ReaderwareVW Movie Catalog

Windy's DVD Collection - The Long List

Last Updated 9/21/2003 3pm

10 Things I Hate About You

10 Things I Hate About You

Starring: Ledger, Heath Stiles, Julia Gordon-Levitt, Joseph Miller, Larry Leisure, David Oleynik, Larisa Stiles, Julia Keegan, Andrew Keegan, Andrew Pratt, Susan May
Director: Junger, Gil

Rating: PG-13
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 97

Color Dolby

Amazon.com It's, like, Shakespeare, man! This good-natured and likeable update of The Taming of the Shrew takes the basics of Shakespeare's farce about a surly wench and the man who tries to win her and transfers it to modern-day Padua High School. Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles) is a sullen, forbidding riot grrrl who has a blistering word for everyone; her sunny younger sister Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) is poised for high school stardom. The problem: overprotective and paranoid Papa Stratford (a dryly funny Larry Miller) won't let Bianca date until boy-hating Kat does, which is to say never. When Bianca's pining suitor Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) gets wind of this, he hires the mysterious, brooding Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to loosen Kat up. Of course, what starts out as a paying gig turns to true love as Patrick discovers that underneath her brittle exterior, Kat is a regular babe. The script, by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, is sitcom-funny with peppy one-liners and lots of smart teenspeak; however, its cleverness and imagination doesn't really extend beyond its characters' Renaissance names and occasional snippets of real Shakespearean dialogue. What makes the movie energetic and winning is the formula that helped make She's All That such a big hit: two high-wattage stars who look great and can really act. Ledger is a hunk of promise with a quick grin and charming Aussie accent, and Stiles mines Kat's bitterness and anger to depths usually unknown in teen films; her recitation of her English class sonnet (from which the film takes its title) is funny, heartbreaking, and hopelessly romantic. The imperious Allison Janney (Primary Colors) nearly steals the film as a no-nonsense guidance counselor secretly writing a trashy romance novel. --Mark Englehart --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

40 Days and 40 Nights

40 Days and 40 Nights

Starring: Hartnett, Josh Sossamon, Shannyn
Director: Lehmann, Michael

Rating: R
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating:
Running Time: 95

Color Stereo

Amazon.com After being brutally dumped by his knockout ex-girlfriend, Matt (Josh Hartnett, Pearl Harbor) is so torn up inside that he vows to give up sexual activity--including masturbation--for Lent. His friends and coworkers start betting on how soon he'll crack. Their skepticism is given fuel when Matt meets Erica (Shannyn Sossamon, A Knight's Tale) at a laundromat. They're immediately smitten with each other, but Matt struggles to stay true to his vow, even though it threatens to founder his potential relationship with Erica. Based on this description, you might think that 40 Days and 40 Nights is religious educational video--however, the barrage of sex gags and frequent nudity would quickly dispel this notion. Almost nothing in this movie remotely resembles human behavior. Some movies are so deeply stupid that they're depressing to watch; this is one of them. --Bret Fetzer

8 Mile (Widescreen Edition)

8 Mile (Widescreen Edition)

Starring: Eminem Basinger, Kim Murphy, Brittany Phifer, Mekhi Evan Jones
Director: Hanson, Curtis

Rating: R
Category: Today's Deals in DVD : Deals Under $20
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 111

Color DTS Surround Sound

Amazon.com Rap star Eminem makes a strong movie debut in 8 Mile, an urban drama that makes a fairly standard plot fly through its gritty attention to detail. Jimmy Smith (Eminem), nicknamed B Rabbit, can't pull himself together to take the next step with his career--or with his life. Angry about his alcoholic mother (Kim Basinger) and worried about his little sister, Rabbit lets out his feelings with twisting, clever raps admired by his friends, who keep pushing him to enter a weekly rap face-off. But Rabbit resists--until he meets a girl (Brittany Murphy) who might offer him support and a little hope that his life could get better. Under the smart and ambitious direction of Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys) and ably supported by the excellent cast and the burnt-out environment of Detroit slums, Eminem reveals a surprising vulnerability that makes 8 Mile vivid and compelling. --Bret Fetzer --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition.

A Beautiful Mind

A Beautiful Mind

Starring: Crowe, Russell Connelly, Jennifer Harris, Ed Goldberg, Adam Plummer, Christopher Bettany, Paul Rapp, Anthony Hirsch, Judd Hirsch, Judd Pendleton, Austin
Director: Howard, Ron

Rating: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Dramas
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 136

Color Digitally Mastered

Director Ron Howard delivers his finest effort with his extraordinary film, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2001. Based loosely on Sylvia Nasar's acclaimed biography of mathematician John Forbes Nash, the film is a compelling look at one man's genius, his debilitating mental illness, and the fine line between the two. A BEAUTIFUL MIND begins with Nash (Russell Crowe) at Princeton, where he struggles to think of an original idea, and the stroke of genius that will make him matter. Nash is eccentric, socially awkward, and extremely competitive. Eventually, he finds the inspiration for his innovative and influential work on game theory. He's chosen for a post at MIT, which includes crucial code-breaking work for the US government. There, he meets a beautiful and brilliant student, Alicia (Jennifer Connelly). They marry but their happiness is threatened, as Nash, belatedly diagnosed as schizophrenic, descends into madness. Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman cannily condenses Nash's story, and the film manages to dramatize both Nash's mathematical brilliance and his schizophrenia in a compellingly visual manner. Crowe delivers a strong performance, and has real chemistry with Connelly. The two make the film's story about the power of love believable and moving. Theatrical release: December 25, 2001 (Limited) January 4, 2002 (Expanded)

A Few Good Men (Special Edition)

A Few Good Men (Special Edition)

Starring: Cruise, Tom Nicholson, Jack Moore, Demi Bacon, Kevin Kiefer Sutherland
Director: Reiner, Rob

Rating: R
Category: Drama
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 2 Hours 18 Minutes

Color Dolby

Amazon.com essential video A U.S. soldier is dead, and military lawyers Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee and Lieutenant Commander JoAnne Galloway want to know who killed him. "You want the truth?" snaps Colonel Jessup (Jack Nicholson). "You can't handle the truth!" Astonishingly, Jack Nicholson's legendary performance as a military tough guy in A Few Good Men really amounts to a glorified cameo: he's only in a few scenes. But they're killer scenes, and the film has much more to offer. Tom Cruise (Kaffee) shines as a lazy lawyer who rises to the occasion, and Demi Moore (Galloway) gives a command performance. Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, J.T. Walsh, and Cuba Gooding Jr. (of Jerry Maguire fame) round out the superb cast. Director Rob Reiner poses important questions about the rights of the powerful and the responsibilities of those just following orders in this classic courtroom drama. --Alan Smithee --This text refers to the DVD edition.

A League of Their Own

A League of Their Own

Starring: Hanks, Tom Davis, Geena Madonna Petty, Lori Jon Lovitz
Director: Marshall, Penny

Rating: PG
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 127

Color Dolby

Amazon.com essential video Penny Marshall's popular 1992 comedy sheds light on a little-known chapter of American sports history with its story of a struggling team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The league was formed when the recruiting of soldiers during World War II resulted in a shortage of men's baseball teams. The AAGPBL continued after the war (until 1954), and Marshall's movie depicts the league in full swing, beginning when a savvy baseball scout (Jon Lovitz) finds a pair of promising new players in small-town Oregonian sisters (Geena Davis, Lori Petty). The sisters are signed to play for the Rockford Peaches near Chicago, whose new manager (Tom Hanks) is a former home-run king who wrecked his career with alcoholism. They're all a bunch of underdogs, and Marshall (with a witty script by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel) does a fine job of establishing a colorful team of supporting players including Madonna and (in her movie debut) Rosie O'Donnell. It's a conventional Hollywood sports story (Marshall's never been one to take dramatic risks), but the stellar cast is delightful, and the movie's filled with memorable moments, witty dialogue, and agreeable sentiment. And just remember: there's no crying in baseball! --Jeff Shannon

A River Runs Through It

A River Runs Through It

Starring: Lloyd, Emily Blethyn, Brenda Sheffer, Craig Skerritt, Tom Pitt, Brad Blethyn, Brenda
Director: Redford, Robert

Rating: PG (MPAA)
Category: Dramas
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 124

Color Stereo

Fly-fishing figures prominently in this poignant tale of two brothers growing up in Montana in the early 20th century under the stern rule of their minister father. While both boys rebel, Norman (Craig Sheffer) channels his rebellion into writing, but Paul (Brad Pitt) descends onto a slippery path of self-destruction. The beautiful scenery of Montana is used to full effect with the awesome cinematography of Philippe Rousselot. Directed by Robert Redford, this adaptation of Norman Maclean's classic autobiography also features Tom Skerritt and Brenda Blethyn as the Reverend and Mrs. Maclean. An adaptation of Norman Maclean's much-loved autobiographical novella about fly-fishing and familial relations, A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT is set in the pristine Montana wilderness of the early 20th century. The story traces the relationship between two brothers growing up in an emotionally constricted household headed by a Presbyterian minister. The scholarly Norman (Craig Sheffer) follows in the footsteps of his stern, stoic father, going to college, marrying, and settling down. His brother, Paul (Brad Pitt)--daring, handsome, and athletic--chooses the more glamorous career of newspaper journalist. These two very different brothers are brought together through the years by a mutual love of fly-fishing instilled in them by their unyielding father. As Norman watches his brother's seemingly charmed life dissolve under the influences of gambling and alcohol, the art of fly-fishing becomes a poignant metaphor for the love their father was unable to express in any other way. Robert Redford (ORDINARY PEOPLE, THE HORSE WHISPERER) directs a first-rate cast including Tom Skerritt, Brenda Blethyn, and Emily Lloyd in this subtle yet poignant portrait of a family in the early 1900s. "In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing." Norman Maclean (Robert Redford, narrating) "If our father had had his say, nobody who did not know how to fish would be allowed to disgrace a fish by catching him." -- Norman Maclean (Robert Redford, narrating) Theatrical Release: October 1992. Shot on Seeley Lake, near Missoula, Montana. The film could not be made on the Big Blackfoot River, where the story was set, due to environmental damage. The novella A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT was published by the University of Chicago Press in 1976. Work began on the script for the film in 1988. Many filmmakers had already tried to option the novella, written by Norman Maclean, a University of Chicago professor and three-time award winner for excellence in teaching. He allowed Robert Redford to make the book into a movie on the condition that he would maintain Maclean's focus on fly-fishing. "In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly-fishing."--Norman Maclean (Robert Redford, narrating) "If our father had had his say, nobody who did not know how to fish would be allowed to disgrace a fish by catching him."--Norman Maclean (Robert Redford, narrating)

A Time to Kill

A Time to Kill

Starring: McConaughey, Matthew Bullock, Sandra Bullock, Sandra Spacey, Kevin Brenda Fricker
Director: Schumacher, Joel

Rating: R
Category: Drama
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes

Color Stereo

Amazon.com You wouldn't know it by watching the Batman movies they collaborated on, but this smart adaptation of John Grisham's novel proves that director Joel Schumacher and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman have some talent when the right project comes along. Schumacher had previously directed Grisham's The Client, and brought equal craft and intelligence to this story about a young Southern attorney (Matthew McConaughey, in his breakthrough role) who defends a black father (Samuel L. Jackson) after he kills two men who raped his young daughter. Sandra Bullock plays the passionate law student who serves as McConaughey's legal aide and voice of conscience in the racially charged drama. Added to the star power of the lead roles is a fine supporting cast, including Kevin Spacey, Ashley Judd, and Oliver Platt. --Jeff Shannon

Adventures in Babysitting

Adventures in Babysitting

Starring: Coogan, Keith Shue, Elisabeth Brewton, Maia D'Onofrio, Vincent Miller, Penelope Ann Rapp, Anthony Shue, Elizabeth
Director: Columbus, Chris

Rating: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Comedies
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 102

Color Mono

Chris Parker agrees to babysit for a neighbor after her "dream" date stands her up. Expecting a dull evening with three kids and the TV, the hair-raising adventure soon explodes when her friend Brenda calls and begs to be rescued from the bus station in downtown Chicago. After her boyfriend cancels a date, 17-year-old Chris agrees to babysit for 15-year-old Brad and his younger sister, Sara. When she gets a call from her best friend who's at the bus stop in downtown Chicago deciding not to run away, Chris packs the kids in the family car to go fetch her. En route, they run into every imaginable hitch, including having to sing the blues to escape a neighborhood club, accidentally stealing vital financial information from the mob, and witnessing a tow-truck driver's wife's infidelities. Directorial debut for Chris Columbus, who would later direct the successful blockbuster "Home Alone." Shot in Chicago and Toronto in DeLuxe color. Lolita Davidovitch is credited as Lolita David in the film. Rated PG by the British Board of Film Censors.

Along Came a Spider

Along Came a Spider

Starring: Freeman, Morgan Potter, Monica Moriarty, Michael Boorem, Mika Freeman, Morgan Potter, Monica Sanders, Jay O. Burke, Billy Burke, Billy Miller, Penelope Ann
Director: Tamahori, Lee

Rating: R
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 103

Color Dolby

Amazon.com After an obligatory prologue in which its detective hero suffers a tragic professional setback, Along Came a Spider sets about its business of luring the viewer into its nefarious plot, relying on the magician's technique of misdirection to reveal a double-whammy surprise. The clever, late-coming plot twist is a bit too mechanical but effectively unexpected, making this a satisfying prequel to the hit thriller Kiss the Girls--based on the first of James Patterson's Alex Cross detective novels--and a welcomed addition to a promising movie franchise. It's no better or worse than a good vintage episode of Peter Falk's Columbo, adhering closely to the mystery-thriller's time-honored traditions, but with Morgan Freeman settling comfortably into his role as seasoned sleuth Alex Cross, familiar formula is given fresh vitality. When a senator's daughter is kidnapped from her high-security private school, the kidnapper (nicely played by the underrated Michael Wincott) draws Cross into the case, knowing that the psychologist-detective's involvement will bring high-profile publicity. Cross partners with the Secret Service agent (Monica Potter) who botched her assignment, but wait... the movie's got a rabbit in its hat... and that rabbit has an ace up its sleeve... and director Lee Tamahori (who brought similar intensity to The Edge) handles the sleight-of-hand with slick precision, dispensing just enough information to keep the viewer off guard without resorting to cheap manipulation. Don't look for much depth of character here, but Along Came a Spider is well served by everyone involved. It's the movie equivalent of a bestseller you'd impulsively buy at the grocery-store checkout, and on those terms it succeeds. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition.

American Beauty (The Awards Edition)

American Beauty (The Awards Edition)

Starring: Spacey, Kevin Bening, Annette Birch, Thora Bentley, Wes Mena Suvari
Director: Mendes, Sam

Rating: R
Category: Art House & International : General
User Rating: 4 Stars
Running Time: 122

Color DTS Surround Sound

Amazon.com essential video From its first gliding aerial shot of a generic suburban street, American Beauty moves with a mesmerizing confidence and acuity epitomized by Kevin Spacey's calm narration. Spacey is Lester Burnham, a harried Everyman whose midlife awakening is the spine of the story, and his very first lines hook us with their teasing fatalism--like Sunset Boulevard's Joe Gillis, Burnham tells us his story from beyond the grave. It's an audacious start for a film that justifies that audacity. Weaving social satire, domestic tragedy, and whodunit into a single package, Alan Ball's first theatrical script dares to blur generic lines and keep us off balance, winking seamlessly from dark, scabrous comedy to deeply moving drama. The Burnham family joins the cinematic short list of great dysfunctional American families, as Lester is pitted against his manic, materialistic realtor wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening, making the most of a mostly unsympathetic role) and his sullen, contemptuous teenaged daughter, Jane (Thora Birch, utterly convincing in her edgy balance of self-absorption and wistful longing). Into their lives come two catalytic outsiders. A young cheerleader (Mena Suvari) jolts Lester into a sexual epiphany that blooms into a second adolescence. And an eerily calm young neighbor (Wes Bentley) transforms both Lester and Jane with his canny influence. Credit another big-screen newcomer, English theatrical director Sam Mendes, with expertly juggling these potentially disjunctive elements into a superb ensemble piece that achieves a stylized pace without lapsing into transparent self-indulgence. Mendes has shrewdly insured his success with a solid crew of stage veterans, yet he's also made an inspired discovery in Bentley, whose Ricky Fitts becomes a fulcrum for both plot and theme. Cinematographer Conrad Hall's sumptuous visual design further elevates the film, infusing the beige interiors of the Burnhams' lives with vivid bursts of deep crimson, the color of roses--and of blood. --Sam Sutherland DVD features Given American Beauty's critical and box office reception, it's not surprising that cast and crew commentaries supplied in the DVD Awards Edition carry a self-congratulatory vigor, not just in the studio's featurette on the making of the film, but in the disc's special narrative content. On DVD American Beauty balances these supplemental components against the disc-space requirements for DTS digital audio as well as Dolby digital tracks. Even with that constraint, however, the disc inserts over... read more

American History X

American History X

Starring: Suplee, Ethan Brooks, Avery Gould, Elliott Balk, Fairuza Keach, Stacy Norton, Edward Russ, William D'Angelo, Beverly D'Angelo, Beverly
Director: Kaye, Tony

Rating: R (MPAA)
Category: Dramas
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 118

Color Digital Stereo

DVD Features: Region 1 Encoding Keep Case Edward Norton gives an impassioned performance as Derek Vinyard, a Southern Californian skinhead who must do time after committing a hateful murder. Once in jail, his mind opens and he sees the error of his ways. Upon reentering the real world, he must now turn his attentions to his younger brother Danny, who is swiftly heading down the same path as his brother. Controversy surrounded the film when director Tony Kaye disowned it, claiming that Norton had the film re-edited without Kaye's permission. Norton still got an Oscar Nomination for his intense performance.

American Legends

American Legends

Starring:
Director: Henn, Mark

Rating: G
Category: Kids & Family : Animation
User Rating:
Running Time:

Color Stereo

Amazon.comn American history and pioneer mythology blur in this collection of animated Disney shorts hosted by James Earl Jones. From Disney's Golden Age come the marvelous Johnny Appleseed (1948), a fanciful, folksy, story-song tale of the real-life planter who seeded the Midwest, and The Brave Engineer (1950), a screwball version of "The Ballad of Casey Jones." Paul Bunyan (1958) is pure tall tale turned energetic American myth: the giant lumberjack is a homespun Zeus in flannel and logger boots creating the mountains and valleys of the American West with his big, blue ox, Babe. Joining these classics is Disney's stylized new take on the folk song John Henry (2000), narrated by Alfre Woodard. The sketchy, roughed-up style echoes Jacob Lawrence in moments, and the rich soundtrack soars with spiritual-influenced music. Like the best of Disney, these spirited folk tales speak to both children and adults. --Sean Axmaker

Anastasia

Anastasia

Starring: Ryan, Meg Cusack, John
Director: Goldman, Gary

Rating: G
Category: Kids & Family
User Rating:
Running Time:

Color Stereo

Amazon.com Stomping out their usual cuteness and carbon copying Disney's grand animation style to a T, directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman (An American Tail) create a successful musical comedy from the story of the lost Russian princess. Adapting the story of imperialism and revolution is tricky, and subsequently the film's opening is weak. Once Anya (voiced by Meg Ryan, sung by Liz Callaway) is a teenager and on her own (suffering from some degree of amnesia), the film is quite pleasing though never refreshingly new. Twentieth Century Fox's big-money gamble to horn in on Disney's realm is worthy. The songs, especially the recurrent "Once Upon a December," by Broadway team Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty are better than Disney's recent efforts. It's worth picking up the soundtrack. The mix of cell animation and computer work is vivid. The collection of vocal talent is also strong, from John Cusack (as Dimitri, who wants to earn the reward by bringing Anya to Paris) to Hank Azaria as an amusing albino bat. Kelsey Grammer helps turn a roly-poly sidekick into a warm and strong supporting character. The biggest drawback is Bluth/Goldman's insistence on having a typical villain. Surprisingly, the story would be strong enough without one, and the undead corpse of Rasputin (Christopher Lloyd) is unneeded and unoriginal. --Doug Thomas --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Another Stakeout

Another Stakeout

Starring: Estevez, Emilio Dreyfuss, Richard O'Donnell, Rosie Moriarty, Cathy Mankuma, Blu Farina, Dennis O'Donnell, Rosie Maughan, Sharon Maughan, Sharon
Director: Badham, John

Rating: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Comedies
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 109

Color Digitally Mastered

In this sequel to director John Badham's STAKEOUT, Seattle detectives Chris Lecce (Richard Dreyfuss) and Bill Reimers (Emilio Estevez) are assigned another stakeout operation. When Lu Delano (Cathy Moriarty), an important witness against the mafia mysteriously disappears, the district attorney's office comes up with an elaborate scheme to recover her. Thought to be hiding out with the O'Haras, a local family on a Pacific Northwest island, Lecce and Reimers are assigned to watch over the household. However, they are joined on their stakeout by a new supervisor, federal prosecutor Gina Garret (Rosie O'Donnell) and her "loveable" rottweiler Archie. Posing as an all-American family, Lecce, Reimers, and Garrett move in next door to the O'Haras in a hysterical battle of the wills. Mayhem ensues as the trio attempt to keep their operation a secret and stay one-step ahead of the mafia. Seattle detectives Chris Lecce (Richard Dreyfuss) and Bill Reimers (Emilio Estevez) are back on the beat in this sequel to director John Badham's STAKEOUT. The duo are assigned another stakeout job when an important witness against the mafia mysteriously disappears. But they must learn how to get along with their new supervisor, federal prosecutor Gina Garrett (Rosie O'Donnell) or they risk being discovered in this hysterical madcap adventure. Theatrical release: July 23, 1993. Shot on location in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Madeleine Stowe, who starred in the first STAKEOUT film, makes an uncredited appearance. Chris (Richard Dreyfuss), while standing in front of a line of Garrett's drying panties, repeats: "And I don't like panties hanging on the rod!" This is the famous line he delivered as Elliott in THE GOODBYE GIRL. The film features a cameo by Emilio Estevez's son, Taylor Estevez, as Ronnie Burnside. "Cover me! I'm taking a bath!"--Gina Garrett (Rosie O'Donnell) to Chris (Richard Dreyfuss) and Reimers (Emilio Estevez).

Antitrust

Antitrust

Starring: Phillippe, Ryan Robbins, Tim Forlani, Claire Robbins, Tim Douglas McFerran
Director: (II), Peter Howitt

Rating: PG-13
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 108

Color Dolby

Amazon.com The term suspension of disbelief was invented for the idea that Ryan Phillippe could be a computer genius. As Milo, a slacker brainiac recruited by smilingly ominous software giant Gary Winston (Tim Robbins) to help build a global communications system, Phillippe still looks like a million bucks. He is also still doing the clenched, pouty grown-up voice that he always uses to show that he means business in this acting stuff (he's nothing if not earnest), and a pair of designer glasses completes the transformation. He's well matched in Antitrust by Claire Forlani, who, in turn, spends time pursing her lips and squinting her dewy eyes as Milo's troubled girlfriend, an artist who proves to be a liability when Milo discovers that Winston is killing off clever competitors like a dot-com fÜhrer. Robbins, looking like David Letterman, seems willing to either take his role dead seriously or goof around a bit, but director Peter Howitt doesn't know how to play any of it (the actor was better used as a grinning madman in another flawed paranoid thriller, the underseen Arlington Road). Without any underlying menace or enough satirical bite to keep it interesting, the whole thing slips by passively in a mindless matinee kind of way until the over-the-top finale. Production designer Catherine Hardwicke has had some big, glossy fun creating Winston's campus and ornate private kingdom, and there's the cheapest of kicks in seeing Robbins's Bill Gates taken down publicly, but the film is definitely junior league. --Steve Wiecking --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition.

Apollo 13

Apollo 13

Starring: Paxton, Bill Bacon, Kevin Howard, Clint Quinlan, Kathleen Hanks, Tom Harris, Ed Ellis, Chris Sinise, Gary Sinise, Gary Ellis, Chris
Director: Howard, Ron

Rating: PG (MPAA)
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 140

Color Mono

A vividly rendered dramatization of Apollo 13's true-life brush with disaster on the way to the Moon in 1971. This mesmerizing film combines computer graphics, archive footage and seamless special effects to recreate the adrenalized odyssey of Astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert who battled astronomical odds to make it back to Earth. Academy Award Nominations: 9, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor--Ed Harris, and Best Supporting Actress--Kathleen Quinlan. Academy Awards: 2, including Best Film Editing. The true story of the near-disastrous Apollo 13 mission. On April 11, 1970, gung-ho astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and last-minute, less experienced replacement Jack Swigert blast-off towards the moon. But while in space, an oxygen tank explodes, putting the trio in peril: they quickly lose oxygen, run out of power, and get exposed to dangerously high amounts of carbon dioxide. Unbeknownst to them, there are more problems to come, including emotional friction when Jack is (wrongly) blamed for the explosion. Intensifying the situation is the fact that these mishaps catch the scientists and technicians at Mission Control by surprise, and they're not sure how to remedy the situation. Everyone must work together to come up with the right answer -- if the astronauts are to survive... The film won two 1995 Academy Awards for Best Editing and Best Sound. Although Ron Howard won the Directors Guild of America award for best direction, he failed to get an Academy Award nomination. This was only the fourth time in almost 50 years that the DGA winner wasn't picked from those directors nominated for an Oscar. Filmed in anamorphic widescreen, with color by Deluxe, and sound by DTS. "Apollo 13" opened in the USA on June 30, 1995. It grossed $25.3 million during its opening weekend. The film would ultimately take in $172 million at the box office, making it the 3rd highest grossing film of 1995. Additional Credits: Jim Hendriksen (Supervising Music Editor); Bob Olari (Sound Recordist). Visual Effects: Jenny Fulle (Producer); Cari Thomas (Line Producer); Erik Nash (Director of Photography); Allen Cappuccilli (Supervising Editor); Debra Wolff (Editor). Digital Effects: Karen E. Goulekas, Mark A. Lasoff and John McLaughlin (Supervisors); Amy Jupiter and Mark Lohff (Producers), Kevin Mack (Art Director). Music: "Waiting" by Carlos Santana, David Brown, Gregg Rollie, Mike Shrieve, Jose Areas, & Mike Carabello, performed by Santana. "Night Train" by Jimmy Forrest, Lewis C. Simpkins, & Oscar Washington, performed by James Brown. "Beyond the Sea" by Charles Trenet & Jack Lawrence, performed by Bobby Darin. "Groovin'" by Felix Cavaliere & Eddie Brigati, performed by The Rascals. "Somebody to Love" by Grace Slick, performed by Jefferson Airplane. "I Can See for Miles" by Peter Townshend, performed by The Who. "Magic Carpet Ride" by John Kay & Rushton Moreve, performed by Steppenwolf. "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix, performed by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. "Spirit in the Sky" by & performed by Norman Greenbaum. "Lemon Tree" by Will Holt, performed by Trini Lopez. "Honky Tonkin'" by & performed by Hank Williams "Blue Moon" by Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart, performed by The Mavericks. Rated BBFC PG by the British Board of Film Classification. Copyright 1994 Universal City Studios, Inc.

