04/12/09 Movie Collection
(757 titles, 1479 disks)
  Title Movie Release Year Running Time Genre No. of Disks/Tapes Plot
The 11th Hour 2007 92 Documentary 1 Comparisons to Al Gore's Oscar-winning slide show will be inevitable, but there's a key difference between the two documentaries. An Inconvenient Truth was aimed at the PBS set, while Leonardo DiCaprio's The 11th Hour combines a traditional structure with a more MTV-friendly pace. Of course, neither was made by these public figures. Davis Guggenheim directed the former, while Nadia Conners and Leila Conners Petersen are behind the latter. DiCaprio serves as producer, co-writer, and narrator (the three previously worked on the short films Global Warming and Water Planet). Their first feature combines a diverse array of interviews with a dizzying variety of images, both soothing and alarming (droughts and hurricanes vs. serene sunsets and playful polar bears). Speakers include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Cambridge physicist Stephen Hawking, and progressive CEO Ray Anderson, hero of The Corporation. Granted, there's no obvious youth appeal in these subjects, but the presence of the Titanic heartthrob-turned-Scorsese star, who keeps his on-screen narration to a tasteful minimum, plus atmospheric tracks from Sigur Rós, Coldplay and Mogwai seems likely to attract a younger crowd. And that seems to be the point, since The 11th Hour is, at heart, a call to arms. It begins by taking a look at the causes of global warming before exploring solutions, from eating organic to building with solar power. There isn't a ton of new information for environmental experts, but DiCaprio and his team have assembled a thought-provoking primer for neophytes and potential activists. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
28 Days Later 2003 113 Drama; Horror; Thriller 1 Hailed as the most frightening film since The Exorcist, acclaimed Director Danny Boyle's visionary take on zombie horror "isn't just scary�it's absolutely terrifying" (Access Hollywood). <P>An infirmary patient awakens from a coma to an empty room�in a vacant hospital�in a deserted city. A powerful virus, which locks victims into a permanent state of murderous rage, has transformed the world around him into a seemingly desolate wasteland. Now a handful of survivors must fight to stay alive, unaware that the worst is yet to come�
28 Weeks Later 2007 100 Horror; Science Fiction; Thriller 1 28 WEEKS LATER is sequel to the successful 28 Days Later.

The film pick up six months after the Rage virus has spread throughout the city of London. The United States Army has restored order and is repopulating the quarantined city, when a carrier of the Rage virus enters London and unknowingly re-ignites the spread of the deadly infection, wreaking havoc on the entire population. The virus is not yet dead, and this time it's more dangerous than ever!!
30 Days of Night 2007 113 1 David (Hard Candy) Slade directs this nerve-jangling adaptation of the popular graphic novel series about a mob of vampires that overruns a remote Alaskan town in the grip of 30 Days of Night. Josh Hartnett and Melissa George are the film's de facto heroes (he's the stoic town sheriff and she's his estranged fire-marshal wife) but the picture's real MVP is Slade's camera (along with cinematographer Jo Willems), which careens across the town's snowy landscape to detail the vampires' horrific assault on its inhabitants, which are quickly pared down to a hardy few. The script, co-written by the source material's creator, Steve Niles, along with Pirates of the Caribbean's Stuart Beattie and Hard Candy's Brian Nelson), proudly wears its influences on its crimson-stained sleeve (Bram Stoker's Dracula, natch, but also Salem's Lot, Night of the Living Dead, and John Carpenter's version of The Thing) and boils down the graphic novels to a series of tense and extremely bloody standoffs between Harnett and George's band of survivors and the vaguely Slavic and ferocious bloodsuckers led by Marlow (a feral and frightening Danny Huston). And if the characters seem stock and the finale begs suspension of disbelief, the set pieces leading up to it are sufficiently supercharged with suspense and violence to please most horror fans. Standouts in the supporting cast are Ben Foster as the film's Renfield figure and Mark Boone Junior; the disturbing score by Brian Reitzell also merits a mention. --Paul Gaita

Stills from 30 Days of Night (click for larger image)







Beyond 30 Days of Night

On Blu-ray
Audio CD
Hardcover Book

300 2007 117 War; Action; History 2 The epic graphic novel by Frank Miller (Sin City) assaults the screen with the blood, thunder and awe of its ferocious visual style faithfully recreated in an intense blend of live-action and CGI animation. Retelling the ancient Battle of Thermopylae, it depicts the titanic clash in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his massive Persian army. Experience history at swordpoint. And moviemaking with a cutting edge.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Director Zack Snyder, Writer Kurt Johnstad and Director of Photography Larry Fong
Deleted Scenes:with Introduction by Zack Snyder
Featurette:The 300- Fact or Fiction? (RT: 24:31 Historians, authors and filmmakers reveal how much of the film was based on fact.); Who Were The Spartans: The Warriors of 300 (RT: 4:24 Touches on the customs and ways of life of the Spartan that werent explicitly shown in 300 but were used by the actors and filmmakers Ã, to help build their characters.); Frank Miller Tapes (RT: 13:00 Ã, We'll show how the outspoken Miller continued to push his limits to realize his epic graphic novel in the world of film
Other:Webisodes: Behind the scenes peeks on the set of 300 (RT 20:00)
Photo gallery:RT 3:39 Rapid fire stills from the first day of production to the last.
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective 1994 0 1
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls 1995 90 Comedy; Mystery 1 Pet detective Ace Ventura comes out of retirement to investigate the disappearance of a rare white bat, the symbol of an African tribe.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension 1984 103 Adventure; Romance; Comedy; Sci-Fi 1 Adventurer/surgeon/rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his band of men, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, take on evil alien invaders from the 8th dimension.
Aeon Flux - The Complete Animated Collection 221 3
Aftershock: Earthquake in New York 1999 170 Action; Thriller 1 New York, the city that never sleeps, is trapped in a nightmare of horror and destruction when a massive earthquake rocks the unsuspecting city...
Akira 1987 124 1 One of the most influential examples of anime, Akira is based on the manga (comic book) by Katsuhiro Otomo. The story is set in the post-apocalyptic community of Neo-Tokyo. Tetsuo is a fiercely individualistic member of a scroungy motorcycle gang. The despotic authorities, the robot-like police, and even the cycle gang pursue Tetsuo when he's bombarded with a new, insidious energy source that has rendered him telekinetic. Budgeted at eight million dollars, Akira has become a cult favorite in the States thanks to generous midnight-movie exposure and its availibilty on video and cable TV. — Hal Erickson
Alexander - Director's Cut 2004 167 2 If you're determined to spend three hours with Oliver Stone's take on the personal and military struggles of ancient Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great, you should know that Alexander (Colin Farrell, in blonde disarray) is not half so much fun as mom Olympias (Angelina Jolie) or his future wild bride Roxane (Rosario Dawson). Indeed, it's the women in Alex's life who provide the movie's most satisfying action: Jolie, sporting some kind of Russian accent, wraps herself in snakes while hissing promises of Farrell's destiny; Dawson disrobes and threatens to cut Farrell's throat before shtupping his brains out. The rest is leaden history, supposedly novel because it showcases epic battle sequences and addresses Alexander's great love for his buddy Hephaistion (Jared Leto). But the man-on-man romance is limited to teary hugs, and the battles are indecipherable messes-you have to wait for Anthony Hopkins' narration to tell you what happened (in fact, you have to wait for Hopkins' narration to tell you everything that happens). There's some spectacle on display but, alas, not much that is truly spectacular. --Steve Wiecking
Alice Cooper: Brutally Live 2000 105 2
Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare 1975 84 Documentary; Music 1
Alien 1979 117 Horror; Sci-Fi; Thriller 2 A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates.
Aliens 1986 137 Action; Horror; Sci-Fi; Thriller 1 The planet from Alien (1979) has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, the rescue team has impressive firepower, enough?
Alien³ 1992 114 Action; Drama; Horror; Sci-Fi; Thriller 1 Ripley continues to be stalked by a savage alien, after her escape pod crashes on a prison planet.
Alien: Resurrection 1997 109 Action; Horror; Sci-Fi; Thriller 1 200 years after her death, Ellen Ripley is revived as a powerful human/Alien hybrid clone who must continue her war against the Aliens.
Alien Vs. Predator : AvP 2004 101 Action; Horror; Sci-Fi; Thriller 1 During an archaeological expedition in Antartica, a team of archaeologists and other scientists find themselves caught up in a battle between the two legends. Soon, the team realise that only one species can win.
Aliens of the Deep 99 1 James Cameron takes another foray into the depths with a new deep-sea documentary. Following the shipwreck of Ghosts of the Abyss, Cameron focuses his abundant energies on where life is not powered by sunlight. These implications are taken a bit further, thanks to some dandy effects, on how life may develop in the ice-covered waters of Jupiter's moons. Some of the newly seen creatures are truly amazing: a fish with feet, shrimp that can swim between boiling hot steam and icy currents. Plus there's a cute creature that looks like something from an animator's portfolio: an albino octopus with fins. Like Ghosts, this film is significantly different on DVD. Both were presented in IMAX 3-D but are only 2-D on DVD; however, also included are extended versions, doubling the original's 45-minute run time. The added footage gets you more in-depth coverage of the crew and the missions. Cameron is also an expert host, showing his enthusiasm for the project ("I love this stuff!") while letting his younger scientist co-stars lead the way. (Ages 6 and older) --Doug Thomas
Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem 2007 101 Horror; Science Fiction; Action 1 Packed with adrenaline-pumping action and heart-stopping suspense, this spectacular sequel escalates the war between sci-fi's scariest movie icons!

On Earth everyone can hear you scream, especially when a horrifying PredAlien crash-lands near a small Colorado town, killing everyone it encounters-and producing countless Alien offspring-with terrifying efficiency. When a lone Predator arrives to "clean up" the infestation, it's an all-out battle to the death with no rules, no mercy, and hundreds of innocent people caught in the crossfire. As the creature carnage continues, a handful of human survivors attempt a daring escape, but the U.S. government may be hatching a deadly plan of its own...
Alone in the Dark 2005 96 Horror; Thriller; Action 1 As another entry in the video-game-to-movie genre, Alone in the Dark certainly delivers in terms of its splattering gore and number of things that get shot or blown up with the kind of arsenal familiar to any fan of games that allow the player to shoot or blow things up. You could argue that some game-based movies have been big successes--gauged either by audience appeal or box office scores. Even though a lot of hardcore gamers probably won't care, Alone in the Dark is not of that ilk. At least the Resident Evil and Tomb Raider series had some interesting characters and locations (not to mention sexy stars). But Alone in the Dark is crippled from the first by a mundane setting of caves, laboratories, and street-fighting backgrounds as well as a cast (including Christian Slater, Stephen Dorff, and Tara Reid) that couldn't be less interested in the overly complex plot. The absurdity starts right away with a long expository pre-title text crawl that carries all the gravitas of a "Monty Python" sketch intro. The gist of the plot has a group of scientists, special-ops military guys, and paranormal freaks and geeks investigating evil creatures that were once harnessed by an extinct subset race of Native Americans. Unleashed again, the creatures must be destroyed, which is where the video game blasting and attendant gore comes into play. Considering the cult following the game series carries (the first installment is over a decade old), Alone in the Dark could find a nice little life on DVD, but theater-goers might discover the title's a little too literal. --Ted Fry
American Psycho 2000 102 Comedy; Drama; Horror; Thriller; Suspense; Crime 1 Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is living the yuppie American Dream. He has a beautiful girlfriend, great job, lots of friends, belongs to all the right clubs but something is brewing beneath the showy exterior. Homicidal tendencies flare when Patrick realizes that no matter what he does, he is just another face in a suit to everyone around him, to those closest to him. As the movie progresses onward his bloodlust grows and the murders become more rampant and random - to the point where he realizes that he has become a psychopath. At his breaking point, he confesses for redemption and punishment and release from the guilt and he realizes that all of it was in his mind and that he may really be as crazy as the world around him.
An Inconvenient Truth 96 1 With the fate of our planet arguably hanging in the balance, An Inconvenient Truth may prove to be one of the most important and prescient documentaries of all time. As he jokingly refers to himself, "former President-elect" Al Gore felt an urgent personal calling to draw attention--as he had been doing throughout his political career--to the increasingly desperate crisis of global warming, and this riveting documentary is basically a filmed version (by respected TV director Davis Guggenheim) of the PowerPoint lecture that Gore has presented (by his own estimate, well over 1,000 times) to attentive audiences all over the world. Considering Gore's amiable, low-key approach to charts, graphs, statistics, and photographs that leave no room for doubt regarding the reality (not "theory") of global warming as Earth's ultimate environmental crisis, many viewers will be surprised by just how fascinating and convincing this no-frills film really is.

As we learn about the milestone events that shaped his character (including his sister's death and young son's near-fatal injuries after being struck by a car), Gore sheds the stiff demeanor of his 2000 presidential campaign and impresses us as a man with a mission, transcending partisan politics with an impassioned plea for common sense, ethical forthrightness, and passionate purpose in reversing the harmful effects of global warming through personal and political responsibility. Some may accuse Gore of exploiting global warming as a Democratic platform, but his honest conviction regarding this "inconvenient truth" (i.e. overwhelming evidence of global warming that's troublesome to those whose interests are threatened by Gore's irrefutable message) is likely to silence all but the most obtusely stubborn detractors. By taking the high road and discreetly avoiding a full-on assault against the George W. Bush administration (which has steadfastly avoided "the inconvenient truth" with obfuscating spin control and policies favoring the oil industry), Gore effectively rises above political differences with a stern but hopeful eye toward a better future for our children.--Jeff Shannon
Anaconda 1997 89 Thriller; Horror; Adventure 1 A "National Geographic" film crew is taken hostage by an insane hunter, who takes them along on his quest to capture the world's largest - and deadliest - snake.
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid 2004 97 Adventure; Horror; Thriller 1 A scientific expedition sets out for Borneo to seek a flower called the Blood Orchid, which could grant longer life. Meanwhile, they run afoul of snakes and each other.
Andy Griffith Show - 16 Episodes 1960 0 2
Andy Griffith Show, The 0 1 4 Episodes & 8 Commercials

Welcome back to Mayberry! Pull yourself up a rockin' chair and get ready to enjoy a visit back in time to America's favorite hometown of Mayberry, N.C. Join Andy and all his friends and family for down-home, wholesome humor.

Episodes:
Andy Meets Miss Crump
English Butler Works For Andy
Gomer Saves The Day
Barney, The Matchmaker
Angel - Season 1 0 6 He's hunky, he's brooding, he's a do-gooder, and he was Buffy's first boyfriend. Angel, the tortured vampire destined to walk the earth with a soul, got his own series after three seasons on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and did what any new star might do: he moved to L.A. (the City of Angels--get it?) and set up shop. Angel (co-created by Buffy mastermind Joss Whedon) finds the titular vampire (David Boreanaz) as a kind of supernatural private investigator, fighting evil one case at a time and, like his ex-girlfriend, keeping the world from getting destroyed by vengeful demons and such.

A darker, more film noir version of Buffy, Angel lacked the peppy humor that permeated Sunnydale but more than made up for it in its soul-wrenching gravitas, and it elevated Boreanaz to leading-man status, a role he filled out ably and then some. Initially, the stoic vampire was paired with Irish demon Doyle (the late Glenn Quinn) and fellow Sunnydale transplant Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), but Angel finally found its footing when Doyle was dispatched (giving his powers of precognition to Cordelia) and replaced by Buffy alum Wesley (Alexis Denisof), a fallen watcher who, like his friends, was hoping for a new start in L.A. However, pesky law firm Wolfram and Hart (a front for the demon mafia, as it were) reared its ugly head and discovered Angel's presence, thus setting the stage for a battle of good and evil--and if you're a regular Joss Whedon fan, you know that it's a never-ending war.

This first season features guest appearances by various Buffy characters, including werewolf boy Oz (Seth Green), rogue slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku), deliciously evil vamp Darla (Julie Benz), and Buffy herself (Sarah Michelle Gellar), all of whom helped get the show off and running in style. --Mark Englehart
Angel - Season 2 0 6 The second season of Angel saw the cult vampire show finally stand on its own from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, assembling all the members of the show's core cast, transferring the action to a fashionably run-down L.A. hotel, and bringing in a few Buffy characters from Angel's history to further establish the moody vampire's own mythology. Moving their Angel Investigations to posher digs, Angel (David Boreanaz), Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), and Wesley (Alexis Denisof) were soon joined by street fighter (J. August Richards)?-and by street fighter, of course we mean demon street fighter. But just as this group was solidifying, up popped Angel's old love, Darla (the fantastic Julie Benz), freshly arrived in L.A. from a hell dimension? just in time to be turned into a vampire again by her old cohort, Drusilla (Juliet Landau), and lure Angel into abandoning his newly formed team.

It was the best and worst of times for Angel in its second year, for while the basis was being set for the show's stellar third and fourth seasons, dramatic tension was diluted by Angel's going solo and the necessary (but plot-debilitating) flashbacks to various points in Angel's history. However, just when it seemed everything was about to fly out the window, Angel's creative team threw its characters for a loop--literally--by transporting them to the demon dimension of Pylea, a medieval-style fantasyland populated by monsters and humans alike. It shouldn't have worked, as hokey as it was... but it did, thanks to crack storytelling, sharp dialogue, and the sheer joy the actors unleashed, especially the gifted and fiendishly funny Carpenter. The second half of the season also saw the addition of two of Angel's best characters: the horned Lorne (Andy Hallett), a green demon with a penchant for karaoke, and Fred (Amy Acker), a physicist trapped in Pylea who helped the gang engineer their escape. With these two in tow, Angel began to soar. --Mark Englehart
Angel - Season 3 0 6 In the third season of Angel, the titular vampire with a soul was forced to stand alone thanks to the (temporary) death of his beloved Buffy and her show's move to a new network, with no crossover between the two allowed. He returns from seeking peace in a demon-haunted monastery to find the L.A. Angel Investigations team fighting supernatural crime in his absence. Fred is still haunted by the nightmare dimension from which they rescued her; Cordelia's visions get ever more painful and debilitating. The schemes of the evil law firm Wolfram and Hart become every more imaginative and dragon lady Lilah Morgan becomes even more of an enemy when lusting after Angel. Unbelievably, Darla, Angel's vampire sire and lover, turns up, pregnant with his child and is tortured by inexplicable motherly feelings as well as a raging thirst for human blood.

