-and-stick armor. It all makes for a jumble of a long movie, which originally aired as a miniseries on NBC. --Valerie J. Nelson

Major Payne

Major Payne

Starring: Damon Wayans, Karyn Parsons, William Hickey, Michael Ironside, Albert Hall, Steven Martini, Scott "Bam Bam" Bigelow, Al Cerullo, John Louis Fischer, Michael Gabel, Andrew Harrison Leeds, Dean Lorey, Chris Owen, Leonard Thomas, Hechter Ubarry, Carolyn Walker
Director: Nick Castle Jr.

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

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Editorial Reviews - Major Payne

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Hawk-like Marine Corps officer Benson Payne (Damon Wayans) attempts to whip into shape the usual assortment of misfit JROTC kids in this minor remake of The Private War of Major Benson. Of course, both the major and his pint-sized recruits have something to teach one another. Payne teaches them the value of self-discipline and instills self-confidence in them, and the recruits teach him to stop and smell the roses (not to mention the fact that kids sometimes need coddling rather than screaming). And, of course, there is the annual JROTC statewide competition, which the kids are obligated to win before the movie can end. While there are some funny moments (the major's exhibition in full-dress whites at a school dance, for example), the script seems too color-by-numbers to be interesting to anyone other than undiscriminating younger viewers. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi

The Man in the Iron Mask

The Man in the Iron Mask

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gérard Depardieu, Gabriel Byrne, Anne Parillaud, Judith Godrëche, Edward Atterton, Peter Sarsgaard, Laura Fraser, Hugh Laurie, David Lowe
Director: Randall Wallace

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Adventure Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:15

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Editorial Reviews - Man in the Iron Mask

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Oscar-nominated Randall Wallace (Braveheart) made his directorial debut with this adaptation of the 1848 classic by Alexandre Dumas (1802-70), featuring Leonardo DiCaprio in a dual role. Years have passed since the Three Musketeers, Aramis (Jeremy Irons), Athos (John Malkovich), and Porthos (Gerard Depardieu) fought together with their friend D'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne). The arrogant, tyrannical King Louis XIV (Leonardo DiCaprio) desires the beautiful Christine (Judith Godreche), so he orders her suitor Raoul (Peter Sarsgaard), the son of Athos, off to face death at the front. He also sends Aramis to kill the leader of a Jesuit rebellion. Louis is unaware that his loyal protector and informant, D'Artagnan, is the secret lover of his mother, Queen Anne (Anne Parillaud). Louis' younger twin brother, Philippe (also DiCaprio) is the man in the iron mask, imprisoned for the past six years. Arthos and Porthos plan to free Philippe, abduct Louis and replace him by putting Philippe on the throne. French location scenes include the Chateau de Fontainbleau. Previous adaptations: Allan Dwan's The Iron Mask (1929) with Douglas Fairbanks, the 1939 James Whale version with Louis Hayward, Patricia Medina in Lady in the Iron Mask (1952), Henri Decoin's Le Masque de Fer (1962), Mike Newell's 1976 TV movie with Richard Chamberlain, and Ken Annakin's The Fifth Musketeer (1978, aka Behind the Iron Mask) with Beau Bridges, Lloyd Bridges, Sylvia Kristel, Ursula Andress, Cornel Wilde, Jose Ferrer, Rex Harrison, and Olivia de Havilland. A second film titled The Man in the Iron Mask was released in 1998, a low-budget effort from director William Richert. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Starring: JOHN WAYNE, James Stewart, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, Edmond O'Brien, Andy Devine, Ken Murray, John Carradine, Jeanette Nolan, John Qualen, Woody Strode, Denver Pyle, Strother Martin, Lee Van Cleef, Robert Simon, O.Z. Whitehead, Paul Birch, Joseph Hoover, Mario Arteaga, Gertrude Astor, Danny Borzage, Willis B. Bouchey, Robert Donner, Larry Finley, Shug Fisher, Helen Gibson, Major Sam Harris, Chuck Hayward, William Henry, Earl Hodgins, Stuart Holmes, Edward Jaurequi, Jack Kenny, Anna Lee, Ted Mapes, Montie Montana, Bob Morgan, Charles Morton, Eva Novak, Jack Pennick, Dorothy Phillips, Chuck Roberson, Buddy Roosevelt, Charles Seel, Slim Talbot, Ralph Volkie, Blackie Whiteford, J. Williams, Carleton Young
Director: JOHN FORD

Certification: NR
Category: Outlaw/Gunfighter Film
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:03

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Editorial Reviews - Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

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Like Pontius Pilate, director John Ford asks "What is truth?" in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance--but unlike Pilate, Ford waits for an answer. The film opens in 1910, with distinguished and influential U.S. senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) and his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) returning to the dusty little frontier town where they met and married twenty-five years earlier. They have come back to attend the funeral of impoverished "nobody" Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). When a reporter asks why, Stoddard relates a film-long flashback. He recalls how, as a greenhorn lawyer, he had run afoul of notorious gunman Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), who worked for a powerful cartel which had the territory in its clutches. Time and again, "pilgrim" Stoddard had his hide saved by the much-feared but essentially decent Doniphon. It wasn't that Doniphon was particularly fond of Stoddard; it was simply that Hallie was in love with Stoddard, and Doniphon was in love with Hallie and would do anything to assure her happiness, even if it meant giving her up to a greenhorn. When Liberty Valance challenged Stoddard to a showdown, everyone in town was certain that the greenhorn didn't stand a chance. Still, when the smoke cleared, Stoddard was still standing, and Liberty Valance lay dead. On the strength of his reputation as the man who shot Valance, Stoddard was railroaded into a political career, in the hope that he'd rid the territory of corruption. Stoddard balked at the notion of winning an election simply because he killed a man-until Doniphon, in strictest confidence, told Stoddard the truth: It was Doniphon, not Stoddard, who shot down Valance. Stoddard was about to reveal this to the world, but Doniphon told him not to. It was far more important in Doniphon's eyes that a decent, honest man like Stoddard become a major political figure; Stoddard represented the "new" civilized west, while Doniphon knew that he and the West he represented were already anachronisms. Thus Stoddard went on to a spectacular political career, bringing extensive reforms to the state, while Doniphon faded into the woodwork. His story finished, the aged Stoddard asks the reporter if he plans to print the truth. The reporter responds by tearing up his notes. "This is the West, sir, " the reporter explains quietly. "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." Dismissed as just another cowboy opus at the time of its release, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance has since taken its proper place as one of the great Western classics. It questions the role of myth in forging the legends of the West, while setting this theme in the elegiac atmosphere of the West itself, set off by the aging Stewart and Wayne. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Marked for Death

Marked for Death

Starring: Steven Seagal, Basil Wallace, Keith David, Tom Wright, Joanna Pacula, Elizabeth Gracen, Bette Ford, Kevin Dunn, Arlen Dean Snyder, Danielle Harris, Jimmy Cliff, Jeffrey Anderson-Gunter, Tony di Benedetto, Eric Bernard, Earl Boen, Einstein Brown, Tracey Burch, Nick Celozzi, Carlos Cervantes, Philip Chen, Nicky Corello, Kerrie Cullen, Leslie Danon, Rock Deadrick, Richard Delmonte, Tom Dugan, John Endeveri, Victor Romero Evans, Grant Gelt, Roger Romero Godbout, Christopher Allen Goss, Dale Harimoto, Linus Huffman, Al Israel, Terri Ivens, Peter Jason, Prince Ital Joe, Harry John Leamy, Matt Levin, Andria Martel, Haile Maskel, Wayne Montanio, Justin Murphy, Matt O'Toole, Craig Pinkard, Michael Ralph, Joe Renteria, Elena Sahagun, Debby Shively, Libert Steer, Robert Ashiya Ganta Strickland, Philip Tanzini, Tony Williams, Danny Trejo, Rita Verreos, Noel L. Walcott III, Teri Weigel, Stanley White
Director: Dwight H. Little

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:33

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Editorial Reviews - Marked for Death

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In Marked for Death, Steven Seagal is told to "try to find the gentle person inside yourself." But he doesn't spend too much time looking, preferring instead to crack the spines of his victims. Seagal plays John Hatcher, a burned-out narcotics agent who resigns from the Drug Enforcement Administration after his partner is killed. He returns to his hometown and finds the city in the thrall of a vicious Jamaican drug gang, led by the nasty Screwface (Basil Wallace). He meets an old friend, now a high school football coach, who tells John about losing his best player and his 13-year-old nephew to drug overdoses. Soon John's family is threatened and his prize Mustang stolen, so John joins forces with his buddy to take on Screwface and the drug gang themselves. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Mars Attacks!

Mars Attacks!

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Jim Brown, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Michael J. Fox, Pam Grier, Tom Jones, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalie Portman, Sylvia Sidney, Rod Steiger, Paul Winfield, Christina Applegate, Joe Don Baker, Rebecca Broussard, Lukas Haas, Brian Haley, Brandon Hammond, Jack Black, O-Lan Jones, Lisa Marie, Timi Prulhiere, Ray J, Janice Riveria, Barbet Schroeder, Jerzy Skolimowski
Director: Tim Burton

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Anarchic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:43

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Editorial Reviews - Mars Attacks!

Barnes & Noble
Tim Burton's tribute to the alien invasion flicks of the '50s is so stubbornly zany that it's hard not to like. Burton is a director with an undying penchant for glorifying the kooky, and in Mars Attacks! he constructs what is basically an epic Saturday morning cartoon -- with more cartoonish violence than Tom or Jerry ever dreamed possible. Gibberish-speaking Martians with abnormally large heads arrive in big saucers and, without motive, bring on the destruction of Earth by vaporizing all of Congress (though, in true Burton spirit, one character's first reaction is to laugh and almost cheer). The disparate cast includes every talent imaginable -- from Pam Grier to Pierce Brosnan to Jack Nicholson in a double role as U.S. President and a gaudy casino developer -- and each member plays the big joke so impeccably straight that one might ask whether Burton is lovingly honoring or outrageously mocking the genre. The answer is probably a little bit of both, but even if it isn't, the outcome is irresistibly fun. Pete Segall

All Movie Guide
This quirky science fiction comedy is a characteristic feature by iconoclastic director Tim Burton, known to moviegoers for Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. The storyline affectionately harkens back to the deadpan sincerity of such '50s and '60s science-fiction films as The Day the Earth Stood Still and War of the Worlds. Flying saucers have been reliably seen over the capitals of the world, and the whole world awaits with bated breath to see what will transpire. Among those waiting is the President of the United States (Jack Nicholson), who is assured by his science advisor (Pierce Brosnan) that the coming aliens are utterly peaceful. This advice is hotly contested by the military (led by Rod Steiger), who advices the President to annihilate them. When the aliens land, they are seen to be green, garish, and very cheerful. But appearances prove deceiving when the "friendly" aliens abruptly disintegrate the entire U.S. Congress. Hollywood notables appear in vast quantities in roles (and sub-plots) of all sizes in this zany feature. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The Mask

The Mask

Starring: Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Peter Riegert, Peter Greene, Amy Yasbeck, Richard Jeni, Orestes Matacena, Timothy Bagley, Nancy Fish, Johnny Williams, Max, B.J. Barie, Reg E. Cathey, Blake Clark, Christopher Darga, Jim Doughan, Suzanne Dunn, Joely Fisher, Denis Forest, Robert Keith, Robert O'Reilly, Ivory Ocean, Jeremy Roberts, Ben Stein, Nils Allen Stewart
Director: Chuck Russell

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:41

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Editorial Reviews - Mask

All Movie Guide
Hyperactive mayhem results when a mild-manned banker discovers an ancient mask that transforms him into a zany prankster with superhuman powers in this special-effects-intensive comedy. The wildly improvisational Jim Carrey plays Stanley Ipkiss, a decent-hearted but socially awkward guy who one night finds a strange mask. Carrey's trademark energy reveals itself after Stanley puts on the mask and the banker transforms into The Mask, a green-skinned, zoot-suited fireball. The rubber-faced Mask possesses the courage to do the wild, fun things that Stanley fears, including romancing Tina Carlyle (Cameron Diaz). In addition to Carrey's physical talents, the film makes effective use of digital visual effects that bestow the Mask with superhuman speed, insane flexibility, and popping eyes out of a Tex Avery cartoon. The larger narrative, involving the efforts of Tina's gangster boyfriend to destroy Stanley and use the mask's powers for evil, prove less interesting than the anarchic comic set pieces, including a particularly memorable dance number to "Cuban Pete." The film delivered enough laughs to become a surprise hit and, along with the same year's Dumb and Dumber, establish Carrey's status as a comedy superstar. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

The Mask of Zorro

The Mask of Zorro

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stuart Wilson, Matt Letscher, Maury Chaykin, Tony Amendola, Pedro Armendariz Jr., L.Q. Jones, Jose Perez, William Marquez, Victor Rivers, Julieta Rosen
Director: Martin Campbell

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:17

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Editorial Reviews - Mask of Zorro

Barnes & Noble
One of moviedom's most venerable heroes makes a rousing return in this sumptuously produced swashbuckler, a superior example of the genre crammed with atmosphere, action, drama, and romance. Anthony Hopkins portrays the original Zorro, a hero to the downtrodden masses of 18th-century California, finally unmasked and imprisoned by the tyrannical Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson), who compounds his crimes by stealing Zorro's infant daughter and raising her as his own. Twenty years later, the aged Zorro returns, training the penniless bandito Alejandro (Antonio Banderas) in the use of whip and sword and enjoining him to don the mask of Zorro and lead the battle against Montero. In the process, Alejandro falls in love with Zorro's now-grown daughter, Elena, played in spirited fashion by the ravishing Catherine Zeta-Jones. Director Martin Campbell (Goldeneye) manipulates the Zorro legend ever so slightly to suit the demands of his sprawling story, but his tinkering is more than offset by the exuberance of his thrilling action set-pieces, the most elaborate ever filmed for a Zorro movie. The film contains plenty of humorous, tongue-in-cheek moments but never descends to the level of camp. All in all, The Mask of Zorro is an eminently worthy successor to earlier films featuring Johnston McCulley's fabled "Curse of Capistrano" and makes sterling entertainment for the entire family. This DVD Special Edition includes a commentary by Campbell, the documentary Unmasking Zorro (which touches on the character's illustrious history), deleted scenes, a music video for the film's hit song, "I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You," a gallery of costume-designer sketches, and numerous trailers and TV spots. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Director Martin Campbell, well-known to the action arena after 1995's GoldenEye, teams up with executive producer Steven Spielberg to bring the first Hollywood production of creator Johnston McCulley's Zorro in over four decades to the big screen. With scenic 18th century Mexico as a backdrop, Anthony Hopkins plays the original Zorro, a.k.a. Don Diego de la Vega, intent on revenge after rival enemy Don Raphael Montero (Stuart Wilson) murdered his wife and took his daughter, Elena. After being imprisoned for 20 years, the fabled hero removes his mask and takes on a tarnished young apprentice, Alejandro Murieta (Antonio Banderas), to infiltrate Montero's plan to take control of California from Santa Anna. A boisterous outlaw with his own desire for revenge, Murieta works with Diego to avenge his brother's death by the sword of Montero's right-hand man, Captain Harrison Love (Matt Letscher, in his big screen debut). After Diego's extensive training in swordfighting, discipline and manners, a new Zorro appears wreaking vengeance and stealing the heart of a now-grown Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones). A sizable summer hit, the film served as Zeta-Jones' stepping stone to leading lady status as the high-spirited heroine. ~ Rachel Koetje, Rovi

Time Magazine
...the action in this movie, most of which takes the form of spectacular stunt work performed by real, as opposed to digitized, people (note especially the spectacular Roman riding gag), is motivated by simple, powerful emotions of an old-fashioned and rather melodramatic nature, which the characters are not shy about expressing. We're talking high romance, pure ideals, dashing heroism here--all the stuff that used to animate our big boyish movies. Richard Schickel

Masterminds

Masterminds

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Vincent Kartheiser, Brenda Fricker, Bradley Whitford, Matt Craven, Annabelle Gurwitch, Katie Stuart, Michael MacRae, Jon Abrahams, Vanessa Morley, Callum Keith Rennie, Earl Pastko, Jason Schomberg, Michael Simms, David Paul Grove, Jay Brazeau, Michael Benyaer
Director: Roger Christian

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:45

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Editorial Reviews - Masterminds

All Movie Guide
A criminal genius who has carefully planned the ultimate score runs across an unexpected obstacle -- a 16-year-old computer hacker -- in this youth-oriented action-adventure story. Ozzie Paxton (Vincent Kartheiser) is a teenager with a knack for causing trouble; he's been expelled from the Shady Glen School, an exclusive private academy, for pulling one too many pranks on the faculty. Besides, he prefers to stay home with his computer, where for fun and profit he hacks into the systems of computer game designers, downloads new games before they can go on the market, and burns bootleg CD-ROMs that he can sell to his friends. One day, Ozzie's younger sister Melissa (Katie Stuart) talks him into giving her a lift to Shady Glen, where she still attends; looking for a little revenge, he sneaks into the school and intends to have a little fun with their computer system. As it turns out, Ozzie runs afoul of the school's new security chief, former British Secret Service agent Rafe Bentley (Patrick Stewart), who was hired by Principal Maloney (Brenda Fricker) after Ozzie's most recent bit of computer terrorism. But Bentley is not the friend of the law that he seems to be; several of the wealthiest families in America send their children to Shady Glen, and Bentley has a scheme to kidnap ten of the school's richest children and hold them for a ransom of $650 million. Ozzie is caught in the middle of Bentley's kidnapping plot and must now use his computer skills in order to save the children and put Bentley behind bars. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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

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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

The Matrix

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving
Director: Andy Wachowski

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 0:00

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
By following up their debut thriller Bound with the 1999 box-office smash The Matrix, the codirecting Wachowski brothers--Andy and Larry--annihilated any suggestion of a sophomore jinx, crafting one of the most exhilarating sci-fi/action movies of the 1990s. Set in the not too distant future in an insipid, characterless city, we find a young man named Neo (Keanu Reeves). A software techie by day and a computer hacker by night, he sits alone at home by his monitor, waiting for a sign, a signal--from what or whom he doesn't know--until one night, a mysterious woman named Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) seeks him out and introduces him to that faceless character he has been waiting for: Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). A messiah of sorts, Morpheus presents Neo with the truth about his world by shedding light on the dark secrets that have troubled him for so long: "You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad." Ultimately, Morpheus illustrates to Neo what the Matrix is--a reality beyond reality that controls all of their lives, in a way that Neo can barely comprehend.

Neo thus embarks on an adventure that is both terrifying and enthralling. Pitted against an enemy that transcends human concepts of evil, Morpheus and his team must train Neo to believe that he is the chosen champion of their fight. With mind-boggling, technically innovative special effects and a thought-provoking script that owes a debt of inspiration to the legacy of cyberpunk fiction, this is much more than an out-and-out action yarn; it's a thinking man's journey into the realm of futuristic fantasy, a dreamscape full of eye candy that will satisfy sci-fi, kung fu, action, and adventure fans alike. Although the film is headlined by Reeves and Fishburne--who both turn in fine performances--much of the fun and excitement should be attributed to Moss, who flawlessly mixes vulnerability with immense strength, making other contemporary female heroines look timid by comparison. And if we were going to cast a vote for most dastardly movie villain of 1999, it would have to go to Hugo Weaving, who plays the feckless, semipsychotic Agent Smith with panache and edginess. As the film's box-office profits soared, the Wachowski brothers announced that The Matrix is merely the first chapter in a cinematically dazzling franchise--a chapter that is arguably superior to the other sci-fi smash of 1999 (you know... the one starring Jar Jar Binks). --Jeremy Storey

From The New Yorker
It has some of the pop-intellectual momentousness of the first "Terminator," but without the wrenching emotions of that movie. We are all living, it turns out, in "the matrix"-a seeming reality controlled by artificial intelligence and policed by vicious men in black. The few people who are free hole up in a space capsule somewhere above the earth, and Keanu Reeves, who is first seen strapped down, with needles and other paraphernalia stuck into him and a disgusting little creature inserted through his belly button (unfortunately for him, he's got an inny), eventually joins the free and becomes a liberator. He fights the bad guys by flying through the air and engaging them in a rhythmic version of kung fu that has the clickety-clack excitement of tap dancing. The movie is nonsense, but it does achieve a brazenly chic high style-black-on-black, airborne, spasmodic. With Laurence Fishburne, who intones his lines rather than speaking them, as the leader of the free men and women. Written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski. -David Denby
Copyright ® 2006 The New Yorker

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

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Editorial Reviews - Matrix Reloaded

Barnes & Noble
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

Maverick

Maverick

Starring: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner, Graham Greene, James Coburn, Noah Emmerich, Alfred Molina, Paul L. Smith, Geoffrey Lewis, Max Perlich, Dub Taylor, Robert Fuller, Doug McClure, Bert Remsen, Denver Pyle, Will Hutchins, Clint Black, Waylon Jennings, Kathy Mattea, Courtney Barilla, Calvin Bartlett, Richard Blum, Paul Brinegar, Michael Paul Chan, Kimberly Cullum, Henry Darrow, Jean de Baer, Marion Dougherty, Doc Duhame, Corey Feldman, Dennis Fimple, Jack Garner, Donal Gibson, Vince Gill, Danny Glover, J. Mills Goodloe, Leo V. Gordon, Chuck Hart, Dan Hedaya, Linda Hunt, Hal Ketchum, Margot Kidder, Art La Fleur, Stephen Liska, John Meier, Read Morgan, Frank Orsatti, Lauren Shuler-Donner, William Smith, Steve Chambers, Paul Tuerpé, Clint Walker, John R. Woodward
Director: Richard Donner

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Action Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:09

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Editorial Reviews - Maverick

All Movie Guide
A gunslinging con man develops a tricky scheme to make a killing at a major poker tournament in this comic Western inspired by the popular television show. Mel Gibson assumes the role of Bret Maverick, the handsome rogue who hopes to cheat his way to success. In need of a large stake to enter a major card competition on a Louisiana steamboat, Maverick decides to take advantage of a few small-town poker players. These include the seemingly sweet Annabelle Bransford (Jodie Foster) and the intimidating Angel (Alfred Molina), neither of whom is too happy about their loss. Things become even more complicated for Maverick when the law gets involved, with Marshal Zane Cooper (James Garner, who played the role of Maverick in the original television series) giving chase. A series of stagecoach chases, complicated cons, and gun battles ensues, with Annabelle and Maverick finding time for plenty of flirtation along the way. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Medicine Man

Medicine Man

Starring: Sean Connery, Lorraine Bracco, Jose Wilker, Rodolfo de Alexandra, Angelo Barra Moreira, Bec-Kana-Re dos Santos Kaiapo, Jose Lavat, Francisco Tsirene Tsere Rereme, Edinei Maria Serrio dos Santos, Elias Monteiro Da Silva, Elias Monteiro Da Silva, Bonnie Timmermann
Director: John McTiernan

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:45

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Editorial Reviews - Medicine Man

All Movie Guide
The Amazon rain forest is a living laboratory for Dr. Robert Campbell (Sean Connery), a reclusive research scientist living with a Brazilian native tribe. Campbell has accidentally discovered a flower extract that cures cancer, but has been unable to duplicate the formula. With the assistance of Dr. Crane (Lorraine Bracco), he explores every possible chemical derivative, but continues to fail. When a child in the village is near death from a tumor pressing against his trachea, Campbell and Crane stand against each other on the moral issue to use the last of the successful serum to save him or to keep it for further analysis. At the last moment, Crane reconsiders, and agrees to save the child. At the same time, commercial loggers begin to creep ever closer to the village, and government officials demand the tribe's relocation. With only yards remaining between the bulldozers and the tribe, Campbell discovers a vital clue to the elusive elixir he seeks. His attempt to stop the workmen results in violence and a raging forest fire which destroys his lab equipment and the natives' village. The story ends with Campbell, Crane, and the tribe pushing deeper into the jungle in search of new answers.

In a change of pace from his usual action film fare, the skilled work of director John McTiernan brings emotional depth to what would otherwise be just another pro-environmental propaganda film. Connery, who had starred in McTiernan's crowd-pleasing 1989 film The Hunt for Red October, gives a convincing performance as the determined and complex researcher haunted by mistakes of the past. Bracco's character adds the realistic humor of the city scientist adjusting to Spartan life in the trees, but she does so with both strength and dignity. The constant bickering of two equally obstinate scientists gives a mild "honeymooners in the jungle" quality. Filmed in the Mexican rain forest, the canopy is captured in breathtaking cinematography. ~ Lucinda Ramsey, Rovi

Meet the Parents

Meet the Parents

Starring: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, James Rebhorn, Jon Abrahams, Phyllis George, Kali Rocha, Tom McCarthy, Thomas McCarthy, Nicole DeHuff, Owen Wilson
Director: Jay Roach

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Farce
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:48

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Editorial Reviews - Meet the Parents

Barnes & Noble
Teri Polo, as Pam Byrnes, seems the perfect girlfriend. But how would you like a raging bull for a father-in-law? That's the situation entered by Ben Stiller (as Greg Focker) in this blockbuster comedy from Austin Powers director Jay Roach. Greg is an anxiety-prone male nurse who spends an excruciating weekend at the plush country home of his girlfriend's parents, one of whom is ex-CIA man Jack Byrnes, played with brutal relish by Robert De Niro. Roach shows his gifts for pacing and slapstick fun here as Greg tries way too hard to please and ends up blowing up the septic tank, among many misdeeds that send De Niro into his signature glare. Owen Wilson (Shanghai Noon) adds another delicious turn to his growing resume as the silk-smooth and much more appropriate former boyfriend. This special wide-screen DVD features commentary from Roach, De Niro, and Stiller, as well as deleted scenes, outtakes, games, screen savers, production notes, and an on-location featurette. Daniel Weizmann

All Movie Guide
In this comedy from Austin Powers director Jay Roach, Ben Stiller plays a young man who endures a disastrous weekend at the home of his girlfriend's parents. Greg Focker (Stiller) is completely in love with Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo), and views their upcoming trip to her parents' house on Long Island (where her sister is to be married during the weekend) as a perfect opportunity to ask her to marry him. Once Greg is introduced to Pam's parents, however, things stampede steadily downhill. Pam's father, Jack (Robert De Niro), takes an instant and obvious dislike to his daughter's boyfriend, lambasting him for his job as a nurse and generally making Greg painfully aware of the differences between him and Pam's family. Where Greg is grubby, relatively unambitious, and Jewish, Pam comes from a long line of well-mannered, blue-blooded WASPs. Things go from bad to worse in less time than it takes to spin a dreidel, with Greg incurring the wrath of both Pam's father -- who, it turns out, worked for the CIA for 34 years -- and the rest of her family, and almost single-handedly destroying their house and the wedding in the process. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

Entertainment Weekly
"Meet the Parents is to be commended -- it's a bouncy, loose-limbed, families-do-the-darndest things sitcom that ellicits laughs without invoking water boys, pet detectives, or Klumps." Lisa Schwarzbaum

Men in Black

Men in Black

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio, Rip Torn, Tony Shalhoub, Brad Abrell, John Alexander, Richard Arthur, Becky Ann Baker, Tim Blaney, Patrick Breen, Sergio Calderon, Keith Campbell, Willie C. Carpenter, Debbie Lee Carrington, David Cross, Siobhan Fallon, Kent Faulcon, Thom Fountain, Bernard Gilkey, Michael Goldfinger, Jon Gries, Norma Jean Groh, Richard Hamilton, Carl Johnson, Michael Kaliski, Fredric Lane, Boris Leskin, Peter Linari, Drew Massey, Alpheus Merchant, Harsh Nayyar, Mike Nussbaum, Sean Plummer, Andy Prosky, Steve Rankin, Mark Setrakian, Charles C. Stevenson Jr., Carel Struycken, Ken Thorley, Verne Troyer, Sean Whalen, Mykal Wayne Williams, Michael Willis
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Sci-Fi Action
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:38

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Editorial Reviews - Men in Black

Barnes & Noble
Paranoia was never this much fun. Everyone from weathermen to unwashed dirt farmers is a potentially murderous space alien in this science-fiction comedy that mixes laughs with fast-paced action and spectacular special effects. Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith shine as a straight-as-an-arrow special agent and a fast-talking NYPD cop who form an unlikely partnership to rid the earth of extraterrestrial intruders. As imaginative and absurd as the comic-book series that inspired it, Men in Black is an entertaining send-up of self-important sci-fi flicks -- a blockbuster action film that delivers all the expected thrills while managing to revel in its own silliness. The limited-edition two-DVD set is a stellar package with "visual commentaries" from the director and stars, the Men in Black music video, storyboard and photo galleries, and several scenes with multiple angles. Kryssa Schemmerling

All Movie Guide
For his fifth effort as a feature-film director, one-time cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld brought his cartoonish visual style and darkly humorous sensibilities to this adaptation of, appropriately enough, a tongue-in-cheek sci-fi comic book. Will Smith stars as James Darrel Edwards, a New York City cop with an athletic physique and a flippant, anti-authoritarian attitude toward law enforcement. After chasing down a mysterious perpetrator one night who turns out to be an alien, James is recruited by "K" (Tommy Lee Jones), a veteran of a clandestine government agency secretly policing the comings and goings of aliens on planet Earth. Nicknamed the "men in black" for their nondescript uniform of black suit, shoes, tie, and sunglasses, the agents are assigned to recover a bauble that's been stolen by an intergalactic terrorist (Vincent D'Onofrio). It seems the item is none other than the galaxy itself, and its theft has plunged humanity into the center of what's shaping up to become an interstellar war, unless K and his new wisecracking partner, now renamed "J," can stop the bad guy. On their side but somewhat in the dark is a pretty, unflappable city medical examiner (Linda Fiorentino) who has been zapped one too many times by K's ingenious memory-sapping device. Men in Black was a box office smash, inspiring an animated children's television series and a hit soundtrack album that featured a performance by star (and rapper) Smith. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Mercury Rising

Mercury Rising

Starring: Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin, Miko Hughes, Chi McBride, Kim Dickens, Robert Stanton, Bodhi Elfman, Carrie Preston, L.L. Ginter, John Carroll Lynch, Peter Stormare, Kevin Conway, Kelley Hazen, John Doman, Richard Riehle, Kim Robillard
Director: Harold Becker

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:52

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Editorial Reviews - Mercury Rising

All Movie Guide
In this action-suspense thriller, orphaned nine-year-old autistic savant Simon (Miko Hughes) deciphers a government code hidden in a puzzle magazine. Calling for his prize, Simon triggers an alarm at the National Security Agency: NSA chief Nicholas Kudrow (Alec Baldwin), who says the code protects covert American operatives all over the world, sends an assassin to do away with Simon. Simon's parents are killed, but Simon survives, hiding in a secret closet crawlspace where he's later discovered by maverick FBI agent Art Jeffries (Bruce Willis). Simon is emotionally unpredictable, complicating matters as Art drags him all over Chicago, eluding Kudrow's hitman in a variety of interesting locations (train tracks, street scenes, heliport, Wrigley building) and improbable situations. Based on the novel Simple Simon by Ryne Douglas Peardon, the film features Industrial Light & Magic special FX/animation. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Michael

Michael

Starring: John Travolta, Andie MacDowell, William Hurt, Bob Hoskins, Robert Pastorelli, Jean Stapleton, Teri Garr, Joey Lauren Adams, Dell Aldrich, David Bernstein, Catherine Lloyd Burns, Kay Colvin, Carla Cugino, Blue Deckert, Tracy Doyle, Dianne Dreyer, James Garrell, Tim Harrison, David Harrod, Tom Hodges, John Hussey, Joann Fregalette Jansen, Wallace Langham, Jane Lanier, Donald J. Lee Jr., Daniel Mimura, Deborah Nunez, Mark Nutter, Peyton Park, Richard Schiff, Betsy Sokolow, Margaret Travolta, Calvin Trillin, Randy Newman
Director: Nora Ephron

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:45

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Editorial Reviews - Michael

All Movie Guide
There are angels among us, and they like lots of sugar in their coffee, in writer-director Nora Ephron's comic fantasy Michael. Vartan Malt (Bob Hoskins) is the editor of a tabloid called the National Mirror that specializes in unlikely stories about celebrities and frankly unbelievable tales about ordinary folks. When Malt gets word that a woman is supposedly harboring an angel in a small town in Iowa, he figures that this might be right up the Mirror's alley, so he sends out three people to get the story -- Frank Quinlan (William Hurt), a reporter whose career has hit the skids; Huey Discoll (Robert Pastorelli), a photographer on the verge of losing his job (even though he owns the Mirror's mascot, Sparky The Wonder Dog); and Dorothy Winters (Andie MacDowell), a self-styled "angel expert." They arrive at the rooming house of Patsy Millband (Jean Stapleton), who informs them that she does indeed have an angel for a tenant, and introduces them to Michael (John Travolta). Michael has wings like an angel, but the resemblance ends there; Michael loves cigarettes, has an uncontrollable sweet tooth (and a pot belly to match), tends to use a large number of non-angelic phrases, is not much on personal hygiene, and likes to hang out with the ladies. Michael informs his visitors that in Heaven, an angel is allowed a certain number of "vacations" on Earth, and he's in the midst of one now; trouble is, this is the last one he's entitled to, and he wants to make the most of it. Frank and Huey then stumble on a great story idea -- if Michael wants to have some fun, why not take him to Chicago, where he can really kick up his heels? Michael was written in part by Jim Quinlan, himself a one-time reporter, though with a much more respectable tabloid than the Mirror -- he wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Mighty

The Mighty

Starring: Sharon Stone, Elden Henson, Kieran Culkin, Gena Rowlands, Harry Dean Stanton, Gillian Anderson, James Gandolfini, Joe Perrino, Meat Loaf, Jenifer Lewis
Director: Peter Chelsom

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Drama - Coming of Age
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:40

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Editorial Reviews - Mighty

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In the tradition of My Left Foot (1989), Peter Chelsom directed this emotional drama of outcasts, adapted from the Rodman Philbrick's popular young-adult novel Freak the Mighty. Although burly, slow-paced eight-grader Maxwell Kane (Elden Hensen), who narrates, is learning disabled, he nevertheless has a poetic soul, as evidenced when he meets the bright and brainy Kevin Dillon (Kieran Culkin), crippled by a birth defect. The physically deformed Kevin, who wears leg braces and uses crutches, suffers from Morquio's Syndrome, which causes physical growth to stop after the age of six. Illiterate Max gets Kevin as a reading tutor, and the two misfits soon become friends, sharing a vision of life as a contemporary Camelot. Gena Rowlands and Harry Dean Stanton appear as Max's grandparents and guardians. Max is portrayed by 19-year-old Emerson College filmmaking student Henson, while Sharon Stone has the role of Gwen Dillon, Kevin's mother. Boston-born author Philbrick, who winters in Key West, otherwise resides in Seacoast, New Hampshire (the setting of the book). The movie was filmed at a soundstage in Toronto, the University of Toronto, Cincinnati, and Covington, Kentucky. Exhibited out of competition at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

The Mighty Ducks

The Mighty Ducks

Starring: Emilio Estevez, Joss Ackland, Lane Smith, Heidi Kling, Josef Sommer, Joshua Jackson, Brandon Adams, Hal Fort Atkinson III, John Beasley, Mark Bradley, Steven Brill, Scott Bryan, George Coe, J.D. Daniels, Barbara Davidson, Matt Doherty, Stephen Dowling, Dale Dunham, M.C. Gainey, John Paul Gamoke, Schumacher Garth, Casey Garven, Garette Ratliff Henson, Joe Howard, Jacqueline Kim, Vincent A. LaRusso, Vincent Larusso, Basil McRae, Bob Miller, Michael Modano, Marguerite Moreau, Peter L. Mullin, John Oliver, Michael Ooms, Robert Pall, Brad Peterson, Brock Pierce, Jane Plank, Elden Ratliff, Renee Rousselot, Bill Schoppert, Aaron Schwartz, Jussie Smollett, Peter Syvertsen, Daniel Tamberelli, Shaun Weiss, Jack White, Claudia Wilkens
Director: Stephen Herek

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Children
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Running Time: 1:54

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Editorial Reviews - Mighty Ducks

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This fill-in-the-blanks children's comedy from Disney was such a success that it spawned a number of fill-in-the-blanks sequels -- along with a real-life professional hockey team. The basic story -- outcast coach handles a team of outcast kids and turns them from losers into winners -- has been told in a number of films, including Wildcats, The Bad News Bears, Hoosiers, and Youngblood. Here the sport is hockey. Emilio Estevez is Gordon Bombay, a high-powered lawyer haunted by an incident from his past: while playing pee-wee league hockey as a child, young Gordon missed a crucial shot in the state finals game, invoking the wrath of his coach, Mr. Reilly (Lane Smith). When Gordon is arrested for drunk driving, the judge orders him to take a leave of absence and coach a hockey team of misfit kids. At first, Gordon treats the coaching job with contempt. But when his team loses to a team led by his old coach Reilly, the fire under Gordon is lit. Inspired, he leads his team on a mission to succeed. The team begins to win games and soon they are ready to face Reilly's team for the big championship game. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

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
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Running Time: 2:25

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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

Mission: Impossible

Mission: Impossible

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny, Jean Reno, Ving Rhames, Andrzej Borkowski, Laura Brook, Ion Caramitru, Ingeborga Dapkunaite, Morgan Deare, Karel Dobry, Maya Dokic, Susan Doucette, Sam Douglas, Dale Dye, Emilio Estevez, Oleg Fedorov, Bob Friend, Graydon Gould, Garick Hagon, Mark Houghton, Marcel Iures, Melissa Knatchbull, Helen Lindsay, Carmela Marner, John McLaughlin, Annabel Mullion, Nathan Osgood, Randall Paul, Rudolf Pechan, David Phelan, Mimi Potworowska, Vanessa Redgrave, Michael Rogers, Ricco Ross, Rolf Saxon, David Schneider, David Shaeffer, Richard Sharp, Pat Starr, Gaston Subert, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jirina Trebicka, Marek Vasut, Tony Vogel, Andreas Wisniewski, Valentina Yakunina
Director: Brian De Palma

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:50

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Editorial Reviews - Mission: Impossible

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After he is framed for the death of several colleagues and falsely branded a traitor, a secret agent embarks on a daring scheme to clear his name in the spy adventure Mission: Impossible. Though it drew its name from the familiar television series, director Brian DePalma's big-budget adaptation shares little more with the original show than the occasional self-destructing message and the name of team leader Jim Phelps (Jon Voight). The film focuses not on Phelps but his protégé, Ethan Hunt (a reserved Tom Cruise), who becomes a fugitive after taking the blame for a botched operation. He responds by banding together with a group of fellow renegades, and he is soon maneuvering his way through a twisted series of double crosses that mainly serve as excuses for spectacular high-tech action sequences. Much of the activity revolves around a missing computer disk, with the film's most famous scene depicting Hunt's delicate efforts to retrieve the disk from a secure, well-alarmed room in CIA headquarters. Judd Blaise

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Mary Allen, Connie Booth, Carol Cleveland, Rita Davies, Bee Duffell, Neil Innes, Sandy Johnson, Patsy Kensit, Sally Kinghorn, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Sandy Rose, John Young
Director: Terry Gilliam

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Comedy Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:29

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Editorial Reviews - Monty Python and the Holy Grail

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Attempting to describe the Monty Python sensibility to the uninitiated is a little like attempting to describe what life after death is like to the living -- you kind of have to be there. The British bad-boy comedy troupe dish out lunacy of the highest order, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail is arguably their purest work. Following the basic story of King Arthur (Graham Chapman) and his quest to find the Holy Grail, they strew the narrative with some of the wackiest gags to ever hit the screen, along with plenty of body parts. Highlights include The Knights Who Say "Ni--," the Trojan Rabbit, and John Cleese's "invincible" Black Knight. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is surprisingly detailed in its re-creation of the Middle Ages, but the climactic battle at the end featuring hordes of extras is suddenly halted by the arrival of a modern-day squad of bobbies who break up the shenanigans and confiscate the camera. Historical comedy the way it oughtta be!