Back to the Future - The Complete Trilogy

Back to the Future - The Complete Trilogy

Starring: Fox, Michael J. Lloyd, Christopher
Director:

Rating: PG
Category: Science Fiction & Fantasy : General
User Rating:
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Amazon.com essential video Filmmaker Robert Zemeckis topped his breakaway hit Romancing the Stone with Back to the Future, a joyous comedy with a dazzling hook: what would it be like to meet your parents in their youth? Billed as a special-effects comedy, the imaginative film (the top box-office smash of 1985) has staying power because of the heart behind Zemeckis and Bob Gale's script. High schooler Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox, during the height of his TV success) is catapulted back to the '50s where he sees his parents in their teens, and accidentally changes the history of how Mom and Dad met. Filled with the humorous ideology of the '50s, filtered through the knowledge of the '80s (actor Ronald Reagan is president, ha!), the film comes off as a Twilight Zone episode written by Preston Sturges. Filled with memorable effects and two wonderfully off-key, perfectly cast performances: Christopher Lloyd as the crazy scientist who builds the time machine (a DeLorean luxury car) and Crispin Glover as Marty's geeky dad. --Doug Thomas Critics and audiences didn't seem too happy with Back to the Future, Part II, the inventive, perhaps too clever sequel. Director Zemeckis and cast bent over backwards to add layers of time-travel complication, and while it surely exercises the brain it isn't necessarily funny in the same way that its predecessor was. It's well worth a visit, though, just to appreciate the imagination that went into it, particularly in a finale that has Marty watching his own actions from the first film. --Tom Keogh Shot back-to-back with the second chapter in the trilogy, Back to the Future, Part III is less hectic than that film and has the same sweet spirit of the first, albeit in a whole new setting. This time, Marty ends up in the Old West of 1885, trying to prevent the death of mad scientist Christopher Lloyd at the hands of gunman Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson, who had a recurring role as the bully Biff). Director Zemeckis successfully blends exciting special effects with the traditions of a Western and comes up with something original and fun. --Tom Keogh DVD features The DVD set of the Back to the Future trilogy is as classy and professional as the series. Both new and original materials are included in the plethora of extras, starting with two sets of making-of documentaries. Each disc has material on that particular film, and some features look at the trilogy as a whole. Producer-writer Bob Gale is the star of the extra features, candidly presenting the original ideas and many deleted scenes (a few with doses of crude humor). Much of the inside stuff... read more

Batman & Robin

Batman & Robin

Starring: Gorkum, Harry Van Betts, Jack Taylor, Sandra Guber, Elizabeth Glimcher, Marc Leahy, Mark P. McMullan, Jim Leahy, Patrick Leahy, Patrick Moeller, Ralph
Director: Schumacher, Joel

Rating: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action & Adventure : Crime
User Rating: 1 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 125

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The Caped Crusader returns to battle the abominable Mr. Freeze and green-thumbed Poison Ivy. To save his ailing wife, Dr. Victor Fries turns to a life of crime after a hideous accident makes him unable to tolerate even moderate temperatures, while Dr. Pamela Isley falls victim to mutated plant DNA when things go awry in a jungle laboratory funded by Wayne Industries. Of course, though their interests are diametrically opposed (Freeze wants another Ice Age; Ivy wants to make the world safe for plants), the two villains team up to defeat Gotham's dynamic duo of Batman and Robin, who are joined by butler Alfred's motorcycle-obsessed niece as Batgirl. And when Alfred is diagnosed as having the same terminal disease as Freeze's wife, the trio find themselves not only fighting an altruistic battle, but a personal one as well. A frenetic, colorful, and often overwhelming sequel to "Batman," "Batman Returns," and "Batman Forever." "The Iceman cometh."--Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) "Allow me to break the ice."--Mr. Freeze

Batman Forever

Batman Forever

Starring: Kilmer, Val Jones, Tommy Lee Carrey, Jim Kidman, Nicole Chris O'Donnell
Director: Schumacher, Joel

Rating: PG-13
Category: Action & Adventure : Crime
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 122

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Amazon.com When Tim Burton and Michael Keaton announced that they'd had enough of the Batman franchise, director Joel Schumacher stepped in (with Burton as coproducer) to make this action-packed extravaganza starring Val Kilmer as the caped crusader. Batman is up against two of Gotham City's most colorful criminals, the Riddler (a role tailor-made for funnyman Jim Carrey) and the diabolical Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones), who join forces to conquer Gotham's population with a brain-draining device. Nicole Kidman plays the seductive psychologist who wants to know what makes Batman tick. Boasting a redesigned Batmobile and plenty of new Bat hardware, Batman Forever also introduces Robin the Boy Wonder (Chris O'Donnell) whose close alliance with Batman led more than a few critics to ponder the series' homoerotic subtext. No matter how you interpret it, Schumacher's take on the Batman legacy is simultaneously amusing, lavishly epic, and prone to chronic sensory overload. --Jeff Shannon

Batman Returns

Batman Returns

Starring: Pfeiffer, Michelle DeVito, Danny Walken, Christopher Keaton, Michael Gough, Michael Reubens, Paul Hingle, Pat Murphy, Michael Murphy, Michael Bryniarski, Andrew
Director: Burton, Tim

Rating: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 126

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In director Tim Burton's sequel to his successful BATMAN (1989), the Caped Crusador (Michael Keaton) is pitted against the demented, ravenous Penguin (Danny DeVito), a pitiful, orphaned psychopathic freak who once went on a baby-killing spree, and a "power" hungry capitalist villain Max Shreck (Christopher Walken). As the two criminals plot to gain domination over Gotham City, BATMAN must plot to stop them. In the highly stylized BATMAN RETURNS--complete with dark, Gothic architecture and moody lighting--Batman (and his alter-ego Bruce Wayne) is thrown a third enemy, a terrible distraction: Cat Woman (fearlessly and fabulously played by Michelle Pfeiffer). She is the slinky, sharp-clawed alter-ego of Shreck's secretary Selina. Batman must overcome his own dark past, and his present love entanglements, to rid Gotham of it's evil enemies, this time with even more intricately designed sets and tongue-in-cheek humor, making BATMAN RETURNS an action-packed, but darkly fun adventure. Gotham City is once again under siege, this time by the sinister Penguin. A malformed baby thrown into the sewers to drown, The Penguin survived and decided to exact revenge against the hated metropolis during its grand Christmas celebration. Batman must stop the madman and his band of furry, but deadly, little penguins. To complicate matters, the caped crusader also has to contend with a sexy new vigilante whose moral stance is slightly more ambiguous than his own -- the cruel and sexy Catwoman. Theatrical release: June 19, 1992. Both BATMAN films were based on the popular comic book characters created by Bob Kane for DC Comics, but also on the Batman Dark Knight graphic comic books created by Frank Miller. Estimated budget: $70 million. BATMAN RETURNS grossed more than $265 million worldwide. Christopher Walken's character Max Shreck was named after the actor (Max Schreck, with an "sch") who played the vampire in NOSFERATU (1922). Annette Bening was originally slated for the role of Catwoman. But, due to her pregnancy, she was replaced by Michelle Pfeiffer. BATMAN'S Academy Award-winning production designer Anton Furst committed suicide before work began on the sequel. Bo Welch replaced him and based his designs on Furst's.

Batman

Batman

Starring: Keaton, Michael Nicholson, Jack Nicholson, Jack Basinger, Kim Wuhl, Robert Pat Hingle
Director: Burton, Tim

Rating: PG-13
Category: Action & Adventure : Crime
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 126

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Amazon.com essential video Thanks to the ambitious vision of director Tim Burton, the blockbuster hit of 1989 delivers the goods despite an occasionally spotty script, giving the caped crusader a thorough overhaul in keeping with the crime fighter's evolution in DC Comics. Michael Keaton strikes just the right mood as the brooding "Dark Knight" of Gotham City; Kim Basinger plays Gotham's intrepid reporter Vicki Vale; and Jack Nicholson goes wild as the maniacal and scene-stealing Joker, who plots a takeover of the city with his lethal Smilex gas. Triumphant Oscar-winning production design by the late Anton Furst turns Batman into a visual feast, and Burton brilliantly establishes a darkly mythic approach to Batman's legacy. Danny Elfman's now-classic score propels the action with bold, muscular verve. --Jeff Shannon

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast

Starring: O'Hara, Paige Benson, Robby Benson, Robby Benson, Robby Stiers, David Ogden Orbach, Jerry Pierce, Bradley Worley, Jo Anne Worley, Jo Anne
Director: Wise, Kirk

Rating: G (MPAA)
Category: Kids & Family : Animation
User Rating: 4 Stars
Running Time: 90

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The timeless tale of Belle, the beautiful and intelligent girl kept prisoner in the castle of a mysterious beast who must somehow win her love if he is to regain his princely form. Features the voices of Robby Benson, Angela Lansbury and David Ogden Stiers. Academy Award Nominations: 6, including Best Picture, Best Song ("Be Our Guest"), Best Song ("Belle"). Academy Awards: Best Song ("Beauty and the Beast"). BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is a contemporary retelling of the classic French fairy tale. Once upon a time, there was a handsome but heartless prince, whose selfishness caused an enchantress to turn him into a hideous beast. He had only one hope for freedom: winning a woman's love despite his ugliness. The years passed; the Beast remained alone. Then one day, Maurice, a poor inventor, accidentally stumbled upon the Beast's lair. The angry Beast instantly swore to kill him -- until he saw Belle, Maurice's lovely daughter, who had come to to the palace to fight for her father's life. The Beast promised not to harm Maurice on one condition: Belle must stay with him. And so began Belle's lesson in the true meaning of beauty... a lesson that would bring her love and happiness ever after. Theatrical release: Nov. 22, 1991. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is the 30th full-length animated feature from Walt Disney Pictures. The CAV laserdisc is letterboxed, and also includes a short documentary, "The Making of Beauty and the Beast." Both laserdisc formats are available only for a limited time. Lyricist and Executive Producer Howard Ashman died of AIDS in March 1991, before the film opened. "Beauty and the Beast" is dedicated to him. Shot in Technicolor. Rated BBFC U. This film is currently on moratorium.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (30th Anniversary Edition)

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (30th Anniversary Edition)

Starring: Lansbury, Angela Tomlinson, David McDowall, Roddy Jaffe, Sam Ericson, John Ian Weighall
Director: Stevenson, Robert

Rating: G
Category: Kids & Family : General
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 139

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Amazon.com When a mail-order apprentice witch (Angela Lansbury) is saddled with three sibling refugees from London during World War II, the outlook is grim. But the kids soon discover her secret and sign on for adventure in the name of England. With the aid of a magical bed, they track down her fraudulent headmaster (David Tomlinson) to find the spell that will aid the Allies. Fascinated that she has actually achieved results with his lessons, he joins forces. The quintet does battle with corrupt booksellers, animated-lion royalty, and, eventually, invading Germans. Songs include Lansbury's Oscar-nominated "The Age of Not Believing." This film is often compared to director Robert Stevenson's earlier effort, Mary Poppins, and for good reason. In addition to Tomlinson, the movies share a fondness for magic at the hands of a good woman, light romance with an understanding male, and wide-eyed children. Stevenson also graces both films with interaction between humans and animated animals. Disney is wise to play up that aspect on its box this time around as both the underwater ball and the subsequent island soccer match are the most visually interesting and appealing parts of the film. Adults may find the 1971-vintage mixing of actors and animation a bit creaky, but kids used to a variety of animation quality will find the action a hoot. Ages 4 and up. The movie has been recut several times but was restored to the original length of 139 minutes for its 30th anniversary in 2001. --Kimberly Heinrichs --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Boiler Room

Boiler Room

Starring: Diesel, Vin Affleck, Ben Kennedy, Jamie Caan, Scott Rifkin, Ron Katt, Nicky Long, Nia Nichols, Taylor Nichols, Taylor Scott, Tom Everett
Director: Younger, Ben

Rating: R (MPAA)
Category: Dramas
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 120

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A supercharged ride through the cutthroat world of illegal stock selling, BOILER ROOM is fueled by an electric hip-hop soundtrack. Ribisi portrays Seth Davis, a college dropout who thinks he's going straight when he takes a job at J.T. Marlin, a stock firm located in Long Island. Seth wants nothing more than to be loved and respected by his father, a revered judge. As he learns the ropes and begins to make waves within the company, he discovers that J.T. Marlin might be a bogus operation after all. A last attempt at redeeming himself threatens to land both him and his father in jail. Younger's film is an adrenaline rush of a motion picture. Seth Davis (Ribisi), a nineteen-year-old college dropout, runs a casino out of his Queens apartment. When his father (Rifkin), a well respected judge, discovers that he has dropped out of school and begun to engage in illegal activities, he expresses his continued disappointment with Seth. Seth is overcome with the need to be accepted by his father, and after being introduced to Greg (Katt), a successful stockbroker, he uses this as an opportunity to go straight and redeem himself in the process. Walking into the offices of J.T. Marlin in suburban Long Island, he encounters a world that at first overwhelms him, but eventually wins him over. The individuals who inhabit these "boiler rooms" (basically sweatshops for business types) are young, aggressive, and driven by an animalistic greed for money that borders on the psychopathic. Seth learns the ropes from the more experienced Greg and Chris (Diesel), and falls under their materialistic influence. It doesn't help that he has an obvious knack for the craft, and pretty soon he's on his way to closing deals of his own. After he starts dating Abby (Long), the firm's receptionist and only female employee, he slowly begins to learn that J.T. Marlin isn't the honest firm that he initially thought they were. By the time he makes the decision to get out of the game, it might already be too late.

Bonfire of the Vanities

Bonfire of the Vanities

Starring: Giambalvo, Louis Heyman, Barton Moffat, Donald King, Alan Fuller, Kurt Lefevre, Adam Dunst, Kirsten James, Clifton James, Clifton Hanks, Tom
Director: De Palma, Brian

Rating: R (MPAA)
Category: Dramas
User Rating: 1 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 125

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Brian De Palma (SCARFACE) directed this lavish adaptation of Tom Wolfe's best-selling satirical novel, featuring Tom Hanks, Melanie Griffith, and Bruce Willis. Hanks stars as Sherman McCoy, a distinctly 1980s brand of wealthy Wall Street wizard who takes a mighty fall from his glitzy lifestyle after he and his mistress (Griffith) put a Bronx youth into a coma via a hit-and-run accident. Alcoholic reporter Peter Fallow (Willis) sees the crime as an opportunity for big headlines, and soon Sherman is the target of every political and media group in the city, including an Al Sharpton-style black leader named Rev. Bacon (John Hancock) and a sleazy D.A. (F. Murray Abraham). SEX IN THE CITY babe Kim Catrall costars as Sherman's long-suffering wife, and Morgan Freeman is the judge who tries to reign in this three-ring media circus of a case. Like the decade it parodies, this film is proudly over the top in its lavishness. It's also filled to overflowing with inspired casting, wildly inventive comedy, and the sort of artistically ambitious tracking shots for which its director is renowned. A super-successful Wall Street type and his mistress are involved in a hit-and-run accident. A cast of colorful characters, particularly a down-on-his-luck journalist, sees this couple's misfortune as a meal ticket in this rather savagely underrated film loosely based on Tom Wolf's best-seller.

Braveheart

Braveheart

Starring: Gibson, Mel Marceau, Sophie McGoohan, Patrick McGoohan, Patrick McCormack, Catherine Brendan Gleeson
Director: Gibson, Mel

Rating: R
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 177

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Amazon.com essential video Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning 1995 Braveheart is an impassioned epic about William Wallace, the 13th-century Scottish leader of a popular revolt against England's tyrannical Edward I (Patrick McGoohan). Gibson cannily plays Wallace as a man trying to stay out of history's way until events force his hand, an attribute that instantly resonates with several of the actor's best-known roles, especially Mad Max. The subsequent camaraderie and courage Wallace shares in the field with fellow warriors is pure enough and inspiring enough to bring envy to a viewer, and even as things go wrong for Wallace in the second half, the film does not easily cave in to a somber tone. One of the most impressive elements is the originality with which Gibson films battle scenes, featuring hundreds of extras wielding medieval weapons. After Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky, Orson Welles's Chimes at Midnight, and even Kenneth Branagh's Henry V, you might think there is little new that could be done in creating scenes of ancient combat; yet Gibson does it. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition. DVD features In his engaging audio commentary, Mel Gibson is deeply appreciative of his cast and collaborators (especially Oscar-winning cinematographer John Toll) and, of course, quite amusing when he wants to be. Gibson notes, "I fell in love a little bit" when he cast then-newcomer Catherine McCormack as William Wallace's ill-fated bride, and throughout his informative commentary, the actor-director conveys genuine passion for the story and a firm understanding of the period history that informed the... read more

Can't Buy Me Love

Can't Buy Me Love

Starring: Dempsey, Patrick Peterson, Amanda Gains, Courtney Green, Seth Tina Caspary
Director: Rash, Steve

Rating: PG-13
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 94

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Description Nowhere-man Ronny Miller is secretly in love with Cindy Mancini, the prettiest, most popular girl on campus. When Cindy finds herself in a desperate predicament, Ronny steps in to save the day ... for a price! Cindy must pose as Ronny's girl so that her popularity might rub off on him. But the road to popularity takes an unexpected twist when Ronny becomes so "cool" that his former friends feel the chill, Cindy is left toally out in the cold, and Ronny himself discovers that money might buy you popularity, but it can't buy you love!

Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation

Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation

Starring: Miller, Maxine Hyatt, Pam Kay, Hadley Francks, Cree Summer Lisa Alyson Court
Director: Schott, Dale

Rating: G
Category: Kids & Family
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 76

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Amazon.com When you're stuck at summer camp with no adult counselor in sight and a fiery, bellowing hurricane named Dark Heart threatens to unleash a storm of evil, it's time to reach for the nearest teddy bear. In the case of Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation, three forlorn campers enlist a whole rainbow of singing, animated bears--and Care Bear Cousins--to learn that making friends and sharing feelings are skills that define true Camp Champs. Another visual candy dish based on that lucrative pack of American Greeting Cards characters (introduced in the 1980s), this 90-minute film extends many warm, positive messages about caring and sharing. But it suffers from a thick coating of sugary dialogue ("If you have ever cared, care now!"), gooey songs, and exhausting action. Preschool viewers deserve healthier doses of similar yet superior fare, like Dragon Tales or Bear in the Big Blue House. --Liane Thomas

Catch Me If You Can (Widescreen Edition)

Catch Me If You Can (Widescreen Edition)

Starring: DiCaprio, Leonardo Hanks, Tom Hanks, Tom Walken, Christopher Sheen, Martin Nathalie Baye
Director: Spielberg, Steven

Rating: PG-13
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 140

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Amazon.com An enormously entertaining (if somewhat shallow) affair from blockbuster director Steven Spielberg. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Frank Abagnale, Jr., a dazzling young con man who spent four years impersonating an airline pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer--all before he turned 21. All the while he's pursued by a dedicated FBI agent named Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), whose dogged determination stays one step behind Abagnale's spontaneous wits. Both DiCaprio and Hanks turn in enjoyable performances and the movie has a bouncy rhythm that keeps it zipping along. However, it never gets under the surface of Frank's drive to lose himself in other identities, other than a simplistic desire to please his father (Christopher Walken, excellent as always), nor does it explore the complex mechanics of fraud with any depth. By the movie's end, it feels like one of Frank's pilot uniforms--appearance without substance. --Bret Fetzer --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition.

Center Stage

Center Stage

Starring: Monk, Debra Murphy, Donna Pratt, Susan May Bailey, Eion Evans, Shakiem Kulik, Ilia Radetsky, Sascha Saldana, Zoe Saldana, Zoe Schull, Amanda
Director: Hytner, Nicholas

Rating: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Dramas
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 116

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All Jody Sawyer (Amanda Schull) has ever wanted is to be a ballerina in the American Ballet Company. Her dream begins to come true when she's accepted to the company's Academy in New York City. Along with street-smart Eva (Zoë Saldana), veteran student Maureen (Susan May Pratt), sensitive Charlie (Sascha Radetsky), and flamboyant Erik (Shakiem Evans), Jody embarks on the stringent Academy training program with the hope of being one of the select few chosen for the Company. But Jody has her own style and has to contend with criticism that she doesn't have good feet and her body type is wrong. In the meantime, she finds herself involved with Cooper (Ethan Stiefel), a talented Harley-riding dancer and choreographer. The masterful dance sequences in Nicholas Hytner's CENTER STAGE are enriched by the performances of real-life American Ballet Theatre star Stiefel, and those of Schull, who was an apprentice at the San Francisco Ballet when she was cast. Peter Gallagher stars as the head of the ballet company, Donna Murphy is featured as an instructor at the academy, and Debra Monk portrays an overbearing mother to Maureen (Susan May Pratt), the best ballerina in the class who is also harboring a dark secret. Theatrical Release Date: May 12, 2000 Filmed in New York City. Ethan Stiefel, who portrays Cooper, is a star of the American Ballet Theatre. Ilia Kulik, who portrays Sergei, won a gold medal in ice skating at the 1998 Winter Olympics.

Christmas Classics

Christmas Classics

Starring:
Director:

Rating: NR
Category: All Deals
User Rating:
Running Time: 144

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Amazon.com Sacrificial giving--reminiscent of O. Henry's timeless "Gift of the Magi"--is the theme of this lighthearted Christmas gem ideally suited to young audiences. Jason Alexander (of Seinfeld fame) lends his ever-mirthful voice as Santa's Elf, who narrates the animated tale of a poor family and a father's wish to give his kids a special gift at Christmas "to put a sparkle in their eyes." Even though Mom and Dad (voiced by Shelley Long and James Eckhouse) have sold most of the farm animals to pay off debt, Tommy and Beth are unaware that poverty has struck their household. They are brimming with excitement as they put the finishing touches on a surprise gift for their parents--a one-horse open sleigh to be pulled by Kris, their trusty, talking horse (voiced by Don Knotts). Meanwhile, Dad quietly decides that the only way he can afford to get his children a Christmas present is to sell the family's beloved steed. What looks like an ideal solution brings dismay on Christmas morning, despite the kids' best efforts to put on a brave face in the absence of their gentle gelding. It would take a Christmas miracle to remedy this mishap, not impossible if "you think with your hearts and not with your heads," says Elf. The tender tale is loaded with valuable Yuletide lessons, especially a reminder that the best Christmas presents are often the ones that can't be gift-wrapped. And all ages will enjoy a rousing rendition of the title song at the film's end. --Lynn Gibson --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Circle of Friends

Circle of Friends

Starring: O'Donnell, Chris Driver, Minnie Driver, Minnie O'Rawe, Geraldine Burrows, Saffron Alan Cumming
Director: O'Connor, Pat

Rating: PG-13
Category: Drama
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 102

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Amazon.com A polished gem from 1995, this disarmingly sweet and dramatically insightful love story provided a charming showcase for Chris O'Donnell and, especially, then-newcomer Minnie Driver, whose performance drew critical raves and boosted her career to Hollywood. Smoothly adapted from the novel by Maeve Binchy and set in Ireland during the 1950s, the story focuses on Benny (Driver), a somewhat plump, plain-looking young woman attending university in Dublin who meets and quickly falls for Jack (O'Donnell), a handsome star of the university's rugby team who surprisingly reciprocates her glowing admiration. They're drawn together as soul mates, and their love is dramatically contrasted with a subplot involving Benny's more conventionally beautiful friend Nan (Saffron Burrows), whose appetite for older men leads her into a misguided and ultimately tragic relationship. A betrayal by Jack sets the stage for potential heartbreak, but director Pat O'Connor prevents these carefully drawn characters from resorting to sappy melodrama. They have lessons to learn about life and love, and Circle of Friends teaches those lessons with grace, humor, and heartfelt sincerity. --Jeff Shannon

City of Angels

City of Angels

Starring: Cage, Nicolas Ryan, Meg Braugher, Andre Franz, Dennis Colm Feore
Director: Silberling, Brad

Rating: PG-13
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 114

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Amazon.com Some critics complained that City of Angels could never compare to Wim Wenders's exquisite German film Wings of Desire, which served as the later film's primary inspiration. The better argument to make is that any such comparisons are beside the point, because Wings of Desire was a much more deeply poetic, artfully contemplative film, whereas City of Angels is an enchanting product of mainstream Hollywood. Meg Ryan stars as Dr. Maggie Rice, a heart surgeon who is grieving over a lost patient when an angel named Seth (Nicolas Cage) appears to comfort her. She can see him despite the "rule" that angels are invisible, and Seth's love for Maggie forces him to choose between angelic immortality and a normal human existence on earth with her. Featuring heavenly roles for TV veterans Andre Braugher and Dennis Franz, the film liberally borrows imagery from Wings of Desire, but it also creates its own charming identity. Cage and Ryan give fine performances as lovers convinced they are soul mates, and although the plot relies on a last-minute twist that doesn't quite work, this earnest love story struck a chord with audiences and proved to be one of the surprise hits of 1998. The Special Edition widescreen DVD includes audio commentary by Nicolas Cage, producer Charles Roven, and director Brad Silberling in addition to deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes documentary, a featurette about the film's special effects, and the theatrical trailer. --Jeff Shannon

Cocktail

Cocktail

Starring: Cruise, Tom Brown, Bryan Shue, Elisabeth Banes, Lisa Laurence Luckinbill
Director: Donaldson, Roger

Rating: R
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 103

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Amazon.com This 1988 effort at creating a milestone coming-of-age story with the impact of The Graduate is commendable, but the results are mostly shaky and garish. Tom Cruise plays an ambitious young man who arrives in New York City and becomes known as a flashy bartender in a hot club. After falling for Elisabeth Shue's girl-next-door character, however, his desire for success causes him to travel down a more selfish path with an older woman. The film, directed by Roger Donaldson (Bounty), is built on entirely on appearances (Cruise's star charisma) and flash (the way Cruise and his character's bartending mentor, played by Bryan Brown, toss bottles of booze around). The more interesting and underlying themes, however, particularly the hero's obvious Oedipal dilemmas, are lost beneath this window dressing, as if everyone involved was afraid to commit to the story's intrinsic value. Cruise fans might want to take a look at this, but otherwise there isn't much to recommend it. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Cool Runnings

Cool Runnings

Starring: Candy, John Doug, Doug E. Yoba, Malik Lewis, Rawle D. John Candy
Director: Turteltaub, Jon

Rating: PG
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 98

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Amazon.com Based on an improbable but true story, Cool Runnings concerns the Jamaican bobsled team that competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics. Director Jon Turteltaub (Phenomenon) does a fine job with both the absurdity of the situation (the athletes had never even seen snow) and the passion behind it (their desire to compete and win). John Candy, in one of his last roles, is touching as a disgraced coach who seizes the opportunity to work with the Jamaicans as a chance for redemption. The bobsled scenes look good, and the races are exciting. The climax, which is entirely unexpected, takes the film to a wholly different level, even if events in the story don't quite match the facts. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Coyote Ugly

Coyote Ugly

Starring: Perabo, Piper Garcia, Adam Bello, Maria Goodman, John Melanie Lynskey
Director: (II), David McNally

Rating: PG-13
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 1 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 1 Hour 41 Minutes

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Amazon.com As a producer, Jerry Bruckheimer makes movies for guys, mostly action films like Top Gun and Gone in 60 Seconds. The ones he makes that feature women, such as Flashdance and now Coyote Ugly, broaden their appeal with a fondness for "strong women." For Bruckheimer, that means self-determined, attractive women who don't need men to get what they want. Is there anything sexier than that? In Coyote Ugly, the charming young waif Piper Perabo stars as Violet, a New Jersey waitress who moves to New York to make it big as a songwriter. She has absolutely no idea how the music business works, relying instead on her faith in her own abilities. In order to make ends meet, she gets a job in a bar called Coyote Ugly, where the bartenders are scantily clad women who dance on the bar and order around their mostly male clientele. Really, they are strippers who don't have to take off their clothes. In fact, the owner (Maria Bello) orders them to enact the first rule of strip clubs: "Appear available but never be available." Bruckheimer is smart enough to focus on the naive girl instead of the seamier side of the story, following her as she realizes her dream and picks up a disposable but nice man along the way. Further "empowering" the female figures in the film, Zoe (Tyra Banks), the bartender whom Violet is replacing, leaves in order to go to law school. See? They're as smart as they are sexy! Then there's John Goodman, who turns in an absolutely charming performance as Violet's concerned father. This is a sweet and inoffensive film as long as you don't think too much about it. --Andy Spletzer

Cruel Intentions 2

Cruel Intentions 2

Starring: Adams, Amy Chriqui, Emmanuelle Thomas, Sean Rogers, Mimi
Director: Kumble, Roger

Rating: R (MPAA)
Category: Dramas
User Rating:
Running Time: 87

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This prequel to the hit movie follows the adventures of rakish young Sebastian, who, at age sixteen, is determined to redeem himself for past transgressions and become a one-woman man. His kind intentions are complicated by his recently acquired stepsister, Katherine Mertuil, a viciously manipulative debutante who enjoys toying with the love (and sex) lives of her fellow high school students. Sebastian soon finds himself smitten with the adorably naive Danielle, daughter of his high school headmaster, and sets about winning her heart. But Katherine's duplicity may result in his downfall as she slyly positions herself between Sebastian and his newfound love, offering dual temptations of sex and power. Originally filmed as the prospective pilot for a television series that never materialized.

D2: The Mighty Ducks

D2: The Mighty Ducks

Starring: Estevez, Emilio Erbe, Kathryn Tucker, Michael Rubes, Jan Carsten Norgaard
Director: Weisman, Sam

Rating: PG
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 1 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 107

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Amazon.com This follow-up to the surprise Disney hit about a hockey team of misfits brings Emilio Estevez back to the role of the kids' yuppie coach. This time, Estevez assimilates his Ducks into the higher-stakes Team USA in the Junior Goodwill Games, an opportunity that could bring fame and money. Entirely perfunctory, this sequel is basically an excuse to revisit the eccentricities of some of the younger characters, extend some of their conflicts into adolescence, and showcase their allegedly entertaining but ethically dubious abilities on the ice. Estevez is okay, but even he had enough after this movie. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Dangerous Liaisons

Dangerous Liaisons

Starring: Close, Glenn Malkovich, John Pfeiffer, Michelle Kurtz, Swoosie Reeves, Keanu Thurman, Uma Mildred Natwick
Director: Frears, Stephen

Rating: R
Category: Drama
User Rating: 4 Stars
Running Time: 2 Hours

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Amazon.com essential video A sumptuously mounted and photographed celebration of artful wickedness, betrayal, and sexual intrigue among depraved 18th-century French aristocrats, Dangerous Liaisons (based on Christopher Hampton's Les Liaisons Dangereuses) is seductively decadent fun. The villainous heroes are the Marquise De Merteuil (Glenn Close) and the Vicomte De Valmont (John Malkovich), who have cultivated their mutual cynicism into a highly developed and exquisitely mannered form of (in-)human expression. Former lovers, they now fancy themselves rather like demigods whose mutual desires have evolved beyond the crudeness of sex or emotion. They ritualistically act out their twisted affections by engaging in elaborate conspiracies to destroy the lives of their less calculating acquaintances, daring each other to ever-more-dastardly acts of manipulation and betrayal. Why? Just because they can; it's their perverted way of getting get their kicks in a dead-end, pre-Revolutionary culture. Among their voluptuous and virtuous prey are fair-haired angels played by Michelle Pfeiffer and Uma Thurman, who have never looked more ripe for ravishing. When the Vicomte finds himself beset by bewilderingly genuine emotions for one of his victims, the Marquise considers it the ultimate betrayal and plots her heartless revenge. Dangerous Liaisons is a high-mannered revel for the actors, who also include Swoosie Kurtz, Mildred Natwick, and Keanu Reeves. --Jim Emerson

Days of Thunder

Days of Thunder

Starring: Cruise, Tom Kidman, Nicole Kidman, Nicole Quaid, Randy Michael Rooker
Director: Scott, Tony

Rating: PG-13
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 107

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Amazon.com essential video With Days of Thunder, director Tony Scott tried to do for the Indy 500 what he did for the U.S. Air Force with Top Gun. But without Top Gun's go-go soundtrack and visual feats, Scott merely ends up with a Tom Cruise vehicle that's out of gas. Cruise plays (what else?) a cocky, upstart stock-car racer who faces down ruthless racing opponents. Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Cary Elwes, and Randy Quaid do the laps around this movie's tiresome track with Cruise, while director Scott attempts to propel the action along with his trademark visceral, gritty but glamorous visual style. Days of Thunder is notable, however, as a turning point in Cruise's then one-dimensional career. After this film--having tired even his most devoted fans by playing a bartender, an air force pilot, and a stock-car driver--Cruise was forced to take on real character parts. --Ethan Brown --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo

Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo

Starring: Schneider, Rob Forsythe, William Vaccaro, Brenda Sandler, Adam Boy, Big Poehler, Amy Voges, Torsten Turner, Bree Turner, Bree Griffin, Eddie
Director: (VI), Mike Mitchell

Rating: R
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 1 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 88

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Amazon.com Saturday Night Live alum and Adam Sandler sidekick Rob Schneider plays the title character of Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, a miserable fish-tank cleaner who stumbles onto a new and different lifestyle when he looks after the fish of a high-priced male prostitute (Oded Fehr from The Mummy). Deuce teams up with a man-pimp (Eddie Griffin), gets harassed by a crazed cop (William Forsythe), and of course falls in love with a cute client (Arija Bareikis). The nonsensical plot is festooned with gags about wet T-shirts, foul-mouthed senior citizens, flatulence, Tourette's syndrome, narcolepsy, and just about everything else you might imagine. More surprising is that, by and large, the movie works. It's a combination of bad taste and goodheartedness, similar to There's Something About Mary, which Deuce Bigalow is clearly emulating. It's not the pat "people should learn to accept themselves for who they are" theme or the formulaic happy ending; it's that the movie understands that sex is not the same thing as happiness or contentment. For all its crassness, Deuce Bigalow actually treats its characters as people, and the result is silly, obnoxious, and enjoyable. --Bret Fetzer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Dirty Dancing (Collector's Edition)

Dirty Dancing (Collector's Edition)