For a few episodes things go pretty well--but Angel's enemies, both those he has made in his quest for redemption and those he made when he was unadulterated evil, are still out there. Stephanie Romanov comes into her silky own in this series, making Lilah Morgan all the more seductively evil because she is clear about the choices she has made; the satanic law firm of Wolfram and Hart are this show's most inspired creation. As the season moves to its close, Wesley (Alexis Denisof) has hard choices to make. The devastating climax is compulsive viewing, and this season also contains one of the most impressive single episodes of the entire show: in "Waiting in the Wings," writer, director and creator Joss Whedon comes up with a classic ghost story as Angel and his crew go to the ballet and find a performance that is literally timeless. --Roz Kaveney
Angel - Season 4 0 6 As the fourth season of Angel starts, everything is still as we left it: Angel has been sunk to the bottom of the sea in an iron box by his inexplicable and vindictive son Connor and Cordelia has been summoned to higher realms to await orders. Gunn and Fred are left in the Hyperion Hotel, unsure about what has happened to their friends, and Lilah is working hard to seduce Wesley to the dark side. In the first few episodes, some of this is resolved but it's almost immediately replaced by far worse crises: prophesies of doom accumulate more rapidly even than usual in this wonderfully gloomy show and a horned rock-like beast rains fire on Los Angeles. This last year is Angel's most tightly dramatic season yet--with a story arc of surprising intensity punctuated by the show's usual wit and sexiness.

Season 4 is presented on DVD in Dolby 2.0 Surround Sound and anamorphic widescreen. It comes with insightful, and often hilarious, commentaries on seven of the 22 episodes as well as featurettes--a series overview, profiles of the characters of Jasmine and the Beast, a farewell to the Hyperion Hotel (the characters' base for three seasons), and a discussion of the apocalypse that Angel has to deal with from episode 7 onwards). --Roz Kaveney
Angel - Season 5 0 6 Lives were upended--and some co-opted--in the fifth and final season of Angel, as the denizens of Angel Investigations found themselves taking on one of their scariest endeavors ever: corporate life. After making a literal deal with the devil (or something distinctly devil-like), Angel (David Boreanaz) moved his team from their crumbling hotel to the high-rise digs of law-firm-from-hell Wolfram & Hart, his reasoning being they could better fight the forces of evil from the inside, and with more resources to boot. Clever maneuvering or easy rationalization? Not a few members of Angel's team accused him of selling out (as did a number of viewers), but as with most of the show's previous four seasons, Angel somehow took a dubious premise and mined it for gold. And with one core cast member gone (Charisma Carpenter, whose Cordelia was immersed in a deep coma), it seemed as if the show, from within and without, would suddenly fall apart--that is, until Angel's longtime nemesis Spike (James Marsters) showed up, fresh from his sacrificial roasting at the series finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Let the vampire games begin!

With Buffy off the air, fans flocked to Angel's last season to get their fix of Joss Whedon's "Buffyverse" in any form they could, and the addition of Spike was a shrewd one, albeit not enough to keep the show from getting canceled. And for the first half of the season, the creative forces behind the show seemed to be toying ruthlessly with the audience. Spike was around, but not entirely corporeal; Angel himself became sullen and withdrawn; and most horrifically, sweetheart scientist Fred (Amy Acker) and former watcher Wesley (Alexis Denisof) underwent traumas that would test even the most devoted viewer. However, just when you'd be about to throw in the towel, things started changing for the better--Spike became a permanent fixture (both in the flesh and on the show), Angel's secret motives were revealed, and the introduction of demon warrior Illyria, who proved to be the show's answer to Buffy's sardonic demon-made-human Anya, was a welcome breath of fresh air. Creatively, Angel also came up with some of its best episodes, including "Smile Time" (where Angel is turned into a puppet ? really!) and "You're Welcome" (the show's 100th episode, which marked the bittersweet return of Carpenter's Cordelia). The ending of the series was deliberately ambiguous, and not everyone made it through alive, but in going out kicking, it was a proper sendoff for a show that always fought the good fight. --Mark Englehart
Angel Heart 1987 113 Horror; Mystery; Thriller 1 Harry Angel has a new case, to find a man called Johnny Favourite. Except things aren't quite that simple...
Animal House 1978 109 Comedy 1 At a 1962 College, Dean Vernon Wormer is determined to expel the Delta House Fraternity, but those roughhousers have other plans for him.
The Aristocats 1970 78 Animation; Family; Musical; Romance 1 Upon Madame Adelaide Bonfamille's passing her cat Duchess and 3 kittens stand to inherit her fortune. But not if Edgar the butler can help it.
Aristocrats 2005 90 Comedy; Documentary 1
Atomic Journeys - Welcome to Ground Zero 0 1 Our atomic heritage resides in sites all over the country--from the Trinity test area to natural-gas wells in Colorado--and many of them are open to the public. Plan your vacation with Atomic Journeys: Welcome to Ground Zero, a blast through memory lane narrated by the perfectly suited William Shatner. Never-before-seen footage of test explosions and top-secret and work labs explores the history of America's nuclear programs, and interviews with current and former atomic scientists and engineers give depth to sights such as "the most bombed place on Earth" in Nevada. Learn about nonmilitary uses of nuclear weapons, the rationales behind the different programs, and where you can find these strange places. The musical score is a special bonus, performed by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra in a goodwill gesture of post-cold-war cooperation. --Rob Lightner
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery 1997 94 Action; Adventure; Comedy; Music 1 A 1960's hipster secret agent is brought out of cryofreeze to oppose his greatest enemy into the 1990's where his social attitudes are glaringly out of place.
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me 1999 95 Action; Adventure; Comedy; Music 1 Dr. Evil is back...and has invented a new time machine that allows him to go back to the 60's and steal Austin Powers's mojo, inadvertently leaving him "shagless".
Austin Powers: Goldmember 2002 94 Action; Adventure; Comedy; Music 1 Upon learning that his father has been kidnapped, Austin Powers must travel to 1975 and defeat the aptly-named villain Goldmember - who is working with Dr. Evil.
Babylon 5 - Season 1 0 6 The epic sci-fi series Babylon 5 was a unique experiment in the history of television. It was effectively a novel for television in five seasons, consisting of 110 episodes with a clear beginning, middle, and end. The first season introduces the main characters, headed this year by Commander Jeffery Sinclair (Michael O'Hare) and Security Chief Michael Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle), and familiarizes the audience with the unique environment of a five-mile-long space station in the year 2257.

The first episode, "Midnight on the Firing Line," plays at a breathless pace, introducing Commander Susan Ivanova (Claudia Christian) and establishing the conflict between the Narn and Centauri races as represented by their ambassadors, G'Kar (Andreas Katsulas) and Londo Mollari (Peter Jurasik). Then follow several mediocre episodes that initially give the impression that B5 is a Star Trek clone afflicted with "silly alien of the week" syndrome. With "And the Sky Full of Stars," B5 really begins to hit its stride, Sinclair being forced to relive his mysterious experiences during the Earth-Minbari war. Filler shows such as "TKO" are notable only for being controversially violent, while the disappointing "Grail" points to writer-creator J. Michael Straczynski's fascination with Arthurian mythology. "Signs and Portents" introduces the sinister Mr. Morden (Ed Wasser) and offers the chilling first appearance of the Shadows, an ancient alien threat.

B5 hits warp speed with a run of exceptional episodes building to the season finale. The two-part "Voice in the Wilderness" has Mars breaking into open revolt against Earth and the discovery of a "Great Machine" on the dead world Epsilon 3. Referencing 1950s sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet, the story leads to the superb time-travel-based "Babylon Squared." Season finale "Chrysalis" proves more than just the usual television cliffhanger, placing Minbari ambassador Delenn in conflict with her ruling Grey Council and forcing on her a decision that laid the groundwork for Babylon 5's eventually becoming a great love story. --Gary S. Dalkin
Babylon 5 - Season 2 0 6 Delenn's future love interest, Captain John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) arrived on Babylon 5 in the first episode of season 2, "Points of Departure." The show marked the handing over of command of B5 to Sheridan from Commander Jeffery Sinclair, actor Michael O'Hare becoming a victim of studio politicians who wanted a bigger star in the leading role. This excellent installment also revealed more about why the Minbari surrendered to Earth at the Battle of the Line when they were on the verge of victory. "Revelations" explains that Sheridan's wife, Anna, died during an archaeological survey of the world Z'ha'dum, the name being just one of many references to Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings (the bridge at Khazad-Dum). "The Geometry of Shadows" introduced the Technomages, characters who featured more significantly in the ill-fated spinoff series Crusade (1999), while "The Coming of Shadows" proved to be Babylon 5's finest hour to date. The story of political intrigue foreshadowing the fate of two of the major characters beat Apollo 13, Toy Story, 12 Monkeys, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Visitor" to win the Hugo award for Best Dramatic Presentation at the 1996 World Science Fiction Convention and proved so powerful that J. Michael Straczynski included it in his Complete Book of Scriptwriting.

"And Now for a Word" took the unusual step of presenting a day-in-the-life of B5 seen through the eyes of a TV news crew, just as the Narn declared war on the Centauri. The inclusion of a PSI-Corps commercial paid homage to Paul Verhoeven's satirical ads in Robocop (1987), while his later Starship Troopers (1997) seemed at times like a spoof of B5's earnest space opera. In "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum," Sheridan learns that Morden was on the ship on which Anna died; the episode sees the captain pushed to his limits by grief and determination to discover why Morden survived. Three exceptional shows conclude the season. The Narn-Centauri war escalates in "The Long, Twilight Struggle," Sheridan faces a most unusual ordeal in "Comes the Inquisitor," and in "The Fall of Night" all hope of peace is shattered as a nerve-racking assassination attempt reveals a startling secret about Ambassador Kosh. --Gary S. Dalkin
Babylon 5 - Season 3 0 6 "Matters of Honor" launched Babylon 5's third season with the introduction of the White Star, a spacecraft added to enable more of the action to take place away from the station. Also introduced was Marcus Cole (Jason Carter)--in another nod to The Lord of the Rings, a Ranger not so far removed from Tolkien's Strider. In "Voices of Authority" the show finds an epic scale as Ivanova seeks the mysterious "First Ones" for allies against the Shadows, and evidence is discovered pointing to the truth behind President Santiago's assassination. A third of the way through the season "Messages from Earth," "Point of No Return," and "Severed Dreams" prove pivotal, changing the nature of the story in a way previously unimaginable on network TV. Earth slides into dictatorship, the fascistic Nightwatch takes control of off-world security, and Sheridan take decisive action by declaring Babylon 5 independent.

"Interludes and Examinations" presented the death of a major supporting character, while the two-part "War Without End" reached apocalyptic dimensions in a complex tale resolving the destiny of Sinclair and the fate of Babylon 4 (dovetailing elegantly with the events of the first season's "Babylon Squared"), resolving a 1,000-year-old paradox and presenting a vision of a very dark future for Sheridan and Delenn. All this was trumped by the monumental "Z'ha'dum." In the preceding "Shadow Dancing" Anna Sheridan (Melissa Gilbert, Bruce Boxleitner's real-life wife) returned from the dead, no longer entirely human. In the mythologically resonant climax Anna invited Sheridan back to the Shadow homeworld with no hope of survival. Just as in The Lord of the Rings Gandalf fell into the abyss at Khazad-Dum, so Sheridan took a comparable leap into the unknown on an alien world. --Gary S. Dalkin
Babylon 5 - Season 4 0 6 Season 4 began on a high point with the Centauri Prime in the grip of the insane Emperor Cartagia (Wortham Krimmer) and a run of six shows leading to the climax of the war against the Shadows in "Into the Fire." If this colossal narrative was resolved a little too easily and the ultimate aim of the Shadows turned out to be a tad disappointing, it still proved to be the most powerful slice of space opera to ever grace the small screen. In the aftermath the sheer scale dropped back a little but the pace never slowed as the rest of the season played out in one relentless cycle of conspiracy, betrayal and conflict, Babylon 5 siding with the rebel Mars colony against the totalitarian Earth.

Meanwhile Delenn came increasingly into conflict with her own people and, paralleling her relationship with Sheridan, Garibaldi became involved with his ex-fiancée Lise Hampton (Denise Gentile), while an intense platonic love grew between Ivanova and Marcus Cole. On an unstoppable wave fuelled by roller-coaster plot twists and spectacular action shows from "No Surrender, No Retreat"--when Sheridan avows to overthrow EarthGov--to "Rising Star"--when the aim is realized--Babylon 5 achieved a consistent excellence rare in television. Yet within that run "Intersections in Real Time" stood out as a bold experiment; essentially a two-hand drama taking place entirely within one dimly lit room. Beyond this a major character died and Sheridan and Delenn married before the season finale again broke with expectation. In "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars," a future descendant of humanity one million years hence reviews excerpts from the history of Babylon 5. In one sequence set in 2762, a Brother is devoted to the preserving of history some time after the "Big Burn." A homage to Walter M. Miller's classic A Canticle for Leibowitz, Sheridan and Delenn have themselves become the stuff of legend. --Gary S. Dalkin
Babylon 5 - Season 5 0 6 A disappointment after the superb two previous seasons, the final run of Babylon 5 found Claudia Christian departed and Ivanova replaced by Captain Elizabeth Lochley (Tracy Scoggins), who in a soap-opera twist turned out to be Sheridan's first wife. Sheridan was promoted to President of the Interstellar Alliance and the action moved to a group of telepaths seeking sanctuary from the PSI-Corp on B5. Giving a prominent role to Patricia Tallman's Lyta Alexander, a love story for her was woven with the leader of the telepaths, Byron (Robin Atkin Downs). Meanwhile the aftermath of the Shadow War was explored as the origin of human telepaths became clear in "Secrets of the Soul," and the appearance of PSI-Corp's Bester (Walter Koenig) brought the plight of the refugees to a powerful close in "A Tragedy of Telepaths" and "Phoenix Rising."

This was immediately followed by a rare episode not written by J. Michael Straczynski. Much was expected of "Day of the Dead," penned by Neil Gaiman, the British creator of DC's landmark Sandman comic and graphic novel series. Yet despite a change of tone including a guest appearance by Penn & Teller as 23rd-century comedy favorites Rebo & Zooty, the story proved an incongruous side trip into an unexplained twilight zone of fantasy. As usual the season picked up toward the end, with a string of fine political episodes leading to "The Fall of Centauri Prime" and the haunting "Objects at Rest," in which Sheridan and Delenn leave Babylon 5 for new quarters on Minbar.

The final episode, "Sleeping in Light," was directed by J. Michael Straczynski and made an epilogue to the series. Set 20 years later, after all the sound and fury this quiet, elegiac tale is the apotheosis of the love story that proved the balance to the tragedy of the preceding darkness. A personal story resolved against a background of the epic, at once transcendent, deeply human, and profoundly optimistic, "Sleeping in Light" is as moving as any hour in the history of television drama and a thoroughly satisfying conclusion to one of the greatest series ever made. --Gary S. Dalkin
Babylon 5 - The Legend of the Rangers 2002 0 1 Science-fiction fans are notoriously hard to please, and few have anything good to say about The Legend of the Rangers, produced in 2002 to introduce a spinoff of the popular Babylon 5 TV series. The naysayers have a point. Few elements of this 90-minute pilot, subtitled "To Live and Die in Starlight," will likely be memorialized among the genre's golden moments; the dialogue is often clunky and on-the-nose, the acting is less than stellar, and the effects work, while pretty good, doesn't live up to the standard set by Stargate, Farscape, and others. Nevertheless, there's a reasonably compelling story here, involving the elite Rangers (made up of humans and aliens alike, including the Minbari, who sport "head bones" instead of hair and whose cute little ears are placed on the sides of their necks) and the threat posed to the universe by a mysterious new foe known as "the Hand" (these are some seriously bad dudes, a race that has lain dormant for many years but is now back with a vengeance). Front and center is human Ranger David Martell (played by Dylan Neal). Court-martialed for choosing to save his crew rather then lead them to certain death (in violation of a code mandating that "we do not retreat, whatever the reason"), he's put in command of the Liandra, a ship that's not only funkier than Han Solo's Millennium Falcon but haunted to boot. Of course, as events play out, Martell and his pals end up as the last line of defense against the Hand, not only pitted against these implacable enemies but also dealing with a traitor among the good guys. The themes (honor vs. expediency, dark forces arrayed against peace-seekers, human impetuousness tangling with ancient alien wisdom) are familiar, and the outcome is far from unpredictable. Still, there are a lot less entertaining ways to spend 90 minutes than with Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers. --Sam Graham
Babylon 5 - The Lost Tales 2007 75 1 Times change. Dangers remain. 10 years after he became President of the Interstellar Alliance, Sheridan prepares for a fateful Babylon 5 reunion that could prevent Earth's impending doom...if he will also compromise his core principles. Meanwhile, commander Lochley confronts an unexpected interloper on the way station - a being whose presence makes the B5 freeport the crossroads between heaven and hell. In Voices in the Dark, Series creator J. Michael Straczynski reunites with stars Bruce Boxleitner and Tracy Scoggins in two richly imagined stories set after the events of the original series. Richly imagined, too, is Straczynski's vision of the 23rd century (including a dazzling New York City) - a vision made more spectacular via filmmaking technology unavailable during the original series.
Babylon 5 : Crusade Season 1 1999 60 Action; Drama; Sci-Fi 1 A team of soldiers and scientists has five years to find a cure for a plague decimating Earth.
Babylon A.D. 2008 90 Adventure; Science Fiction; Action 1

Beyond Babylon A.D.

Mirrors
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Back to the Future - The Complete Trilogy 1985 342 Comedy; Adventure; Science Fiction 3 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
Badder Santa 2003 91 Comedy; Crime 1 A miserable conman and his pint size partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper, only to rob department stores on Christmas Eve but run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid.
Bangkok Dangerous 2008 99 Thriller; Crime; Action 1 An adrenaline-charged action thriller, Lionsgate's Bangkok Dangerous stars Nicolas Cage (Leaving Las Vegas, National Treasure) as "Joe," an anonymous assassin takes an unexpected turn when he travels to Thailand to complete a series of contract killings. Joe (Nicolas Cage), a remorseless hitman, is in Bangkok to execute four enemies of a ruthless crime boss named Surat. He hires Kong (Shahkrit Yamnarm), a street punk and pickpocket, to run errands for him with the intention of covering his tracks by killing him at the end of the assignment. Strangely, Joe, the ultimate lone wolf, finds himself mentoring the young man instead whilst simultaneously being drawn into a tentative romance with a local shop girl. As he falls further under the sway of Bangkok’s intoxicating beauty, Joe begins to question his isolated existence and let down his guard …just as Surat decides it’s time to clean house. Directors The Pang Brothers (The Eye) paint an explosive picture of the Bangkok underworld, illuminated with neon and saturated in violence. From a screenplay by Jason Richman, Bangkok Dangerous is based on the Pang Brothers’ wildly popular Hong Kong action film of the same name. Starring alongside Cage are Shahkrit Yamnarm (Belly of the Beast), Charlie Young (Seven Swords), Panward Hemmanee and Dom Hetrakul (Sniper 3). The film is produced by Jason Shuman, William Sherak, Nicolas Cage and Norm Golightly. Andrew Pfeffer, Derek Dauchy, Denis O’Sullivan and Ben Waisbren serve as the executive producers.