All Movie Guide
From its opening multi-language titles (that sure looks like Swedish) to the closing arrest of the entire Dark Ages cast by modern-day bobbies, Monty Python & the Holy Grail has "comedy cult classic" written all over it. This time the Pythonites savage the legend of King Arthur, juxtaposing some excellently selected exterior locations with an unending stream of anachronistic one-liners, non sequiturs, and slapstick set pieces. The Knights of the Round Table set off in search of the Holy Grail on foot, as their lackeys make clippety-clop sounds with coconut shells. A plague-ridden community, ringing with the cry of "bring out your dead," offers its hale and hearty citizens to the body piles. A wedding of convenience is attacked by Arthur's minions while the pasty-faced groom continually attempts to burst into song. The good guys are nearly thwarted by the dreaded, tree-shaped "Knights who Say Ni!" A feisty enemy warrior, bloodily shorn of his arms and legs in the thick of battle, threatens to bite off his opponent's kneecap. A French military officer shouts such taunts as "I fart in your general direction" and "I wave my private parts at your aunties." Rabbits are a particular obsession of the writers this time around, ranging from the huge Trojan Rabbit to the "killer bunny" that decapitates one of the knights. Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin collaborated on the script and assumed most of the onscreen roles, while Gilliam and Jones served as co-directors. Hal Erickson

Mr. Holland's Opus

Mr. Holland's Opus

Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy, Alicia Witt, Jacob Adams, Joseph Anderson, Brent Archie, Kathryn Arnett, Pal Bernard, Sean Bevington, Dennis Biasi, Alexandra Boyd, John Boyer, Donnie Burns, Kevin Calaba, Joe Campbell, Jordan Carlton, Kaili Carlton, Kelly M. Casey, David Clegg, Eric Michael Cole, Freeman O. Corbin, Mark Daniels, Benjamin J. Dixon, Conan Doherty, Alex Dudgeon, Tara Eng, Moira Feeney, Adam Fitzhugh, Patrick Fong, Jay Frank, Dieffyd Gilman Frederick, Joanna Gleason, Ashley Hamrick, Terrence Howard, Linda Williams Janke, Jean Louisa Kelly, Beth Maitland, Chris Math, Zoe McLellan, Michael Mendelson, Aurora J. Miller, Joshua Minnick, Anthony Natale, Kasey Nelson, Mary Kay O'Mealy, Tomiko Peirano, John Henry Redwood, Nicholas John Renner, Spencer Riviera, Ted Roisum, Janine Shouse, Stacey Siegel, Nicholas Sirianni, Keith Swift, Daniel J. Vhay, Damon Whitaker, Rachel Wooley
Director: Stephen Herek

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Musical Performance
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:22

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Editorial Reviews - Mr. Holland's Opus

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A teacher belatedly discovers just how important his job really is in this emotional drama. Glenn Holland (Richard Dreyfuss) is a man with a deep love of music and a desire to write at least one piece of lasting significance. However, playing piano in cocktail lounges while he works on his own compositions doesn't pay the bills, so in 1965 he reluctantly accepts a job as a high school music teacher. Over the next 30 years, Holland is able to teach a great deal about both music and life to thousands of kids who pass through the various classes he leads and school bands he directs; however, he finds it easier to reach his students than his son Cole (played, as he grows older, by Nicholas John Renner, Joseph Anderson, and Anthony Natale), who is deaf, which drives a wedge between Glenn and his wife Iris (Glenne Headly). Richard Dreyfuss earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor for Mr. Holland's Opus; the cast also includes Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy, and Jay Thomas. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Mrs. Doubtfire

Mrs. Doubtfire

Starring: Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein, Polly Holliday, Lisa Jakub, Matthew Lawrence, Mara Wilson, Robert Prosky, Anne Haney, Scott Capurro, Scott Beach, Joe Bellan, Adam Bryant, James Cranna, James Cunningham, Eva Gholson, Paul Guilfoyle, Janet Hirshenson, Jane Jenkins, Karen Kahn, Juliette Marshall, Molly McClure, Terry McGovern, Martin Mull, Jessica Myerson, William Newman, Rick Overton, Ralph Peduto, Danielle Spencer, Dr. Toad, Syd Walker
Director: Chris Columbus

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

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Editorial Reviews - Mrs. Doubtfire

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Robin Williams learns that keeping in touch with his children can be a drag in this hit comedy. Daniel Hillard (Williams) is an eccentric actor who specializes in dubbing voices for cartoon characters. Daniel is a kind man and a loving father, but he's a poor disciplinarian and a shaky role model. After throwing an elaborate and disastrous birthday party for his son, Daniel's wife Miranda (Sally Field) reaches the end of her patience and files for divorce. Daniel is heartbroken when Miranda is given custody of the children, and he's only allowed to visit them once a week. Determined to stay in contact with his kids, Daniel learns that Miranda is looking for a housekeeper, and with help from his brother Frank (Harvey Fierstein), a makeup artist, Daniel gets the job disguised as Mrs. Iphegenia Doubtfire, a stern but caring Scottish nanny. Daniel pulls off the ruse so well that neither his ex-wife nor his children recognize him, and in the process, he learns how to be the good parent he should have been all along. However, Daniel also has to deal with the little matter of Miranda's new boyfriend, Stu (Pierce Brosnan). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Mummy

The Mummy

Starring: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Kevin J. O'Connor, Stephen Dunham, Jonathan Hyde, Oded Fehr, Erick Avari, Corey Johnson, Tuc Watkins, Omid Djalili, Aharon Ipalé, Bernard Fox, Patricia Velasquez, Carl Chase, Mohammed Afifi
Director: Stephen Sommers

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action Thriller
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:04

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Editorial Reviews - Mummy

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Packed with comic-book thrills and spills, this roller-coaster ride of an adventure has more in common with the Indiana Jones series than it does with the moody, Expressionistic 1930s horror classic starring Boris Karloff. In their scramble to unearth the legendary City of the Dead, a charmingly klutzy female archaeologist (Rachel Weisz) and a dashing American adventurer (Brendan Fraser) accidentally disturb the tomb of a vengeful, lovesick mummy. Forget the bandages -- this shape-shifting demon masquerades as a sandstorm, conjures up the plagues of Egypt, and has an army of carnivorous beetles at his beck and call. With its eye-popping special effects and lighthearted laughs, this blockbuster hit is a pure rush of high-adrenaline entertainment. Kryssa Schemmerling

All Movie Guide
Loosely adapted from the classic 1932 horror film starring Boris Karloff, The Mummy is set in Egypt, where over 3,000 years ago the high priest Imhotep (played by Arnold Vosloo) was given the all-important assignment of preparing the recently dead for their journey into the afterlife. However, Imhotep made one terrible mistake - he became smitten with Anck-Su-Namun, the mistress of the Pharaoh himself. Driven mad by jealousy and love, Imhotep murdered the Pharaoh, and his punishment was to be buried alive and suffer the torment of an eternal life in his wretched tomb. In 1925, a band of adventurers seeking fame and fortune - led by Rick O'Connel (Brendan Fraser), an American expatriate who has joined the foreign legion, and Evelyn Carnarvon (Rachel Weisz), an amateur archeologist - find a previously unknown burial site in Egypt. The team starts to dig, hoping to find lost riches, but instead they disturb the tomb of Imhotep, and soon the cursed priest rises from his grave to wreck vengeance on humanity. The Mummy was written and directed by Stephen Sommers, whose previous cinematic journeys into the past include The Jungle Book and The Adventures Of Huck Finn. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

New York Times
A gaudy comic video game splashed onto the screen! Stephen Holden

My Best Friend's Wedding

My Best Friend's Wedding

Starring: Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, Rupert Everett, Philip Bosco, M. Emmet Walsh, Paul Giamatti, Rachel Griffiths, Chris Masterson, Carrie Preston, Susan Sullivan, Charlotte Zucker, Artie Kane
Director: P.J. Hogan

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:45

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Editorial Reviews - My Best Friend's Wedding

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A woman realizes that friends can be lovers, but now has to convince the friend in question in this romantic comedy. Michael O'Neal (Dermot Mulroney) and Julianne Potter (Julia Roberts) were romantically involved in college, and after breaking up, they have managed to remain close friends. For years, Julianne and Michael have had a pledge that if both were single when they turned 28, they would get married. Shortly before her 28th birthday, Julianne is lamenting the sad state of her love life when she gets a call from Michael, who announces that he has important news. Julianne is convinced that Michael is going to ask her to marry him, and she is crestfallen when he announces that he's engaged to Kimmy Wallace (Cameron Diaz). Kimmy seems like the perfect woman for Michael; she's sweet, pretty, bright, and adores Michael, and her wealthy family is just as fond of him as she is. But now that Julianne has realized how much she loves Michael, she's not about to give him up without a fight -- and isn't afraid to fight dirty. Julianne's uneasy ally in the battle for Michael's affections is her friend and editor George Downes (Rupert Everett), a cheerfully out-of-the-closet homosexual who is not prepared when Julianne asks him to pose as her boyfriend. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Starring: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin, Joey Fatone, Gia Carides, Louis Mandylor, Bess Meisler, Fiona Reid, Bruce Gray, Ian Gomez, Charlene Bitzas, Peter Chalkiopoulos, Jayne Eastwood, Christina Eleusiniotis, Frank Falcone, Gale Garnett, Peter Gogos, Kathryn Haggis, John Kalangis, Anthony Kandiotis, Scott Khouri, Nick Kutsukos, Stavroula Logothettis, Eugene Martel, Gerry Mendicino, Spiro Milankou, Sarah Osman, Chrissy Paraskevopoulos, Joe Persechini, Victor Politis, Jim Rouvas, Chris Savides, Arielle Sugarman, Peter Tharos, Melissa Todd, Constantine Tsapralis, John Tsifliklis, Marla Vacratsis, Constantine Vardalos, Kaylee Vieira, Petra Wildgoose, Peter Xynnis, Marita Zouravlioff
Director: Joel Zwick

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

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Editorial Reviews - My Big Fat Greek Wedding

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Just in time for Valentine's Day comes the DVD release of this wildly popular romantic comedy, the sleeper hit of 2002. And deservedly so: My Big Fat Greek Wedding falls back on tried-and-true conventions of romantic comedy, but it presents them so winningly as to make viewers think they're seeing them for the first time. Nia Vardalos, who wrote the semi-autobiographical screenplay, is that most refreshing of leading ladies -- one who's not "conventionally" beautiful but whose warmth and charm makes her more attractive than most of the walking Kewpie dolls regularly paraded across America's movie screens. She plays Toula, the frumpy daughter of Greek restaurateurs (Michael Constantine and Lainie Kazan) who constantly chide her about remaining unmarried. A diet, some contact lenses, and new makeup transform Toula into an attractive young woman, and before long she has landed herself a handsome fiancé (John Corbett), who must now run the gauntlet of her eccentric relatives to win acceptance into this close-knit family. Vardalos, coming from a similar background, lards her script with keen but loving observations about Greek-American culture. The characters are broadly sketched but rendered with consummate skill by veteran performers who know how far they can go before lapsing into caricature. Director Joel Zwick (Second Sight) wisely lets his cast have its collective say; his main contribution amounts to getting the story moving quickly enough in the first half so that its momentum in the second becomes self-sustaining. Rich in emotion and illuminated by repeated flashes of character-driven humor, this Wedding is one you'll be happy to attend -- over and over. Vardalos, Zwick, and Corbett supply a joint commentary for the DVD, which also includes cast/crew bios. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
One woman's rocky road to the altar gets played for laughs in this comedy, adapted from the one-woman off-Broadway show written by and starring Nia Vardalos. Toula (Vardalos) is a Greek-American woman who is in her early thirties and single, with no immediate prospects of changing that status any time soon. This bothers Toula a bit, but not half as much as it distresses her mother (Lainie Kazan) and father (Michael Constantine), who want to send her to Greece in hopes of finding a husband in the old country. Toula isn't interested in leaving the country to find a man, but since she works in the family business -- a Greek restaurant in Chicago called Dancing Zorba's -- she has to hear about it whether she likes it or not. One day, after seeing a handsome stranger in the restaurant and not having the courage to talk to him, Toula decides she needs a bit of self-improvement. Despite her dad's misgivings, Toula signs up for a night-school class studying computers, trades in her glasses for contact lenses, gets a different job at a travel agency, and spruces herself up with a new look and a new attitude. To her very pleasant surprise, she once again encounters the handsome stranger, who soon asks her out on a date. Schoolteacher Ian Miller (John Corbett) is seemingly perfect -- he's tall, handsome, smart, good-natured, and soon in love with Toula -- except for two little things: he's not Greek, and he's a vegetarian, both of which horrify Toula's family. When Ian pops the question (and Toula says yes), the bride-to-be has to negotiate a reasonably peaceful meeting between Ian's upper-class parents and her own working-class extended family. There's also the matter of the wedding, which Toula's mother is planning around the notion that quantity IS quality. My Big Fat Greek Wedding also features Ian Gomez (Vardalos' real-life husband), Louis Mandylor, Andrea Martin, and Joey Fatone (from the pop group *NSYNC). Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson helped produce the film through the auspices of their production company, Playtone. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rolling Stone
Like Vardalos and Corbett, who play their roles with vibrant charm, the film, directed by Joel Zwick, is heartfelt and hilarious in ways you can't fake. Peter Travers

New York Times
An amiable, offhanded comedy about ethnic identity and last-chance romance.

Washington Post
There is so much goodwill here, you are charmed as much as tickled into laughing. Desson Howe

The Natural

The Natural

Starring: Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley
Director: Barry Levinson

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:14

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Amazon.com
From the sun-dappled heartland, a young man (Robert Redford, in soft lighting) emerges as maybe the best baseball player anybody's ever seen. On his way to the majors, he is cut down by an enigmatic black widow (Barbara Hershey) and vanishes for many years. When he reemerges, a silent mystery, he lands a spot with the New York team and begins tearing up the league--he's still the natural. Fans of the Bernard Malamud novel will be dismayed at the pure mythical hokum of this film, but baseball fanatics have been known to watch and rewatch this one; after all, it's constructed as a kind of shrine to the national pastime. Barry Levinson (Rain Man) directs the movie with an unabashed devotion to the game, although the film could use more of the realities of chewing tobacco and pine tar. Redford is fine, and Kim Basinger and Oscar-nominated Glenn Close are effective as the women in his life. The crowning touch is the soaring, extraordinary music by Randy Newman, the singer-songwriter turned orchestral composer. --Robert Horton

The Negotiator

The Negotiator

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, David Morse, Ron Rifkin, John Spencer, J.T. Walsh, Regina Taylor, Siobhan Fallon, Paul Giamatti, Kelsey Mulrooney
Director: F. Gary Gray

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action Thriller
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:18

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Editorial Reviews - Negotiator

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F. Gary Gray directed this suspenseful action thriller based on a real case experienced by police in St. Louis. The James DeMonaco/Kevin Fox screenplay follows an accused man who is forced to commit crimes in order to prove himself innocent of murder. After Chicago police hostage negotiator Danny Roman (Samuel L. Jackson) succeeds in rescuing a little girl menaced by her gun-wielding dad, he's praised by both the police department and the media, and he returns to his usual cop routines with his longtime partner, promising his new wife Karen (Regina Taylor) he'll make it home for dinner every night. Then his partner, who had evidence of embezzlement within the police department, is killed. Since Danny arrives at the crime scene only seconds later, he's the main suspect, and Chief Al Travis (John Spencer) asks him to turn in his gun and badge. Danny invades the Chicago Internal Affairs Division headquarters and tries to get the truth from Inspector Terence Niebaum (J.T. Walsh) while holding two assistants and Commander Frost (Ron Rifkin) as hostages. He then calls for an outsider from another precinct, hostage negotiator Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey). When Sabian arrives, the two compete for control, while Danny attempts to prove to him that he's been falsely accused. The film is dedicated to J.T. Walsh, who died not long after the production wrapped. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

The Net

The Net

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Jeremy Northam, Dennis Miller, Diane Baker, Wendy Gazelle, Ken Howard, Andrew Amador, Vaughn Armstrong, Gerald Berns, Cam Brainard, Danny Breen, Kevin Brown, Wren T. Brown, Lucy Butler, L. Scott Caldwell, Christopher Darga, Brian Frankish, Juan Garcia, Robert Gossett, Israel Juarbe, Gene Kirkwood, Kristina Krofft, Ray McKinnon, Tony Perez, Daniel Schorr, Rick Snyder, Charles Winkler, Margo Winkler
Director: Irwin Winkler

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Chase Movie
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:54

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Editorial Reviews - Net

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Sandra Bullock is cast against type as a socially maladroit computer nerd who finds herself the victim of cyber intrigue in The Net, a slick thriller with high-tech trappings. She plays a computer technician who stumbles upon a program giving her access to restricted government files. Upon learning that she has the coveted disk, mysterious miscreants embark on a campaign to ruin her life, manipulating personal records stored in cyberspace and essentially deleting her identity. A handsome British hacker (Jeremy Northam) seems like the one guy who can help her -- but will he? Director Irvin Winkler (At First Sight) makes Bullock a Hitchcockian protagonist: She's an average person accidentally thrust into a dangerous situation and menaced by unknown assailants for reasons she can't initially fathom. Armed only with her wits, she fights back as best she can, displaying iron-willed resolve and resourcefulness. Perhaps a trifle too glamorous for a computer geek, Bullock is nonetheless very convincing in this suspenseful film, the memory of which should provoke shudders every time you log on. Ed Hulse

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Irwin Winkler's paranoid thriller focuses on a high-tech nightmare, as a computer programmer finds herself on the run from an unknown enemy dedicated to ruining her life by digital means. Sandra Bullock stars as Angela Bennett, a programmer who unwittingly comes into possession of software that allows access to secret government information. At first, she thinks little of it, heading off to Mexico on vacation. However, thanks to a series of odd events that culminates with the death of a close friend, Angela starts to suspect she may be in danger. This fear is confirmed when she returns to America to find that her identity has been erased, with police computers showing her as a wanted criminal. She soon realizes that a group of evil conspirators are after the program, and she sets out to clear her name and keep the program from falling into the wrong hands. The central concept later inspired a cable TV series. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Chicago Sun-Times

[Bullock] seems able to transcend the genres she appears in - to make us care about her character...How does she do that? She's very low-key. She's so natural she seems to be remembering a scene rather than playing it. She has a warm smile. She never overacts. She creates the sensation that although a scene may seem absurd to us, it seems perfectly real to her. And we buy it. Roger Ebert

Never Been Kissed

Never Been Kissed

Starring: Drew Barrymore, David Arquette, Michael Vartan, Molly Shannon, John C. Reilly, Garry Marshall, Sean Whalen, Leelee Sobieski, Jeremy Jordan, Jessica Alba, Marley Shelton, Jordan Ladd, Giuseppe Andrews, Allen Covert, Kevin Scott Greer, Cory C. Hardrict, Denny Lee Kirkwood, Marissa Jaret Winokur
Director: Raja Gosnell

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
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Running Time: 1:47

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Editorial Reviews - Never Been Kissed

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Many people wish they could go back to high school, knowing what they know as an adult; Josie Geller gets the chance to do just that in the comedy Never Been Kissed. Josie (played by Drew Barrymore) is a 25-year-old copy editor at a newspaper in Chicago. But it's her youthful looks as much as her journalistic skills that finally win her a writing assignment: she's ordered to enroll in high school posing as a teenager for a story on the state of America's youth. Trouble is, Josie was a hopeless nerd in high school (called "Josie Grossie" by her classmates); she had no idea of how to fit in with the cool kids, and she's hardly gotten any better at it in the seven years since graduation. While Josie makes fast friends with a bookish girl named Aldys (Leelee Sobieski), and also takes notice of her good-looking English teacher Mr. Coulson (Michael Vartan), she realizes for the sake of her story she has to infiltrate the cool girls' clique, which will be impossible without someone to give her a crash course in hipness. Josie's brother Rob (David Arquette), obviously the more style-conscious sibling, offers to sign up for the same school to act as the cool-guy friend she'll need to fit in, but just when Josie starts making headway (and starts enjoying high school for a change), her editor changes the focus of the story -- he now wants a feature on improper relations between teachers and students, which will not be good for her deepening friendship with Mr. Coulson. Never Been Kissed also features supporting performances from John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon and Jordan Ladd (the latter in a much more wholesome vehicle than her last cinematic visit to cinematic teen-town, Gregg Araki's Nowhere). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

New York Stories

New York Stories

Starring: Nick Nolte, Rosanna Arquette, Heather McComb, Patrick O'Neal, Jesse Borrego, Talia Shire, Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Mae Questel, Julie Kavner, Steve Buscemi, Giancarlo Giannini, Peter Gabriel, Illeana Douglas, Paul Herman, James Keane, Don Novello, Selim Tlili, Carmine Coppola, Carole Bouquet, Marvin Chatinover, Jessie Keosian, George Schindler, Bridgit Ryan, Edward I. Koch, Annie-Joe, Victor Argo, Brigitte Bako, Mark Boone Jr., Adrien Brody, Thelma Carpenter, David Cryer, Larry David, Kirsten Dunst, Chris Elliott, Paul Geier, Nancy Giles, Helen Hanft, Deborah Harry, Michael Higgins, Samantha Larkin, Jodi Long, Tom Mardirosian, Bill Moor, Paul Mougey, Jenny Nichols, Richard Price, George Rafferty, Michael Rizzo, Martin Rosenblatt, Mike Starr, Ira Wheeler
Director: Woody Allen

Certification: NR
Category: Fantasy Comedy
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Running Time: 2:04

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Editorial Reviews - New York Stories

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The omnibus film New York Stories is the product of three powerhouse filmmakers. The film is divided into three stories, each exploring a different aspect of life in the Big Apple. Life Lessons, directed by Martin Scorcese, is a Dostoevsky-like tale of the rarefied Art World, with Nick Nolte as a self-indulgent abstractionist who loves Rosanna Arquette, but can't bring himself to lie to her about her negligible artistic talents. Life Without Zoe, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is more than a little reminiscent of Kay Thompson's Eloise stories, with 12-year-old Zoe (Heather McComb) running amok at the Sherry-Netherland hotel while her parents are embarked upon a world-girdling vacation. The last and is Woody Allen's Oedipus Wrecks, wherein a schnooky lawyer (guess who?) inadvertently "creates" the Jewish Mother From Hell: thanks to a misguided magic trick, Allen's mama (the incomparable Mae Questel) becomes a huge spectral vision on the New York skyline, telling everyone within earshot about her son's inadequacies. The cinematographer lineup on New York Stories includes Nestor Almendros, Vittorio Storaro and Sven Nykvist. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

No More Baths

No More Baths

Starring: Garrett M. Brown, Victoria Jackson, Sydney Walsh
Director: Tim Nelson

Certification: NR
Category: Drama - General
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Running Time: 1:33

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Editorial Reviews - No More Baths

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When greedy land developers attempt to push a kindly widower off of his property, they receive an unexpected challenge from his ten-year-old neighbor in this family-oriented drama that shows a little love can go a long way. After being robbed of his family by a tragic fire, Jake opened his doors and his heart to the children of Glenwood Springs. Having learned a thing or two about helping others from his parents, who work as legal-aid attorneys, Jake's ten-year-old neighbor Keagan is troubled to learn that Jake's home is in jeopardy as land developers and government bureaucrats move in to make way for new developments in the neighborhood. Quickly organizing his friends into a powerful but peaceful protest force known as the "Glenwood Springs Kids Corp." Keagan and friends learn an important lesson in responsibility as they come to the aid of an old friend in need. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Notting Hill

Notting Hill

Starring: Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Emma Chambers, James Dreyfus, Gina McKee, Rhys Ifans, Tim McInnerny, Richard McCabe, Dylan Moran, Roger Frost, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Lorelei King, John Shrapnel, Clarke Peters, Arturo Venegas, Mischa Barton, Henry Goodman, Melissa Wilson, Emma Bernard, Sam West, Ann Beach, Alec Baldwin, Emily Mortimer
Director: Roger Michell

Certification: NR
Category: Romantic Comedy
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Running Time: 0:00

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Editorial Reviews - Notting Hill

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Can a beautiful and internationally famous American actress find happiness with a frumpy British bookstore clerk? She can -- at least for a while, it seems -- in Notting Hill. William Thacker (played by Hugh Grant) is a bookseller at a shop in the Notting Hill district in West London, who shares a house with an eccentric Welsh friend, Spike (Rhys Ifans). One day, William is minding the store when in strolls Anna Scott (Julia Roberts), a lovely and well-known actress from the United States who is in London working on a film. She buys a book from William, and she is polite and charming in the way a famous actress would be with a star-struck sales clerk. Their relationship would logically end there, if William didn't run out a few minutes later to buy some juice. While dashing back to the shop, he bumps into Anna on the street, spilling juice all over her blouse. Since he lives nearby, William politely offers to let her stop by his house to clean up; since William seems harmless enough, Anna agrees. When Anna has to stop back to pick up a bag she left at William's house, they kiss -- just in time for Spike to show up. A romance slowly blooms as his friends and family (not to mention the world at large) wonder out loud what he's doing dating a movie star. Notting Hill reunites Hugh Grant with producer Duncan Kenworthy and screenwriter Richard Curtis, who previously worked together on the international hit Four Weddings And A Funeral. Mark Deming

Notting Hill

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
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Running Time: 2:04

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The Nutty Professor

The Nutty Professor

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Coburn, Larry Miller, Dave Chappelle, John Ales, Lisa Boyle, Tony Carlin, Chao Li Chi, Athena Massey, Doug Williams, Patricia Wilson
Director: Tom Shadyac

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Comedy
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Running Time: 1:35

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Editorial Reviews - Nutty Professor

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Eddie Murphy gives one of Jerry Lewis' best-remembered vehicles a 1990s overhaul in this hit comedy. Sherman Klump (Murphy) is a college professor and respected biochemistry researcher who is kind, considerate, and a genuinely nice guy. Sherman is also appallingly overweight; coupled with the fact that he's painfully shy and a bit clumsy, his romantic prospects are rather bleak. When Sherman finds himself working with a pretty graduate student, Carla Purty (Jada Pinkett), he falls in love and is eager to impress her, but at an upscale nightclub, his weight attracts the attention of an insult comic (Dave Chappelle) and his bumbling spoils the evening. Sherman's latest project is a genetic weight loss formula, and despondent over his failure to win Carla's heart, he subjects himself to a massive dose. Suddenly, Sherman is transformed into the slim, trim, and handsome Buddy Love; however, the drug also boosts his testosterone level, turning the likable Sherman into the arrogant, skirt-chasing Buddy. In addition to playing Sherman and Buddy, Eddie Murphy also plays four other members of the porcine Klump family, as well as eccentric exercise guru Lance Perkins. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Nutty Professor

The Nutty Professor

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Jada Pinkett, James Coburn, Larry Miller, Dave Chapelle
Director: Tom Shadyac

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Movies
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Running Time: 1:36

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video Tom Shadyac (Liar Liar) directed Eddie Murphy in his raucous and inventive "comeback" film, a loose remake of the 1963 Jerry Lewis original. Murphy puts on full-body makeup to play Sherman Klump, a grossly fat college chemistry professor who creates a drug that releases the skinny person within. As in the original (when Lewis morphed into a caricature of former partner Dean Martin) the thin scenes are the most interesting, as the thrill of being handsome turns this sweet schlep into a club-crawling creep named Buddy Love. Jada Pinkett is the dream girl who loves Klump for himself, even after the potion wears off. Apart from some juicy fart jokes, a virtual trumpet concerto that erupts during a virtuoso family dinner scene (in which Murphy plays several roles), the humor is fairly gentle--although young children may find the presto-chango makeup effects alarming. For an effective, flat-out horror treatment of a similar theme, try the Stephen King adaptation Thinner. --David Chute

Old Yeller

Old Yeller

Starring: Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, Chuck Connors, Jeff York, Beverly Washburn, Spike
Director: Robert Stevenson

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Drama - Coming of Age
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Running Time: 1:23

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Editorial Reviews - Old Yeller

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One of the great boy-and-his-dog yarns, this Disney classic has moved generations of children and adults to tears with its legendary conclusion. The story, based on a novel by Fredrick B. Gipson, concerns a frontier lad (Tommy Kirk) who develops a kinship with a stray mutt as he attempts to carry out his absent father's responsibilities. The horror of rabies and the vulnerability of a mother and two young boys living alone on a remote homestead lend a hint of darkness to this otherwise buoyant coming-of-age tale. Veteran performers Fess Parker and Dorothy McGuire acquit themselves nicely as the loving parents (particularly the delicate McGuire), but the kids carry the film. Future teen idol Kirk was at his most endearing here, cute without being cloying, and convincing as a child forced to accept an adult role for which he is not sure he's ready. And, of course, there is Old Yeller himself. One of the screen's most charismatic canines, he cocks his head and fights bears in a manner that will forever win the hearts of young viewers. Amy Robinson

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Based on the novel by Fred Gipson, the story is set in Texas in 1869. While his father is away on a cattle drive, 15-year-old Tommy Kirk takes over management of the family farm. Adopting a "strictly business" policy, Kirk is irritated when younger brother Moochie Corcoran adopts a frisky stray dog. But soon Kirk is as fond of the dog as everyone else in the family; moreover, "Old Yeller" is an excellent watchdog. But while fighting off a mad wolf, Yeller is infected with rabies. Though Yeller seems unaffected at first, he eventually behaves so viciously that the disheartened Kirk has no choice but to shoot the dog. A heart-to-heart talk between Kirk and his returning father (Fess Parker), coupled with the adoption of a new pup, paves the way to an emotional but reasonably happy ending. Earning $8 million domestically on its first release, Old Yeller convinced Walt Disney to devote more and more time to live-action films and less time to animation-which at the time was a sagacious business move. In 1963, Disney released a lesser sequel to Old Yeller titled Savage Sam. Hal Erickson

On Golden Pond

On Golden Pond

Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Doug McKeon, Dabney Coleman, William Lanteau, Chris Rydell
Director: Mark Rydell

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Drama - General
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Running Time: 1:49

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Editorial Reviews - On Golden Pond

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There's little that happens in On Golden Pond that isn't thoroughly predictable from the start, but the film is blessed with so much star power, charm and honest sentiment that everyone in the audience is willing to ignore the cliches and go the distance. In his last film, Henry Fonda plays Norman Thayer, a cranky 80-year-old retired professor, making his annual pilgrimage with his wife Katharine Hepburn (in her only teaming with Henry Fonda) to their New England summer cottage. Their solitude is interrupted when the couple's daughter Chelsea (Jane Fonda) arrives with her fiance Bill (Dabney Coleman) and his son Doug McKeon in tow. It takes a while, but Jane Fonda and Coleman, about to go on a vacation of their own, persuade Henry Fonda and Hepburn to take care of McKeon. Henry Fonda and the kid dislike each other from Square One, and it looks as though this summer (which may very well be Henry Fonda's last) will be a depressing experience. Gradually, Henry Fonda and McKeon grow to love one another; their bond is strengthened during a near-fatal accident while fishing. It is through the warm relationship between Henry Fonda and the boy that the old man and his daughter Jane Fonda are at last able to display affection towards each other--the first time they've done so in years. Gorgeously photographed by Billy Williams, On Golden Pond is a wonderful valedictory for Henry Fonda, who died not long after the film's completion; Katharine Hepburn has less to do, but few can do so much with so little. Academy Awards were bestowed upon Henry Fonda, Hepburn, and screenwriter Ernest Thompson (who adapted the film from his stage play). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Only You

Only You

Starring: Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr., Bonnie Hunt, Joaquim de Almeida, Fisher Stevens, Billy Zane, Adam Le Fevre, John Benjamin Hickey, Siobhan Fallon, Antonia Rey, Phyllis Newman, Gianfranco Barra, Barbara Cupisti, Fiorenzo Fiorentini, Diane Jones, Fausto Lombardi, Sergio Pierattini, K.J. Roberts, Mattia Sbragia, Renato Scarpa, Shari Summers
Director: Norman Jewison

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Romance - general
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Running Time: 1:48

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Editorial Reviews - Only You

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A woman throws caution to the wind in the pursuit of the man of her dreams -- whom she's never met -- in this romantic comedy. Eleven-year-old Faith (Tammy Minoff) and her cousin Kate (Jessica Hertel) are playing with a Ouiji Board when Faith asks who she will marry -- the magic oracle answers "DAMON BRADLEY," and Faith is convinced that she will one day meet this ideal love. Fifteen years later, Faith (Marisa Tomei) has yet to meet her perfect man and has settled for Dwayne (John Benjamin Hickey), a sweet but boring foot doctor whom she's engaged to marry, with Kate (Bonnie Hunt) helping her plan the festivities. The day before the ceremony, Faith gets a call from one of the groom's friends, who won't be able to attend because he's travelling to Italy instead -- and his name is Damon Bradley. Convinced that fate is trying to tell her something, Faith hops on the next flight to Venice, where she searches for the elusive Damon, and along the way meets the charming Peter Wright (Robert Downey, Jr.). This was Tomei and Downey's second romantic pairing, following their roles in the biopic Chaplin. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Overboard

Overboard

Starring: Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Edward Herrmann, Katherine Helmond, Michael Hagerty, Roddy McDowall, Jared Rushton, Jeffrey Wiseman, Brian Price, Jamie Wild, Frank Campanella, Harvey Miller, Bill Applebaum, Marvin Braveman, Frank Buxton, Ray Combs, Ed Cree, Lucinda Crosby, Hector Elizondo, Paul Fonteyn, Antonio Garcia, Robert Goldman, Doris Hess, Lisa Hunter, Israel Juarbe, Mona Lyden, Scott Marshall, Robert Meadows, Julie Paris, Lisa Beth Ross, Bing Russell, Richard Stahl, Keith Syphers, Don Thompson, Paul Tinder, Carol Williard, Tim Wright, Tom Wright, The Wright Brother's Band
Director: Garry Marshall

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Comedy of Errors
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Running Time: 1:52

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Editorial Reviews - Overboard

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This screwball comedy casts real-life couple Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn in a film that finds the latter returning to her roots in a role reminiscent of Private Benjamin (1980). Hawn stars as Joanna Stayton, a snooty heiress who summons carpenter Dean Proffitt (Russell) to her lavish yacht, where she wants an expanded closet constructed that will house her valuable wardrobe. When Dean fails to build the closet out of cedar, Joanna haughtily dismisses him without payment. Later, Joanna falls overboard and is struck by another boat, causing amnesia. Seeing her story on the news, Dean constructs an elaborate scheme to pretend that Joanna is his wife, Annie. Soon, the former rich snob is cleaning Dean's home and babysitting his four rambunctious boys. Although at first she's a disaster, "Annie" grows into her role and begins to love being a mom and middle-class wife. When her real husband, Grant (Edward Herrmann), comes looking for her, however, her memory is jogged, and she must decide between a life of privileged ease and a life of happy housework. Overboard was the feature-film debut of writer Leslie Dixon, the granddaughter of famed photographer Dorothea Lange. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Pale Rider

Pale Rider

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress, Chris Penn, Richard Dysart, Richard Kiel, Sydney Penny, Doug McGrath, John Russell, Mike Adams, Loren Adkins, Keith Dillin, Billy Drago, Terrence Evans, Jay K. Fishburn, Tom Friedkin, Jerry Gatlin, S.A. Griffin, Charles Hallahan, Richard Hamilton, Cliff Happy, Gene Hartline, Jim Hitson, John Dennis Johnston, Jeffrey Josephson, Allen Keller, Chuck La Font, Clay Lilley, Ross Loney, Fritz Manes, Mike McGaughy, Marvin J. McIntyre, Mike Munsey, Milton Murrill, Lloyd Nelson, Thomas Oglesby, George Orrison, Graham Paul, Herman Poppe, Jack Radosta, Larry Randles, Frank Ryan, R.L. Tolbert, Buddy Van Horn, Jeffrey Weissman, Robert Winley, Glenn Wright, Kathleen Wygle
Director: Clint Eastwood

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Outlaw/Gunfighter Film
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Running Time: 2:00

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Editorial Reviews - Pale Rider

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A mysterious and possibly otherworldly stranger comes to the rescue of a frontier town in this Western, which was strongly influenced by the George Stevens classic, Shane. The peace of a small mining community is shattered when Coy LaHood (Richard Dysart), the ruthless proprietor of a powerful strip-mining company, arrives in town with his son Josh (Christopher Penn) and a posse of hired guns to drive out the townspeople and take control of the territory. Megan (Sydney Penny), a young girl whose pet was killed in the melee, prays to God for someone to defend the village from the marauders; soon, the Preacher (Clint Eastwood) arrives on a pale horse, and joins forces with Hull Barrett (Michael Moriarty), the unofficial leader of the miners and one of the few who attempts to defend himself, to take a stand against LaHood and his men. As the Preacher and Barrett try to organize the miners to fight the invaders, both Megan and her mother Sarah (Carrie Snodgrass) find they're drawn to the Preacher, who keeps to himself and seems to have more than his share of secrets. Pale Rider was also directed by leading man Clint Eastwood; it was his first Western as both director and star since the acclaimed The Outlaw Josey Wales. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Parent Trap

The Parent Trap

Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson, Elaine Hendrix, Lisa Ann Walter, Simon Kunz, Polly Holliday, Maggie Wheeler, Ronnie Stevens, Erin Mackey, Joanna Barnes
Director: Nancy Meyers

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Comedy of Errors
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Running Time: 2:07

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Editorial Reviews - Parent Trap

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The husband-and-wife team of Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer, who scored with their 1991 remake of the 1950 Father of the Bride, returned for this updating of the 1961 comedy about twins who hope to bring their divorced parents back together. Sheyer and Meyers stayed close to the original screenplay by David Swift, based on Erich Kastner's book Das Doppelte Lottchen. At a summer camp in Maine, 11-year-old Hallie Parker (Lindsay Lohan) meets Annie James (also Lindsay Lohan). Despite a curious resemblance, Hallie develops an immediate dislike for Annie, and the feeling is mutual. However, the two eventually discover they are twin sisters separated not long after they were born. Their parents, Elizabeth (Natasha Richardson) and Nick (Dennis Quaid), had met on the Queen Elizabeth 2 and married on that same voyage. After a divorce, Nick brought up Hallie at his Napa Valley vineyard, while Annie lived with wedding-gown designer Elizabeth in London. Neither twin was aware she had a sister, until their summer-camp meeting. To learn more about their parents, they switch places and maintain the deception until Nick states he will remarry. The twins then try to engineer a renewed romance between Nick and Elizabeth, but Nick's annoying but attractive fiancee Meredith (Elaine Hendrix) presents a major problem in reaching their happy-ending goal. Hayley Mills portrayed the twins in the 1961 original and subsequent TV-movie sequels: In The Parent Trap II (1986), the twins are adults with their own romantic problems. In The Parent Trap III (1989), the twins compete for a widower (Barry Bostwick), the father of triplets, and that same year, the twins also returned in Parent Trap Hawaiian Honeymoon (1989). ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Patch Adams

Patch Adams

Starring: Robin Williams, Daniel London, Monica Potter, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bob Gunton
Director: Tom Shadyac

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Movies
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Running Time: 1:55

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Patch Adams raises two schools of thought: There are those who are inspired by the true story of a troubled man who finds happiness in helping others--a man set on changing the world and who may well accomplish the task. And then there are those who feel manipulated by this feel-good story, who want to smack the young medical student every time he begins his silly antics.