Starring: Grey, Jennifer Swayze, Patrick Orbach, Jerry Rhodes, Cynthia Jack Weston
Director: Ardolino, Emile

Rating: PG-13
Category: All Deals
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 105

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Amazon.com As with Grease (1978) and Footloose (1984) before it, Dirty Dancing was a cultural phenomenon that now plays more like camp. That very campiness, though, is part of its biggest charm. And if the dancing in the movie doesn't seem particularly "dirty" by today's standards--or 1987's--it does take place in an era (the early '60s) when it would have. Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey, daughter of ageless hoofer Joel Grey) has been vacationing in the Catskills with her family for many years. Uneventfully. One summer, she falls under the sway (as it were) of dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze). Baby is a pampered pup, but Johnny is a man of the world. Baby's father, Jake (Law and Order's Jerry Orbach), can't see the basic decency in greaser Johnny that she can. It should come as no surprise to find that Baby, who can be as immature as her name, learns more about love and life--and dancing--from free-spirited Johnny than traditionalist Jake. Dirty Dancing spawned two successful soundtracks, a short-lived TV series, and a stage musical. It may be predictable, but Grey and Swayze have chemistry, charisma, and all the right moves. It's a sometimes silly movie with occasionally mind-boggling dialogue--"No one puts Baby in a corner!"--that nonetheless carries an underlying message about tolerance and is filled with the kind of exuberant spirit that's hard for even the most cynical to resist. Not that they'd ever admit it. --Kathy Fennessy --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Disney Pixar DVD Three-Pack

Disney Pixar DVD Three-Pack

Starring: 3pak, Disney
Director:

Rating: G
Category: Kids & Family : Animation
User Rating:
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Amazon.com Toy Story There is greatness in film that can be discussed, dissected, and talked about late into the night. Then there is genius that is right in front of our faces-- we smile at the spell it puts us under and are refreshed, and nary a word needs to be spoken. This kind of entertainment is what they used to call "movie magic," and there is loads of it in this irresistible computer-animation feature. Just a picture of these bright toys on the cover of Toy Story looks intriguing, reawakening the kid in us. Filmmaker John Lasseter's shorts (namely Knickknack and Tin Toy) illustrate not only a technical brilliance but also a great sense of humor--one in which the pun is always intended. Lasseter thinks of himself as a storyteller first and an animator second, much like another film innovator, Walt Disney. Lasseter's story is universal and magical: what do toys do when they're not played with? Cowboy Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Andy's favorite bedroom toy, tries to calm the other toys (some original, some classic) during a wrenching time of year--the birthday party, when newer toys may replace them. Sure enough, Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) is the new toy that takes over the throne. Buzz has a crucial flaw, though--he believes he's the real Buzz Lightyear, not a toy. Bright and cheerful, Toy Story is much more than a 90-minute commercial for the inevitable bonanza of Woody and Buzz toys. Lasseter further scores with perfect voice casting, including Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head and Wallace Shawn as a meek dinosaur. The director-animator won a special Oscar® for "the development and inspired application of techniques that have made possible the first feature-length computer-animated film." In other words, the movie is great. A Bug's Life There was such a magic on the screen in 1995 when the people at Pixar came up with the first fully computer-animated film, Toy Story. Their second feature film, A Bug's Life, may miss the bull's-eye, but Pixar's target is so lofty, it's hard to find the film anything less than irresistible. Brighter and more colorful than the other animated insect movie of 1998 (Antz), A Bug's Life is the sweetly told story of Flik (voiced by David Foley), an ant searching for better ways to be a bug. His colony unfortunately revolves around feeding and fearing the local grasshoppers (lead by Hopper, voiced with gleeful menace by Kevin Spacey). When Flik accidentally destroys the seasonal food supply for the grasshoppers, he decides to look for help ("We need bigger bugs!"). The ants, led by Princess Atta (Julia Louis- Dreyfus), are eager to dispose of the troublesome Flik. Yet he finds help--a hearty bunch of bug warriors--and brings them back to the colony. Unfortunately they are just traveling performers afraid of conflict. As with Toy Story, the ensemble of creatures and voices is remarkable and often inspired. Highlights include wiseacre comedian Denis Leary as an un-ladylike ladybug, Joe Ranft as the German-accented caterpillar, David Hyde Pierce as a stick bug, and Michael McShane as a pair of unintelligible pillbugs. The scene-stealer is Atta's squeaky-voiced sister, baby Dot (Hayden Panettiere), who has a big sweet spot for Flik. More gentle and kid-friendly than Antz, A Bug's Life still has some good suspense and a wonderful demise of the villain. However, the film--a giant worldwide hit--will be remembered for its most creative touch: "outtakes" over the end credits à la many live-action comedy films. These dozen or so scenes (both "editions" of outtakes are contained here) are brilliant and deserve a special place in film history right along with 1998's other most talked-about sequence: the opening Normandy invasion in Saving Private Ryan. Toy Story 2 John Lasseter and his gang of high-tech creators at Pixar conjure up another entertainment for all ages. Like the few great movie sequels, Toy Story 2 comments on why the first one was so wonderful while finding a fresh angle worthy of a new film. The craze of toy collecting becomes the focus here, as we find out Woody

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (Widescreen)

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (Widescreen)

Starring: Bullock, Sandra Burstyn, Ellen Judd, Ashley Flanagan, Fionnula Smith, Maggie Jones, Cherry Knight, Shirley James Garner James Garner
Director: Khouri, Callie

Rating: PG-13
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 116

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Amazon.com Grab your tissues and send the guys away, because Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is the most pedigreed chick flick since Steel Magnolias. You can tell by the title and the novelish names of the Louisiana ladies from Rebecca Wells's precious bestseller. First there's Sidda (Sandra Bullock), a successful playwright still wrestling with her manipulative mother, Vivi (Ellen Burstyn), after a traumatic upbringing. Then there's longtime friends Teensy (Fionnula Flanagan), Necie (Shirley Knight), and Caro (scene-stealer Maggie Smith), from Vivi's secret club of "Ya-Ya Priestesses," together since childhood and determined to heal the rift between Sidda and her mom. Through an ambitious flashback structure (including Ashley Judd as the younger Vivi), screenwriter and first-time director Callie Khouri (who wrote Thelma & Louise) establishes a rich context for this mother-daughter reunion. There's plenty of humor to temper the drama, which inspires Bullock's best work in years. Definitely worth a look for the curious, but only fans of Wells's fiction will feel any twinge of loyalty. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition. Description New York playwright Sidda Lee Walker is a long way from her Louisiana hometown, but an even greater emotional distance separates her from her mother Vivi. The Ya-Yas - sworn lifelong friends of Vivi - stage an unorthodox "intervention" to bring daughter and mother together in this warm, winning adaptation of Rebecca Well's bestsellers, written for the screen and directed by Thelma & Louise Academy Award winner Callie Khouri.

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

Starring: Applegate, Christina Cassidy, Joanna Getz, John Charles, Josh Keith Coogan
Director: Herek, Stephen

Rating: PG-13
Category: Comedy
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

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Amazon.com Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead aspires to be a cross between Home Alone and Risky Business, with Christina Applegate as an inadvertent scam artist who gets in over her head and somehow pulls it off. When her mother goes to Australia for two months, Sue Ellen (Applegate) thinks she's going to be in charge--until an elderly tyrant of a babysitter arrives. But on the very first night the old lady has a heart attack and keels over. Sue Ellen and her siblings leave the body at a mortuary, only to discover afterward that all the money their mother had left for the summer was in the babysitter's clothes. So Sue Ellen has to get a job. Thanks to a trumped-up resume, she ends up as an executive assistant at a clothing manufacturer. For a while she keeps her head above water by skillfully exploiting a friendly coworker, but her brothers and sisters are running amok at home and a venomous receptionist has it in for her at work. The role-reversal humor of Sue Ellen having to mother her siblings is unsurprising, but Applegate is unexpectedly appealing; her scenes with Josh Charles (Dead Poet's Society, Threesome) have a sweet chemistry. Joanna Cassidy (Blade Runner, The Laughing Policeman) plays Sue Ellen's boss and a young David Duchovny (The X-Files, The Rapture) is a weaselly clerk. --Bret Fetzer

Down to You

Down to You

Starring: Jr., Freddie Prinze Stiles, Julia Stevenson, Joseff Adler, Joanna German, Lauren Orth, Zak Page, Elizabeth Myers, Joanna Myers, Joanna Langeland, Mimi
Director: Isacsson, Kris

Rating: PG-13
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 92

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Amazon.com Al (Freddie Prinze Jr., from She's All That and I Know What You Did Last Summer) and Imogen (Julia Stiles from 10 Things I Hate About You) take turns narrating the story of their college romance. Al has a celebrity chef for a father (an amusing turn from Henry Winkler) and a rising porn star for a best friend (Zak Orth). The dialogue is stale, the story flounders, and the movie can't seem to decide whether it wants to be a sweet romance or a social satire. Down to You keeps dropping into odd fantasy bits that have nothing to do with, well, much of anything. But all the stars--including Selma Blair (Cruel Intentions) and Shawn Hatosy (Outside Providence) are pleasant and well groomed (well, except for Hatosy, who bears the brunt of being the poster boy for every fad of the '90s), and the soundtrack (featuring Cibo Matto, early David Bowie, Yo La Tengo, and others) is excellent. --Bret Fetzer

Dumb and Dumber

Dumb and Dumber

Starring: Carrey, Jim Daniels, Jeff Holly, Lauren Garr, Teri Karen Duffy
Director: Farrelly, Bobby

Rating: PG-13
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 1 Hour 46 Minutes

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Amazon.com Delivering exactly what its title promises, this celebration of stupidity was Jim Carrey's 1994 follow-up to Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask. The film pairs the rubber- faced wacky man with Jeff Daniels as the not-so-dynamic duo of Lloyd and Harry, dunderheads who come into the possession of a briefcase containing ransom money that is intended for Mob-connected kidnappers. Lauren Holly costars as the woman who lost the briefcase, and with whom Carrey falls in love (both in real life and as his moronic on-screen character). As Lloyd and Harry make a mad dash to return the briefcase (never aware of its contents), the bumbling buddies attract Mobsters, cops, and trouble galore. This lowbrow laugh-a-thon scores some solid hits for hilarity, but with gags involving ill-fated parakeets, buxom bimbos, and an overdose of laxatives, be prepared to put your brain--and good taste--on hold. --Jeff Shannon

Dumbo (60th Anniversary Edition)

Dumbo (60th Anniversary Edition)

Starring: Holloway, Sterling Brophy, Edward Kinney, Jack Bing, Herman Edwards, Cliff Bletcher, Billy Verna Felton
Director: Sharpsteen, Ben

Rating: G
Category: Classics : General
User Rating: 4 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 1 Hour 4 Minutes

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Amazon.com A Disney "classic" that actually is a classic, Dumbo should be part of your video collection whether or not you have children. The storytelling was never as lean as in Dumbo, the songs rarely as haunting (or just plain weird), the characters rarely so well defined. The film pits the "cold, cruel, heartless" world that can't accept abnormality against a plucky, and mute, hero. Jumbo Jr. (Dumbo is a mean-spirited nickname) is ostracized from the circus pack shortly after his delivery by the stork because of his big ears. His mother sticks up for him and is shackled. He's jeered by children (an insightful scene has one boy poking fun at Dumbo's ears, even though the youngster's ears are also ungainly), used by the circus folk, and demoted to appearing with the clowns. Only the decent Timothy Q. Mouse looks out for the little guy. Concerns about the un-PC "Jim Crow" crows, who mock Dumbo with the wonderful "When I See an Elephant Fly," should be moderated by remembering that the crows are the only social group in the film who act kindly to the little outcast. If you don't mist up during the "Baby Mine" scene, you may be legally pronounced dead. --Keith Simanton --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition. Additional features Only 64 minutes long, Dumbo remains one of most charming and heartfelt films in the Disney canon. This DVD marks the 60th anniversary of its release: the attack on Pearl Harbor knocked Dumbo off the cover of Time. The clear, digitally restored print highlights the imaginative use of color in the film, especially in the dramatic sequence of the roustabouts raising the big top and the brilliantly surreal "Pink Elephants on Parade." In the "Celebrating Dumbo" featurette, young studio artists talk... read more

EdTV (Collector's Edition)

EdTV (Collector's Edition)

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

Rating: PG-13
Category: Comedy
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 124

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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 --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Erin Brockovich

Erin Brockovich

Starring: Roberts, Julia Finney, Albert Eckhart, Aaron Helgenberger, Marg Cherry Jones
Director: Soderbergh, Steven

Rating: R
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 132

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Amazon.com essential video Much will be made of Julia Roberts's wardrobe in Erin Brockovich--a brash parade of daring hemlines and Wonderbra confidence. Roberts is unabashedly sexy in the title role of this fact-based comedy-drama, but she and director Steven Soderbergh are far too intelligent to rely solely on high heels and cleavage. Susannah Grant's brassy screenplay fuels this winning combination of star, director, and material, firing on all pistons with maximum efficiency. With Ed Lachman, his noted cinematographer from The Limey, Soderbergh tackles this A-list project with the fervor of an independent, combining a no-frills look with kinetic panache and the same brisk editorial style he used in the justly celebrated Out of Sight. Broke and desperate, the twice-divorced single mom Erin bosses her way into a clerical job with attorney Ed Masry (Albert Finney), who's indebted to Erin after failing to win her traffic-injury case. Erin is soon focused on suspicious connections between a mighty power company, its abuse of toxic chromium, and the poisoned water supply of Hinkley, California, where locals have suffered a legacy of death and disease. Matching the dramatic potency of Norma Rae and Silkwood, Erin Brockovich filters cold facts through warm humanity, especially in Erin's rapport with dying victims and her relationship with George (superbly played by Aaron Eckhart), a Harley-riding neighbor who offers more devotion than Erin's ever known. Surely some of these details have been embellished for dramatic effect, but the factual basis of Erin Brockovich adds a boost of satisfaction, proving that greed, neglect, and corporate arrogance are no match against a passionate crusader. (Trivia note: The real Erin Brockovich appears briefly as a diner waitress.) --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. DVD features A perfect complement to the movie itself, "The Making of Erin Brockovich" introduces viewers to Erin Brockovich and Ed Masry, the real-life inspiration for characters played by Julia Roberts and Albert Finney. In addition to appearing in the documentary, director Steven Soderbergh provides intelligent reasoning (in a separate audio commentary) for the deletion of several interesting but ultimately unnecessary scenes. "Erin Brockovich: A Look at a Real-Life Experience" is equally rewarding,... read more

Father of the Bride Part II

Father of the Bride Part II

Starring: Martin, Steve Keaton, Diane Short, Martin Williams, Kimberly George Newbern
Director: Shyer, Charles

Rating: PG
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 1 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 1 Hour 46 Minutes

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Amazon.com Everybody important from the first film, including the writing-directing team of Charles Shyer and Nancy Meyers, regroups for this sequel involving a pair of pregnancies. Steve Martin's patriarch has a crisis when his married daughter (Kimberly Williams) is with child, and an even bigger one when his middle-aged wife (Diane Keaton) announces that another bambino is on the way. Martin Short is more effectively used this time around (he played the wedding coordinator in the first film), and while this movie's inevitable climax has both women giving birth on the same chaotic night, the overall effect of the film is less contrived than its predecessor. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Father of the Bride

Father of the Bride

Starring: Martin, Steve Keaton, Diane Williams, Kimberly Culkin, Kieran George Newbern
Director: Shyer, Charles

Rating: PG
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

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Amazon.com This '90s update of the Spencer Tracy-Elizabeth Taylor hit is a mix of the pleasant and the silly, a nice enough movie but a little too controlled to become particularly interesting. Steve Martin plays the aging patriarch who is threatened by his daughter's engagement and not-quite-willing to let her go. The writing-directing team of Charles Shyer and Nancy Meyers provides Martin's character with a perhaps too-broad range of comic responsiveness to the situation, some of it gentle (a ritual game of basketball between dad and his little girl) and some of it slapstick (Martin sneaking around his prospective in-laws' house and encountering a guard dog). Martin Short turns up as a wedding coordinator--which has deliriously delicious possibilities--but his inventiveness doesn't quite strike the chord this time. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Final Destination - New Line Platinum Series

Final Destination - New Line Platinum Series

Starring: Sawa, Devon Larter, Ali Donella, Chad E. Larter, Ali Roebuck, Daniel Kristen Cloke
Director: (IV), James Wong

Rating: R
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 1 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 1 Hour 38 Minutes

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Amazon.com While hardly a spiritual upgrade of the slasher film, this high-concept teen body-count thriller drops hints of The Sixth Sense into the smart-aleck sensibility of Scream. Helmed by X-Files veteran James Wong, who cowrote the screenplay with longtime creative partner Glen Morgan, Final Destination is an often entertaining thriller marked by an unsettling sense of unease and scenes of eerie imagery. It suffers, however, from a schizophrenic tone and a frankly ludicrous premise. A high school Cassandra, Alex Browning (Devon Sawa of Idle Hands), wakes from a preflight nightmare and panics when he's convinced the plane is doomed. His ruckus bumps seven passengers from the Paris-bound plane, which immediately explodes into a fireball on takeoff, but fate hasn't finished with these lucky few and, one by one, death claims them. Wong brings such a funereal tone to these early scenes of survivor's guilt and inevitable doom that the already far-fetched film threatens to veer into unplanned absurdity. Thankfully, the tale loosens up with a playful morgue humor: one of the victims winds up the splattered punch line to a grim joke and elaborate Rube Goldbergesque chains of cause and effect become inspired spectacles of destruction. Final Destination is a pretty silly thriller when it takes itself seriously, and the filmmakers play fast and loose with their own rules of fate, but once they stick their tongues firmly in cheek, the film takes off with a screwy interpretation of the domino effect of doom. --Sean Axmaker --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition.

Final Destination 2 (Infinifilm Edition)

Final Destination 2 (Infinifilm Edition)

Starring: Larter, Ali Cook, A.J. Cook, A.J. Carson, Terrence "T.C." Jonathan Cherry
Director: Ellis, David R.

Rating: R
Category: Horror : General
User Rating: 1 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 1 Hour 31 Minutes

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Amazon.com Final Destination 2 begins with a well-orchestrated multicar pileup on a freeway--a horrifying accident that turns out to be a premonition, as seen by a young woman (A.J. Cook) who saves herself and several other people by blocking a freeway on-ramp. Thus, as in the first Final Destination, a prescient vision disrupts the destined plans of death, and death goes to extreme lengths to correct matters. What makes Final Destination 2 entertaining is that the characters can only survive by learning to recognize the signs of impending doom--and the signs are basically the cinematic foreshadowing that moviemakers use to invoke suspense. This, combined with some elaborately complicated and gruesome deaths, fosters a ghoulish humor that's more entertaining than the smirky self-referentiality of Scream. Final Destination 2 doesn't aspire to be a great movie, but trash has its pleasures. Also featuring Ali Larter as the only survivor of the first movie. --Bret Fetzer --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition. Description This summer, fasten your seatbelts for the ultimate rollercoaster! Packed with cutting-edge special effects, state-of-the-art gore and enough scares to send your heartbeat into overdrive, Final Destination 2 is a killer sequel to the smash-hit original.

Flatliners

Flatliners

Starring: Sutherland, Kiefer Roberts, Julia Bacon, Kevin Baldwin, William Oliver Platt
Director: Schumacher, Joel

Rating: R
Category: Mystery & Suspense
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 114

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Amazon.com What if you could stop your heart to simulate a temporary death, and then be revived so you could describe your near-death experience to others? The mysteries of life--and the afterlife--compel five medical students (Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin, Oliver Platt) to experiment with their own mortality, and what they discover has unsettling psychological implications. That's the intriguing premise of this neo-Gothic horror thriller, directed by Joel Schumacher (Batman & Robin) with his typical indulgence of vibrant colors and hyperactive, hallucinogenic style. The movie borders on silliness at times, and the near-death recollection of memories results in some repetitious scenes, but the dynamic young cast takes it all quite seriously, which is what keeps this gaudy thriller on the edge. The fascinating premise could have been made into a better film, but Schumacher's mainstream excess doesn't stop Flatliners from being slick, occasionally even provocative entertainment. --Jeff Shannon

Frosty the Snowman/Frosty Returns

Frosty the Snowman/Frosty Returns

Starring: Wolfe, Billy De (II), Jackie Vernon
Director: Jr., Arthur Rankin

Rating: NR
Category: Kids & Family : By Theme : Christmas
User Rating:
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Amazon.com A double bill starring Frosty: Frosty the Snowman Jimmy Durante narrates this Christmas story that is based on the song of the same name. To make up for the fact that her students are in school on Christmas Eve, the local schoolteacher hires the magician Professor Hinkle to entertain the kids. Unfortunately, he's not a very good magician. Frustrated in his attempt to pull a rabbit out of his hat, he throws it away in anger. Outside, the kids build a snowman (what to call it? Harold? Oatmeal? Frosty!), and when the hat blows onto it--Happy Birthday!--it comes to life. Professor Hinkle decides he wants the hat back so he can make money off of its newfound magical properties, but the kids want to save Frosty. When the temperature starts to rise, a new problem threatens Frosty's existence. Karen, the leader of the children, comes up with a plan to save him: take him on a train to the North Pole, where it's always cold. With a cameo by Santa Claus, and the promise of Frosty's return every year, this story of life, death, and holiday cheer is glazed with the sweet frosting of hope and happiness. A true holiday classic. Frosty Returns In the same way that many a Hollywood sequel has little to do with the first film, Frosty Returns has almost nothing in common with the original Frosty the Snowman, aside from a man made of snow. The biggest difference is that this Frosty doesn't need a magic hat to come to life. The story: In the town of Beansboro, old Mr. Twitchell has invented an aerosol spray that can remove snow without the hassle of shoveling or plows. This frightens Frosty, who enlists the help of amateur magician Holly and her friend Charles to stop the old coot. Made in 1992, Frosty Returns has an animation style that looks like a cross between the old Schoolhouse Rock and Peanuts cartoons, with voice talent that includes Jonathan Winters, Andrea Martin, Jan Hooks, Brian Doyle-Murray, and John Goodman as Frosty. The story may be divisive, pitting children against adults and a pro-snow contingent against anti-snow people, but the songs are catchy and the message is one that ultimately empowers kids. Like a hero from an old Western, this Frosty is a wanderer who leaves when his job is done so he can work his magic elsewhere. --Andy Spletzer

Fun and Fancy Free

Fun and Fancy Free

Starring: Shore, Dinah Bergen, Edgar Mouse, Mickey Duck, Donald
Director: Kinney, Jack

Rating: G (MPAA)
Category: Kids & Family : Animation
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 73

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Disney's ninth animated feature includes two stories: "Mickey and the Beanstalk," in which the famed mouse and his friends get caught up in a version of the popular fairy tale, which is interspersed with live-action clips of Edgar Bergen and his dummy pals Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd; and "Bongo the Bear," a tale of a lovesick bear, accompanied by the dulcet tones of Miss Dinah Shore. Disney himself performs Mickey's voice. Fifty years after its original theatrical release, Walt Disney's ninth animated feature - and the final one in which Disney himself provides Mickey's voice - finally arrives on home video. Features two stories: "Mickey and the Beanstalk," in which the famed mouse and his friends get caught up in a version of the popular fairy tale, which is interspersed with live-action clips of Edgar Bergen and his dummy pals Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd; and "Bongo the Bear," a tale of a lovesick bear accompanied by the dulcet tones of Miss Dinah Shore. Includes supplementary footage. Theatrical release: 1947. FUN AND FANCY FREE is the ninth full-length animated feature from Walt Disney Pictures.

Gladiator

Gladiator

Starring: Crowe, Russell Phoenix, Joaquin Nielsen, Connie Reed, Oliver Jacobi, Derek Harris, Richard Arana, Tomas Clark, Spencer Treat Clark, Spencer Treat
Director: Scott, Ridley

Rating: R
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 155

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Amazon.com essential video A big-budget summer epic with money to burn and a scale worthy of its golden Hollywood predecessors, Ridley Scott's Gladiator is a rousing, grisly, action-packed epic that takes moviemaking back to the Roman Empire via computer-generated visual effects. While not as fluid as the computer work done for, say, Titanic, it's an impressive achievement that will leave you marveling at the glory that was Rome, when you're not marveling at the glory that is Russell Crowe. Starring as the heroic general Maximus, Crowe firmly cements his star status both in terms of screen presence and acting chops, carrying the film on his decidedly non-computer-generated shoulders as he goes from brave general to wounded fugitive to stoic slave to gladiator hero. Gladiator's plot is a whirlwind of faux-Shakespearean machinations of death, betrayal, power plays, and secret identities (with lots of faux-Shakespearean dialogue ladled on to keep the proceedings appropriately "classical"), but it's all briskly shot, edited, and paced with a contemporary sensibility. Even the action scenes, somewhat muted but graphic in terms of implied violence and liberal bloodletting, are shot with a veracity that brings to mind--believe it or not--Saving Private Ryan, even if everyone is wearing a toga. As Crowe's nemesis, the evil emperor Commodus, Joaquin Phoenix chews scenery with authority, whether he's damning Maximus's popularity with the Roman mobs or lusting after his sister Lucilla (beautiful but distant Connie Nielsen); Oliver Reed, in his last role, hits the perfect notes of camp and gravitas as the slave owner who rescues Maximus from death and turns him into a coliseum star. Director Scott's visual flair is abundantly in evidence, with breathtaking shots and beautiful (albeit digital) landscapes, but it's Crowe's star power that will keep you in thrall--he's a true gladiator, worthy of his legendary status. Hail the conquering hero! --Mark Englehart

Gone in 60 Seconds

Gone in 60 Seconds

Starring: Cage, Nicolas Jolie, Angelina Ribisi, Giovanni Lindo, Delroy Patton, Will Eccleston, Christopher McBride, Chi Robert Duvall Robert Duvall
Director: Sena, Dominic

Rating: PG-13
Category: Action & Adventure : Crime
User Rating: 1 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 118

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Amazon.com Kip Raines (Giovanni Ribisi) is a cocky young car thief working with a crew to steal 50 cars for a very bad man whose nickname is "The Carpenter." Being young and cocky, Kip messes up, so it's up to his big brother, Randall "Memphis" Raines (Nicolas Cage), to come out of car thief retirement and save him. With a cast that includes Robert Duvall, Angelina Jolie, Delroy Lindo, Cage, and Ribisi, it would be easy to say this story wastes all their talents--which it does, but that's not the point. This is a Jerry Bruckheimer film. A good story and complex characters would only get in the way of the action scenes and slow the movie down. No, Gone in 60 Seconds (based on the cult 1974 film of the same name) is not about the stars as much as it's about cars. Fast cars. Rare cars. Wrecked cars. All cars. Too bad director Dominic Sena (Kalifornia) doesn't come across as more of a gearhead; he seems less interested in fast cars than fast cuts. But is this movie fun? Absolutely, and it's fun because it's so stupid. With pointless car chases and hackneyed dialogue in one of the most predictable plots of the year, Gone in 60 Seconds is a comic film that's not quite a parody of itself, but darn close. --Andy Spletzer

Good Will Hunting

Good Will Hunting

Starring: Williams, Robin Damon, Matt
Director: Sant, Gus Van

Rating: R
Category: Drama : General
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Amazon.com essential video Robin Williams won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck nabbed one for Best Original Screenplay, but the feel-good hit Good Will Hunting triumphs because of its gifted director, Gus Van Sant. The unconventional director (My Own Private Idaho, Drugstore Cowboy) saves a script marred by vanity and clunky character development by yanking soulful, touching performances out of his entire cast (amazingly, even one by Williams that's relatively schtick-free). Van Sant pulls off the equivalent of what George Cukor accomplished for women's melodrama in the '30s and '40s: He's crafted an intelligent, unabashedly emotional male weepie about men trying to find inner-wisdom. Matt Damon stars as Will Hunting, a closet math genius who ignores his gift in favor of nightly boozing and fighting with South Boston buddies (co-writer Ben Affleck among them). While working as a university janitor, he solves an impossible calculus problem scribbled on a hallway blackboard and reluctantly becomes the prodigy of an arrogant MIT professor (Stellan Skarsgård). Damon only avoids prison by agreeing to see psychiatrists, all of whom he mocks or psychologically destroys until he meets his match in the professor's former childhood friend, played by Williams. Both doctor and patient are haunted by the past, and as mutual respect develops, the healing process begins. The film's beauty lies not with grand climaxes, but with small, quiet moments. Scenes such as Affleck's clumsy pep talk to Damon while they drink beer after work, or any number of therapy session between Williams and Damon offer poignant looks at the awkward ways men show affection and feeling for one another. --Dave McCoy

Great Balls of Fire!

Great Balls of Fire!