Beyond Bangkok Dangerous on DVD

Bangkok Dangerous the Soundtrack
Bangkok Dangerous on Blu-ray

Barbarella 1968 98 Adventure; Sci-Fi; Fantasy 1 In the far future, a highly sexual woman is tasked with finding and stopping the evil Durand-Durand. Along the way she encounters various unusual people.
Batman - The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997 1989 0 8 For fans and newcomers, this boxed set holds a great collection, including all four great movies. The first in the series, Batman (1989), and arguably the best of the four movies, exudes the moodiness of the Dark Knight's character. Tim Burton's direction and Michael Keaton's rendition of Batman are an electrifying combo. Together they capture the sinister atmosphere of Gotham City and Batman's darkness. Jack Nicholson as the fiendish Joker and Kim Basinger as the resourceful and gorgeous Vicki Vale lend their charm. Three years later, in 1992, Burton and Keaton reunited for Batman Returns. This time our pointy-eared hero has to combat two villains: Danny DeVito as the disturbed and freaky Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. In Batman Forever (1995), Joel Schumacher gave his direction to the story with Val Kilmer under the cape. Kilmer keeps the moodiness but adds a little panache to his rendition. His archenemies this time are the Riddler (Jim Carrey) and Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones). Luckily, he enlists the help of the Boy Wonder, Robin (Chris O'Donnell). The final movie in the series, Batman & Robin, is great eye candy, and this time Schumacher returns with George Clooney as the leading man and Chris O'Donnell again as Robin. Together Batman and Robin battle the icy Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger), with a little help from Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone). Delve into the Gotham City world with the Dark Knight to protect you, and don't forget to make lots of popcorn for this Batman marathon. --Samantha Allen Storey
Batman Begins 2005 134 2 Batman Begins discards the previous four films in the series and recasts the Caped Crusader as a fearsome avenging angel. That's good news, because the series, which had gotten off to a rousing start under Tim Burton, had gradually dissolved into self-parody by 1997's Batman & Robin. As the title implies, Batman Begins tells the story anew, when Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) flees Western civilization following the murder of his parents. He is taken in by a mysterious instructor named Ducard (Liam Neeson in another mentor role) and urged to become a ninja in the League of Shadows, but he instead returns to his native Gotham City resolved to end the mob rule that is strangling it. But are there forces even more sinister at hand?

Co-written by the team of David S. Goyer (a veteran comic book writer) and director Christopher Nolan (Memento), Batman Begins is a welcome return to the grim and gritty version of the Dark Knight, owing a great debt to the graphic novels that preceded it. It doesn't have the razzle dazzle, or the mass appeal, of Spider-Man 2 (though the Batmobile is cool), and retelling the origin means it starts slowly, like most "first" superhero movies. But it's certainly the best Bat-film since Burton's original, and one of the best superhero movies of its time. Bale cuts a good figure as Batman, intense and dangerous but with some of the lightheartedness Michael Keaton brought to the character. Michael Caine provides much of the film's humor as the family butler, Alfred, and as the love interest, Katie Holmes (Dawson's Creek) is surprisingly believable in her first adult role. Also featuring Gary Oldman as the young police officer Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman as a Q-like gadgets expert, and Cillian Murphy as the vile Jonathan Crane. --David Horiuchi

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Batman Begins 101: A Comic Book Primer
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Stills from Batman Begins (click for larger images)




DVD Features

The first disc is filled out by the theatrical trailer and a Jimmy Fallon-starring Batman Begins spoof from the MTV Movie Awards. The second disc consists of eight featurettes (about 105 minutes total) on a variety of topics. "The Journey Begins" covers the early stages of the movie, including the casting and how director/co-writer Christopher Nolan brought in co-writer David S. Goyer for his comic-book expertise. "Shaping Mind and Body" covers Christian Bale's fight training, and other featurettes discuss the sets (the Batcave is shown being constructed out of wood and sheets), the Batman costume, the Batmobile, the monorail sequence, and the hazards of filming in Iceland. All the behind-the-scenes featurettes are solid but somewhat routine, and while "The Journey Begins" is the widest overview, there's not really any centerpiece documentary (all are 8 to 15 minutes, and there's no Play All option). Interviewees tend to be the same throughout: Nolan, Goyer, Bale (the only cast member to get much face time), and other crew members (it's nice to hear from the stunt people).

Potentially more interesting to fans is "Genesis of the Bat," which covers the comic books that influenced the film, including The Long Halloween, Neal Adams's Ra's Al Ghul from the '70s, Dennis O'Neill and Dick Giordano's The Man Who Falls, and Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns. Interviewees include DC Comics editor Paul Levitz and artist Jim Lee, but the latter's involvement eventually degrades the featurette into a pitch for DC's All-Star Batman line. A nice bonus to the Deluxe Edition is a mini comic book (DVD case-sized) that has Batman's first appearance (Detective Comics #27), The Man Who Falls, and a 48-page excerpt from The Long Halloween. (Once you get a taste of Halloween, you'll want to pick up the full-length, full-size version.) Filling out the disc are overviews of four gadgets and eight characters, DVD-ROM features, and a variety of poster-art concepts. To get to the features menu, you have to scroll through a multi-page Goyer-scribed comic book, which is a good read, but you can't skip it the next time you want to watch the second disc. Note that the comic book is also viewable in French, and the second disc offers a French menu and French (but not English) subtitles for the featurettes. --David Horiuchi
Battlefield Earth 2003 60 Action; Adventure; Animation; Sci-Fi 1
Bedknobs and Broomsticks 1971 117 Adventure; Family; Musical; Fantasy; Animation 1 An apprentice witch, 3 kids and a cynical conman search for the missing component to a magic spell useful to the defence of Britain.
Beetlejuice 1988 92 Comedy; Fantasy; Horror 1 A couple of recently deceased ghosts contract the services of a "bio-exorcist" in order to remove the obnoxious new owners of their house.
Beowulf 2007 114 1 Spectacular animated action scenes turn the ancient epic poem Beowulf into a modern fantasy movie, while motion-capture technology transforms plump actor Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) into a burly Nordic warrior. When a Danish kingdom is threatened by the monster Grendel (voiced and physicalized by Crispin Glover, River's Edge), Beowulf--lured by the promise of heroic glory--comes to rescue them. He succeeds, but falls prey to the seductive power of Grendel's mother, played by Angelina Jolie... and as Jolie's pneumatically animated form rises from an underground lagoon with demon-claw high heels, it becomes clear that we're leaving the original epic far, far behind. Regrettably, the motion-capture process has made only modest improvements since The Polar Express; while the characters' eyes no longer look so flat and zombie-like, their faces remain inexpressive and movements are still wooden. As a result, the most effective sequences feature wildly animated battles and the most vivid character is Grendel, whose grotesqueness ends up making him far more sympathetic than any of the mannequin-like human beings. The meant-to-be-titillating images of a naked Jolie resemble an inflatable doll more than a living, breathing woman (or succubus, as the case may be). But the fights--particularly Grendel's initial assault on the celebration hut--pop with lushly animated gore and violence. Also featuring the CGI-muffled talents of Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs), Robin Wright Penn (The Princess Bride), and John Malkovich (Dangerous Liaisons). --Bret Fetzer
Beverly Hills Cop - The Complete Line Up 0 3
Big Fish 2003 125 Drama; Fantasy; Comedy; Adventure 1 The story is about a son (William Bloom) trying to learn more about his dying father (Albert Finney) by reliving stories and myths his father told him about himself.
Big Trouble In Little China 1986 100 Comedy; Adventure; Fantasy; Action 1 After a card game, Jack Burton takes his friend, Wang Chi (Dennis Dun), to the airport to pick up Wang’s fiancee, Miao Yin (Suzee Pai), but the Lords of Death snatch her and steal Jack’s eighteen wheeler, The Pork Chop Express. Evil 2000-year-old Chinese sorcerer, David Lo Pan (James Hong) plans to marry Miao Yin, a green eyed beauty, and then sacrifice her in order to overcome an ancient curse. To save the girl and his truck, Jack heads for Chinatown with Wang, and beautiful lawyer Gracie Law (Kim Cattrell). Unfortunately for Gracie, she also is beautiful and green-eyed, so Lo Pan decides to marry and kill her instead of Miao Yin. Also, unfortunately for Gracie, Jack is a fake John Wayne: he talks a good game and sounds like the Duke but literally knocks himself out. Rival Chinese gangs take sides, and three evil demi-gods show up as the fight goes underground, in a dark and dank supernatural world beneath Chinatown. Jack and Wang are helped by loopy magician Egg Shen (Victor Wong), Margo (Kate Burton), and Eddie Lee (Donald Li) as kung fu warriors, female ninjas, and unearthly creatures battle.
Black Adder - Season 1-4 Plus Christmas Carol and Back & Forth 0 5
Black Eagle 1988 93 Action 1 One of the US Air Force's most modern tactical aircrafts, a F-100 with a new laser guidance system,...
Black Rain 1989 125 Action; Crime; Drama 1 Two New York cops get involved in a gang war between members of the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia. They...
Blade 1998 120 Action; Horror; Thriller 1 A half-vampire, half-mortal man becomes a protector of the mortal race, while slaying evil vampires.
Blade - Trinity (Unrated Widescreen Edition) (New Line Platinum Series) 2004 0 2
Blade II 2002 117 Action; Thriller; Horror 2 Blade forms an uneasy alliance with the vampire council in order to combat the Reapers vampires who feed on vampires.
Blazing Saddles 1974 93 Comedy; Western 1 To ruin a western town, a corrupt political boss appoints a black sheriff, who promptly becomes his most formidable adversary.
Blood+: Volume One 124 1
Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie 2003 105 Comedy; Documentary 1 It had to happen: A national tour of redneck comedians culminating in this frequently funny concert film, shot in Phoenix. Ron White's scotch-and-tobacco-fueled, fatalistic world view gets things off to a good start. ("That last engine had just enough power to get us to our crash site.") Larry the Cable Guy's creepy-silly persona helps deliver a set long on gross-out humor. ("I've been seein' a good-lookin' girl. But now I lost my binoculars.") Bill Engvall balances the tone with his family-man shtick. ("There needs to be a teenage driver's lane lined with tires and mattresses.") Main event champ Jeff Foxworthy offers fresh material about the act of ice-fishing as an out-of-body experience for fish, describes the bizarre sight of a leaf blower among items confiscated by airport security and, of course, renders his trademark re-re-re-definitions of what constitutes a redneck ("a glorious absence of sophistication"). Lots to enjoy here. --Tom Keogh
Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again 2004 106 Comedy 1 The redneck quartet from the original Blue Collar Comedy Tour re-groups for another night of laughs, with (mostly) fresh material performed for an upbeat audience. A funny, clubby preface on a tour bus establishes a tone of lowbrow camaraderie among Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, Ron White, and Bill Engvall, but once on stage, the differences between each comic's style is considerable. Amiable Engvall kicks things off with gentle gibes: "Men are basic: eating, sleeping, sex. I can do all those in my truck." The decadent air of Ron White darkens the show: "If I'd known the difference between 'antidote' and 'anecdote,' my friend would still be alive today." Foxworthy, the likable Everyman, comments on his wife's hypochondria: "Honey, you do not have testicular cancer." Finally, Larry the Cable Guy lowers the bar on sick-hick humor but does score occasionally: "I got a vasectomy at Sears. When I get excited, the garage door opens." --Tom Keogh
Blue Collar Comedy Tour - One for the Road 2006 108 1 The redneck wits of Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One for the Road have gone a little more posh in this, their final appearance together. Performing in the gorgeous, historic Warner Theater in Washington, D.C., there's an air of class about the proceedings quickly and good-naturedly undone by the quartet's material. Bill Engvall discusses what it was like to assemble a trampoline for his kid and make a couple of discoveries while trying it out: "One, the dog doesn't like to jump. Two, I'm 20 feet in the air, and now my high school geometry kicks in. If you jump at an angle, you bounce at the opposite angle." He has another fond remembrance of youth: "Remember when you discovered you could burn ants with a magnifying glass? Then I saw an ant on my arm." Ron White, with trademark drink and a smoke in hand, talks about dieting tips for clean living: "Skinny people tell you: drink a lot of water, you'll be less hungry. You know what? Drink a lot of water, you'll be less thirsty." Redneck everyman Jeff Foxworthy comes armed with fashion tips for the Wal-Mart crowd: "There's no shame in having a spare tire around your waist. Just cover it up." He's also got vasectomy clinic slogans you don't want to hear: "Half-off. Everything must go." Finally, Larry the Cable Guy continues narrating his journey through cluelessness: "I got married seven months ago. We're already having trouble. Apparently, you can't talk dirty to your wife's sister." A little sidebar about the comedians' special trip to the White House is a cute diversion, while special features include a brisk question-and-answer session with a sharp audience. --Tom Keogh
Blue Man Group - The Complex Rock Tour Live 0 1
Blue Thunder 1983 109 1
Blue Velvet 1986 120 Crime; Drama; Mystery; Thriller 1 An innocent young man discovers that a dark underworld exists beneath the surface of his seemingly quiet hometown.
The Bourne Identity 2002 119 Action; Thriller; Mystery; Drama 1 A man washes ashore, bullet-riddled and without memory, then races to elude assassins and recover from amnesia.
The Bourne Supremacy 2004 108 Adventure; Mystery; Thriller; Action; Drama 1 When Jason Bourne is framed for a botched CIA operation he is forced to take up his former life as a trained assassin to survive.
The Bourne Ultimatum 2007 116 Thriller; Mystery 1 Matt Damon returns as highly trained assassin Jason Bourne, who is on the hunt for the agents who stole his memory and true identity. With a new generation of skilled CIA operatives tracking his every move, Bourne is in a non-stop race around the globe as he finally learns the truth behind his mysterious past. Loaded with incredible fight and chase sequences, it's the exhilarating movie with "mind-blowing action" (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times) that you can't afford to miss!
Bram Stoker's Dracula 1992 128 Drama; Horror; Romance; Thriller 1 The vampire comes to England to seduce a visitor's fiance and inflict havoc in the foreign land.
The Breed 2001 91 Action; Adventure; Sci-Fi 1 In the distant future vampires have come out of the shadows and tried to live among people as a special and peaceful breed...
Bruce Almighty 2003 102 Comedy; Romance 1 Bestowing Jim Carrey with godlike powers is a ripe recipe for comedy, and Bruce Almighty delivers the laughs that Carrey's mainstream fans prefer. The high-concept premise finds Carrey playing Bruce Nolan, a frustrated Buffalo TV reporter, stuck doing puff-pieces while a lesser colleague (the hilarious Steven Carell) gets the anchor job he covets. Bruce demands an explanation from God, who pays him a visit (in the serene form of Morgan Freeman) and lets Bruce take over while he takes a brief vacation. What does a petty, angry guy do when he's God? That's where Carrey has a field day, reuniting with his Ace Ventura and Liar, Liar director, Tom Shadyac, while Jennifer Aniston gamely keeps pace as Bruce's put-upon fiancée. Carrey's actually funnier before he becomes Him, and the movie delivers a sappy, safely diluted notion of faith that lacks the sincerity of the 1977 hit Oh, God! Still, we can be thankful that Carrey took the high road and left Little Nicky to Adam Sandler. --Jeff Shannon
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 1 0 3 Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) looks like your typical perky high-schooler, and like most, she has her secret fears and anxieties. However, while most teens are worrying about their next date, their next zit, or their next term paper, Buffy's angsting over the next vampire she has to slay. See, Buffy, a young woman with superhuman strength, is the "chosen one," and she must help rid the world of evil, namely by staking demons. The exceptional first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer introduces us to the treacherous world of Sunnydale High School (where Buffy moved after torching her previous high school's gym). The characters there include "watcher" Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) and the original "Scooby Gang" members--friendly geek Xander (Nicholas Brendon), computer whiz Willow (Alyson Hannigan), and snobbish popular girl Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter)--who aid Buffy in her quest. Those used to the darker tone that Buffy took in its later seasons will be surprised by the lighter feeling these first 12 episodes have--it's kind of like Buffy 90210 as the cast grapples with regular teen problems in addition to saving the world from demonic darkness. Fans of the show will enjoy the crisp writing, the phenomenal chemistry of the cast (already well-established within the first few episodes), and the introduction to characters that would stay for many seasons, including moody vampire Angel (David Boreanaz). Through it all, Gellar carries the series with amazing confidence, whether conveying the despair of high school or dispatching various demons--she's one of TV's most distinctive and strongest heroines. --Mark Englehart
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 2 0 6 At the heart of the first years of Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the romance between Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), slayer of all things evil, and hunky Angel (David Boreanaz), the tortured vampire destined to walk the earth with a soul. The second season of Buffy took the Buffy-Angel pas de deux from ecstasy to agony in a now-classic plot arc that catapulted the show from WB teen drama to true TV greatness. You see, if the cursed Angel ever experiences true happiness for a moment, he'll revert to being an evil vampire again. And guess what happens after Buffy and Angel finally declare their love for one another and consummate their relationship...

Buffy found its true momentum during the second season, as geeky Xander (Nicholas Brendon) fell in love with popular girl Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), Willow (Alyson Hannigan) gave up her crush on Xander in favor of werewolf boy Oz (Seth Green), and watcher Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) began a sweetly tentative relationship with computer teacher (and witch) Jenny Calendar (Robia LaMorte). Mayhem came to Sunnydale, though, in the form of evil vampires Drusilla (Juliet Landau) and Spike (drolly wicked James Marsters), who were more than ready to aid and abet Angel as he turned bad. It all sounds like horror-action mayhem (and there are great fight scenes), but Buffy took on its plotlines with amazing depth, intelligence, and humor. And oh, man, the love story! Buffy and Angel's tragic relationship is one of the most heartbreaking you'll ever find. Buffy's final dilemma finds her having to save the world at Angel's expense, and Gellar (who deserves a passel of Emmys for her work) is phenomenal at telegraphing Buffy's swirling conflicts between love and duty. This is some of the best TV ever made, period. --Mark Englehart
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 3 0 6 The third season of Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer was marked by the arrival in Sunnydale of renegade slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku), a moody loner who seemed to like her demon-staking calling just a little too much. While Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was always wary of Faith, the two developed a deep friendship and appreciative rapport--that is, until the evil mayor of Sunnydale (Harry Groener) tapped into Faith's dark side and lured her into his plot to take over the world, first as a double agent spying on Buffy, then as out-and-out nemesis. And as the mayor's ascension approached--which happened to fall on Sunnydale High's graduation day--Buffy and Faith's battles got nastier and nastier, as Buffy attempted to wrestle with her dark side (literally and figuratively), save the world and her friends, and keep her lover Angel (David Boreanaz) out of Faith's evil clutches.