Staving off suicidal thoughts, Hunter Adams commits himself into a psychiatric ward, where he not only garners the nickname "Patch," but learns the joy in helping others. To this end, he decides to go to medical school, where he clashes with the staid conventions of the establishment as he attempts to inject humor and humanity into his treatment of the patients ("We need to start treating the patient as well as the disease," he declares throughout the film). Robin Williams, in the title role, is as charming as ever, although someone should tell him to broaden his range--the ever-cheerful do-gooder à la Good Will Hunting and Dead Poets Society is getting a little old. His sidekick Truman (Daniel London) steals the show with his gawky allure and eyebrows that threaten to overtake his lean face--he seems more real, which is odd considering that Patch Adams does exist and this film is based on his life. Monica Potter is the coolly reluctant love interest, and she makes the most of her one-dimensional part. While moments of true heartfelt emotion do come through, the major flaw of this film is that the good guys are just so gosh-darn good and the bad ones are just big meanies with no character development. Patch Adams, though, does provide the tears, the giggles, and the kooky folks who will keep you smiling at the end. --Jenny Brown

From The New Yorker
Embarrassing rubbish about a medical student (Robin Williams) who rebels against med-school routines and cuts a hole in red enema bulbs and places them on his nose in order to cheer up patients, including young children with cancer. The clowning is alleged to make a serious difference in the patients' health. Written by Steve Oedekerk and directed by Tom Shadyac (both onetime Jim Carrey collaborators), this shameless piece of sentimentality is indignantly on the side of feelings and spontaneity and against coldhearted technique, as if those were the only two choices in training doctors. Based on a memoir by Hunter Doherty Adams, a genuine doctor who, an end title informs us, runs an organization in West Virginia, devoted to free treatment and loving care, called the Gesundheit Institute. -David Denby
Copyright ® 2006 The New Yorker

Patch Adams

Patch Adams

Starring: Robin Williams, Daniel London, Monica Potter, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bob Gunton, Josef Sommer, Irma P. Hall, Frances Lee McCain, Harve Presnell, Daniella Kuhn, Jake Bowen, Peter Coyote, James Greene, Michael Jeter, Harold Gould, Richard Kiley, Ryan Hurst
Director: Tom Shadyac

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Biographical Feature
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Running Time: 2:00

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Editorial Reviews - Patch Adams

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While Robin Williams has demonstrated an almost preternatural ability to sublimate his well-established comic persona when essaying dramatic roles, the thoroughly enjoyable Patch Adams is one of those rare movies that allows him to play a memorable character who's alternately silly and solemn. He's perfectly cast as real-life doctor Hunter "Patch" Adams, the sawbones with a smile. Patch believes heartily in the healing power of humor, which he dispenses regularly to patients over the objections of a staid, established medical establishment (personified by one of Patch's dour instructors, played by prolific, talented character actor Daniel London). Monica Potter registers strongly as a skeptical fellow student eventually won over by Patch's unusual approach to medicine. Director Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) rates high marks for deftly combining slower, dramatically potent scenes with those relying on fast-paced improvisational comedy. Frequently sidesplitting, but also profoundly moving in spots, Patch Adams provides a dazzling showcase for one of the screen's most popular and innovative stars. The two-disc "Ultimate Edition" provides the feature in both wide-screen and full-frame configurations, along with commentary by Shadyac, deleted scenes, outtakes, a photo gallery, storyboard-to-scene comparisons, a making-of featurette, production notes, cast-crew biographies, behind-the-scenes footage, and a documentary, "The Medicinal Value of Laughter." Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
The fact-based story of an unconventional physician who attempted to heal patients with laughter, based on his own book and mixing equal doses of scatological humor and pathos. Robin Williams stars as Hunter Adams, a troubled young man who commits himself to a mental institution in the late 1960s. His experiences there convince Adams to become a doctor, and he enrolls in medical school, where he is appalled at the cold, clinical professionalism that alienates patients from their caregivers. Determined to provide emotional and spiritual relief as well as medicine, Adams clowns around for his patients, getting to know them personally. Although his efforts seem to work wonders and the hospital nursing staff is grateful for the levity Adams provides, his methods alienate his uptight roommate Mitch (Philip Seymour Hoffman) as well as the staff and faculty of his school. Adams perseveres, however, even starting his own low-cost rural clinic called the Gesundheit Institute, and wooing a pretty fellow student, Carin (Monica Potter). Tragedy strikes, and Adams' career is put in jeopardy, forcing him to defend his style and philosophy before a board of jurists determined to bar him from practicing medicine. Patch Adams (1998) was produced by former M*A*S*H (1972-83) star Mike Farrell, who met the real-life Adams when the offbeat doctor served as an advisor to the actor's popular TV series. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

The Patriot

The Patriot

Starring: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs, Chris Cooper, Tchéky Karyo, René Auberjonois, Lisa Brenner, Tom Wilkinson, Donal Logue, Leon Rippy, Adam Baldwin, Gregory Smith, Mika Boorem, Skye McCole Bartusiak, Trevor Morgan, Joey D. Vieira, Jay Arlen Jones, Beatrice Bush, Shannon Eubanks
Director: Roland Emmerich

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Historical Epic
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Running Time: 2:45

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Editorial Reviews - Patriot

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Reluctant hero Mel Gibson leads a ragtag militia against the might of the British army in this stirring, lavishly mounted historical epic set during the Revolutionary War. He's perfectly cast as Benjamin Martin, a colonial farmer, widowed father, and veteran of the French and Indian War who stubbornly resists joining the Continental Army. Martin eventually enters the conflict to save his eldest son, Gabriel -- played by charismatic young Heath Ledger (10 Things I Hate About You), a rebel courier captured by British troops. The loose-knit band of guerrillas he organizes bedevils the redcoat, and sets up the traditional bad guy vs. mad guy (Mel) climax. Director Roland Emmerich (Independence Day) re-creates the Revolution with scrupulous fidelity, vividly capturing the carnage and confusion of pitched battles that often took place in the backyards of colonial settlers. His historically accurate rebels are gentlemen farmers, vagabonds, and brigands, united by their disdain for the arrogant English king and determined to gain their freedom at any cost. Thematically similar to Gibson's Oscar-winning film Braveheart, The Patriot provides its popular leading man with a rousing vehicle for his considerable talents. The Special Edition DVD includes deleted scenes, storyboards, audio commentary, photo galleries, cast and crew bios, a featurette, and the theatrical trailer. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin, the director/producer team responsible for such sci-fi blockbusters as Independence Day, Stargate, and Godzilla, take a step back in time with this drama set during the American Revolution. Farmer Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) was born and raised in South Carolina, and fought bravely during the French-Indian wars. But since the death of his wife, Benjamin has renounced violence and quietly tends his crops, raising his seven children alone. In 1776, over Benjamin's objections, his oldest son Gabriel (Heath Ledger) joins the fight against the British. Gabriel returns from battle seriously wounded, with Lord General Cornwallis (Tom Wilkinson) calling for his arrest. A skirmish breaks out on Benjamin's plantation, and one of his children is killed as Gabriel is captured by Col. Tavington (Jason Isaacs) and sentenced to hang. Benjamin sets aside his vow of pacifism and rescues Gabriel; with the help of his former comrade-in-arms Harry Burwell (Chris Cooper), the father and son form a regiment of Carolina patriots whose cunning and ruthlessness make them heroes among the colonists -- and wanted men by British troops. Loosely adapted from the true story of Francis Marion and filmed on location in South Carolina, The Patriot was the first feature film made with the cooperation of the Smithsonian Institute, who advised the producers on historical accuracy. Joely Richardson also stars as Charlotte, Benjamin's sister-in-law who helps him care for the children. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Payback

Payback

Starring: Mel Gibson, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello, Deborah Kara Unger, David Paymer, James Coburn, Bill Duke, Jack Conley, William Devane, Kris Kristofferson, John Glover, Lucy Liu
Director: Brian Helgeland

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:50

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Editorial Reviews - Payback

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In Payback, a crook named Porter (Mel Gibson) is pulled into a heist by his old friend, Val (Brian De Palma regular Gregg Henry). As they're stealing $130,000 in laundered drug money from Chinese Triads, no one is going to call the police. Everything goes smoothly until Porter's wife, Lynn (Deborah Kara Unger), shoots Porter in the back. After Val had shown Lynn a photo of Porter in the arms of another girl (Maria Bello), the two planned the double-cross together to pay off Val's mob debts so he could return to "The Syndicate." They didn't plan well enough, though, because five months later Porter's back, a complete sociopath who wants his $70,000. Brian Helgeland, the screenwriter for L.A. Confidential and Conspiracy Theory, makes his directing debut with this adaptation of the novel The Hunter by Donald E. Westlake writing under the pseudonym Richard Stark. The same novel served as the basis for John Boorman's Point Blank starring Lee Marvin. Chris Gore

The Peacemaker

The Peacemaker

Starring: George Clooney, Nicole Kidman, Marcel Iures, Alexander Baluev, Rene Medvesek, Gary Werntz, Randall Batinkoff, Jim Haynie, Alexander Strobele, Holt McCallany, Michael Boatman, Joan Copeland, Carlos Goméz, Armin Mueller-Stahl
Director: Mimi Leder

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action Thriller
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:03

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Editorial Reviews - Peacemaker

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The first motion picture produced by DreamWorks SKG, The Peacemaker (1997) was a spy thriller that married the exotic locations and derring-do of James Bond with the high-tech obsession and post-Cold War politics of Tom Clancy. Greedy Russian military officers crash two trains into each other, the warheads aboard one causing a nuclear blast. The accident is a cover for the theft of some of the weapons for sale to terrorists and rogue governments. In the U.S., intelligence officer Lt. Col. Tom Devoe (George Clooney), isn't fooled. Neither is Dr. Julia Kelly (Nicole Kidman), the acting head of a White House task force on nuclear smuggling. Devoe and Kelly team up to find the nukes, and they are able to stop the transfer of the weapons in a raid at the Iranian border, but one warhead is missing. It's in the hands of Dusan Gavrich (Marcel Iures), a grief-stricken terrorist planning to call the world's attention to the war in the former Soviet Union with a nuclear explosion in Manhattan. Although fictional, The Peacemaker was based on the magazine article "One Point Safe" by Andrew Cockburn and Leslie Cockburn, a factual investigative news report about nuclear weapons smuggling in Russia. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

The Perfect Storm

The Perfect Storm

Starring: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, John C. Reilly, Diane Lane, William Fichtner, John Hawkes, Allen Payne, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Karen Allen, Cherry Jones, Bob Gunton, Christopher McDonald, Dash Mihok, Josh Hopkins, Michael Ironside, Rusty Schwimmer, Janet Wright
Director: Wolfgang Petersen

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Disaster Film
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:10

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Editorial Reviews - Perfect Storm

Barnes & Noble
A 1991 hurricane that ravaged the New England coast also took the lives of a half-dozen intrepid fishermen whose heroic struggle against the elements will keep viewers of The Perfect Storm on the edge of their seats. Director Wolfgang Peterson (Das Boot), no stranger to seafaring sagas, combines historical accounts with imaginative screenwriting to tell the story of the ill-fated Andrea Gail, the fishing vessel that went down with all hands in that monstrous "perfect storm." In his most effective big-screen work to date, George Clooney is utterly convincing as the beleaguered captain who's pressured into defying the storm to make a much-needed big catch. His shipmates, colorfully played by Mark Wahlberg, John C. Reilly, and William Fichtner among others, put aside their differences in the valiant struggle to make port safely. Peterson employs a combination of computer-generated effects and realistic water-tank scenes to stage scenes of the flailing Andrea Gail, and very nearly drowns his actors to make his point: that ordinary men, faced with danger and spurred by mutual resolve, can accomplish extraordinary things. The DVD's special features include audio commentary, documentaries (on both the storm and the film), web access, DVD-ROM content, photo gallery, storyboards, trailer, and scene access. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
In October 1991, a dying tropical hurricane from Bermuda collided with a cold front from the Great Lakes, resulting in a "perfect storm" of previously unknown destructive impact that resulted in 100-foot waves; tragically, the crew of a fishing boat was lost in the midst of the fearsome storm. Based on the best-selling book by Sebastian Junger, The Perfect Storm tells the story of the ship's brave and hard-working crew. Billy Tyne (George Clooney), captain of the Andrea Gail, hasn't had much luck finding catch on his most recent trips to sea, and with money short, he and his crew -- Bob Shatford (Mark Wahlberg), Dale Murphy (John C. Reilly), and David Sullivan (William Fichtner) set out again when they hear that the fish are running. Billy's hunch proves correct, but when the ship's refrigeration system goes haywire, they have to return to shore as quickly as possible before the fish spoil, sending them into the middle of the worst storm in history. The supporting cast includes Mary Elziabeth Mastrantonio, Diane Lane, Bob Gunton, and Karen Allen; Wolfgang Petersen, whose breakthrough film was the aquatic wartime drama Das Boot, directed. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

All Movie Guide
Director Wolfgang Peterson returns to form after the disappointing Air Force One (1997) with this taut, detailed account of 1991's "storm of the century." Though the film's landlocked melodrama never takes off -- most of it consists of the fishermen's significant others biting their nails and overacting -- the action at sea is tense, believable, and completely unrelenting. Peterson adeptly mixes CGI visual effects with impressive soundstage recreations and location footage, as he charts the doomed course of crazily-determined skipper Billy Tyne (George Clooney) and his more cautious neophyte crewman Bob Shatford (Mark Wahlberg, in a standout performance). Though the film's dark, complex set pieces have the potential to be murky and convoluted, Peterson never shortchanges the audience with confusing logistics, shaky camerawork, or jumpy editing. In every scene, there's a palpable, specific sense of the risk and danger involved -- so much so that James Horner's cloying score seems redundant and superficial. One particularly sore spot: the talented Karen Allen is underused as a yachtswoman caught in the eye of the storm; it's as if her scenes were left on the cutting-room floor. Michael Hastings

Phenomenon

Phenomenon

Starring: John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, Jeffrey DeMunn, Robert Duvall, Daniel Zacapa, Richard Kiley, Jewel Benedict, Betsy Berryhill, Ashley Buccille, Sage Callaway, Mariann V. Carothers, Jack Chouchanian, James Cotton, Cab Covay, Claudia Crespin, Justin Dipego, Troy Evans, Michael Forner, Tom Fridley, David Gallagher, Ellen Geer, Tony Genaro, Richard Gross, James Keane, Beth Kennedy, Anni Long, Tony A. Mattos, Susan Merson, Michael Milhoan, Joseph A. Nicosia, Elisabeth Nunziato, Sean O'Bryan, Carl Parker, Dan Partain, Will Prater, Isaac Reiswig, Vyto Ruginis, Mark Soper, Brent Spiner, Eric Tignini, Mark Valim, Bruce Young
Director: Jon Turteltaub

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:04

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Editorial Reviews - Phenomenon

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Director Jon Turteltaub followed up the hit While You Were Sleeping (1995) with this fantasy similar to Charly (1968) and a film from the previous year, Powder (1994). John Travolta stars as George Malley, a humble mechanic in a rural California town. On his 37th birthday, George celebrates at a pub with friends Nate (Forest Whitaker) and Doc (Robert Duvall), the local physician. When he steps outside, George observes a bright light in the sky that knocks him briefly unconscious. When he awakens, George has incredible intellectual powers. He checks books out of the library in armfuls, becomes an inventor, a psychic, has telekinetic powers, predicts an earthquake, and memorizes Portuguese in minutes. Using his newfound powers, George becomes a hero, but he can't totally win over the spooked townsfolk or the standoffish Lace (Kyra Sedgwick), a single mom burned by love once too often. As George's kindness breaks down Lace's reserve and a romance begins, his fame spreads, bringing him to the attention of the FBI and curious university scientists. Similarities between George's powers and the alleged benefits of Travolta's religion, Scientology, led to charges that the film was veiled pro-Scientology propaganda. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Philadelphia

Philadelphia

Starring: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Jason Robards Jr., Mary Steenburgen, Antonio Banderas, Ron Vawter, Joanne Woodward, Charles Napier, Andre B. Blake, Robert W. Castle, Daniel Chapman, Roger Corman, Ann Dowd, David Drake, Charles Glenn, Paul Lazar, John Bedford Lloyd, Roberta Maxwell, Warren Miller, Joey Perillo, Lauren Roselli, Anna Deavere Smith, Daniel Von Bargen, Tracey Walter, Bradley Whitford, Kathryn Witt, Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Obba Babatunde, Gene Borkan, Jordan Cael, Dodie Demme, Howard Feuer, Adam Le Fevre, Randy Aaron Fink, Tony Fitzpatrick, Ira Flitter, Gary Goetzman, Donna Hamilton, James B. Howard, Buzz Kilman, Jane Moore, Paul Moore, Harry Northrup, Lucas Platt, Robert Ridgely, Jim Roche, Stephanie Roth, Lisa Summerour, Kenneth Utt, Steve Vignari, Lewis Walker, Lawrence T. Wrentz
Director: Jonathan Demme

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

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Editorial Reviews - Philadelphia

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At the time of its release, Jonathan Demme's Philadelphia was the first big-budget Hollywood film to tackle the medical, political, and social issues of AIDS. Tom Hanks, in his first Academy Award-winning performance, plays Andrew Beckett, a talented lawyer at a stodgy Philadelphia law firm. The homosexual Andrew has contracted AIDS but fears informing his firm about the disease. The firm's senior partner, Charles Wheeler (Jason Robards), assigns Andrew a case involving their most important client. Andrew begins diligently working on the case, but soon the lesions associated with AIDS are visible on his face. Wheeler abruptly removes Andrew from the case and fires him from the firm. Andrew believes he has been fired because of his illness and plans to fight the firm in court. But because of the firm's reputation, no lawyer in Philadelphia will risk handling his case. In desperation, Andrew hires Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), a black lawyer who advertises on television, mainly handling personal injury cases. Miller dislikes homosexuals but agrees to take the case for the money and exposure. As Miller prepares for the courtroom battle against one of the law firm's key litigators, Belinda Conine (Mary Steenburgen), Miller begins to realize the discrimination practiced against Andrew is no different from the discrimination Miller himself has to battle against. The cast also includes Antonio Banderas as Andrew's partner, Joanne Woodward as Andrew's mother, and Stephanie Roth as Joe's wife. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Planet of the Apes

Planet of the Apes

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, Kris Kristofferson, Estella Warren, Paul Giamatti, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, David Warner, Erick Avari, Glenn Shadix, Lisa Marie, Charlton Heston
Director: Tim Burton

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Adventure Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 4:03

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Editorial Reviews - Planet of the Apes

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Tim Burton's opulent remake of the well-remembered sci-fi shocker bears even less resemblance to Pierre Boulle's novel than did the 1968 original, but it's a visually stunning, intensely absorbing film in its own right. Mark Wahlberg plays an American astronaut stationed aboard a space station in the year 2029. An abortive deep-space rescue mission ends with him crash-landing on an Earth-like planet ruled by intelligent, fierce, talking apes who have enslaved their world's human inhabitants. Supermodel Estella Warren is fetching as Wahlberg's same-species vis-à-vis, but the ape characters -- sporting unbelievably authentic-looking prosthetic makeup created by Oscar winner Rick Baker -- are far more interesting. Submerged beneath pounds of rubber and fur, an unrecognizable Helena Bonham Carter nonetheless shines as a sympathetic simian member of the ruling class. Her subtle performance contrasts nicely with that of Tim Roth, who's marvelously malevolent as a power-seeking commander of the warrior apes. Director Burton (Sleepy Hollow) imposes his unique point of view on the material and occasionally slips into the darkly satirical mind-set that characterizes much of his screen work. But his vision of the ape world and its societal conventions is dazzling in its originality, which makes this Planet well worth visiting. The two-disc DVD Special Edition offers commentaries by Burton and composer Danny Elfman and presents the film in an enhanced viewing mode that permits viewers to jump to behind-the-scenes material at intervals of their own choosing. Other extras include an HBO First Look program, five extended scenes, six featurettes on various aspects of the production, art and photo galleries, multiangle looks at isolated scenes, and DVD-ROM content (including script/storyboard comparisons). Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
This big budget "re-imagining" of the 1968 original departs somewhat from both that classic science fiction film and the source novel by author Pierre Boulle. Mark Wahlberg stars as Leo Davidson, an astronaut of the early 21st century whose unauthorized mission to rescue a chimp companion from a mysterious space storm goes awry when he and his ship are lost through a rip in the fabric of time. Leo crash-lands on a planet where intelligent, talking apes are the dominant species and humans a conquered slave class. Befriending both a chimpanzee activist named Ari (Helena Bonham Carter), who's sympathetic to humans, and a beautiful human rebel, Daena (Estella Warren), Leo quickly becomes a prominent figure of resistance to his fellow humans. This makes him an instant source of irritation for the militant and ambitious General Thade (Tim Roth) and his trusted adjutant, Attar (Michael Clarke Duncan), who intend to hunt Leo down and crush the burgeoning human uprising. War looms between ape and human as Leo and his band head for a sacred site deep in an off-limits desert, where secrets about the planet's ape and human ancestry wait to be revealed. Planet of the Apes is directed by Tim Burton and features the original film's star, Charlton Heston, in a cameo role as the dying father of Thade. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

New York Times
[Tim] Burton, working with the screenwriters William Broyles Jr., Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal, allows for glimmers of wit and energy, and the film's first five minutes are a graceful sprint of entertainment and information; not a motion is wasted. Elvis Mitchell

Pocahontas

Pocahontas

Starring: Irene Bedard, Mel Gibson, Judy Kuhn, Linda Hunt, Russell Means, David Ogden Stiers, Joe Baker, Christian Bale, Billy Connolly, John Kassir, Danny Mann, Michelle St. John, Gondon Tootoosis, Frank Welker
Director: Mike Gabriel

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Animated Musical
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:30

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Editorial Reviews - Pocahontas

Barnes & Noble
Disney followed up The Lion King, its first animated feature based on an original story, with its first such film based on a historical figure, the Indian princess Pocahontas. The strong-willed, free-spirited heroine (voiced by Irene Bedard) listens to the spirits and reckons they're telling her to follow a path other than what her father, Chief Powhatan (Russell Means), intends for her. A saga of passion and prejudice, Pocahontas is a love story in which the heroine defies Powhatan's plans when English adventurer John Smith arrives on Virginia's shores, speaking and singing in the lusty, robust voice of Mel Gibson. Accompanying Smith is a shipload of encroaching settlers led by a gold-digging colonial governor named Ratliffe (David Ogden Stiers); greed and cultural differences threaten to escalate into hatred and violence until Pocahontas defies her father to intervene. The tale treats the native Powhatan tribe with respect, even as it takes liberties with history and adds animal sidekicks for comic relief. This 2005 reissue is a marked improvement over the original Pocahontas DVD release, with the original theatrical version of the film as well as a 10th Anniversary Edition. The latter restores to the film the lovely ballad, "If I Never Met You," which Smith sings to Pocahontas on the eve of his scheduled execution (audience restlessness in test screenings spelled its deletion). Archival treasures include an early "presentation reel" of the film-in-progress, storyboarded deleted scenes, and a 1995 segment devoted to the film's historic premiere in New York's Central Park (there's an uncomfortable line about the event requiring enough electricity "to light the World Trade Center"). Bedard hosts a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, and there is a segment about Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz's Oscar-winning musical score, which includes "Colors of the Wind." Audio commentaries further heighten appreciation for the animators' truly stunning work. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
History gets the Disney kiddie treatment and a politically correct interpretation in the studio's 33rd feature-length animated movie, the first to be based on actual events and people. Pocahontas (Irene Bedard) is the daughter of Algonquin chief Powhatan (Russell Means), who promises her in marriage to Kocoum, a brave whom she doesn't love. Pocahontas would rather be paddling in her canoe or wandering in the forest, communing with nature and her animal pals, Meeko, a raccoon, and the hummingbird Flit. When European settlers arrive, she becomes enamored of handsome John Smith (Mel Gibson). Their attraction is encouraged by Grandmother Willow (Linda Hunt), a talking tree. The situation between their peoples is tense, however, as the settlers, led by Governor Ratcliffe (David Ogden Stiers) desperately want the gold that they're sure the natives are concealing. When a dutiful sentry, Thomas (Christian Bale) follows Smith into the woods on one of his secret meetings with Pocahontas, a tragic mistake leads both groups to the brink of war. Only the love of Pocahontas and Smith can prevent bloodshed. Pocahontas (1995) was awarded two Oscars, for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score and Best Original Song for "Colors of the Wind." ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Pokémon the Movie: 2000

Pokémon the Movie: 2000

Starring: Veronica Taylor, Rachael Lillis, Addie Blaustein, Eric Stuart, Ed Paul, Michelle Goguen, Eric Rath, Neil Stewart, Ikue Otani, Ted Lewis
Director: Michael Haigney

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Children's Fantasy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:21

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Editorial Reviews - Pokémon the Movie: 2000

Barnes & Noble
The cartoon sensation that spawned the pocket monster revolution is back in this sequel to the first hit feature. This time around, Ash and the gang do battle against the Collector, a greedy Pokémon trainer whose master plan threatens the very balance of the world. Deviating from Pokémon's typical Saturday-morning format, the film creates a stunning cinematic experience, interspersing cartoon fare with amazing computer-generated imagery, in addition to suspense, emotion, and character development not usually found in the television program. A strong child hero, ten-year-old Ash Ketchum remains remarkably poised after being chosen as savior of the world, and parents will appreciate the ideals he learns: Believe not only in your own power but also in the power of friendship and teamwork, which is often found in the most unlikely places -- in this case, archfoes Team Rocket. Pokémon: The Movie 2000 also features an entertaining musical short, "Pikachu's Rescue Adventure." Patricia Kim O'Cone

All Movie Guide
The internationally popular toy, comic book, and video game characters who stormed the big screen in the surprise hit Pokemon: The First Movie are back in this Japanese anime feature. Lawrence III, who collects the elusive creatures known as Pokemon, will become the greatest Pokemon trainer on Earth if he can capture and tame Lugia, a huge Pokemon of the sea. Lugia's powers are so great that they could destroy the world if they fell into the wrong hands, so lead trainer Ash and his friends must stop Lawrence's dangerous quest before it's too late. Pokemon the Movie: 2000 was originally released in Japan in 1999 under the title Poketto monsutaa: Maboroshi no Pokemon X: Lugia Bakudan, which translates as "Pocket Monsters The Movie: The Phantom Pokemon: Lugia's Explosive Birth." The U.S. release of Pokemon the Movie: 2000 was paired with a short subject, Pikachu's Rescue Adventure. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Pokémon: the First Movie

Pokémon: the First Movie

Starring: Veronica Taylor, Philip Bartlett, Rachael Lillis, Eric Stuart, Addie Blaustein, Ikue Otani
Director: Kunihiko Yuyama

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Children's Fantasy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:15

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Editorial Reviews - Pokémon: the First Movie

Barnes & Noble
Of course, young Pokémon lovers eager to "catch 'em all" will want to own this phenomenally popular franchise's inevitable First Movie. Parents take note, however, that this launch vehicle for Pokémon No. 151, the bioengineered Mewtwo, is darker in tone and more intense than the TV series. In despair over its own existence, Mewtwo rebels against its makers and unleashes a breed of other fierce Pokémon clones. Ash Ketchum, aspiring Pokémon master, and his companions Brock and Misty, are summoned along with other trainers to Mewtwo's remote island lair to engage in the ultimate battle -- one in which such beloved characters as Pikachu (the Elmo of Pokémon world) get seriously slapped around. More appropriate for preschool fans is "Pikachu's Vacation," a surreal 20-minute featurette that precedes the movie on the video and DVD. Other bonus features include a sneak preview of Pokémon: The Movie 2000 and a 10-minute segment, "The Story of Mewtwo's Origin." An exclusive Pokémon trading card is included in each package. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
Pokémon, the lovable little characters who have become favorites in video games, TV cartoons, comic books, and toys, comes to the big screen with this animated feature film. In a fantastic alternate universe, there are 151 different varieties of the creatures called Pokemon, each with its own unique talents. Many humans attempt to capture the Pokemon and train them; the top trainers can teach the critters how to capture and train other Pokemon, making them Pokemon Masters. Ash Ketchum is one of the leading Pokemon Masters, and with his friends Misty, Brock, and Pikachu (a Pokemon with electrical powers), he discovers Mewtwo, a super-powered Pokemon created through biological engineering. Mewtwo has powers of which a mere Pokemon can only dream, and when he uses his skills to create even more super-Pokemon, Ash and his Pokemon friends must join forces to battle for survival. A major box-office success when released in Japan in 1998, Pokemon the First Movie was accompanied for its 1999 U.S. release by a 22-minute short subject, Pikachu's Vacation. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Presumed Innocent

Presumed Innocent

Starring: Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy, Raul Julia, Bonnie Bedelia, Paul Winfield, Greta Scacchi, John Spencer, Joe Grifasi, Sab Shimono, Jesse Bradford, Kimberleigh Aarn, Peter Appel, Madison Arnold, Reodorina Bello, J. Bennett, Thom Cagle, Joseph Carberry, Janis Corsair, Rick de Furia, Christine Estabrook, Allison Field, Ronald C. Frazier, Leland Gantt, Michael Genet, Carla Goff, Anna Maria Horsford, Robert Katims, Tom Mardirosian, Joseph Mazzello, Julia Meade, DeAnn Mears, Richard L. Mewcomb, Ted Neustadt, John Ottavino, Ricky Rosa, Bo Rucker, John Seitz, Tucker Smallwood, Michael Tolan, Victor Truro, John Vennema, Miles Watson, Ed Wheeler, Bradley Whitford, Elisabeth Williams, Bill Winkler, David Wohl, Jeffrey Wright
Director: Alan J. Pakula

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Courtroom Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:07

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Editorial Reviews - Presumed Innocent

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Rusty Sabich (Harrison Ford) is a bland, oppressed man who burns with a quiet, corrosive intensity that can flare uncontrollably. A Philadelphia prosecutor, Sabich's fire seems to have one outlet: his job. He loves prosecuting people. Otherwise, his life is dead-ended. He has a loveless marriage to a neurotic woman (Bonnie Bedelia) and an overbearing boss (Brian Dennehy) in a labyrinthine law enforcement world of corruption and twisted relationships. Then Carolyn Polhemus (Greta Scacchi) comes into his life. Lovely and seductive, Polhemus easily entices him to break his marital vows, but she schemes to get him to try for his boss' job. When he refuses, she leaves him. When she turns up dead, the victim of an apparent rape-murder, clues begin to point to Sabich. His blood type almost perfectly matches that in the semen found in the victim, carpet fibers at the crime scene match those found in his house, and most damning, his fingerprints are found on a beer glass in Polhemus' apartment. His protestations of innocence ignored, Sabich is put on trial for the murder and hires his biggest adversary (Raul Julia) to defend him. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., Rovi

Pretty Woman

Pretty Woman

Starring: Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Ralph Bellamy, Jason Alexander, Laura San Giacomo, Hector Elizondo, Alex Hyde-White, Amy Yasbeck, Patrick Richwood, Larry Miller, Elinor Donahue, William Gallo, Hank Azaria, Larry Hankin, R. Darrell Hunter, Dey Young, Stacy Keach Sr., Lucinda Crosby, Nancy Locke, Amzie Strickland, Mariann Aalda, Reed Anthony, Bill Applebaum, Valorie Armstrong, Judith Baldwin, Daniel Bardol, Mychael Bates, Tracy Bjork, Marvin Braveman, Laurelle Brooks, Minda Burr, Karin Calabro, Frank Campanella, John Carson, Cheri Caspari, Dianne Crittenden, James Patrick Dunne, Bruce Eckstut, R.C. Everbeck, Don Feldstein, Michael French, Lynda Goodfriend, Gary Greene, Rhonda Hansome, Rodney Kageyama, Harvey Keenan, Allan Kent, Barbara Knox, Norman Large, Kathi Marshall, Scott A. Marshall, Jeff Michalski, Jane Morris, Marty Nadler, Lloyd Nelson, Tom Nolan, Julie Paris, Robyn Peterson, Jason Randal, Abdul Salaam El Razaac, Tracy Reiner, Calvin Remsberg, Steve Restivo, Shane Ross, Alex Staltler, Douglas Stitzel, Patrick D. Stuart, Lloyd Williams, Carol Williard, Jacqueline Woolsey
Director: Garry Marshall

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:59

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Editorial Reviews - Pretty Woman

All Movie Guide
Self-involved corporate raider Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) has recently split up with his girlfriend. Seeking directions to the Beverly Hills Hotel, he makes the acquaintance of free-spirited hooker Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts) and decides to put her on a 3,000-dollar retainer as his "date." He Cinderellarizes her by bankrolling a full wardrobe and cosmetic makeover. Of course, the setup will be strictly platonic. A disarming modern-day fairy tale, Pretty Woman was the picture that made Julia Roberts a superstar. As charming as she is in her "giggling" sequences, Roberts' best scene is her triumphant return to a posh Rodeo Drive shop where she'd been previously snubbed. Keeping Pretty Woman afloat throughout is the buoyant direction of Garry Marshall and the always welcome presence of Marshall's stock company of actors, including Hector Elizondo as a stuffy but golden-hearted concierge. Pretty Woman began its life as a much darker story of prostitutes and homicidal drug dealers, but more box-office-savvy heads ultimately prevailed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction

Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, Christopher Walken, Maria de Medeiros, Frank Whaley, Quentin Tarantino, Angela Jones, Peter Greene, Alexis Arquette, Lawrence Bender, Don Blakely, Steve Buscemi, Paul Calderon, Eric Clark, Bronagh Gallagher, Michael Gilden, Kathy Griffin, Susan Griffiths, Stephen Hibbert, Brenda Hillhouse, Linda Kaye, Phil LaMarr, Lorelei Leslie, Karen Maruyama, Richard Miller, Joseph Pilato, Robert Ruth, Emil Sitka, Burr Steers, Julia Sweeney, Rich Turner, Venessia Valentino, Duane Whitaker
Director: Quentin Tarantino

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Crime - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:34

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Editorial Reviews - Pulp Fiction

Barnes & Noble
Just when American independent cinema seemed to be peaking in the mid-'90s, Pulp Fiction came in with a bullet, not only redefining the world that Hollywood called "small movies" but also Hollywood itself. Writer-director Quentin Tarantino's sophomore effort, following his 1992 cult hit Reservoir Dogs, was a studio executive's dream equation: star power (Bruce Willis and John Travolta, whose career turned around thanks to the film); a budget south of $10 million; plenty of action; and some of the slickest, wittiest dialogue this side of David Mamet. The film also caters to the critics, professional and otherwise, with knowing touches in every scene. Like Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless, Tarantino's film wears its influences on its sleeve -- pulp crime novels, '70s TV, and movies, movies, movies -- yet still offers a sensibility like none before it. The artfully fragmented narrative concerns a pair of philosophically inclined assassins (Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson) and a rebellious boxer (Willis), all in the employ of an imperious gangster (Ving Rhames) who holds sway in the sleazy underbelly of Los Angeles. In addition to a stellar supporting cast that includes Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken, Uma Thurman, Eric Stoltz, Roseanna Arquette, and Tim Roth, this much-imitated film also has a super-groovy soundtrack, with selections ranging from the Tornadoes' "Bustin' Surfboards" to Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man." Visceral yet chatty, gruesome yet hilarious, Pulp Fiction successfully straddles both mainstream and indie film realms, and it will likely be recalled as the most influential American film of its era. Monica McIntyre

All Movie Guide
Outrageously violent, time-twisting, and in love with language, Pulp Fiction was widely considered the most influential American movie of the 1990s. Director and co-screenwriter Quentin Tarantino synthesized such seemingly disparate traditions as the syncopated language of David Mamet; the serious violence of American gangster movies, crime movies, and films noirs mixed up with the wacky violence of cartoons, video games, and Japanese animation; and the fragmented story-telling structures of such experimental classics as Citizen Kane, Rashomon, and La jetée. The Oscar-winning script by Tarantino and Roger Avary intertwines three stories, featuring Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta, in the role that single-handedly reignited his career, as hit men who have philosophical interchanges on such topics as the French names for American fast food products; Bruce Willis as a boxer out of a 1940s B-movie; and such other stalwarts as Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Christopher Walken, Eric Stoltz, Ving Rhames, and Uma Thurman, whose dance sequence with Travolta proved an instant classic. ~ Leo Charney, Rovi

Pump up the Volume

Pump up the Volume

Starring: Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Ellen Greene, Scott Paulin, Cheryl Pollak, Andy Romano, Annie Ross, Mimi Kennedy, Mark Ballou, Jill Jarres, Lala, Ahmet Zappa, Dan Eisenstein, Nigel Gibbs, Seth Green, James Hampton, Clayton Landey, Steve Archer, Tony Auer, Gary Dubin, David C. Glasser, Robert Harvey, Judith Holstra, Allan Kolman, Juliet Landau, Jonathan Mazer, Matt McGrath, David McKnight, Billy Morrissette, Robert Schenkkan, Roger Scott, Lin Shaye, Marc Siegler, Lala Sloatman
Director: Allan Moyle

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Drama - Coming of Age
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:45

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Editorial Reviews - Pump up the Volume

All Movie Guide
Teenage angst finds a new voice in this drama. By day, Mark Hunter (Christian Slater) is a quiet, studious student at an ordinary suburban high school in Arizona. But at night, Mark creeps down into his basement, fires up his pirate radio transmitter, and broadcasts to the community as Hard Harry, a sexually obsessed social commentator who passes along angry philosophy about the state of teenage life when not blasting punk rock or gangsta rap cuts. Hard Harry's sworn nemesis is high school principal Mrs. Cresswood (Annie Ross), who keeps SAT scores up at the expense of her students' dignity and individuality by eliminating "troublemakers" from the student body. Hard Harry's broadcasts, however, have become a rallying point for the school's misfit underclass, and Mrs. Cresswood is determined to track down the mystery student and bring him to justice (broadcasting without a license, he's not merely an annoyance, but a criminal). The war against Hard Harry intensifies when he broadcasts data from confidential school board reports; Mark's father is a school commissioner, but he has no idea what his son is doing in the basement. Meanwhile, Mark gains the attentions of Nora (Samantha Mathis), who has figured out who he becomes at night. More serious and intelligent than the average teen film, Pump Up the Volume was written and directed by Allan Moyle, who previously dealt with disaffected, music-obsessed teens in Times Square and would return to them with Empire Records. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Raffi in Concert

Raffi in Concert

Starring: Bucky Berger, Mitchell Lewis, Dennis Pendrith, Raffi, Nancy Walker
Director: David Devine

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

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Editorial Reviews - Raffi in Concert

Barnes & Noble
Here's your ticket to three command performances by the children's music superstar. This disc includes three concerts that track Raffi's phenomenal rise, beginning with the 1984 solo outing "A Young Children's Concert." Such cherished Raffi chestnuts as "The More We Get Together," "Six Little Ducks," "Bumpin' Up and Down (In My Little Red Wagon)," "Shake My Sillies Out," and his signature "Baby Beluga" benefit from the performer's obvious joy in his work. "Raffi in Concert with the Rise and Shine Band" is a 1988 performance that captures Raffi-mania at its peak. His engaging repertoire includes traditional songs ("Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," "He's Got the Whole World"), multicultural songs ("De Colores"), and Raffi originals (including "All I Really Need," "Everything Grows," and "Rise and Shine"). The 1993 "Live on Broadway" show features much slicker production and finds Raffi adding environmental awareness to his mix of material with "Help This Planet Earth," "Evergreen, Everblue," and "Big Beautiful Planet/Clean Rain." What makes Raffi such a hit with children and adults is that he performs with genuine warmth and good-natured humor, and without a trace of condescension. A new generation of Raffi fans will cheer for encores of this captivating DVD collection. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
This performance film captures Raffi, perhaps the best known children's music performer of all time, in concert. With the Rise & Shine Band, the venerable performer stomps and shimmies through versions of 20 of his songs. Famous for mixing education with music, each song has a message, making children think as well as dance. ~ Rob Ferrier, Rovi

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Denholm Elliott, Paul Freeman, Wolf Kahler, John Rhys-Davies, Ronald Lacey, Anthony Higgins, Alfred Molina, Vic Tablian, Vic Armstrong, Peter Brace, Ishaq Bux, Anthony Chinn, Gerry Crampton, Jack Dearlove, Patrick Durkin, Jane Feinberg, Don Fellows, Mike Fenton, Martin Grace, Ted Grossman, Steve Hanson, Reg Harding, George Harris, William Hootkins, Billy Horrigan, Tutte Lemkow, Terry J. Leonard, Frank Marshall, Sergio Mioni, John Rees, Bill Reimbold, Terry Richards, Pat Roach, Matthew Scurfield, Mary Selway, Kiran Shah, Fred Sorenson, Eddie Tagoe, Rocky Taylor, Tony Vogel, Chuck Waters, Malcolm Weaver, Paul Weston, Bill Weston
Director: Steven Spielberg

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Adventure - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:55

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Editorial Reviews - Raiders of the Lost Ark

Barnes & Noble
When the dynamic duo of late-'70s popular cinema, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, announced they were teaming to do a film, audience expectations were high. Raiders of the Lost Ark, the result of their collaboration, did not disappoint. This humorous, fast-paced update of the old Saturday morning serials catapulted STAR WARS sidekick Harrison Ford into a whole other galaxy of superstardom as Indiana "Indy" Jones, a handsome University of Chicago archaeology professor. Indy races the Nazis across the globe to find the Ark of the Covenant, a holy artifact from ancient Israel that bestows almost unlimited power on its possessor. Raiders abounds with iconic images, and the action scenes -- from the boulder chase to the saber duel -- surprise, amaze, and zoom across the screen thanks to the Academy Award-winning editing of Michael Kahn. The special-effects wizards at George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic also won an Oscar for creating Egyptian tombs and the wrath of God, among other stunning visuals. Raiders of the Lost Ark set a new standard for action films. And while other films have pushed the action envelope, RAIDERS remains film's ultimate funhouse ride. Ben Wolf

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies, Ronald Lacey
Director: $11.49

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:55

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
It's said that the original is the greatest, and there can be no more vivid proof than Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first and indisputably best of the initial three Indiana Jones adventures cooked up by the dream team of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Expectations were high for this 1981 collaboration between the two men, who essentially invented the box office blockbuster with '70s efforts like Jaws and Star Wars, and Spielberg (who directed) and Lucas (who co-wrote the story and executive produced) didn't disappoint. This wildly entertaining film has it all: non-stop action, exotic locations, grand spectacle, a hero for the ages, despicable villains, a beautiful love interest, humor, horror... not to mention lots of snakes. And along with all the bits that are so familiar by now--Indy (Harrison Ford) running from the giant boulder in a cave, using his pistol instead of his trusty whip to take out a scimitar-wielding bad guy, facing off with a hissing cobra, and on and on--there's real resonance in a potent storyline that brings together a profound religious-archaeological icon (the Ark of the Covenant, nothing less than "a radio for speaking to God") and the 20th century's most infamous criminals (the Nazis). Now that's entertainment. --Sam Graham

Additional comment
This is a new title for the original Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Rain Man

Rain Man

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino, Gerald R. Molen, Jack Murdock
Director: Barry Levinson

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:14

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Rain Man is the kind of touching drama that Oscars are made for--and, sure enough, the film took Academy honors for best picture, director, screenplay, and actor (Dustin Hoffman) in 1988. Hoffman plays Raymond, an autistic savant whose late father has left him $3 million in a trust. This gets the attention of his materialistic younger brother, a hot-shot LA car dealer named Charlie (Tom Cruise) who wasn't even aware of Raymond's existence until he read his estranged father's will. Charlie picks up Raymond and takes him on a cross-country journey that becomes a voyage of discovery for Charlie, and, perhaps, for Raymond, too. Rain Man will either captivate you or irritate you (Raymond's sputtering of repetitious phrases is enough to drive anyone crazy), but it is obviously a labor of love for those involved. Hoffman had been attached to the film for many years, as various directors and writers came and went, but his persistence eventually paid off--kind of like Raymond in Las Vegas. Look for director Barry Levinson in a cameo as a psychiatrist near the end of the film. --Jim Emerson

Product Description
Dustin Hoffman is a 'triumph (People) in an Oscar®-winning* role, and Tom Cruiseis 'terrific (ABC Radio) in a film that's fascinating, touching and full of smart surprises (Newsweek)! Charlie Babbitt (Cruise) has just discovered he has an autistic brother named Raymond (Hoffman) and is now taking him on the ride of his life. Or is it the other way around? From his refusal to drive on major highways to a four minutes to Wapner meltdown at an Oklahoma farmhouse, Raymond first pushes hot-headed Charlie to the limits of his patience and then pulls him completely out of his self-centered world! But what began as an unsentimental journey for the Babbitt brothers becomes much more than the distance between two placesit's a connection between two vastly different people and a poignant, profound and powerful film (Joel Siegel, ABC-TV)! *1988: Actor