Starring: Quaid, Dennis Ryder, Winona Baldwin, Alec Doe, John Tobolowsky, Stephen Trey Wilson
Director: McBride, Jim

Rating: PG-13
Category: Drama
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 107

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Amazon.com Dennis Quaid's delightfully over-the-top performance dominates this 1989 biopic about the life, times, and music of rocker Jerry Lee "the Killer" Lewis. It's all here: his snazzy threads, his devil-may-care Southern charm, his mane of golden hair, his underage girlfriends (Lewis's infamous marriage to his 13-year-old cousin, played here by Winona Ryder, and its effect on his career is a big part of the story), his fascination with "the devil's music" (much to the chagrin of cousin Jimmy Swaggart, portrayed by Alec Baldwin), and of course the classic tunes like "Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On." Director Jim McBride plays the whole thing broadly, for laughs, much like Quaid plays Lewis. The result is tongue-in-cheek entertainment with a strong musical component, made all the more so by the fact that all the singing and playing on the soundtrack is done by Lewis himself. --Sam Graham

Grosse Pointe Blank

Grosse Pointe Blank

Starring: Cusack, John Driver, Minnie Aykroyd, Dan Arkin, Alan Joan Cusack
Director: Armitage, George

Rating: R
Category: Comedy
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 107

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Amazon.com Hit man Martin Q. Blank (John Cusack) is in an awkward situation. Several of them, actually. He's attending his high school reunion on an assignment; he's got a rival hit man (Dan Aykroyd) on his tail; and he's going to have to explain to his old girlfriend (Minnie Driver) why he stood her up on prom night. This amiable black comedy, cowritten by Cusack and directed by Jonathan Demme protégé George Armitage (Miami Blues), has the feel of Demme's Something Wild and Married to the Mob--which is to say its humor is dark and brightly colored at the same time. Cusack and Driver are utterly charming--as is the leading man's sister, Joan, who plays his secretary. (Ms. Cusack received an Oscar nomination for her next role, in In & Out.) Alan Arkin is also very funny as Martin's psychiatrist. --Jim Emerson

Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day

Starring: Murray, Bill Tobolowsky, Stephen MacDowell, Andie Elliott, Chris Geraghty, Marita Murray, Brian Doyle Paton, Angela Ducommun, Rick Ducommun, Rick Duke, Robin
Director: Ramis, Harold

Rating: PG (MPAA)
Category: Comedies
User Rating:
Running Time: 101

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Once again, for the fifth year in a row, TV weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is forced to cover the Groundhog Day ceremonies in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, an assignment he truly despises. But this year something truly bizarre happens after he finishes the report: When he wakes up the next morning, ready to leave, he discovers it's February 2 all over again. He tries to tell his producer, Rita (Andie MacDowell), what's happening, but neither she nor anyone else understands; only he remembers that they've already lived through Groundhog Day. When the same thing happens the next morning, he thinks he's going insane and wreaks havoc all through the town. More and more mornings pass, all of them February 2, and all of them with an ever angrier Phil. Desperate to escape, he even tries suicide, but still another February 2 dawns. As he starts realizing that his exploits are not making time march on any quicker, Phil begins to change his behavior, performing a series of lifesaving tasks until he becomes a model citizen, hoping it will be enough to get him out of Punxsutawney forever. Along the way he learns more about the people around him--and himself--than he ever thought possible. The film is extremely well put together by director Harold Ramis, and the script by Danny Rubin and Ramis is sharp and clever. The actors--many of whom have to perform essentially the same scene over and over again, with only subtle differences--is a riot. GROUNDHOG DAY is number 34 on the American Film Institute's list of America's 100 Funniest Movies. Bill Murray got his start on the NBC television show Saturday Night Live. He was part of their second season, replacing fellow comedian Chevy Chase. His first film was MEATBALLS (1977). The Groundhog was played by Scooter. Murray appears here with his brother, Brian Doyle-Murray. Murray and director Harold Ramis have also worked together before, most notably on GHOSTBUSTERS, CADDYSHACK, and STRIPES. Bill Murray had a very successful beginning to 1993, with two popular and critically well received films: GROUNDHOG DAY and MAD DOG AND GLORY, directed by John McNaughton, costarring Robert De Niro and Uma Thurman. Murray said about his role in GROUNDHOG DAY: "You know, it's nice knowing you're doing your job well. It makes you--well, it makes me, anyway--goofy." Susie Stevens performed "Take Me Round Again," Frankie Yankovic performed "Pennsylvania Polka," and Terry Fryer wrote, produced and performed "Phil's Piano Solo." The song "La Bourree du Celibatoire" was also performed in the film. "Well, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today."--Phil Connors (Bill Murray) Frank Capra meets Rod Serling in this high-concept comedy that thoroughly follows through on its premise. As a cynical weatherman, Phil Connors (Bill Murray) finds himself trapped by a blizzard he failed to predict and doomed to repeat the worst day of his life over and over again. At first he is horrified at the prospect of living forever in the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, home of the groundhog, but eventually he must discover the key to moving his life forward.

Hackers

Hackers

Starring: Miller, Jonny Lee Jolie, Angelina Bradford, Jesse Lillard, Matthew Lawrence Mason
Director: Softley, Iain

Rating: PG-13
Category: Mystery & Suspense
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 105

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Amazon.com As a depiction of the computer-hacker underground, this movie is bogus to the bone. As a thriller, it's cartoonish and conventional. The premise (computer-happy kids hack into the wrong system, and the Forces of Repression come after them) is recycled from John Badham's 1983 WarGames. And the corporate-creep bad guy, played by Fisher Stevens, steeples his fingers and growls mossy villainous clichés. ("By the time they realize the truth, we'll be long gone with all the money.") For all its postmodern trappings the movie is working with sub-prehistoric storytelling tools. But it does succeed on one level, as a movie about adolescent bonding and alienation. The director, Iain Softley, helmed the Beatles-in-Hamburg biopic Backbeat, and he seems to have an instinct for the emotions that pull kids together around common interests and the insecurities that drive them apart. The familiar crises of loyalty and betrayal have an ache of real loneliness. It doesn't hurt that the two stars, Jonny Lee Miller (Sick Boy Williamson in Trainspotting) and Angelina Jolie (Gia), are just about equally gorgeous and charismatic; their longing glances steam up the screen. --David Chute --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets (Widescreen Edition)

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets (Widescreen Edition)

Starring: Radcliffe, Daniel (II), Emma Watson Watson, Emma Branagh, Kenneth Cleese, John Rupert Grint
Director: Columbus, Chris

Rating: PG
Category: Kids & Family : Characters & Series : Harry Potter
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 161

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Amazon.com First sequels are the true test of an enduring movie franchise, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets passes with flying colors. Expanding upon the lavish sets, special effects, and grand adventure of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry involves a darker, more malevolent tale (parents with younger children beware), beginning with the petrified bodies of several Hogwarts students and magical clues leading Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) to a 50-year-old mystery in the monster-laden Chamber of Secrets. House elves, squealing mandrakes, giant spiders, and venomous serpents populate this loyal adaptation (by Sorcerer's Stone director Chris Columbus and screenwriter Steve Kloves), and Kenneth Branagh delightfully tops the supreme supporting cast as the vainglorious charlatan Gilderoy Lockhart (be sure to view past the credits for a visual punchline at Lockhart's expense). At 161 minutes, the film suffers from lack of depth and uneven pacing, and John Williams' score mostly reprises established themes. The young, fast-growing cast offers ample compensation, however, as does the late Richard Harris in his final screen appearance as Professor Albus Dumbledore. Brimming with cleverness, wonderment, and big-budget splendor, Chamber honors the legacy of J.K. Rowling's novels. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition. DVD features The Chamber of Secrets extras are a vast improvement from the first Harry Potter DVD in both substance and navigation. There are no tricks to uncovering all the materials, which include 19 extended or deleted scenes (none of which is a whopper). J.K. Rowling participates in a short interview along with screenwriter Steve Kloves. Other interviews are the standard fare, but highly edited; nearly all the extras focus on kids' interests and attention spans. There are a few areas of Harry's world one... read more

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Full Screen Edition)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Full Screen Edition)

Starring: Radcliffe, Daniel Grint, Rupert Grint, Rupert Smith, Maggie Coltrane, Robbie Rickman, Alan Richard Harris
Director: Columbus, Chris

Rating: PG
Category: Kids & Family : Characters & Series : Harry Potter
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 2 Hours 32 Minutes

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Amazon.com essential video Here's an event movie that holds up to being an event. This filmed version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, adapted from the wildly popular book by J.K. Rowling, stunningly brings to life Harry Potter's world of Hogwarts, the school for young witches and wizards. The greatest strength of the film comes from its faithfulness to the novel, and this new cinematic world is filled with all the details of Rowling's imagination, thanks to exuberant sets, elaborate costumes, clever makeup and visual effects, and a crème de la crème cast, including Maggie Smith, Richard Harris, Alan Rickman, and more. Especially fine is the interplay between Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his schoolmates Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), as well as his protector, the looming Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane). The second-half adventure--involving the titular sorcerer's stone--doesn't translate perfectly from page to screen, ultimately because of the film's fidelity to the novel; this is a case of making a movie for the book's fans, as opposed to a transcending film. Writer Steve Kloves and director Chris Columbus keep the spooks in check, making this a true family film, and with its resourceful hero wide-eyed and ready, one can't wait for Harry's return. Ages 8 and up. --Doug Thomas --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition. DVD features Kids can try their skills at the feats Harry performed in the movie with the puzzles and games included on the second disc. They're set up as a tour of Diagon Alley and Hogwarts, and contestants use the DVD remote control to pick the right wand, find keys, mix potions correctly, see 360-degree views of various rooms, grab a snitch, and solve other riddles to reach the Sorcerer's Stone. Reaching the titular stone unlocks seven deleted scenes that are worth the 10- to 15-minute investment in the... read more

Heartbreakers

Heartbreakers

Starring: Weaver, Sigourney Hewitt, Jennifer Love Bancroft, Anne Dunn, Nora Silverman, Sarah Galifianakis, Zach Mechoso, Julio Oscar Weaver, Sigourney Weaver, Sigourney Hewitt, Jennifer Love
Director: Mirkin, David

Rating: PG-13
Category: Comedy
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 123

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Amazon.com Heartbreakers wants to be a distaff variation of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, compensating for lack of intelligence with ample cleavage provided by Sigourney Weaver and (especially) Jennifer Love Hewitt. This alone should draw plenty of drooling guys who will enjoy the scenery and affirm the movie's depiction of men as lecherous idiots. And what scenery it is! Gussied up in trampy glamour, Weaver and Hewitt play mom-and-daughter grifters with a devious routine: Max (Weaver) lures wealthy cads into marriage, and then daughter Page (Hewitt) seduces them, so Mom can discover the infidelity and fleece the chump in divorce court. They've just scammed the boss of a hot-car ring (Ray Liotta) and now it's on to Palm Beach, Florida, where they'll dupe a wheezing tobacco baron (Gene Hackman) and retire to the good life. Or so they think... Armed with the same airheaded humor he brought to Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, director David Mirkin relies on the clichéd notion that sex turns all men into morons--a conceit that would have worked if the dialogue and sitcom antics were more convincing. As Page's would-be paramour, Jason Lee is rendered intellectually inert, and it's hit-or-miss from that point forward. When the humor hits--as it does with Nora Dunn's rendition of a horrible housemaid--Heartbreakers hints at its full potential. Additional plot twists--not to mention Hewitt's microskirts and Wonderbras--may hold your attention, but you may find yourself harkening back to Steve Martin, Michael Caine, and those happier high jinks on the French Riviera. Singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin has a cameo role as the wedding priest. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition.

Heat

Heat

Starring: Pacino, Al Kilmer, Val Sizemore, Tom Voight, Jon De Niro, Robert Venora, Diane Portman, Natalie Brenneman, Amy Brenneman, Amy Williamson, Mykelti
Director: Mann, Michael

Rating: R (MPAA)
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 172

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Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are finally together on screen in this riveting story about an intense rivalry between expert thief Neil McCauley (De Niro) and volatile cop Vincent Hanna (Pacino). McCauley will stop at nothing to do what he does best and neither will Hanna, even though it means destroying everything around them, including the people they love. With a solid supporting cast that includes Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Ashley Judd, and Natalie Portman, HEAT is a truly epic crime story. "Never have anything in your life you can't walk out on in thirty seconds" is the motto of expert thief Neil McCauley (De Niro). After his next break-in, McCauley plans to retire from his outlaw life and move to New Zealand. However, Vincent Hanna (Pacino), a Los Angeles police detective, obsessively tracks McCauley's gang of thieves, who have left three security guards dead in an armored truck robbery. As the detective gets closer to tracking them down, the crooks plan another big heist, this time at a bank. Hanna soon gets a lead that helps him determine the identity of the criminal mastermind who engineered the thefts, and discovers McCauley is a man as driven and relentless as the detective himself. Although he doesn't have enough evidence against the thief to make an arrest, Hanna convinces McCauley to join him for coffee, at which point the two engage in casual conversation and discover that their lives are remarkably similar. However, each man makes it clear he'll kill the other if necessary. Though they know the police are closing in on them, McCauley and his men risk going through with the bank job. A violent shoot-out and car chase result, but the criminals escape. Hanna continues to pursue them unceasingly, at the expense of his already-crumbling marriage. Eventually Hanna and McCauley face each other for the last time in a thrilling showdown at the Los Angeles airport. With HEAT, director Michael Mann achieves the nearly impossible task of making three hours go by in a flash with his use of the hand-held camera for action scenes and a moody score that echoes the characters' emotions. Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd, and others play characters that are also crucial to the plot, but never distract from the central conflict between McCauley and Hanna. The acting is outstanding, the story is riveting and the action scenes are breathtaking. Both De Niro and Pacino are perfect as two men driven to sacrifice nearly everything for their respective professions. With edge-of-your-seat action and insightful drama, HEAT is a crime film at its most intense and personal. Theatrical release: December 15, 1995. HEAT was filmed in 65 locations in and around Los Angeles. No soundstages were used. HEAT marks the first time that Al Pacino and Robert De Niro shared the screen. Although they both appeared in THE GODFATHER PART II, they didn't have any scenes together. The film was originally made as L.A. TAKEDOWN for television in 1989 with an entirely different cast. Director Michael Mann disowned the edited television version of HEAT aired by NBC. To create a realistic character for thief Neil McCauley, Mann visited Folsom State Penitentiary to interview inmates. As McCauley, De Niro's collars were always pressed and starched perfectly, just as they would have been in prison. Al Pacino had a clause in his contract that allowed him to make up a certain number of his own lines. The film grossed $67.4 million domestically. "Maybe we should both do something else, pal."--McCauley (Robert De Niro) to Hanna (Al Pacino) over coffee "I don't know how to do anything else."--Hanna "Neither do I."--McCauley "I don't much want to either."--Hanna "Neither do I."--McCauley "It's like you said. All I am is what I'm going after."--Hanna, to his estranged wife "Never have anything in your life that you can't walk out on in 30 seconds if you see the heat around the corner."--McCauley

High Fidelity

High Fidelity

Starring: Hjejle, Iben Carr, Ben Louiso, Todd Cusack, Joan Carter, Joelle Rehmann, Chris Cusack, John Bonet, Lisa Bonet, Lisa Robbins, Tim
Director: Frears, Stephen

Rating: R
Category: Other
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 114

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Considering that High Fidelity is largely about a guy talking to the camera, it doesn't seem like the kind of film that needs a DVD version. That is, until you see it. The clutter and disarray of Rob's bohemian world jumps from the letterbox screen in sharp detail, making it possible to read most of the stickers and posters that cover nearly every inch of wall and counter space. High Fidelity is also all about the omnipresent music, which has been beautifully rendered in Dolby Digital. Since the music and the dialogue are often coming through separate channels (especially in the record store scenes), one can appreciate the former without straining to hear the latter. In terms of bonus features, there are nine deleted scenes -- some good, some bad, most cut for pacing reasons. One of these is an uncredited cameo by Beverly D'Angelo in a scene based on an old gag with a new twist. There are also five short clips of interviews with Stephen Frears and John Cusack, who discusses the film as its co-writer and co-producer rather than as its star. Closed-captioning, Spanish subtitles, and a theatrical trailer complete the extras. This DVD won't blow anybody away, but it's definitely worthwhile for fans of the movie and its music. ~ Jeff Alexander, All Movie Guide At face value, High Fidelity looks like a movie about the girl troubles of a 30-something record collector obsessing over his most recent breakup, but just below the surface is a witty but knowing story about a man slowly waking up to the fact that he's been emotionally stuck in adolescence, and realizes it's time to start acting like an adult (which means accepting the knowledge that there's more to know about his partner than what records she likes). Nick Hornby's original novel was a clever, slyly intelligent book about people whose lives have been both shaped and reflected by popular culture, and director Stephen Frears and producer, co-screenwriter, and leading man John Cusack have more than honored their source material. While one doesn't have to be a music buff to enjoy the movie, they've packed the film with enough knowing musical references to satisfy even the most jaded hipster, and anyone who has spent much time in a used record store will feel right at home at Rob's shop, Championship Vinyl. And though Cusack's performance -- funny and charming, but with enough bile to give him a few sharp edges -- dominates the film, Frears is more than generous with the supporting cast, especially Jack Black and Todd Louiso, who as Barry and Dick hilariously play id and superego to Rob's barely contained middle ground. Tim Robbins delivers a brief but superb turn as the annoyingly even-tempered Ian, and Iben Hjejle is engaging as Laura, who seems almost too sensible to be living with Rob (though we can certainly see why he wants her around). If High Fidelity sometimes seems to tell viewers more than they might want to know about the obsessions of its characters, Frears and Cusack have also given Rob just enough depth that he seems genuine and believable, and there's a lot to be learned from his struggles with romance and maturity -- even if you don't know (or care) how much a French pressing of Captain Beefheart's Mirror Man fetches these days. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie

High Spirits

High Spirits

Starring: O'Toole, Peter Guttenberg, Steve Reynolds, Hilary O'Sullivan, Paul Gallagher, Peter Ferrero, Martin Hornish, Krista Delamain, Aimee Delamain, Aimee Hannah, Daryl
Director: Jordan, Neil

Rating: PG-13
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 98

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Amazon.com Peter O'Toole (Lawrence of Arabia, My Favorite Year) gives an exuberant performance in High Spirits. Peter Plunkett (O'Toole) hopes to save his mortgaged castle by turning it into a tourist attraction--the most haunted castle in Ireland. When American tourists arrive--among them Jack (Steve Guttenberg) and Sharon (Beverly D'Angelo), a couple whose marriage is rapidly disintegrating--Plunkett's tomfoolery arouses the real ghosts, who decide to give these interlopers everything they're asking for. But when Jack accidentally helps a beautiful ghost named Mary (Daryl Hannah), she decides he's the man to help her break the curse she's been suffering for 200 years. High Spirits is an odd foray into comedy by director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire). The special effects are clumsy, but the strong supporting cast includes Jennifer Tilly, Peter Gallagher, and Liam Neeson as Mary's murderous 200-year-old husband. --Bret Fetzer

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Starring: Sterling, Mindy Irwin, Bill Shannon, Molly Howard, Clint Tambor, Jeffrey Carrey, Jim Baranski, Christine Momsen, Taylor Momsen, Taylor
Director: Howard, Ron

Rating: PG (MPAA)
Category: Comedies
User Rating:
Running Time: 105

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Director Ron Howard casts comedian Jim Carrey in the title role in this live-action adaptation of the famous Christmas tale by Dr. Seuss, giving this rendition of HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS a delightfully manic spin. Carrey is virtually unrecognizable in his elaborate green makeup, but his anarchic comic touch is unmistakable. He manages to fully embody the grumpy title character, while still supplying his own comedic touches, and it is his performance that makes the film a treat for adults and children alike. The candy-colored set design for the town of Whoville and the jubilant score contribute to the overall feeling of innocuous fantasy that the Grinch disrupts with his dastardly deeds. The familiar story of the Grinch stealing every present in town on Christmas Eve has been expanded to incorporate flashbacks to the Grinch's childhood, which serve to explain his hostility toward the Whos. As Cindy Lou-Who, a little girl so sweet she sees goodness even in the Grinch, young Taylor Momsen strikes just the right note of adorable ingenuousness. Howard gets the performance the film needs from her, as her character makes the Grinch's eventual change of heart both believable and touching. Theatrical release: November 17, 2000 Max the dog was found in a pound a few months before shooting. Screenwriters Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman also wrote WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT. "Where Are You Christmas?," cowritten by Mariah Carey and performed by Faith Hill, is featured on the film's soundtrack, along with a rap song, "Grinch 2000," featuring Jim Carrey and Busta Rhymes. Director Ron Howard had to convince the widow of Ted (Dr. Seuss) Geisel to grant him permission to film the beloved children's story. Jim Carrey spent five hours a day in the makeup chair to get into costume. Jeff Strickler of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune named THE GRINCH one of the 10 best films of 2000.

In Love and War

In Love and War

Starring: O'Donnell, Chris Bullock, Sandra Astin, MacKenzie Bonucci, Emilio Ingrid Lacey
Director: Attenborough, Richard

Rating: PG-13
Category: Drama
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 113

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Amazon.com This disastrous 1996 film by Sir Richard Attenborough was meant to be part of his informal series of movies about great men, including Gandhi, Chaplin, Cry Freedom (the Steven Biko story), and Shadowlands (C.S. Lewis). In Love and War is a recounting of young Ernest Hemingway's World War I love affair with Red Cross nurse Agnes von Kurowsky, who was eight years older than he and who became the basis for the Catherine Barkley character in A Farewell to Arms. O'Donnell is terrible, in a word, and Bullock mostly seems out of sorts when playing someone real. Except for the scene in which Hemingway is introduced, fearlessly making his way to a trench under heavy bombardment, you have no idea that this person O'Donnell "portrays" will eventually change the direction of American literature. For a much better experience, look toward Attenborough's previous works. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Independence Day (Single Disc Edition)

Independence Day (Single Disc Edition)

Starring: Pullman, Bill Goldblum, Jeff Pullman, Bill
Director: Emmerich, Roland

Rating: PG-13
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating:
Running Time: 145

Color Stereo

Amazon.com essential video In Independence Day, a scientist played by Jeff Goldblum once actually had a fistfight with a man (Bill Pullman) who is now president of the United States. That same president, late in the film, personally flies a jet fighter to deliver a payload of missiles against an attack by extraterrestrials. Independence Day is the kind of movie so giddy with its own outrageousness that one doesn't even blink at such howlers in the plot. Directed by Roland Emmerich, Independence Day is a pastiche of conventions from flying-saucer movies from the 1940s and 1950s, replete with icky monsters and bizarre coincidences that create convenient shortcuts in the story. (Such as the way the girlfriend of one of the film's heroes--played by Will Smith--just happens to run across the president's injured wife, who are then both rescued by Smith's character who somehow runs across them in alien-ravaged Los Angeles County.) The movie is just sheer fun, aided by a cast that knows how to balance the retro requirements of the genre with a more contemporary feel. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

It's a Wonderful Life

It's a Wonderful Life

Starring: Stewart, James Reed, Donna Barrymore, Lionel Bond, Ward Mitchell, Thomas Bondi, Beulah Henry Travers
Director: Capra, Frank

Rating: NR
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 4 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 132

Black & White Stereo

Amazon.com essential video Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Kingpin

Kingpin

Starring: Harrelson, Woody Quaid, Randy Angel, Vanessa Murray, Bill Chris Elliott
Director: Farrelly, Peter

Rating: R
Category: Comedy
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 117

Color Dolby

Amazon.com The team behind Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary--two really stupid, gross-out films that worked and were quite funny--also made this really stupid, gross-out comedy that doesn't work and isn't funny at all. Woody Harrelson stars as a former bowling phenomenon with a hook for a hand, and Randy Quaid is an Amish farmer with a hidden talent for pins. The two join forces and get a sexy business partner (Vanessa Angel), and the film starts looking more and more like a jokey variation of The Color of Money. The Color of Money, however, didn't feature jokes about having oral sex with a hideous landlady or defecating in a sink or dragging disgusting stuff out of one's teeth with a length of floss. Bill Murray provides some much-needed relief as Harrelson's ex-partner turned rival. How come this stuff is obnoxious while the equally perverse punch lines of There's Something About Mary are a riot? It's a great mystery, all right, but there it is. --Tom Keogh

Knockaround Guys

Knockaround Guys

Starring: Diesel, Vin Hopper, Dennis Diesel, Vin Pepper, Barry Seth Green
Director: Koppelman, Brian

Rating: R
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time:

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Amazon.com An all-star cast enlivens this mobster movie. Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan, Battlefield Earth) plays the central role of Matty, the son of a mob boss (Dennis Hopper, Blue Velvet, Speed) who's reluctant to give his son a shot at crime. Alas, when Matty and his posse of friends--tough guy Vin Diesel (Boiler Room, XXX), lover boy Andrew Davoli (The Sopranos), and screw-up Seth Green (the Austin Powers movies)--finally get an opportunity, they fumble the job, and a very important satchel of money ends up in a Montana town where the wily sheriff (Tom Noonan, Manhunter) decides he deserves a bonus for his years of public service. The posse's problems get worse when Matty's ruthless uncle (John Malkovich) comes to town to clean up the mess. Mechanical and unimaginative, but the capable performances keep it moving. --Bret Fetzer --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition. Description Four sons of well-known gangsters come face to face with their own legacy of violence and betrayal when they travel to a small Montana town to collect a large sum of cash.

L.A. Confidential

L.A. Confidential

Starring: Spacey, Kevin Crowe, Russell Pearce, Guy Cromwell, James Basinger, Kim David Strathairn
Director: Hanson, Curtis

Rating: R
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 4 Stars
Running Time: 138

Color Dolby

Amazon.com essential video In a time when it seems that every other movie makes some claim to being a film noir, L.A. Confidential is the real thing--a gritty, sordid tale of sex, scandal, betrayal, and corruption of all sorts (police, political, press--and, of course, very personal) in 1940s Hollywood. The Oscar-winning screenplay is actually based on several titles in James Ellroy's series of chronological thriller novels (including the title volume, The Big Nowhere, and White Jazz)--a compelling blend of L.A. history and pulp fiction that has earned it comparisons to the greatest of all Technicolor noir films, Chinatown. Kim Basinger richly deserved her Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of a conflicted femme fatale; unfortunately, her male costars are so uniformly fine that they may have canceled each other out with the Academy voters: Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, and James Cromwell play LAPD officers of varying stripes. Pearce's character is a particularly intriguing study in Hollywood amorality and ambition, a strait-laced "hero" (and son of a departmental legend) whose career goals outweigh all other moral, ethical, and legal considerations. If he's a good guy, it's only because he sees it as the quickest route to a promotion. --Jim Emerson

La Bamba

La Bamba

Starring: Phillips, Lou Diamond Morales, Esai Soto, Rosanna de Peña, Elizabeth Danielle von Zerneck
Director: Valdez, Luis

Rating: PG-13
Category: Drama
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 109

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Amazon.com Lou Diamond Phillips leaves a haunting impression as the late 1950s pop idol Ritchie Valens, who made the Latino influence in rock & roll conspicuous through his hit songs. Filmmaker Luis Valdez (Zoot Suit) creates a nimble, exciting, and sympathetic portrait of the boy driven to rise above obstacles of race and family legacy, and Esai Morales is equally fine as Ritchie's envious, searching brother. Great support from Elizabeth Peña and Danielle von Zerneck as Valens's sister and mother, respectively, and Joe Pantoliano is solid as the singer's straight-talking manager. Valdez brightens up the third act with a rock & roll show featuring, among others, Brian Setzer as Eddie Cochrane. Marshall Crenshaw turns up as Buddy Holly getting on that plane with Valens, and Los Lobos (who actually performs Valens's music on the soundtrack) has a nifty cameo as a Tijuana band that gives Valens a piece of crucial inspiration. --Tom Keogh

Mafia!

Mafia!

Starring: Mohr, Jay Applegate, Christina Applegate, Christina Gidley, Pam Olympia Dukakis
Director: Abrahams, Jim

Rating: PG-13
Category: Comedy
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 87

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Amazon.com This hapless comedy may actually work a lot better on video than it did in theaters. A parody of contemporary mob movies (with a few sidebars skewering such hits as Forrest Gump and The English Patient), Mafia! most closely resembles the first two Godfather films in its generational saga of a gangster family. Lloyd Bridges plays Don Cortino, a native Sicilian who presides over a crime syndicate, and Jay Mohr plays his Michael Corleone-like son. The film is by Jim Abrahams, formerly of the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker directing team (Airplane!, The Naked Gun), single- handedly trotting out the old dumb-joke aesthetic that worked wonderfully a lifetime ago but looks a little creaky in the era of There's Something About Mary. Silly allusions to every crime film (GoodFellas, Casino) produced in the last three decades and featuring at least one wise guy or made man find their way into Mafia!'s gags, but most are arbitrary and shrugged off. The film tanked in theaters for good reason; on the other hand, Mafia! might have a lot more to offer if you're slumped on your own couch at the end of a long day, ready for brain-dead entertainment and absolutely apathetic about comic integrity. Even a film this instantly stale on the big screen might have its place in video posterity. -- Tom Keogh

Meet the Parents

Meet the Parents

Starring: Niro, Robert De Stiller, Ben Abrahams, Jon DeHuff, Nicole Niro, Robert De George, Phyllis Rocha, Kali Stiller, Ben Stiller, Ben Danner, Blythe
Director: Roach, Jay

Rating: PG-13
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 108

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Amazon.com Randy Newman's opening song, "A Fool in Love," perfectly sets up the movie that follows. The lyrics begin, "Show me a man who is gentle and kind, and I'll show you a loser," before praising the man who takes what he wants. Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) is the fool in love in Meet the Parents. Just as he's about to propose to his girlfriend Pam (Teri Polo), he learns that her sister's fiancé asked their father, Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro), for permission to marry. Now he feels the need to do the same thing. When Greg meets Jack, he is so desperate to be liked that he makes up stories and kisses ass rather than having the courage of his convictions. It doesn't take an elite member of the CIA to see right through Greg, but that's precisely what Jack is. Directed by Jay Roach (the Austin Powers movies), Meet the Parents is an incredibly well-crafted comedy that stands in nice opposition to, say, the sloppy extremes of the Farrelly brothers. Stiller is great at playing up the uncomfortable comedy of errors, balancing just the right amount of selfishness and self-deprecating humor, while De Niro's Jack is funny as the hard-ass father who just wants a few straight answers from the kid. What makes the Jack character all the funnier is Blythe Danner as his wife, the Gracie to his George Burns, who is the true heart of the movie. Oh, and Owen Wilson turns in yet another terrific comic performance as Pam's ex-fiancé. --Andy Spletzer --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition.