Chock-full of exceptional episodes, this third season started out with a bang (the superb season opener "Anne," in which a runaway Buffy finally returns to her Slayer calling) and never let up. Among other highlights, the season introduced former vengeance demon and soon-to-be regular Anya (Emma Caulfield), fleshed out Angel's tortured character (and readied him for his own series), and featured a hilarious doppelganger Willow (Alyson Hannigan), a vampire from a parallel universe, who in Willow's own words was "evil and... skanky... and kinda gay!" (Total foreshadowing there, folks.) The season's pièce de résistance, though, was the two-parter "Graduation Day," wherein Faith tries to kill Angel, and the students of Sunnydale High prepare to do battle with a mutated mayor and his army of demons. Aside from the series' exceptional writing and acting, this compelling year of Buffy was anchored by the consistently excellent Gellar, as well as Dushku's complicated Faith, a girl you truly love to hate. By the time you finish these episodes, Faith will have cast a spell on you that you'll find very hard to shake. --Mark Englehart
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 4 0 6 Having battled a hellish vampire master, an evil boyfriend, a rogue slayer, a giant man-eating demon-snake thing, and a particularly nasty high school principal, Buffy Summers embarked on one of her biggest challenges in the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: college. With boyfriend Angel out of the picture (and on his own show) and Sunnydale High destroyed, new horizons were to be tackled for Buffy and the rest of the Scooby gang. There were cute guys (Buffy's new boyfriend Riley), cute girls (Willow's new girlfriend Tara--yes, Willow's gay!), frat parties, irritating roommates, harsh professors, and, oh yes, a secret military initiative that was experimenting on the demon population (Riley's part of it).

Buffy truly hit its golden years in the fourth season--just when you thought this show couldn't get any better, Joss Whedon and his creative team pulled out all the stops and took Buffy and co. into rich new territory. By far, the highlight of the season (and the entire series) was the Emmy-nominated "Hush," a nearly dialogue-free episode in which the creepy "Gentlemen" rob Sunnydale of its collective voice, and Buffy and Riley finally come face to face with each other's hidden identities. While Frankenstein-esque monster Adam wasn't the show's best villain (you'll have to wait until next season's Glory for that), he was a worthy adversary for the biotech age, and the military milieu was a nice contrast to Buffy's previous gothic outings. Season 4 also marked the return of blond vampire Spike (who developed a crush on Buffy), the ascension of vengeance demon Anya to full-time cast status, and the brief return of bad slayer Faith (in a fab two-part body-switching episode). Throughout, the entire cast, headed by the unparalleled Sarah Michelle Gellar, worked television magic of the kind rarely seen on the small screen. This is Buffy at its best. --Mark Englehart
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 5 0 6 The fifth season of Joss Whedon's hit series started out in excellent form as slayer extraordinaire Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) did battle with the most famous of vampires (that Dracula guy) and then went on to spar with another nemesis, little sister Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg). Wait--Buffy has a teenage sister? Where has she been the past four years? And why is everyone acting like she's always been around? Turns out that young Dawn is actually "The Key," a form of pure energy that, true to its name, helps open the gates between different dimensions. To protect said key from falling into the wrong hands, a group of monks gave it human form and sent it to the fiercely protective Buffy for safekeeping, creating new memories of Dawn for everyone as if she'd existed... well, always. Why all the super secrecy? There's this very, very, very bad girl named Glory (Clare Kramer) who wants the key very badly, and will do anything to get it. Oh, and by the way, Glory isn't just a run-of-the-mill demon... she's way worse.

Some fans will tell you that Buffy "jumped the shark" with the introduction of Dawn, when in actuality this season was the pinnacle of the show's achievement, as there was superb comedy to be had ("Buffy Vs. Dracula," the double-Xander episode "The Replacement," the introduction of the "Buffybot" in "Intervention") as well as some of television's best drama. The Whedon-scripted and -directed "The Body" remains one of Buffy's best episodes, when the young woman who faces down supernatural death on a daily basis finds herself powerless in the wake of her mother's sudden passing. The first third or so of the season was a bit choppy, but once the evil Glory came into her own, Buffy was a television force to be reckoned with. Kramer was the show's best villain (after the evil Angel, natch), and the supporting cast was never better. But as always, it was the superb Gellar who was the powerful center of the show, sparking opposite lovelorn vampire Spike (James Marsters) and wrestling with moral dilemmas rarely seen on television. With this season, Buffy Summers became, like Tony Soprano, one of television's true greats. --Mark Englehart
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 6 0 6 The sixth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer followed the logic of plot and character development into some gloomy places. The year begins with Buffy being raised from the dead by the friends who miss her, but who fail to understand that a sacrifice taken back is a sacrifice negated. Dragged out of what she believes to have been heavenly bliss, she finds herself "going through the motions" and entering into a relationship with the evil, besotted vampire Spike just to force her emotions. Willow becomes ever more caught up in the temptations of magic; Xander and Anya move towards marriage without ever discussing their reservations; Giles feels he is standing in the way of Buffy's adult independence; Dawn feels neglected. What none of them need is a menace that is, at this point, simply annoying--three high school contemporaries who have turned their hand to magical and high-tech villainy. Added to this is a hungry ghost, an invisibility ray, an amnesia spell and a song-and-dance demon (who acts as rationale for the incomparable musical episode "Once More, with Feeling").

This is a year in which chickens come home to roost: everything from the villainy of the three geeks to Xander's doubts about marriage come to a head, often--as in the case of the impressive wedding episode--through wildly dark humor. The estrangement of the characters from each other--a well-observed portrait of what happens to college pals in their early 20s--comes to a shocking head with the death of a major character and that death's apocalyptic consequences. The series ends on a consoling note which it has, by that point and in spite of imperfections, entirely earned. --Roz Kaveney
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 7 0 6 The seventh and final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer begins with a mystery: someone is murdering teenage girls all over the world and something is trying hard to drive Spike mad. Buffy is considerably more cheerful in these episodes than we have seen her during the previous year as she trains Dawn and gets a job as student counselor at the newly rebuilt Sunnydale High. Willow is recovering from the magical addiction which almost led her to destroy the world, but all is not yet well with her, or with Anya, who has returned to being a Vengeance demon in "Same Time, Same Place" and "Selfless," and both women are haunted by their decisions.

Haunting of a different kind comes in the excellent "Conversations with Dead People" (one of the show's most terrifying episodes ever), in which a mysterious song is making Spike kill again in spite of his soul and his chip. Giles turns up in "Bring on the Night" and Buffy has to fight one of the deadliest vampires of her career in "Showtime". In "Potential" Dawn faces a fundamental reassessment of her purpose in life.

Buffy was always a show about female empowerment, but it was also a show about how ordinary people can decide to make a difference alongside people who are special. And it was also a show about people making up for past errors and crimes. So, for example, we have the excellent episodes "Storyteller", in which the former geek/supervillain Andrew sorts out his redemption while making a video diary about life with Buffy; and "Lies My Parents Told Me," in which we find out why a particular folk song sends Spike crazy. Redemption abounds as Faith returns to Sunnydale and the friends she once betrayed, and Willow finds herself turning into the man she flayed. Above all, this was always Buffy's show: Sarah Michelle Gellar does extraordinary work here both as Buffy and as her ultimate shadow, the First Evil, who takes her face to mock her. This is a fine ending to one of television's most remarkable shows. --Roz Kaveney
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Curse of the Hellmouth 0 1
Bulletproof Monk 2003 104 Comedy; Adventure 1 The tremendous charisma of Chow Yun-fat anchors this entertaining comic-book romp. Bulletproof Monk centers around a monk with no name (Chow) dedicated to protecting a sacred scroll that can give world-manipulating power to anyone who reads it. A hidden Nazi has been pursuing the scroll for 60 years and has finally caught up with the monk in present-day New York City; meanwhile, the monk suspects he may have found a disciple in a petty thief (Seann William Scott, Dude, Where's My Car?, American Pie) who's learned kung fu from watching double-feature chopsocky flicks. Don't let the presence of Chow Yun-fat lead you to expect much substance--this doesn't have the emotional scope of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or the visual panache of Hard-Boiled. But Bulletproof Monk is a cheerful, tightly edited, unpretentious action flick with flashes of humor, good for a mindless evening's entertainment. Also featuring Jaime (a.k.a. James) King (Blow). --Bret Fetzer
Burn After Reading 2008 96 Comedy; Crime 1 After the dark brilliance of No Country for Old Men, Burn After Reading may seem like a trifle, but few filmmakers elevate the trivial to art quite like Joel and Ethan Coen. Inspired by Stansfield Turner's Burn Before Reading, the comically convoluted plot clicks into gear when the CIA gives analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) the boot. Little does Cox know his wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton, riffing on her Michael Clayton character), is seeing married federal marshal Harry (George Clooney, Swinton's Clayton co-star, playing off his Syriana role). To get back at the Agency, Cox works on his memoirs. Through a twist of fate, fitness club workers Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt in a pompadour that recalls Johnny Suede) find the disc and try to wrangle a "Samaratin tax" out of the surly alcoholic. An avid Internet dater, Linda plans to use the money for plastic surgery, oblivious that her manager, Ted (The Visitor's Richard Jenkins), likes her just the way she is. Though it sounds like a Beltway remake of The Big Lebowski, the Coen entry it most closely resembles, this time the brothers concentrate their energies on the myriad insecurities endemic to the mid-life crisis--with the exception of Chad, who's too dense to share such concerns, leading to the funniest performance of Pitt's career. If Lebowski represented the Coen's unique approach to film noir, Burn sees them putting their irresistibly absurdist stamp on paranoid thrillers from Enemy of the State to The Bourne Identity. --Kathleen C. Fennessy


Stills from Burn After Reading (Click for larger image)











Cabaret 1972 124 Drama; Musical 1 Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome to Cabaret. The winner of eight Academy Awards, it boasts a score by the legendary songwriting partnership behind another film that would energize the movie musical genre with equal razzle-dazzle 30 years later: Chicago's John Kander and Fred Ebb. Inside the Kit Kat Club of 1931 Berlin, starry-eyed singer Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli) and an impish emcee (Joel Grey) sound the clarion call to decadent fun, while outside a certain political party grows into a brutal force. Cabaret caught lightning (and won Oscars) for Minnelli, Grey and director Bob Fosse, who shaped a triumph of style and substance. Come to this Cabaret, old chum. You'll never want to leave.

DVD Features:
Documentary:25th-Anniversary Documentary "Cabaret: A Legend in the Making"
Featurette:"The Recreation of An Era"
Interactive Menus
Interviews
Production Notes:"Kit Kat Klub Memory Gallery": The film's stars and creators reminisce about making movie musical history.
Scene Access
Theatrical Trailer
Caddyshack 1980 98 Comedy 1 An exclusive golf course has to deal with a brash new member and a destructive dancing gopher.
Caligula 1980 156 Horror; Adult; History 1 Remember the dumbstruck, jaw-dropped expressions on "Springtime for Hitler's" shocked opening-night audience in Mel Brooks's original film of The Producers? That will no doubt be your face through much of the two-and-a-half-hour running time of this infamous 1979 pornographic epic that was a (Penthouse) pet project of publisher Bob Guccione. That's not necessarily a bad thing. But don't take our word for it. Listen to Helen Mirren--yes, the Oscar-winning Queen herself--who stars as Caesonia, Caligula's third wife and "the most promiscuous woman in Rome" (and in this film's salacious vision of Pagan Rome, that is saying something). In her very gracious, thoughtful and candid audio commentary that alone is worth the price of this set, she remarks, "I think it's a movie that is unlike any other, which is difficult to achieve." And for those of a more prurient bent, she adds, "It has an awful lot of bottoms." Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) gives a brave and fearless performance as Caligula, the hated and feared emperor corrupted by absolute power and no doubt voted Most Likely to Be Assassinated. The film unflinchingly charts his plummet into madness and the brutality of his reign in scenes of hardcore sex and violence that cannot be described here ("I can't watch," Mirren cries to her interviewers over one scene in which unfortunate characters are beheaded by a blade-spinning combine. "I can't even listen to it").

Caligula is also a career curiosity for author Gore Vidal, who wrote the original screenplay, but later demanded his name be removed from the credits, and venerable actors Peter O'Toole, appearing briefly as the syphilitic Emperor Tiberius Caesar, and John Gielgud as Nerva, a Senator who'd rather take his own life than "live with this reptile." This controversial film's tortured history is untangled in a very helpful booklet that is packaged along with this set's three discs. One is hard-pressed to think of a more reviled film graced with such a gala presentation, but Caligula's defenders and the curious will be amply rewarded with both the original uncut theatrical version of the film and a re-edited alternate version. Supplementary material includes an hour of deleted footage, a pretentious "making of" documentary made during the film's production and a new interview with director Tinto Brass, whose softcore tendencies clashed with Guccioni's more extreme vision (Brass did not have final cut, allowing Guccione to insert more explicit footage into the film). McDowell contributes his own lively audio commentary. "God help us," he groans as the film begins, but by its bloody conclusion, he proclaims he has "no regrets at all" about making the film. Caligula, Mirren maintains, is "an irresistible mix of art and genitals." And you've got to hand it to Guccione. Especially in these politically correct times, it is still strong and scandalous stuff. --Donald Liebenson
Cars 2006 116 1 There's an extra coat of hot wax on Pixar's vibrant, NASCAR-influenced comedy about a world populated entirely by cars. Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is the slick rookie taking the Piston Cup series by storm when the last race of the season (the film's high-octane opening) ends in a three-way tie. On the way to the tie-breaker race in California, Lightning loses his way off Route 66 in the Southwest desert and is taught to stop and smell the roses by the forgotten citizens of Radiator Springs. It's odd to have such a slim story from the whizzes of Pixar, and the film pales a bit from their other films (though can that be a fair comparison?). Nonetheless, Cars is another gleaming ride with Pixar founder John Lasseter, who's directing for the first time since Toy Story 2. There's the usual spectrum of excellent characters teamed with appropriate voice talent, loads of smooth humor for kids and parents alike, knockout visuals, and a colorful array of sidekicks, including a scene-stealing baby blue forklift named Guido. Lightning's plight is changed with the help of former big-city lawyer Sally Carrera (Pixar veteran Bonnie Hunt), the town's patriarch Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), and kooky tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). The Incredibles was the first Pixar film to break the 100-minute barrier, but had enough story not to suffer; Cars, at 116 minutes (including some must-see end credit footage), is not as fortunate, plus it never pierces the heart. Trivia fans should have bonanza with the frame-by-frame DVD function; the movie is stuffed with in-jokes, some appearing only for an instant. Ages 5 and up. --Doug Thomas
Castle in the Sky 1986 0 2 Inspired by "Gulliver's Travels," the fantasy-adventure Castle in the Sky (1986) was Hayao Miyazaki's third feature, and helped to establish his reputation as a visionary in both Japan and America. The orphan Sheeta inherited a mysterious crystal that links her to the legendary sky-kingdom of Laputa. With the help of resourceful Pazu and a rollicking band of sky pirates, she makes her way to the ruins of the once-great civilization. Sheeta and Pazu must outwit the evil Muska, who plans to use Laputa's science to make himself ruler of the world. Castle echoes elements in Myazaki's earlier Nausicaä, and anticipates imagery in his later films, from My Neighbor Totoro to Spirited Away. Disney's new English dub, which features Anna Paquin (Sheeta), James Van Der Beek (Pazu), and Cloris Leachman (pirate matriarch Dola), is lively and close in tone to the original Japanese, if a bit talkier. The exciting flying sequences, appealing characters, and fantastic vision of a steam-powered future Jules Verne might have imagined make Castle in the Sky a must-have for fans of Japanese and Western animation. (Unrated: suitable for ages 10 and older: violence) --Charles Solomon
Cats 1998 120 Musical 2
Cellular 2004 95 Thriller; Action 1 SUSPENSE IS ON THE LINE! After getting a frantic call on his cell phone from a kidnapped woman, a young man must battle his way through a ruthless world of lies and murder to rescue her. A fast-paced thriller in the vein of Phone Booth and Speed that will keep you riveted with edge-of-your-seat car chase scenes.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:with Director David Ellis, writers Larry Cohen and Chris Morgan
DVD ROM Features:Script-to-Screen
Deleted Scenes:w/optional Director commentary
Featurette:3 Exciting Featurettes! "Celling Out"A look at cellphones in today's culture "Dialing Up Cellular"Making of The Film "Code of Silence: Inside the Rampart Scandal"
Theatrical Trailer
Chain Reaction 1996 0 1 Anyone want to venture a guess that Keanu Reeves was sorry he passed up Speed 2 to make this turkey? Both a ridiculous suspense piece about a renegade intelligence community and an ill-considered hunk of do-gooder agitprop about alternative energy technology, Chain Reaction makes Reeves and almost everyone else involved look about as dumb as dumb can be. Hollywood's own Little Buddha plays a streetwise lab technician who survives an organized assault on his hydrogen-power project. The FBI assumes he's really a spy working for some foreign power, but the truth is that a CIA offshoot is behind the project's funding. Morgan Freeman plays the ramrod-straight company man who sabotages Keanu's excellent experiment, and Rachel Weisz portrays a physicist who goes on the run with the alleged saboteur. Directed by Andrew Davis (The Fugitive), who seems more interested in seeing how many absurd places he can mount a chase scene than offering a solid clue as to who these characters are and why we should care about them. --Tom Keogh
Changing Lanes 2002 0 1 Impeccably crafted and smarter than your average thriller, Changing Lanes proves that revenge is a dish best served cold. A high-powered attorney (Ben Affleck) learns that lesson the hard way after he flees the scene of an accident involving an insurance salesman (Samuel L. Jackson) who holds a powerful advantage in his retaliatory strike against the lawyer's arrogant behavior. Affleck has everything to gain if he can retrieve a lost document from Jackson, who has everything to lose (wife, family, savings) when threatened with financial sabotage. To his versatile credit, Notting Hill director Roger Michell never plays the race card in this escalating battle of wills, focusing instead on the percolating resentments of men at opposite ends of the economic scale. As he did in Eyes Wide Shut, actor-director Sydney Pollack chillingly embodies the venal elite in a pivotal supporting role, and Changing Lanes potently illustrates the wisdom of heeding a guilty conscience. --Jeff Shannon
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 2005 115 2 Mixed reviews and creepy comparisons to Michael Jackson notwithstanding, Tim Burton's splendidly imaginative adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory would almost surely meet with Roald Dahl's approval. The celebrated author of darkly offbeat children's books vehemently disapproved of 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (hence the change in title), so it's only fitting that Burton and his frequent star/collaborator, Johnny Depp, should have another go, infusing the enigmatic candyman's tale with their own unique brand of imaginative oddity. Depp's pale, androgynous Wonka led some to suspect a partial riff on that most controversial of eternal children, Michael Jackson, but Burton's film is too expansively magnificent to be so narrowly defined. While preserving Dahl's morality tale on the hazards of indulgent excess, Burton's riotous explosion of color provides a wondrous setting for the lessons learned by Charlie Bucket (played by Freddie Highmore, Depp's delightful costar in Finding Neverland), as he and other, less admirable children enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime tour of Wonka's confectionary wonderland. Elaborate visual effects make this an eye-candy overdose (including digitally multiplied Oompa-Loompas, all played by diminutive actor Deep Roy), and the film's underlying weirdness is exaggerated by Depp's admirably risky but ultimately off-putting performance. Of course, none of this stops Burton's Charlie from being the must-own family DVD of 2005's holiday season, perhaps even for those who staunchly defend Gene Wilder's portrayal of Wonka from 34 years earlier. --Jeff Shannon

DVD features
The second disc is filled with a number of distinctive featurettes. The likely crowd-pleaser in most households is "Attack of the Squirrels," which recounts how those fuzzy little creatures (a combination of hard-to-train live animals, animatronics, and computer graphics) can be ornery in their own right. "The Fantastic Mr. Dahl" is a 17-minute look at author Roald Dahl through vintage footage and new interviews with family, friends, and colleagues. "Becoming Oompa-Loompa" follows Deep Roy as he is filmed over and over again through his dance steps and music performances.