Rambo: First Blood Part II

Rambo: First Blood Part II

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Charles Napier, Julia Nickson, Steven Berkoff, Martin Kove, George Cheung, Andy Wood, Baoan Coleman, Don Collins, Tom Gehrke, William Ghent, Vojo Goric, Christopher Grant, Alain Hocquenghem, Dana Lee, Tony Munafo, William Rothlein, John Sterlini, Steven Williams
Director: George Pan Cosmatos

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action Thriller
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:33

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Editorial Reviews - Rambo: First Blood Part II

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The dark-horse box-office hit First Blood spawned this even more successful sequel in which Sylvester Stallone, reprising his role as ex-Green Beret loner John Rambo, is extricated from prison by his former superior Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna) for a top-secret operation to bring back POWs still held in Vietnam. Teamed up with a female Vietnamese freedom fighter (Julia Nickson), Rambo embarks on a "reconnaissance" mission. A love interest develops in the beautiful young guide -- she dies by enemy fire; he seeks revenge. Of course, there are also corrupt American officials behind the mission, and Rambo saves them for last. Over the course of the film, Rambo kills enough communist bad guys to fill the Rose Bowl, using everything from fishing line to exploding arrowheads to rocket launchers. Stallone mumbles, grunts, and groans his way through this laughable and often insulting film intended to exploit anti-communist fervor at the height of the Reagan years. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi

Random Hearts

Random Hearts

Starring: Harrison Ford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Charles S. Dutton, Bonnie Hunt, Dennis Haysbert, Sydney Pollack, Richard Jenkins, Paul Guilfoyle, Peter Coyote, Bill Cobbs, Susanna Thompson, Dylan Baker, Lynne Thigpen, Kate Mara, Ariana Thomas, Susan Floyd, Edie Falco, Reiko Aylesworth, Blair Brown, Jernard Burks, Kathleen Chalfant, S. Epatha Merkerson, Brooke Smith
Director: Sydney Pollack

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Psychological Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:13

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Editorial Reviews - Random Hearts

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Two people who've known the pain of loss and the sting of betrayal are brought together under trying circumstances in this romantic drama. Dutch van den Broeck (Harrison Ford) is a police detective based in Washington D.C. whose wife works for an upscale department store; flying to Miami on business, she dies shortly after takeoff in one of the worst aviation disasters in the city's history. However, Dutch finds out that his wife wasn't actually traveling on business: Kay Chandler (Kristin Scott Thomas) is a prominent political figure whose husband was also killed in the crash, and Dutch and Kay discover that their spouses were on the plane together because they were having an affair. Random Hearts was directed by Sydney Pollack, who also worked with Harrison Ford on his previous film, Sabrina. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Ransom

Ransom

Starring: Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Brawley Nolte, Gary Sinise, Delroy Lindo, Lili Taylor, Liev Schreiber, Donnie Wahlberg, Evan Handler, Michael Gaston, Paul Guilfoyle, Donna Hanover, Dan Hedaya, John Ortiz, Nancy Ticotin, José Zuñiga
Director: Ron Howard

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:00

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Editorial Reviews - Ransom

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Ron Howard directed this thriller which stars Mel Gibson as Tom Mullen, a former fighter pilot who built a ramshackle one-plane airline into a major multinational service fleet. Mullen has a multi-million dollar fortune, a beautiful wife, Kate (Rene Russo) and a nine-year-old son, Sean (Brawley Nolte) that he dotes on. However, Mullen's life comes crashing down around him when Sean is kidnapped. The FBI are called in, but Mullen is wary -- he was the recent target of an FBI investigation in which he was found to have bribed union officials while negotiating a contract. FBI Agent Hawkins (Delroy Lindo) advises Mullen to make the $2 million dollar drop to pay the kidnappers, which will make it easier to track the criminals, but when the tradeoff goes wrong, Mullen takes a new tactic -- he goes on television and offers a $2 million bounty for the heads of the people who kidnapped his child. Meanwhile, it becomes clear the kidnappers include Maris Connor (Lili Taylor), who once worked for the Mullens, and Jimmy Shaker (Gary Sinise), one of the cops who investigated Mullen for bribery. This remake of the 1956 Glenn Ford vehicle of the same name was scripted by Richard Price, who has a bit part as a police detective. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Red Planet

Red Planet

Starring: Val Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss, Tom Sizemore, Benjamin Bratt, Simon Baker, Terence Stamp
Director: Anthony Hoffman

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

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Editorial Reviews - Red Planet

Barnes & Noble
Earth's first manned expedition to Mars faces threats both internal and external in Red Planet, a suspenseful sci-fi thriller reminiscent of the sci-fi classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. The story gets underway in the year 2050, as our planet is dying and the colonization of Mars seems to be humanity's only hope for survival. When specialists dispatched to the Red Planet become stranded, barely repressed tensions and underlying human weaknesses come to the surface, jeopardizing the mission's success and putting the entire crew at risk. Val Kilmer plays an insouciant technician whose differences with strait-laced commander Carrie-Anne Moss are set aside once danger threatens. Benjamin Bratt, Tom Sizemore, and Terence Stamp deliver splendidly in supporting roles that are written a notch above the standard space fare. And first-time director Anthony Hoffman effectively employs, but is not subservient to, the film's impressive production design and convincing special effects. He's clearly more interested in the human element, and he establishes that the astronauts themselves might prove more menacing than malfunctioning robots or alien life forms. Hoffman's insight, some elaborate production mounting, and uniformly fine acting makes Red Planet an unusually gripping space opera. The DVD edition includes deleted scenes, cast and crew info, and the theatrical trailer. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
An effort to circumvent global catastrophe becomes a disaster in its own right in this science fiction thriller. In the year 2050, Earth is on the verge of ecological disaster, and the Mars Terraforming Project has been created in hopes of making our neighboring planet habitable so that a colony of Earthlings might begin a new civilization there. But the project goes awry, and Commander Kate Bowman (Carrie-Anne Moss) is put in charge of a rescue mission to set the system back on its feet. Bringing along astronaut Robby Gallagher (Val Kilmer) and scientists Dr. Quinn Burchenal (Tom Sizemore) and Dr. Bud Chantillas (Terrence Stamp), Bowman and her crew set out for Mars, but disaster strikes and the landing craft crashes into the red planet. The crew is stranded without communications as Bowman struggles to find a way to get them home; to make matters worse, the robot that was designed to serve and protect them has gone haywire, and is now attempting to hunt them down as prey. Red Planet was originally to have been released as Mars, but the producers changed the title to avoid confusion with Mission to Mars, released earlier the same year. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Return to Snowy River

Return to Snowy River

Starring: Tom Burlinson, Sigrid Thornton, Brian Dennehy, Nicholas Eadie, Bryan Marshall, Rhys McConnochie, Mark Hembrow, Peter Cummins, Cornelia Frances, Tony Barry, Geoff Beamish, John Bird, Peter Browne, Bruce Clarkson, Gerald Egan, Alan Hopgood, John Johnston, Charlie Lovick, Wayne Lovick, Mark Pennell, Robert Purcell, John Raaen, Cae Rees, Wyn Roberts, Derek Scott, Christopher Stevenson, Greg Stroud, Peter Tulloch, Nick Waters, Alec Wilson
Director: Geoff Burrowes

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Australia
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:39

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Editorial Reviews - Return to Snowy River

Barnes & Noble
The wealthy landowners from Australia's low country once again have a plan to stick it to the Man. The Man from Snowy River, that is, in this thundering sequel to the surprise 1982 hit of that name, which is a Barnes & Noble Family Adventure Fundamental. Tom Burlinson is back in the saddle as Australian folk hero Jim Craig, who returns after a three-year absence with 100 wild horses in tow and big plans, which include finally marrying Jessica Harrison, the "high-steppin' filly" once again portrayed by Sigrid Thornton. Rekindling their romance, though, also stokes the simmering feud between the landed gentry and the high-country folk. Jim's chief nemesis is a nasty banker's son who, besides being a snob ("You're out of your class here, Craig," he sneers), hightails it with Craig's horses after being spurned by Jessica. Like the first film, this is near-ideal family entertainment. The scenery is breathtaking, and the horses are magnificent. One stunt, involving Craig riding his beloved stallion down a steep mountain, is worthy of Tony Hawk. The chaste romance between the forthright Craig and the spirited Jessica makes this an ideal date movie for young teens. The PG rating is for a handful of mild profanities and one heartbreaking equine death. Devotees of the first film will be thrilled to add this to the video stable. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
Romance and adventure abound in this sequel to the popular Australian film The Man from Snowy River. The story takes up five years after the other ended. It is still the 1880s when Jim Craig returns to his humble mountain cabin after he rounds up a heard of mustangs in the hope that he will earn enough money to finally be able to marry Jessica. Unfortunately, Jessica's dad wants her to marry the banker's son. Now the two lovers must work long and hard to be together. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Richard Simmons Dance Your Pants Off!

Richard Simmons Dance Your Pants Off!

Starring: Richard Simmons
Director:

Certification: NR (MPAA)
Category: TV
User Rating:
Running Time: 0:56

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Richard Simmons, the great motivator, presents another light-intensity, low-impact, high-energy workout in the style of his popular Sweatin' to the Oldies series. Again live music is the focus--this time 1980s dance hits such as "Celebration," "Flashdance," "Gloria," "She Works Hard for the Money," and "Call Me." Just like in the Sweatin' videos, Simmons leads a large class of people of both genders and all shapes and sizes--all having the time of their lives dancing, singing, and cheering (their noisiness may grate on you after a while). Richard wears his signature shorts and tank top, and his followers wear multicolored casual clothes. The message is that it doesn't matter how you look or how much you weigh--just show up and dance! The dance-style choreography is matched to the music, but no moves require much coordination or memory. Simmons barely cues the changes--just watch and follow. This tape is a lot of fun, especially if you remember this music well enough to sing along! At the end of the tape, the performers dance down the center while we read their names and the amount of weight they've lost. Several have lost more than 100 pounds, and one woman has lost 282 pounds! (No, that's not a misprint.) Simmons is to be applauded for making exercise accessible and enjoyable to a whole population of people who didn't know that workouts could be fun. --Joan Price

The River

The River

Starring: Mel Gibson, Sissy Spacek, Shane Bailey, Becky Jo Lynch, Scott Glenn, Don Hood, James Tolkan, Bob W. Douglas, Jim Antonio, Billy Green Bush, Larry D. Farrell, Gary Gershaw, Ivan Green, David Hart, Elizabeth Lane, Barry Primus, Charlie Robinson, Amy Rydell, Lisa Sloan, Andy Stahl, Jack Starrett, Frank Taylor, Kelly Toomey, Susie Toomey, Dean Whitworth
Director: Mark Rydell

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Drama - General
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:04

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Editorial Reviews - River

All Movie Guide
This socially conscious family farm drama from director Mark Rydell was his follow up to the Oscar-winning On Golden Pond (1981). Mel Gibson and Sissy Spacek star as Tom and Mae Garvey, struggling Tennessee farmers constantly one step away from foreclosing. Their farm sits next to a river that both nourishes their land and constantly threatens to overflow its banks and destroy their crops. The Garveys sell some of their equipment for obscenely low prices at a foreclosure auction, at which some of their neighbors are forced to give up everything they own. The stoic Tom takes a job as a scab at a mill where the union workers are striking. Meanwhile, Mae has a platonic flirtation with local bank manager Joe (Scott Glenn), who saves her life when she's trapped under a heavy piece of farm equipment. Tom's homecoming is cut short by a flood, but the raging waters allow him to become a hero to his family again. The River was the third in a trio of dramas depicting the plight of the American family farmer released that same year. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

A River Runs Through It

A River Runs Through It

Starring: Craig Sheffer, Brad Pitt, Tom Skerritt, Brenda Blethyn, Emily Lloyd, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Edie McClurg, Stephen Shellen, Nicole Burdette, Susan Traylor, Vann Gravage, Chuck Adamson, Philip A. Braun, Rob Cox, David Creamer, Michael Cudlitz, Byron Dingman, MacIntyre Dixon, Jim Dunkin, Hawk Forssell, D. Gorton, William Hootkins, Don Jeffery, Prudence Johnson, Cecily Johnson, Rex Kendall, Margot Kiser, Martina Kreidl, Jack Kroll, Tracy Mayfield, Anne Merrem, Fred Oakland, Lincoln Quesenberry, Robert Redford, Madonna Reubens, Arnold Richardson, Kathy Scharler, Jess Schwidde, Caleb Shiff, Buck Simmonds, Jacob Snyder, Noah Snyder, Chuck Tweed
Director: Robert Redford

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Action/Adventure - Family
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:03

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Editorial Reviews - River Runs Through It

All Movie Guide
Robert Redford's lyrical direction sets the tone for this evocative adaptation of author Norman MacLean's memoir of his idyllic Montana youth. The MacLean family is presided over by the strict but encouraging Rev. MacLean (Tom Skerritt) and his loving wife (Brenda Blethyn). Craig Sheffer stars as the young Norman, the older son in his family, who takes his school work and writing a bit too seriously for Paul (Brad Pitt), the impetuous younger son, to take much stock in. Paul would rather have a good time, drink and play cards than get involved with academic study. Where Norman wants to be a college literature professor, Paul would prefer to stay in Montana all his life and wrangle some kind of job writing for a local newspaper. But, ironically, Paul is the better fly fisherman and in this way attains a sense of perfection. The film also details the MacLean boys' involvement with a colorful group of town's people -- including a young Indian woman Paul decides to date and the defiant Jessie (Emily Lloyd), whom Norman later marries. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

The River Wild

The River Wild

Starring: Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon, David Strathairn, Joseph Mazzello, John C. Reilly, Benjamin Bratt, Diane Delano, Thomas F. Duffy, Elizabeth Hoffman, Nancy Klopper, William Lucking, Glenn Morshower
Director: Curtis Hanson

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Adventure Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:51

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Editorial Reviews - River Wild

All Movie Guide
In a change-of-pace role designed to prove that she could carry high-concept genre films as well as character-driven dramas, Meryl Streep headlined this fast-paced adventure as Gail, a whitewater rafting guide. For a vacation, Gail is accompanying her son Roarke (Joseph Mazzello) and workaholic husband Tom (David Strathairn) on a river trip. Gail and Tom are experiencing marital troubles and contemplating divorce, but their problems take a back seat when they encounter some menacing rafters led by Wade (Kevin Bacon). After Tom saves Wade from drowning, they discover that the men are murderous fugitives using the river as an escape route. Kidnapped by the killers, Gail's forced to leave her husband stranded on shore and guide the villains through the "Gauntlet," a raging confluence of rivers that few rafters ever survive. Meanwhile, Tom proves to be wilier than anyone suspected, following the raft on foot and plotting his family's rescue. Following a quartet of popular B-grade thrillers, director Curtis Hanson attempted to break partially out of the genre with The River Wild, which, despite the presence of a psycho killer, played as more a stunt-filled action movie than a murder mystery. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Rob Roy

Rob Roy

Starring: Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange, John Hurt, Tim Roth, Eric Stoltz, Andrew Keir, Brian Cox, Jason Flemyng, Gilly Gilchrist, David Hayman, Shirley Henderson, Gilbert Martin, Vicki Masson, Brian McCardie, John Murtagh, Ewan Stewart
Director: Michael Caton-Jones

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Adventure Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:19

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Editorial Reviews - Rob Roy

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The 18th century Scottish legend of Robert Roy MacGregor comes to life in this stylish adaptation of the swashbuckling novel by Sir Walter Scott. Liam Neeson stars as the title character, a cattle drover and proud head of a Highlands clan who takes a one thousand pound loan from the royal Marquis of Montrose (John Hurt) in order to make a profit on some livestock that will keep his struggling people alive through the coming winter. One of the Marquis' henchmen, wily expert swordsman Archibald Cunningham (Tim Roth) learns of the loan from the nobleman's factor, Killearn (Brian Cox), and steals the money by murdering Rob Roy's best friend MacDonald (Eric Stoltz). Unable to repay the loan and unwilling to give up his land, Rob Roy becomes a fugitive, hunted by none other than Cunningham, who rapes Rob Roy's wife Mary (Jessica Lange). Scotch-British politics come to a boil over the Rob Roy affair, leading to an officially sanctioned showdown between the stoic farmer and Cunningham. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Rob Roy

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Adventure Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:19

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Robin Hood: Men in Tights

Robin Hood: Men in Tights

Starring: Cary Elwes, Richard Lewis, Roger Rees, Amy Yasbeck, Dave Chappelle, Tracey Ullman, Mark Blankfield, Mel Brooks, Eric Allan Kramer, Megan Cavanagh, Dom DeLuise, Dick Van Patten, Matthew Porretta, Isaac Hayes, Patrick Stewart, Corbin Allred, Carol Arthur, Richard Assad, Joe Baker, Patrick Brymer, Lindsay Chag, Johnny Cocktails, Malcom Danare, Rudy de Luca, David DeLuise, Clement Von Franckenstein, Brian George, Ronny Graham, Tony Griffin, Don Hesser, Nick Jameson, Henry Kaiser, Zitto Kazann, Don Lewis, Laurie Main, Chase Masterson, Chuck McCann, Ira Miller, Robert Noble, Peter Pitofsky, Herman Poppe, Clive Revill, Robert Ridgely, Mathew Saks, Avery Schreiber, Robin Shepard, Tony Tanner, Patrick Valenzuela, James Van Patten
Director: Mel Brooks

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Parody (spoof)
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:45

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Editorial Reviews - Robin Hood: Men in Tights

All Movie Guide
Mel Brooks directed and co-wrote this satiric comedy which lampoons a number of cinematic treatments of the legend of Sherwood Forest, including Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Adventures of Robin Hood. Robin Hood (Cary Elwes) comes home after fighting in the Crusades to learn that the noble King Richard (Patrick Stewart) is in exile and that the despotic King John (Richard Lewis) now rules England, with the help of the Sheriff of Rottingham (Roger Rees). Robin Hood assembles a band of fellow patriots to do battle with John and the Sheriff, including Asneeze (Isaac Hayes) and his son Ahchoo (Dave Chappelle), the blind watchman Blinkin (Mark Blankfield), Will Scarlet O'Hara (Matthew Porretta), and Rabbi Tuckman (Brooks). The Sheriff is eager to put Robin Hood out of business with the aid of criminal mastermind Don Giovanni (Dom DeLuise), but Robin soon has an ally in the royal palace when he falls for the lovely Maid Marian (Amy Yasbeck), whose minder Broomhilde (Megan Cavanagh) has uncooperatively outfitted Marian with a chastity belt. The cast also includes Tracy Ullman, Robert Ridgely, and Clive Revill. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Starring: Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Christian Slater, Alan Rickman, Geraldine McEwan, Michael McShane, Brian Blessed, Michael Wincott, Nick Brimble, Soo Drouet, Daniel Newman, Daniel Peacock, Walter Sparrow, Harold Innocent, Jack Wild, Christopher Adamson, Sarah Alexandra, Imogen Bain, Douglas Blackwell, Susannah Corbett, John Dallimore, Derek Deadman, Jimmy Gardner, Michael Goldie, John Hallam, Liam Halligan, Andy Hockley, John Francis, Merelina Kendall, Andrew Lawden, Howard Lew Lewis, Bobby Parr, Pat Roach, Richard Strange, John Tordoff, Marc Zuber
Director: Kevin Reynolds

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Costume Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:30

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Editorial Reviews - Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

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Kevin Costner's action-packed 1991 retelling of the Robin Hood legend was the subject of some bad-mouthing in its day, but since then it has acquired a patina of respectability and is now recognized as the thoroughly entertaining swashbuckler it was intended to be. This revisionist take on the bandit of Sherwood Forest reflects not only a more fastidious approach to historically accurate period depiction, but also Hollywood's latter-day penchant for updating mythological themes to conform with contemporary notions of political correctness. Therefore, Robin's paramour, the lovely Maid Marian (played by the dazzling Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), is considerably more feisty and independent than in previous screen incarnations, and the hero's most trusted sidekick is a wise, battle-hardened Moor (Morgan Freeman) who seems far more intelligent than the valiant champion he ostensibly serves. The basic story remains the same: Robin is the disgraced nobleman who fights for justice when a usurper seizes control of England while the king, Richard the Lion-Hearted, is off fighting in the Crusades. Director Kevin Reynolds labors mightily (and, it must be said, not always successfully) to keep his actors' accents consistent, and he stages the film's numerous action sequences with brio. His handling of the story makes the plight of the oppressed Britons more palpable and, in a way, more contemporary; but he harks back to the 1938 Errol Flynn version of the story by allowing Alan Rickman to play the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham in a sneering, leering, delightfully bravura fashion. Although it takes nearly an hour to set the stage and build momentum, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves eventually becomes a veritable juggernaut of rousing thrills and robust adventure. It'll have the whole family cheering for more. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
This film is a '90s version of the classic Robin Hood story, with Kevin Costner starring as the good-guy thief. Costner is joined in his efforts against the murdering Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman) by Morgan Freeman who plays a philosophizing Moor, and by Nick Brimble, who plays Little John (anything but little). After Robin barely survives a watery skirmish with Little John, the two become allies and Robin joins forces with Little John's band of robber thieves to overcome the evils of the dastardly Nottingham sheriff. Rovi

The Rock

The Rock

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, Ed Harris, Michael Biehn, William Forsythe, David Morse, Robert M. Anselmo, Robert C. Besgrove, David Bowe, James Caviezel, Dennis Chalker, Anthony Clark, Greg Collins, Raymond Cruz, Steve Decker, Billy Devlin, John Enos, Jack Ford, Claire Forlani, Willie Garson, Dando Gaver, Anthony Guidera, Thomas J. Hageboeck, Steve Harris, Joseph Hawes, Dwight Hicks, Harry Humphries, Buck Kartalian, Ken Kells, Brendan Kelly, Joseph Patrick Kelly, Raquel Krelle, Todd Louiso, John W. Love Jr., Jane Sanguinetti Luenell, Mike Mahrer, Jim Maniaci, Vanessa Marcil, John C. McGinley, Leonard McMahan, John Nathan, Ingo Neuhaus, Danny Nucci, Raymond O'Connor, Ralph Peduto, Howard Platt, Robert Ben Rajab, Juan A. Riojas, Andy Ryan, Carlos Sandoval, Fred Savallon, Ronald Simmons, Sean Skelton, John Spencer, Gregory Sporleder, Hans George Struhar, Marshall Teague, Tony Todd, Ricky Toms, Tom Towles, Celeste Weaver, Sam Whipple, Bokeem Woodbine, Jack Yates
Director: Michael Bay

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

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Editorial Reviews - Rock

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Top-drawer actors, super-slick production values, and dynamic action sequences dress up this wildly implausible but breathlessly paced thriller. When renegade Marine general Ed Harris seizes control of the old prison on Alcatraz Island and threatens the San Francisco Bay Area with virus-carrying missiles, FBI biochemical expert Nicolas Cage is dispatched with a team of Navy SEALs to thwart the operation. His guide: rogue British agent Sean Connery, the only man ever to escape from Alcatraz. In his second collaboration with popcorn-movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer, former music-video director Michael Bay (Armageddon) employs kinetic visuals to divert audience attention from script improbabilities, and his viscerally exciting action set pieces are bolstered by fine performances from Cage, Connery, and especially Harris, who brings real depth to his villainous character. Criterion's double-disc DVD Special Edition illuminates every aspect of The Rock's production, incorporating commentaries by Bay, Bruckheimer, Cage, and Harris into a comprehensive package that also offers featurettes on the film's stunt work and special effects. Additional supplements include storyboards, production-design sketches, on-set stills, outtakes, trailers, TV spots, excerpts from a documentary on "The Rock" and its prison, and even footage taken at the film's world premiere on Alcatraz. Add to that Criterion's newly remastered digital transfer, and you've got one of the best looking DVDs released to date. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
The sophomore film from former music video and commercial director Michael Bay, this fast-paced action yarn featured rapid-fire editing, a cutting-edge rock soundtrack and liberal use of shots awash in a haze of burnished hues, all trademarks of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. Nicolas Cage stars as Stanley Goodspeed, an FBI chemical weapons expert handed a unique assignment. Francis X. Hummel (Ed Harris), an insane Marine Corps general, has taken 81 tourists hostage on the abandoned island prison of Alcatraz. He and his men are threatening to bomb San Francisco with deadly gas unless $100 million is paid in war reparations to the families of servicemen killed in covert operations. Goodspeed is teamed with former British spy John Patrick Mason (Sean Connery), the only man ever to escape "The Rock," as well as a Navy SEAL team. When their military escorts are ambushed, it's up to odd couple Goodspeed and Mason to break into Alcatraz and stop Hummel. The Rock was the last film produced by Simpson, who died of a drug overdose before the film's release. Solo, his partner Bruckheimer continued making the sort of glossy, frenetic films for which the duo was famed. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

The Rocketeer

The Rocketeer

Starring: Bill Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton, Paul Sorvino, Ed Lauter, Terry O'Quinn, James Handy, Tiny Ron, Robert Miranda, John Lavachielli, Ed Jones, Dave Adams, Julian Barnes, Danielle Bedau, William Boyett, Richard T. Brickert, Peter Bromilow, Pat Crawford Brown, Michael Francis Clarke, Perry Cook, Chance Michael Corbitt, Joseph D'Angelo, Gene Daily, Paul de Souza, Nada Despotovich, Lila Finn, Mike Finneran, Paul Forsyth, William Frankfather, Peter Frankland, Jim Franklin, Scanlon Gail, Taylor Gilbert, Max Grodenchik, Melora Hardin, Darryl Henriques, Steve Hinton, Craig Hosking, Clint Howard, Thomas Huff, Heinrich James, Ele Keats, Tom Kindle, Bob Leeman, Kristopher Logan, America Martin, Margo Martindale, Doug McGrath, Kathleen Michaels, Michael Milhoan, Daniel O'Shea, Rick Overton, Lisa Pedersen, Jon Polito, Herman Poppe, David Pressman, Don Pugsley, Arlee Reed, Lori Lynn Ross, William Sanderson, Bob Sandman, Kim Sebastian, Charlie Stavola, Tom Tully, Bill Turner, Sam Vincent, Richard Warlock, Norbert Weisser, Chuck Wentworth, Merritt Yohnka
Director: Joe Johnston

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:49

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Editorial Reviews - Rocketeer

All Movie Guide
After getting his start as a visual effects artist on the original Star Wars trilogy, Spielberg protege Joe Johnston found success as a director with his debut film, the blockbuster family adventure Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. For his sophomore outing, Johnston helmed this action-adventurer, set in 1930s Hollywood and in the spirit of old pulp comics and adventure serials, and co-adapted from the David Stevens graphic novel by Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo. Bill Campbell stars as Cliff Secord, an eager young pilot who finds himself in possession of a secret jet-pack that gives him the ability to fly. Cliff soon learns that screen-star Neville Sinclair (Timothy Dalton) will stop at nothing to get his hands on the rocket pack so he can give it to the Nazis. As The Rocketeer and with a little help from his mechanic friend played by Alan Arkin, it's up to Cliff to elude Sinclair, defeat the Nazis, and save his girlfriend Jenny (Jennifer Connelly). ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Romancing the Stone

Romancing the Stone

Starring: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Zack Norman, Alfonso Arau, Manuel Ojeda, Holland Taylor, Mary Ellen Trainor, Billy Burton, Michael Cassidy, Chachita, José Chavez, Vince Deadrick Jr., Richard Drown, Joe Finnegan, Kymberly Herrin, Paco Morayta, Joe Nesnow, Rodrigo Puebla, Jeff Ramsey, Manuel Santiago, Ron Silver, Eve Smith, Ted White
Director: Robert Zemeckis

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Action Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:46

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Editorial Reviews - Romancing the Stone

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Kathleen Turner plays a writer of adventure stories, Joan Wilder, who has been having trouble selling her works of late because they aren't remotely believable. The basic problem is that the mousy Joan has never had any real adventure in her life. All this changes when she receives a frantic phone call from her sister, whose is being held prisoner by evil art dealers in Colombia. It seems that sis has mailed Joan a map leading to a valuable treasure. Nasty but cowardly Ralph (Danny DeVito), cousin of the principal villain (Zack Norman), has been assigned to claim the map from Joan. But upon arriving in Colombia, Joan and Ralph learn that others of a more homicidal bent are also after the map. Joan is rescued by soldier of fortune Jack Colton (Michael Douglas), who isn't quite clear about his stake in the proceedings. Jack and Joan undergo several perilous adventures in the wilds of Colombia. The treasure turns out to be a valuable jewel, which changes hands (one of them severed!) many times before it is swallowed by an alligator. Joan manages to break free from her pursuers, but Jack is presumed dead. Jack returns at the end of the film in Manhattan to surprise Joan. The sequel to Romancing the Stone was 1985's The Jewel of the Nile. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

Starring: Mira Sorvino, Lisa Kudrow, Janeane Garofalo, Alan Cumming, Julia Campbell, Mia Cottet, Kristin Bauer, Elaine Hendrix, Camryn Manheim, Justin Theroux, Jacob Vargas, Vincent Ventresca
Director: David Mirkin

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Satire
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:31

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Editorial Reviews - Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

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Two dimwitted pals attempt to fib their way through their high school reunion with disastrous results in this bubbly comedy from David Mirkin, frequent director of the cult TV sitcom Get a Life!. Los Angeles dim-bulbs Romy (Mira Sorvino) and Michelle (Lisa Kudrow) have been best friends since childhood. Their shared passions include shopping, club-hopping, and creating their own candy-colored fashions. When their tenth high school reunion looms, the friends realize that their lives are not impressive enough to cow the popular crowd that tormented them in their teen years. So Romy borrows a Jaguar, and the duo concocts a story about how they became top corporate executives by creating Post-It Notes. Once they are at the reunion, however, Romy and Michelle's scheme unravels. Saturnine classmate Heather (Janeane Garofalo), who really did make a fortune as an inventor, exposes their fraud, and the girls find themselves mocked again, by everyone except Sandy Frink (Alan Cumming), a nerd millionaire with a lingering crush on Michelle. Kudrow reprised the role of Michelle from her late 1980s stage performance in the play Ladies' Room by Robin Schiff, who expanded both the play and the part of Michelle for the feature film version. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

The Rookie

The Rookie

Starring: Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths, Jay Hernandez, Beth Grant, Angus T. Jones, Brian Cox, Rick Gonzalez, Chad Lindberg, Angelo Spizzirri, Royce D. Applegate, Russell Richardson, Raynor Scheine, David Blackwell, Blue Deckert, Dan Kamin, Trevor Morgan
Director: John Lee Hancock

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Biographical Feature
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:07

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Editorial Reviews - Rookie

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While based on a true story, The Rookie treads well-worn cinematic paths and will doubtless induce feelings of déjà vu in many viewers. Luckily, this family-friendly drama is so skillfully made, its lack of originality is easy to forgive. The story takes place in the West Texas town of Big Lake, where high school coach Jim Morris (Dennis Quaid), having long since forgotten his dream of pitching in the majors, struggles to keep his lackluster baseball team motivated. After startling the players during batting practice with the speed of his fastball, Jim makes the boys a promise: He'll try out for the majors if they qualify for the district finals. As directed by John Lee Hancock (Falcone), The Rookie progresses along fairly predictable lines; the big game is won, and Morris trudges off to the tryouts (with his eight-year-old son in tow), although you'll have to see for yourself if he makes the grade. Hancock bolsters a rather predictable narrative with solid, believable characterizations. Quaid, Rachel Griffiths (as his patient, understanding wife), Jay Hernandez (as the team captain), and Brian Cox (as Jim's father) all turn in excellent portrayals. Their fine work reinforces the movie's credibility, which in turn strengthens its message: Never give up on your dreams. The DVD edition includes a full-length commentary by Hancock and Quaid, along with deleted scenes, a featurette on the real Jim Morris, and spring-training tips from real-life baseball pros. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
The true story of a middle-aged baseball rookie comes to the screen from Finding Forrester (2000) screenwriter Mike Rich and the studio behind the previous year's equally inspirational sports drama Remember the Titans (2001). Twelve years ago, the pro baseball aspirations of Texas pitcher Jim Morris (Dennis Quaid) were derailed by a severe shoulder injury. Jim became a high school science teacher and baseball coach, married his sweetheart, Lorri (Rachel Griffiths), and settled down to raise a family. After corrective surgery repairs, despite the longstanding damage to his shoulder, Jim discovers that he can pitch a ball even faster than he could before. When his team delivers a lackluster on-field performance in a losing game, coach and players agree to a wager: If they'll make it to the district championships, he'll try out for a major league ball club. When his team makes it to the championship and wins for the first time in the school's history, Jim is forced to live up to his end of the bargain. Nearly laughed off the field, he confounds the pro scouts by tossing successive fastballs that clock at nearly 100 miles per hour. It seems that Jim is about to live his dream of joining a major league team in middle age, when most players are planning their retirement. The Rookie (2002) co-stars Brian Cox, Beth Grant, and Jay Hernandez. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Entertainment Weekly
Something particularly clean shines in this American fairy tale, a quality of simplicity that's almost as hard to achieve in such movies as a middle-aged man's boyhood dreams. Lisa Schwarzbaum

New York Times
As averse as I usually am to feel-good, follow-your-dream Hollywood fantasies, this one got to me. Stephen Holden

Washington Post
A rarity to be cheered: a smart, engaging family film that stands firmly in the best of the Disney tradition. Ann Hornaday

Rounders

Rounders

Starring: Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Turturro, Gretchen Mol, Famke Janssen, John Malkovich, Martin Landau, Michael Rispoli, Melina Kanakaredes, Josh Mostel, Lenny Clarke, Tom Aldredge, Chris Messina
Director: John Dahl

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Post-noir (Modern Noir)
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:01

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Editorial Reviews - Rounders

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John Dahl directed this exploration of New York private clubs devoted to high-stakes poker, with first-person narration from the film's central figure, law student Mike McDermott (Matt Damon), who loses his entire savings to Russian club owner Teddy KGB (John Malkovich). Mike then turns away from cards, devoting his attentions to his law studies and his live-in girlfriend Jo (Gretchen Mol), who's concerned when Mike's former gambling buddy Worm (Edward Norton) is released from prison. She has good reason to worry, since it takes Worm only a matter of minutes to draw Mike back into poker action. When she learns Mike has returned to the poker clubs, she moves out, and Mike begins to lose interest in his studies. Worm has a pre-prison debt, and the threatening Grama (Michael Rispoli) wants the money. Mike not only indulges the irresponsible Worm, he gets involved in Worm's debts. When Grama demands $15,000 on a five-day deadline, the two buddies go into high gear with a non-stop, no-sleep gambling binge that spirals downward toward an ultimate confrontation with Teddy KGB. Darkened club interiors and New York nights are captured by the cinematography of Jean Yves Escoffier, who moved from French films (the 1991 Les Amants du Pont Neuf) to American movies with the reflective surfaces of Excess Baggage (1997) and the patina of pathos found in Harmony Korine's experimental Gummo (1997). Shown at the 1998 Venice Film Festival and the 1998 Montreal Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Starring: Burl Ives, Paul Kligman, Larry D. Mann, Billie Richards, Alfie Scopp, Paul Soles
Director: Larry Roemer

Certification: NR
Category: Musical
User Rating:
Running Time: 53:00

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Editorial Reviews - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

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The holidays just wouldn't be the same without Linus explaining "what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown," the Grinch carving the roast beast, or Rudolph coming to the rescue of the abandoned Misfit Toys. Based on the beloved Johnny Marks song, this was the first, and best, of the Rankin/Bass stop-motion animated holiday specials. Rudolph, whose red nose makes him a North Pole outcast, teams up with kindred misfit spirit Hermey, an elf who aspires to dentistry, and prospector Yukon Cornelius, on an odyssey that leads them to a showdown with the Abominable. The "Bumble," as Cornelius refers to him, has captured Clarice, a young doe whose fondness for Rudolph led her to recklessly go off in search of him. Well, when Rudolph and Clarice return to the North Pole, amid a ferocious storm sure to cancel Santa's annual mission, the reindeer-with-your-nose-so-bright's destiny becomes apparent. And then, when Cornelius and Hermey -- presumed doomed -- return with the defanged Bumble in tow, it's among the most heartwarming finales in the Christmas-classic canon. The superb soundtrack includes "Holly Jolly Christmas," "Jingle Jingle Jingle," "We're a Couple of Misfits," "There's Always Tomorrow," "The Most Wonderful Day of the Year," and "Silver and Gold." Rudolph is presented on DVD fully restored with footage that was deleted over the years for its annual television broadcasts. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
This stop-motion animagic version of the classic Christmas tale adds a bit of a twist when Rudolph encounters an abominable snowman. This was made for TV and features Burl Ives as the narrator. ~ All Movie Guide

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Starring: Burl Ives, Paul Kligman, Larry D. Mann, Billie Richards, Alfie Scopp, Paul Soles
Director: Larry Roemer

Certification: NR
Category: Musical
User Rating:
Running Time: 53:00

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Rugrats: All Growed Up

Rugrats: All Growed Up

Starring:
Director: Barry Vodos

Certification: NR
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 0:30

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Editorial Reviews - Rugrats: All Growed Up

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You've come a long way, babies! And, in this coming-of-age time-travel fantasy marking the tenth birthday of Rugrats, we see that the kids have a long way to go. An instant classic that broke ratings records when broadcast on Nickelodeon, the two-part All Growed Up finds Tommy Pickles and friends propelled ten years into the "foochure." Tommy remains the cool-headed leader, while Chuckie is still fearful (and in the grip of his first crush, on Angelica's friend Samantha). Angelica, meanwhile, continues to lord it over the "dumb adolescents." As Tommy's parents, Didi and Stu, gear up for a Dinosaurs of Disco dance contest, Angelica schemes to get her hands on Stu's good-luck Scorpio medallion, the very same pop culture relic worn by teen singing sensation Emica on her latest CD. She makes Tommy an offer he can't refuse: Steal the medallion, and she'll set up Chuckie with Samantha. Parents may find themselves surprisingly moved by a climactic montage of scenes from the Rugrats in their toddler years, which reminds one that kids really do grow up too fast. And on the growing-old front, fans will find comfort in the fact that Grandpa Lou is still around, driving the bus, going to the Emica concert. It's all very reassuring. This video also contains the story "My Fair Babies." Donald Liebenson

Sabrina

Sabrina

Starring: Harrison Ford, Julia Ormond, Greg Kinnear, John Wood, Nancy Marchand, Richard Crenna, Fanny Ardant, Becky Ann Baker, Randy Becker, Susan Browning, Patrick Bruel, Carmen Chaplin, Gregory Chase, Miriam Colon, Angie Dickinson, Elizabeth Franz, Paul Giamatti, Lauren Holly, Dana Ivey, Valérie Lemercier, Margo Martindale, Ines Sastre, Ronald L. Schwary, J. Smith-Cameron, Ira Wheeler
Director: Sydney Pollack

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:07

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Editorial Reviews - Sabrina

All Movie Guide
A remake of a 1954 Billy Wilder romance, this updated version of the play Sabrina Fair was directed by Sydney Pollack. Julia Ormond stars as Sabrina Fairchild, the daughter of a kindly chauffeur (John Wood) at the Long Island estate of the upper-crust Larrabee family. Sabrina has grown up enchanted from afar with the Larrabees' sparkling world of privilege and wealth, but she's especially enamored of younger Larrabee brother David (Greg Kinnear), a charming womanizer. After the once-plain Sabrina returns from a sojourn in Paris transformed into a remarkably poised and attractive young woman, she at long last catches David's eye. In a calculated effort to manipulate David away from her and into a more financially advantageous marriage, older brother Linus (Harrison Ford) pretends to woo Sabrina himself, but finds himself unintentionally falling in love. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

The Saint

The Saint

Starring: Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue, Rade Serbedzija, Valery Nikolaev, Henry Goodman, Alun Armstrong, Irina Apeksimova, Michael Byrne, Charlotte Cornwell, Verity Dearsley, Tommy Flanagan, Pat Laffan, Yevgeny Lazarev, Emily Mortimer, Lev Prygunov, Lucija Serbedzija, Adam Smith
Director: Phillip Noyce

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action Thriller
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:56

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Editorial Reviews - Saint

All Movie Guide
Based on the popular novels about that other suave, globe-trotting man of action, this genre picture from director Phillip Noyce mixed romance and character development with dangerous stunts, geopolitical intrigue, and a variety of elaborate disguises, resulting in an uneven stew of a spy thriller. Val Kilmer is Simon Templar, a classy, cunning master thief and "man of a thousand faces" who cribs his phony names from those of obscure saints and sells his illegal services to the highest bidder. Hired by an ambitious Russian politician (Rade Serbedzija) to steal the formula for cold fusion, Templar falls in love with Dr. Emma Russell (Elisabeth Shue), the frail Oxford scientist who has unlocked the secret of the process. Back in Moscow, the thief debates whether to betray his new love or the powerful madman who is paying him millions, until he discovers that his client is concealing oil reserves that could save his freezing people. Often seen as an also-ran to the legendary James Bond, Templar, the creation of author Leslie Charteris, in fact predated the first Bond novel by decades and probably inspired Ian Fleming in his creation of the debonair agent. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Santa Clause

Santa Clause

Starring: Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, Eric Lloyd, David Krumholtz, Peter Boyle, Larry Brandenburg, Mary Gross, Paige Tamada, Chris Benson, Michael Caruana, Jesse Collins, Bob Dermer, Jayne Eastwood, Joyce Guy, Ron Hartmann, Tabitha Lupien, Gene Mack, Kerrigan Maham, Gordon Masten, Zachary McLemore, Lachlan Murdoch, Lawrence Nakamura, Jack Newman, Dennis O'Connor, John Pasquin, Brian Reilly, Brian M. Reilly, Judith Scott, Steve Vinovich, Frank Welker, Scott Wickware, Philip Williams
Director: Bill Elvin

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

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Editorial Reviews - Santa Clause

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Many critics said, "Bah, humbug" to this 1994 live-action fantasy, but it made believers out of millions of enchanted viewers. Tim Allen, the Golden Globe-winning star of Home Improvement, launched his film career with this heartwarming fantasy. Allen stars as Scott Calvin, a divorced toy company executive who rediscovers his Christmas spirit when he reluctantly agrees to take over as Santa when the Big Guy falls from his roof. Viewing Calvin's considerable weight gain and new flowing white beard as mere peculiarities, his ex-wife and her new husband (a psychiatrist) think he is delusional and move to end his custody of his adoring young son. In addition, Calvin has to deal with the officious top elf, Bernard, portrayed by David Krumholtz with scene-stealing glee. The fantastic special effects bring to life a bustling North Pole and reveal how Santa magically goes about his business. While The Santa Clause has long been a perennial bestseller on VHS, the DVD edition is a definite home (video) improvement. Among the fun supplemental features is the game "Santa's Helper," in which players guide Santa's sleigh. In another delicious segment, celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck cooks up "Santa Snacks." Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
Television sitcom star Tim Allen made his big screen debut with this light, family-friendly holiday comedy. Allen stars as Scott Calvin, the divorced dad of Charlie (Eric Lloyd). Scott is distressed to learn that his ex-wife Laura (Wendy Crewson) and Charlie's psychiatrist stepfather Neal (Judge Reinhold) have informed his son that there is no Santa Claus. While a sullen Charlie visits his dad on Christmas Eve, a noise on the roof brings them outside, where Scott startles the intruder, who tumbles from the roof. It turns out that there is a Santa after all, and Scott has just accidentally killed him. Because of a legal technicality known as "the Santa clause," Scott inherits the jolly old elf's job. As the next year passes, Scott rapidly gains weight, grows a white beard and meets the elf Bernard (David Krumholtz) -- who is the one who really runs the North Pole -- while Charlie regains his Christmas spirit. However, Neal becomes concerned about Scott's sudden change in appearance and insistence that he's Santa, and he forces him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Director John Pasquin previously directed Allen in the TV series Home Improvement and would team with him again for Jungle 2 Jungle (1997). Karl Williams

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

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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 Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan

Starring:
Director: Steven Spielberg

Certification: NR
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:25

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Editorial Reviews

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When Steven Spielberg was an adolescent, his first home movie was a backyard war film. When he toured Europe with Duel in his 20s, he saw old men crumble in front of headstones at Omaha Beach. That image became the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, his film of a mission following the D-day invasion that many have called the most realistic--and maybe the best--war film ever. With 1998 production standards, Spielberg has been able to create a stunning, unparalleled view of war as hell. We are at Omaha Beach as troops are slaughtered by Germans yet overcome the almost insurmountable odds.