Men in Black (Deluxe Edition)/Men in Black II (Special Edition)

Men in Black (Deluxe Edition)/Men in Black II (Special Edition)

Starring: Jones, Tommy Lee Smith, Will
Director: Sonnenfeld, Barry

Rating: PG-13
Category: Science Fiction & Fantasy : General
User Rating:
Running Time: 186

Color Stereo

Amazon.com Men in Black This imaginative summer comedy from director Barry Sonnenfeld (Get Shorty) is a lot of fun, largely on the strength of Will Smith's engaging performance as the rookie partner of a secret agent (Tommy Lee Jones) assigned to keep tabs on Earth-dwelling extraterrestrials. There's lots of comedy to spare in this bright film, some of the funniest stuff found in the margins of the major action. (A scene with Smith's character being trounced in the distance by a huge alien while Jones questions a witness is a riot.) The inventiveness never lets up, and the cast--including Vincent D'Onofrio doing frighteningly convincing work as an alien occupying a decaying human--hold up their end splendidly. --Tom Keogh Men in Black II More remake than sequel, Men in Black II safely repeats everything that made Men in Black the blockbuster hit of 1997. That's fine if you loved the original's fresh humor, weird aliens, and loopy ingenuity, but as sequels go, it's pure déjà vu. Makeup wizard Rick Baker is the only MIB alumnus who's trying anything new, while director Barry Sonnenfeld and costars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones (as alien-fighting agents Jay and Kay, respectively) are on autopilot with an uninspired screenplay. The quest of a multitentacled alien--on Earth in the form of Lara Flynn Boyle--for the light of Zartha requires Jay to deneuralize Kay, whose restored memory contains the key to saving the planet. The tissue-thin premise allows all varieties of special effects--mostly familiar, with some oddly hilarious new stuff tossed in for good measure. Certainly enjoyable as a popcorn distraction, but the MIB magic has worn a bit thin. --Jeff Shannon

Mission Impossible

Mission Impossible

Starring: Cruise, Tom Voight, Jon Béart, Emmanuelle Czerny, Henry Jean Réno
Director: Palma, Brian De

Rating: PG-13
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 110

Color Stereo

Amazon.com essential video A flashy, splashy summer-movie blockbuster that's fun and exciting without being mindless? That's the impossible mission accomplished by director Brian De Palma, star-coproducer Tom Cruise, and the crack team of Mission: Impossible. Based on the '60s TV show and an almost impenetrably complex (but nonetheless thrilling) original story by David Koepp (Jurassic Park) and Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List), with a screenplay by Koepp and Robert Towne (Chinatown, Shampoo), Mission: Impossible begins with veteran agent Jim Phelps (Jon Voight) and his expert crew embarking on a mission that goes horribly, horribly wrong. But nothing is what it seems. The nail-biting set piece--always a signature of director De Palma (Carrie, The Untouchables)--in which Cruise is lowered from the ceiling to retrieve information from a computer in a high-security vault--is an instant classic. But perhaps even more impressive, at least in retrospect, is a flashback sequence in which two characters attempt to reconstruct a series of events from multiple points of view. It's pretty daring and sophisticated stuff for a big-budget spy movie, but brains were always what put the Mission: Impossible team ahead of the competition, anyway, no? --Jim Emerson --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing

Starring: Branagh, Kenneth Thompson, Emma Keaton, Michael Leonard, Robert Sean Leonard, Robert Sean Reeves, Keanu Reeves, Keanu Emma Thompson Emma Thompson
Director: Branagh, Kenneth

Rating: PG-13
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 1 Hour 51 Minutes

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Amazon.com Kenneth Branagh's 1993 production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is a vigorous and imaginative work, cheerful and accessible for everyone. Largely the story of Benedick (Branagh) and Beatrice (Emma Thompson)--adversaries who come to believe each is trying to woo the other--the film veers from arched wit to ironic romps, and the two leads don't mind looking a little silly at times. But the plot is also layered with darker matters that concern the ease with which men and women fall into mutual distrust. Branagh has rounded up a mixed cast of stage vets and Hollywood stars, among the latter Denzel Washington and Michael Keaton, the latter playing a rather seedy, Beetlejuice-like version of Dogberry, king of malapropisms. The DVD release has optional full-screen and widescreen presentations, Dolby sound, optional Spanish and French soundtracks or subtitles.--Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Mumford

Mumford

Starring: Lee, Jason Woodard, Alfre McDonnell, Mary Vince, Pruitt Taylor Short, Martin Paymer, David Adams, Jane Ivey, Dana Ivey, Dana Tighe, Kevin
Director: Kasdan, Lawrence

Rating: R (MPAA)
Category: Comedies
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 111

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Mumford (Dean) relocates to a small town named, ironically enough, Mumford. He sets up shop as a psychologist and begins meeting the various lonely, troubled souls in the community. Pretty soon he's the most popular psychologist in town, for no concrete reason, other than his approach is not like that of other psychologists. He takes the time to listen to his patients, and speaks to them sincerely, enabling them to discover for themselves what their problems are. A surprisingly gentle mood piece from Kasdan that rewards viewers who don't need a big payoff or melodramatic climax to make their moviegoing experience feel complete.

Murder in the First

Murder in the First

Starring: Bacon, Kevin Oldman, Gary Slater, Christian Davidtz, Embeth Ermey, R. Lee Dourif, Brad Macy, William H.
Director: Rocco, Marc

Rating: R (MPAA)
Category: Dramas
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 123

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A well-shot drama about an ambitious young public defender who takes on the case of a man whose cruel treatment at Alcatraz turned him into a killer. In the process of trying the case, the two develop a bond and ultimately bring down Alcatraz once and for all. Filmed in Foto-Kem color. Rated BBFC 15 by the British Board of Film Classification. Produced in association with the Wolper Organisation. Additional credits: Kenneth Silverstein, David McWhirter, Shannon Wilson (assistant directors); Frank Perl (camera operator); Peter Stoltz (special effects coordinator); David Cates (music editor); David May (music co-ordinator); Mark Hollingsworth, John Hegedes, Andre Bacha, Ascher Yates, Howard Neiman (sound editors). The true story of Henri Young, a 1930's convict who has been sent to prison for stealing five dollars. But when Young and others attempt to escape, they are caught. As punishment, a naked and wet Young is thrown into a dark, damp, rat-infested cell, where he is his beaten continuously. He emerges from this hellhole three years later a virtual madman -- and promptly kills the inmate who snitched about the escape attempt. Now facing a charge of murder in the first degree, Young is defended by inexperienced go-getter James Stamphill. Although the cards are stacked high against him, the lawyer makes Young plead innocent. Stamphill's plan: to put Alcatraz, and the whole prison system on trial, as both institutions have turned his client into a homicidal maniac.

My Best Friend's Wedding

My Best Friend's Wedding

Starring: Roberts, Julia Mulroney, Dermot
Director: Hogan, P.J.

Rating: PG-13
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating:
Running Time:

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Amazon.com essential video One of the best romantic comedies of the 1990s, My Best Friend's Wedding not only gave Julia Roberts a delightful vehicle for her crowd-pleasing comeback, but it further distinguished itself by avoiding the conventional plotting of the genre. Julia plays a prominent Chicago restaurant critic whose best friend (Dermot Mulroney) is a former lover from her college days with whom she'd made a binding pact: if neither of them were married by the age of 28, they'd marry each other. Just when they're about to reach the deadline of their agreement, Mulroney arrives in Chicago to introduce Roberts to his seemingly perfect fiancée (Cameron Diaz) and announce their wedding in just three days. That leaves the shocked Julia with just three short days to sabotage the wedding and marry the man she now realizes she's loved all along. With potential heartbreak waiting in the wings, she'll either get what she wants or pay the price for her selfish behavior, and Ronald Bass's cleverly constructed screenplay keeps us guessing to the very end. Rupert Everett scored rave reviews for his scene-stealing performance as Robert's gay friend who goes along with her scheming (but only so far), and even as she makes her character's needy desperation disarmingly appealing, Roberts wisely allows Diaz to capitalize on her charming time in the spotlight. As the romantic outcome remains uncertain, the viewer is held in a state of giddy suspense, and director P.J. Hogan pulls off some hilarious scenes (like a restaurant full of people singing the Dionne Warwick hit "I Say a Little Prayer") that could easily have fallen flat in the hands of a less talented filmmaker. It's no surprise that this was one of the box-office smashes of 1997. --Jeff Shannon

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Full Screen Edition)

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Full Screen Edition)

Starring: Chase, Chevy D'Angelo, Beverly Quaid, Randy
Director: Chechik, Jeremiah S.

Rating: PG-13
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating:
Running Time: 1 Hour 37 Minutes

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Amazon.com The third installment of the Griswold family saga is a significant improvement over their previous vacation (National Lampoon's European Vacation). Disaster-prone dad (Chevy Chase) discovers just how dangerous the Christmas season really is, as the Griswolds' old-fashioned holiday celebration turns out to be more "Bah! Humbug!" than Christmas cheer. Chase is right at home with the outrageous slapstick and often cheerfully tasteless humor, and John Hughes's script is stuffed full of classic Christmas movie references, but Randy Quaid practically steals the film as the unemployed relative with his malicious grin and mooching lifestyle. Not exactly a holiday classic and a bit spotty, but this gag-filled comedy is just obnoxious enough for the Scrooge lurking inside everyone. And fear not, a happy ending awaits all. Watch for future star Juliette Lewis as Chase's teenage daughter. --Sean Axmaker --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition. Amazon.com You know exactly what you're getting in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: another goofball, slapstick comedy of chaos and catastrophe with Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and family. This time, there's no traveling involved: Clark and Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) prepare for a nice Christmas with the kids (played by none other than Juliette Lewis and Roseanne star Johnny Galecki), when their home is invaded by backwoods cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) and his brood, along with assorted other crazy... read more

National Lampoon's Van Wilder

National Lampoon's Van Wilder

Starring: Penn, Kal Reynolds, Ryan Matheson, Tim Reid, Tara Cosgrove, Daniel Penn, Kal
Director: Becker, Walt

Rating: Unrated
Category: Comedies
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 93

Color Digital

Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds) is a college stud who is in no rush to finish his coursework and graduate. In fact, after six years of partying his way through Coolidge College, his parents have decided to stop paying his tuition, but Van Wilder isn't worried--he just needs to find a way to pay it himself and keep the fun coming. His fundraising ideas include a topless tutorial service and other raunchy schemes, which only help add to Van's "Big Man on Campus" status. A romance develops between Van and Gwen (Tara Reid), who is writing an investigative piece on Van for the school newspaper. Through his exploits, Van eventually begins to turn over a new leaf, and finally grow up. But not before there are plenty of opportunities for the kind of gross-out humor that teen flicks like THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY and AMERICAN PIE have made so popular in recent years. The main set piece here involves dog semen injected into eclairs. While this is not exactly highbrow fare, teen audiences who are not too squeamish will enjoy this bawdy college romp.

Navy Seals

Navy Seals

Starring: Sheen, Charlie Biehn, Michael Whalley, Joanne Rossovich, Rick Cyril O'Reilly
Director: Teague, Lewis

Rating: R
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 113

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Amazon.com Navy SEALs are a top antiterrorist unit that goes anywhere (SEa, Air, or Land) to fight for and protect the American Way of Life. When a SEAL team rescues American hostages in the Middle East, they discover the terrorists have a warehouse of deadly Stinger missles. Rather than risking his entire team, Lt. Curran (Michael Biehn) orders his men to leave without destroying the Stingers. But when civilian aircraft start getting shot down--and when one of Curran's men is killed by terrorists--the SEALs make it their personal business to track down and destroy the deadly missles--and the fanatics who want to use them. Made in the Top Gun mold, Navy SEALS features stock characters (including Charlie Sheen's loose cannon) and at times seems like a recruiting film for the SEAL program. But the action sequences are well done (especially the final battle in war-torn Beirut) and the special effects and cinematography are first-rate. There's also a certain gung-ho, testosterone-driven, adrenaline-junky sensibility that seems appropriate to the sort of impossible missions SEALs are asked to do. It's a good time, as long as you don't take it too seriously. --Geof Miller --This text refers to the DVD edition.

Newsies

Newsies

Starring: Bale, Christian Gonzales, Tony Jenkins, Todd Dudynsky, Ivan Feeney, Robert Irvin, Michael Veldink, Wes Belafsky, Marty Belafsky, Marty Sidoni, David
Director: Ortega, Kenny

Rating: PG
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 121

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Amazon.com Except for feature-length animation, the musical has gone the way of the dinosaur. The Walt Disney company took a stab at reviving the live-action musical in 1992 with Newsies, a throwback picture with a curious subject. In 1899, the pint-sized newsboys delivering the New York papers go on strike against the unfair practices of news magnates Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. The production is heavy on kiddie humor, although Christian Bale (the child star of Spielberg's Empire of the Sun) is charismatic as one of the older leaders of the revolt. The adult stars don't fare as well, with Robert Duvall doddering around as Pulitzer and Ann-Margret and Bill Pullman doing decorative duty. The film was not well received when first released, but hindsight reveals its charm (and allowed the young target audience to catch up with the picture on video). The first-time director is Kenny Ortega, the choreographer of Dirty Dancing, who brings plenty of energy to the action. --Robert Horton --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

North Shore

North Shore

Starring: Adler, Matt Peeples, Nia Peeples, Nia Philbin, John Gerry Lopez
Director: Phelps, William

Rating: PG
Category: Drama
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time:

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Amazon.com The dialogue is laughable, and the plot is by the numbers. But if you're a surfer (or an armchair surfer), this ultra-silly movie may prove hard to resist. It's the one about the kid from Arizona (Matt Adler), who's surfed only on artificial waves in that landlocked state, coming out to spend his last free summer hitting the serious water of Hawaii. He falls in with a mystical surf guru (Gregory Harrison), one of those surf-Zen masters obsessed with the cosmic significance of hanging ten, but he's also tempted by the flashier stunts of the younger surf crowd. Oh, and the Arizona kid also gets romantic with the prettiest girl on Oahu (Nia Peeples), which precipitates trouble with her resentful native family. If the story's no winner, the surfing action is excellent, with many real-life surfers contributing their talents. For shredders, a guilty pleasure. --Robert Horton --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Ocean's Eleven (Widescreen Edition)

Ocean's Eleven (Widescreen Edition)

Starring: Clooney, George Pitt, Brad Damon, Matt Cheadle, Don Garcia, Andy Julia Roberts
Director: Soderbergh, Steven

Rating:
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 117

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A rag-tag group of con artists and ex-cons team up for the heist to end all heists in this high-profile remake of the 1960 Rat Pack favorite. As with its predecessor, Ocean's Eleven opens with its titular hero Danny Ocean (George Clooney stepping into the Frank Sinatra role) eager for a new challenge. The similarities to the original end there, as Ocean conspires with his old pal Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) to rob 150 million dollars from an underground vault that serves three of Las Vegas' biggest casinos. Between the two of them, they recruit nine other men, each with his own criminal specialty, to assist in the mission: moneyman Reuben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould), card dealer Frank (Bernie Mac), pickpocket Linus (Matt Damon), aging con artist Saul (Carl Reiner), British explosives pro Basher (Don Cheadle), techie Dell (Eddie Jemison), rude-boy brothers Virgil (Casey Affleck) and Turk (Scott Caan), and professional acrobat Yen (Shaobo Qin). What Ocean doesn't tell the group is that there's another reason he's coordinating the heist: the three casinos they're robbing are all owned by ruthless gambling mogul Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), who just happens to be married to Ocean's former love Tess (Julia Roberts). Ocean's Eleven was updated by scribe Ted Griffin and marked the third feature shot by director Steven Soderbergh under the alias Peter Andrews. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide Cool, calm, collected, and low-key -- almost to a fault -- director Steven Soderbergh's starry remake of 1960's plodding Rat Pack vehicle may be little more than a muscle-stretching exercise for the newly minted Oscar-winner, but at least it's an audience-pleasing one. Ocean's Eleven is a hodgepodge of some of the director's pet influences: the deft multi-character juggling of Robert Altman, the just-the-facts policier technique of Jules Dassin or Francois Truffaut, and even some of the high-gloss pyrotechnics of David Fincher or John McTiernan. In many ways, it's Soderbergh's least distinctive film: the casual explosions, rag-tag rapport, and only-in-the-movies plot conveniences are just a notch away from the territory of the director's one-time nemesis Jerry Bruckheimer. Where he makes the material his own is in the casting -- this motley crew is more geek than chic, and they all play off each other incredibly well -- and in the zippy dissection of the complex heist. So while Ocean's Eleven isn't as funny or as involving as it could be -- in other words, it's not Out of Sight Part II -- watching Soderbergh spin his wheels is still more enjoyable than just about anything out there. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide Director Steven Soderbergh updates the '60s "Rat Pack" classic Ocean's 11 into a modern day star-studded caper. Warner has done an excellent job on this 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Sporting sharp colors, detailed black levels, and solid fleshtones, this picture looks very clean without nary an imperfection to be found. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround in English and French and is a very solid mix. This soundtrack features many instances of directional sound usage in both the front and rear speakers. All aspects of the dialogue, effects, and music are free of any excessive distortion or hiss. Also included on this disc are subtitles in English, French, and Spanish. Ocean's 11 features a nice load of special features, even if they are a tad meager by today's blockbuster DVD standards. First up there are two commentary tracks, the first by director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Ted Griffin and a second by actors Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Andy Garcia. Both of these tracks are fun and engaging with the second track by the actors leaning more towards entertaining while the first track tends to be much more on the technical side. "The Making of Ocean's 11" is a 15-minute featurette that includes interviews with many of the cast and crew members who worked on the film. This is a typically bland promotional short that doesn't give much insight into the making of the film. "The Look of the Con" is a ten

Office Space (Widescreen Edition)

Office Space (Widescreen Edition)

Starring: Livingston, Ron Aniston, Jennifer Herman, David
Director: Judge, Mike

Rating: R
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating:
Running Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

Color Stereo

Amazon.com Ever spend eight hours in a "Productivity Bin"? Ever had worries about layoffs? Ever had the urge to demolish a temperamental printer or fax machine? Ever had to endure a smarmy, condescending boss? Then Office Space should hit pretty close to home for you. Peter (Ron Livingston) spends the day doing stupefyingly dull computer work in a cubicle. He goes home to an apartment sparsely furnished by IKEA and Target, then starts for a maddening commute to work again in the morning. His coworkers in the cube farm are an annoying lot, his boss is a snide, patronizing jerk, and his days are consumed with tedium. In desperation, he turns to career hypnotherapy, but when his hypno-induced relaxation takes hold, there's no shutting it off. Layoffs are in the air at his corporation, and with two coworkers (both of whom are slated for the chute) he devises a scheme to skim funds from company accounts. The scheme soon snowballs, however, throwing the three into a panic until the unexpected happens and saves the day. Director Mike Judge has come up with a spot-on look at work in corporate America circa 1999. With well-drawn characters and situations instantly familiar to the white-collar milieu, he captures the joylessness of many a cube denizen's work life to a T. Jennifer Aniston plays Peter's love interest, a waitress at Chotchkie's, a generic beer-and-burger joint à la Chili's, and Diedrich Bader (The Drew Carey Show) has a minor but hilarious turn as Peter's mustached, long-haired, drywall-installin' neighbor. --Jerry Renshaw --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

Starring: Affleck, Ben Beckinsale, Kate Beckinsale, Kate Gooding, Cuba Jr. Tom Sizemore
Director: Bay, Michael

Rating: PG-13
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating: 1 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 183

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Amazon.com To call Pearl Harbor a throwback to old-time war movies is something of an understatement. Director Michael Bay's epic take on the bombing that brought the United States into World War II hijacks every war movie situation and cliché (some affectionate, some stale) you've ever seen and gives them a shiny, glossy spin until the whole movie practically gleams. Planes glisten, water sparkles, trees beckon--and Bay's re-creation of the bombing itself, a 30-minute sequence that's tightly choreographed and amazingly photographed, sets the action movie bar up quite a few notches. And in updating the classic war film, Bay and screenwriter Randall Wallace (Braveheart) use that old plot standby, the love triangle--this time, it's between two pilots (Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett) and a nurse (Kate Beckinsale) who find themselves stationed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, during what they thought would be a nice, sunny tour of duty. Then, of course, history intervened. For the first 90 minutes of the movie, Affleck and Beckinsale find a nice, appealing chemistry that plays on his strengths as a movie star and hers as a serious actress--he gives her glamour, she gives him smarts. Their truncated romance--the beginning of which is told in flashback so we can get right to the point where he has to leave her to go to England--works, thanks to their charm. They're no Kate and Leo from Titanic (a strategy the film strives hard toward), but they're pretty darn adorable in their own right. Hartnett, as the not entirely unwelcome third wheel, squints bravely but makes only a slight dent in the film. Everyone else in Pearl Harbor--from Cuba Gooding Jr.'s brave navy seaman to Jon Voight's able impersonation of FDR--is pretty much a glorified walk-on, taking a backseat to the pyrotechnics and action sequences that keep the three-hour film in fairly constant motion. But when that action does take hold, Pearl Harbor is quite a thrilling ride. --Mark Englehart

Pretty Woman (10th Anniversary Edition)

Pretty Woman (10th Anniversary Edition)

Starring: Gere, Richard Roberts, Julia Braveman, Marvin Elizondo, Hector Hunter, R. Darrell Calabro, Karin Miller, Larry Staltler, Alex Staltler, Alex Caspari, Cheri
Director: Marshall, Garry

Rating: R
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 125

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Amazon.com essential video Like a pumpkin that transforms into a carriage, some very shrewd casting (and the charisma of Julia Roberts, in particular) morphed this story of a Hollywood whore into a Disneyfied Cinderella story--and a mainstream megahit. This is the movie that made Roberts a star; the charm of her personality helping tremendously to carry viewers over the rough spots in the script (which was originally a cynical tale about prostitution called 3000--after the amount of money Richard Gere's character pays the prostitute to stay with him for the week). Gere is the silver-haired Wall Street knight who sweeps streetwalker Roberts into a fantasy world of room service at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel and fashion boutique shopping on Rodeo Drive. The supporting cast is also appealing, including Laura San Giacomo as Roberts's hooker pal, Hector Elizondo as the hotel manager, Jason Alexander, Ralph Bellamy, and Hank Azaria. Now, is this something you want your sons and daughters to see? That's entirely up to you. --Jim Emerson --This text refers to the DVD edition.

Pushing Tin

Pushing Tin

Starring: Cusack, John Thornton, Billy Bob
Director: Newell, Mike

Rating: R
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating:
Running Time:

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Amazon.com Blessed by a fantastic cast and slick direction by Mike Newell, Pushing Tin is one of those invigorating movies (like Wall Street or All the President's Men) that takes you behind the scenes of a dramatic profession--in this case, the high-stress world of air-traffic controllers--and throws in a source of conflict to ramp up the tension. For ace "tin-pusher" Nick Falzone (John Cusack), that conflict arrives in the form of Russell Bell (Billy Bob Thornton), an Irish/Choctaw half-breed whose Zen-like control of air traffic immediately puts Nick on the defensive. Add an incident of infidelity and Nick's subsequent self-loathing and guilt, and Pushing Tin turns into a macho pissing match, with Nick's and Russell's spouses (Cate Blanchett and Angelina Jolie, respectively) stuck in the middle. At that point, this otherwise splendid comedy-drama turns almost fatally silly, and it hits additional turbulence by lapsing into a predictable series of pat resolutions. Fortunately, the jazzy cast avoids a nosedive into the tarmac, and if you recall Blanchett's Oscar-nominated performance in Elizabeth, you'll be amazed by her flawless transformation into a smart and sweetly devoted New Jersey housewife. Dialogue is a major asset here, and the script (by TV veterans Glen and Les Charles) gives Cusack & Co. plenty to chew on. That makes Pushing Tin a breezy good time, and its flaws are easily forgiven. --Jeff Shannon

Ransom

Ransom

Starring: Gibson, Mel Russo, Rene Nolte, Brawley Sinise, Gary Lindo, Delroy Lili Taylor
Director: Howard, Ron

Rating: R
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 2 Hours 1 Minute

Color Dolby

Amazon.com essential video When it comes to ramping up to vein-bursting levels of tormented anxiety, Mel Gibson has a kind of mainstream intensity that makes him perfect for his heroic-father role in director Ron Howard's child-kidnapping thriller. When you think of Ransom, you automatically think of the scene in which Mel reaches his boiling point and yells, "Give me back my son!" to the kidnapper on the other end of several torturous phone calls. Trapped in the middle of any parent's nightmare, Mel plays a self-made airline mogul whose son (played by Brawley Nolte, son of actor Nick Nolte) is abducted by a close-knit group of uptight kidnappers. But when a king's ransom is demanded for the child's safe return, Mel turns the tables and offers the ransom as reward money for anyone who provides information leading to the kidnappers' arrest. Thus begins a nerve-racking battle of wills and a test of the father's conviction to carry out a plan that could cost his son's life. The boy's mother (played by Rene Russo, reunited with Gibson after Lethal Weapon 3) disapproves of her husband's life-threatening gamble, and a seasoned FBI negotiator (Delroy Lindo) is equally fearful of disaster as the search for the kidnappers intensifies. Through it all, Howard maintains a level of nail-biting tension to match Gibson's desperate ploy, and the plot twists are just clever enough to cancel out the overwrought performances and manipulative screenplay. Ransom may not be as sophisticated as its glossy production design would suggest, but it's a thriller with above-average intelligence and an emotion-driven plot that couldn't be more urgent. Adding to the intensity is a superior supporting cast including Gary Sinise, Lili Taylor, and Liev Schreiber as the kidnappers, who demonstrate that even the tightest scheme can unravel under unexpected stress. Remade from a 1956 film starring Glenn Ford, Ransom is diluted by a few too many subplots, but as a high-stakes game of cat and mouse, it's a slick and satisfying example of Hollywood entertainment. --Jeff Shannon

Reindeer Games

Reindeer Games

Starring: Theron, Charlize Sinise, Gary Frain, James Affleck, Ben Logue, Donal Farina, Dennis Kutcher, Ashton Trejo, Danny Trejo, Danny Hutson, James
Director: Frankenheimer, John

Rating: R (MPAA)
Category: Mystery & Suspense
User Rating:
Running Time: 105

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Rudy Duncan (Ben Affleck) is a small-time car thief about to be released from jail in time for Christmas. When his cellmate, Nick, is suddenly killed, Rudy decides to take on his identity in order to meet Nick's beautiful pen-pal girlfriend, Ashley (Charlize Theron). The couple has fun until her psychotic brother, Gabriel (Gary Sinise), shows up. Gabriel and his gang want to hold up a casino where Nick had once worked, and they blackmail Rudy/Nick into going along with the scheme. Rudy has to bluff his way through the crime, pretending to be Nick in order to avoid being killed while trying to sabotage the plans of the bad guys. Will Rudy be able to outsmart the bad guys, or will he end up facedown in the snow? Double crosses abound in this frosty film noir action movie boasting a twisty script by writer Ehren Kruger (SCREAM 3, ARLINGTON ROAD) and assured direction by veteran John Frankenheimer (THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, RONIN), plus a sneaky sense of humor and plenty of Christmas references. Ben Affleck stars as Rudy Duncan, a recently paroled car thief who assumes the identity of his murdered cellmate, Nick, in order to meet the woman Nick had a romantic correspondence with. When her violent brother learns that Rudy/Nick has connections to a Native American casino, he forces Rudy into helping him pull off a dangerous heist. As Rudy finds himself falling deeper into danger, his alias becomes harder to expose. Theatrical release: February 5, 2000. Shooting location: Prince George and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The film was originally scheduled for release in December 1999 but was pushed back to February 2000. After the move the title was briefly changed to DECEPTION out of fear that REINDEER GAMES was too closely related to Christmas. The movie was filmed near Vancouver, British Columbia. The soundtrack features Dean Martin singing "Let It Snow."

Risky Business

Risky Business

Starring: De Mornay, Rebecca Armstrong, Curtis Cruise, Tom Pinchot, Bronson Masur, Richard Sbarge, Raphael Pantoliano, Joe Pryor, Nicholas Pryor, Nicholas
Director: Brickman, Paul

Rating: R (MPAA)
Category: Comedies
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 99

Color Digital Stereo

Joel Goodson (Tom Cruise, in one of his earliest roles) is an average high school senior, apprehensive about starting college, especially with his average test scores. He decides to spice up his last high school summer by taking advantage of his parents being away and throwing a non-stop party. The next thing he know his house becomes the local brothel thanks to the kind hooker played by Rebecca deMornay and everything turns out different from what he planned. Screenwriter Paul Brickman made his directing debut with "Risky Business." Joel Goodson is the type of teenager who makes his parents proud: he's nice, handsome, intelligent, and even principled. But when Joel's parents leave town for a few days, a series of events occur that will change Joel's sheltered life. For starters, he meets Lana, a hooker who proceeds to deflower our young hero, and then suggests he turn his home into a house of prostitution for one evening. Joel agrees, and just as sexy hookers and randy guys turn Joel's house upside down, a representative from Princeton University arrives, to interview Joel! How Joel handles this and other crises (losing his dad's Porsche, the loss of all his furniture, falling in love with a prostitute) will alter Joel's life forever.

Road House

Road House

Starring: Swayze, Patrick Lynch, Kelly Elliott, Sam Gazzara, Ben Marshall Teague
Director: Herrington, Rowdy

Rating: R
Category: Action & Adventure
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 114

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Amazon.com One of those movies that helped usher out the era of action films that had plots that made any sense (and also helped reverse the direction of Patrick Swayze's career arc), Road House concerns a handsome, existential bouncer in a rinky-dink honky-tonk who owns both a degree in philosophy and a Mercedes. And that's perhaps the most believable aspect of the whole movie. Swayze stars as Dalton, "the best bouncer in the business," who runs afoul of Wesley (Ben Gazzara), the meanest SOB round these parts, by taking up with his former girlfriend, Doc (Kelly Lynch)--the only woman in town with an IQ approaching double digits, even if she had unfathomably hooked up with such a lowlife. Swayze had complained about being typecast as beefcake when this was made, but that didn't stop him from revealing as much skin as possible--even guys like him, as revealed in a luridly seedy scene in which one of Wesley's goons tells Dalton that he reminds him of the kind of boyfriend he had in prison (albeit in much saltier terms). It's so insulting to its audience that it's nice to be able to turn the tables and laugh at the filmmakers. --David Kronke --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Road to Perdition (DTS Widescreen)

Road to Perdition (DTS Widescreen)

Starring: Hoechlin, Tyler Hanks, Tom Law, Jude Leigh, Jennifer Jason Stanley Tucci
Director: Mendes, Sam

Rating: R
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 117

Color DTS Surround Sound

Amazon.com In Road to Perdition, Tom Hanks plays a hit man who finds his heart. Michael Sullivan (Hanks) is the right-hand man of crime boss John Rooney (Paul Newman), but when Sullivan's son accidentally witnesses one of his hits, he must choose between his crime family and his real one. The movie has a slow pace, largely because director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) seems to be in love with the gorgeous period locations. Hanks gives a deceptively battened-down performance at first, only opening up toward the very end of the film, making his character's personal transformation all the more convincing. Newman turns in a masterful piece of work, revealing Rooney's advancing age but at the same time, his terrifying power. Jude Law is also a standout, playing a hit man-photographer with chilling creepiness. This movie requires a little patience, but the beautiful cinematography and moving ending make it well worth the wait. --Ali Davis --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition.