Roy is a constant throughout the kids' activities as well. You can follow him to learn two different dance steps "Augustus Gloop" and "Violet Beauregarde," and make him taste weird candy inventions in a simple game. "Search for the Golden Ticket" is a five-part challenge that tests your remote-control fingers, your deductive abilities, or your luck. Finally, if you just want basic behind-the-scenes information, "Making the Mix" is a collection of featurettes (around 40 minutes total) covering the film's casting, music, production design, and special effects. --David Horiuchi
Charlie's Angels 2000 98 Action; Comedy; Adventure; Mystery 2 Three women, detectives with a mysterious boss, retrieve stolen voice-ID software, using martial arts, tech skills, and sex appeal.
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle 2003 106 Action; Comedy; Adventure; Mystery 1 The Angels investigate a series of murders that occur after the theft of a witness protection profile database. Their prime suspects? A "fallen angel" (Moore) who was once their ally and the Creepy Thin Man (Glover).
Chasing Amy 1997 111 Comedy; Romance; Drama 1 Holden and Banky are comic book artists. Everything's going good for them until they meet Alyssa, also a comic book artist. Holden falls for her, but his hopes are crushed when he finds out she's a lesbian.
Child's Play 1988 87 1 Horror maestro Tom Holland (Fright Night) brought wit and devilish energy to this 1988 scarefest about a murderer (Brad Dourif) who wills his soul into an innocuous doll named Chucky, and reveals himself only to the toy's owner, a frightened little boy. Catherine Hicks plays the child's mother, and Chris Sarandon a detective; neither of them knows what to make of the kid's story. Monster-doll stories are always wonderfully surreal, and Child's Play is no exception. Holland oversees some finely tuned special effects that allow Chucky to express himself and do some damage--it is truly unnerving but somehow good, subversive fun. --Tom Keogh
Chucky Collection 0 3
Seed Of Chucky 2004 0 1 Yep, that ugly toy with the killer's instinct is back for a fifth round of irreverent bloodshed in Seed of Chucky. Chucky and his plastic partner Tiffany are reanimated by their child, a gentle doll of indeterminate gender who'd prefer that his parents stopped their knife-wielding ways. No such luck. In an attempt at irony that also includes John Waters as a tabloid reporter, Jennifer Tilly (who also voices Tiffany) is asked to play herself, a B-grade actress tired of being stuck in a movie filled with murderous dolls. She courts rap star Redman, playing himself, when she hears he's looking for someone to play the mother of Jesus in a new film. Chuck, Tiffany, and spawn naturally interrupt such ridiculous plans. Writer/director Don Mancini has the trio doing things you have to see to believe, including a vivid disembowelment and a human impregnation featuring a turkey baster filled with, you guessed it, the seed of Chucky. It's junk, sure, and tension-free, but Tilly's willing self-debasement is fairly jaw-dropping. If you're so inclined, her shameless decision to play along may be reason enough to suffer the consequences.--Steve Wiecking
A Christmas Carol 1999 95 Drama; Fantasy 1 An adaptation of the famous novel.
The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 2005 135 Adventure; Family; Fantasy 2 C.S. Lewis's classic novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe makes an ambitious and long-awaited leap to the screen in this modern adaptation. It's a CGI-created world laden with all the special effects and visual wizardry modern filmmaking technology can conjure, which is fine so long as the film stays true to the story that Lewis wrote. And while this film is not a literal translation--it really wants to be so much more than just a kids' movie--for the most part it is faithful enough to the story, and whatever faults it has are happily faults of overreaching, and not of holding back. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe tells the story of the four Pevensie children, Lucy, Peter, Edmund, and Susan, and their adventures in the mystical world of Narnia. Sent to the British countryside for their own safety during the blitz of World War II, they discover an entryway into a mystical world through an old wardrobe. Narnia is inhabited by mythical, anthropomorphic creatures suffering under the hundred-year rule of the cruel White Witch (Tilda Swinton, in a standout role). The arrival of the children gives the creatures of Narnia hope for liberation, and all are dragged into the inevitable conflict between evil (the Witch) and good (Aslan the Lion, the Messiah figure, regally voiced by Liam Neeson).

Director (and co-screenwriter) Andrew Adamson, a veteran of the Shrek franchise, knows his way around a fantasy-based adventure story, and he wisely keeps the story moving when it could easily become bogged down and tiresome. Narnia is, of course, a Christian allegory and the symbology is definitely there (as it should be, otherwise it wouldn't be the story Lewis wrote), but audiences aren’t knocked over the head with it, and in the hands of another director it could easily have become pedantic. The focus is squarely on the children and their adventures. The four young actors are respectable in their roles, especially considering the size of the project put on their shoulders, but it's the young Georgie Henley as the curious Lucy who stands out. This isn't a film that wildly succeeds, and in the long run it won't have the same impact as the Harry Potter franchise, but it is well done, and kids will get swept up in the adventure. Note: Narnia does contain battle scenes that some parents may consider too violent for younger children. --Dan Vancini
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian 2008 149 Adventure; Family; Action 3 More exciting than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian continues the movie franchise based on C.S. Lewis' classic fantasy books. The movie picks up where the first left off... sort of. It's been a year since the Pevensie children--Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley)--returned to England from Narnia, and they've just about resigned themselves to living their ordinary lives. But just like that, they're once again transported to a fantastical land, but one with a long-abandoned castle. It turns out that they are in Narnia again--and they themselves lived in that castle, but hundreds of years ago in Narnia time. They've been summoned back to help Prince Caspian (Stardust's Ben Barnes, resembling a young, cultured Keanu Reeves), the rightful heir to the throne who's become the target of his power-hungry uncle, King Mraz (Sergio Castellitto). And he's not the only one threatened: Mraz's people, the Telmarines, have pushed all the Narnians--the talking animals, the centaurs and other beasts, the walking trees--to the brink of extinction. Despite some alpha-male bickering, Peter and Caspian agree to fight Mraz alongside the remaining Narnians, including the dwarf Trumpkin (Peter Dinklage) and the swashbuckling mouse Reepicheep (voiced by Eddie Izzard). (Also appearing is Warwick Davis, who was in Willow and the 1989 BBC Prince Caspian.) But of course they most of all miss the noble lion, Aslan, who would have never let this happen to Narnia if he hadn't disappeared. Prince Caspian is epic, evoking memories of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. (Some of the battle elements may seem too familiar, but they were in Lewis's book.) And it's appropriate for kids (Reepicheep could have come out of a Shrek movie), though the tone is dark and there is a lot of death, albeit bloodless. After two successful films, Disney and Walden Media's franchise has proved successful enough that many of the characters are scheduled to return in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. --David Horiuchi




Stills from The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Click for larger image)










Cirque du Soleil - Alegria (Live in Sydney) 2001 0 1
Cirque du Soleil - Baroque Odyssey 2001 0 1
Cirque du Soleil - Cirque Reinvente 2001 0 1
Cirque du Soleil - Solstrom - The Complete Series 0 5 Solstrom is a 13-part variety series starring members of Canada?s Cirque du Soleil along with some new discoveries. Originally broadcast on Bravo in the US, each episode has a different national identity and features numerous feats of gravity-defying derring-do. The performers hail from Cirque productions Dralion, Zumanity, La Nouba, Saltimbanco, Varekaï, Alegría, Mystère, Quidam, and "O."

Wind is the overriding theme, specifically a "solar wind" that transforms ordinary citizens into graceful athletes. "Wind of Romance," for instance, is set in an Italian villa where the inhabitants interact through gestures rather than words. A love affair is played out on a clothesline-as-tightrope, a suitor woos his intended out of a painting through acrobatics, a couple fights and makes up through juggling, and another re-connects via flashback to an aerial pas de deux. Other acts incorporate pyrotechnics, unicycles, and physical comedy. Brazil is the setting for "Twin Winds," which focuses on duos and features contortionists, jugglers, aerial straps, and boleadoras (tap dancers with stone-tipped ropes). Other settings: Romania ("Howling Wind"), Paris ("Rockin' Wind"), London ("Once Upon a Wind"), the Caribbean ("Wind of Freedom"), Hollywood ("Ghostly Wind"), Nevada ("Gone With the Winds"), Quebec ("Wind From the Past" and "Winds of Courage"), New York City ("Wind of Imagination"), Salzburg ("Wind of Life"), and even outer space ("Cosmic Wind").

There are a few special guests along for the ride: Naomi Campbell in "Ghostly Wind," Dave Coulthard in "Gone With the Winds," and Milla Jovovich, Christopher Lambert, and Deepak Chopra in "Cosmic Wind." A somewhat irritating mad scientist character named Fogus Punch (Cirque regular John Gilkey with voice by Alex Ivanovici), who discovered the solar wind, introduces each episode. Fortunately, his screen time is mostly limited to the opening sequence and the occasional reaction shot. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Cirque Du Soleil : Midnight Sun / Soleil De Minuit 0 1
Cirque Du Soleil : Nouvelle expérience 1991 72 1
Cirque Du Soleil : Saltimbanco 1997 56 Documentary 1
Cirque du Soleil: Dralion 2000 89 1 The Chinese consider the lion a symbol of good luck, so it's a half-dragon, half-lion--a dralion--that is the symbol of the East-meets-West fusion of this Cirque du Soleil show, in which 36 Chinese acrobats join the renowned Canadian troupe. Celebrating the four elements as represented in four colors-- blue (air), green (water), red (fire), and ochre (earth)--Dralion combines ancient Chinese circus traditions with Cirque du Soleil's usual stunning elements: the techno-oriented single ring; the multicolored lights and costumes; the music that mixes rock, New Age, and various world influences (though not Chinese); and the madcap clowns that pull a victim out of the audience (he turns out to be a terrific sport).

But of course the main reason to watch a Cirque du Soleil show is the acrobatic stunts, those eye-popping displays of agility, balance, and strength. You'll see an acrobat balancing on one hand, a brawny juggler, a high-flying teeterboard act, a double trapeze, contortionists, a parasol turned and tossed atop a foot, furiously synchronized hoop-diving, unbelievable rope-skipping, and more. While nothing can match the experience of seeing this troupe live, the video does offer some choice close-ups that you would never get from your seat, and you can't ask the live performers to repeat your favorite stunts over and over again. And you'll want to see them over and over because Dralion is a dazzler. --David Horiuchi
Cirque du Soleil: Fire Within 2002 30 Documentary 3 This addictive, Emmy Award-winning series has all the human turmoil of reality television, but the subjects have actual talent--it's a 13-part documentary about the young acrobats of Cirque du Soleil, watching them struggle with the physical rigors and emotional demands of creating a new show (the acclaimed Varekai). Fire Within focuses on eight performers, among them Gareth, a temperamental Brit whose sculpted physique features multiple tattoos; Stella, a young African American trapeze artist who's a bit of a diva; Oleg, a 35-year-old Russian circus professional trying to shift his talents to dance; Olga, a Cirque veteran as a contortionist, being given a starring role in this new show. Skillfully edited, Fire Within follows the performers along the stressful path from auditions to opening. The show gains surprisingly intimate access into their lives, capturing the strength and vulnerability of people whose bodies are their art--and not everyone rises to the challenges they face. The process of making a show like Varekai isn't always pretty or gentle; if an act isn't working--such as when Gareth and his acrobatic partner Ashley have trouble finding their balance for a piece called the Icarian Games--the act will simply be cut, and the performer fired. Fire Within is a remarkable warts-and-all document of frustration and ingenuity. After each episode, you'll eagerly jump to the next one to learn what happens next. --Bret Fetzer
Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man 2000 39 Family; Short; Drama; Musical 1 A child is born. We see underwater swimmers representing this. He is young, in a jungle setting, with...
Cirque Du Soleil: La Magie continue 1986 49 Documentary; Fantasy 1
Cirque du Soleil: La Nouba 2003 90 Documentary 2 Spectacle-makers Cirque du Soleil push the sheer abundance of eye-candy to the maximum in La Nouba. While some astonishing physical feat is underway, a host of colorful clown characters dart in and out at the fringes of the stage. For some viewers, this will only enhance the experience--others will find them an annoying distraction, particularly the lackluster quartet of white-faced clowns who almost never go away. This, combined with some overly busy camerawork, threatens to undermine the show; but the acrobatics are topnotch as ever. The German Wheel, phenomenal bicyclists, trapeze acts, flying straps, tightrope walkers (including a sequence in which a woman does a hand-stand on top of a tightrope walker's head), chair-balancing, and a particularly impressive extended trampoline routine will make La Nouba satisfying. --Bret Fetzer
Cirque du Soleil: Quidam 1999 90 Documentary 1
Cirque du Soleil: Varekai 2003 0 Family; Fantasy; Music 2 Even by the high standards of Cirque du Soleil, Varekai is outstanding. While this artsy circus often aspires to weave a narrative through its spectacular events, in Varekai that story (about a winged boy who falls to earth and falls in love with a caterpillar girl) is as delightful and engaging as the acrobatic feats--which is saying a lot, because these feats will leave you agog. Acrobats juggle each others' bodies with their legs; identical twins spin on aerial straps; a contortionist twists into uncanny pretzel shapes; and much, much more. The elaborate costumes truly do evoke an otherworldly place--one of the clown characters looks like a man's torso emerging from the mouth of a carnivorous plant. Exceptionally well-filmed, and featuring a wealth of extra features about the making of the show, Varekai is Cirque du Soleil at the peak of its powers: Dizzy, dazzling, and sexy. --Bret Fetzer
Clerks 1995 92 Comedy 1 Just Because They Serve You...Doesn't Mean They Like You.