A stalwart Tom Hanks plays Captain Miller, a soldier's soldier, who takes a small band of troops behind enemy lines to retrieve a private whose three brothers have recently been killed in action. It's a public relations move for the Army, but it has historical precedent dating back to the Civil War. Some critics of the film have labeled the central characters stereotypes. If that is so, this movie gives stereotypes a good name: Tom Sizemore as the deft sergeant, Edward Burns as the hotheaded Private Reiben, Barry Pepper as the religious sniper, Adam Goldberg as the lone Jew, Vin Diesel as the oversize Private Caparzo, Giovanni Ribisi as the soulful medic, and Jeremy Davies, who as a meek corporal gives the film its most memorable performance.

The movie is as heavy and realistic as Spielberg's Oscar-winning Schindler's List, but it's more kinetic. Spielberg and his ace technicians (the film won five Oscars: editing (Michael Kahn), cinematography (Janusz Kaminski), sound, sound effects, and directing) deliver battle sequences that wash over the eyes and hit the gut. The violence is extreme but never gratuitous. The final battle, a dizzying display of gusto, empathy, and chaos, leads to a profound repose. Saving Private Ryan touches us deeper than Schindler because it succinctly links the past with how we should feel today. It's the film Spielberg was destined to make. --Doug Thomas

From The New Yorker
Steven Spielberg's new picture, one of his best, is a sandwich. The meat of the tale concerns a bunch of U.S. Army Rangers, led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), who are sent into Normandy to rescue Ryan (Matt Damon), the sole survivor of four brothers. On either side of this bold endeavor you get half an hour of unyielding combat: first, the D Day landings on Omaha Beach and, later, a consummate last stand in which too few Americans try to hold an inland bridge against too many Germans and too many tanks. Most viewers will be impressed but unsurprised by the central section; it feels wrought, and finely scripted (by Robert Rodat), and nudged by sentimentality. The reason that they will carry the movie lodged in their minds is the infernal, brain-shaking quality of the battle scenes; Spielberg obviously decided that blood and guts meant just that, and so he arranged his violence into a semblance of pure disorder. The illusion holds, complete with severed limbs and wellsprings of blood, and it feels honorable; Spielberg's preachy movies can be an awful grind, but, apart from a disposable coda, this new work is too swift (and often too inaudible) to weigh you down. It feels like an atonement for the sins of "Amistad." -Anthony Lane
Copyright ® 2006 The New Yorker

Scent of a Woman

Scent of a Woman

Starring: Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell, James Rebhorn, Gabrielle Anwar, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Venture, Bradley Whitford, Ron Eldard, Frances Conroy, Sally Murphy, Nicholas Sadler, Gene Canfield, William Beckwith, Richard Bradford, Peter Carew, Divina Cook, J.T. Cromwell, Ahn Duong, Margaret Eginton, Tom Riis Farrell, Erika Feldman, Lenny Gaines, Baxter Harris, David Lansbury, Ellen Lewis, Michael Lisenco, Todd Louiso, Mansoor Najeeullah, Rochelle Oliver, Joseph Palmas, Michael Santoro, Matt Smith, June Squibb, Max Stein, Paul Stocker, Francie Swift
Director: Martin Brest

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Drama - General
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Running Time: 2:29

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Editorial Reviews - Scent of a Woman

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Driven by an extravagant, tour-de-force performance by Al Pacino, Scent of a Woman is the story of Frank Slade (Pacino), a blind, retired army colonel who hires Charlie Simms (Chris O'Donnell), a poor college student on the verge of expulsion, to take care of him over Thanksgiving weekend. At the beginning of the weekend, Frank takes Charlie to New York, where he reveals to the student that he intends to visit his family, have a few terrific meals, sleep with a beautiful woman and, finally, commit suicide. The film follows the mis-matched pair over the course of the weekend, as they learn about life through their series of adventures. Though the story is a little contrived and predictable, it pulls all the right strings, thanks to O'Donnell's sympathetic supporting role and Pacino's powerful lead performance, for which he won his first Academy Award. Scent of a Woman is based on the 1975 Italian film Profumo Di Donna. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Scooby Doo: Original Mysteries

Scooby Doo: Original Mysteries

Starring:
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Television
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Running Time: 0:30

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Editorial Reviews - Scooby Doo: Original Mysteries

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As curious as George, as lovable as Magilla Gorilla, as big as a pony, and able to communicate thoughts far more effectively than mortal dogs, Scooby-Doo bounded across the Saturday morning cartoon threshold in 1969 like an overeager Great Dane on a mission. In fact, he was an overeager Great Dane; and his missions -- solving mysteries, usually ones cloaked in the supernatural -- helped vault him into to realm of Hanna-Barbera's most celebrated characters. And since the Hanna-Barbera (William Hanna and Joseph Barbera) stable includes such giants as the Flintstones, the Jetsons, Yogi Bear, and Huckleberry Hound, his pedigree is rare indeed. Entering the TV arena as Scooby-Doo Where Are You?, the show offered kids both adventure and comedy, and reflected the youth of the time in its nomadic band of sleuths: Fred (voiced by Frank Welker) is the would-be prom king; Daphne (Stefanianna Christopherson) is the accident-prone ditz; Shaggy (Casey Kasem) is the dork with the munchies; and Velma (Nicole Jaffe) is the levelheaded brain. Packed into their psychedelic "Mystery Machine" with a ravenous, almost-verbal canine ("Rooby-roo!" means "Yes, I concur"), the group defined goofy cartoon cool. Scooby-Doo's Original Mysteries includes the first five mysteries from the beloved original 1969 series -- "What a Night for a Knight," "Hassle in the Castle," "A Clue for Scooby Doo," "Mine Your Own Business," and "Decoy from a Dognapper." Combining the adventure of '50s monster cheapies with a youth-oriented lunacy recalling The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, the show affords cartoon audiences a dose of mystery-light -- funky, formulaic romps featuring ghosts, ghouls, secret passages, and a rogue's gallery of rubber-masked villains. Over time and 14 different series, Scooby-Doo has barked up a whole lot of different trees, some of them wrong. But the original Scooby world contained in this collection endures, a welcome blast of time-capsule nostalgia for adults, a great show with a great Great Dane for kids. Stuart Gazzo

Scooby-Doo Goes Hollywood

Scooby-Doo Goes Hollywood

Starring:
Director: Ray Patterson

Certification: NR
Category: Children
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Running Time: 48:00

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Editorial Reviews - Scooby-Doo Goes Hollywood

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Remember that great Bugs Bunny cartoon where a fed-up Elmer Fudd tears up his Warner Bros. contract? That's the gist of this 1979 Pirandellian prime-time special: Scooby-Doo, tired of being typecast as the "funny, cowardly, clumsy dog," recasts himself as leading-canine material in a series of disastrous screen tests. The screen references run the gamut from Laverne & Shirley and Happy Days to The Sound of Music, The Love Boat, and Charlie's Angels. By the hour's end, his vast legion of fans have convinced Scooby to return to his usual haunts on Saturday morning television. Nostalgic members of the Schoolhouse Rock generation may recall this outing warmly; and there are lots of laughs for young children who like their Scooby entirely scare-free. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
Join in this animated adventure when This favorite canine heads to Hollywood to become a star! Rovi

Seabiscuit

Seabiscuit

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, Gary Stevens, William H. Macy, Kingston DuCoeur, Eddie Jones, Ed Lauter, Michael O'Neill, Michael Angarano, Royce D. Applegate, Annie Corley, Valerie Mahaffey, David McCullough, Clif Alvey, Michelle Arthur, Catherine M. Baeza, George Baker, Mariah Bess, Robin Bissell, Samuel Bottoms, Cameron Bowen, Ben Campisi, Dyllan Christopher, Jay Cohen, Raul Cuellar, Dan Daily, Aerial Delarosa, David Doty, Shay Duffin, James DuMont, Gina A. Duran, Roger E. Fanter, Borden Flanagan, Cynthia Reifler Flores, Maria Luisa Fregosa, Matthew Gillies, Ruby Guiterrez, Gary A. Hecker, José García Hernández, Eric Hernandez, Jesse Hernandez, Julio Hernandez, Pedro Hernandez, Sylvia N. Hinojosa, William Hollick, Hans Howes, Michael Hunter, Peter Jason, Javier Juarequi, James Keane, Paige King, Anthony Klingman, Jacqui Larsson, Noah Luke, Ken Magee, Kevin Mangold, Tarri Markel, Daniel Martinez, Chris McCarron, Gary McGurk, Dennis Meade, Michael Ensign, Matt Miller, Frank Mirahmadi, Fernando Moreno, Mariana Nanez, Paul Vincent O'Connor, Leticia Olmos, Laura Pena, Jose Ramirez, Jamie Lee Redmon, Richard Reeves, Joe Rocco Jr., Gary Ross, Gianni Russo, Camilia Sanes, Andrew Schatzberg, Michael B. Silver, Pat Skipper, Joshua Stanley, Danny Strong, Karla Tovar, Tony Volu, John Walcutt, Michael White, Ivan Wild
Director: Gary Ross

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Period Drama
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Running Time: 2:20

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Editorial Reviews - Seabiscuit

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An impeccably produced throwback to Hollywood's Golden Age (and one of the year's true sleepers), this superb drama is very much like its real-life equine inspiration: a little slow out of the gate but full of heart and great fun to watch. Based on Laura Hillenbrand's runaway bestseller, this is the (mostly) true story of Seabiscuit, an undersized racehorse who became a symbol of triumph over adversity to Depression-weary Americans during the '30s and '40s. Owned by millionaire Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges), trained by former cowboy Tom Smith (Chris Cooper), and ridden primarily by emotionally damaged jockey Red Pollard (top-billed Tobey Maguire), Seabiscuit beat the odds time and again, becoming a champion even after being sidelined with a crippling injury, and ultimately making a fortune for his handlers. But this movie isn't just about the horse; it's about the three men who guided his destiny, men who weathered hardships and endured the loss of loved ones. Maguire is achingly vulnerable -- yet not always sympathetic -- as the half-blind jockey who never quite gets over being abandoned by his parents in the Depression's darkest days. Bridges, in his best performance in years, shines as the perpetually optimistic auto magnate who survives the death of his young son and the dissolution of his once-happy marriage to see both his business prosper and his racehorse become a phenomenon. Chris Cooper is nothing short of amazing as the grizzled old wrangler whose knowledge of horses is positively uncanny, and who laments the loss of his all-but-obsolete way of life. Writer-director Gary Ross limns these three characters in great detail, and the actors bring them to life beautifully. Carefully produced to be evocative of the period, Seabiscuit takes some liberties with the facts and tinkers with the chronology of actual events. But minor deviations from the historical record don't affect the fundamental truth that Seabiscuit was a remarkable horse who achieved fame in remarkable times, due to the efforts of remarkable people. Their joint success is no less inspiring today than it was more than a half century ago, and this movie is a loving tribute to that success. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Hollywood generally attempts to put its best foot forward on Oscar night. The academy traditionally selects as Best Picture a movie that people worked hard on and that will entertain the broadest possible audience. By that definition, Seabiscuit has all the elements of a nominee. Gary Ross has achieved greatness in practically all of the individual areas of production. The sets, the costumes, the lighting and the score have been lovingly crafted. The triumphant story of comebacks -- for a horse, for the characters, and for a country -- should appeal to anyone. The acting is top-notch. As star-crossed jockey Red Pollard, Tobey Maguire proves once again that he is arguably the best actor of his generation. There is a scene where he sees the horse again after both have been injured. He hobbles faster than he should to touch Seabiscuit and it is a fabulous piece of acting -- a perfect synthesis of physical movement, facial expression, and speech that makes the audience believe that this moment is happening to this character for the very first time. Chris Cooper is reliably wise and rugged as the mysterious trainer, and Jeff Bridges finds the perfect notes as both a gifted salesman and a grieving father. Even first time actor and respected jockey Gary Stevens manages to communicate a great deal about his character with very little screen time. While all of the excellent work in front of and behind the camera leads to some smashing entertainment, the film feels just slightly less than the sum of its parts. What it lacks is a sense of a personal stake from the filmmakers. They are making something from their heads and not their hearts, and while that does not diminish the achievement, it does make it something slightly less than art. Seabiscuit is old-fashioned Hollywood entertainment, in the best sense of the phrase. Perry Seibert

Chicago Sun-Times
1/2
The movie's races are thrilling because they must be thrilling; there's no way for the movie to miss on those, but writer-director Gary Ross and his cinematographer, John Schwartzman, get amazingly close to the action. Roger Ebert

New York Post
A thrilling, beautifully crafted, fact-based horse story that's not merely the summer's finest movie, but may well be the one to catch come Academy Awards time. Lou Lumenick

Searching for Bobby Fischer

Searching for Bobby Fischer

Starring: Joe Mantegna, Max Pomeranc, Joan Allen, Ben Kingsley, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Nirenberg, Robert Stephens, David Paymer, William Colgate, Tony de Santis, Jared Harris, Anthony Heald, Dan Hedaya, Avy Kaufman, Laura Linney, William H. Macy, Tom McGowan, Anthony McGowen, Josh Mostel, Austin Pendleton, Jerry Rakow, Steve Randazzo, R.D. Reid, Maria Ricossa, Hal Scardino, Tony Shalhoub, Vasek Simek, Vincent Smith, Shelley Winters, Caroline Yeager
Director: Steven Zaillian

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Drama - Docudrama
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Running Time: 1:49

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Editorial Reviews - Searching for Bobby Fischer

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Searching for Bobby Fischer was inspired by the life of chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin, as written by his father Fred Waitzkin. Josh (Max Pomeranc) is a "regular kid" who begins evincing signs of being a genius at chess. His father (Joe Mantegna) encourages this, hoping that it won't fundamentally change his son's healthy outlook on life. But Josh is taken under the wing of cold-blooded chess instructor Bruce Pandolfini (Ben Kingsley), who indoctrinates the boy in the "Bobby Fischer" strategy. Unfortunately, Pandolfini emphasizes all of Fischer's negative traits, especially his contempt for his opponents. Josh is in danger throughout the film of sacrificing his essential decency, but in a rousing conclusion, the boy is able to successfully blend ruthless competition with good sportsmanship. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility

Starring: Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, James Fleet, Harriet Walter, Oliver Ford Davies, Emile Francois, Robert Hardy, Alexander John, Gemma Jones, Hugh Laurie, Richard Lumsden, Elizabeth Spriggs, Imelda Staunton, Imogen Stubbs, Tom Wilkinson, Greg Wise
Director: Ang Lee

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Period Drama
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Running Time: 2:16

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Editorial Reviews - Sense and Sensibility

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The recipient of seven Academy Award nominations, this film version of Jane Austen's classic 1811 novel stars Emma Thompson as Elinor Dashwood. With her mother and sisters, Elinor struggles financially after the death of her father, who bequeathed the Dashwood estate to his oafish son by an earlier marriage. While sorting out the family's affairs, the shy, self-sacrificing Elinor secretly falls for her stepbrother-in-law, Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grant), a sensitive, well-educated bachelor who cannot court her because of his foolhardy youthful engagement to the greedy Lucy Steele (Imogen Stubbs). The grateful Dashwoods are offered a modest country home by family friends, which they accept. Once relocated, Elinor's brash, spirited sister Marianne (Kate Winslet) falls for a dashing local, John Willoughby (Greg Wise), a womanizer who nevertheless seems to share her affections. A prominent neighbor, Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman), also falls in love with Marianne, but she is oblivious to the older man's affections. Eventually, Willoughby fails Marianne, breaking her heart, until she realizes Brandon's feelings. When Edward's family disowns him, Lucy marries his brother instead, leaving him free to pursue an exultant Elinor. Thompson won the film's sole Oscar® for her screenplay adaptation of Austen's novel. Karl Williams

Sesame Street: Kids' Favorite Songs, Vol. 2

Sesame Street: Kids' Favorite Songs, Vol. 2

Starring: Fran Brill, Kevin Clash, Carmen Osbahr, Martin P. Robinson, David Rudman, Carroll Spinney, Steve Whitmire
Director: Emily Squires

Certification: NR
Category: Children
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Running Time: 50:00

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Editorial Reviews - Sesame Street: Kids' Favorite Songs, Vol. 2

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This musical jaunt down Sesame Street is fun from start to finish, as the cheerful red monster Elmo, camcorder in hand, roams down the block asking children to name their favorite songs. Footage of absolutely adorable real-life kids crooning and acting out their cherished themes links a generous selection of nursery rhymes, nonsense songs and lullabies, each given the Sesame Street treatment. Tunes include: "Elmo's Song"; "On Top of Spaghetti" (look out for that runaway meatball!); "Hey Diddle Diddle"; "The Bear Went over the Mountain"; "The Ants Go Marching"; "If You're Happy and You Know It"; "Mary Had a Little Lamb"; "Up and Down With Captain Brown"; the ever-squeakable "Rubber Duckie"; the Spanish-language "Duermete"; and "Itsy Bitsy Spider" (with <>SCTV legend Andrea Martin supplying the vocals). This captivating 45-minute mix of animated and live-action sequences is truly something to sing about. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
Big Bird and the rest of the Sesame Street gang are back to host this collection of children's sing-along classics. The fuzzy creatures from the popular kids' program guide tots through each song with their enthusiastic vocal encouragement. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Seven

Seven

Starring: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, R. Lee Ermey, Richard Roundtree, Julie Araskog, Lexie Bigham, Mark Boone Jr., Gene Borkan, John Cassini, Reg E. Cathey, George Christy, Bob Collins, David Correia, Peter Crombie, Brian Evers, Hawthorne James, Dominique Jennings, Allan Kolman, Michael Reid Mackay, Michael Massee, John C. McGinley, Leland Orser, Richard Portnow, Richard Schiff, Tudor Sherrard, Bob Stephenson, Charles Tamburro, Pamela Tyson, Andrew Kevin Walker, Harrison White, Shannon Wilcox, Daniel Zacapa
Director: David Fincher

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Crime Thriller
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Running Time: 2:05

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Editorial Reviews - Seven

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A murky, claustrophobic whodunit distinguished by its unusually literate script, stylized production design, masterful performances, and directorial virtuosity, Seven pits detectives Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman against an unknown serial killer in a desperate race against time. Seemingly random murders, readily identifiable as the work of one man, suggest a master plan of some sort, and the pressure to divine it begins to alienate Pitt from his devoted wife, Gywneth Paltrow, herself a possible target of the phantom menace. No effect in this gut-wrenching thriller, visual or dramatic, was achieved by accident, as viewers of New Line's Platinum series two-disc DVD will learn. Four audio commentaries -- including analysis by Pitt, Freeman, and director David Fincher (Fight Club) -- plus a plethora of supplemental features outline the creative processes employed for Seven. Practically every scene, including an alternate ending and others deleted from the final cut, undergoes dissection in one way or another here. As this elaborate DVD package demonstrates, Seven has no equal among neo-noir thrillers. It is a viewing experience of almost unendurable intensity, and a textbook example of classic collaborative filmmaking. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Director David Fincher's dark, stylish thriller ranks as one of the decade's most influential box-office successes. Set in a hellish vision of a New York-like city, where it is always raining and the air crackles with impending death, the film concerns Det. William Somerset (Morgan Freeman), a homicide specialist just one week from a well-deserved retirement. Every minute of his 32 years on the job is evident in Somerset's worn, exhausted face, and his soul aches with the pain that can only come from having seen and felt far too much. But Somerset's retirement must wait for one last case, for which he is teamed with young hotshot David Mills (Brad Pitt), the fiery detective set to replace him at the end of the week. Mills has talked his reluctant wife, Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow), into moving to the big city so that he can tackle important cases, but his first and Somerset's last are more than either man has bargained for. A diabolical serial killer is staging grisly murders, choosing victims representing the seven deadly sins. First, an obese man is forced to eat until his stomach ruptures to represent gluttony, then a wealthy defense lawyer is made to cut off a pound of his own flesh as penance for greed. Somerset initially refuses to take the case, realizing that there will be five more murders, ghastly sermons about lust, sloth, pride, wrath, and envy presented by a madman to a sinful world. Somerset is correct, and something within him cannot let the case go, forcing the weary detective to team with Mills and see the case to its almost unspeakably horrible conclusion. The moody photography is by Darius Khondji; the nauseatingly vivid special effects are by makeup artist Rob Bottin, best known for more fantasy-oriented work in films like The Howling (1981). ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

The Shadow

The Shadow

Starring: Alec Baldwin, John Lone, Penelope Ann Miller, Peter Boyle, Ian McKellen, Tim Curry, Jonathan Winters, Sab Shimono, Andre Gregory, James Alan, Linda Atkinson, Abraham Benrubi, Phillip Borsos, Darryl Chan, Mary Colquhoun, Joe D'Angerio, Alix Elias, Patrick Fisher, Al Goto, Michael Hadge, Larry Hankin, James Hong, Steve Hytner, Larry Joshua, Nathan Jung, John Kapelos, Al Leong, James Lew, Bruce Locke, Aaron Lustig, Joseph Maher, Wesley Mann, Lily Mariye, Kate McGregor-Stewart, Toshishiro Obata, Gerald Okamura, Ethan Phillips, Stuart Quan, Fred Sanders, Nils Allen Stewart, Tera Tabrizi, Arsenio "Sonny" Trinidad, Brady Tsurutani, Frank Welker, Keith A. Wester, Max Wright
Director: Russell Mulcahy

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Adventure
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Running Time: 1:47

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Editorial Reviews - Shadow

All Movie Guide
A crime fighter created in the 1930s and popularized in movies, pulp novels, and a radio show starring a young Orson Welles, The Shadow came back to life in 1994 in this slick, well-cast production. Alec Baldwin stars as Lamont Cranston, a murderous opium dealer reformed by a Tibetan mystic, who teaches him how to use his keen mental powers to manipulate others. As penance for his past misdeeds, Cranston masquerades as a degenerate New York City playboy by day and secretly plays the heroic Shadow by night, staving off evildoers with a network of agents and a cab-driving sidekick (Peter Boyle). A greater challenge arrives when Cranston must fight Shiwan Khan (John Lone), the final descendent of Genghis Khan, who has received training from the same Tibetan master who instructed Cranston. Shiwan plans to use atomic weapons to take over New York and then the world. At the same time, Cranston meets socialite Margo Lane (Penelope Ann Miller), and, although he's instantly enamored of her, he discovers that her psychic abilities render his secret identity vulnerable. The Shadow was directed by former music video creator Russell Mulcahy, whose feature film debut Highlander (1986) was a cult classic. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption

Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, Bill Sadler, Clancy Brown, James Whitmore, Gil Bellows, Mark Rolston, Jeffrey DeMunn, Dion Anderson, Deborah Aquila, Ned Bellamy, Bill Bolender, Larry Brandenburg, Brian Brophy, Jude Ciccolella, Gary Lee Davis, Steve Eastin, Neil Giuntoli, Gordon Greene, Brian Libby, Ken Magee, Paul McCrane, Don McManus, Frank Medrano, Joe Pecoraro, David Proval, Joe Ragno, Neil Summers, Rohn Thomas, John R. Woodward, Donald Zinn
Director: Frank Darabont

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Drama - General
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Running Time: 2:22

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Editorial Reviews - Shawshank Redemption

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Released in 1994 to mixed reviews, this engrossing adaptation of a Stephen King novella impressed moviegoers with its painstaking exactitude, stylish direction, and memorable performances. It went on to earn seven Academy Award nominations and become a giant hit on home video, finding a huge and appreciative audience. It begins in 1947, when bank vice president Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is convicted on circumstantial evidence for the murder of his wife and her lover. Sentenced to life imprisonment in Shawshank Prison, he endures with a quiet tenacity that wins him the respect of both hardened prisoners -- like "Red" (Morgan Freeman) -- and the duplicitous warden (Bob Gunton), who puts the new fish to work on his personal financial matters. Director Frank Darabont allows audiences to experience the tedium of prison. Life in Shawshank is not just tedious, though; it's also grueling and painful, punctuated by bursts of brutality and horror that wear down prisoners sentenced to long terms. And it unfolds, according to Darabont, in a manner in which seemingly oblique words or incidents prove later on to have special resonance. Despite the grim subject matter and two-and-a-half-hour length, The Shawshank Redemption is both engaging and ultimately uplifting. Much credit for this goes to Robbins and Freeman, each of whom displays qualities that make his character especially vivid and memorable. It's a rewarding motion picture that's guaranteed to linger in one's memory. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
In 1946, a banker named Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is convicted of a double murder, even though he stubbornly proclaims his innocence. He's sentenced to a life term at the Shawshank State Prison in Maine, where another lifer, Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman), picks him as the new recruit most likely to crack under the pressure. The ugly realities of prison life are quickly introduced to Andy: a corrupt warden (Bob Gunton), sadistic guards led by Capt. Byron Hadley (Clancy Brown), and inmates who are little better than animals, willing to use rape or beatings to insure their dominance. But Andy does not crack: he has the hope of the truly innocent, which (together with his smarts) allow him to prevail behind bars. He uses his banking skills to win favor with the warden and the guards, doing the books for Norton's illegal business schemes and keeping an eye on the investments of most of the prison staff. In exchange, he is able to improve the prison library and bring some dignity and respect back to many of the inmates, including Red. Based on a story by Stephen King, The Shawshank Redemption was the directorial debut of screenwriter Frank Darabont. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Silence Of The Lambs

Silence Of The Lambs

Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Anthony Heald, Brooke Smith, Ted Levine, Diane Baker, Kasi Lemmons, Charles Napier, Roger Corman, George A. Romero, Chuck Aber, Lamont Arnold, Obba Babatunde, Daniel Von Bargen, Andre B. Blake, Lawrence A. Bonney, Gene Borkan, Don Brockett, Josh Broder, Dan Butler, Alex Coleman, Bill Dalzell III, Danny Darst, Chad Dowdell, Jim Dratfield, David Earle, Cynthia Ettinger, Frankie R. Faison, Howard Feuer, John Hall, Brent Hinkley, James B. Howard, Chris Isaak, Buzz Kilman, Tommy LaFitte, Jeffrie Lane, Paul Lazar, Leib Lensky, Adelle Lutz, Pat McNamara, George Michael, Bill Miller, Harry Northrup, Jim Roche, Lauren Roselli, Stuart Rudin, Rebecca Saxon, Red Schwartz, Frank Seals Jr., Masha Skorobogatov, Stanton-Miranda, Kenneth Utt, Ron Vawter, Tracey Walter, Lawrence T. Wrentz, Steve Wyatt
Director: Jonathan Demme

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Crime - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:58

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Editorial Reviews - Silence Of The Lambs

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One of the most gripping and horrifying thrillers ever, The Silence of the Lambs introduced moviegoers to the screen's most blood-curdling antihero: brilliant, urbane, softspoken Hannibal Lecter -- a psychotic killer and confirmed cannibal. As depicted with three-dimensional fidelity by Anthony Hopkins, Lecter's a shrewdly manipulative but devilishly charming fiend to whom maximum-security incarceration is merely a temporary setback. Jonathan Demme's bone-chilling adaptation of the bestselling novel by Thomas Harris initially focuses on FBI agent Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster), following her exhaustive but ineffectual search for a serial killer. She approaches Lecter for help, persuading him to give her valuable insights into the workings of a similarly affected criminal mind. But the importance of Starling's quest recedes dramatically when the evil genius escapes, and Demme tantalizes viewers with her dilemma: Can she find the killer before Lecter finds her? An intense, unforgettable thriller that confounds genre expectations, Silence draws its effectiveness from a beautifully crafted screenplay rich in characterization, Oscar-winning performances by Hopkins and Foster; and the sure-handed direction of Demme. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
In this multiple Oscar-winning thriller, Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy whose shrewd analyses of serial killers lands her a special assignment: the FBI is investigating a vicious murderer nicknamed Buffalo Bill, who kills young women and then removes the skin from their bodies. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into this case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out. Lecter does indeed know something of Buffalo Bill, but his information comes with a price: in exchange for telling what he knows, he wants to be housed in a more comfortable facility. More important, he wants to speak with Clarice about her past. He skillfully digs into her psyche, forcing her to reveal her innermost traumas and putting her in a position of vulnerability when she can least afford to be weak. The film mingles the horrors of criminal acts with the psychological horrors of Lecter's slow-motion interrogation of Clarice and of her memories that emerge from it. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Chicago Sun-Times
It has been a good long while since I have felt the presence of Evil so manifestly demonstrated as in the first appearance of Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs. Roger Ebert

Sister Act

Sister Act

Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkena, Mary Wickes, Harvey Keitel, Bill Nunn, Robert Miranda, Richard Portnow, Carmen Zapata, Pat Crawford Brown, Purdence Wright Holmes, Susan Browning, Darlene Koldenhoven, Sheri Izzard, Edith Diaz, Beth Fowler, Skye Bassett, Zatella Beatty, Jim Beaver, Kevin Bourland, David Boyce, Guy Boyd, Georgia Creighton, Charlotte Crossley, Lois de Banzie, Ellen Albertini Dow, Michael Durrell, Lynda Gordon, Eugene Greytak, Max Grodenchik, Desreta Jackson, Robert Jimenez, Susan Johnson, Adrienne-Joi Johnson, Mike Jolly, Isis Carmen Jones, Toni Kalem, Nicky Katt, Ruth Kobart, Jenifer Lewis, Joseph Maher, Joseph Medalis, Rose Parenti, David Parker, Timothy J. Pedegana, Jeremy Roberts, Judy Taylor, Terry Wills
Director: Emile Ardolino

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Musical Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:40

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Editorial Reviews - Sister Act

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A sleeper hit that received a lukewarm reception from critics but was a success with audiences, Sister Act (1992) was star Whoopi Golberg's first bona fide smash after her Oscar victory for Ghost (1990). Goldberg stars as Deloris Van Cartier, a Reno lounge singer who accidentally witnesses a brutal murder carried out by her gangster boyfriend Vince (Harvey Keitel). Under the protection of a detective (Bill Nunn) who's trying to bring down Vince's criminal operation, Deloris is placed in protective custody at a San Francisco convent. Masquerading as a nun renamed Sister Mary Clarence, Deloris shakes up the established order of the sisters' lives, particularly enlivening their choral efforts. Although running constantly afoul of the Mother Superior (Maggie Smith), the new, jazzed-up musical act becomes a huge hit in the community, even drawing the attention of the Pope, but also alerting Vince to Deloris' whereabouts. Although credited to the pseudonymous Joseph Howard, Sister Act was actually written by Paul Rudnick and Carrie Fisher. The film was followed by a sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit

Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit

Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Najimy, Barnard Hughes, Mary Wickes, James Coburn, Michael Jeter, Wendy Makkena, Maggie Smith, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Robert Pastorelli, Thomas Gottschalk, Lauryn Hill, Brad Sullivan, Alanna Ubach, Ron Johnson, Pat Crawford Brown, Sharon Brown, Susan Browning, Monica Calhoun, Aleta Helena Chappelle, Georgia Creighton, Edith Diaz, Bill Duke, Beth Fowler, Frank Howard, Warren Frost, Robin Gammell, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Purdence Wright Holmes, Sheri Izzard, Ruth Kobart, Darlene Koldenhoven, Sidney Lassick, Jenifer Lewis, Deedee Lynn Magno, Patrick Malone, Rose Parenti, Regan Patno, Lacy Darryl Phillips, Paul Thorpe, Ryan Toby, Gabriel Trupin, Pamela Tyson, Yolanda Whittaker, Frank Williams, Carmen Zapata
Director: Bill Duke

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Musical Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:46

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Editorial Reviews - Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit

All Movie Guide
In the sequel to the hit comedy Sister Act, Whoopie Goldberg reprises her role of Deloris Van Cartier, a Las Vegas entertainer who hid out with in a convent of nuns to avoid a nasty bunch of gangsters. In Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Deloris is persuaded to return to the convent by the Mother Superior (Maggie Smith), because her help is needed in teaching their choral students at St. Francis High in San Francisco. However, St. Francis is in a crisis, since the administrator running the school (James Coburn) is threatening to shut the place down. If the gospel choir wins first place in a singing contest in Los Angeles, St. Francis will be saved from the priest's plans. Though the plot is rather thin and derivative, Sister Act 2 is lighthearted fun, thanks to good musical numbers and winning performances from the cast. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Six Days, Seven Nights

Six Days, Seven Nights

Starring: Harrison Ford, Anne Heche, David Schwimmer, Jacqueline Obradors, Temuera Morrison, Allison Janney, Douglas Weston, Cliff Curtis, Danny Trejo, Hoyt Richards, Amy Sedaris
Director: Ivan Reitman

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Comedy Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:41

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Editorial Reviews - Six Days, Seven Nights

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Ivan Reitman directed this romantic comedy-adventure that opens in New York where fast-paced magazine associate editor Robin Monroe (Anne Heche) and her boyfriend, Frank (David Schwimmer), leave for a week's vacation on a remote island. They've already been together for three years, so when Frank asks her to marry him, she says yes. For a one-day Tahiti photo shoot, Robin engages the services of South Pacific cargo pilot Quinn Harris (Harrison Ford). Robin and Quinn head off to do the shoot, but a squall forces Quinn to land his DeHavilland Beaver on the beach of a remote, unknown island. With broken landing gear, they're trapped there. Search parties set forth. Robin and Quinn cope with each other. Survival skills surface. Sexual tensions escalate. Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Frank and Quinn's girlfriend, Angelica (Jacqueline Obradors), compare concerns at the hotel bar. Several days later, the search is called off. Quinn and Robin are left to their own devices, including removing pontoons from a convenient Japanese war plane and attempting a take off. Filmed on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Sixth Sense

Sixth Sense

Starring: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams, Donnie Wahlberg, Glenn Fitzgerald, Mischa Barton, Trevor Morgan, Bruce Norris, Michael Higgins, Samia Shoaib
Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Psychological Thriller
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:47

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Editorial Reviews - Sixth Sense

Barnes & Noble
A throwback to old-fashioned fright films, The Sixth Sense eschews gimmicky effects in favor of intriguing storytelling, sympathetic characters, and evocative atmospherics that tingle viewers' spines. Bruce Willis gives one of his most understated and effective performances to date as a child psychologist whose career goes into decline after he's shot by a former patient. His latest case involves a troubled grade-school boy (Haley Joel Osment, in an Oscar-nominated performance) who confesses, "I see dead people" -- a claim the psychologist comes to believe is true. Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (Wide Awake) wisely makes Osment the story's focal point, allowing us to see the restless spirits that visit him, to feel the terror that besets him. The scenes between Osment and Willis are handled subtly, and Shyamalan's shattering surprise denouement blindsides even the most observant viewers. Easily the creepiest ghost story in recent memory, The Sixth Sense is guaranteed to stand your hair on end. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
In this tense tale of psychological terror, Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is a child psychologist whose new patient has a problem far outside his usual area of expertise. Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is six-years-old and claims to see the spirits of dead people all around him. It seems that Cole has psychic powers and can channel the ghosts of those who were troubled. Cole doesn't understand his powers, and he has little control over them; he's constantly terrified by what he sees, and Dr. Crowe is the only one with whom he feels he can share this secret. However, as the doctor digs deeper into Cole's strange powers, it leads to strange and unexpected consequences for both of them. M. Night Shyamalan, who wrote and directed the film, has a small role as Dr. Hill. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty

Starring: Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Barbara Luddy, Bill Thompson, Taylor Holmes, Barbara Jo Allen, Candy Candido, Pinto Colvig, Dal McKennon, Marvin Miller
Director: Les Clark

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Children
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:15

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Editorial Reviews - Sleeping Beauty

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Movies like this come along "once upon a dream." Released in 1959, the wildly ambitious and stylistically bold Sleeping Beauty -- at the time the most expensive animated feature ever -- mimicked Walt Disney's similarly grand Fantasia at the box office. That is, it failed. Nevertheless, both films are now considered among Disney's masterworks. This is old-school Disney, with enchanting princess Aurora; spell-breaking Prince Philip; evil villainess Malificent; scene-stealing good fairies Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather; and cute forest creatures to befriend our heroine. Sleeping Beauty makes a royal debut on DVD in a wide-screen presentation that does full justice to the majestic panoramas. The Tchaikovsky-inspired score contains the Disney standard "Once Upon a Dream," as well as the rollicking drinking song "Skumps." The climactic fight between Prince Philip and Maleficent, who transforms herself into a terrible dragon, is the stuff nightmares are made of, and it remains spectacular. It would be another 30 years until the Disney studios reentered the fairy tale realm with The Little Mermaid. Donald Liebenson

From the Studio
In the original story, Princess Aurora sleeps for 100 years before being awakened by a prince's kiss. In the Disney version, Prince Philip comes to her rescue much sooner. George Brun's orchestral score, which was nominated for an Academy Award®, expertly blended famous themes from Tchaikovsky's ballet. With a budget that exceeded $6 million in 1959, this was Walt Disney's most lavish and expensive animated feature to date. Determined to make the characters as realistic as possible, Disney had a live action film shot with actors posing as Sleeping Beauty, the Prince, and Maleficent, for the animators to use. New York Times critic Bosley Crowther called the fight between Prince Philip and Maleficent "the noisiest and scariest go-round he [Disney] has ever put into one of his films."