Robin Hood (Disney)

Robin Hood (Disney)

Starring: Bedford, Brian Harris, Phil Shelley, Carole Laurita, Dana Terry-Thomas Miller, Roger Lindsey, George Buttram, Pat Buttram, Pat Ustinov, Peter
Director: Reitherman, Wolfgang

Rating: G
Category: Kids & Family : Animation
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 83

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Amazon.com A minor classic from Disney, this 1973 all-animal, all-animated musical version of the familiar story is more charming than one might expect. Perhaps it's the warm, chummy take on key relationships within the legend--the way Robin Hood (Brian Bedford) gets twitterpated whenever the subject of Maid Marian (Monica Evans) comes up or the way best pal Little John (Phil Harris voicing a variation on his own Baloo from The Jungle Book) admonishes the Sherwood Forest hero, "Aw, Rob, why dontcha just marry the girl?" (Then, of course, there's the canny "casting" of the romantic leads as foxes: Robin the sly one and Marian the, well, foxy one.) The rest of the vocal cast is lively and eclectic: Peter Ustinov, Andy Devine, Terry-Thomas, George Lindsey. Roger Miller provides the songs and voice for the minstrel character Allan-A-Dale. The film is ably directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, whose decades of work in Disney's animation division helped create the studio's rich legacy. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Rounders

Rounders

Starring: Young, Chris Damon, Matt Norton, Edward Landau, Martin Janssen, Famke Mol, Gretchen Malkovich, John Turturro, John Turturro, John
Director: Dahl, John

Rating: R (MPAA)
Category: Dramas
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 120

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Damon is Mike McDermott, a law student who has given up his true talent (and love), gambling, when he loses all of his money to Teddy KGB (Malkovich in a hilarious role). Months later, when his friend Worm (Norton) gets out of jail and is on a strict deadline to repay a $15,000 debt to Teddy, he must decide whether or not to help his friend, threatening his student status and relationship with his girlfriend (Mol). Tightly written, beautifully photographed by the brilliant Escoffier, and well-played all across the board (particularly by Norton), this is a work of slick, enjoyable entertainment.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Starring: Ives, Burl Richards, Billie Mae
Director: Nagashima, Kizo

Rating: NR
Category: Kids & Family : Animation
User Rating:
Running Time:

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Amazon.com This classic 1964 television special featuring Rudolph and his misfit buddies set the standard for stop-motion animation for an entire generation before Tim Burton darkly reinvented it in the early 1990s. Burl Ives narrates as Sam the Snowman, telling and singing the story of a rejected reindeer who overcomes prejudice and saves Christmas one particularly blustery year. Along the way, he meets an abundance of unforgettable characters: his dentally obsessed elf pal Hermey; the affable miner Yukon Cornelius and his motley crew of puppies; the scary/adorable Abominable Snow Monster; a legion of abandoned, but still chatty, toys; and a rather grouchy Santa. In addition to the title song that inspired it, this 53-minute tape is crammed with catchy tunes such as "Silver and Gold" and "Holly Jolly Christmas." Those who grew up looking forward to watching Rudolph every Christmas season will undoubtedly be able to recite the quotable quotes ("I'm cuuuute. She said I'm cuuuute." "Herbie doesn't like to make toys.") as well as any Casablanca cult audience. --Kimberly Heinrichs --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Saludos Amigos

Saludos Amigos

Starring:
Director: Kinney, Jack

Rating: NR
Category: Kids & Family : Animation
User Rating: 1 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 75

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Amazon.com The first of two features Walt Disney made at the behest of the Office of Inter-American Affairs, Saludos Amigos consists of four cartoons linked by live-action travel footage. The very funny "Lake Titicaca" finds Donald Duck high in the Bolivian Andes, struggling with a recalcitrant llama. "Pedro," the story of a little airplane replacing his father on a mail run across the Andes, is a variation on "The Little Engine That Could." "El Gaucho Goofy" continues the popular "How To" cartoon series that juxtaposes a deadpan narration with increasing physical mayhem. Here, Goofy demonstrates Pampas-style riding and the use of the bola. The jaunty parrot Jose Carioca makes his debut in "Aquarela do Brasil." Although largely eclipsed by the wilder The Three Caballeros (1944), Saludos Amigos retains its charm. Included in the supplemental material is South of the Border with Disney, which chronicles the Good Will Tour Walt and a group of his artists made in 1941. The 16mm footage has darkened, but this featurette offers rare glimpses of some of these artists at work, including Frank Thomas, Norm Ferguson, and Mary Blair, whose stylized drawings set the look for much of Saludos Amigos and Caballeros. --Charles Solomon

Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town/The Little Drummer Boy

Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town/The Little Drummer Boy

Starring: Astaire, Fred Rooney, Mickey
Director: Jr., Arthur Rankin

Rating: NR
Category: Today's Deals in DVD : Deals Under $20 : review : E-mail a friend about this item : Write a So You'd Like to... guide : Check Pu
User Rating:
Running Time: 85

Color Stereo

Amazon.com This 53-minute, 1970 animated film may be the most delightful of those sundry, stop-motion animated Christmas perennials that show up on television during the holidays. The clay animation production, boasting a wonderful musical score and art direction that occasionally underscores the flower-power era in which it was born, tells the story of Santa's origins, in which Kris Kringle decides to get toys into the hands of poor children in gloomy Sombertown. Charmingly narrated by Fred Astaire and featuring voices by Mickey Rooney and Keenan Wynn, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town presents a nice bridge between two generations of entertainment, the classic and the hip. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Saving Private Ryan - DTS

Saving Private Ryan - DTS

Starring: Hanks, Tom Damon, Matt Sizemore, Tom Davies, Jeremy Vin Diesel
Director: Spielberg, Steven

Rating: R
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 4 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 169

Color DTS Surround Sound

Amazon.com essential video 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 Editor's Note Because the DTS data stream demands more storage capacity on the DVD format, the DTS edition of Saving Private Ryan does not include the behind-the-scenes documentary featurette that is included on the Dolby Digital 5.1 channel edition. Those interested in purchasing the DTS edition should be aware that this additional feature was necessarily sacrificed to accommodate the DTS soundtrack.

School Ties

School Ties

Starring: Fraser, Brendan Damon, Matt O'Donnell, Chris Batinkoff, Randall Andrew Lowery
Director: Mandel, Robert

Rating: PG-13
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 107

Color Dolby

Amazon.com Brendan Fraser plays a student attending a wealthy boarding school on a football scholarship in the 1950s. When the other kids find out he's Jewish--a fact he's been hiding--his fortunes and relationships instantly change. The film is pretty much what one would expect with that scenario: a story of bigotry, conflict, the hero trying to hang on. In the end, good intentions are the driving force of the movie, but it is not much more than the sum of its obvious parts. Directed by Dick Wolf, creator of television's Law and Order. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Scooby-Doo (Widescreen Edition)

Scooby-Doo (Widescreen Edition)

Starring: Jr., Freddie Prinze Gellar, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Sarah Michelle Lillard, Matthew Cardellini, Linda Rowan Atkinson
Director: Gosnell, Raja

Rating: PG
Category: Comedy : By Theme : Animals
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 86

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Amazon.com "I would've gotten away with it if weren't for you meddling kids!" Equal parts remake and spoof, this tongue-in-cheek live-action resurrection finds the old Saturday-morning-cartoon gang reunited to investigate the zombie teens of a haunted amusement park. Frantic action and big-screen special effects stand in for logic, but for a while it makes for a spirited send-up. Freddie Prinze Jr., under a blond hairdo and an ascot, turns Fred into a preening pretty boy, and Sarah Michelle Gellar plays with her own Buffy image as eternal damsel-in-distress Daphne (in magenta mini-dress and maxi-boots, no less), but this show belongs to gangly Matthew Lillard, who is the adenoidal beatnik Shaggy. His loyal-to-the-end friendship with the computer-animated Scooby-Doo is the most convincing relationship in the whole two-dimensional goof. Some of the supernatural nasties may be scary for young kids and the humor careens from winking self-awareness to Scooby doo-doo gags, but otherwise this is as harmless as a Saturday-morning chapter and as substantial as a Scooby snack. --Sean Axmaker --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition. Description Zoinks! Two years after a clash of egos forced Mystery Inc. to close it's doors, Scooby-Doo and his clever crime-solving cohorts Fred (FREDDIE PRINZE JR.), Daphne (SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR), Shaggy (MATTHEW LILLARD) and Velma (LINDA CARDELLINI) are individually summoned to Spooky Island to investigate a series of paranormal incidents at the ultra-hip Spring Break hot spot. Concerned that his frightfully popular resort might truly be haunted, Spooky Island owner Emile Mondavarious (ROWAN ATKINSON)... read more

Scream 3

Scream 3

Starring: Arquette, David Campbell, Neve Arquette, Courteney Cox Dempsey, Patrick Morgan, C.W. Arredondo, D. K. Erath, Eric Embry, John Embry, John McRee, Lynn
Director: Craven, Wes

Rating: R
Category: Horror : General
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 1 Hour 57 Minutes

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Amazon.com When Randy the video geek rattles off the rules of surviving a horror movie in Wes Craven's Scream, he speaks for a generation of filmgoers who are all too aware of slasher movie clichés. Playfully scripted by Kevin Williamson with a self-aware wink and more than a few nods to its grandfathers (from Psycho to Halloween to the Friday the 13th dynasty), Scream skewers teen horror conventions with loving reverence while re-creating them in a modern, movie-savvy context. And so goes the series, which continues the satirical spoofing by tackling (what else?) sequels while sustaining its own self-contained mythology. Catty reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) turns grisly murders into lurid bestsellers, a cult of killer wannabes continues to hunt spunky psycho-survivor Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) for their 15 minutes of fame, and a cheesy movie series (Stab) develops within the movie series. Scream remains the high point of the series--a fresh take on a genre long since collapsed into routine, but Scream 2 spoofs itself with witty humor ("Why would anyone want to do that? Sequels suck!" opines college film student Randy), and delights with more elaborate set pieces and all-new rules for surviving a horror movie sequel. The endangered veterans of the original film reunite one last time for Scream 3, which plays out on the movie set of Stab 3. (It's a trilogy within a trilogy!) With Williamson gone, replacement screenwriter Ehran Kruger tries to mine the formula one more time. It's a little tired by now, and pale imitations (Urban Legend, I Know What You Did Last Summer) have further drained the zeitgeist, but the film bubbles with bright humor, and director Craven is stylistically at the top of his game. As a trilogy, it remains both the most consistently entertaining and self-aware horror series ever made. --Sean Axmaker --This text refers to the DVD edition.

Scream Trilogy - Boxed Set

Scream Trilogy - Boxed Set

Starring: Campbell Arquette
Director:

Rating: Unrated
Category: Horror : General
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Shrek

Shrek

Starring: Myers, Mike Murphy, Eddie Murphy, Eddie Murphy, Eddie Lithgow, John Diaz, Cameron Cassel, Vincent
Director: Adamson, Andrew

Rating: PG (MPAA)
Category: Kids & Family : Animation
User Rating:
Running Time: 93

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Set in a strange, colorful land populated by fairy tale characters, SHREK is a hilarious comedy that will win over audiences of children and adults alike. Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) is a fearsome green ogre living in isolation in his own cozy little swamp. He is not receptive to visitors, and fends off the occasional party of torch-wielding villagers with ease. But when the power-hungry Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) turns Shrek's swamp into a relocation camp for dozens of banished fairy-tale characters (including some pesky dwarves, wolves, and fairies) Shrek's quiet, introverted life is ruined. Joined by the talkative Donkey (Eddie Murphy), Shrek makes his way to Farquaad's realm of Duloc, where the Lord promises makes Shrek and offer: He will rid Shrek's land of the unwanted visitors if Shrek will go on a simple quest to free Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from her remote, dragon-guarded castle and convince her to marry Farquaad. On their quest, Shrek and Donkey run into a number of bizarre situations, and Shrek finds himself realizing that he isn't quite the fearsome monster he has always made himself out to be. Reinventing the traditional fairy tale adventure, SHREK features gorgeous computer animation, a unique sense of humor, and compelling characters--especially Eddie Murphy's lovable Donkey. Theatrical release: May 18, 2001

Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition)

Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition)

Starring: Neeson, Liam McGregor, Ewan
Director: Lucas, George

Rating: PG
Category: Star Wars : DVDs
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Amazon.com "I have a bad feeling about this," says the young Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) in Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace as he steps off a spaceship and into the most anticipated cinematic event... well, ever. He might as well be speaking for the legions of fans of the original episodes in the Star Wars saga who can't help but secretly ask themselves: Sure, this is Star Wars, but is it my Star Wars? The original elevated moviegoers' expectations so high that it would have been impossible for any subsequent film to meet them. And as with all the Star Wars movies, The Phantom Menace features inexplicable plot twists, a fistful of loose threads, and some cheek-chewing dialogue. Han Solo's swagger is sorely missed, as is the pervading menace of heavy-breather Darth Vader. There is still way too much quasi-mystical mumbo jumbo, and some of what was fresh about Star Wars 22 years earlier feels formulaic. Yet there's much to admire. The special effects are stupendous; three worlds are populated with a mélange of creatures, flora, and horizons rendered in absolute detail. The action and battle scenes are breathtaking in their complexity. And one particular sequence of the film--the adrenaline-infused pod race through the Tatooine desert--makes the chariot race in Ben-Hur look like a Sunday stroll through the park. Among the host of new characters, there are a few familiar walk-ons. We witness the first meeting between R2-D2 and C-3PO, Jabba the Hutt looks younger and slimmer (but not young and slim), and Yoda is as crabby as ever. Natalie Portman's stately Queen Amidala sports hairdos that make Princess Leia look dowdy and wields a mean laser. We never bond with Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), and Obi-Wan's day is yet to come. Jar Jar Binks, a cross between a Muppet, a frog, and a hippie, provides many of the movie's lighter moments, while Sith Lord Darth Maul is a formidable force. Baby-faced Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) looks too young and innocent to command the powers of the Force or wield a lightsaber (much less transmute into the future Darth Vader), but his boyish exuberance wins over skeptics. Near the end of the movie, Palpatine, the new leader of the Republic, may be speaking for fans eagerly awaiting Episode II when he pats young Anakin on the head and says, "We will watch your career with great interest." Indeed! --Tod Nelson --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition. DVD features The spectacular DVD release of Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace--arguably one of the best DVDs ever--will go a long way toward making it up to Star Wars fans who were disappointed by the theatrical release. (But, in case you're wondering, there's no option to delete Jar Jar.) The picture and sound are outstanding, it's loaded with bonuses, and even the menus are action-packed fun. Disc One includes the film with a commentary track by George Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, editor Ben... read more

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Starring: Carson, Silas Davies, Oliver Ford Baker, Kenny Lee, Christopher McGregor, Ewan Portman, Natalie Christensen, Hayden McDiarmid, Ian McDiarmid, Ian Best, Ahmed
Director: Lucas, George

Rating: PG (MPAA)
Category: Star Wars : DVDs
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 142

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In the second installment of the Star Wars series, EPISODE II--ATTACK OF THE CLONES, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is now a teenage Jedi apprentice to Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). Together they must protect Senator Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) from a militant group of political activists that is trying to assassinate her. This group is led by the evil Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). Among other troubles, Anakin faces some hard choices as he begins to fall for Padme, knowing this love is forbidden by the Jedi knights' creed. In addition, Anakin begins to show his rebellious attraction to the dark side--which will eventually conquer him, when he becomes the future Darth Vader. The story is set 10 years after STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, and there are appearances by some of PHANTOM's characters, including Jar Jar Binks. CLONES also brings back familiar faces from the original STAR WARS: the lovable droids R2D2 and C3PO, and Yoda, who plays a key role in this film. Lucas creates an impressive array of beautifully rendered alien planets and beings, sleek spaceships, and dazzling effects; he remains at the head of the class in terms of technical ability and visual imagination. The film's climactic final sequences show the magic with which CLONES' earns its place as part of the beloved STAR WARS series. Theatrical Release Date: May 16, 2002 (Wide)

Stir of Echoes

Stir of Echoes

Starring: Bacon, Kevin Erbe, Kathryn Douglas, Illeana Weil, Liza Kevin Dunn
Director: Koepp, David

Rating: R
Category: Horror : General
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 94

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Amazon.com The only real problem with Stir of Echoes has nothing to do with the movie itself, but with unlucky coincidence. Adapted from a Richard Matheson novel, this film arrived around the same time as The Sixth Sense, and surface similarities made it suffer by cursory comparison and the competing film's phenomenal success. It's a pity, because this one features one of Kevin Bacon's best performances, in a psychological thriller that makes a lot more right moves than wrong ones. Bacon plays a blue-collar guy who laments his ordinary life, only to learn, when his sister-in-law (Ileanna Douglas) hypnotizes him, that he is a "receiver" capable of seeing spirits and split-second glimpses of past and future events. It's a torturous gift to have--especially since his friendly Chicago neighborhood possesses a dark secret--and Bacon plays the role with an appropriate mixture of obsession and internalized torment. Similarity to The Sixth Sense applies only to the basic premise and the character of Bacon's young son. Otherwise, this is more of a hard-edged journey of self-discovery, marital crisis, and recovery, with Bacon's wife (played by the highly underrated Kathryn Erbe) involved in an underdeveloped subplot about a group of people who share Bacon's gift as paranormal "receivers." Furthering his career as a writer-director of intelligent thrillers, David Koepp makes a few missteps in pacing and thematic overkill, but overall Stir of Echoes is a sharp, sensitive thriller that unfolds to reveal a dramatically satisfying solution to its mystery. --Jeff Shannon

Suicide Kings

Suicide Kings

Starring: Walken, Christopher Leary, Denis
Director: O'Fallon, Peter

Rating: R
Category: Mystery & Suspense
User Rating:
Running Time: 103

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Amazon.com Here's another gritty independent film that tries to invade Tarantino territory by casting Christopher Walken--that most reliable of indie-film actors--as a Mobster who gets chummy with a group of preppie-like young men and becomes the victim of a kidnapping scheme. One of the kidnappers (Henry Thomas) has a sister who's been abducted by another group of kidnappers, and they've bagged Walken for his Mob connections and negotiating power. What follows is a game of psychological strategy in which the desperate group of guys slowly lose their advantage to the smarter, more experienced gangster--even though they've got Walken tied to a chair. The situation turns volatile when the young men start to doubt the wisdom of their strategy and suspect betrayal within the group, and Suicide Kings turns into a talky, repetitious thriller only partially redeemed by Denis Leary's cagey role as Walken's Mob lieutenant. The movie's a showcase for its cast of rising talent (including Jay Mohr, Jeremy Sisto, Johnny Galecki, and Sean Patrick Flanery), but not even Walken can hold it all together. What's best about the film is Leary's sinister presence in a peripheral role and Walken's trademark villainy, here toned down to a steady, simmering menace. --Jeff Shannon

Sweet Home Alabama

Sweet Home Alabama

Starring: Bergen, Candice Dempsey, Patrick Lucas, Joshua Mitra, Rhona Embry, Ethan Smart, Jean Witherspoon, Reese Towne, Katharine Towne, Katharine Place, Mary Kay
Director: Tennant, Andy

Rating: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Comedies
User Rating:
Running Time: 109

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Reese Witherspoon stars in SWEET HOME ALABAMA, a charming romantic comedy directed by Andy Tennant. Witherspoon is Melanie Carmichael, a Southern girl who leaves her past behind in order to find success as a fashion designer in New York City. On the night of a hugely important show, her charming and romantic boyfriend, Andrew (Patrick Dempsey), proposes to her. It is at that point that Melanie flees for Alabama, hoping to take care of some unfinished business before Andrew and his mother, New York mayor Kate Hennings (Candice Bergan), discover the truth about her. The truth is that Melanie, whose real last name is Smooter, is still married to her childhood sweetheart, Jake (Josh Lucas), who refuses to grant her a divorce. As Melanie reunites with her parents and old friends, she is forced to reevaluate her new-and-improved self. In the process, she rediscovers a love that she thought she had lost. Tennant's film is elevated by Witherspoon's mere presence. Her rare blend of intelligence, wit, and beauty are a wonder to behold. Adding to the charm are Lucas and Dempsey, who portray characters who are hard to root against. Theatrical release: September 27, 2002

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Starring: Crosby, Bing Rathbone, Basil Grant, Campbell Allister, Claud Crosby, Bing Rathbone, Basil Blore, Eric Harford, Alec Harford, Alec Floyardt, John
Director: Kinney, Jack

Rating: G
Category: Kids & Family : Animation
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 68

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Amazon.com This 1949 Disney feature has never been available on video in its original form until now. The 68-minute film contains two shorts: The Wind in the Willows and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The former is a lively version of Kenneth Grahame's book of animal adventures, including Mr. Toad, a rambunctious sort with a passion for motorcars. Basil Rathbone narrates the story. Sleepy Hollow is the Washington Irving story of a stuffy schoolmaster and his ability to win the love of the fair Katrina from the brutish Brom Van Brunt. Many fans will see a resemblance to Disney's masterpiece created some 40 years later, Beauty and the Beast, in style and story. The end is still scary enough to send youngsters under the table. Bing Crosby supplies the narration, character voices, and songs. The opening number in a library including two stories has been included in this good-looking restoration. The shorts were made in Disney's prime, a year before Cinderella, and the look is wondrous. The exaggeration of Ichabod's skinny frame and his slumping horse is a glorious example. --Doug Thomas --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

The Aristocats

The Aristocats

Starring: Winchell, Paul Baddeley, Hermione Holloway, Sterling Holloway, Sterling Buttram, Pat Kulp, Nancy Scotti, Vito Gabor, Eva Gabor, Eva Ravenscroft, Thurl
Director: Reitherman, Wolfgang

Rating: G (MPAA)
Category: Kids & Family : Animation
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 78

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Set in 1910, this Disney animated classic offers plenty of adventure, humor and music (especially performances by Chevalier). After high-society cat Duchess (Gabor) and her three kittens inherit a fortune from their mistress, a greedy butler plots to get rid of them -- and collect the cash himself. The villainous servant kidnaps the entire feline family and takes them far away from their comfortable Paris home. A bunch of animal pals come to the rescue however, and help restore the cats to their proper place. The heroic rescuers include the friendly alley cat Thomas O'Malley, the gallant mouse Roquefort, and the hilarious hounds Lafayette and Napoleon. The last film personally supervised by Walt Disney himself. Theatrical release: 1970. Rereleased 1980 and 1987. THE ARISTOCATS is the 20th full-length animated feature from Walt Disney Pictures. Additional voices: Lord Tim Hudson; Thurl Ravenscroft; Dean Clark; Liz English; and Gary Dubin. Additional credits: Don Griffith (Layout). Color by Technicolor. The film was shown with the live-action short "Nick, the Orphan Elephant" during its initial theatrical release. The movie cost $4,000,000 to make.

The Bourne Identity

The Bourne Identity

Starring: Potente, Franka Owen, Clive Damon, Matt Cooper, Chris Akinnuoye Agbaje, Adewale Cox, Brian Mann, Gabriel Stiles, Julia Stiles, Julia
Director: Liman, Doug

Rating: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 116

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As THE BOURNE IDENTITY begins, a man who may or may not be Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is found floating in the Mediterranean Sea and is hauled onto a fishing boat. When the ship's doctor examines the unconscious castaway, he discovers two bullet wounds and an implanted device that displays a Swiss bank account number. With nothing but this code, the amnesiac Bourne travels to Zurich and gains access to a safe-deposit box containing a gun, thousands of dollars in various currencies, and valid passports from numerous countries--each listing a different identity. Within minutes, Bourne is on the run from a seemingly ever-present agency, relying on language and fighting skills he didn't even know he possessed. Offering $20,000 for a ride to Paris, Bourne gains the reluctant help of the nomadic Marie (Franka Potente). Meanwhile, the shadowy organization, headed by a tough-talking bureaucrat (Chris Cooper), sends numerous assassins (including the Professor, played by Clive Owen) after Bourne and Marie. As their situation grows more perilous, the two strangers struggle to find out who Bourne really is and why they are being hunted. Doug Liman's adaptation of Robert Ludlum's best-selling novel is a remarkable exercise in straightforward storytelling, with the director wisely choosing to focus on Bourne and his quest for identity. The fight sequences are thrilling, but never overly glamorized, and the film's pacing is engaging and deliberate. Damon, who displays genuine bewilderment as his character discovers his almost-superhuman abilities, anchors the proceedings with the subtle charm of an unlikely action hero. Potente also shines as Bourne's road companion, a savvy woman who slowly builds an utterly believable relationship with the confused man. Bearing distinct affinity for its European setting and classic Hollywood suspense films, THE BOURNE IDENTITY succeeds as an unusually smart character-driven thriller. Theatrical release: June 14, 2002

The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club

Starring: Estevez, Emilio Nelson, Judd
Director: Hughes, John

Rating: R
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating:
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Amazon.com essential video John Hughes's popular 1985 teen drama finds a diverse group of high school students--a jock (Emilio Estevez), a metalhead (Judd Nelson), a weirdo (Ally Sheedy), a princess (Molly Ringwald), and a nerd (Anthony Michael Hall)--sharing a Saturday in detention at their high school for one minor infraction or another. Over the course of a day, they talk through the social barriers that ordinarily keep them apart, and new alliances are born, though not without a lot of pain first. Hughes (Sixteen Candles), who wrote and directed, is heavy on dialogue but he also thoughtfully refreshes the look of the film every few minutes with different settings and original viewpoints on action. The movie deals with such fundamentals as the human tendency toward bias and hurting the weak, and because the characters are caught somewhere between childhood and adulthood, it's easy to get emotionally involved in hope for their redemption. Preteen and teenage kids love this film, incidentally. The DVD release includes production notes, cast and crew bios, widescreen presentation, Dolby sound, closed captioning, optional French and Spanish soundtracks, and optional Spanish subtitles. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

The Care Bears Movie

The Care Bears Movie

Starring: Engel, Georgia Rooney, Mickey Harry Dean Stanton
Director: Selznick, Arna

Rating: G
Category: Kids & Family
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 76

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Amazon.com The Care Bears were a line of multicolored teddy bears that racked up more than $200 million in retail sales in 1984. The Care Bears Movie was essentially a 75-minute commercial to introduce the new Care Bear Cousins, disguised as a smarmy story about sharing feelings. The film earned $23 million theatrically and ushered in a spate of cheap animated films created to sell merchandise to children. The plot interweaves the stories of Kim and Jason, two lonely orphans who have given up caring, and of Nicholas, a friendless magician's assistant who's seduced by an evil spirit. The Care Bears resolve everyone's problems. Years later, the Care Bears' popularity has waned and the film stands as a reminder of one of the less admirable uses of animation. The stars, hearts, rainbows, and saccharine songs can't disguise the barefaced commercialism behind the threadbare story. --Charles Solomon --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

The Cider House Rules

The Cider House Rules

Starring: Maguire, Tobey Theron, Charlize Lindo, Delroy Rudd, Paul Freeman, K. Todd Theron, Charlize Nelligan, Kate Maguire, Tobey Maguire, Tobey Badu, Erykah
Director: Hallström, Lasse

Rating: PG-13
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 125

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Amazon.com essential video In adapting his own novel The Cider House Rules for the screen, John Irving sacrificed at least some of the depth and detail that made his humanitarian themes resonate, while the film--directed with Scandinavian sobriety by Lasse Hallström--is often vague about the complex issues (abortion, incest, responsibility) that lie at its core. Allowing for this ambiguity (which is arguably intentional), the film retains much of what made Irving's novel so admired, and like Hallström's earlier feature What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, it's blessed with a generous, forgiving spirit toward the mistakes, foibles, and desires of its many engaging characters. Central to the story (set during World War II) is Homer (Tobey Maguire), a young man raised in a Maine orphanage, where the ether-sniffing Dr. Larch (Michael Caine) rules with benevolent grace while performing safe but illegal abortions. To expand his horizons, Homer follows a young couple (Charlize Theron, Paul Rudd) to do fieldwork on an apple farm, where his innocent eyes are opened to the good and evil of the world--and to the realization that not all rules are steadfast in all situations. By the time Homer returns to the orphanage, The Cider House Rules--which features one of Caine's finest performances--is memorable more for its many charming and insightful moments than for any lasting dramatic impact. Is Homer fated to come full circle in his kindhearted journey? It's left to the viewer to decide. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Count of Monte Cristo

Starring: Caviezel, Jim Harris, Richard Guzmán, Luis Dominczyk, Dagmara Wincott, Michael Frain, James Pearce, Guy McCrory, Helen McCrory, Helen
Director: Reynolds, Kevin

Rating: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating:
Running Time: 2 Hours 11 Minutes

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In this highly entertaining, beautifully photographed rekindling of the classic Dutch novel by Alexandre Dumas, director Kevin Reynolds choreographs a fantastic adventure replete with breathtaking scenery, fiery swashbuckling battles, lavish costumes, and, above all else, sweet revenge. In 19th-century Marseille, Edmond Dantès (Jim Caviezel) is the optimistic but uneducated son of a sea captain. He cherishes his friendship with the son of a count, Mondego (Guy Pearce), and is deeply in love with his fiancée, Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk). Young Dantès is so innocent and naive that it is positively shocking when Mondego turns on him, accusing him of treason, and having him sentenced to life in the dreary dungeon of Chateau D'If. Years of isolation and torture nearly defeat the revenge-thirsty Dantès, but with the help of invaluable lessons from the Abbé Faria (Richard Harris), his luck slowly changes. An incredible prison break starts Dantès on his way to a new life, and from there Reynolds' COUNT truly takes off. Battles with pirates lead to hunts for sunken ocean treasure, and soon Dantes is living in Marseille as the transformed, newly rich, self-proclaimed Count of Monte Cristo. Installed in a ritzy chateau, he slowly unfurls his excrutiatingly careful plans to exact his revenge on Mondego and all those who ever wronged him. Theatrical release: January 25, 2002

The Cutting Edge

The Cutting Edge

Starring: Kelly, Moira Dotrice, Roy Sweeney, D.B. Brown, Dwier Dwier Brown
Director: Glaser, Paul Michael

Rating: PG (MPAA)
Category: Comedies, Dramas
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 102

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Straight blades meet toe-picks as a handsome ice hockey player has his professional career cut short from an accident, and then meets a figure skater whose prima donna attitude sends every prospective partner running--and his heart a flutter. The skaters in the film include Tina Muir (Nyman); Christine Hough and Doug Ladret (Smilkov & Brushkin); Krista Coady and Brian Geddeis (Dubois & Gercel); Penny Papaioannou and Raoul LeBlanc (Weiderman Twins); Michelle Menzies and Kevin Wheeler (Yumez & Weaver); Patricia MacNeil and Cory Watson (Nationals Pair #1); Janice Yeck and Scott MacDonald (Nationals Pair #2); Allison Gaylor and John Robinson (Olympic Pair #1); Kim Esdaile and Sean Rice (Olympic Pair #2) and Haley Williams and John Jenkins (Olympic Pair #3). This film is an InterScope Communications production. A rough and tumble ex-hockey player is paired with a frosty ice skater to form a dynamic amateur skating team. A powerful skater he has to put down his stick after an eye injury and learn the grace and discipline of the new sport. Reluctantly, he learns the ropes from his new partner who is a driven perfectionist. Their skating passion turns to romance as they race for the gold. "A love-skate relationship" from film's advertisement.