If you're in the market for what 'The Detroit News' called "A lively comic adventure," CLERKS delivers with wholesale hilarity! It's one wild day in the life of a pair of overworked counter jockeys whose razor-sharp wit and on-the-job antics give a whole new meaning to customer service! Even while braving a nonstop parade of unpredictable shoppers, the clerks manage to play hockey on the roof, visit a funeral home, and straighten out their offbeat love lives. The boss is nowhere in sight, so you can bet anything can---and WILL---happen when these guys are left to run the store!
Clerks Uncensored (Animated Series) 2000 22 Animation; Comedy 2 The continuing adventures of clerks Dante and Randal, who try to make the best of their menial labor, with no help from Jay and Silent Bob.
Cloverfield 2008 84 Science Fiction; Thriller; Action 1 One of the first things a viewer notices about Cloverfield is that it doesn't play by ordinary storytelling rules, making this intriguing horror film as much a novelty as an event. Told from the vertiginous point-of-view of a camcorder-wielding group of friends, Cloverfield begins like a primetime television soap opera about young Manhattanites coping with changes in their personal lives. Rob (Michael Stahl-David) is leaving New York to take an executive job at a company in Japan. At his goodbye party in a crowded loft, Rob’s brother Jason (Mike Vogel) hands a camcorder to best friend Hud (T.J. Miller), who proceeds to tape the proceedings over old footage of Rob’s ex-girlfriend, Beth (Odette Yustman)--images shot during happy times in that now-defunct relationship. Naturally, Beth shows up at the party with a new beau, bumming Rob out completely. Just before one's eyes glaze over from all this heartbreaking stuff (captured by Hud, who's something of a doofus, in laughably shaky camerawork), the unexpected happens: New York is suddenly under attack from a Godzilla-like monster stomping through midtown and destroying everything and everybody in sight. Rob and company hit the streets, but rather than run with other evacuees, they head toward the center of the storm so that Rob can rescue an injured Beth. There are casualties along the way, but the journey into fear is fascinating and immediate if emotionally remote--a consequence of seeing these proceedings through the singular, subjective perspective of a camcorder and of a story that intentionally leaves major questions unanswered: Who or what is this monster? Where did it come from? The lack of a backstory, and spare views of the marauding creature, are clever ways by producer J.J. Abrams and director Matt Reeves to keep an audience focused exclusively on what’s on the screen. But it also makes Cloverfield curiously uninvolving. Ultimately, Cloverfield, with its spectacular effects brilliantly woven into a home-video look, is a celebration of infinite possibilities in this age of accessible, digital media. --Tom Keogh
Coheed & Cambria 2006 90 1
Collateral Damage / Eraser 1996 224 Adventure; Action 2 Arnold Schwarzenegger provides escapist heroics in two explosive hits. In Collateral Damage, he plays a firefighter tracking the terrorist bomber who killed his family. Andrew Davis (The Fugitive) guides the action that leaps from LA to Colombia to Washington, D.C. In Eraser, agent John Kruger (Schwarzenegger) protects a witness who uncovered a deal to put a super weapon in the wrong hands. If you're looking for a hero, you've found him. If you're looking for the witness, Kruger will make sure you find plenty of trouble.
Complete Denis Leary 0 1
Conan the Barbarian 1982 129 Action; Fantasy; Adventure 1 The epic tale of child sold into slavery who grows into a man who seeks revenge against the warlord who massacred his tribe.
Conan the Destroyer 1984 103 Action; Fantasy; Adventure 1 Conan leads a ragtag group of adventurers on a quest for a princess.
Constantine 2005 121 Horror; Science Fiction; Thriller 2 In the grand scheme of theological thrillers, Constantine aspires for the greatness of The Exorcist but ranks more closely with The Order. Based on the popular Hellblazer comic book series, and directed with nary a shred of intelligence by music video veteran Francis Lawrence, it's basically The Matrix with swarming demons instead of swarming machines. Keanu Reeves slightly modifies his Matrix persona as John Constantine, who roams the dark-spots of Los Angeles looking for good-evil, angel-devil half-breeds to ensure that "the balance" between God and Satan is properly maintained. An ancient artifact and the detective twin of a woman who committed evil-induced suicide (Rachel Weisz) factor into the plot, which is taken so seriously that you'll want to stand up and cheer when Tilda Swinton swoops down as the cross-dressing angel Gabriel and turns this silliness into the camp-fest it really is. The digital effects are way cool (dig those hellspawn with the tops of their heads lopped off!), so if you don't mind a juvenile lesson in pseudo-Catholic salvation, Constantine is just the movie for you! --Jeff Shannon
Cool Runnings 1993 98 Family; Comedy 1 Based on the true story of the First Jamacian bobsled team trying to make it to the winter olympics.
Cool World 1992 101 1
Cradle of Fear 116 1
Cradle of Filth - Heavy Left-Handed & Candid 2001 160 1
Cradle Of Filth - Mannequin 2003 0 1
Cradle of Filth - PanDaemonAeon 1999 0 1
Crank 2006 87 1 A professional hit man (Jason Statham) is poisoned and has only hours to live. He has some big tasks to accomplish before the grim reaper arrives.
Crimson Tide 1995 116 Action; Drama; Thriller 1 On a US nuclear missile sub, a young first officer stages a mutiny to prevent his trigger happy captain from launching his missiles before confirming his orders to do so.
The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course 2002 90 Adventure; Comedy 1 The Crocodile Hunter mistakes some CIA agents for poachers and sets out to stop them from capturing a wily croc which, unbeknownst to him, has swallowed a tracking drone.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000 120 Adventure; Fantasy; Romance; Martial Arts 2 An epic set against the breathtaking landscapes of ancient China, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, combines the exhilarating martial arts choreography by Yuen Wo-Pind (The Matrix) with the sensitivity and classical storytelling of an Ang Lee film. The result is something truly unexpected: romantic, emotionally powerful entertainment.
Cruel Intentions 1999 97 1 This modern-day teen update of Les Liaisons Dangereuses suffered at the hands of both critics and moviegoers thanks to its sumptuous ad campaign, which hyped the film as an arch, highly sexual, faux-serious drama (not unlike the successful, Oscar-nominated Dangerous Liaisons). In fact, this intermittently successful sudser plays like high comedy for its first two-thirds, as its two evil heroes, rich stepsiblings Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe), blithely ruin lives and reputations with hearts as black as coal. Kathryn wants revenge on a boyfriend who dumped her, so she befriends his new intended, the gawky Cecile (Selma Blair), and gets Sebastian to deflower the innocent virgin. The meat of the game, though, lies in Sebastian's seduction of good girl Annette (a down-to-earth Reese Witherspoon), who's written a nationally published essay entitled "Why I Choose to Wait." If he fails, Kathryn gets his precious vintage convertible; if he wins, he gets Kathryn--in the sack. When the movie sticks to the merry ruination of Kathryn and Sebastian's pawns, it's highly enjoyable: Gellar in particular is a two-faced manipulator extraordinaire, and Phillippe, usually a black hole, manages some fun as a hipster Eurotrash stud. Most pleasantly surprising of all is Witherspoon, who puts a remarkably self-assured spin on a character usually considered vulnerable and tortured (see Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Liaisons). Unfortunately, writer-director Roger Kumble undermines everything he's built up with a false ending that's true to neither the reconceived characters nor the original story--revenge is a dish best served cold, not cooked up with unnecessary plot twists. --Mark Englehart
Curse of the Golden Flower 2007 114 Adventure; Romance; Action 1 Curse of the Golden Flower, a fictionalized historical glimpse into the brutally complicated politics of Emperor Ping's (Chow Yun Fat) reign during the Tang Dynasty, shows the viewer just how far a megalomaniac must go to gain and retain power in medieval China. Lavish sets, massive ceremonial displays, and perversely fascinating battle scenes impress similarly to the special effects Americans have come to love and expect from Chinese action films like Zhang Yimou's previous House of Flying Daggers and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. An intricate plot involving the Emperor's wife, Empress Phoenix (Gong Li) and their three sons, Crown Prince Xiang, Prince Jie, and Prince Cheng, most closely follows the Empress's secret plan to force abdication upon her corrupt husband as revenge for his slowly poisoning her with Black Fungus tea. Opening on the eve of the Chysanthemum Festival, 928 A.D., the Empress obsessively embroiders gold chysanthemums to adorn her army's uniforms while hatching plans with Jai to overthrow the Crown Prince for control of the throne. Meanwhile, a side plot develops as the Emperor's ex-wife and mother to Crown Prince Yu reemerges as Yu's lover. By the time the Festival occurs, family members are pitted against each other in a King Lear-ian web of lies that can only result in demise. The most sophisticated narrative aspect of Curse of the Golden Flower is that as the royal family crumbles, the Emperor's death grip on China remains unwavering. Gorgeous scenes set in the palace and costume design displaying China's upper class decadence cannot fail to entertain. The paradox between good and evil, here, is highlighted by how the Emperor successfully rules despite, and because of, his utter cruelty. --Trinie Dalton
Danzig - Archive De La Morte 0 1 Heavy metal fans will be danzig--er, dancing--in the streets once they get a load of this video compilation featuring singer Glenn Danzig and his band. As for everyone else, well... Let's just say that you'll have to like these songs a lot, as two of them ("Dirty Black Summer" and "It's Coming Down") appear in three different edits, while two others ("How the Gods Kill" and "Bodies") are seen twice (other videos include the previously unreleased "Sistinas" and the live "Mother '93"). There are differences between the versions: a little more skin (a lot more, actually, in the "totally uncensored" cut of "It's Coming Down"), different camera angles, and so on. In the end, it comes down to one's appreciation of the thundering, ultra-macho Danzig style. And since these boys aren't exactly the reincarnation of Cole Porter (or even Ted Nugent) as songwriters, new converts will likely be in short supply. --Sam Graham
Daredevil 2003 103 Action; Thriller; Crime; Fantasy 2 A man blinded by toxic waste which also enhanced his remaining senses fights crime as an acrobatic martial arts superhero.
Dark City 1998 100 1 If you're a fan of brooding comic-book antiheroes, got a nihilistic jolt from The Crow (1994), and share director Alex Proyas's highly developed preoccupation for style over substance, you might be tempted to call Dark City an instant classic of visual imagination. It's one of those films that exists in a world purely of its own making, setting its own rules and playing by them fairly, so that even its derivative elements (and there are quite a few) acquire their own specific uniqueness. Before long, however, the film becomes interesting only as a triumph of production design. And while that's certainly enough to grab your attention (Blade Runner is considered a classic, after all), it's painfully clear that Dark City has precious little heart and soul. One-dimensional characters are no match for the film's abundance of retro-futuristic style, so it's best to admire the latter on its own splendidly cinematic terms. Trivia buffs will be interested to know that the film's 50-plus sets (partially inspired by German expressionism) were built at the Fox Film Studios in Sydney, Australia, home base of director Alex Proyas and producer Andrew Mason. The underground world depicted in the film required the largest indoor set ever built in Australia. Befitting a film of such ambition, the DVD includes a feast of bonus features, including audio commentaries by the director, producer, writers, and cinematographer, and also by film critic Roger Ebert, who named Dark City one of the best films of 1998. Also included is an isolated music track, an interactive game, and a photo gallery of production stills and set design sketches. --Jeff Shannon
The Dark Crystal 1982 93 Family; Fantasy; Adventure 1 Another planet, another time. 1000 years ago the Dark Crystal was damaged by one of the Urskeks and an age of chaos began...
The Dark Knight 2008 152 Thriller; Crime; Mystery 1 The Dark Knight arrives with tremendous hype (best superhero movie ever? posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger?), and incredibly, it lives up to all of it. But calling it the best superhero movie ever seems like faint praise, since part of what makes the movie great--in addition to pitch-perfect casting, outstanding writing, and a compelling vision--is that it bypasses the normal fantasy element of the superhero genre and makes it all terrifyingly real. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is Gotham City's new district attorney, charged with cleaning up the crime rings that have paralyzed the city. He enters an uneasy alliance with the young police lieutenant, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), and Batman (Christian Bale), the caped vigilante who seems to trust only Gordon--and whom only Gordon seems to trust. They make progress until a psychotic and deadly new player enters the game: the Joker (Heath Ledger), who offers the crime bosses a solution--kill the Batman. Further complicating matters is that Dent is now dating Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, after Katie Holmes turned down the chance to reprise her role), the longtime love of Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne.

In his last completed role before his tragic death, Ledger is fantastic as the Joker, a volcanic, truly frightening force of evil. And he sets the tone of the movie: the world is a dark, dangerous place where there are no easy choices. Eckhart and Oldman also shine, but as good as Bale is, his character turns out rather bland in comparison (not uncommon for heroes facing more colorful villains). Director-cowriter Christopher Nolan (Memento) follows his critically acclaimed Batman Begins with an even better sequel that sets itself apart from notable superhero movies like Spider-Man 2 and Iron Man because of its sheer emotional impact and striking sense of realism--there are no suspension-of-disbelief superpowers here. At 152 minutes, it's a shade too long, and it's much too intense for kids. But for most movie fans--and not just superhero fans--The Dark Knight is a film for the ages. --David Horiuchi
Dark Star 1974 83 Comedy; Sci-Fi; Thriller 1 Low-budget story of four astronauts in deep space, whose mission is to destroy unstable planets in star systems which are to be colonised...
Date Movie 2006 85 1 Sophomoric is too weak a word by at least half to describe the utter silliness Date Movie revels in at every turn. But that's exactly the point of this effort in lowbrow slapstick that proudly proclaims it was created by two of the six writers of the Scary Movie franchise. Adhering to the same spoof formula of those movie romps, Date Movie lampoons countless other current movie characters and plot themes, plus a few that might be a little old for the core audience of youngsters to remember. Date Movie isn't quite as successful in keeping the gags at the same pace they came in the Scary Movies, but it will certainly satisfy those with a taste for tasteless humor. The wisp of a story involves fat girl Julia Jones, played by Alyson Hannigan, who quickly becomes as thin and pretty as she was in the American Pie movies and on TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You'll lose count how many movie references writer/directors Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer throw in her path as she searches for true love in a world gone mad. Hitch, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Meet the Fockers, King Kong, Lord of the Rings, When Harry Met Sally, Pretty Woman, Bridget Jones' Diary, and Kill Bill, are just a few of the movies that get unkindly homage. There's also plenty of flatulence, mild sexual ribaldry, and the kind of bad taste humor that will utterly delight the pubescent and teenage audience this movie was made for. --Ted Fry
David Bowie: Serious Moonlight 1983 87 Documentary; Music 1
Dawn of the Dead 2004 101 Horror 1 Are you ready to get down with the sickness? Movie logic dictates that you shouldn't remake a classic, but Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead defies that logic and comes up a winner. You could argue that George A. Romero's 1978 original was sacred ground for horror buffs, but it was a low-budget classic, and Snyder's action-packed upgrade benefits from the same manic pacing that energized Romero's continuing zombie saga. Romero's indictment of mega-mall commercialism is lost (it's arguably outmoded anyway), so Snyder and screenwriter James Gunn compensate with the same setting--in this case, a Milwaukee shopping mall under siege by cannibalistic zombies in the wake of a devastating viral outbreak--a well-chosen cast (led by Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, and Mekhi Phifer), some outrageously morbid humor, and a no-frills plot that keeps tension high and blood splattering by the bucketful. Horror buffs will catch plenty of tributes to Romero's film (including cameos by three of its cast members, including gore-makeup wizard Tom Savini), and shocking images are abundant enough to qualify this Dawn as an excellent zombie-flick double-feature with 28 Days Later, its de facto British counterpart. --Jeff Shannon
Dawn of the Dead 1979 126 Horror; Thriller; Action 4 Are you ready to get down with the sickness? Movie logic dictates that you shouldn't remake a classic, but Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead defies that logic and comes up a winner. You could argue that George A. Romero's 1978 original was sacred ground for horror buffs, but it was a low-budget classic, and Snyder's action-packed upgrade benefits from the same manic pacing that energized Romero's continuing zombie saga. Romero's indictment of mega-mall commercialism is lost (it's arguably outmoded anyway), so Snyder and screenwriter James Gunn compensate with the same setting--in this case, a Milwaukee shopping mall under siege by cannibalistic zombies in the wake of a devastating viral outbreak--a well-chosen cast (led by Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, and Mekhi Phifer), some outrageously morbid humor, and a no-frills plot that keeps tension high and blood splattering by the bucketful. Horror buffs will catch plenty of tributes to Romero's film (including cameos by three of its cast members, including gore-makeup wizard Tom Savini), and shocking images are abundant enough to qualify this Dawn as an excellent zombie-flick double-feature with 28 Days Later, its de facto British counterpart. --Jeff Shannon
The Day After 1983 127 Drama; War; Science Fiction; Action 1 The countdown has begun! Against the real-life backdrop of the U.S. deployment of WMDs in Europe during the escalating Cold War, this "dramatically involving [and] agonizingly graphic film" (The Hollywood Reporter) about nuclear holocaust detonated a direct hit into the heartland of America.Starring Jason Robards, JoBeth Williams, Steven Guttenberg, John Cullum and John Lithgow, this "controversial, potent drama" (Leonard Maltin) remains "one of the most talked-about programs in history"(Newsweek)! When Cold War tensions reach the ultimate boiling point, the inhabitants of a small town in Kansas learnalong with the rest of Americathat they have fewer than 30 minutes before 300 Soviet warheads begin to appear overhead! Can anyone survive this ultimate nightmare...or the nuclear winter that is sure to follow?
The Day After Tomorrow 2004 124 Action; Drama; Sci-Fi; Thriller; Adventure 1 A climatologist tries to figure out a way to save the world from abrupt global warming. He must get to his young son in New York, which is being taken over by a new ice age.
Day of the Dead 2008 87 Horror; Thriller 2 Nick Cannon, Mena Suvari and Ving Rhames star in this horror film based on the George A. Romero classic zombie film. A mysterious virus has infected the small town of Leadville, Colorado, and the military is brought in to enforce a quarantine and stop the spread of the disease. As people perish, survivors realize that the virus is creating the walking dead who crave human flesh. Only a small number of people are immune to the virus, and those few survivors must battle to fend off the infected zombies while trying to make it out of town alive.
Day of the Dead 1985 102 Horror; Science Fiction; Thriller 2 Chapter three of George Romero's mighty zombie trilogy has big footsteps to follow. Night of the Living Dead was a classic that revitalized a certain corner of the cinema, and Dawn of the Dead was nothing short of epic. Day of the Dead, however, has always been regarded as a comedown compared to those twin peaks--and perhaps it is. But on its own terms, this is an awfully effective horror movie, made with Romero's customary social satire and cinematic vigor--when a "retrained" zombie responds to the "Ode to Joy," the film is in genuinely haunting territory. The story is set inside a sunken military complex, where Army and medical staff, supposedly working on a solution to the zombie problem, are going crazy (strongly foreshadowing the final act of 28 Days Later). Tom Savini's makeup effects could make even hardcore gore fans tear off their own heads in amazement. --Robert Horton
Dead Like Me - The Complete First Season 2003 627 4 Pay cable's "other"show about life and death, Dead Like Me takes a darkly comic look at mortality through the eyes of someone stuck between this life and the afterlife. "Bail bondsmen for the disembodied" is how Rube (Mandy Patinkin), the often exasperated Reaper foreman, explains it to disaffected 18-year-old George (Ellen Muth) after she's vaporized by a falling toilet seat from the Mir space station and drafted into the ranks of the Reapers. It's now her job to take the souls of the doomed, preferably before their mortal coil is damaged beyond recognition by the devilish machinations of the gremlin-like gravelings.

You wouldn't mistake George's fellow Reapers for the do-gooders of Touched by an Angel, but they are anything but grim. Charming British shyster Mason (Callum Blue) always has some scam brewing, high-living, fun-loving former flapper Betty (Rebecca Gayheart) treats death as a cabaret ("Reaping Havoc"), and one-time starlet and wannabe actress Daisy (Laura Harris) still nurses her dreams of stardom. Even hard-bitten meter maid Roxy (Jasmine Guy) manages to find a way to let loose.

Dead Like Me puts a light touch on black comedy, but it has a sneaky way of using humor to explore loss, loneliness, and regret, as well as kindness, and courage, and responsibility. George gets a hard lesson when she tries to wriggle out of her assignments like some overgrown kid, only to see the damage of her (in)action in "Reapercussions." And as George's angry, tightly-wound mother (Cynthia Stevenson) and withdrawn little sister Reggie cope with death, she breaks the rules to watch over them: their own pouty, glum guardian angel. There's nothing like your own death to put your life into perspective.

The four-disc set features all 14 episodes of the debut season of Showtime's witty black comedy. The feature-length pilot includes optional commentary by cast members Ellen Muth, Mandy Patinkin, Jasmine Guy, Cynthia Stevenson, and Callum Blue. Other supplements include the nominal documentary featurettes Dead Like Me: Behind-the-scenes and The Music of Dead Like Me (with theme song composer Stewart Copeland), 32 deleted scenes, and a still gallery. --Sean Axmaker
Dead Like Me - The Complete Second Season 2003 0 4 In the second season of Showtime's Dead Like Me, teen grim reaper George (Ellen Muth) returns just as she left the first--dead. (Technically, undead.) That isn't about to change, but some things will. In season premiere "Send in the Clown," she'll get a promotion at the Happy Time temp agency (a dead ringer for Office Space's soul-sucking cubicle maze). Meanwhile, Roxy (Jasmine Guy), a tough-talking fellow reaper, will make the move from meter maid to police officer. After all, even reapers have to eat.

There are other changes. George's parents, Joy (Cynthia Stevenson) and Clancy (Greg Kean), finally throw in the towel on their foundering marriage. The other reapers experience their share of good and bad luck. Sweet, if narcissistic Daisy (Laura Harris) finds religion, larceny, and love (in that order), while bad boy Brit Mason (Callum Blue) gives up the bottle only to take it up again and no-nonsense reaper boss Rube (Mandy Patinkin) spends most of the season trying to track down someone from his mortal past.

There were 15 episodes in the second season. Guest stars include Michael Des Barres as a washed-up rocker ("In Escrow"), Barbara Barrie as George's free-spirited grandmother ("Rites of Passage," "The Escape Artist"), and Eric McCormack as a cocky TV producer who falls for Daisy (three episodes, starting with "Death Defying"). Unfortunately, 2004 wouldn't turn out to be creator Bryan Fuller's lucky year. Despite fan devotion, critical praise, and Emmy nominations, both of his distinctively quirky dark comedies, Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me, would not be renewed--but at least the latter made it to the end of the year. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Dead Like Me: Life After Death 2009 87 Comedy; Fantasy 1 STORY SYNOPSIS
When George and her colleagues get a new boss whose focus is on moving souls quickly and enjoying life without consequences, the team begins to break the strict reaper rules. While her friends fall victim to their desires for money, success, and fame, George breaks another rule by revealing her true identity to her living family. As the reapers struggle with their roles on Earth, they each find that death can be just as complicated as life. Through its strong storyline, Dead Like Me delves into the intricate mythology and dark comedy created by the TV series and appeals to the show’s legions of fans as well as those new to the world of the reapers.