All Movie Guide
Disney produced this lavish animated fairy tale, the most expensive cartoon ever made up to its release with a budget of $6 million. When the young princess Aurora is cursed at birth by the evil fairy Maleficent, the baby is kidnapped by a trio of good fairies who raise the girl themselves, hoping to avoid the spell's fulfillment. Nevertheless, at the age of 16, the beautiful Aurora falls into a deep sleep that can only be awakened by a kiss from her betrothed, Prince Phillip. Knowing that Phillip intends to save Aurora, Maleficent takes him prisoner. When the good fairies launch a rescue attempt, Maleficent transforms herself into a spectacular fire-breathing dragon, forcing Phillip to defeat her in mortal combat. Sleeping Beauty (1959) was Oscar nominated for its musical score, which featured adaptations of Tchaikovsky compositions. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Sleeping with the Enemy

Sleeping with the Enemy

Starring: Julia Roberts, Patrick Bergin, Kevin Anderson, Elizabeth Lawrence, Kyle Secor, Claudette Nevins, Tony Abatemarco, Marita Geraghty, Harley Venton, Nancy Fish, Bonnie Cook, Mark Fincannon, Graham Harrington, Pam Plummer, Karen Rea, Sharon Robinson, Sandi Shackelford, Todd Thaler, John D. Ward
Director: Joseph Ruben

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

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Editorial Reviews - Sleeping with the Enemy

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Hot off her success in Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts starred in this thriller about a battered wife stalked by her abusive husband. Roberts plays Laura Burney, the wife of a rich investment counselor, Martin (Patrick Bergin). Martin appreciates his wife as a trophy, but at home he abuses her for not keeping the house as clean as he would like it. The verbal abuse descends into physical violence --so much so that Laura decides to disappear rather than live a life under Martin as a brutalized slave. Laura fakes her own death by drowning, and relocates to Cedar Falls, Iowa, where she changes her name to Sara Waters. She starts a relationship with her friendly Iowa neighbor Ben Woodward (Kevin Anderson), but her happiness is short-lived. Martin has discovered that Laura has staged her drowning and is coming to Iowa to reclaim his possession. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Sleepless in Seattle

Sleepless in Seattle

Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, Rosie O'Donnell, Victor Garber, Rob Reiner, Dana Ivey, Gaby Hoffmann, Rita Wilson, Barbara Garrick, Carey Lowell, Caroline Aaron, Sidney Armus, Michael Badalucco, John Boylan, Frances Conroy, Hannah Cox, Le Chance DuRand, Tom Riis Farrell, Rich Hawkins, Julie Janney, Donald Lee, Philip Levy, Jeff Mazzola, Brian McConnachie, Tom McGowan, Victor Morris, Kevin O'Morrison, David Hyde Pierce, La Tanya Richardson, Matt Smith, Diane Sokolow, Tom Tammi, Juliet Taylor, Sarah Trigger, Calvin Trillin, Linda Wallem
Director: Nora Ephron

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:45

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Editorial Reviews - Sleepless in Seattle

All Movie Guide
Sleepless in Seattle, the sophomore directorial effort from Nora Ephron, is a light romantic comedy inspired by the 1957 film An Affair to Remember. Tom Hanks stars as widower and single father Sam. When Sam's son, Jonah (Ross Malinger), calls into a talk radio program looking for a new mother, Sam ends up getting on the phone and laments about his lost love. Thousands of miles away, Annie (Meg Ryan) hears the program and immediately falls in love with Sam, despite the fact that she has never met him and that she is engaged to humdrum Walter (Bill Pullman). Believing they are meant to be together, Annie sets out for Seattle to meet Sam, who, meanwhile, contends with an onslaught of letters from available women equally touched by his phone call. Rosie O'Donnell, Rita Wilson, and Rob Reiner also star. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow

Starring: Orlando Seale, Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Casper Van Dien, Jeffrey Jones, Christopher Lee, Richard Griffiths, Ian McDiarmid, Michael Gough, Christopher Walken, Marc Pickering, Lisa Marie, Steven Waddington, Claire Skinner, Alun Armstrong, Mark Spalding, Jessica Oyelowo, Ray Park, Peter Guinness
Director: Tim Burton

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Costume Horror
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:45

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Editorial Reviews - Sleepy Hollow

Barnes & Noble
The latest masterwork to spring from the fertile and twisted imagination of Tim Burton turns Washington Irving's quaint tale of Upstate New York peculiarities into a grisly, nightmarish detective story. Johnny Depp (an actor born to wear period garb) is as grave and handsome as a young Buster Keaton in the role of Ichabod Crane, a fastidious New York City constable assigned to investigate a decapitation in the rustic hamlet of Sleepy Hollow. His inquiries are stymied by the natives' superstitious belief in the Headless Horseman, a demonic assassin whose future victims might include fair maiden Christina Ricci (looking especially attractive with long blonde hair and daring décolletage). But it's the Horseman himself -- played by Christopher Walken -- who steals the show with his gory escapades, which are captured with startling realism thanks to computer-enhanced imaging. Burton's adaptation plays fast and loose with Irving's story, sliding at times into a cartoonishness that detracts from the film. But his stylized depiction of the gloomy, fog-shrouded village is stunningly beautiful, evoking an atmosphere of the dread that hangs over the scene, palpable as the chilly mist. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Washington Irving's tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman gets a few new twists in a screen adaptation directed by Tim Burton. In this version, Ichabod (Johnny Depp) is a New York City detective whose unorthodox techniques and penchant for gadgets make him unpopular with is colleagues. He is sent to the remote town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of bizarre murders, in which a number of people have been found dead in the woods, with their heads cut off. Local legend has it that a Hessian ghost rides through the woods on horseback, lopping off the heads of the unsuspecting and unbelieving. Ichabod refuses to believe in this legend, convinced that there must be a logical explanation for the murders. In time, Ichabod becomes smitten with a local lass, Katrina Van Tassel (Christina Ricci), who is the sweetheart of the burly Brom Bones (Casper Van Dien), and he becomes determined to capture the murderer to prove his bravery and win her heart. Christopher Walken, Jeffrey Jones, and Christopher Lee highlight the supporting cast; Lee's appearance is particularly apt, since Burton has cited the Hammer films of the 1960s as a major influence in making this film. Andrew Kevin Walker and Tom Stoppard contributed to the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Sling Blade

Sling Blade

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, J.T. Walsh, John Ritter, Lucas Black, Natalie Canerday, James Hampton, Robert Duvall, Jim Jarmusch
Director: Billy Bob Thornton

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Drama - General
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:15

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Editorial Reviews - Sling Blade

All Movie Guide
Sling Blade marked the directorial debut of country singer turned actor Billy Bob Thornton, who also authored the script (expanding George Hickenlooper's acclaimed short Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade) and stars in the picture. Thornton plays Karl Childers, a mildly retarded man who spent most of his life in a mental institution. When Karl was a boy, he was severely mistreated by his abusive father (Robert Duvall). At age 12, Karl found his mother having intercourse with a man who tormented him endlessly; he snapped, flew into a homicidal rage, and killed both individuals by decapitating them. Years later, as a middle-aged man, Karl is deemed harmless to society and released from the mental institution where he resides. Karl says he has learned his lesson and adds, "I reckon I got no reason to kill no one." He returns to the town of his boyhood, where he's befriended by Frank (Lucas Black), the son of a widowed mother who sees the eccentric but open-hearted Karl as a kindred spirit. Karl also gets a job at a fix-it shop and resides in the backroom, until Frank's mother, Linda (Natalie Canerday), takes a liking to Karl and lets him stay with them. However, Karl also meets Doyle (Dwight Yoakam), Linda's boyfriend, a sadistically cruel, narrow-minded drunk who tosses casual abuse at Frank, treats Linda like dirt, and mocks Karl endlessly. The late John Ritter co-stars as Linda's friend Vaughan, a mild-mannered homosexual who works at the neighborhood dollar store. Musicians Col. Bruce Hampton and Vic Chesnutt are among Doyle's party guests. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Smokey and the Bandit

Smokey and the Bandit

Starring: Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Jackie Gleason, Mike Henry, Paul Williams, Patty McCormick, David Huddleston, Lamar Jackson, Ingeborg Kjeldsen, Michael Mann, Macon McCalman, Linda McClure, Susan McIver, Mel Pape, George Reynolds, Sonny Shroyer, Alfie Wise, Hank Worden
Director: Hal Needham

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

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Editorial Reviews - Smokey and the Bandit

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

Some Like It Hot

Some Like It Hot

Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Joe E. Brown, Nehemiah Persoff, Joan Shawlee, Billy Gray, George E. Stone, Dave Barry, Harry Wilson, Beverly Wills, Edward G. Robinson Jr., Marian Collier, John Indrisano, Tom Kennedy, Mike Mazurki, Grace Lee Whitney
Director: Billy Wilder

Certification: NR
Category: Comedy of Errors
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:00

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Editorial Reviews - Some Like It Hot

Barnes & Noble
Billy Wilder's legendary cross-dressing comedy, Some Like It Hot, satisfies on split levels: silly and sophisticated, sweet and salacious, feminine and masculine -- often, all of these at once. Set in 1929, the film costars Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis as a pair of down-and-out Chicago musicians trying to escape the wrath of vicious gangsters. Posing as women, they sign on for an all-girl gig in Florida, where they both fall for the act's sexy lounge singer, Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe). Lemmon's classic observation about Monroe, that she moves "like Jell-O on springs," is just the tip of the iceberg here. Some Like It Hot's snappy, sexually charged dialogue never lets up. But the movie's more than just talk: Wilder displays storytelling virtuosity, unfolding his madcap tale at a giddy pace through a series of endless twists and turns. Yet, through it all, the characters and situations are realized with a clarity on the order of a Shakespearean comedy. Some deliberate male-female stereotyping early on yields quickly to subtle, urbane explorations of sexuality and sexual roles. Lemmon and Curtis prove to be perfect matches for this material, sliding in and out of drag and female personae with ease, with Curtis indulging in a sly Cary Grant caricature to boot. Monroe, meanwhile, is at her most vulnerable and voluptuous, serving as the explosive catalyst in one of the screen's greatest love triangles. Add to this Monroe's breathy renditions of "I'm Through with Love" and "I Wanna be Loved by You," and it's easy to see why Some Like It Hot is one of the most beloved comedies ever to come out of Hollywood. They don't make them better than this. Gregory Baird

All Movie Guide
The launching pad for Billy Wilder's comedy classic was a rusty old German farce, Fanfares of Love, whose two main characters were male musicians so desperate to get a job that they disguise themselves as women and play with an all-girl band in gangster-dominated 1929 Chicago. In this version, musicians Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) lose their jobs when a speakeasy owned by mob boss Spats Columbo (George Raft) is raided by prohibition agent Mulligan (Pat O'Brien). Several weeks later, on February 14th, Joe and Jerry get a job perfroming in Urbana and end up witnessing a gangland massacre in a parking garage. Fearing that they will be next on the mobsters' hit lists, Joe devises an ingenious plan for disguising their identities. Soon they are all dolled up and performing as Josephine and Daphne in Sweet Sue's all-girl orchestra. En route to Florida by train with Sweet Sue's band, the boys (girls?) make the acquaintance of Sue's lead singer Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe, in what may be her best performance). Joe and Jerry immediately fall in love, though of course their new feminine identities prevent them from acting on their desires. Still, they are determined to woo her, and they enact an elaborate series of gender-bending ruses complicated by the fact that flirtatious millionaire Osgood Fielding (Joe E. Brown) has fallen in love with "Daphne." The plot gets even thicker when Spats Columbo and his boys show up in Florida. Nominated for several Oscars, Some Like It Hot ended up the biggest moneymaking comedy up to 1959. Full of hilarious set pieces and movie in-jokes, it has not tarnished with time and in fact seems to get better with each passing year, as its cross-dressing humor keeps it only more and more up-to-date. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Someone Like You

Someone Like You

Starring: Ashley Judd, Greg Kinnear, Hugh Jackman, Marisa Tomei, Ellen Barkin, Catherine Dent, Peter Friedman, Laura Regan, Naomi Judd
Director: Tony Goldwyn

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

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Editorial Reviews - Someone Like You

All Movie Guide
Based on Laura Zigman's 1998 novel Animal Husbandry, this romantic comedy centers on Jane Goodale (Ashley Judd), a talk-show producer who finds herself suddenly abandoned by her boyfriend (Greg Kinnear). After this untimely breakup, Jane begins to develop a thesis that male behavior is directly related to that of wildlife, with similar patterns existing in both. She studies the tendency for animals to be noncommittal and compares men to bulls, dogs, and other creatures. To prove her theories, she enlists the help of her roommate Eddie (Hugh Jackman), a womanizer who falls into all of the patterns of her research. When applying her studies to Eddie, she gains exposure and suddenly becomes a sensation as a pseudonymous sex columnist. This is the second directorial effort from actor Tony Goldwyn, after his 1999 feature A Walk on the Moon. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

Rolling Stone
Ashley Judd shines like gold dust.... Tony Goldwyn, working from a wry script by Elizabeth Chandler, builds on the flair he showed for shifting relationships in his 1999 directorial debut, A Walk on the Moon. The actors respond with lovely nuances. Peter Travers

Someone Like You

Someone Like You

Starring: Ashley Judd, Greg Kinnear, Hugh Jackman, Marisa Tomei, Ellen Barkin, Catherine Dent, Peter Friedman, Laura Regan, Naomi Judd
Director: Tony Goldwyn

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

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Something to Talk About

Something to Talk About

Starring: Julia Roberts, Dennis Quaid, Robert Duvall, Gena Rowlands, Kyra Sedgwick, Brett Cullen, Haley Aull, Helen Baldwin, Terrence Currier, Shannon Eubanks, J. Don Ferguson, Rhoda Griffis, Deborah Hobart, Rebecca Koon, Amy Parrish, Mary Nell Santacroce, Anne Shropshire, Muse Watson, Libby Whittemore
Director: Lasse Hallström

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:46

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Editorial Reviews - Something to Talk About

All Movie Guide
The feminist outrage of Thelma & Louise (1991) screenwriter Callie Khouri blended superbly with director Lasse Hallstrom's predilection for stories about idiosyncratic families in this effective comedy-drama. Julia Roberts stars as Grace King Bichon, a prim small-town wife who is incensed when she learns that her husband Eddie Bichon (Dennis Quaid) is having an affair, and that it's not his first dalliance. Grace embarrasses her husband publicly -- then moves in with her wise-mouthed little sister Emma Rae (the scene-stealing Kyra Sedgwick). Grace becomes even angrier when her mother Georgia (Gena Rowlands) and wealthy father, horse breeder Wyly King (Robert Duvall), side with Eddie in the conflict, fearing the small-town gossip that's sure to swirl around their daughter's marital woes. However, when Georgia finds that Wyly has been a long-term philanderer as well, she kicks him out of his palatial home, embroiling the entire King family in a war between the sexes. Something to Talk About went through several title changes, variously being named "Game of Love" and "Grace Under Pressure" before producers settled on the title of the popular Bonnie Raitt song. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Something's Gotta Give

Something's Gotta Give

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Frances McDormand, Amanda Peet, Jon Favreau, Paul Michael Glaser, Rachel Ticotin, Blaine Allen, Ara Anton, Roxanne Beckford, Melette Le Blanc-Cabot, Taylor Block, Conroe Brooks, Paige Butcher, Tania Deighton, Susan Dizon, Maria Esquivel, Michelle Fabiano, Patrick Fischler, Sonja Francis, Marjie Gum, Vanessa Haydon, Nichole M. Hiltz, Cindy Joseph, Melissa Keller, Catherine McGoohan, Susan Misner, Tayrene Mugridge, Alexandra Neil, Joan Adelle Nelson, Lorraine Nicholson, Nicki Norris, Beatrice Quinn, Robin Pearson Rose, Julia Rose, Russell Russo, Connie Sawyer, Lorna Scott, Jennifer Siebel, Sean Smith, Peter Spears, Tamara Spoelder, KaDee Strickland, Tanya Sweet, Kristine Szabo, Elayn Taylor, Robert Frank Telfer, T.J. Thyne, Kathy Tong, Leslie Upson, Daniella Van Graas, Audrey Wasilewski
Director: Nancy Meyers

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:03

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Editorial Reviews - Something's Gotta Give

Barnes & Noble
The best romantic comedy of 2003 derives much of its effectiveness from the inspired teaming of two inimitable big-screen veterans: Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. Writer-director Nancy Meyers certainly deserves a great deal of credit for supplying witty dialogue and directing her A-list cast with a feather-light touch, but ultimately this little ditty is all about Jack and Diane. Nicholson plays a music industry tycoon who practices serial monogamy with women young enough to be his daughters. While trysting at a beachfront home with his latest girlfriend (Amanda Peet), the aging lothario is stricken with a heart attack and confined to the house, much to the chagrin of his date's mother (Keaton), a blocked playwright and divorcée who doesn't take kindly to Jack's liaison with her daughter. Meyers concentrates at first on the gradual thawing of their initially frosty relations, and then on the mutual attraction that blossoms into romance -- with all the attendant misunderstandings and complications. It's so refreshing to see a film of this type made with, about, and for middle-aged people, a constituency to which Hollywood has given short shrift in recent years. What's more, the casting lends a great deal to the enterprise's credibility: Nicholson is widely known to prefer dalliances with younger women, and Keaton's well-documented eccentricities make her eminently believable as the repressed, neurotic writer. About the only thing for which Meyers can be faulted is the underutilization of her massively talented supporting players. Only Keanu Reeves, playing the young doctor who treats Nicholson and falls in love with Keaton, gets juicy scenes and a reasonable amount of screen time. Nicholson and Keaton -- who earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination -- are the main attractions here. It's a pleasure to see these old pros sparring onscreen in roles that fit them like gloves. Something's Gotta Give endearingly kids the conventions of contemporary, youth-oriented Hollywood romances yet also has the good sense to poke fun at the faults and foibles of its principal characters.

All Movie Guide
In keeping with the light and slick tones of her earlier film What Women Want, Nancy Meyers writes and directs the romantic comedy Something's Gotta Give. Jack Nicholson plays Harry Langer, a swinging sixtysomething entertainment executive surrounded by plenty of young girlfriends. His latest romance is young petite sophisticate Marin (Amanda Peet), who takes him to her mother's beach house in the Hamptons for a weekend fling. However, Marin's successful Broadway playwright mother Erica Barry (Diane Keaton) is already vacationing at the house with her sister Zoe (Frances McDormand). Marin and Harry stay anyway, and Harry ends up having a heart attack. He goes to the hospital and is looked after by thirtysomething doctor Julian Mercer (Keanu Reeves). Impressed by her writing, Dr. Mercer finds himself pursuing a romance with Erica. Because of his serious health condition, he orders Harry to stay near the hospital. While Marin returns to Manhattan, Erica agrees to stay on and look after Harry. Of course they are repulsed by each other at first, but they end up falling in love throughout the recovery process. Also starring Jon Favreau as Harry's assistant. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Soul Food

Soul Food

Starring: Vanessa L. Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Nia Long, Michael Beach, Mekhi Phifer, Brandon Hammond, Jeffrey D. Sams, Gina Ravera, Irma P. Hall, Carl Wright, Mel Jackson, Morgan Mechelle Smith, John M. Watson Sr., Malik Yoba
Director: George Tillman Jr.

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Comedy - General
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:55

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Editorial Reviews - Soul Food

All Movie Guide
This hit domestic comedy-drama concerned the fortunes of an extended African-American family recalled through the eyes of young narrator Ahmad (Brandon Hammond). Ahmad's world revolves around his grandmother, Big Mama Joseph (Irma P. Hall) and her three daughters: workaholic attorney Teri (Vanessa Williams), newlywed salon owner Bird (Nia Long), and Ahmad's housewife mom, Maxine (Vivica A. Fox). Each sister is in turmoil. Teri has lost patience for her husband Miles (Michael Beach), who wants to quit the law and take up music. Bird doesn't realize that her husband Lem (Mekhi Phifer) is about to be humiliated by her ex-boyfriend (Mel Jackson). And while Maxine's relationship with her husband Kenny (Jeffrey D. Sams) is going well, her relationship with her jealous sister Teri needs fixing. These conflicts boil over at Big Mama's traditional Sunday dinners, where the matriarch plays peacemaker. The ritual faces extinction, however, when Big Mama suffers a stroke -- but Ahmad is waiting in the wings to take her place. Soul Food launched the directing career of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native George Tillman, Jr., who based the script on his own family experiences. In the summer of 2000, Soul Food was spun off into a cable TV series. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Speed

Speed

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton, Jeff Daniels, Alan Ruck, Glenn Plummer, Richard Lineback, Beth Grant, Hawthorne James, Carlos Carrasco, David Kriegel, Natsuko Ohama, Daniel Villarreal, Risa Bramon Garcia, Billy Hopkins, Thomas Rosales Jr.
Director: Jan de Bont

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:56

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Editorial Reviews - Speed

Barnes & Noble
Speed, which turned Keanu Reeves into the screen's most unlikely action hero, made an international star of Sandra Bullock, and put Holland-born director Jan De Bont (Twister) on Hollywood's A-list, is still every bit the heart-pounding thriller you remember from the early '90s. Neither the passage of time nor the parade of imitators detracts one whit from the exhilaration offered by this nonstop thrill ride on an explosives-laden runaway bus. This Five Star Edition comes laden with extras, including commentary by De Bont, screenwriter Graham Yost, and producer Mark Gordon, plus tons of other goodies certain to satisfy any Speed freak. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
If you don't think Speed is the fastest-moving adventure film ever made, we challenge you to find a faster one. Keanu Reeves stars as an LA Bomb Squad specialist whose principal antagonist is elusive bomber-extortionist Dennis Hopper. Seeking vengeance after his latest ransom scheme is thwarted, Hopper presents a personal challenge to Reeves: A wired-for-destruction city bus, which will detonate if the speedometer drops below 50 MPH. Playing the reluctant civilian who is pressed into service as the bus' "substitute driver," leading lady Sandra Bullock became a major star in her own right. Once Speed gets to the meat of its story, the excitement never lets up--not even after the boobytrapped bus is out of the picture. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Spider-Man

Spider-Man

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, Joe Manganiello, Gerry Becker, Bill Nunn, Jack Betts, Stanley Anderson, Ron Perkins, Elizabeth Banks, Bruce Campbell, Michael Papajohn, Ted Raimi, Randy Savage, Myk Watford
Director: Sam Raimi

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Science Fiction - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:01

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Editorial Reviews - Spider-Man

Barnes & Noble
Certainly the most popular comic-book superhero created during the baby-boom years, the amazing Spider-Man makes an impressive live-action debut in director Sam Raimi's colorful and dynamic adventure film. Best of all, this extravagantly produced tribute to the character created in 1962 by Marvel Comics' Stan Lee and Steve Ditko is refreshingly free of the condescension and campiness that mars so many movies adapted from comics. Tobey Maguire, whose screen persona is that of a mild-mannered, perceptive young man, is perfectly cast as Peter Parker, the socially maladroit high school student who develops strange powers after being bitten by a genetically altered super-spider. Winsome Kirsten Dunst plays Mary Jane, the popular girl whom he secretly loves, even though she's dating his best friend, Harry (James Franco). Willem Dafoe all but steals the show with his bombastic portrayal of Spider-Man's archenemy, the grotesquely costumed Green Goblin -- the genetically altered alter ego of Harry's troubled father. While taking minor liberties with the character's origin, Spider-Man remains remarkably faithful to both the spirit and the letter of Marvel's four-color favorite. Flamboyant stunt work and computer-generated special effects lend credibility to the film's elaborate fight scenes, but Raimi never loses sight of the human element, the fact that his young protagonist feels burdened by the awesome powers bestowed upon him. Maguire's likability makes his Peter Parker a figure with whom audiences can empathize, no matter how outlandish his feats while garbed as the web-crawling superhero. A perfect popcorn movie, Spider-Man will delight adventure-loving viewers of all ages. The two-disc DVD Special Edition features a cornucopia of supplemental features, including: commentaries by Raimi, Dunst, and other members of the production team; an HBO "making-of" special; the E! Entertainment documentary "Spider-Mania"; screen tests; outtakes; DVD-ROM content; and much more. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
After incorporating elements of comic book style and design into many of his films, director Sam Raimi helms this straight-ahead, big-budget comic book adaptation, which also marks acclaimed young actor Tobey Maguire's first dip into live-action blockbuster filmmaking. Spider-Man follows the template of the original Stan Lee/Steve Ditko source material, with hero Peter Parker an orphaned, intellectual teen loner living in Queens with his aunt (Rosemary Harris) and uncle (Cliff Robertson), and dreaming of the girl next door, Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst). On a field trip to a Columbia University lab, Peter is bitten by a genetically altered spider and overnight he gains superhuman strength, agility, and perception. At first, Peter uses his powers for material gain, winning a wrestling match with a purportedly lucrative prize. But when Peter apathetically fails to stop a burglar from robbing the wrestling arena, a tragedy follows that compels him to devote his powers to fighting crime -- as the superhero Spider-Man. When he's not busy fighting crime in a spider suit, Peter moves into an apartment with his best friend, Harry (James Franco), and begins work as a photographer at the Daily Bugle. Meanwhile, his do-gooder alter ego finds a nemesis in the form of the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), a super-powered, megalomaniacal villain who happens to be the alter ego of Harry's father, weapons-manufacturing mogul Norman Osborn. Spider-Man was written by the prolific blockbuster scribe David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Panic Room). ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

New York Times
The filmmakers have succeeded in rejuvenating the character while staying faithful to his roots. A.O. Scott

Hollywood Reporter
Guileless and charming with a perpetual look of startled bewilderment at the super powers he possesses, Maguire is perfect as an ordinary guy with a big secret. Kirk Honeycutt

New York Post

A surprisingly charming and even witty match for the best of Hollywood's comic-book adaptations. Jonathan Foreman

Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man 2

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, Donna Murphy, J.K. Simmons, Daniel Gillies, Dylan Baker, Bill Nunn, Vanessa Ferlito, Aasif Mandvi, Willem Dafoe, Cliff Robertson, Ted Raimi, Elizabeth Banks, Bruce Campbell, Brooke Adams, Joel McHale, Jason Ortiz, Bonnie Somerville
Director: Sam Raimi

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action Thriller
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:04

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Editorial Reviews - Spider-Man 2

Barnes & Noble
Another of those infrequent sequels that just might be better than the original, Spider-Man 2 not only offers a surfeit of spectacular action sequences but also advances the first film's romantic subplot and continues to develop its principal characters. In Tobey Maguire, director Sam Raimi has a soulful young actor perfectly suited to convey the angst of the crusading superhero Spider-Man -- honor bound to serve humanity, yet deeply resentful that this responsibility exacts an onerous toll on his personal life. As the film opens, Peter Parker (Maguire) is struggling to keep up with both his college studies and his part-time job as a freelance photographer, while fighting crime as Spider-Man. His old flame, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), now a successful model and actress, still has feelings for Peter -- but he holds her at arm's length, fearful of engaging in a romance that could end tragically if his enemies learn of their relationship. And then there's his best pal, Harry Osborn (James Franco), who blames Spider-Man for the death of his father and has vowed revenge, not knowing that Peter is actually the web-crawler he seeks. Over-the-top villainy is supplied by Doctor Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), a brilliant scientist who goes mad when mechanical tentacles become welded to his body in a laboratory accident. There's enough plot for two movies, with the doctor's depredations at times taking a backseat to the Peter/Harry/Mary Jane psychodrama. But Raimi is a proficient director, and he juggles the disparate story elements with admirable dexterity. The characters' interplay gives Spider-Man 2 a third dimension that most comic-book movies could use: It's fun to watch costumed combatants whaling the tar out of each other, but emotional underpinnings help make the physical conflicts more satisfying. As in the first film, Raimi and his special-effects team rely heavily on computer-generated imagery to give the fight scenes a larger-than-life quality. As a result, the sequel's visuals are, if anything, even more sophisticated than those of the original. Spider-Man 2, however, should never be mistaken for eye candy; it's an enormously satisfying adventure film for the kids that adults will find surprisingly affecting and enjoyable. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Stan Lee's all-too-human superhero returns to the screen in this highly anticipated sequel to 2002's blockbuster hit Spider-Man. Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is attempting to juggle college classes and his job as a photographer with the Daily Bugle while maintaining his secret life as costumed crime-fighter Spider-Man. Parker is also struggling to hold on to his relationship with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), who is beginning to enjoy success as a model and actress, and both Mary Jane and Peter have noticed he's beginning to buckle under the strain. Parker's friendship with Harry Osborn (James Franco) is also beginning to fray due to Peter's seeming alliance with Spider-Man, whom Harry blames for the death of his father, the nefarious Norman Osborn. As Parker weighs his responsibilities to himself and those around him against the obligations that come with his special powers, Spider-Man is faced with a new nemesis -- Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), a deranged scientist whose latest project has turned him into the near-invincible cyborg Doctor Octopus. Spider-Man 2 was directed by Sam Raimi, who helmed the first film, and much of the original cast has also reunited for this sequel, including Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, and Bruce Campbell. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Star Trek - First Contact

Star Trek - First Contact

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Alfre Woodard, James Cromwell, Alice Krige, Neal McDonough, Robert Picardo, Dwight Schultz, Patti Yasutake
Director: Jonathan Frakes

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Fantasy Adventure
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:50

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Editorial Reviews - Star Trek - First Contact

All Movie Guide
The first "Trek" film to feature the cast of the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series without any of the members of the original series, this action-packed hit was well received at the box office. The Federation comes under attack by its ongoing enemy, the Borg, a cybernetics-enhanced race that once kidnapped Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), "assimilating" him into a drone. As a former prisoner of the Borg, Picard is ordered to stay out of the new battle, but he cannot resist and orders the brand-new starship Enterprise into the fray. The Enterprise follows the only surviving Borg ship through a time tunnel, where they intend to conquer Earth in an earlier era. The Borg have targeted the work of Zefram Cochrane (James Cromwell), inventor of warp drive, the device that makes interplanetary travel possible. As the Enterprise crew attempts to stop the Borg from interrupting the work of Cochrane and his assistant, Lily (Alfre Woodard), Borg drones invade the Enterprise and take it over piece by piece, while Data (Brent Spiner) is captured and seduced by the Borg Queen (Alice Krige). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

All Movie Guide
The best of the first three big-screen productions to feature the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, this eighth film in the long-running Paramount Pictures cash cow thankfully ups the action quotient. Every familiar character in the film from Picard (Patrick Stewart) to Data (Brent Spiner) has received a welcome double dose of testosterone and adrenaline. Screenwriters Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga have also deftly worked the series' most fearsome villains, the Borg, into a plot line that revisits the science fiction franchise's canonical roots. At the same time, the filmmakers offer up just the slightest whiff of sexuality in the relationships of Data with the Borg Queen and Picard with space greenhorn Lily (Alfre Woodard). The regular cast members are comfortable and solid in their recurring roles, while getting able support from character actors Woodard, James Cromwell and a riveting, scenery-munching Alice Krige as the Borg Queen. There's a lot going on here with a story involving time travel, cyborg villains, and the invention of interstellar space flight, but the pace buzzes along at a rapid clip and the action is handled with sure-footed aplomb by first-time director Jonathan Frakes. His familiarity with his co-stars and their roles proves just as valuable an asset as did Leonard Nimoy's in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). Only a few entries in the ever-growing Star Trek feature library are outright duds, but the rest can admittedly be divided up into those that will appeal to hardcore fans only and those that will be appreciated by anybody who likes a ripping yarn. Star Trek: First Contact (1996) is the first Next Generation picture to fall into the latter category. Karl Williams

Star Trek: The Ultimate Computer

Star Trek: The Ultimate Computer

Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols, William Marshall
Director: John M. Lucas

Certification: NR
Category: Science Fiction - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 51:00

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Editorial Reviews - Star Trek: The Ultimate Computer

All Movie Guide
The Enterprise is chosen to participate in the secret experimental testing of the M-5, a supercomputer that is designed to replace the human leaders of a starship, in this episode of the popular 1960s science fiction series. Kirk reluctantly agrees to temporary hand over his command for the duration of a test exercise, to allow the computer to prove itself amidst Starfleet military drills. A programming oversight, however, causes the M-5 to mistake the practice exercises for actual combat, leading to the destruction of a friendly vessel. Additionally, the Enterprise crew discovers that the computer will not return power to human hands or allow communication with other vessels who are unaware of the experiment. Captain Kirk and the others must discover a way to regain control of the ship or else face destruction as a rouge vessel at the hands of their own colleagues. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Pernilla August, Frank Oz, Ian McDiarmid, Oliver Ford Davies, Hugh Quarshie, Ahmed Best, Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Park, Ralph Brown, Terence Stamp, Brian Blessed, Sofia Coppola, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Keira Knightley, Greg Proops
Director: George Lucas

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Adventure - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:11

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Editorial Reviews - Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Barnes & Noble
Fans waited 16 years for this latest entry in George Lucas's epic space opera, and the payoff was big. Advances in digital imaging technology gave Lucas the tools to bring his most extraordinary visions yet to dramatic life. Episode I: The Phantom Menace -- an action-packed intergalactic adventure -- introduces an eye-popping parade of new aliens (such as loopy amphibian Jar Jar Binks) to populate future installments, as it begins the backstory to the phenomenally popular Star Wars trilogy. Brave Jedi Knights Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor join forces with young Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) to save her civilization from invaders, setting the stage for political intrigues to come in future episodes. The film also sets sci-fi history in motion by bringing Queen Amidala face-to-face with prodigious Jedi-to-be Annakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), a sweet boy with the darkest of destinies. From its breathtaking Pod Race to the exhilarating light-saber battles with the villainous Darth Maul, The Phantom Menace dazzles with its technical wizardry and whets the appetite for Lucas's next adventure. Ben Wolf

All Movie Guide
In 1977, George Lucas released Star Wars, the ultimate sci-fi popcorn flick-turned-pop-culture myth machine. It quickly became the biggest money-making film of all time and changed the shape of the film industry. After two successful sequels (1980's The Empire Strikes Back and 1983's Return of the Jedi) that extended the story of the first film, Lucas took some time off to produce movies for others, with mixed success. In 1999, Lucas returned to the Star Wars saga with a new approach -- instead of picking up where Return of the Jedi left off, Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace would be the first of a trilogy of stories to trace what happened in the intergalactic saga before the first film began. Here, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) is a young apprentice Jedi knight under the tutelage of Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson); Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), who will later father Luke Skywalker and become known as Darth Vader, is just a nine-year-old boy. When the Trade Federation cuts off all routes to the planet Naboo, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are assigned to settle the matter, but when they arrive on Naboo they are brought to Amidala (Natalie Portman), the Naboo queen, by a friendly but opportunistic Gungan named Jar Jar. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan plan to escort Amidala to a meeting of Republic leaders in Coruscant, but trouble with their spacecraft strands them on the planet Tatooine, where Qui-Gon meets Anakin, the slave of a scrap dealer. Qui-Gon is soon convinced that the boy could be the leader the Jedis have been searching for, and he begins bargaining for his freedom and teaching the boy the lessons of the Force. The supporting cast includes Pernilla August as Anakin's mother, Terence Stamp as Chancellor Valorum, and Samuel L. Jackson as Jedi master Mace Windu. Jackson told a reporter before The Phantom Menace's release that the best part about doing the film was that he got to say "May the Force be with you" onscreen. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

New York Times
Stripped of hype and breathless expectations, Lucas' first installment offers a happy surprise: it's up to snuff. It sustains the gee-whiz spirit of the series and offers a swashbuckling extragalactic getaway, creating illusions that are even more plausible than the kitchen-raiding raptors of Jurassic Park. Janet Maslin

Chicago Sun-Times
As surely as Anakin Skywalker points the way into the future of Star Wars, so does The Phantom Menace raise the curtain on this new freedom for filmmakers. And it's a lot of fun. Roger Ebert

Stargate

Stargate

Starring: Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson, Viveca Lindfors, Alexis Cruz, Mili Avital, Leon Rippy, John Diehl, Erick Avari, Robert Ackerman, Rae Allen, Kenneth Danziger, Christopher John Fields, George Gray, Cecil Hoffmann, Erik Holland, Gladys Holland, Djimon Hounsou, Richard Kind, Gianin Loffler, Jack Moore, David Pressman, Scott Smith, French Stewart, John Storey, Roger Til, April Webster, Frank Welker, Christopher West
Director: Roland Emmerich

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

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Editorial Reviews - Stargate

All Movie Guide
This lucrative, elephantine-budgeted sci-fi opus paved the way for director Roland Emmerich's mega-hit Independence Day (1996). The story commences in Giza, Egypt, circa 1928, where an archaeological expedition unearths an ancient ring with cryptic hieroglyphs. The film then moves to the present day, where Egyptologist Daniel Jackson (James Spader) is busily trying to convince a group of skeptics that the pyramids were not built by man, but by an extraterrestrial force. After the lecture, a military man approaches him and offers him a job translating the said ring; its inscriptions actually constitute a map to a massive stargate (or interstellar portal). The army sends over resident crackpot colonel Jack O'Neill (Kurt Russell) to travel through the stargate and see what's on the other side; Jackson accompanies him, and the two men turn up in a desert planet on the other side of the universe, with three moons in its sky. The world in question is ruled by Ra (Jaye Davidson), a hermaphroditic Egyptian sun god, who oppresses hordes of slave workers. Jackson and O'Neill then join forces to help the said workers revolt against their oppressor. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Summer Magic

Summer Magic

Starring: Hayley Mills, Burl Ives, Dorothy McGuire, Deborah Walley, Eddie Hodges, Jimmy Mathers, Michael J. Pollard, Una Merkel, Peter Brown, O.Z. Whitehead, Paul E. Burns, Harry Holcombe, Norman Leavitt, Darren McGavin, Marcy McGuire, Hilda Plowright, Eddie Quillan, James Stacy, Jan Stine
Director: James Neilson

Certification: G (MPAA)
Category: Children
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:55

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Editorial Reviews - Summer Magic

All Movie Guide
A young widow from Boston travels with her three children to Maine to enjoy their summer vacation. Margaret Carey (Dorothy McGuire) is helped by the friendly Osh Popham (Burl Ives), who finds the family a rent-free house vacated by a vacationing landowner. Daughter Nancy (Hayley Mills) catches the eye of a young schoolteacher, Digby (Michael J. Pollard). The owner of the summer house shows up from Europe unexpectedly, but keeps his identity a secret when he too falls for the young Nancy. The entire family gets to croon with Burl Ives in a folksy front-porch singalong. The townsfolk make the Careys feel at home to the point that they consider making the idyllic coastal town their permanent home. This Walt Disney film is lighthearted entertainment for the entire family. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Tango and Cash

Tango and Cash

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Teri Hatcher, Jack Palance, Brion James, James Hong, Michael J. Pollard, Marc Alaimo, Philip Tan, Duane Allen, Robert David Armstrong, Lewis Arquette, Roy Brocksmith, Andre Rosey Brown, Edward Bunker, David Byrd, Michael Francis Clarke, Dori Courtney, Ron Cummins, David Phillips, John Walter Davis, Patricia Davis, Ed de Fusco, Richard L. Duran, Salvador R. Espinoza, Richard Fancy, Anne Marie Gillis, Jack Goode Jr., Kristen Hocking, Clint Howard, Larry Humberger, Michael Jeter, Anna Joyner, Roxanne Kernohan, Savely Kramarov, Susan Krebs, Tamara Landry, David Lea, Geoffrey Lewis, Paul Lewis, Jerry Martinez, Leslie Morris, Glenn Morshower, Lucia Neal, Tammy Richardson, Phil Rubenstein, Bing Russell, Shabba-Doo, Peter Stensland, Elizabeth Sung, Dale Swann, Martin Valinsky, Geoff Vanderstock, Alphonse V. Walter, Larry White, Christopher Wolf, Mark Wood, Robert Z'Dar, Donald Zinn
Director: Andrei Konchalovsky

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:44

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Editorial Reviews - Tango and Cash

All Movie Guide
Sylvester Stallone tries his luck with his first cop buddy movie in Tango and Cash, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. Stallone is Ray Tango, a Los Angeles narcotics cop who dresses in fancy suits, wears wire-rim glasses, and talks to his stockbroker more than he talks to his mother. Kurt Russell is Gabriel Cash, another Los Angeles narcotics cop who has long, disheveled blonde hair and dresses in worn-out sweatshirts. Together, Tango and Cash are the two best narcs in LA, which causes drug baron Yves Perret (Jack Palance) no end of distress. Since Yves controls a billion-dollar drug empire, Tango and Cash have to be taken out of the picture in some way. So Yves arranges for Tango and Cash to be framed for a crime. But the duo accepts a plea bargain that will give them 18 months in a minimum-security prison. Unfortunately, Yves arranges for their destination to be diverted to a maximum-security hell-hole where Yves's minions proceed to torture Tango and Cash --although they still have time to trade quips with each other. Ultimately, they escape from their torture chamber and seek out Yves and his gang. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

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: 2:19

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Editorial Reviews - Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Barnes & Noble
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, Rovi

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:19

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There's Something About Mary

There's Something About Mary

Starring: Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Lee Evans, Chris Elliott, Lin Shaye, Jeffrey Tambor, Markie Post, Keith David, W. Earl Brown, Jonathan Richman, Brett Favre, Willie Garson, Daniel Greene, John-Eliot Jordan, Danny Murphy, Harland Williams
Director: Bobby Farrelly

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Anarchic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:59

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Editorial Reviews - There's Something About Mary

All Movie Guide
The Farrelly Brothers set this romantic comedy in their home state of Rhode Island. In 1985, when teen-nerd Ted Stroehmann (Ben Stiller) challenges a high-schooler who's bullying retarded Warren Jenson (W. Earl Brown), his concern prompts Warren's sister, the dazzling and desirable Mary Jenson (Cameron Diaz) to choose Ted as her senior prom date, a fact Ted's pals find hard to believe. However, on prom night, Ted gets his penis caught in his zipper, so the much-desired date never happens. Living in Providence and waxing nostalgic 13 years later, Ted hires Pat Healy (Matt Dillon) to locate Mary, and the creepy private investigator finds her in Miami, where she lives with her tan-shriveled roommate Magda (Lin Shaye). After Pat develops a stalker-style fixation on the lovely, unattached Mary, he lies to Ted, telling him that she's now an overweight mother confined to a wheelchair. Employing professional eavesdropping equipment, Pat gathers a dossier on Mary's life and future plans, information that forms the basis for more lies when Pat begins dating her. Sure enough, Mary falls for Pat, although her friend Tucker (Lee Evans) is very suspicious of Pat's claim to be a Harvard-educated architect. Meanwhile, Ted learns the truth but continues to encounter offbeat obstacles as he accelerates to Miami in hopes of finding happiness with his true love. Former Modern Lovers singer Jonathan Richman vocalizes a narrative ballad of onscreen commentary in the Cat Ballou (1965) tradition. Most of the cast sings and frolics to "Build Me Up, Buttercup" by The Foundations during the closing credits. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Three Men and a Baby

Three Men and a Baby

Starring: Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson, Nancy Travis, Margaret Colin, Philip Bosco, Celeste Holm, Michelle Blair, Paul Guilfoyle, Cynthia Harris, Derek de Lint, Alexandra Amini, Francine Beers, Barbara Budd, Michael Burgess, Claire Cellucci, Eugene Clark, Dianne Crittenden, Michele Duquet, David Ferry, Dave Foley, Earl Hindman, Mario Joyner, Gary Klar, Christine Kossak, Joe Lynn, Edward D. Murphy, Colin Quinn, Thomas Quinn, Jackie Richardson, John Gould Rubin, Dan Scott, Camilla Scott, Sharolyn Sparrow, Louise Vallance, Jonathan Whitaker
Director: Leonard Nimoy

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Farce
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:42

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Editorial Reviews - Three Men and a Baby

All Movie Guide
Three Men and a Baby is an Americanized remake of the 1985 French comedy hit Three Men and a Cradle. Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg play three upwardly mobile New York bachelors who share an apartment. Their even-keel lifestyle is thrown out of whack when a young woman leaves a baby on their doorstep, suspecting that film director Danson is the father. The balance of the film is devoted to milking as much humor as possible out of the situation of three urbane young men trying to play nursemaid with nary a clue of what they're doing (at one point, a desperate Selleck offers Guttenberg a thousand dollars if Guttenberg will change a diaper). A subplot involving drug dealers is thrown in to sustain audience interest after our trio of heroes become accustomed to a baby around the apartment. "Urban legend" aficionados please note: That cardboard cutout of Ted Danson briefly glimpsed in one scene of Three Men and a Baby is not the ghost of a little boy who died in the bachelors' apartment before filming started. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Throw Momma from the Train

Throw Momma from the Train

Starring:
Director: Danny DeVito

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:28

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Owen (Danny DeVito) is a friendless would-be mystery writer who has had all he can take. He would do anything to get rid of his overbearing momma (Anne Ramsey), whose howling voice and domineering attitude have pushed him to the absolute limit. He even strikes a deal with Larry (Billy Crystal), his writing teacher, to knock off his much-hated ex-wife, with the understanding that the instructor will reciprocate. Ramsey is so terrific in her role that the audience eventually roots for her to be killed. Danny DeVito directed this very dark, very funny comedy, which owes a big debt to the Alfred Hitchcock thriller STRANGERS ON A TRAIN.