The Fast and the Furious

The Fast and the Furious

Starring: Walker, Paul Diesel, Vin
Director: Cohen, Rob

Rating: PG-13
Category: Action & Adventure : Crime
User Rating:
Running Time: 107

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Amazon.com A guilty pleasure with excess horsepower, The Fast and the Furious efficiently combines time-honored male fantasies (hot cars, hot women, hot action) into a vacuous plot of crystalline purity. It's trash, but it's fun trash, in which a hotshot Los Angeles cop named Brian (Paul Walker) infiltrates a gang of street racers suspected of fencing stolen goods from hijacked trucks. The gang leader is Dom (Vin Diesel), ex-con and reigning king of the street racers, who lives for those 10 seconds of freedom when his high-performance "rice rocket" (a highly modified Asian import) hurtles toward another quarter-mile victory. Racing is street theater for a lawless youth subculture, and Dom is a star behind the wheel--charismatic, dangerous, and protective toward his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), who's attracted to Brian as the newest member of Dom's car-crazy team. Director Rob Cohen treats this like Roman tragedy for MTV junkies, pushing every scene to adrenaline-pumping extremes; when his camera isn't caressing a spectrum of nitrous oxide-enhanced dream machines, it's ogling countless slim 'n' sexy race babes. The undercover-cop scenario cheaply borrows the split-loyalty theme perfected in Donnie Brasco; a rival Asian gang adds mystery and menace; and digital trickery is cleverly employed to explore the fuel-injected innards of the day-glo racecars. It's about as substantial as a perfume ad, but just as alluring, and for heavy-metal maniacs of any age, Diesel's superblown '69 Charger proves that Detroit muscle never goes out of style. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition. Additional features There's a refreshing modesty to Rob Cohen's matter-of-fact commentary track, which contains one of the more practical dissections of direction voiced on DVD as it covers a mix of nuts-and-bolts filmmaking and cinematic thrill making. And why not? The Fast and the Furious is a sleek, unapologetic speed-demon buddy film, and the collector's-edition disc gleefully revels in the rush. Skip the "making of" featurette puff piece and cut to the visual-effects montage of the film's opening race:... read more

The Fox and the Hound

The Fox and the Hound

Starring: Rooney, Mickey Russell, Kurt McIntire, John Rooney, Mickey Nolan, Jeanette Winchell, Paul Russell, Kurt Albertson, Jack Albertson, Jack Bakalyan, Dick
Director: Rich, Richard

Rating: G
Category: Kids & Family : Animation
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 83

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Amazon.com The Fox and the Hound marked the last collaboration between Disney's older artists, including three of the "Nine Old Men" (Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, and Woolie Reitherman), and the young animators who would make the record-breaking films of the '90s. Based on a book by Daniel P. Mannix, the film tells the story of a bloodhound puppy and a fox kit who begin as friends but are forced to become enemies. Tod and Copper barely establish their friendship before Copper begins his training as hunting dog. Unfortunately, neither character develops much of a personality, which makes it difficult to care about them. The screen comes alive near end of the film, when Tod and Copper have to join forces to fight off an enormous bear. It had been years since Disney produced a sequence with this kind of feral power--and years would pass before they surpassed it. The Fox and the Hound ranks as one of the studio's lesser efforts, but it suggests that better films were soon to follow. (Ages 5 and older) --Charles Solomon --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

The Great Mouse Detective

The Great Mouse Detective

Starring: Price, Vincent Brenner, Eve Candido, Candy Barrie Ingham
Director: Michener, David

Rating: G
Category: Disney Home Video : All Disney Titles
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 74

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Amazon.com Just because Walt Disney created contemporary and traditional classics of animation doesn't mean the studio is out of ideas--not by a long shot. The Great Mouse Detective is richly animated and offers a clever tale. It may not be as easily recognized a title as Aladdin or The Little Mermaid, but all three share the same director, Ron Clements. Originally released theatrically in 1986, the mystery borrows easily from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and is based on Eve Titus's book Basil of Baker Street. When a brilliant toymaker is kidnapped by a creepy peg-legged bat, his daughter, Olivia, enlists the aid of the legendary Basil. Basil, Olivia, and Basil's assistant, Dr. Dawson, are part of an intricate city system of Victorian-era London mice. Basil quickly realizes his archenemy, Professor Ratigan (a rat who wants to be a mouse), is behind the abduction. Ratigan (voiced by Vincent Price) fiendishly aspires to take over London rodents--and will stop at nothing to achieve his greatest desire. The unlikely trio of good guys become heroes, of course. The engaging story line is a perfect introduction to Doyle's work and mysteries in general. Look for a very cleverly executed voice-cameo by Basil Rathbone (as Sherlock Holmes, natch). Alan Young (Mr. Ed) also provides a voice. Ages 4 and up. --N.F. Mendoza --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The Insider

The Insider

Starring: Pacino, Al Crowe, Russell Plummer, Christopher Venora, Diane Philip Baker Hall
Director: Mann, Michael

Rating: R
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 2 Hours 38 Minutes

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Amazon.com As revisionist history, Michael Mann's intelligent docudrama The Insider is a simmering brew of altered facts and dramatic license. In a broader perspective, however, the film (cowritten with Forrest Gump Oscar-winner Eric Roth) is effectively accurate as an engrossing study of ethics in the corruptible industries of tobacco and broadcast journalism. On one side, there is Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), the former tobacco scientist who violated contractual agreements to expose Brown & Williamson's inclusion of addictive ingredients in cigarettes, casting himself into a vortex of moral dilemma. On the other side is 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino), whose struggle to report Wigand's story puts him at odds with veteran correspondent Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer) and senior executives at CBS News. As the urgency of the story increases, so does the film's palpable sense of paranoia, inviting favorable comparison to All the President's Men. While Pacino downplays the theatrical excess that plagued him in previous roles, Crow is superb as a man who retains his tortured integrity at great personal cost. The Insider is two movies--a cover-up thriller and a drama about journalistic ethics--that combine to embrace the noble values personified by Wigand and Bergman. Even if the details aren't always precise (as Mike Wallace and others protested prior to the film's release), the film adheres to a higher truth that was so blatantly violated by tobacco executives seen in an oft-repeated video clip, lying under oath in the service of greed. --Jeff Shannon

The Journey of Natty Gann

The Journey of Natty Gann

Starring: Salenger, Meredith Cusack, John Wise, Ray Scatman Crothers
Director: Kagan, Jeremy Paul

Rating: PG
Category: Kids & Family
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 1 Hour 41 Minutes

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Amazon.com A sleeper when released in 1985, The Journey of Natty Gann has since become an enduring family classic. While following a familiar Disney formula (the perilous adventures of a girl and her pet wolf), director Jeremy Paul Kagan adds something fresh at every turn, aided by a first-rate cast and beautifully scenic locations. Then-promising newcomer Meredith Salenger is perfect in the title role--a scrappy kid in Depression-era Chicago who travels cross-country to the Pacific Northwest, hoping to find her father (Ray Wise), who had been forced to leave her with an awful landlady while he took a logging job in Washington. Natty befriends the wolf and a fellow drifter (John Cusack, in an early role), and her journey is a memorable one, intense and realistic but still appropriate for kids. Although Salenger's subsequent film career has been modest (she later graduated cum laude from Harvard), Natty Gann remains a worthy claim to fame. --Jeff Shannon Description Set in Chicago during the Great Depression, this inspirational story is about a young girl's search for her father after he is forced to suddenly travel west to take a job. Along the way, she is befriended by a young drifter with whom she develops a romantic attachment.

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid

Starring: Benson, Jodi Wright, Samuel E.
Director: Clements, Ron

Rating: G
Category: Kids & Family : Animation
User Rating:
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Amazon.com essential video From the moment that Prince Eric's ship emerged from the fog in the opening credits it was apparent that Disney had somehow, suddenly recaptured that "magic" that had been dormant for thirty years. In the tale of a headstrong young mermaid who yearns to "spend a day, warm on the sand," Ariel trades her voice to Ursula, the Sea Witch (classically voiced by Pat Carroll), for a pair of legs. Ariel can only succeed if she receives true love's kiss in a few day's time and she needs all the help she can from a singing crab named Sebastian, a loudmouth seagull, and a flounder. The lyrics and music by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken are top form: witty and relevant, and they advance the story (go on, hum a few bars of "Under the Sea"). Mermaid put animation back on the studio's "to do" list and was responsible for ushering Beauty and the Beast to theaters. A modern Disney classic. --Keith Simanton

The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (Widescreen Edition)

The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (Widescreen Edition)

Starring: Wood, Elijah McKellen, Ian Tyler, Liv
Director: Jackson, Peter

Rating: PG-13
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating:
Running Time: 2 Hours 59 Minutes

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Amazon.com The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a seamless continuation of Peter Jackson's epic fantasy based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. After the breaking of the Fellowship, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) journey to Mordor to destroy the One Ring of Power with the creature Gollum as their guide. Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) join in the defense of the people of Rohan, who are the first target in the eradication of the race of Men by the renegade wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) and the dark lord Sauron. Fantastic creatures, astounding visual effects, and a climactic battle at the fortress of Helm's Deep make The Two Towers a worthy successor to The Fellowship of the Ring, grander in scale but retaining the story's emotional intimacy. These two films are perhaps the greatest fantasy films ever made, but they're merely a prelude to the cataclysmic events of The Return of the King. --David Horiuchi --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition. Description Frodo Baggins and the Fellowship continue their quest to destroy the One Ring and stand against the evil of the dark lord Sauron. The Fellowship has divided and now find themselves taking different paths to defeating Sauron and his allies. Their destinies now lie at two towers - Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupted wizard Saruman waits and Sauron's fortress at Baraddur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor.

The Man in the Iron Mask

The Man in the Iron Mask

Starring: DiCaprio, Leonardo Irons, Jeremy DiCaprio, Leonardo DiCaprio, Leonardo Irons, Jeremy Malkovich, John Depardieu, Gérard Byrne, Gabriel Byrne, Gabriel
Director: Wallace, Randall

Rating: PG-13
Category: Action & Adventure
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 132

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Amazon.com Footnotes in movie books are likely to reduce this swashbuckling adventure down to a simple description: it was the first movie to star Leonardo DiCaprio after the phenomenal success of Titanic. As such it automatically attracted a box-office stampede of Leo's young female fans, but critical reaction was deservedly mixed. Having earned his directorial debut after writing the Oscar-winning script for Mel Gibson's Braveheart, Randall Wallace wrote and directed this ambitious version of the often-filmed classic novel by Alexandre Dumas. DiCaprio plays dual roles as the despotic King Louis XIV, who rules France with an iron fist, and the king's twin brother, Philippe, who languishes in prison under an iron mask, his identity concealed to prevent an overthrow of Louis' throne. But Louis' abuse of power ultimately enrages Athos (John Malkovich), one of the original Four Musketeers, who recruits his former partners (Gabriel Byrne, Gérard Depardieu, and Jeremy Irons) in a plot to liberate Philippe and install him as the king's identical replacement. Once this plot is set in motion and the Musketeers are each given moments in the spotlight, the film kicks into gear and offers plenty of entertainment in the grand style of vintage swashbucklers. But it's also sidetracked by excessive length and disposable subplots, and for all his post-Titanic star power, the boyish DiCaprio just isn't yet "man" enough to be fully convincing in his title role. Still, this is an entertaining movie, no less enjoyable for falling short of the greatness to which it aspired. --Jeff Shannon

The Matrix

The Matrix

Starring: Reeves, Keanu Fishburne, Laurence Moss, Carrie-Anne Weaving, Hugo Foster, Gloria Joe Pantoliano
Director: Wachowski, Larry

Rating: R
Category: Studio Specials : Warner Home Video : DVDs Under $15
User Rating: 4 Stars
Running Time: 136

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Amazon.com essential video 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 Editor's Note Some DVD players may experience technical difficulties while playing the Matrix DVD. The disc itself is not affected. For more information, go to the following URL: http://www.pcfriendly.com/support/title/matrix/

The Newton Boys

The Newton Boys

Starring: McConaughey, Matthew Ulrich, Skeet Hawke, Ethan
Director: Linklater, Richard

Rating: PG-13
Category: Drama : General
User Rating:
Running Time: 113

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Amazon.com The Newton Boys were the most successful bank robbers in the history of the United States. They never killed anyone, never snitched, and only robbed banks (just bigger thieves, in their opinion), until their final deal, which was a botched train robbery for $3 million. Engagingly played by Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, Skeet Ulrich, and Vincent D'Onofrio, the Boys don't have the kind of flaws of more brutal criminals that make for more volatile dramas. The film ambles along in a leisurely way to tell its story of the Newtons' bank-robbing career, with an ever-present air of reverent Americana. This may make some viewers impatient, and cause a glow in others. It seems like a departure for director Richard Linklater (Slacker, Dazed and Confused)--a costumer to be sure, but Linklater's deliberately amiable pace perfectly balances the Boys' personalities. You may wander into this movie and feel right at home. The golden-hued cinematography of Peter James (Driving Miss Daisy) adds a level of comfort that makes everything warm-like. The end credits intercut archival footage of two of the real-life Newton boys toward the end of their lives, one from a 1980 appearance with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. --Jim Gay

The Ninth Gate

The Ninth Gate

Starring: Depp, Johnny Langella, Frank Seigner, Emmanuelle Langella, Frank Olin, Lena Jefford, Barbara Lopez, Jose Depp, Johnny Depp, Johnny Willy Holt
Director: Polanski, Roman

Rating: R
Category: Mystery & Suspense
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 133

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Amazon.com The horror of Roman Polanski is not about spectacle and shock but a goose-pimply sense of evil lurking just outside the frame and hidden behind the faces of slightly unsettling characters. For a while it looks like The Ninth Gate, adapted from the novel The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, might recapture the beautiful uneasiness of such masterpieces as Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby. A calm, almost sleepy Johnny Depp plays cynical, unscrupulous rare-book hunter Dean Corso, who's hired by demonologist Boris Balkan (Frank Langella) to authenticate a rare volume that, legend has it, was cowritten by Lucifer himself. Dean leaves a Gothic looking New York (re-created in Europe by Polanski as a sinister city of shadows) for Portugal and Paris to compare Balkan's volume with the two copies known to be in existence and uncovers a mystery with unholy ramifications. He also finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that involves Balkan, a widow who will stop at nothing to retrieve Balkan's book (Lena Olin, who gleefully bites and claws her way through the part), and a mysterious guardian "angel" (Polanski's wife, Emmanuelle Seigner) who shadows his every step. The Ninth Gate is full of rumbling menace and deliciously unsettling imagery, but Polanski's languorous direction and purposefully vague story render a film that's eerie without every becoming thrilling. It's perpetually on the verge of becoming interesting--right up to its obscure final image. --Sean Axmaker --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The Outsiders

The Outsiders

Starring: Howell, C. Thomas Macchio, Ralph Lowe, Rob Lane, Diane Estevez, Emilio Cruise, Tom Dillon, Matt Waits, Tom Waits, Tom Swayze, Patrick
Director: Coppola, Francis Ford

Rating: PG (MPAA)
Category: Dramas
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 91

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Set in 1966; Produced and released in 1983. Francis Ford Coppola's stylized teen melodrama is based on the popular novel by S. E. Hinton. In 1960s Tulsa, the "right" and "wrong" sides of the tracks are represented by rival gangs, the upscale Socs and the underprivileged Greasers. Darrel Curtis (Patrick Swayze) is doing his best to raise his two younger brothers, Sodapop (Rob Lowe in his first film role) and Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell). Sensitive Ponyboy is a budding writer in love with Cherry (Diane Lane), the unobtainable beauty from the enemy gang. When Ponyboy's buddy, troubled Johnny Cade (Ralph Macchio), kills one of the Socs in self-defense, their friend Dallas (Matt Dillon) helps the two youths hide out in an abandoned country church. There they live as exiles from a society that doesn't want them. But not all is lost, when Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dallas save some children caught in a fire they become unlikely heroes. The young cast is the jewel of this sensitive, moving film. Tom Cruise and Emilio Estevez play Greasers, and pop singer Leif Garrett plays rich-kid Bob. Dillon also starred that year in another S. E.Hinton adaptation directed by Coppola--the fascinating and extremely entertaining RUMBLE FISH. THE OUTSIDERS marks the film debut of Rob Lowe. S.E. Hinton wrote THE OUTSIDERS when she was only 15 and had it published two years later in 1967. It was her first novel; it sold millions of copies. Hinton was the author of other popular teen novels such as TEX and RUMBLE FISH, both of which were made into movies starring Matt Dillon. RUMBLE FISH was also directed by Coppola the same year. Francis Ford Coppola first became aware of S.E. Hinton's book THE OUTSIDERS when Jo Ellen Misakian, a librarian at the Lone Star School in Fresno, California, and her students wrote a letter to Coppola suggesting the book be made into a movie. He dedicated the film to them. THE OUTSIDERS spawned a TV series. Sofia Coppola has one line in the film as a little girl asking Dallas Winston for a dime. S.E. Hinton appears in the film as a nurse. "Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold."--Johnny Cade (Ralph Macchio) "He's so greasy he glides when he walks. He goes to the barbershop for an oil change, not a haircut."--Two-Bit Matthews (Emilio Estevez) Francis Ford Coppola's stylized teen melodrama is based on the popular novel by S. E. Hinton. In 1960s Tulsa, the "right" and "wrong" sides of the tracks are represented by rival gangs, the upscale Socs and the underprivileged Greasers. Darrel Curtis (Patrick Swayze) is trying to raise his two younger brothers, Sodapop (Rob Lowe in his first film role) and Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell). Sensitive Ponyboy is a budding writer in love with Cherry (Diane Lane), the unobtainable beauty from the enemy gang. When Ponyboy's buddy, troubled Johnny Cade (Ralph Macchio), kills one of the Socs in self-defense, their friend Dallas (Matt Dillon) helps the two youths hide out in an abandoned country church, exiles from a society that doesn't want them. Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dallas become unlikely heroes when they save some children caught in a fire. The young cast, which also includes Tom Cruise and Emilio Estevez as Greasers and pop singer Leif Garrett as rich kid Bob, is the biggest reason to watch this sensitive, moving film. Matt Dillon also starred that year in another S. E.Hinton adaptation directed by Coppola--the fascinating and extremely entertaining RUMBLE FISH. "Ya think my old man gives a hang whether I'm drunk or in jail or in a car wreck?" (Dally/Matt Dillon)

The Parent Trap

The Parent Trap

Starring: O'Hara, Maureen Keith, Brian Ruggles, Charlie Merkel, Una Carroll, Leo G. Barnes, Joanna Mills, Hayley Nesbitt, Cathleen Nesbitt, Cathleen Mills, Hayley
Director: Swift, David

Rating: Not Rated
Category: Comedies
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 129

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Two long separated twin sisters meet unexpectedly at a summer camp where their divorced parents sent them. Together they hatch an ingenious plot to reunite their families. Academy Award Nominations: 2, including Best Film Editing. Shot in Technicolor. A couple, planning to divorce, decides that each parent should get one of their twin daughters to raise. 14 years later, the two girls meet at summer camp -- and decide to switch places to see how the other half lives.

The Perfect Storm

The Perfect Storm

Starring: Clooney, George Wahlberg, Mark Reilly, John C. Lane, Diane Fichtner, William John Hawkes
Director: Petersen, Wolfgang

Rating: PG-13
Category: Action & Adventure : Disaster Films
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 130

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Amazon.com Setting out for the one last catch that will make up for a lackluster fishing season, Captain Billy Tyne (George Clooney) pushes his boat the Andrea Gail out to the waters of the Flemish Cap off Nova Scotia for what will be a huge swordfish haul. While his crew is gathering fish, three storm fronts (including a hurricane) collide to create a "perfect storm" of colossal force, and Billy's path back to Gloucester, Massachusetts, takes them right smack into the middle of it. Wolfgang Petersen's adaptation of Sebastian Junger's seafaring bestseller is a faithful if by-the-numbers true-story account of a monster storm that rocked New England in 1991, specifically Tyne's commercial fishing boat and its crew. Junger's tale fashioned a compelling if staid narrative out of seemingly disparate events, but this film adaptation tends to flatten out the story into a conventional if absorbing story of man vs. nature, as the crew fights for survival against the awesome waves the storm kicks up. The central part of the film, which cuts between the Andrea Gail's fight to stay afloat and the attempts of the Coast Guard to rescue a yacht in peril, is suspenseful action of the first degree, aided by some awesome computer-generated waves. Still, it's a long way to that action, with an extended first act that consists mainly of stoic men, crying women, and a fair amount of "don't go out into the sea" dialogue--in other words, a compelling story has been shoehorned into standard summer movie fare. It's too bad, as Peterson assembled an excellent cast--including Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane, John C. Reilly, and William Fichtner among them--but seems to opt for only a surface exploration of these characters, though Clooney seems to have a touch of Captain Ahab in him. You may still be won over by the movie, but for a more in-depth portrait, go to Junger's book for the missing details. --Mark Englehart --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The Quick and the Dead

The Quick and the Dead

Starring: Stone, Sharon Hackman, Gene Crowe, Russell DiCaprio, Leonardo Tobin Bell
Director: Raimi, Sam

Rating: R
Category: All Deals
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 105

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Amazon.com Director Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead) tries gamely to recapture the exotic mysteries of spaghetti Westerns in this stylish but empty film, which stars Sharon Stone as a stranger who comes to the town of Redemption in time for an annual shooting contest. Her real motivations for being there are the stuff that might have found their way into a film by Sergio Leone--in fact, much of this film is a pastiche of Leone's greatest hits, including A Fistful of Dollars and Once upon a Time in America--but one can't quite believe Stone in the role. Gene Hackman gives a predictably solid performance as the town tyrant, and Leonardo DiCaprio is good as a lucky young gunslinger who gets to kiss the heroine. But not even the cast can help this failed project. Raimi brings a lot of razzle-dazzle to his camera work, but it doesn't make the film any more substantial. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

The Rainmaker

The Rainmaker

Starring: Damon, Matt DeVito, Danny Voight, Jon Place, Mary Kay Mickey Rourke
Director: Coppola, Francis Ford

Rating: PG-13
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 135

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Amazon.com essential video When viewed from a cranky perspective, this by-the-book David vs. Goliath story doesn't offer any surprises, and it's a bit sad to watch director Francis Coppola (who also adapted John Grisham's bestseller) squandering his once-glorious talent on such conventional Hollywood fare. In a more charitable light, however, there's great pleasure to be found in Coppola's intelligent, no-nonsense handling of a plot that's every bit as involving as it is formulaic. Coppola also knows how to bring out the best in a stellar cast, and this is the movie (released in November 1997, just a few weeks before Good Will Hunting) that signaled Matt Damon's arrival as a major-league star. Damon plays Rudy Baylor, a young rookie lawyer in Memphis (location of many Grisham stories) who takes on a powerful insurance company (led by a sharklike lawyer played by Jon Voight) by representing the family of a boy who was denied potentially life-saving treatment for leukemia. Rudy also comes to the rescue of an abused wife (Claire Danes) and learns the tricks of the legal trade from a seasoned paralegal (Danny DeVito), who sees Rudy as his ticket out of the sleazeball practice run by a shady lawyer (Mickey Rourke). There's no mystery about where this plot is going, but Coppola takes us there in high style with a sharp script, and Damon strikes just the right note of naivete and strategic intelligence. When Goliath inevitably falls, this courtroom David wins fair and square. --Jeff Shannon

The Rookie (Full Screen Edition)

The Rookie (Full Screen Edition)

Starring: Quaid, Dennis Griffiths, Rachel Blackwell, David Cox, Brian Jones, Angus T. Scheine, Raynor Applegate, Royce D. Quaid, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Deckert, Blue
Director: Hancock, John Lee

Rating: G
Category: Drama : By Theme : Biography
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 127

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Amazon.com Jim Morris, the real-life hero of The Rookie, has an inspirational story all but guaranteed to put a smile on anyone's face. Happily, this G-rated Disney drama, based on Morris's published memoir of the same title, is suitable for an all-ages audience. Blessed with an awesome fastball, Morris nursed dreams of pitching for Major League Baseball during his 20s; injuries and bad luck, however, forced him to give up hope and become a teacher and coach. Years later, pressed by students and colleagues to try out for "the Show" one more time, Morris discovered he still had a powerful arm, and he was signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The Rookie is at its best throughout this first chapter in Morris's midlife adventure, though the rest of the film finds fresh angles on more familiar baseball-movie conventions. Dennis Quaid is soulful and charismatic as Morris, perfect in his depiction of a man both thankful and startled that destiny has given one of the good guys his due. Appropriate for ages 4 and up. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition.

The Santa Clause

The Santa Clause

Starring: Reinhold, Judge Crewson, Wendy Boyle, Peter Lloyd, Eric Gross, Mary Allen, Tim Krumholtz, David Scott, Judith Scott, Judith Tamada, Paige
Director: Pasquin, John

Rating: PG (MPAA)
Category: Comedies
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 97

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When Santa Claus gets killed in a freak accident after being startled on the rooftop of a house, it looks like Christmas is ruined. But fortunately, just before his death, the jolly, gift-giver passed the torch to ad executive Scott Calvin (Tim Allen), who finishes the job of bestowing holiday cheer on all. When he finally reaches on the North Pole, however, Scott learns that he can't give up the job -- he's become the next Santa Claus. (THAT'S the Santa Clause!). Scott returns home, only to find himself slowly changing into the pudgy, white-haired old man so beloved of children... and to find that everyone around him considers him utterly and completely mad. Feature film debut for TV star and comedian Tim Allen. Additional credits: Chris Danton (unit production manager), Alan Edmisten, Michael Johnson, & Marcel Saumure (assistant directors), Carolyn Soper (visual effects producer), Nikki Amorosino (special effects), and Barry R. Koper (key makeup). BBFC rated U by the British Board of Film Classification.

The Secret of NIMH

The Secret of NIMH

Starring: Jacobi, Derek Hartman, Elizabeth Baddeley, Hermione Malet, Arthur Strauss, Peter Derek Jacobi
Director: Bluth, Don

Rating: G
Category: Kids & Family
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 1 Hour 22 Minutes

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Amazon.com In his book, Robert C. O'Brien called his brave widow mouse "Mrs. Frisby," but Disney escapee animator Don Bluth must have thought kids would laugh the wrong way at that. They renamed her "Mrs. Brisby" for NIMH. That acronym stands for the National Institute of Mental Health, and the rats that live near Mrs. Brisby came from NIMH--they have strange ways. But they're the only ones who can save her house and her children, so Brisby seeks them out with the help of a humorous crow (Dom DeLuise). The magic gets laid on a little thick but this is Don Bluth's most successful attempt to achieve a complete, sincere, animated film. It's often forgotten, but it's a true surprise and a rare treat in the vast wasteland of insubstantial children's fare. --Keith Simanton --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption

Starring: Robbins, Tim Freeman, Morgan Gunton, Bob Sadler, Bill Clancy Brown
Director: Darabont, Frank

Rating: R
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 142

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Amazon.com essential video When this popular prison drama was released in 1994, some critics complained that the movie was too long (142 minutes) to sustain its story. Those complaints miss the point, because the passage of time is crucial to this story about patience, the squeaky wheels of justice, and the growth of a life-long friendship. Only when the film reaches its final, emotionally satisfying scene do you fully understand why writer-director Frank Darabont (adapting a novella by Stephen King) allows the story to unfold at its necessary pace, and the effect is dramatically rewarding. Tim Robbins plays a banker named Andy who's sent to Shawshank Prison on a murder charge, but as he gets to know a life-term prisoner named Red (Morgan Freeman), we realize there's reason to believe the banker's crime was justifiable. We also realize that Andy's calm, quiet exterior hides a great reserve of patience and fortitude, and Red comes to admire this mild-mannered man who first struck him as weak and unfit for prison life. So it is that The Shawshank Redemption builds considerable impact as a prison drama that defies the conventions of the genre (violence, brutality, riots) to illustrate its theme of faith, friendship, and survival. Nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actor, and Screenplay, it's a remarkable film that signaled the arrival of a promising new filmmaker--a film that many movie lovers count among their all-time favorites. --Jeff Shannon

The Sixth Sense (Vista Series)

The Sixth Sense (Vista Series)

Starring: Willis, Bruce Osment, Haley Joel
Director: Shyamalan, M. Night

Rating: PG-13
Category: Horror : General
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time:

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Amazon.com The Vista Series edition comes beautifully packaged with a second DVD loaded with extras. "Moving Pictures: The Storyboard Process" offers insight into the philosophy and mechanics of director M. Night Shyamalan's meticulous work process, which involves sketching out every single shot before filming even begins. "Reflections from the Set" highlights the thorough, mutual admiration between cast and crew that seems to have contributed a great deal to the making of a good film. The quick "Rules and Clues" segment is a fun one to watch just before rewatching the movie itself--it shows how much attention was paid to make sure that yes, it really does work. "Between Two Worlds" examines the nature of the afterlife itself, using film clips, medieval paintings, and commentary from academics and The Exorcist author William Peter Blatty to generate a general sense that there just might be something standing right behind you. The deleted scenes are the most interesting feature; though they are well done, it's clearly a better movie without them. --Ali Davis Description Hollywood superstar Bruce Willis (ARMAGEDDON, THE SIEGE) brings a powerful presence to an edge-of-your-seat thriller from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (Oscar(R)-nominee for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director) that critics are calling one of the greatest ghost stories ever filmed. When Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Willis), a distinguished child psychologist, meets Cole Sear (Oscar(R)-nominee Haley Joel Osment, Best Supporting Actor), a frightened, confused, eight-year-old, Dr. Crowe is... read more

The Sword in the Stone

The Sword in the Stone

Starring: Swenson, Karl Sorensen, Rickie
Director: Reitherman, Wolfgang

Rating: G
Category: Kids & Family : Animation
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 79

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Amazon.com Based upon T.H. White's beloved novel, this Disney-fied version chronicles the tutoring of the Once and Future King, Arthur, as handled by the magician Merlin. Sword was a portent of things to come, with slapstick upbraiding storytelling, and cultural in-jokes substituting for wonder. But there's much to enjoy here as Merlin shows Newt, the young Arthur, things that will help him become the ruler of the Britons. The transformation sequences, where the boy is turned into a fish, a bird, and a squirrel are vintage Disney. The oft-repeated scene of Merlin battling it out with the mean old Madame Mim still is worth a few chuckles, but it belies the problem with most of the film--the scenes are only there for the chuckles. References by Merlin to television and other items of modern life also mar the generally innocuous landscape. Children will like it, but they won't cherish it. --Keith Simanton --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

The Three Caballeros

The Three Caballeros

Starring: Miranda, Aurora Molina, Carmen Luz, Dora Nash, Clarence Joaquin Garay
Director: Ferguson, Norman

Rating: G
Category: Kids & Family : Animation
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 72

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Amazon.com As a Disney oddity, they don't get much odder than Three Caballeros. Donald Duck receives a birthday package from South America, and the film proceeds to unravel like some peyote-induced hallucination. It starts out reminiscent of other Disney films, where shorts are cobbled together, such as "Make Mine Music" or "Fun and Fancy Free." The film has vignettes such as "The Cold-Blooded Penguin" and "The Flying Guachito." After them it careens straight into part-travelogue, part-stream-of-consciousness animation. Not helping out much are Donald's "friends," Joe Carioca (a parrot) and Panchito (a rooster). They spend most of the rest of the film watching Donald chase skirt. That's right, Donald Duck is a wolf in this movie, and he chases every live-action señorita who bustles across the screen. Although some will say otherwise, Caballeros is for die-hard Disney, Donald, or psychedelia fans only. --Keith Simanton --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers

Starring: Sheen, Charlie Sutherland, Kiefer O'Donnell, Chris Platt, Oliver Tim Curry
Director: Herek, Stephen

Rating: PG
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating: 1 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

Color DTS Surround Sound

Description Nab the star-studded comedy-adventure that dazzled moviegoers everywhere! It's the action-packed tale of three loyal swordsmen (Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt) who are joined by an eager recruit (Chris O'Donnell) to protect the King of France. Together, the foursome battle enormous odds in their attempt to defeat an evil royal advisor (Tim Curry) and a seductive envoy (Rebecca De Mornay) plotting to overthrow France's crown -- fighting against both time and scores of enemies! You'll cheer out loud when these exciting muskeeteers face danger, fun, and adventure at every turn -- proving they are the greatest swashbucklers who ever lived!