Beyond Dead Like Me: Life After Death

Dead Like Me: The Complete Collection
Dead Like Me - The Complete First Season
Dead Like Me - The Complete Second Season



Stills from Dead Like Me: Life After Death (Click for larger image)


   

Dead Space: Downfall 2008 74 Animation 1

Stills from Dead Space: Downfall (click for larger image)





Beyond Dead Space: Downfall

On Blu-ray
More from Acacia - Dead Space , the Xbox 360 game
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Death Note 120 1 The first live-action feature based on the manga Death Note covers much of the same material as the first 12 episodes of the animated series. Handsome Light Yagami has just passed the bar exam, but he's repelled by the injustice of modern society. His life changes dramatically when he finds a Death Note, a notebook dropped into human space by Ryuk, a Shinigami (god of death). If anyone writes the name of a human in the book, that person will die within minutes. Under the pseudonym "Kira," Light launches a gradiose vigilante campaign to rid the world of criminals and create his vision of a perfect society. But the string of deaths attracts the attention of the police, who refer the baffling case to the eccentric but brilliant detective known only as "L." The police are reduced to pawns as the investigation becomes a high-stakes battle of wits between Light and L. Director Shusuke Kaneko and screenwriter Tetsuya Oshi add a dramatic subplot: the fiancee of one of Kira's victim deduces the killer's identity. Tatsuya Fujiwara makes Light more understandable and more likable than his animated counterpart. Kenichi Matsuyama looks properly pallid as L, but his addiction to desserts looks silly in live action and weakens the character's intensity. The hokey Ryuk never blends in with the real sets. Death Note ends inconclusively, but continues in a sequel.(Unrated: suitable for ages 16 and older: grotesque imagery, violence, violence against women, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
Death Note - Vol. 1 100 1 Although he's one of the top-ranked high school students in Japan, Light Yagami, the hero of the dark fantasy Death Note (2006), is alienated and bored. His life changes dramatically when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped into human space by Ryuk, an equally bored and alienated Shinigami, or god of death. If anyone writes the name of a human in the notebook, that person will die within minutes. After testing the Death Note's powers, Light quickly overcomes his initial qualms and launches a grandiose vigilante campaign: he will rid the world of criminals and evil people to create his version of a perfect society. But the string of deaths he causes inevitably attracts the attention of the police. The mysterious investigator known only as "L" vows to track down the murderer and bring him to justice. This high-stakes battle of wits pits Light against L, while Ryuk watches with icy bemusement. Death Note is less overtly violent than Elfen Lied or Gantz, but it revels in a similarly off-putting amoral cruelty. (Rated Teen+ Older Teen, suitable for ages 15 and older: grotesque imagery, violence, violenec against women) --Charles Solomon
Death Note - Vol. 2 100 1 Some teenagers walk around with a chip on their shoulder: Light Yagami, the alienated hero of this macabre fantasy-adventure, has Ryuk, a Shinigami, or god of death, hovering over his shoulder. Light proceeds with his plan to eliminate anyone he considers worthy of death by writing their names in Ryuk's notebook. But when he kills the FBI agents who have come to Japan to help solve the spate of mysterious murders, the investigation shifts into higher gear. The elusive L meets with a small cadre of police officers who are willing to risk their lives to pursue the case--including Light's father. Although he's eccentric and twitchy, L is clearly brilliant. The police can gather information and run errands, but the case is now literally a duel to the death between L and Light. Director Tetsuro Araki maintains the suspense, although his cast isn't particularly likable. (Rated Teen+ Older Teen, suitable for ages 15 and older: grotesque imagery, violence) --Charles Solomon
Death Note - Vol. 3 100 1 As the macabre fantasy Death Note continues, the battle of wits between Light Yagami (the serial killer Kira) and investigator L escalates. The two teenagers meet when they take the entrance exam for a prestigious university. Although he's as brilliant as he is arrogant, Light finds himself hard-pressed to keep up with L in their deadly game of cat and mouse. Director Tetsuro Araki plays up the physical differences between the lead characters: Light is cool, handsome, and well-groomed; twitchy, slovenly L seems to think with his bare feet as well as his redoubtable brain. The appearance of a copycat killer who poses as Kira shocks both Light and L. A model named Misa has acquired her own notebook and attendant Shinigami (god of death). It will be interesting to see where this subplot goes, but it feels like unnecessary distraction that takes viewer away from central duel. (Rated Teen+ Older Teen, suitable for ages 15 and older: grotesque imagery, violence) --Charles Solomon
Death Note Movie II: The Last Name 140 1 The second live-action feature based on the manga Death Note by Tsugumi Ooba and Takeshi Obata, picks up exactly where the first film ended. After the death of the woman who had deduced his identity as the murderous Kira, Light Yagami plots to continue his vigilante campaign to rid the world of criminals using the magical Death Note. But his growing megalomania collides with the counter-schemes of phlegmatic super-detective L. Director Shusuke Kaneko and screenwriter Tetsuya Oshi add some interesting twists and subplots: Light meets budding pop star Misa Amane under very different circumstances, and the Japanese news media play a greater role in promoting Kira and assisting in his downfall. By keeping the story focused on the intellectual duel between Light and L, the filmmakers bring Death Note a much more satisfying conclusion than the animated series. Handsome Tatsuya Fujiwara captures Light's appeal--and his descent into madness. Kenichi Matsuyama makes an appropriately quirky and pallid L, an outsider who's willing to gamble everything on his theories. The CG Shinigami ("Gods of Death") Ryuk and Rem never quite fit into the live action world. Death Note proved so popular in Japan, a third feature L Change the World is slated for release in summer, 2009. (Unrated: suitable for ages 16 and older: grotesque imagery, violence, violence against women, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
Death Note, Vol. 4 2006 100 Adventure; Horror; Crime 1 As the dark fantasy Death Note nears its midpoint, the filmmakers continue to ramp up the tension in the deadly battle of wits between Light Yagami and detective prodigy L. Misa, the teen idol who had acquired her own notebook and attendant Shinigami (god of death), discovers Light's murderous secret identity. She attempts to recruit him as a boyfriend and suffers terribly for her efforts. Light wants to use her to destroy L, but is outfoxed by his nemesis. When L makes an uncharacteristic trip outside to visit Light at his college, the artists showcase their physical contrasts. Handsome, arrogant Light strides across the campus like a demigod; L slouches and shuffles, darting glances from beneath his uncombed hair. Although it began slowly, Death Note gets better with every installment as the stakes grow higher in the duel between Light and L. The Limited Edition comes with a collectible plastic figure of Gelus, one of the less attractive Shinigami. (Rated Teen+ Older Teen, suitable for ages 15 and older: grotesque imagery, violence, violence against women) --Charles Solomon
Death Note, Vol. 5 100 1 As the macabre fantasy Death Note begins building to its climax, the story grows increasingly complex. Although he agrees to release Light and Misa from prison, L still believes they are the murderers Kira I and Kira II. To ensure Light does nothing without his knowledge, L has them handcuffed together, like Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier in The Defiant Ones. Misa's notebook has fallen into the hands of the board of the Yotsuba Corporation, who are using the attendant Shinigami (god of death) to eliminate businessmen whose interests clash with theirs. Light, who only used the notebook's powers to kill criminals, is appalled at these cold-blooded murders. He and his father want to arrest the board members, but L is more interested in capturing Kira. The tensions between their approaches, interests, and suspicions lead L and Light to clash and even punch each other out. The Limited Edition comes with a collectible figure of Misa. (Rated Teen+ Older Teen, suitable for ages 15 and older: grotesque imagery, violence, violence against women, tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
Death Note, Vol. 6 100 1 The dark fantasy Death Note takes some unexpectedly twists as the intellectual duel-to-the-death between Light Yagami and the detective known only as "L" continues. Light hatches a plan to capture the Yotsuba Corporation board member who's been using Misa's notebook to eliminate business rivals. The plan succeeds as the Carmina Burana-esque score builds. L learns about existence of the murderous notebooks and their attendant Shinigami (gods of death); he unlocks the chain that bound them and frees Light. But Light also plans a double-cross: he uses ditsy, adoring Misa and Rem, the Shinigami who likes her, to set a trap for L. If his scheme succeeds, L will die and Light and Misa will create their version of perfect world by eliminating everyone they dislike. Director Tetsuro Araki skillfully builds suspense into each episode, while maintaining it in the overall story arc. (Rated Teen+ Older Teen, suitable for ages 15 and older: grotesque imagery, violence, violence against women, tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
Death Note, Vol. 7 2006 100 Anime 1 As Death Note begins to build toward its climax, it grows increasingly complex. The elaborate game of cat and mouse between Light Yagami and the detective known as "L" comes to an unexpected conclusion. Light even finds a way to use Rem, the Shinigami of Misa's notebook, as a pawn in his monomaniacal schemes. When the story begins to feel played out, the filmmakers introduce new subplots. One involves two orphan boys who complete at solving intellectual puzzles. Near, who has L's haunted eyes, toys with his shaggy hair and builds elaborate structures out of matches and dice; the more emotional Mello shares L's addiction to sweets. Meanwhile, in the realm of the gods, another Shinigami complains that his Death Note was taken by Light's ally Ryuk. These late storylines add opportunities for conflict and more elaborate games, but they feel like needless complications in a previously spare drama. (Rated Teen+ Older Teen, suitable for ages 15 and older: grotesque imagery, violence, violence against women, tobacco use) --Charles Solomon

(25. Silence, 26. Renewal, 27. Abduction, 28. Impatience)
Death Note, Vol. 8 100 1
Death Note, Vol. 9 115 1 Director Tetsuro Araki pulls out all the stops to bring Death Note to its appropriately suspenseful conclusion. In the six years since he found the magical Death Note, Light Yagami has surrounded himself with human pawns to protect his identity as the murderous Kira. But Near counters every gambit and sacrifice. Whether Light establishes himself as a god on Earth or the world lurches back to something approaching normalcy comes down to a three-part battle of wits. Neither Near nor Mello alone can match Light, but together, they prove themselves worthy to succeed the eclipsingly brilliant L. Voice actor Brad Swaile gives an impressive performance as Light crumbles into madness. Near and Mellow are intriguing characters, but they lack the haunting presence of L: Death Note was more exciting when it centered on the struggle between him and Light. Two rewritten and re- edited versions of the ending of the series were broadcast in Japan, one in 2007 and one in 2008, neither of which is included. The special edition come with a "collector's figurine" of Near. (Rated Teen+ Older Teen, suitable for ages 15 and older: grotesque imagery, violence, violence against women, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon

(33. Scorn, 34. Vigilance, 35. Malice, 36. 1.28, 37. New World)
Death Race 2008 105 Adventure; Science Fiction; Action 1 Mayhem rules in Death Race, a head-over-heels remake of the Roger Corman cult classic Death Race 2000, in which cars become lethal weapons. The strength of this new version is its total single-mindedness about vehicular homicide; it has the virtue of no cluttering subplots or simpering sentimentality. And banish all memory of the original's wild satirical comedy: Death Race is as grim as a dinner tray to the face (a reference that will be explained in a key sequence). In a slightly futuristic maximum-security prison, cons take part in brutal races around the island prison, their violent deaths watched live by millions of viewers. Jason Statham, possibly cast because of his driving dexterity in the Transporter movies, plays a man wrongly imprisoned for murder. Joan Allen provides her brittle cool as the warden, who recruits Statham to assume the masked persona of a legendary driver called Frankenstein. Tyrese Gibson is Frankie's main rival, Natalie Martinez provides the fetching eye candy, but the acting honors go to Ian McShane, as the philosophical prison mechanic. One misses the cross-country race from the original film, as the setting here is claustrophobic and the cars are largely colorless and indistinguishable from each other. Director Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil) continues to display the sensibility of a video-game addict, which will either be a recommendation or a turn-off, depending on your own tastes. At least it doesn't have the hypocritical moral blathering of something like the somewhat similar Condemned--who knew you could be so grateful for simple, straight-forward head-bashing? --Robert Horton


Stills from Death Race (Click for larger image)











Death Race 2000 - Special Edition 78 1 No doubt about it, Death Race 2000 is one of the greatest B-movies ever made. A crown jewel in the career of B-movie king Roger Corman, it's a sublime example of exploitative filmmaking from a time when Corman's low-budget quickies were about to be swept aside by the blockbuster success of Jaws and Star Wars, and all of its outrageous ingredients combined to create a schlock-movie masterpiece. Liberally infused with director Paul Bartel's macabre sense of humor, Corman's mandatory formula for success (R-rated violence and nudity, served up at least once every 15 minutes) is zanily applied to a near-future scenario (similar to Rollerball, also released in 1975) in which a fascist empire appeases its oppressed citizens with "Death Race 2000," an automotive spectacle in which five costumed racers drive wacky race cars cross-country from New York to "New Los Angeles," scoring points with hit-and-run killings awarded on a sliding scale, with highest points for hitting children and the elderly! In addition to "Calamity Jane" (played by former Andy Warhol acolyte Mary Woronov), "Matilda the Hun" (Roberta Collins), and "Nero the Hero" (Martin Kove), the hottest contestants are "Machine Gun" Joe Viturbo (Sylvester Stallone, on the verge of Rocky stardom) and the reigning champion "Frankenstein" (David Carradine), whose "Death Race" prowess has reached near-mythic proportions.

Filmed for $300,000 on desert-road and freeway locations throughout California's San Fernando Valley, Death Race 2000 packs more entertainment into 78 minutes than most movies can muster in two hours or more. Although it originated as a serious short story by Ib Melchior (best known as the writer-director of The Angry Red Planet), Corman took a cue from Dr. Strangelove and gave the material a satirical spin, resulting in non-graphic road-kills that are more hilarious than horrific, especially with the play-by-play race commentary by legendary disc jockey "The Real Don Steele," whose priceless performance (along with Carradine's deadpan drollery) turns Death Race 2000 into a low-comedy classic. The deadly car bodies were designed by Dean Jeffries (who also customized the "Monkeemobile") and fitted onto Volkswagen chassis, and Bartel's ingenious use of a meager budget epitomized the Corman aesthetic, reaping impressive box-office profits on its way to becoming one of the most beloved cult classics of all time. --Jeff Shannon
Deep Blue Sea 1999 105 Action; Horror; Thriller 1 Searching for a cure to Alzheimer's disease a group of scientists on an isolated research facility become the bait as a trio of intelligent sharks fight back.
Demolition Man 1993 0 1 Years before the fast-food chain hired a talking chihuahua as its official spokeshound, Taco Bell got some high-profile product placement in this dopey thriller set in the year 2032, when the sprawling megacity of "San Angeles" has banned violence and profanity, and where virtually all the restaurants are Taco Bells. (So much for democracy!) Sylvester Stallone plays an ex-cop who's been thawed out after 36 years of imprisonment for manslaughter, and Wesley Snipes plays his nemesis who also emerges from deep-freeze and proceeds to wreak havoc. It's not nearly as funny as the similarly plotted Austin Powers,; but this special-effects-laden comedy-thriller does have a few highlights, including the pre-stardom Sandra Bullock as the cop-trainee who teaches Stallone proper behavior (and sexual etiquette) in the future's conservative society. Co-starring is Rob Schneider as a frantic sidekick who matches Stallone's one-liners with idiotic wit. --Jeff Shannon
Descent 2005 96 Science Fiction; Thriller; Action 1 When cracks in the Earth's crust large enough to swallow a city block appear, a team of scientists must go deep into the Earth to find a way to stop the destruction
Dexter - Season 1 2007 650 Crime; Mystery; Thriller 4 An interesting and original idea that's very skillfully executed, Showtime's Dexter is never less than watchable, often quite compelling, and sometimes thoroughly riveting. As the 12 episodes from the show's first season (packaged here in a four disc set) reveal, it's also the epitome of "high concept," a kind of Silence of the Lambs for the C.S.I. generation. Creator-executive producer James Manos Jr.'s title character, one Dexter Morgan (played by Michael C. Hall of Six Feet Under renown), works for the Miami Police Department as an blood spatter analyst, visiting crime scenes and helping figure out what happened. He has an avocation, too: during his off hours, he tracks down some very, very bad people who for various reasons have eluded the proper authorities. Seems his adoptive father, a cop himself, taught the kid how to channel his dark side in a "positive" direction; and so, having captured these evildoers (including a child molester-murderer and a recidivist drunk driver with a trail of bodies in his wake), Dex dispatches them with clinical precision, thus making him a serial killer who snuffs serial killers. But there's more--much more, as it turns out. By his own description, Dexter is "a monster," an empty shell who fakes all human interactions and admits to no real feelings for anything or anyone, including his foster sister (Jennifer Carter) and his nominal girlfriend (Julie Benz), a former crack addict and battered spouse who's as uninterested in sex as he is. There's an explanation for Dexter's weirdness, of course, one so deep and traumatic that even he isn't aware of it. It's gradually revealed over the course of the season as he and the cops (who include Erik King, Lauren Velez, and David Zayas, all first-rate) track down the so-called "Ice Truck Killer," a fellow monster whose grisly m.o. both fascinates and taunts our hero, leading to a genuinely shocking and squirm-inducing finale. Dexter can be a bit arch, with an ironic, too-hip-for-the-room tone that get a little old. Still, it's a safe bet that anyone who views this first season will be salivating for the second. Extras include audio commentary on two episodes, a featurette about real-life blood spatter analysis, and a variety of DVD-ROM items. --Sam Graham

Beyond Dexter

More TV Head-cases on DVD
The Book that Started It All
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Stills from Dexter: The First Season (click for larger image)







Dexter - Season 2 2008 636 Crime; Mystery; Thriller 4 Dark and sinister is the new sexy, thanks to Dexter, which in its second season has proven to be the most successful series Showtime has offered up yet. Remember how much you squirmed in your seat during the season one finale? Believe it or not, the premiere of season two felt like it could have been a season finale--because jaws were on the floor when the credits rolled. For being a supposed sociopath, Dex is pretty broken up about the gruesome events that concluded last season. The one and only person who could possibly understand him is six feet under, and it seems our unlikely hero is losing his homicidal grip. He’s even having a little trouble slicing up a few of his latest victims (from a murderous gang member to a chainsaw-wielding fiend from his past). Enter Lila (Jaime Murray, Hustle), a lady with a sweet British accent and a few dark secrets of her own. She seems to accept Dex for who he really is, and he finds himself feeling relaxed for the first time in his life. In contrast, his relationship with his girlfriend Rita (Julie Benz) has been stretched almost to a breaking point. The problem is, he should be anything but relaxed. Someone picked a poor place to go scuba diving off the Florida coast, and came across an underwater graveyard: Dex’s primo spot for dropping dismembered bodies wrapped in heavy-duty trash bags. Word about the "Bay Harbor Butcher" gets out quick, and the F.B.I. sends the best of the best, Special Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine, Deadwood) to work alongside the police to sniff out Miami’s latest serial killer. This guy is no schlub, and Dex may have met his match. And, yes, Dexter gets to work with Lundy on a daily basis, which provides some wonderfully awkward moments. It certainly doesn’t help that the intuitively paranoid Sergeant Doakes (Erik King, Oz) is hot on Dex’s trail.