Industry Reviews
"...Fiendish....A blissfully ironic variation on [STRANGERS ON A TRAIN]'s criss-cross murder plot..." -- Rating: B+
Entertainment Weekly - Ty Burr (10/09/1998)

"...Enormously likable without compromising its mean-spirited fun....[DeVito] remains a captivating figure throughout the story..."
New York Times - Janet Maslin (12/11/1987)

"...A fun and delightfully venal comedy....Very clever and engaging from beginning to end..."
Variety - Brit. (12/16/1987)

"...DeVito's major feature directorial debut has some of the florid, grab-your-eye intensity of his acting..."
Los Angeles Times - Michael Wilmington (12/11/1987)

Thunderball

Thunderball

Starring: Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, Adolfo Celi, Luciana Paluzzi, Rick van Nutter, Bernard Lee, Martine Beswicke, Guy Doleman, Molly Peters, Desmond Llewelyn, Lois Maxwell, Roland Culver, Earl Cameron, Paul Stassino, Rose Alba, Philip Locke, George Pravda, Michael Brennan, Leonard Sachs, Edward Underdown, Reginald Beckwith, Bill Cummings, Bob Simmons
Director: Terence Young

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

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Editorial Reviews - Thunderball

All Movie Guide
Thunderball finds James Bond matching wits with the sinister espionage organization S.P.E.C.T.R.E, (which stands for Special Executive for Counter-Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion). This time, SPECTRE hijacks a NATO nuclear bomber, hiding the bombs under the ocean depths and threatening to detonate the weapons unless a ransom of 100,000,000 pounds is paid. The mastermind behind this scheme is international business executive Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), who maintains a pool full of sharks for the purpose of eliminating enemies and those henchmen who fail to come up to standard. Dispatched to the Bahamas, lucky Mr. Bond enjoys the attentions of three nubile ladies: Largo's mistress Domino Derval (Claudine Auger), British spy Paula Caplan (Martine Beswick, previously seen as a gypsy girl in the 1962 Bond epic From Russia With Love) and enemy agent Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi). Hal Erickson

A Time to Kill

A Time to Kill

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock, Kevin Spacey, Brenda Fricker, Oliver Platt, Chris Cooper, John Diehl, Charles S. Dutton, Beth Grant, Jonathan Hadary, Anthony Heald, Doug Hutchison, Byron Jennings, Mark W. Johnson, Ashley Judd, Nicky Katt, Alexandra Kyle, Rae'Ven Larrymore-Kelly, Greg Lauren, Terry Loughlin, Patrick McGoohan, Benjamin Mouton, Tim Parati, Joe Seneca, Kurtwood Smith, Andy Stahl, Tonea Stewart, Donald Sutherland, Kiefer Sutherland, Graham Timbes, M. Emmet Walsh
Director: Joel Schumacher

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Courtroom Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:30

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Editorial Reviews - Time to Kill

All Movie Guide
Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson) takes the law into his own hands after the legal system fails to adequately punish the men who brutally raped and beat his daughter, leaving her for dead. Normally, a distraught father could count on some judicial sympathy in those circumstances. Unfortunately, Carl and his daughter are black, and the assailants are white, and all the events take place in the South. Indeed, so inflammatory is the situation, that the local KKK (led by Kiefer Sutherland) becomes popular again. When Hailey chooses novice lawyer Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey) to handle his defense, it begins to look like a certainty that Carl will hang, and Jake's career (and perhaps his life) will come to a premature end. Despite the efforts of the NAACP and local black leaders to persuade Carl to choose some of their high-powered legal help, he remains loyal to Jake, who had helped his brother with a legal problem before the story begins. Jake eventually takes this case seriously enough to seek help from his old law-school professor (Donald Sutherland). When death threats force his family to leave town, Jake even accepts the help of pushy young know-it-all lawyer Ellen Roark (Sandra Bullock). ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Tin Cup

Tin Cup

Starring: Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Dennis Burkley, Linda Hart, Amy Alcott, Kris Ancira, Tommy Armour III, Gregory Avellone, Lance Barrow, Brad Britton, Susan Cabral, Bill Caplan, Frank Chirkinian, John Cook, Bill Costner, Joe Costner, Sharon Costner, Fred Couples, Steve Elkington, Arina Gasanova, Sandy Gibbons, Brian Hammons, Rob Harris, Harold G. Herthum, Peter Jacobsen, Lee Janzen, Mickey Jones, Jess King, Nick Kiriazis, Peter Kostis, Frederick Lewis, Steven "Sven" Lewison, Bruce Lietzke, Richard Lineback, Rex Linn, Andrew Magee, Jeff Maggert, John Mahaffey, Allan Malamud, Billy Mayfair, Blaine McCallister, Gary McCord, Sharyn McCreedy, Jim McLean, George Michael, Phil Mickelson, Michael Milhoan, Lou Myers, Jim Nantz, David Ogrin, Jerry Pate, Corey Pavin, George Perez, Tom Purtzer, Mike Ritz, Jimmy Roberts, Del Roy, Craig Stadler, Mike Standly, Tom Todoroff, Howard Twitty, Ken Venturi, D.A. Weibring, Gregory Buff White, Kevin J. Wilson, Ben Wright, Melissa Young
Director: Ron Shelton

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:15

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Editorial Reviews - Tin Cup

All Movie Guide
Roy McAvoy (Kevin Costner) is a talented golf pro, who owns his own driving range. That sounds impressive, but the reality is quite different. While it's true that Roy is indeed a talented golfer and does own a driving range, it is in a tiny, unheard of Texas backwater. With almost no customers, he is likely to go broke. His golfing talents remain untapped and his life is rapidly going nowhere. To pass the time, he drinks a lot of beer with his buddies, or swings at a bucket of balls. Sometimes, he even plays real golf, and his friend and assistant Romeo (Cheech Marin) caddies for him. That's all there is for Roy, until he is wakened from his deathlike reverie by a visit from a newcomer in town, psychologist Molly Griswold (Renee Russo). Teaching her how to swing a club reminds him of feelings he had nearly forgotten. Discovering that she is the girlfriend of his old golfing rival, David Simms (Don Johnson), goads him yet further, and he returns to the PGA golf tour to compete in the U.S. Open. Maybe he'll get Molly for himself, maybe not, but in the meantime he has some things to prove to himself. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Tin Cup

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:15

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Titan A.E.

Titan A.E.

Starring: Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore, Bill Pullman, John Leguizamo, Nathan Lane, Janeane Garofalo, Ron Perlman, Alex D. Linz, Tone-Loc, Jim Breuer, Marion Levine
Director: Don Bluth

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

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Editorial Reviews - Titan A.E.

Barnes & Noble
In the year 3028, Earth's days are numbered, and a nasty race known as the Drej are doing the numbering. As he's about to escape the final blast, young Cale promises his father he'll come back, and accepts his dad's ring as a symbol of the pledge. Fifteen years later, Cale (Matt Damon) journeys across the galaxy with his father's old comrade, Korso (Bill Pullman), and the beautiful Akima (Drew Barrymore), searching for the Titan, an old spaceship that may be the last hope for hordes of nomadic earthlings -- with the Drej in hot pursuit. Veteran animator Don Bluth (Anastasia, Disney's Robin Hood) blasts audiences off to a universe of dazzling special effects, mixing traditional animation with computer-generated graphics in a story that recalls Star Wars and serials of the '30s and '40s. Exciting voice performances by Damon, Pullman, and Barrymore are accompanied by a stellar soundtrack featuring the guitar-grinding rock of Lit and Powerman 5000, as well as the millennium space-age funk of Jamiroquai and Luscious Jackson. A box-office no-show in the theaters, Titan A.E. is a blast on the home screen, where its electrifying space adventure unfolds with frenzied fun. The THX-certified Special Edition DVD release also includes commentary from the directors, a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, trailers, stills, and more. Jason Bergenfeld

All Movie Guide
Titan A.E. combines cel and CG imagery in this science fiction saga. In 3028, after the Earth is destroyed by an invading alien race, a tiny number of surviving humans roam the universe in ragtag spaceships, trying to find each other and maintain some sense of community. Shortly before the final destruction of the planet, Cale (voice of Matt Damon) was given a map that would guide him to a space station called Titan, secretly constructed as a last hope in the event of alien Armageddon. Cale sets out in search of Titan and the fabled Ice Planet with the help of his friend Korso (voice of Bill Pullman), the beautiful Akima (voice of Drew Barrymore), and a crew of friendly aliens. Titan A.E. was directed by noted animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman and scripted by Ben Edlund, creator of the comic book series The Tick. Other members of the voice cast include Nathan Lane, Janeane Garofalo, John Leguizamo, and Tone Loc. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Titanic

Titanic

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, Gloria Stuart, Bill Paxton, Bernard Hill, Jonathan Hyde, Victor Garber, David Warner, Danny Nucci, Suzy Amis, Bernard Fox, Eric Braeden, Mark Lindsay Chapman, Jenette Goldstein, Ioan Gruffudd, Craig Kelly, Jonathan Phillips, Ewan Stewart
Director: James Cameron

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Disaster Film
User Rating:
Running Time: 3:14

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Editorial Reviews - Titanic

Barnes & Noble
A near-disaster itself during its troubled production period, director James Cameron's hugely ambitious pet project ultimately broke box-office records around the world and earned a passel of awards -- Academy and otherwise -- by year's end. By inserting a love story between a society bride-to-be (Kate Winslet) and a working-class adventurer (Leonardo DiCaprio) into the most famous sea disaster in history -- and a modern story line about salvaging a lost diamond from the bottom of the sea -- Cameron gives viewers an unabashedly old-fashioned melodrama. But Cameron and his seasoned cast handle it with the utmost sincerity and commitment. While the film made Winslet a star and DiCaprio a superstar, both actors ultimately had to take a bit of a backseat to the superbly re-created title vessel and the harrowing reenactment of its final moments. Still, the heart of the film's drama is a timeless and unexpectedly resonant love story -- one so universal and moving that it crossed all cultural boundaries to woo audiences around the globe. Amy Robinson

All Movie Guide
This spectacular epic re-creates the ill-fated maiden voyage of the White Star Line's $7.5 million R.M.S Titanic and the tragic sea disaster of April 15, 1912. Running over three hours and made with the combined contributions of two major studios (20th Century-Fox, Paramount) at a cost of more than $200 million, Titanic ranked as the most expensive film in Hollywood history at the time of its release, and became the most successful. Writer-director James Cameron employed state-of-the-art digital special effects for this production, realized on a monumental scale and spanning eight decades. Inspired by the 1985 discovery of the Titanic in the North Atlantic, the contemporary storyline involves American treasure-seeker Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) retrieving artifacts from the submerged ship. Lovett looks for diamonds but finds a drawing of a young woman, nude except for a necklace. When 102-year-old Rose (Gloria Stuart) reveals she's the person in the portrait, she is summoned to the wreckage site to tell her story of the 56-carat diamond necklace and her experiences of 84 years earlier. The scene then shifts to 1912 Southampton where passengers boarding the Titanic include penniless Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and society girl Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet), returning to Philadelphia with her wealthy fiance Cal Hockley (Billy Zane). After the April 10th launch, Rose develops a passionate interest in Jack, and Cal's reaction is vengeful. At midpoint in the film, the Titanic slides against the iceberg and water rushes into the front compartments. Even engulfed, Cal continues to pursue Jack and Rose as the massive liner begins its descent.

Cameron launched the project after seeing Robert Ballard's 1987 National Geographic documentary on the wreckage. Blueprints of the real Titanic were followed during construction at Fox's custom-built Rosarito, Mexico studio, where a hydraulics system moved an immense model in a 17-million-gallon water tank. During three weeks aboard the Russian ship Academik Keldysh, underwater sequences were filmed with a 35mm camera in a titanium case mounted on the Russian submersible Mir 1. When the submersible neared the wreck, a video camera inside a remote-operated vehicle was sent into the Titanic's 400-foot bow, bringing back footage of staterooms, furniture and chandeliers. On November 1, 1997, the film had its world premiere at the 10th Tokyo International Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Titanic

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Disaster Film
User Rating:
Running Time: 3:14

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To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird

Starring: Gregory Peck, John Megna, Frank Overton, Rosemary Murphy, Ruth White
Director: Robert Mulligan

Certification: NR
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:09

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Ranked 34 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest American Films, To Kill a Mockingbird is quite simply one of the finest family-oriented dramas ever made. A beautiful and deeply affecting adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, the film retains a timeless quality that transcends its historically dated subject matter (racism in the Depression-era South) and remains powerfully resonant in present-day America with its advocacy of tolerance, justice, integrity, and loving, responsible parenthood. It's tempting to call this an important "message" movie that should be required viewing for children and adults alike, but this riveting courtroom drama is anything but stodgy or pedantic. As Atticus Finch, the small-town Alabama lawyer and widower father of two, Gregory Peck gives one of his finest performances with his impassioned defense of a black man (Brock Peters) wrongfully accused of the rape and assault of a young white woman. While his children, Scout (Mary Badham) and Jem (Philip Alford), learn the realities of racial prejudice and irrational hatred, they also learn to overcome their fear of the unknown as personified by their mysterious, mostly unseen neighbor Boo Radley (Robert Duvall, in his brilliant, almost completely nonverbal screen debut). What emerges from this evocative, exquisitely filmed drama is a pure distillation of the themes of Harper Lee's enduring novel, a showcase for some of the finest American acting ever assembled in one film, and a rare quality of humanitarian artistry (including Horton Foote's splendid screenplay and Elmer Bernstein's outstanding score) that seems all but lost in the chaotic morass of modern cinema. --Jeff Shannon

Tombstone

Tombstone

Starring: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Michael Biehn, Powers Boothe, Robert John Burke, Dana Delany, Sam Elliott, Terry O'Quinn, Bill Paxton, Jason Priestley, Michael Rooker, Jon Tenney, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Billy Zane, Buck Taylor, Harry Carey Jr., Pedro Armendariz Jr., Charlton Heston, Tomas Arana, Paul Ben-Victor, Pat Brady, Thomas Haden Church, Gary Clark, Don Collier, Lisa Collins, John Corbett, Sandy Gibbons, Cecil Hoffmann, Grant James, Lora Kennedy, Stephen Lang, Shane McCabe, Christopher Mitchum, Robert Mitchum, Hugh O'Brian, Joanna Pacula, John Philbin, Charles Schneider, Peter Sherayko, Frank Stallone, Billy Bob Thornton
Director: George Pan Cosmatos

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:10

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Editorial Reviews - Tombstone

Barnes & Noble
The Wild West's most famous feud, previously the subject of no less than a dozen movies, gets its definitive screen treatment in this violent, sprawling, and historically accurate telling of the notorious gunfight at the OK Corral and its bloody aftermath. Kurt Russell heads a stellar cast, portraying legendary frontier marshal Wyatt Earp as a weary gunfighter who joins his brothers Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton) as they seek their fortune in a dusty but booming Arizona mining town. When a faction composed of renegade outlaws and rustlers -- led by Curly Bill Brocius (Powers Boothe) and Ike Clanton (Stephen Lang) -- runs roughshod over Tombstone, Wyatt again dons a lawman's badge and enlists the aid of his disreputable friend Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer), in wiping out the town's lawless elements. Kevin Jarre's screenplay not only packs a wealth of character and incident into this flawlessly produced retelling of the Earp-Clanton conflict; it does so by remaining largely faithful to the historical record while enhancing the dramatic impact of many actual situations. The muscular direction of George P. Cosmatos (Rambo II) goes a long way toward making Tombstone the most operatic of horse operas: He adds forceful emphasis to scenes delineating violence, betrayal, and tragedy. Although this film avoids the simplistic white hat/black hat formulas of yore, it is not a revisionist western, just a good old-fashioned barnburner of a movie guaranteed to rouse the long-dormant cowboy in us all. This Vista Series DVD presents the director's original cut, which Cosmatos accompanies with detailed commentary. Other extras include a Tombstone Timeline, which lists the historical events in chronological order, production featurettes with behind-the-scenes footage, original storyboards, and DVD-ROM content. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
A high-energy action adventure based on legend rather than historical fact finds Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) desiring to retire from law enforcement. With brothers Virgil (Sam Elliot) and Morgan (Bill Paxton), he arrives in Tombstone, Arizona intending to build his fortune. He discovers that long-time friend Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) is there and that the town is run by a group of brutal outlaws called the Cowboys. Earp, frustrated with his laudanum-addicted wife, begins a romance with traveling stage actress Josephine Marcus (Dana Delany). Meanwhile, the Cowboys terrorize the citizens of Tombstone unchecked.

When the town marshal is killed by a Cowboy, Earp steps in to prevent a lynching by an angry mob. He also refuses to hand the killer over to his fellows, beginning the enmity between the Cowboys and the Earp brothers. Virgil, overcome with guilt at doing nothing to help the Tombstone citizens, accepts the position of town marshal. With Wyatt and Morgan as his deputies, and the help of Doc, Virgil attempts to arrest several Cowboys, resulting in the famous OK Corral shoot-out. The Cowboys take revenge by ambushing two of the brothers and injuring Virgil and killing Morgan. The Earps leave town, apparently cowed. Wyatt returns, wearing the badge of a U.S. marshal, vowing to destroy every last Cowboy. He hunts them mercilessly, until the leader, Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn) challenges Wyatt to a duel. While not regarded as an artistic masterpiece, "Tombstone" is considered the best of director George P. Cosmatos' prolific films. The all-star cast (including Thomas Haden Church and Billy Bob Thornton in small roles) delivers solid performances. Both William A. Fraker's cinematography and Bruce Broughton's stirring musical score are expertly designed for dramatic effect. Blood is shown liberally in several key scenes, but seems intended to show that there is nothing glorious in Wyatt Earp's actions, only necessity. He and his deputies take on the symbolism of the horsemen of the apocalypse -- dispensing judgement, and the Biblical references form a symmetry at the beginning and end of the film.

~ Lucinda Ramsey, Rovi

Tommy Boy

Tommy Boy

Starring: Chris Farley, David Spade, Bo Derek, Brian Dennehy, Dan Aykroyd, Rob Lowe, Julie Warner, James Blendick, Marilyn Boyle, David Calderisi, Reg Dreger, William Dunlop, Michael Ewing, Gil Filar, Colin Fox, Henry Gomez, Zach Grenier, David Hemblen, David Huband, Helen Hughes, Ron James, Jack Jessop, Brian Kaulback, Gino Marrocco, Dean Marshall, Sean McCann, Robbie Rox, Camilla Scott, Sandi Stahlbrand, Marc Strange, Bunty Webb, Robert Weiss, Lloyd White, Philip Williams, Jonathan Wilson, J.R. Zimmerman
Director: Peter Segal

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

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Editorial Reviews - Tommy Boy

All Movie Guide
Saturday Night Live star Chris Farley had his first starring role in this frankly lowbrow comedy, which teamed him with fellow SNL cast member David Spade. Big Tom Callahan (Brian Dennehy) is the street-smart owner of a company that makes auto parts, and one day he'd like his son Tommy Callahan III (Chris Farley) to take over the business. Trouble is, Tommy Boy is a fat, dim-witted slob who took seven years to get a business degree and has no idea how to run a business. His father's sudden death unexpectedly puts Tommy Boy in charge, with his dad's weasely assistant Richard (David Spade) trying to guide him. However, what no one knows is Big Tom's wife, the young and beautiful Beverly (Bo Derek), married him only for his money while holding on to her lover, Paul (Rob Lowe), whose presence she explains by telling people he's her son. Beverly and Paul are waiting for Tommy Boy to run the company into the ground so they can take over, sell it off and earn a quick payoff. However, what Tommy Boy lacks in smarts (and hygiene), he makes up for in determination, and he hits the road with Richard for a long sales trip in a last ditch effort to rescue his father's legacy. Tommy Boy was a major hit that turned Chris Farley into a screen star; sadly, died a little over 2 1/2 years later. ~ Sandra Brennan, 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: 1:59

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Editorial Reviews - Tomorrow Never Dies

All Movie Guide
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

Tomorrow Never Dies

Tomorrow Never Dies

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher, Ricky Jay
Director: Roger Spottiswoode

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:59

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
With stylish director Roger Spottiswode (Under Fire) at the helm, this James Bond thriller is one of the sleekest ever. It doesn't feel weighed down by its mammoth special effects, like most other recent installments. It's consistently graceful and light on its feet, especially when high-kicking Hong Kong martial-arts star Michelle Yeoh leaps into action as Bond's Chinese counterpart. And a sequence depicting a high-altitude parachute jump ranks with the coolest set pieces of the entire series. There's even an attempt in this outing to modernize the stiff-jointed Cold War assumptions of the secret-agent genre, by making the bad guy (played with greedy relish by Jonathan Pryce) an international media mogul, a megalomaniacal blend of Rupert Murdoch and Ted Turner. As a ploy to boost the ratings of his cable-news hookup, Pryce's Jeremy Carver employs a globe-spanning satellite system to nudge the armed forces of China and Great Britain into a confrontation--quoting William Randolph Hearst (and Charles Foster Kane) along the way: "You supply the pictures, I'll supply the war." Bond number six, Pierce Brosnan, seems to be settling into a no-nonsense interpretation of 007 as "a professional doing a job," a craftsman who seems to be exhilarated by his own competence. Michelle Yeoh's best Hong Kong efforts include Yes, Madam, Heroic Trio, and Supercop, in which she costarred with Jackie Chan--and matched him kick for kick. --David Chute

Product Description
Pierce Brosnan leaps into action as Agent 007 in this spectacular thrill ride of death-defying stunts and amazing high-tech gadgets. In the most electrifying Bond film yet, the unstoppable action hero must prevent a tremendous disaster ripped from tomorrow's headlines. Someone is pitting the world's superpowers against each other ? and only James Bond can stop it. When a British warship is mysteriously destroyed in Chinese waters, the world teeters on the brink of WWIII ? until 007 zeros in on the true criminal mastermind. Bond's do-or-die mission takes him to Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce), a powerful industrialist who manipulates world events as easily as he changes headlines from his global media empire. After soliciting help from Carver's sexy wife, Paris (Teri Hatcher), Bond joins forces with a stunning yet lethal Chinese agent, Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh), in a series of explosive chases, brutal confrontations and breathtaking escapes as they race to stop the presses on Carver's next planned news story: global pandemonium! With powerhouse action sequences, including a wild motorcycle pursuit through (and over!) Saigon, Tomorrow Never Dies is a thrilling action-adventure "that roars from start to finish with the throttle wide open (Gene Shalit, NBC-TV)!

Top Gun

Top Gun

Starring: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt, Michael Ironside, Meg Ryan, John Stockwell, Barry Tubb, Rick Rossovich, Tim Robbins, Clarence Gilyard Jr., Whip Hubley, James Tolkan, Randall Brady, Ron Clark, Adrian Pasdar, Frank Pesce, Brian Sheehan, Duke Stroud
Director: Tony Scott

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:49

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Editorial Reviews - Top Gun

All Movie Guide
Devil-may-care navy pilot Pete Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is sent to Miramar Naval Air Station for advanced training. Here he vies with Tom Kasansky (Val Kilmer) for the coveted "Top Gun" award. When not so occupied, Mitchell carries on a romance with civilian consultant Charlotte Blackwood (Kelly McGillis). Shaken up by the death of a friend, Mitchell loses the Top Gun honor to Kasansky. Worried that he may have lost his nerve, Mitchell is given a chance to redeem himself during a tense international crisis involving a crippled US vessel and a flock of predatory enemy planes. The story wasn't new in 1986, but Top Gun scored with audiences on the strength of its visuals, especially the vertigo-inducing aerial sequences. The film made more money than any other film in 1986 and even spawned a 1989 takeoff, Hot Shots. An Academy Award went to the Giogio Moroder-Tom Whitlock song "Take My Breath Away." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Total Recall

Total Recall

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Ronny Cox, Michael Ironside, Marshall Bell, Mel Johnson Jr., Michael Champion, Roy Brocksmith, Rosemary Dunsmore, Pricilla Allen, Marc Alaimo, Ray Baker, Erika Carlson, Mark Carlton, Debbie Lee Carrington, Erik Cord, Benny Corral, Robert Costanzo, Roger Cudney, Gloria Dorson, Ken Gilden, Ellen Gollas, Michael Gregory, Linda Howell, Mickey Jones, David Knell, Frank Kopyc, Michael LaGuardia, Anne Lockhart, Morgan Lofting, Kamala Lopez, Paula McClure, Lycia Naff, Dave Nicolson, Dean Norris, Robert Picardo, Sasha Rionda, Alexia Robinson, Rebecca Ruth, Chuck Sloan, Monica Steuer, Ken Strausbaugh, Milt Tarver, Bob Tzudiker, Joe Unger, Parker Whitman
Director: Paul Verhoeven

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:53

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Editorial Reviews - Total Recall

Barnes & Noble
One of the most expensive movies produced up to that time, 1990's Total Recall provides Arnold Schwarzenegger with a complicated story, extensive action sequences, and state-of-the-art special effects. Cast as a 21st-century construction worker whose virtual-vacation gear malfunctions, Arnold learns that he's been programmed with false memories of his earthbound existence and is actually a secret agent entangled in a proposed rebellion on draconian Mars. The nominal female lead is Rachel Ticotin, but it's Sharon Stone -- in femme fatale mode as Arnold's duplicitous spouse -- who really grabs viewer attention. The futuristic settings are lavishly designed, and Arnold gets his fair share of terse one-liners. But what sets Recall apart from so many other sci-fi movies is the practically fetishistic staging of graphic, brutal action scenes by director Paul Verhoeven, who provided a template for the decade's ultra-violent genre films. The Special Edition DVD offers a new wide-screen transfer enhanced for 16:9 televisions, along with a plethora of extras -- including a rare, full-length commentary by Schwarzenegger (in tandem with Verhoeven). Other supplemental features include the documentary "Imagining Total Recall," the featurette "Visions of Mars," galleries of photos and conceptual art, production notes, cast/crew filmographies, visual storyboard comparisons, and an assortment of theatrical trailers and TV spots. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
In Paul Verhoeven's wild sci-fi action movie Total Recall, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a 21st-century construction worker who discovers that his entire memory of the past derives from a memory chip implanted in his brain. Schwarzenegger learns that he's actually a secret agent who had become a threat to the government, so those in power planted the chip and invented a domestic lifestyle for him. Once he has realized his true identity, he travels to Mars to piece together the rest of his identity, as well as to find the man responsible for his implanted memory. Verhoeven has created a fast, furious action film with Total Recall, filled with impressive stunts and (literally) eye-popping visuals. Though the film bears only a passing resemblance to the Philip K. Dick short story it was based on ("We Can Remember It For You Wholesale"), the movie is an entertaining, if very violent, ride. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Chicago Sun-Times
There may be people who overlook the Arnold Schwarzenegger performance in Total Recall - who think he isn't really acting. But the performance is one of the reasons the movie works so well. He isn't a superman this time, although he fights like one. He's a confused and frightened innocent, a man betrayed by the structure of reality itself. And in his vulnerability, he opens the way for Total Recall to be more than simply an action, violence and special effects extravaganza. Roger Ebert

True Lies

True Lies

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Art Malik, Eliza Dushku, Grant Heslov, Charlton Heston, James Allen, Paul Barselou, John Bruno, Charles Cragin, Mali Finn, Tom Isbell, Karina Lombard, Jane Morris, Chuck Tamburro
Director: James Cameron

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:21

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Editorial Reviews - True Lies

All Movie Guide
Borrowing liberally from the French film La Totale, this is an action picture, domestic comedy, and political thriller rolled into a crowd-pleasing ball of entertainment. Producer James Cameron wrote and directed the film. Henry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a workaholic computer salesman neglecting his mousy wife Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), a legal secretary. Simon (Bill Paxton) seduces Helen with the lie that he is a secret agent; he's really a used car salesman. Harry suspects that Helen is cheating on him, and he sends a few colleagues to kidnap them. Helen then discovers that Harry is a secret agent by night, working for a shadowy group called the Omega Sector. Harry and his partner Gib (Tom Arnold) are trying to find four nuclear warheads that have disappeared from a former Soviet republic. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

Turner and Hooch

Turner and Hooch

Starring: Tom Hanks, Mare Winningham, Craig T. Nelson, Reginald VelJohnson, Scott Paulin, J.C. Quinn, John McIntire, Beasley, Cheryl Anderson, Joel Bailey, Jim Beaver, Elaine Renee Bush, Nick Dimitri, Jenny Drugan, Mike Fenton, Lynda Gordon, Terry Israel, Madeleine Cowie Klein, David Knell, Clyde Kusatsu, Ursula Lentine, Ernie Lively, Sharon Madden, Victor di Mattia, Mary McCusker, Eda Reiss Merin, Linda G. Miller, Frederick Ponzlov, Elden Ratliff, Kevin Scannell, Ebbe Roe Smith, Scott Stevens, Julian Sylvester, Judy Taylor, Andrew Walker, Daniel Ben Wilson
Director: Roger Spottiswoode

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Police
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:39

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Editorial Reviews - Turner and Hooch

All Movie Guide
One by-product of two consecutive Oscar wins is that Tom Hanks no longer has to appear in such potboilers as Turner and Hooch. Hanks plays Turner, a meticulously groomed, excruciatingly well-organized detective working in a small California coastal town. When local "character" Amos Reed (John McIntire) is murdered by drug smugglers, the only witness is Reed's slobbery, smelly mutt, Hooch. You're way ahead of us, folks: Turner, who despises dogs in general and Hooch in particular, is compelled to put the cantankerous dog up as his house guest. Also easily predictable is the fact that Turner and Hooch will, by the next-to-last reel, become boon companions. To its credit, the film has an abundance of laughs and thrills...but, gee, that ending! Neither terrific nor terrible, Turner and Hooch is a pleasant time-filler; we do wish, however, that more time had been spent on the budding romance between Turner and veterinarian Emily Carson (Mare Winningham). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Twister

Twister

Starring: Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes, Jami Gertz, Lois Smith, Alan Ruck, Abraham Benrubi, Jake Busey, Jeremy Davies, Anneke De Bont, Paul Douglas, Gary England, Todd Field, Patrick Fischler, Taylor Gilbert, Zach Grenier, Jennifer L. Hamilton, Eric LaRay Harvey, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Melanie Hoopes, Wendle Josepher, Dan Kelpine, Jeff Lazalier, J. Dean Lindsay, Richard Lineback, Samantha McDonald, Rick Mitchell, Sharonlyn Morrow, Anthony Rapp, John Thomas Rhyne, Nicholas Sadler, Rusty Schwimmer, Joey Slotnick, Gregory Sporleder, Scott Thomson, Alexa Vega, Ben Weber, Sean Whalen, Bruce Wright
Director: Jan de Bont

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:54

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Editorial Reviews - Twister

Barnes & Noble
Trading in the bus for a tornado, Speed director Jan De Bont brews up one of the most spectacular natural disaster films to ever hit the screen. When a record-breaking number of tornadoes attack the Midwest, Jo (Helen Hunt) and Bill (Bill Paxton) lead their team of "storm chasers" through Oklahoma in hopes of recording scientific evidence and devising an earlier warning system. Thought the nominal story takes a backseat to the truly amazing special effects, there is an appealing chemistry between Hunt and Paxton, and the supporting cast (led by Cary Elwes and Phillip Seymour Hoffman) supplies laughs. And if character development sometimes gets lost in the storm, De Bont creates a memorable villain in the devastatingly believable -- and beautiful -- spectacle of a computer-animated tornado. The skies are threatening, the landscape sweeping, and cows and tractors flying through the air will remind you of that other famous Hollywood cyclone. No one ends up in Oz here, but Twister has a magic all its own. -- J. D. Merrill

All Movie Guide
Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt and Carey Elwes may be billed as the stars of Twister, but the film's real attractions are the cyclones themselves. Best experienced in a theater, the nail-biting, blow-the-audience-out-of-their-seats computer generated graphics, cutting edge sound and other special effects are designed to take viewers straight into the roaring funnel of a gigantic tornado. In order to focus on special effects and action, the story is simple and the characters are drawn in broad strokes with little depth. Jo Harding (Hunt) became a storm chaser (a meteorologist who photographs and scientifically studies tornadoes in the field) after a large twister sucked her hapless daddy into oblivion when she was a girl. Bill (Paxton) was a storm chaser too, but left to become a successful weatherman. His change of profession ruined his marriage to Jo. Before separating, the Hardings invented DOROTHY, a gizmo designed to release thousands of tiny sensors when a tornado passes over it. The Hardings hope the information transmitted by the sensors will provide insight into the nature of the whirling windstorms. Backed by a large corporation, the villainous Dr. Jonas Miller (Elwes) has created a similar machine. Neither gadget has been field tested and both groups of storm chasers are anxious to find tornadoes. At the peak of the worst twister season in decades, Bill shows up at Jo's truck with his prissy fiancee Melissa (Jami Gertz) so Jo can sign divorce papers. Suddenly a twister is spotted. With little hesitation, Bill rejoins the mad rush to reach it in time to activate DOROTHY. Jonas and his team are right behind them. Throughout the day the storms become worse and the rivalrous race becomes more intense. As they continue facing incredible dangers together Jo and Bill find renewed love while poor Melissa finds only an intense desire to get away from these storm-obsessed lunatics.

~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

tyk

tyk

Starring:
Director: John Hughes

Certification: NR
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:42

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Curly Sue (Alisan Porter) might look like a cherub, but this street urchin has a lot of tricks up her sleeve. She and her streetwise guardian, Bill Dancer (Jim Belushi), can scam with the best of them. When they pull a fast one on Grey Ellison (Kelly Lynch), a high-powered corporate attorney, they find themselves living in her luxurious apartment and taking advantage of her generosity, enjoying fine food and new clothes. Grey's snobby boyfriend thinks that she has lost her mind in allowing these strangers access to her home, but Grey sees the good in Bill and Curly Sue and realizes that they bring out a part of her that she had lost. Ultimately, this trio comes to understand that they make a great team in this heartwarming tale. Belushi and Lynch are charming as the unlikely couple, and young Porter is impressive as the object of their affection. Released in 1991, this was the last film that teen film king John Hughes (THE BREAKFAST CLUB, SIXTEEN CANDLES) directed in the 1990s, although he continued to have success writing and producing throughout the decade.

Industry Reviews
"...Entertaining..."
Sight and Sound - Jill McGreal (02/01/1992)

U-571

U-571

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Jon Bon Jovi, Jake Weber, David Keith, Terrence "T.C." Carson, Jack Noseworthy, Tom Guiry, Thomas Kretschmann, Matthew Settle, Erik Palladino, Dave Power, Will Estes, Derk Cheetwood
Director: Jonathan Mostow

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Combat Films
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:56

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Editorial Reviews - U-571

Barnes & Noble
A pleasantly old-fashioned and rousing World War II yarn, U-571 pays tribute to the unsung heroes of America's "silent service": the intrepid submariners whose underwater exploits helped guarantee victory for the Allies. Inspired by actual events, this suspenseful tale documents the efforts of a U.S. sub crew to capture a Nazi U-boat and seize its precious cargo, a transmitter that sends messages in a heretofore unbreakable code. Top billing goes to Matthew McConaughey, playing a young but battle-hardened officer who assumes command of the mission. He's supported by an eclectic cast that includes veterans Harvey Keitel, Bill Paxton, and David Keith, as well as lesser-known but talented performers Jake Weber and Jack Noseworthy. Rocker Jon Bon Jovi also puts in a surprisingly impressive big-screen turn. Director Jonathan Mostow keeps his submarine sets dimly lit and his camera in close whenever possible, creating a murky, claustrophobic environment that even jaded viewers will find unsettling. Unabashedly patriotic but never blindly jingoistic, U-571 makes stirring entertainment and also honors the sacrifices of the gallant men it so effectively depicts.