The Tom Cruise Action Pack

The Tom Cruise Action Pack

Starring: Cruise, Tom
Director: Palma, Brian De

Rating: PG-13
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating:
Running Time:

Color Dolby

Those eyes… that grin… that bottomless well-spring of confidence… Oh Tommy, you are quite the package. And so is this excellent DVD set, which contains three of his most popular and exciting films: Top Gun, Days of Thunder and Mission: Impossible. Whether he's rocketing through the skies and shooting down bad guys in a beefy F-14 Tomcat, or barreling along the track in a suped-up powerhouse of a stock car, or playing cat-and-mouse with deadly international crooks and spies, Tom Cruise has enough charisma to take your breath away. So Cruise into overdrive with this Tom Cruise Action Pack, a DVD essential for any fan of one of the hottest actors ever to make adrenaline highs an infectious contact sport.

The Usual Suspects (Special Edition)

The Usual Suspects (Special Edition)

Starring: Byrne, Gabriel Spacey, Kevin Palminteri, Chazz Pollak, Kevin Postlethwaite, Pete Kevin Spacey
Director: Singer, Bryan

Rating: R
Category: Mystery & Suspense : Thrillers
User Rating: 4 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 106

Color Dolby

Amazon.com essential video Ever since this convoluted thriller dazzled audiences and critics in 1995 and won an Oscar for Christopher McQuarrie's twisting screenplay, The Usual Suspects has continued to divide movie lovers into opposite camps. While a lot of people take great pleasure from the movie's now-famous central mystery (namely, "Who is Keyser Söze?"), others aren't so easily impressed by a movie that's too enamored of its own cleverness to make much sense. After all, what are we to make of a final scene that renders the entire movie obsolete? Half the fun of The Usual Suspects is the debate it provokes and the sheer pleasure of watching its dynamic cast in action, led (or should we say, misled) by Oscar winner Kevin Spacey as the club-footed con man who recounts the saga of enigmatic Hungarian mobster Keyser Söze. Spacey's in a band of thieves that includes Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Pollak, and Benicio Del Toro, all gathered in a plot to steal a large shipment of cocaine. The story is told in flashback as a twisted plot being described by Spacey's character to an investigating detective (Chazz Palmintieri), and The Usual Suspects is enjoyable for the way it keeps the viewer guessing right up to its surprise ending. Whether that ending will enhance or extinguish the pleasure is up to each viewer to decide. Even if it ultimately makes little or no sense at all, this is a funny and fiendish thriller, guaranteed to entertain even its vocal detractors. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the DVD edition.

Titanic

Titanic

Starring: Zane, Billy Winslet, Kate Di Caprio, Leonardo Owens, Alexandria Waddell, Alison Waddell, Amber Gaipa, Amy Falk, Anders Falk, Anders Fox, Bernard
Director: Cameron, James

Rating: PG-13
Category:
User Rating:
Running Time: 194 minutes

Color DigitalSound

An undersea expedition searching for a valuable diamond aboard the wreckage of the Titanic instead finds a drawing of seventeen-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater, on the way to her wedding to a wealthy tycoon. While Rose falls in love with Jack Dawson, a free-spirited artist and third-class passenger who ignites the unquenchable fires of passion inside her, the hubris of the ship's crew tempts them to test the cross-Atlantic speed record--smack into an iceberg. A rightfully celebrated, no-holds-barred, boffo blockbuster, with enough heart and soul to balance its extravagant special effects and record-breaking budget. Academy Award Nominations: 14, including Best Actress (Winslet) and Best Supporting Actress (Stuart). Academy Awards: 11, including Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Original Dramatic Score, Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design, and Best Song ("My Heart Will Go On," by James Horner and Will Jennings).

Tomcats

Tomcats

Starring: O'Connell, Jerry Elizabeth, Shannon Casey, Bernie Stiers, David Ogden Busey, Jake Fine, Travis Pressly, Jaime Elizabeth, Shannon Elizabeth, Shannon Julia Schultz
Director: Poirier, Gregory

Rating: R
Category: Comedy
User Rating: 1 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 95

Color Dolby

Amazon.com One might reasonably expect Tomcats to be the Porky's of 2001: after all, it concerns a group of young, sexist morons and their fears and fantasies about young women. But Tomcats isn't quite as brain-dead as that, though it is phenomenally more neurotic. Jerry O'Connell plays one of two remaining bachelors within a group of wealthy pals who set aside a cash reward, years before, earmarked for the last among them to get married. O'Connell needs the money to pay off a gambling debt, but his problem is that the other bachelor is a horrendous pig (Jake Busey) unlikely ever to land a gal. A general mean-spiritedness flows through this wearying comedy, manifest in such ugly moments as watching someone's girlfriend run over by a golf cart and an excised, cancerous testicle kicked around hospital hallways. If you're looking for female flesh, however, forget it: Tomcats is far more driven to explore male nudity, while making equally naked today's masculine fears of impotence, mothers, and lesbians. --Tom Keogh

Tommy Boy

Tommy Boy

Starring: Farley, Chris Spade, David Derek, Bo Dennehy, Brian Lowe, Rob Warner, Julie Aykroyd, Dan Grenier, Zach Grenier, Zach
Director: Segal, Peter

Rating: Rated PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: DVD Buddies : Comedies : Comedy : Family Interaction : On-The-Road : Recommended : Self-Discovery : Slapstick
User Rating:
Running Time: 98 minutes

Color AC3 Sound

Description: "...Farley and Spade are very funny....Check out Farley to see a master at work..." Description: "...Rowdy, rambunctious, sweet-natured....Farley and Spade take off like rockets....TOMMY BOY is a good belly laugh of a movie..." Description: After Tommy (Chris Farley) barely graduates from college, he returns home to the midwest where his father (Brian Dennehy), the owner of an auto parts factory, immediately employs his dumber than dumb son. While Tommy was away at school, his father had fallen in love with a beautiful woman (Bo Derek) and now desires to marry her. During the wedding ceremony, however, Tommy's dad tragically dies from a heart attack, which puts the company's -- and its 300 employees' -- future at stake. It is up to Tommy to use any available intelligence to keep his father's factory from going under. This road comedy uses the seriously comedic chemistry between the late Farley and his SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE buddy David Spade to brilliant effect. Description: Filmed in Panavision; Deluxe. Rated BBFC PG by the British Board of Film Classification. Description: After seven years of college finally yields a degree, a dim-witted party animal returns to work at his father's company, only to be forced on the road with an anal-retentive numbers-cruncher to try to save the failing business.

Top Gun

Top Gun

Starring: Cruise, Tom McGillis, Kelly Kilmer, Val Edwards, Anthony Tom Skerritt
Director: Scott, Tony

Rating: PG
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 109

Color Dolby

Amazon.com essential video Jingoism, beefcake, military hardware, and a Giorgio Moroder rock score reign supreme over taste and logic in this Tony Scott film about a maverick trainee pilot (Tom Cruise) who can't follow the rules at a Navy aviation training facility. The dogfight sequences between American and Soviet jets at the end are absolutely mechanical, though audiences loved it at the time. The love story between Cruise's character and that of Kelly McGillis is like flipping through pages of advertising in a glossy magazine. This designer action movie from 1986 would be all the more appalling were it not for the canny casting of good actors in dumb parts. Standouts include Anthony Edwards--who makes a nice impression as Cruise's average-Joe pal--and the relatively unknown Meg Ryan in a small but memorable appearance. The DVD release has optional full-screen and widescreen presentations, optional French soundtrack, optional Spanish subtitles, and closed captioning. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

Trial by Jury

Trial by Jury

Starring: Whalley, Joanne Assante, Armand Byrne, Gabriel Hurt, William Kathleen Quinlan
Director: Gould, Heywood

Rating: R
Category: Mystery & Suspense
User Rating: 2 Stars
Running Time: 107

Color Dolby

Joanne Whalley-Kilmer stars as a woman corrupted by the criminal justice system in this courtroom suspense thriller. She plays a civil servant named Valerie Alston, a single mother living in New York City, who gets placed on a jury trying the case of mob boss Rusty Pirone (Armand Assante). A former homicide detective gone bad, Tommy Vesey (William Hurt), is now working for Pirone. He kidnaps Valerie and threatens her and her son with more harm if she votes to convict Pirone. At the trial, District Attorney Daniel Graham (Gabriel Byrne) proves himself to be willing and able to stoop to unethical means to convict Pirone. In the jury room, Valerie skillfully exploits factions among the jurors in order to win an acquittal. Now cynical and corrupt herself, Valerie seduces mob boss Pirone to extract her own rewards for her service. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide Heywood Gould's courtroom thriller Trial By Jury comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. English and French soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1. English, French, and Spanish subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include trailers, and filmographies of the cast. This Warner Brothers release boasts superb sound and picture quality. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Twister

Twister

Starring: Paxton, Bill Elwes, Cary Gertz, Jami Grenier, Zach Smith, Lois Hoffman, Philip Seymour Ruck, Alan Whalen, Sean Whalen, Sean Thomson, Scott
Director: de Bont, Jan

Rating: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action & Adventure : Disaster Films
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 113

Color Digital

An ex-husband-and-wife team of stormchasers rush to be the first to study the dynamics of tornados in America's heartland. The uncredited lead roles are the tornados, created with eye-dazzling computer generated effects. Michael Crichton contributed the fast-moving story. Academy Award Nominations: Best Sound, Best Visual Effects. This special effects-laden blockbuster chronicles one day in the life of a band of gung-ho "storm chasers," who track and follow twisters and tornadoes. The group, led by the gutsy Jo and her macho, soon-to-be-ex Bill, have invented "Dorothy," a tank containing sensors that can provide much-needed info about these mysterious, severe weather conditions. But in order for Dorothy to work, she first must be swallowed by a twister. So Jo, Bill, and the gang put their lives on the line innumerable times, as getting close to the storm means dodging everything from windswept cattle to flying oil tankers. For Jo and Bill in particular, making meteorological history means having firsthand experience of the inside of a twister... Released theatrically in the USA on May 10, 1996, "Twister" created a storm, blowing away the competition with its $41 million gross its opening weekend, breaking box office records in the process. Digitally mastered by THX for superior sound and picture quality. Each Warner Home Video VHS version includes a 30-second public service announcement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency about preparing for the kind of natural disaster that is depicted in the film. The tie-in represents an unprecedented partnership between the federal government and a major motion picture studio. Color by Technicolor; in Panavision widescreen; in DTS and SDDS (Sony Dynamic Digital Sound). Additional cast: Zach Grenier (Eddie) and Scott Thomson (Preacher). Additional credits: Patrick Sullivan (set design) and Stefen Fangmeier (visual effects supervisor).

Two Weeks Notice

Two Weeks Notice

Starring: Witt, Alicia Grant, Hugh Haig, David Klein, Robert Burns, Heather Bullock, Sandra Ivey, Dana Burns, Heather Burns, Heather Bernhardt, Lainie
Director: Lawrence, Marc

Rating: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Comedies
User Rating:
Running Time: 100

Color Mono

Opposites attract in the directorial debut of screenwriter Marc Lawrence. Determined activist, lawyer, and idealist Lucy Kelson (Sandra Bullock) has a noble reason for accepting a top position at Wade Realty Corporation. By taking the job, she can save the beloved community center in her Coney Island neighborhood. Along with the job comes the position of personal advisor to her high-maintenance boss, George Wade (Hugh Grant). As the two work together, down-to-earth Lucy becomes utterly indispensable to millionaire playboy George, so much so that he seeks her advice on everything from stationery selection to his divorce settlement to what suit he should wear. When Lucy gives her two weeks notice and realizes that her potential replacement, June Carter (Alicia Witt), has some strong chemistry with George, she has to acknowledge her own romantic feelings for her boss. Likewise, faced with losing the person he relies upon most, George is forced to do some soul searching of his own. Grant is well-cast as freewheeling George, delivering his lines with subtlety and making a potentially irritating character likable and charming. TWO WEEKS NOTICE also stars Dana Ivey and Robert Klein as Lucy's parents. Theatrical Release Date: December 20, 2002

U-571 - Collector's Edition

U-571 - Collector's Edition

Starring: McConaughey, Matthew Paxton, Bill Kretschmann, Thomas Weber, Jake Cheetwood, Derk Power, Dave Settle, Matthew Palladino, Erik Palladino, Erik Guiry, Tom
Director: Mostow, Jonathan

Rating: PG-13
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 117

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Amazon.com Taut and gripping, U-571 follows the exploits of a fictional team of World War II U.S. submariners who undertake a secret mission to capture a German Enigma machine to decode German documents. Writer-director Jonathan Mostow (Breakdown) tells an intense, economical tale, reminiscent of the best classic war films, while infusing it with modern sentiments. Spring 1942: A crew of young submarine sailors are on a much-needed 48-hour liberty when they're suddenly called together and engaged in an expedition. At the helm are Lieutenant Commander Mike Dahlgren (Bill Paxton), Lieutenant Andrew Tyler (Matthew McConaughey), and Chief Klough (Harvey Keitel). Other pivotal crew members include Tyler's Annapolis pal Lieutenant Pete Emmett (Jon Bon Jovi, proving his acting mettle) and Lieutenant Hirsch (Jake Weber), who, along with Marine Major Coonan (David Keith), organizes the mission. As much of the movie takes place in a submarine during WWII, there are inevitable comparisons with the technical masterpiece Das Boot, but Mostow's masterfully shot tale can hold its own. McConaughey's Tyler is believably earnest as he comes to grips with the reality, tragedy, and consequence of being in command. While this explosion-filled film consistently maintains its tense pace (as did the underrated Breakdown), it also presents with surprising restraint a genuine human story--and the remarkable journey of an unexpected hero. --N.F. Mendoza --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Varsity Blues

Varsity Blues

Starring: Beek, James Van Der Voight, Jon Walker, Paul Lester, Ron Scott Caan
Director: Robbins, Brian

Rating: R
Category: Drama : General
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 104

Color Stereo

Amazon.com This MTV-produced drama only looks like an adaptation of H.G. Bissinger's expert dissertation of the church of high school football, Friday Night Lights. The energetic, breezy movie has none of the seriousness of Bissinger's book except on its basic level: in West Texas, high school football is life. Into this world comes Jonathan "Mox" Moxon (James Van Der Beek), a brainy, uncharacteristic jock who sits on the sideline reading Slaughterhouse Five until the West Caanan High School Coyotes All-Texas QB goes down with an injury. Suddenly the spotlight and the tyrannical ways of coach Bud Kilmer (another ace evil turn by Jon Voight) are on Mox and the light is white-hot. There have been several films that show tough, honest kids doing their best against the worst of small-town coaches (Tom Cruise in All the Right Moves, for one) but Varsity Blues, in its glossy style, takes a more curious turn: studying what happens when celebrity comes to the well-adjusted high schooler. Mox starts seeing the rewards of stardom: a six-pack under the counter, acceptance in school, even easy sex from the girl who goes after the starting quarterback (Ali Larter). Will Mox win the big game? Will he bend to the wills of his coach? Will he stay with his old girlfriend? The questions are easy enough to answer, but the film has an ace up its sleeve: Van Der Beek has the stuff to carry the movie. Fans of TV's Dawson's Creek will see a slightly grittier dreamboat here, and Van Der Beek's care with the role makes the most ludicrous parts--including a trip to a strip club--manage a certain aura. --Doug Thomas

Vertical Limit (Special Edition)

Vertical Limit (Special Edition)

Starring: O'Donnell, Chris Glenn, Scott Tunney, Robin Glenn, Scott Scorupco, Izabella Morrison, Temuera Stuart Wilson
Director: Campbell, Martin

Rating: PG-13
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 124

Color Dolby

Amazon.com Finally, a movie for the REI set! For all those mountain-climbing aficionados who devoured Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air and similar books (as well as the IMAX film Everest), Vertical Limit attempts to translate man-against-the-mountain adventure into compelling, albeit fictional, drama. And while the climbing action is pretty darn breathtaking, somebody forgot to put the brakes on the cliché machine while penning the screenplay. Two siblings (Chris O'Donnell and Robin Tunney) are mentally scarred by a climbing accident in which their father died to save them. She becomes a famous mountain climber (catch that Sports Illustrated cover?); he never climbs again, and becomes a National Geographic photographer. She agrees to accompany a shady billionaire (Bill Paxton) up the icy carapace of K2, the world's second highest mountain; he just happens to be "in the neighborhood" when she starts. After the requisite argument, she sets out, but an avalanche strands her and the billionaire in some kind of underground cavern, and bad weather forbids a daring rescue. It's up to her determined brother to bring her back, along with a ragtag team of rescuers that includes a French-Canadian babe, two wisecracking Aussies, and a crusty old sage (Scott Glenn) who has a few scores to settle. It's easy to pick out the rest of the story from here (though you probably didn't count on that faulty nitroglycerine, now did you?), but Vertical Limit is less about the hackneyed plot than it is about putting its characters into increasingly dangerous situations and hanging them precariously over various mountainsides. It's a credit to director Martin Campbell (GoldenEye) that the impressive action keeps the film moving along past the bordering-on-absurd plot twists. O'Donnell tosses his mane of fluffy hair admirably, but it's still disheartening to see this once-promising actor turning into a pretty-boy stand-in; only Glenn manages to overcome his character's predictability. Mountaineering enthusiasts will recognize a cameo by world-renowned climber Ed Viesturs, who as an actor proves that he's... a very good mountain climber. --Mark Englehart --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition.

Wild Things

Wild Things

Starring: Dillon, Matt Bacon, Kevin Campbell, Neve Russell, Theresa Denise Richards
Director: McNaughton, John

Rating: R
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 108

Color Dolby

Amazon.com Wild Things is the kind of lurid, trashy thriller that you'll either dive into with unabashed pleasure or turn away from in prudish disgust; it's entirely your choice, but we suggest the former option since it's obviously much more fun. The plot's so convoluted it's hardly worth describing, except to say that it's set in humid Florida and involves a respected high school teacher (Matt Dillon--yes, Matt Dillon as a teacher!) who is faced with accusations of rape by a student (Denise Richards, from Starship Troopers) who had been giving him the kind of attention most people would consider improper for such a "nice" young lady. Another student (Neve Campbell) raises a similar charge against the teacher, and that's when a police officer (Kevin Bacon) begins to investigate the allegations. Just when you think the movie's gone overboard with its shameless sex and absurdly twisted plot, in drops Bill Murray as an unscrupulous lawyer (of course) to spice things up with insurance scams and welcomed comic relief. As directed by John McNaughton (who has a way of making just the right moves with this kind of film noir melodrama), Wild Things is a bona fide guilty pleasure--the kind of movie you may be ashamed to enjoy, but what the heck, you'll enjoy it anyway. --Jeff Shannon

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (30th Anniversary Edition - Full Screen)

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (30th Anniversary Edition - Full Screen)

Starring: Wilder, Gene Albertson, Jack Ostrum, Peter Kinnear, Roy Cole, Julie Dawn Aubrey Woods
Director: Stuart, Mel

Rating: G
Category: Kids & Family : By Theme : Coming of Age
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 100

Color Stereo

Amazon.com essential video Having proven itself as a favorite film of children around the world, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is every bit as entertaining now as it was when originally released in 1971. There's a timeless appeal to Roald Dahl's classic children's novel, which was playfully preserved in this charming musical, from the colorful carnival-like splendor of its production design to the infectious melody of the "Oompah-Loompah" songs that punctuate the story. Who can forget those diminutive Oompah-Loompah workers who recite rhyming parental warnings ("Oompah-Loompah, doopity do...") whenever some mischievous child has disobeyed Willy Wonka's orders to remain orderly? Oh, but we're getting ahead of ourselves ... it's really the story of the impoverished Charlie Bucket, who, along with four other kids and their parental guests, wins a coveted golden ticket to enter the fantastic realm of Wonka's mysterious confectionery. After the other kids have proven themselves to be irresponsible brats, it's Charlie who impresses Wonka and wins a reward beyond his wildest dreams. But before that, the tour of Wonka's factory provides a dazzling parade of delights, and with Gene Wilder giving a brilliant performance as the eccentric candyman, Wonka gains an edge of menace and madness that nicely counterbalances the movie's sentimental sweetness. It's that willingness to risk a darker tone--to show that even a wonderland like Wonka's can be a weird and dangerous place if you're a bad kid--that makes this an enduring family classic. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the DVD edition. Additional Features The golden ticket on this DVD is a delectable commentary track with the five grown-up Wonka kids: Julie Dawn Cole, Denise Nickerson, Paris Themmen, Michael Bollner, and Charlie himself, Peter Ostrum. Reunited for the first time since 1971, they joke and laugh and delight in the stories and remembrances each new scene brings. Other Wonka goodies include the new 30-minute documentary Pure Imagination (featuring archival footage with author Roald Dahl and new interviews with Gene Wilder) and... read more

With Honors

With Honors

Starring: Pesci, Joe Fraser, Brendan Kelly, Moira Dempsey, Patrick Josh Hamilton
Director: Keshishian, Alek

Rating: PG-13
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 101

Color Dolby

Amazon.com Joe Pesci gives his most likable performance to date, elevating this predictable comedy-drama. A stuck-up Harvard senior (Brendan Fraser) believes his life is ruined when an educated bum (Pesci) finds his thesis. The bum wants to trade each page for a favor during a harsh New England winter. Of course, the student learns more from his new friend than from the halls of Harvard. Some silly, melodramatic parts including an unbelievable classroom lecture make this comedy tiring at times. But the cast and dialogue ring truer than the tired plot. A solid first feature from Alek Keshishian (Truth or Dare), who graduated with honors from Harvard. --Doug Thomas --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

XXX

XXX

Starring: Jackson, Samuel L. Eve Diesel, Vin Argento, Asia Trejo, Danny Csokas, Marton Everett, Tom Roof, Michael Roof, Michael
Director: Cohen, Rob

Rating: PG-13 (MPAA)
Category: Action & Adventure : General
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 124

Color Digital Stereo

This amped action drama stars Vin Diesel as Xander (aka Triple X), a rebellious extreme sports star with a mission to defy authority and create anarchy. In the dramatic opening scene of the movie, Xander pulls an outrageous serious of stunts with the help of a band of similar-minded jocks, broadcasts the whole event live onto the Internet with a network of strategically placed digital cameras, and then avoids being captured by the squadron of police who pursue him. When Triple X is later taken into custody, Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson), a representative from a government agency, hires the chiseled athlete and turns him into a secret agent with a mission to travel to Prague and collapse a dangerous terrorist cell operated by Yorgi (Martin Csokas) and the seductive Yelena (Asia Argento). Triple X is quickly drawn into Yorgi's lair, a stunning chateau situated in the mountains that is equipped with every high-tech modern amenity imaginable, along with a sizeable team of extra-large Slav bodyguards, a laboratory staffed by top scientists, and an always-ready gaggle of gorgeous concubines. Non-stop stunts, pounding hard-core music, elaborate sets, and inventive costumes make this Rob Cohen-directed adrenaline overload a visually exciting, aurally engaging, highly entertaining success. Theatrical Release: August 9, 2002

Yoga Zone - Fat Burning

Yoga Zone - Fat Burning

Starring:
Director:

Rating: NR
Category: Fitness & Yoga
User Rating:
Running Time: 40

Color Stereo

Founded in 1992 by yoga master Alan Finger, the Yoga Zone began as a yoga studio and has gone on to become the focus of a cable television show as well as a long line of retail programs. Released by Koch International, Yoga Zone: Fat Burning includes two complete yoga routines, both of which are designed to help viewers tone muscle and burn fat while stretching and relaxing. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide This disc offers beginners a pair of helpful yoga workouts designed to burn fat away in the parts of the body where it is most likely to collect. The disc offers a standard full-frame transfer. The English soundtrack is as good as it needs to be for this particular type of disc. Anyone looking for a different workout regimen would be encouraged to check out this release from Koch Vision. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Yoga Zone - Yoga Sculpting for Beginners

Yoga Zone - Yoga Sculpting for Beginners

Starring:
Director: Ambandos, Andrea

Rating: NR
Category: Fitness & Yoga
User Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Running Time: 40

Color Stereo

Amazon.com Yoga Sculpting for Beginners introduces newcomers to the benefits of isometric postures and lengthening poses. Everything from breathing to body alignment is taught in this 40-minute session with special attention on contracting major muscles while holding stretches and poses. This program is divided into two 20-minute sets that focus distinctly on the upper and lower body separately. While one segment centers on poses that engage the pectorals, arms, and abs, another concentrates solely on the lower body by working the gluteus, hamstring, and low back muscles. This video accommodates a range of fitness levels and gives excellent instruction on the form and function of each movement. Both workouts can be done in sequence for a complete body challenge, or separately if you are short on time. Although the cues come slowly and clearly, beginners may have difficulty with the terminology and general familiarity of poses. To alleviate any confusion, first timers should watch the video through before attempting the poses. Don't let the serenity of the gorgeous beaches in the background fool you (the entire workout is filmed in Jamaica)--this is a tough workout that will make any yoga guru break a sweat. --Olivia Voigts --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition. From the Back Cover Create the body you always wanted with Yoga Zone's Yoga Sculpting video. The yoga routines in these two complete sessions will tighten your abs, lift your buttocks and strengthen your upper body. These invigorating workouts are targeted to sculpt the areas that need it the most, and will develop core strength to increase muscle definition. Plus, the yoga breathing techniques will leave your whole body feeling recharged and refreshed. This easy-to-follow video is appropriate for beginner to... read more

You've Got Mail

You've Got Mail

Starring: Hanks, Tom Ryan, Meg Posey, Parker Kinnear, Greg Stapleton, Jean Palin, Michael Hallee Hirsh
Director: Ephron, Nora

Rating: PG
Category: Comedy : General
User Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 120

Color Dolby

Amazon.com essential video By now, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan have amassed such a fund of goodwill with moviegoers that any new onscreen pairing brings nearly reflexive smiles. In You've Got Mail, the quintessential boy and girl next door repeat the tentative romantic crescendo that made Sleepless in Seattle, writer-director Nora Ephron's previous excursion with the duo, a massive hit. The prospective couple do actually meet face to face early on, but Mail otherwise repeats the earlier feature's gentle, extended tease of saving its romantic resolution until the final, gauzy shot. The underlying narrative is an even more old-fashioned romantic pas de deux that is casually hooked to a newfangled device. The script, cowritten by the director and her sister, Delia Ephron, updates and relocates the Ernst Lubitsch classic, The Shop Around the Corner, to contemporary Manhattan, where Joe Fox (Hanks) is a cheerfully rapacious merchant whose chain of book superstores is gobbling up smaller, more specialized shops such as the children's bookstore owned by Kathleen Kelly (Ryan). Their lives run in close parallel in the same idealized neighborhood, yet they first meet anonymously, online, where they gradually nurture a warm, even intimate correspondence. As they begin to wonder whether this e-mail flirtation might lead them to be soul mates, however, they meet and clash over their colliding business fortunes. It's no small testament to the two stars that we wind up liking and caring about them despite the inevitable (and highly manipulative) arc of the plot. Although their chemistry transcended the consciously improbable romantic premise of Sleepless, enabling director Ephron to attain a kind of amorous soufflé, this time around there's a slow leak that considerably deflates the affair. Less credulous viewers will challenge Joe's logic in prolonging the concealment of his online identity from Kathleen, and may shake their heads at Ephron's reinvention of Manhattan as a spotless, sun-dappled wonderland where everybody lives in million-dollar apartments and color coordinates their wardrobes for cocktail parties. --Sam Sutherland

Windy's DVD Collection - The Long List

Last Updated 9/21/2003 3pm

10 Things I Hate About You

40 Days and 40 Nights

8 Mile (Widescreen Edition)

A Beautiful Mind

A Few Good Men (Special Edition)

A League of Their Own

A River Runs Through It

A Time to Kill

Adventures in Babysitting

Along Came a Spider

American Beauty (The Awards Edition)

American History X

American Legends

American Pie/American Pie 2

Anastasia

Another Stakeout

Antitrust

Apollo 13

Aspen Extreme

Back to the Future - The Complete Trilogy

Batman & Robin

Batman Forever

Batman Returns

Batman

Beauty and the Beast

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (30th Anniversary Edition)

Boiler Room

Bonfire of the Vanities

Braveheart

Can't Buy Me Love

Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation

Catch Me If You Can (Widescreen Edition)

Center Stage

Christmas Classics

Circle of Friends

City of Angels

Cocktail

Cool Runnings

Coyote Ugly

Cruel Intentions 2

Cruel Intentions

D2: The Mighty Ducks

Dangerous Liaisons

Days of Thunder

Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo

Dirty Dancing (Collector's Edition)

Disney Pixar DVD Three-Pack

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (Widescreen)

Don Juan de Marco

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

Down to You

Dumb and Dumber

Dumbo (60th Anniversary Edition)

EdTV (Collector's Edition)

Erin Brockovich

Father of the Bride Part II

Father of the Bride

Final Destination - New Line Platinum Series

Final Destination 2 (Infinifilm Edition)

Flatliners

Frosty the Snowman/Frosty Returns

Fun and Fancy Free

Gladiator

Gone in 60 Seconds

Good Will Hunting

Great Balls of Fire!

Grosse Pointe Blank

Groundhog Day

Hackers

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets (Widescreen Edition)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Full Screen Edition)

Heartbreakers

Heat

High Fidelity

High Spirits

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

In Love and War

Independence Day (Single Disc Edition)