All Movie Guide
In this World War II action thriller, American reconnaissance agents learn that a German submarine is sinking. The doomed ship carries an Enigma Machine, a special coding device that allows high-level Axis forces to send messages that can't be read without a similar encryption mechanism. Obtaining a working Enigma device would be invaluable for the Allied war effort, so a U.S. sub is sent out to rescue the machine. However, German forces have already picked up the sub's distress signal and are en route to rescue their comrades. U-571 features a distinguished cast, including Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, and Jon Bon Jovi. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Entertainment Weekly
If U-571 isn't light on its feet? -- those U-Boats are damn hard to maneuver -- the hull still holds. Ty Burr

Under Siege

Under Siege

Starring: Steven Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Busey, Erika Eleniak, Patrick O'Neal, Nick Mancuso, Andy Romano, Leo Alexzander, Gene Barge, Michael Des Barres, Pamela Basker, Bruce Bozzi, Anthony G. Brown, Hiram Bullock, Kirk Burroughs, Christopher Alan Cameron, Ralph Wesley Carey, Drucilla A. Carlson, Bernie Casey, Damian Chapa, George Cheung, Jim Chimento, E. Daniel Corte Jr., Raymond Cruz, Richard Davis, Duane Davis, Craig Dunn, Daniel Dupont, Dale Dye, Ousuan Elam, Troy Evans, Frank Ferera, Daniel Friedman, Gary Gardner, Lee Hinton, David Y. Hodges, Adam James, Michael James, Joseph R. John, Richard Jones, Joseph Kosala, Dennis Lipscomb, David McKnight, Colm Meaney, Glenn Morshower, Tom Muzila, Robert Nichols, Miguel Nino, Conrad Palmisano, Richard Piemonte, Rickey Pierre, Craig Pinkard, Brad Rea, Tom Reynolds, Tad Robinson, Nate Robinson, John Rottger, Luis J. Silva, Eddie Bo Smith Jr., Wendell Wayne Stewart, Gregory G. Stump, Sandy Ward, David Webster, Michael Weldon, Jerone Wiggins, Tom Wood
Director: Andrew Davis

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:40

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Editorial Reviews - Under Siege

All Movie Guide
Andrew Davis directed this exciting thriller starring Steven Seagal, sans ponytail, and featuring electric, over-the-top performances by Gary Busey and Tommy Lee Jones. This action saga takes place on the battleship USS Missouri, about to be decommissioned from service after a visit from George Bush. When Bush departs the vessel, a band of terrorists overcome the remaining skeleton crew and take over the ship, under the ruse of holding a surprise birthday party for the ship's commander, Captain Adams (Patrick O'Neal). The band is led by Strannix (Jones), a disgruntled ex-CIA operative, and his right-hand man, the psychotic Krill (Busey). The terrorists plan to steal the ship's store of nuclear warheads, transfer them to a stolen North Korean submarine, and sell them to a Middle Eastern country. Unfortunately for Strannix, he has overlooked the ship's cook, Casey Ryback (Seagal). Ryback is a much-honored Navy SEAL who, because of a minor scandal, is quietly completing his twenty-year tour in the galley of the Missouri. Forced into action, Ryback, along with the woman who jumped out of Captain Adams' birthday cake (Erika Eleniak), knocks off the bad guys one-by-one while crawling inside the bowels of the ship. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Up Close & Personal

Up Close & Personal

Starring: Robert Redford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stockard Channing, Joe Mantegna, Kate Nelligan, Daniel Zacapa, Glenn Plummer, Ed Amatrudo, Yareli Arizmendi, Lexie Bigham, Scott Bryce, Fern Buchner, Nicholas Cascone, Raymond Cruz, Dennis Dun, Fabian, Julie Foreman, Nigel Gibbs, Neil Giuntoli, Ginny Graham, Bruce Gray, Charlie Holliday, James Karen, Michael Laskin, Salvadore Levy, Marc Macaulay, Brian Markinson, Tom McCarthy, Larry John Meyers, Edwina Moore, Charles Noland, Norman Parker, Miguel Perez, DeDee Pfeiffer, Andy Prosky, James Rebhorn, Elizabeth Ruscio, Joanna Sanchez, Miguel Sandoval, Jack Shearer, Heidi Swedberg, Cynthia Szigeti, Rick Warner, Michael Shamus Wiles, Noble Willingham
Director: Jon Avnet

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romance - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:04

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Editorial Reviews - Up Close & Personal

All Movie Guide
A story about a career television journalist who eclipses her mentor, this drama's plot resembles that of A Star Is Born, and it shares the same screenwriters as those who penned the 1976 version of that film, John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion. It's based loosely on the real-life story of newscaster Jessica Savitch. Sally Atwater (Michelle Pfieffer) gets a job at a Miami TV station based on a demo tape from her hometown of Reno, Nevada. The station's news director is Warren Justice (Robert Redford), a former high-profile Washington newsman whose career has suffered from his insistence on integrity. He makes Sally his gofer and criticizes her clothes and appearance while she begs him for a chance to go on-air. She becomes the station's weathercaster and Warren gives her the stage name of Tally. With Warren's constant advice, she breaks into news reporting and her star rises quickly as the two become romantically involved. She takes a better job in Philadelphia, with Warren's blessing, and there she soon eclipses the anchorwoman Marcia McGrath (Stockard Channing). From there, Tally's career continues to flourish, while her relationship with Warren takes some strange twists and turns. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

Veggie Tales, Vol. 10: Madame Blueberry - A Lesson in Thankfulness

Veggie Tales, Vol. 10: Madame Blueberry - A Lesson in Thankfulness

Starring:
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Children
User Rating:
Running Time: 30:00

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Editorial Reviews - Veggie Tales, Vol. 10: Madame Blueberry - A Lesson in Thankfulness

Barnes & Noble
How much stuff do you need to be happy? This question is at the heart of one of this computer-animated, faith-based series' very best episodes, ripe for the picking on DVD. The outrageously accented French Peas (or should that be "Freedom Peas"?) introduce this fable about materialistic Madame Blueberry: Although she has good friends, a place to live, and plenty of food, she is blue because she envies her neighbors' possessions. A shopping spree at the local Stuff-Mart will teach her that buying things will not make her happy. An appropriate Bible verse and a precious song acknowledging God's blessings reinforce the moral that "a thankful heart is a happy heart." Irreverent, Python-esque silliness and signature silly songs (including a rapturous ode to a cheeseburger) help the Veggies chase the blues away. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
Madame Blueberry is a new, fruity addition to the Veggie Tales ensemble of characters. In this ninth edition of the popular children's series, Madame Blueberry is a rich and vain lady who believes that more of everything is better -- even though it doesn't make her happy. After a visit to the new Stuff Mart, where she meets two selfless vegetakids, Madame Blueberry learns the true meaning of gratitude and changes her ways. Lively computer animation and positives messages make this program a good addition to the video library. Recommended for ages five to eight. ~ Heather M. Fierst, Rovi

Veggie Tales, Vol. 14: Esther - The Girl Who Became Queen

Veggie Tales, Vol. 14: Esther - The Girl Who Became Queen

Starring:
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Children
User Rating:
Running Time: 36:00

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Editorial Reviews - Veggie Tales, Vol. 14: Esther - The Girl Who Became Queen

Barnes & Noble
Not your garden variety biblical epic, this Veggie Tales production recasts the story of Esther with green onions, pickles, and "the most wanted peas in Persia." Esther is an ordinary girl chosen against her will to become queen. She finds the courage "to do what's right" and stands up to Hayman, the King's wicked right-hand man, who is plotting to banish her family from the kingdom. Like the best Veggie episodes, Esther is never preachy or condescending. It is at once reverent and clever, thoughtful and very funny, as when Hayman reassures the King that "Everyone likes you...under penalty of death." Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
Veggie Tales is a video series that is known for teaching children values such as integrity, truthfulness, and honesty in a kid-friendly manner. Each episode is hosted by Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato and focuses on one life lesson at a time. Veggie Tales: Esther, the Girl Who Became Queen is based on the Bible story of Esther, and teaches the importance of courage and the ability to be true to oneself when under tremendous pressure to succeed. Esther was an ordinary girl who was chosen to become the Queen of Persia. Veggie Tales proves to be an entertaining and original program for adults and children alike. ~ Laura Mahnken, Rovi

Veggie Tales, Vol. 4: Rack, Shack & Benny - A Lesson in Handling Peer Pressure

Veggie Tales, Vol. 4: Rack, Shack & Benny - A Lesson in Handling Peer Pressure

Starring:
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Children
User Rating:
Running Time: 30:00

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Editorial Reviews - Veggie Tales, Vol. 4: Rack, Shack & Benny - A Lesson in Handling Peer Pressure

Barnes & Noble
The spiritually nutritious Veggie Tales score again with this delightful DVD, affording young viewers biblical tales within a light and entertaining context. In this feature, Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber return with a lesson in handling peer pressure inspired by the biblical story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Rack, Shack, and Benny, as they are known here, work on the assembly line in Nebby K. Nezzer's chocolate factory. They find themselves in hot water with their boss when they refuse to obey his commands to overindulge in candy and sing an inappropriate song. They must decide whether to follow the crowd or stand up for what they believe in and risk being dropped into the furnace. Parents can put their trust in Veggie Tales for faith-based programming that is simultaneously reverent, riotously funny, and refreshingly silly (Larry's "Dance of the Cucumber" is a real showstopper). This bestselling Veggie Tales episode debuts on DVD with a cornucopia of tasty features, including Easter Eggs, sing-along Veggie Karaoke, behind-the-scenes segments, and entertaining audio commentary from the director. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
VeggieTales is a series of videos designed to teach children about dealing with various challenges in life through a Christian point of view. In this 30-minute story, host Bob the Tomato helps Larry the Cucumber address the need of standing up against peer pressure by telling him a tale of three vegetables -- Rack, Shack and Benny -- who are forced to make chocolate bunnies against their will and are offered a promotion in the factory if they only worship a giant chocolate rabbit or face a fiery furnace. Based on the Biblical book of Daniel, where three friends confront King Nebuchadnezzar and refuse to worship a false idol. Songs to help teach these life lessons to kids accompany this story. ~ Forrest Spencer, Rovi

Veggie Tales, Vol. 9: Josh and the Big Wall - A Lesson in Obedience

Veggie Tales, Vol. 9: Josh and the Big Wall - A Lesson in Obedience

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Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Children
User Rating:
Running Time: 30:00

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Editorial Reviews - Veggie Tales, Vol. 9: Josh and the Big Wall - A Lesson in Obedience

Barnes & Noble
Veggie Tales is the best thing to happen to faith-based programming since Davey and Goliath. "Josh" is a typically unorthodox retelling of the Biblical tale of Joshua and the wall of Jericho. It starts slowly, with ponderous exposition, but things ripen considerably once Joshua answers God's call to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. But behold the walls of Jericho, guarded by some very Pythonesque (as in Monty) French peas ("Nice to meet you," they greet the Israelites. "Now go away"). Will the Israelites be obedient and follow God's directions to make the wall crumble, or will they choose to take matters into their own hands by attacking their enemy with "the Walliminator"? "Josh" is blessed with several delightful musical numbers, including "Keep Walking," the peas' "annoying little song." One of this computer-animated series' most popular titles, "Josh" makes its DVD premiere with a fun-filled disc that includes Easter Eggs, sing-along Veggie Karaoke, behind-the-scenes segments, and an entertaining audio commentary from the director. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
The Bible story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho is cleverly told by the computer-animated Veggie Tales. Best for ages five to eight. ~ Heather M. Fierst, Rovi

Veggie Tales: Larry-Boy & the Fib from Outer Space! - A Lesson in Telling the Truth

Veggie Tales: Larry-Boy & the Fib from Outer Space! - A Lesson in Telling the Truth

Starring:
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Children
User Rating:
Running Time: 30:00

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Editorial Reviews - Veggie Tales: Larry-Boy & the Fib from Outer Space! - A Lesson in Telling the Truth

All Movie Guide
Junior Asparagus is in trouble -- he broke his dad's favorite bowling plate and instead of coming clean with the truth, he's convinced by a little blue Fib from outer space to make up a story. Well, the story gets bigger and so does the Fib, threatening to take over everything! Thank goodness for Larry-Boy, superhero wannabe, and his flying Larrymobile. Multiple pop-culture references abound in this humorous video, which still manages to convey the basic message of truth-telling and the consequences of lies. One of the funnier of the Veggie Tales series, this one will please everyone, from young children on up to the parents and grandparents who will watch it with them over and over again. ~ Leslie Birdwell, Rovi

Veggie Tales: Lyle the Kindly Viking - A Lesson in Sharing

Veggie Tales: Lyle the Kindly Viking - A Lesson in Sharing

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Director:

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

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Editorial Reviews - Veggie Tales: Lyle the Kindly Viking - A Lesson in Sharing

Barnes & Noble
Here's more tasty food for thought from this groundbreaking computer-animated series that serves up "Sunday morning values" amid "Saturday morning fun." In what Archibald the Asparagus describes as a "cultural tour de force of veggie programming," this tape features two stories and one silly -- make that "classy" -- song about sharing. "Omlelet" scrambles Shakespeare's Hamlet in a delightful way, introducing an egg-hoarding prince who eventually learns to share with his starving people. In the title program, "Lyle the Kindly Viking," sweet Lyle eschews the pillaging traditions of his ancestors in favor of sharing and making friends. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
In the Veggie Tales series, the adventures of animated vegetables (including such popular characters as Larry the Cucumber, Archibald Asparagus, Junior Asparagus, the French Peas, and Bob the Tomato) deliver ethical and moral messages to children in an entertaining way. The importance of sharing is the theme of this 15th installment, in which Junior Asparagus stars as "Lyle the Kindly Viking." The video also includes a version of Shakespeare's Hamlet, entitled "Omelet." Larry the Cucumber does a "High Silk Hat" routine in the style of great American musicals, and leads the audience in song. ~ Alice Duncan, Rovi

VeggieTales - The Toy That Saved Christmas

VeggieTales - The Toy That Saved Christmas

Starring: VeggieTales
Director:

Certification: NR
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 0:30

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The video is sadly the first misstep from the Christian-lite VeggieTale folks. The tale, about the true meaning of Christmas, seems like a rip-off of the Grinch and the splendid Charlie Brown Christmas. The VeggieTale stalwarts--Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber--don't even show until the tale is half over (not even the catchy theme is used here). In an echo of their own chocolate bunny show (Rack, Shack, and Benny), another Mr. Nezzer wants to sell over the airwaves his Buzz-Saw Louis doll that delivers this Christmas message: "Christmas Is When You Get Stuff." One Buzz doll that believes that is wrong sets off to find the true meaning of Christmas and finds some friends to spread the word. Pretty flat all around (though the cute penguins are a plus) and, like the worst of Hollywood, gives us an action sequence instead of the goods. Even, heaven forbid, the Silly Songs with Larry segment ("Oh, Santa") is stale. --Doug Thomas

Vertical Limit

Vertical Limit

Starring: Chris O'Donnell, Bill Paxton, Robin Tunney, Scott Glenn, Izabella Scorupco, Temuera Morrison, Stuart Wilson, Nicholas Lea, Alexander Siddig, Robert Taylor, Roshan Seth, David Hayman, Ben Mendelsohn, Steve LeMarquand, Clinton Beavan, Dave Bergman, Karl Boomsma, Alistar Bronins, Rod Brown, Graham Charles, Campbell Cooley, Gavin Craig, Jo Davidson, Augie Davis, Patricia Deavoll, Tiffany DeCastro, Aaron Halstead, Sally Spencer Harris, Bruce Hasler, Bruce Kingan, Robert Mammone, Bryan Moore, Leela Patel, Tamati Rice, Alejandro Valdes-Rochin, Leos Stransky, Tom Struthers, Ed Viesters, Kat West, Nicole Whippy, Craig Walsh Wrightson, Shahid Zafar, Pete Anthony
Director: Martin Campbell

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action - general
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:04

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Editorial Reviews - Vertical Limit

Barnes & Noble
When you're climbing the world's most dangerous mountain, attempting to reach the Vertical Limit, those goosebumps you feel aren't just due to the cold. That's the lesson learned by thrill-seeking tycoon Bill Paxton, who hires young but experienced climber Robin Tunney to guide his party to the nearly unreachable, snow-packed summit of "K2." Paxton's recklessness first endangers and eventually strands the group, forcing Tunney's brother, Chris O'Donnell, and grizzled mountain man Scott Glenn to attempt a perilous rescue. The characters in this picturesque, gripping adventure are easily recognizable types, but director Martin Campbell (The Mask of Zorro) elicits nuanced performances which make them seem relatively fresh. Glenn rates kudos for his clever underplaying of the taciturn veteran whose participation in the rescue mission conceals a secret agenda, and Paxton shows range as the initially personable industrialist who gradually succumbs to base instincts after being trapped in an icy crevasse. Breathtaking locations, nimble camerawork, and daredevil stuntwork combine to make Vertical Limit an enormously satisfying action flick. The DVD features commentaries by Campbell and co-producer Lloyd Philips, along with an HBO First Look featurette, production notes, and a look at similar search-and-rescue operations. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Family differences and personal grudges add drama to an already tense situation as the lives of a team of mountain climbers hang in the balance in this action drama. Peter Garrett (Chris O'Donnell) and his sister Annie (Robin Tunney) are the children of Royce Garrett (Stuart Wilson), an avid outdoorsman and climbing enthusiast who died when an accident left all three hanging from a single rope; Royce ordered Peter to cut him loose to save the lives of his kids, even though he knew it would mean his death. Years later, Peter has given up climbing and become a respected nature photographer, while Annie, who holds Peter responsible for her father's death, is a famous world-class mountain climber who is hired by Elliot Vaughn (Bill Paxton), a self-made billionaire, to help him scale K2, a mountain in the Himalayas that's the second-highest peak in the world. In the midst of the climb, dangerous weather strikes, and Elliot, Annie, and their crew find themselves trapped in a cavern that's been sealed tight by an avalanche. Peter, who is near K2 working on an assignment, quickly organizes a crew of expert climbers to save Annie and the other mountaineers, who must work under a tight deadline before the trapped climbers run out of air. Peter's partners in the rescue include beautiful medic Monique (Izabella Scorupco), radical climbers Cyril (Steve Le Marquand) and Malcolm (Ben Mendelsohn), disciplined Pakistani crewman Kareem (Alexander Siddig), and Montgomery (Scott Glenn), an eccentric outdoorsman who has a score to settle with Elliot. While backgrounds were shot on location in Pakistan, most of the climbing sequences in Vertical Limit were actually filmed on mountain ranges in New Zealand. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Washington Post
Possibly the most suspense-charged mountain-climbing movie ever made. Desson Howe

Virus

Virus

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, William Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, Joanna Pacula, Marshall Bell, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Sherman Augustus, Cliff Curtis, Yuri Chervotkin, Keith Flippen
Director: John Bruno

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Sci-Fi Action
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:40

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Editorial Reviews - Virus

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When the salvage tug Sea Star is caught unprepared in a violent storm, it slowly sinks, and the crew, led by Captain Everton (Donald Sutherland), wander upon another ship for refuge. The ship, apparently deserted, turns out to be a Russian research vessel loaded with high-tech electronics. The Sea Star crew, which includes hot-head Kelly "Kit" Foster (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Steve Baker (William Baldwin), soon find that they are not alone, and they also learn the horrible fate of the original crew. The ship had taken on an energy-based alien life-form capable of constructing bodies out of human tissue as easily as electronic parts. The life-form wants to inhabit the planet earth but first must rid the world of the virus that infects it and could kill it -- man. John Bruno, special effects supervisor on Terminator 2 tries to reinvent the haunted house sub-genre in his directorial debut, much as Ridley Scott did in Alien. ~ Ron Wells, Rovi

A Walk in the Clouds

A Walk in the Clouds

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Anthony Quinn, Giancarlo Giannini, Angélica Aragón, Evangelina Elizondo, Don Amendolia, Febronio Covarrubias, Alejandra Flores, Mary Pat Gleason, Juan Antonio Jimenez, John Dennis Johnston, Joseph Lindsey, Gregory Paul Martin, Macon McCalman, Ivory Ocean, Brad Rea, Freddy Rodriguez
Director: Alfonso Arau

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Magic Realism
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:43

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Editorial Reviews - Walk in the Clouds

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In this atmospheric romantic drama, Keanu Reeves plays Paul Sutton, who has just returned home from a stretch in the Army during World War II. Still reeling from the horrors of war, Paul wants to settle down and start a farm, but his wife Betty (Debra Messing), whom he met and impulsively married shortly before shipping out, has arranged for him to take a job as a salesman peddling chocolates. While taking a sales trip to another town, he befriends a beautiful but distraught young woman, Victoria Aragon (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon). While away at college, Victoria met and fell in love with a young man and soon became pregnant; however, when her boyfriend discovered she was expecting, he abandoned her. She returns home full of shame and fearful of her father's reaction. But Paul gets an idea -- he'll pose as her husband and leave after a day or two, so when she's left alone with the child, the disgrace will be on him, not her. Victoria agrees, and Paul joins Victoria as she arrives at her family's estate in the California wine country. Most of the Aragon family take to Paul readily enough, especially Grandfather Don Pedro (Anthony Quinn), but Victoria's father, Alberto (Giancarlo Giannini), senses something amiss between the young couple. A Walk In The Clouds was the first American film from director Alfonso Arau, who previously made the international hit Like Water For Chocolate. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Waterboy

The Waterboy

Starring: Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Henry Winkler, Fairuza Balk, Jerry Reed, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Blake Clark, Rob Schneider, Robert Kokol, Clint Howard, Al Whiting, Paul Wight, Allen Covert, Todd Holland, Jonathan Loughran
Director: Frank Coraci

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Parody (spoof)
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:30

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Editorial Reviews - Waterboy

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As with his previous films, comedian Adam Sandler and writing partner Tim Herlihy have conceived a simple premise, character, and title, and peppered their creation with visual sight gags. The story concerns Bobby Boucher, a Louisiana-born-and-bred kid living in the swamps with his overbearing, alligator-eating mom (Kathy Bates). Bobby is a water boy for the local college football team, and a damn good one, even good at turning a deaf ear at the ridicule he gets from the players and coach (Jerry Reed). But when Bobby is fired from his job, he is forced to continue his water management skills at the rival college, a losing team with a washed-up coach (Happy Days' "The Fonz," Henry Winkler). It's here that the coach teaches Bobby to channel his anger, and he makes a surprising discovery. The water boy can tackle like no one he's ever seen. Forced to keep his football talents from his mom, Bobby soon joins the college as a student and learns that there's more to life than alligator stew. He even falls for a perky ex-con (Fairuza Balk) who teaches Bobby about the birds and the bees. As Bobby leads his team toward victory, they get an invitation to play in the annual Bourbon bowl against his old college rivals. Bobby must choose between the love of his ailing mother and the glory of the final game -- or maybe there's a way he can get both. ~ Arthur Borman, Rovi

The Waterboy

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Parody (spoof)
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:30

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What About Bob?

What About Bob?

Starring: Bill Murray, Richard Dreyfuss, Julie Hagerty, Charlie Korsmo, Kathryn Erbe, Tom Aldredge, Susan Willis, Roger Bowen, Fran Brill, Barbara Andres, Charles Thomas Baxter, Doris Belack, Russell Bobbitt, Reg E. Cathey, Lori Tan Chinn, Richard Fancy, Donald Lee, Marcella Lowery, Joan Lunden, Melinda Mullins, Cortez Nance Jr., Brian Reddy, Stuart Rudin, Dennis Scott, Tom Stechschulte, Aida Turturro, Margot Welch
Director: Frank Oz

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Slapstick
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:39

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Editorial Reviews - What About Bob?

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In this comedy about a doctor-patient relationship pushed way beyond the office, Bill Murray plays Bob Wiley, a neurotic New Yorker struggling with a whirlwind of paralyzing phobias. When an exasperated colleague pawns the handful off on Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss), the psychologist has no idea his last appointment will follow him north to New Hampshire on a month's vacation. Bob takes to Dr. Marvin's latest book like no therapy before it, so the well-meaning pest tracks Marvin down at his lakeside summer home to further discuss his problems. But Marvin, preparing for an interview on Good Morning America and a few weeks of R and R, views Bob's stalking as highly inappropriate, and demands he return to New York. But Bob can't take even the strongest hint, and sets up camp with a neighbor to indulge in his own "vacation" -- from his problems. Meanwhile, Marvin's son Sigmund (Charlie Korsmo), daughter Anna (Catherine Erbe), and wife Fay (Julie Hagerty) take to Bob's loopy charm, which Marvin views as an irritating threat. Marvin's temperature rises as Bob insinuates his way into the family, helping Sigmund learn to dive and counseling the previously ignored Anna. As Bob's stock continues to rise, and his to plummet, Marvin becomes increasingly unhinged as the minutes tick down to the interview. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

When a Man Loves a Woman

When a Man Loves a Woman

Starring: Andy Garcia, Meg Ryan, Lauren Tom, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tina Majorino, Ellen Burstyn, Mae Whitman, Eugene Roche, La Tanya Richardson, Ronald Bass, Richard Bradford, Steven Brill, James Courtney, Garth Craven, Joe Drago, Al Franken, William Frankfather, Ellen Geer, Amanda Mackey-Johnson, Brandis Kemp, Andrew Magarian, Tony Montero, Cathy Sandrich, Gail Strickland, Susanna Thompson, Bari K. Willerford
Director: Luis Mandoki

Certification: R (MPAA)
Category: Marriage Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:06

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Editorial Reviews - When a Man Loves a Woman

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A dramatic treatment of a family torn apart by alcoholism and recovering from it, this was a star vehicle for popular actress Meg Ryan, who plays Alice Green, a school counselor who has a serious drinking problem. Her husband is Michael (Andy Garcia), an airline pilot. Though she's lighthearted and loving, Alice is often reckless and, when drunk, even neglects her children, nine-year-old daughter Jess (Tina Majorino) from a previous marriage, and four-year-old daughter Casey (Mae Whitman), whose father is Michael. After an accident, Alice realizes that she has "hit bottom" and goes into a clinic for rehab. When she returns home, she has kicked her addiction and has become independent and strong, and her perfectionist, controlling husband has trouble adjusting. Michael is used to his wife being weak and helpless, and they end up seeing a marriage counselor to recover from Michael's "co-dependency" on Alice's role as an alcoholic. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

Where the Heart Is

Where the Heart Is

Starring: Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, Stockard Channing, Joan Cusack, James Frain, Dylan Bruno, Keith David, Sally Field, Richard Jones, Dennis Letts
Director: Matt Williams

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:00

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Editorial Reviews - Where the Heart Is

Barnes & Noble
Winsome Natalie Portman, in her first bona fide starring vehicle, lights up the screen as the plucky heroine of this warm, engaging drama, adapted from a well-received novel by Billie Letts. She plays an uneducated Southern teenager named Novalee Nation, impregnated and eventually abandoned by a callow rock-star wannabe. After giving birth in a Wal-Mart, Novalee takes up residence in a small town and acquires a group of friends that includes a hard working single mom (Ashley Judd), a Bible-quoting tippler (Stockard Channing), and an eccentric young librarian (James Frain). Former sitcom director Matt Williams takes his audience on an emotional roller-coaster ride with these immensely likable characters; we soar to blissful heights and plummet to the darkest depths at their side. But even when buffeted by tragedy, Novalee and her friends retain an essential optimism, a belief that gain invariably follows loss, which lifts their spirits and eventually brings tranquility. Guaranteed to stir the emotions, Where the Heart Is stops just short of cloying sentimentality, thanks largely to the carefully calibrated performances of its capable cast. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide
Pregnant 17-year-old Novalee Nation (Natalie Portman) runs away from her Tennessee home toward the bright lights of California, accompanied by her boyfriend, Willy Jack Pickens (Dylan Bruno). But Willy gets cold feet and abandons her at a Walmart in Sequoyah, OK. Novalee's life savings amount to $5.55, so she moves into the Walmart, sleeping there at night and venturing out during the day. With the help of the eccentric Sister Husband (Stockard Channing), and Lexie Coop (Ashley Judd), a nurses' aide, Novalee tries to get her life in order for the sake of her expected child, Americus Nation. Based on a novel by Billie Letts, Where the Heart Is also features Keith David, Joan Cusack, Richard Nance, and Heather Kafka. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

While You Were Sleeping

While You Were Sleeping

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, Peter Boyle, Jack Warden, Glynis Johns, Mike Bacarella, Jason Bernard, Dick Cusack, Shea Farrell, Joel Hatch, Monica Keena, James Krag, Bernie Landis, Micole Mercurio, Susan Messing, Thomas Morris, Michael Rispoli, Peter Siragusa, Ally Walker, Ann Whitney
Director: Jon Turteltaub

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

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Editorial Reviews - While You Were Sleeping

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This latter-day romantic screwball comedy stars Sandra Bullock as a love-starved subway toll booth operator, Lucy. Lucy pines for regular customer Peter Callaghan (Peter Gallagher), but the self-absorbed attorney pays her no heed. One day, Peter is beaten by a gang of thugs and tossed onto the tracks. Lucy rescues him from death. While he is comatose in the hospital, a comment she makes at his bedside is misinterpreted, and she then allows his family members, who haven't seen Peter in awhile, to believe that she is his fiancée. Peter's parents, Ox (Peter Boyle) and Midge (Micole Mercurio), take a liking to Lucy. But Lucy takes a liking to Peter's brother Jack (Bill Pullman), though Jack is suspicious about her claim to be Peter's intended. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

White Fang

White Fang

Starring: Klaus Maria Brandauer, Ethan Hawke, Seymour Cassel, Susan Hogan, James Remar, Bill Moseley, Pius Savage, Suzanne Kent, Bart the Bear, John Beers, Diane Benson, Van Clifton, David Fallon, Tom Fallon, Mike Fenton, Clifford Fossman, Michael A. Hagen, Robert G. Hoelen, Aaron Hotch, Charles Jimmie Sr., Rob Kyker, Michael David Lally, Dick Mackey, Valorie Massalas, Raymond R. Menaker, Jim Moore, George Rogers, Marliese Schneider, Irvin Sogge, Judy Taylor, Ted, Tom Yewel, Clint B. Youngreen
Director: Randal Kleiser

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Adventure Drama
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:49

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Editorial Reviews - White Fang

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In Randal Kleiser's entertaining adaptation of Jack London's classic novel White Fang, Ethan Hawke plays Jack Conroy, a young man who travels to Alaska with the intent of finding his father's lost gold mine. During the course of his travels, he's accompanied by a big white wolf that he rescued from a professional dog fight promoter. Conroy and the wolf, which he names White Fang, have a number of adventures and make a few enemies on their way to finding the gold mine. Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Starring: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer, Stubby Kaye, Alan Tilvern, Richard Le Parmentier, Joel Silver, Betsy Brantley, Kathleen Turner, Amy Irving, Lou Hirsch, Mel Blanc, Morgan Deare, Mae Questel, Tony Anselmo, Joe Alaskey, June Foray, Richard Williams, Wayne Allwine, Russie Taylor, Tony Pope, Cherry Davis, Peter Westy, Frank Sinatra, Del Baker, Andrew Bradford, Pat Buttram, Danny Capri, Sadie Corré, Edwin Craig, Jim Cummings, Joel Cutrara, Peter Diamond, Michael Edmonds, Chris Fleischer, Laura Frances, Jim Gallant, Eugene Guirterrez, Ed Herlihy, Lindsay Holiday, Christopher Hollosy, David Lander, Billy Mitchell, Fred Newman, James O'Connell, Les Perkins, Mary T. Radford, Richard Ridings, Eric B. Sindon, John-Paul Sipla, Paul Springer, April Winchell
Director: Robert Zemeckis

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

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Editorial Reviews - Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Barnes & Noble
Who Framed Roger Rabbit has long been one of DVD's most requested titles, and this two-disc set was worth the wait. A once-in-a-lifetime pleasure, this dizzying and dazzling tour de force combines, like no film before it, live-action and animation. With the loving craft of Disney, the outrageous humor of Warner Bros. cartoons, and the anarchic spirit of animator Tex Avery, this looney homage to film noir and animation's golden age conjures up Hollywood, circa 1947, and a delirious parallel cartoon universe, Toontown, where beloved "toons" born of pen and ink in the 1930s and '40s reside. Here, and nowhere else, will you see Donald Duck and Daffy Duck sharing the same stage and Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny as prank-playing partners. Heading the human cast is Bob Hoskins as down-and-out private eye Eddie Valiant, who is investigating the murder of Toontown owner Marvin Acme. The prime suspect is toon star Roger Rabbit, whose impossibly curvaceous wife, Jessica (indelibly voiced by Kathleen Turner) has been seen playing patty-cake (literally) with Acme. Or was it Jessica herself? ("I'm not bad, Mr. Valiant," she purrs, "I'm just drawn that way.") Or was Acme's murder part of a more diabolical plot that could erase Toontown from the map? Animation buffs especially will delight in the sly in-jokes ("Walt sent me," is the password into the Pen and Ink nightclub) and cameo appearances by such classic toons as Betty Boop, Yosemite Sam, and Dumbo. Hopping with entertaining extras, this set does full justice to this pioneering breakthrough and heartfelt labor of love. "Family Friendly" Disc 1 contains the full-screen version of the film, a segment about the making of the film, and the Roger Rabbit short subjects, "Tummy Trouble," "Rollercoaster Rabbit," and "Trail Mix-Up." Disc 2 is for the real "Enthusiast," with a wide-screen presentation of the Oscar-winning film; optional audio commentary by director Robert Zemeckis, the producers, and the screenwriters; the deleted nightmarish "Pig Head" sequence; fascinating production segments; and a viewing option that offers onscreen text revealing all of Roger Rabbit's mysteries. This is one of the year's best DVDs. To quote Roger, p-p-p-lease don't miss it. Donald Liebenson

The Wiggles: Wiggly Wiggly World!

The Wiggles: Wiggly Wiggly World!

Starring: The Wiggles, Murray Cook, Jeff Fatt, Anthony Field, Greg Page
Director: Chisholm McTavish

Certification: NR
Category: Children
User Rating:
Running Time: 46:00

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Editorial Reviews - Wiggles: Wiggly Wiggly World!

Barnes & Noble
It's the Wiggles' world, we just twist and shake in it. Which means that these kids-video kings from Down Under -- Greg, Murray, Anthony, and Jeff -- have truly struck a chord globally. This latest musical video jamboree offers 16 sing-along and dance-along segments from their phenomenally popular Australian TV series and features a few special guests that even American parents will recognize: Troubadour Slim Dusty and Tim Finn of Crowded House. (Okay, at least parents with some affection for Aussie pop will recognize them.) Costumed characters Wags the Dog, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, and friendly pirate Captain Feathersword add to the fun. Part of the reason why the Wiggles have enjoyed success Stateside is that they forego the usual nursery rhyme repertoire to sing original and traditional Aussie songs that engage the imagination. So get out your "wobble boards" for a round of "Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport," "Taba Naba," "Haru Ga Kita," and other homegrown tunes that make the Wiggles' world a welcome place indeed. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide
Australian children's performers the Wiggles offer up lots of songs, dancing, and laughs in this home video. With the help of their friends Dorothy the Dinosaur and Captain Feathersword, the Wiggles perform 16 songs, including "Here Come the Wiggles," "Hey Hey, We're All Pirate Dancing," "Another Cuppa," and "Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport." Tim Finn of Crowded House guests on "Six Months in a Leaky Boat," and "I Love to Have a Dance With Dorothy" features Aussie country music legend Slim Dusty. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Wild Wild West

Wild Wild West

Starring: Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Salma Hayek, Kenneth Branagh, Ted Levine, M. Emmet Walsh, Bai Ling, Rodney A. Grant, Garcelle Beauvais, Musetta Vander, Sofia Eng, Frederique Van Der Wal
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

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

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Editorial Reviews - Wild Wild West

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Yet another TV series is revived for the big screen, as Will Smith and Kevin Kline join forces as James T. West and Artemus Gordon, the most sophisticated government agents of the 1860's, in the film adaptation of The Wild Wild West. West and Gordon represent two opposite ends of the personality scale: West is a smooth-talking charmer and man of action who prefers to shoot first and ask questions much, much later; while Gordon is intensely methodical and cerebral, with a genius for gadgets and mechanical innovations. They're brought together by no less an authority than the President of the United States to track down an evil genius named Dr. Arliss Loveless (Kenneth Branagh). Loveless was once an honored military leader and inventor until one of his schemes went awry and left him paralyzed from the waist down. Driven mad by the experience, Loveless is determined to get revenge on the United States by assassinating the President, using a 60-foot tall mechanical spider. Assisting Loveless is a team of beautiful female criminals, Miss East (Bai Ling), Amazonia (Frederique Van Der Wal), Munitia (Musetta Vander) and Miss Lippenreider (Sofia Eng). As the initially suspicious West and Gordon learn to work together, they also find themselves helped by an attractive woman, Rita Escobar (Salma Hayek), who has her own bone to pick with Loveless. Wild Wild West reunites star Will Smith with director Barry Sonnenfeld, who previously worked together on the hit Men In Black (1997). Wild Wild West features a hip-hop theme song from one-time Fresh Prince Smith, along with a more traditional Western score from composer Elmer Bernstein. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Wizard of OZ

The Wizard of OZ

Starring: Judy Garland
Director: Victor Fleming

Certification: NR
Category: Movies
User Rating:
Running Time: 1:58

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Young Dorothy is bored of her gray life on a Kansas farm. When her house is whisked away by a tornado, it lands somewhere over the rainbow in a Technicolor world, and Dorothy knows she's not in Kansas anymore. This beloved, incomparable classic based on L. Frank Baum's turn-of-the-century novel is a musical and visual candy store. Dorothy's journey to find a way back to Kansas has permeated American culture and film for decades and remains one of the best musicals and children's stories ever filmed.

Industry Reviews
"...It somehow seems real and important in a way that most movies don't....The special effects are glorious in that old Hollywood way..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (12/22/1996)

"We love it...because of the wonderful things it does! Those songs! Those effects! That cinematography!..."
Entertainment Weekly - Entertainment Weekly Staff (01/11/2002)

"...THE WIZARD OF OZ's status as a cultural icon has only strengthened through the years..."
Premiere - Premiere Staff (12/01/2003)

"[The film] remains as entrancing as ever....So vibrant it's like watching the world being painted for the first time."
Total Film - Daniel Webb (02/01/2004)

"[It] proves as precious as Dorothy's ruby slippers....It's a journey every film buff should make." -- Grade: A
Entertainment Weekly - Dalton Ross (10/28/2005)

"There may be no movie more deeply embedded in the subconscious of the baby boom generation than THE WIZARD OF OZ."
New York Times - Dave Kehr (11/01/2005)

Ranked #1 in Entertainment Weekly's Top Ten DVDs Of The Year -- "[T]he extras are filled with heart, brains, and, yes, even courage."
Entertainment Weekly - Dalton Ross (12/30/2005)

Ranked #16 in Rolling Stone's "Top 25 DVDs Of 2005' -- "[A] dazzling digital reproduction of the original Technicolor."
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers (12/01/2005)

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: 2:05

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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

The X-Files: Fight the Future

The X-Files: Fight the Future

Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Martin Landau, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Blythe Danner, William B. Davis, John Neville, Mitch Pileggi, Jeffrey DeMunn, Terry O'Quinn, Glenne Headly, Lucas Black, Dean Haglund, Bruce Harwood, Tom Braidwood
Director: Rob Bowman

Certification: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Detective Film
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:00

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Editorial Reviews - X-Files: Fight the Future

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This 60-million-dollar science fiction suspense drama (marketed with an additional 25 million dollars), was adapted from the popular TV series The X-Files -- arriving in theaters while the Emmy-winning series was still being aired, continuing plot threads familiar to many of the series' 25 million viewers, and featuring several familiar recurring characters introduced during the previous five TV seasons. In 15,000 B.C., a strange creature attacks a caveman. Cut to present day, when a boy at the same North Texas spot falls into a pit and is contaminated by a black substance. When a bomb threatens the Dallas Federal Building, special FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) locate the device but are unable to prevent the explosion. The agency blames Mulder and Scully for the disaster, subjecting them to lengthy interrogations while trying to sever their partnership. In a bar, conspiracy theorist Kurtzweil (Martin Landau), a friend of Mulder's father, tells Mulder about the group behind the explosion, the cover-up of the boy's death, the bodies of four infected rescue workers removed from the Federal Building, the secret government, and the forthcoming plague. Mulder and Scully set out to find answers, and their investigation becomes a foray into the fantastic. Bhob Stewart

X-Men

X-Men

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Tyler Mane, Ray Park, Rebecca Romijn, Bruce Davison, Matthew Sharp, Brett Morris, Alex Burton
Director: Bryan Singer

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

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Editorial Reviews - X-Men

Barnes & Noble
From uncanny in the comics to action blockbuster at the box office, the mutant superhero group the X-Men serve their audience well in this live-action adaptation directed by Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects). Highly anticipated by fans for years -- the comics date back to the 1960s -- the film intelligently tackles the comics' common themes of racism, immigration, and identity, with the aid of a crackerjack ensemble cast. Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Famke Janssen, Halle Berry, James Marsden, and adorable Anna Paquin are regarded as outsiders both by humans and by their own mutant race. Chronicling the beginnings of professor Xavier's super-powered X-students (who flaunt super costumes to match), the battle focuses on sinister primary foe Magneto (Ian McKellen), with his mutant minions, played by Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Ray Park (a.k.a. Darth Maul) at his side. A George Wallace-like senator (Bruce Davison) launching a campaign against mutantkind only complicates things for our heroes, but provides for some good character drama, a tactic that has always made the X-Men comics as super as they are. Singer's stylish direction handles the action well and with a bit less silliness than other recent comic-book adaptations, while X-Men creator and all-around comic legend Stan Lee cuts the mustard in a fine cameo as a hot-dog vendor. The X-ceptional 1.5 DVD features an Enhanced Viewing Mode, incorporating more than 60 extra minutes of behind-the -scenes footage and previously deleted material. Tony Nigro

All Movie Guide
One of the most popular superhero teams in comic book history finally comes to the screen in this big-budget adaptation of the long-running Marvel Comics series. Psychic Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) leads a school of skilled mutants called X-Men, a peacekeeping force to safeguard the world against a race of genetically mutated humans known as Homo Sapiens Superior. However, Magneto (Ian McKellen), a mutant with a powerful magnetic charge, has also begun to organize a team to strike first against what he believes to be a threat from humanity. When he kidnaps Rogue (Anna Paquin) from the X-Men's compound, Xavier and his forces must rescue her, even as they continue to vie with Magneto for the fearsomely strong mutant battler Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). Both Xavier and Magneto also have to contend with Senator Kelly (Bruce Davison), a heartless political leader who wants a final solution against mutants on both sides. Fighting for the forces of virtue with the X-Men are Famke Janssen as Jean Grey, Halle Berry as Storm, and James Marsden as Cyclops; Rebecca Romjin-Stamos as Mystique, Ray Park as the Toad, and Tyler Mane as Sabretooth are the minions of Magneto. Mark Deming

You've Got Mail

You've Got Mail

Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Parker Posey, Greg Kinnear, Jean Stapleton, Hallee Hirsh, Michael Palin, Steve Zahn, Dave Chappelle, Dabney Coleman, John Randolph, Heather Burns, Reiko Aylesworth, Chris Messina
Director: Nora Ephron

Certification: PG (MPAA)
Category: Romantic Comedy
User Rating:
Running Time: 2:00

Color Stereo

Editorial Reviews - You've Got Mail

All Movie Guide
Sleepless In Seattle director Nora Ephron originally made a name for herself as the writer of romantic comedies such as Heartburn and When Harry Met Sally. She continues the genre with You've Got Mail, marking her second collaboration with actors Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. The story brings romance and courtship into the electronic age of the World Wide Web via e-mail and chat rooms. Joe Fox (Hanks) and Kathleen Kelly (Ryan) live and work blocks from each other on New York City's Upper West Side. Their lives are practically intertwined. They both shop at the same place, frequent the same coffee shop, and even own competing bookstores on the same street. They also both have significant others of their own. Joe has the overly hyper book editor Patricia Eden (Parker Posey), while Kathleen lives with the scholarly newspaper columnist Frank Navasky (Greg Kinnear). Then they meet in a chat room. Though they keep their identities secret (they're known only by screen names "NY152" and "Shopgirl"), they tell each other everything about their lives, including their private feelings, which slowly turn into affection for each other. When Joe decides to open a new branch of his "Foxbooks" chain that risks putting Kathleen's "Shop Around the Corner" out of business, the tension between them escalates. Surely her boutique business will be lost to the conglomerate with a built-in newsstand and coffee bar. When Joe sees Kathleen waiting for him in the restaurant where they agreed to meet up, he puts two and two together, but cannot face her, given their agreement not to reveal each others' names and professions. How can he reveal himself to her now, knowing that he is the cause of her misery? Hopefully, love will conquer all. ~ Chris Gore, Rovi

...And Justice for All

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