Season two of Dexter is all about decisions. Lila or Rita? Old code or new code? Run or fight? Right or wrong? Well, one thing’s for sure: When it comes to writing, casting, acting, and production, the makers of this show made all the right decisions. Michael C. Hall is simply superb as the title character. You’ll never find yourself more willing to genuinely root for a serial killer. It’s bloody liberating. --Jordan Thompson
Die Hard - Ultimate Collection 0 3
Live Free or Die Hard - Unrated 2007 129 Action; Adventure; Thriller 2 "The best of the best is back and better than ever" (WNYW-TV) in the latest installment of the pulse-pounding, thrill-a-minute Die Hard action films. New York City detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) delivers old-school justice to a new breed of terrorists when a massive computer attack on the U.S. infrastructure threatens to shut down the entire country over Independence Day weekend.
Dirty Harry 1971 102 Action; Crime; Drama; Thriller 1 A San Francisco cop with little regard for rules (but who always gets results) tries to track down a serial killer whom snipes at random victims.
Magnum Force 1973 124 Action; Crime; Drama; Thriller 1 Dirty Harry is on the trail of vigilante cops who are not above going beyond the law to kill the city's undesirables.
The Enforcer 1976 96 Action; Crime; Drama; Thriller 1 Dirty Harry must foil a terrorist organization made up of disgruntled Vietnam veterans. But this time, he's teamed with a rookie female partner that he's not too excited to be working with.
Sudden Impact 1983 117 Action; Crime; Drama; Thriller 1 A rape victim is exacting revenge on her agressors in a small town outside San Francisco. Dirty Harry, on suspension for angering his superiors (again), is assigned to the case.
The Dead Pool 1988 91 Action; Crime; Drama; Thriller 1 Dirty Harry Callahan must stop a sick secret contest to murder local celebrities, which includes himself as a target.
Doctor Who - The Complete First Series 2005 585 Drama; Adventure; Science Fiction 5 Christopher Eccleston's Doctor is wise and funny, cheeky and brave. An alien and a loner, his detached logic gives him a vital edge when the world's in danger. But when it comes to human relationships, he can be found wanting. That's why he needs Rose. From the moment they meet, the Doctor and Rose understand and complement each other. As they travel together through time, encountering new adversaries, the Doctor shows her things beyond imagination.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary: Dolby Digital 5.1 surround mix on all eps Almost 5 hours of ?making of? interviews and behind-the-scenes footage
Interviews
Other:Star studded team of writers including Russell T Davies (Queer As Folk), Steven Moffat (Coupling), and Mark Gatiss (The League of Gentlemen)
Doctor Who - The Complete Second Series 2006 646 6 Can Rose trust a man with a new face? David Tennant (Viva Blackpool, Harry Potter) steps into the role of the Doctor, now in his 10th incarnation. Following on from the phenomenal success of the first series, the second series is full of more thrills, more laughs, more heartbreak and some terrifying new aliens and old acquaintances. The Doctor and Rose meet Queen Victoria, an evil race of Cat Women, K9 and Sarah Jane, and the dreaded Cybermen.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Other:Doctor Who is the longest running sci-fi franchise in television history
Outtakes:Doctor Who is the longest running sci-fi franchise in television history
Other
Doctor Who - The Complete Third Series 652 6 The third installment of Doctor Who is full of new thrills, new laughs, new heartbreak and some terrifying new monsters. From the moment the Doctor walks into the life of medical student Martha Jones he changes it forever. In Elizabethan London, they meet William Shakespeare at the Globe Theatre while back in present day London, 76-year-old Professor Lazarus recaptures his youth with consequences that threaten Martha's entire family. And, the Doctor's sworn enemies, the Daleks, who have been hiding in 1930's New York, return with a terrifying plan for humanity.
Doctor Who - The Twin Dilemma 1975 0 1 When this four-part adventure first appeared in 1984, it was the only thing fans had to go on as their first impression of the new sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) until another season could be produced the next year. Baker gave it his all, drawing on his years as a character actor and frequent villain on British TV to play a manic, possibly schizophrenic, Time Lord immediately after regenerating, quoting Longfellow and nearly strangling his American assistant Peri (Nicola Bryant) at one point. The question was, would he ever settle down? Even by the last frame of this story, viewers couldn't be sure.

Thus, it's a shame such a heady performance couldn't have been engaged with a first-class script. Instead, writer Anthony Stevens, perhaps inspired by a recent garden infestation, pits the Doctor against the less-than-terrifying menace of giant slugs bent on conquering the universe using the computational powers of a pair of twin boys (hence the title). Even the Doctor must agree, saying, "In my time I have been threatened by experts. I don't rate you very highly at all." But through it all, Baker takes center stage, attempting to forge a bond with a skeptical audience (if not Peri) as the new Doctor who may not be as cuddly, warm, or even human, as previous incarnations. TV fixture Kevin McNally makes an early appearance as the young Lt. Hugo Lang, an aggressive space officer who takes his share of lumps during the story. --Ryan K. Johnson
Doctor Who: The Complete Fourth Series 2007 687 Adventure; Science Fiction 6
Doctor Who: The Invisible Enemy/K9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend 143 2
Dogma 1999 130 Comedy; Fantasy; Adventure 2 The last known descendant of Christ is called upon to save the existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels trying to exploit a loophole.
Doom 2005 113 1 Grab your BFG and get ready to kick some Martian-demon butt in Doom, another entry in the increasingly crowded videogame-to-movie genre. The Rock plays Sarge, the commander of a squad of Marines sent to investigate a disturbance at a scientific research facility on Mars. Among the squad is John Grimm (Karl Urban, who played Eomer in The Lord of the Rings), who turns out to have had a previous relationship with Samantha (Rosamund Pike, Die Another Day), the scientist who's accompanying the Marines in order to retrieve some vital data from the facility. Based on id Software's legendary first-person shooter, Doom tries its best to look like a game, with dark, angled corridors, ferocious creatures appearing out of nowhere, and a variety of lethal weapons that will, like the aforementioned BFG, warm the cockles of a gamer's heart. There's also one memorable sequence that actually turns the movie into a first-person shooter; the good news is that in the context of the whole film, it's not quite as goofy as it might have been. And that's not a bad frame of reference for the film in general. Considering the game-to-movie field includes such duds as Wing Commander, if you go into Doom with low expectations, you'll probably find it a surprisingly respectable horror/sci-fi thriller in the Resident Evil vein (including its somewhat obligatory subplot of corporate wrongdoing). Also in its favor is that it's unabashedly R-rated, for the extreme gore that is a trademark of the game. After all, the purpose of the movie is to pack scares and thrills into a setting that gamers will quickly recognize. In that sense, it qualifies as a success. --David Horiuchi
Doomsday 2008 120 Science Fiction; Thriller; Action 1 Scotland has been hit with a deadly epidemic called the Repovirus. The British government chooses to contain the disease by building a barricade and leaving the people to die. The people are desperate to get out of Scotland and there is mass panic. A young woman pleads with a soldier to take her daughter who was shot in the eye during the chaos. They take the child and leave the mother and all of Scotland to fend for themselves. The child was raised in England and is now a top police officer. Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra) uses her high-tech glass eye as a camera to track the bad guys. When the Repo-virus begins to spread in London the government gives Eden forty-eight hours for her and a special task force to go into Scotland. Their mission is to find Dr. Kane (Malcolm McDowell) who had been working on a cure. Once in the city of Glasgow they are attacked by crazed, cannibalistic gang. Their leader Sol (Craig Conway) thinks that Eden is their ticket back into England and lock her up in a dungeon while they ritualistically eat her teammate. Eden is able to escape and takes a fellow prisoner, Cally (MyAnna Buring) who knows where to find Dr. Kane. The team scrambles to escape the clutches of the crazed gang and escape into the hills. In the mountains far away from the city other survivors have retreated to middle ages. The ruler Dr. Kane has created a new empire adopting the ways of the cruel middle ages. Eden her team must defeat both Dr. Kane and his soldiers as well as Sol and his gang before the time is up and London suffers the same fate as Scotland.
Down Periscope 1996 92 Comedy 1 Lt. Cmdr. Tom Dodge is assigned as Captain to the USS Stingray, an old diesel driven submarine that has seen better days...
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog 43 1

Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) stars as Billy, A.K.A. Dr. Horrible, a budding super-villain whose plans for world domination continually go awry.  His two goals: getting accepted into the Evil League of Evil, and working up the guts to speak to his laundromat crush Penny, played by Felicia Day (The Guild).   The only thing standing in his way is Captain Hammer, Billy's superhero arch-nemesis played by Nathan Fillion (Firefly).  With one big score, Billy could get into the E.L.E. and earn the respect of Penny, but only if he can keep her away from the dashing Captain Hammer...

This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.
Dracula 2000 2000 99 Horror 1 A group of thieves break into a chamber expecting to find paintings, but instead they release the count himself, who travels to New Orleans to find his nemesis' daughter, Mary Van Helsing.
Dracula II: Ascension 2003 85 Horror 1 "Dracula II: Ascension" is a sequel to "Dracula 2000," with the ageless vampire again returning from apparent extinction...
Dracula 3 - Legacy 0 1
Drawn Together - Season 1 2004 152 1
Drawn Together - Season 2 2004 330 2 Drawn Together is back for an outrageous second season. This time around we answer almost all of the unanswered questions left by season one; like what happens when an Asian battle monster tries to drive a car, can animation and live action co-exist peacefully and what’s that smell in Captain Hero’s closet?. Remember, this is the incredible true story of eight cartoons from all walks of life who have to deal with each others quirks, differences and insane necrophilia fantasies. From Clara, the racist fairy tale princess, to Foxxy Love, the sassy, sexy musician to Woldoor Sockbat the... whatever he is, these housemates fast learn the art of loving, punching and coming dangerously close to copyright infringement. So sit back, grab some snacks, maybe some tissues (you know why) and let Drawn Together soothe what’s left of your souls.
Drawn Together : Season 3 2004 308 2 As the saying (sorta) goes, all gross things must come to an end, and fans of the animated series Drawn Together must bid their highly inappropriate friends goodbye with this third season set. But if there's any small comfort to be had from this bad news, it's that this last batch of episodes is as berserk--if not more so--than any from the previous two seasons. Opener "Freaks and Greeks" finds the hapless Captain Hero mistaking a new family from Greece as a marauding fraternity, while "Spelling Applebee's" reveals unpleasant secrets of both Foxxy and Princess Clara. New characters abound as well: We meet Hero's monstrous son in "Unrestrainable Trainable," and Foxxy's grandson Ray-Ray in "N.R.A. y Ray," and Animal House star Otis Day turns up to pull a Bill Cosby in "Toot Goes Bollywood." And to bring the whole thing full circle, we discover just what traumatic childhood events caused the Drawn Together cast to behave as they do in "Drawn Together Babies" before the gang reflects on the havoc they've wreaked over the previous three seasons--in musical form, no less--in the series finale, "American Idol Parody Clip Show." It goes without saying that the humor in Season 3 is broad and fairly sick and not for all audiences, but those who can roll with the endless riffs on bodily functions and aberrant psychology (which are uncensored in this set) will also find a share of laughs. The two-disc set includes extended versions of all 14 episodes, as well as commentary by creators Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein and the cast, and in the set's most amusing touch, a karaoke option for the show's frequent musical numbers which allows viewers to upset friends and neighbors by singing along at home. -- Paul Gaita
Drunken Fist Boxing 1979 0 1
Dungeons & Dragons - The Complete Animated Series 1983 594 Adventure; Action; TV Classics 5
Eagle Eye 2008 118 Thriller; Mystery; Action 2 The "cell phone thriller" is becoming a genre unto itself, and Eagle Eye should be considered a key example of the form. Frankly preposterous but compulsively watchable, this movie puts Shia LaBeouf in a mess of trouble instigated by a mysterious telephone voice. If he doesn't follow orders, dire things will happen--although when he does follow orders, the consequences are pretty dire, anyway. Also being blackmailed is a single mom (Michelle Monaghan) receiving similar phone calls. Why are they being jerked around by the purring female voice, and why is the road leading to Washington, D.C.? Actually, you won't have time to contemplate these questions, because director D.J. Caruso (who guided LaBeouf in Disturbia) keeps the action going at the customary breakneck pace. This is a wise move, because the real questions you'd likely be asking have to do with the plausibility of events on a minute-by-minute basis (most notably: how could Mysterious Phone Voice possibly know that the two pigeons would survive the hoops she makes them fly through, each one more death-defying than the last?). The actors tumble through this mayhem like scattering bowling pins, including Billy Bob Thornton and Rosario Dawson as government agents. Nobody has time to make much of an impression, and LaBeouf has much less room for puppydog charm than he did in Disturbia. Even that would be all right within the movie's berserk parameters, but the really irritating thing is the way the tacked-on final scenes reverse what would have been a heroic climax. No guts, no glory. --Robert Horton




Stills from Eagle Eye (Click for larger image)











Earth 2 - The Complete Series 1994 1025 Science Fiction 4
Earthsea 2004 172 Drama; Adventure; Science Fiction; Fantasy 1 Based on Ursula K. Le Guin's multiple award-winning classic tale comes this richly imagined epic mini-series. In the magical world of EarthSea, the Amulet of Peace has ensured harmony between humans and dragons for centuries. But when the Amulet is broken and a piece of it disappears, it's up to a neophyte wizard to restore balance and stop a nefarious king from conquering EarthSea's islands.
Eight Legged Freaks 2002 99 Action; Comedy; Horror; Sci-Fi 1 A variety of horrible poisonous spiders get exposed to a noxious chemical which causes them to grow to monumental proportion.
The Emperor's New Groove 2000 0 1
Ends of the Earth: The Secret Abyss of Movile Cave 52 1
Epic Movie 2007 86 Comedy; Adventure 1 From 2 of the 6 creators of the laugh out loud Scary Movie hits comes Epic Movie. The story centers around four orphans. Edward (Kal Penn) is a castoff from a Lucha Libre Wresting, Lucy (Jayma Mays) raised by the curator of the Lourve, Peter (Adam Campbell) is a Mutant X resident, and Susan (Faune A. Chambers) who had to deal with snakes of her plane. The gang wins a trip to a chocolate factory where they meet Willy (Crispin Glover) and happen into an armoire that transports them to the land of Gnarnia. Once there they team up with Captain Jack Swallows (Darrell Hammond) and Harry Potter (Kevin McDonald) to try and defeat the White Bitch (Jennifer Coolidge).
Eragon 2006 103 1 In his homeland of Alagaesia, a farm boy happens upon a dragon's egg -- a discovery that leads him on a predestined journey where he realized he's the one person who can defend his home against an evil king.
Eraserhead 89 1 This is where is the Lynchian nightmare began. Though he may have redefined surrealistic cinema in the 1980s and forever altered the face of television in the 90s, for many hardcore fans it is this infamous feature film debut that is David Lynch's crowning achievement. Many words have been used to describe Eraserhead (weird, bizarre, frustrating, enlightening, significant, unwatchable, meaningless, and momentous), but there is no denying it is completely unforgettable. As a surreal work of art, Eraserhead easily holds it own next to the works as Bu&ntilde;uel, Cocteau, and Dali. And like many surrealistic works, there is no clear answer on what Eraserhead "means." But, if you are trying to find a simple, linear, plot in Eraserhead, you are clearly missing the point. For Eraserhead is not simply a movie to view, but a true cinematic experience, like jumping into someone's nightmare and seeing it from their perspective. Whether you see it as a meditation on the terror of being a new parent, the suffocating feeling of living in an increasingly vapid, industrial wasteland, or a nightmare about the fear of loneliness, the film easily holds up to multiple viewings. And since this film is a dark visual ride and a supreme aural achievement, this long awaited, new transfer is an absolute blessing for David Lynch fans who will finally get to see, hear and experience Eraserhead clearly on DVD. Bizarre experiment? Surrealistic nightmare? Or a meaningless cult film? You be the judge. --Rob Bracco
Escape from New York 1981 99 Action; Adventure; Crime; Science Fiction; Thriller 2 In the future, crime is out of control and New York City is a maximum security prison. Grabbing a bargaining chip right out of the air, convicts bring down the President's plane in bad old Gotham. Gruff Snake Plissken, a one-eyed warrior new to prison life, is coerced into bringing the President, and his cargo, out of this land of undesirables. Kurt Russell put his Disney days behind him as the nicest bad guy in the picture. All comic-book sensibilities and macho posturing, this is one of writer-director John Carpenter's better brainless escapes. There are snappy one-liners and explosive action scenes. However, the film lacks tension and some believability even within the realm of SF fantasy. Even when it fails to gel, though, it always manages to amuse, thanks in great part to a varied and unusual supporting cast (watch for Ernest Borgnine as a cabdriver). Followed in 1996 by Carpenter's overdone and campy Escape from L.A. --Rochelle O'Gorman
Escape From L.A. 1996 101 Action; Adventure; Science Fiction; Thriller 1
Escape to Witch Mountain / Return From Witch Mountain 1978 191 Adventure; Family; Science Fiction; Fantasy 1 Escape To Witch Mountain - 2 movie Collection Release - DVD- A vehicle floats in midair ... a coat rack comes to life and attacks a sheriff ... and wild animals are putty in the hands of Tony and Tia Malone in Disney's thrilling fantasy adventure about the psychic powers of two young orphans. Their clairvoyance prompts evil millionaire Aristotle Bolt (Ray Milland) to lure them to his mansion to exploit their powers. While escaping, they meet a friendly camper (Eddie Albert) and begin to unravel the mystery of their origin. Soon, all three are fleeing townspeople who have branded the children witches. But then IT happens! Someone with even greater powers takes over and leads the children -- and the audience -- into a dazzling and unexpected experience ... one that is truly out of this world! Return From Witch Mountain - DVD- In this thrilling sequel to Disney's ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN, automobiles mysteriously fly and humans float in thin air as sinister masterminds Christopher Lee and Bette Davis unleash a diabolical plan. The entire city of Los Angeles teeters on the brink of nuclear disaster when the greedy criminals manipulate a young boy's supernatural powers for their own devious gain. But the youth's sister and a streetwise band of truants join forces in a desperate attempt to save the city from destruction.
Eureka - Season 1 558 3
Eureka - Season 2 540 3 Plenty of new television series need a season or two to sort themselves out, and as this three-disc, 13-episode (plus bonus features) box set from the second season (2007) reveals, the Sci-Fi Channel’s Eureka is still a work in progress--which is not a bad thing, considering that it’s one of the more provocative and ambitious shows out there. For the uninitiated, here’s the basic premise: Sheriff Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson), accompanied by his teenage daughter Zoe (Jordan Hinson), is stationed in Eureka, a picturesque little burg somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Eureka is hardly Anytown, USA; indeed, this is the place where "the world’s greatest thinkers" live and work, most of them at Global Dynamics, "the most advanced scientific facility in the world." It’s also a place where exceedingly strange things happen on a regular basis. In Season Two, those happenings include people spontaneously combusting, becoming invisible, turning into gold, or simply disappearing (and leaving nothing behind--not even a memory that they ever existed); a "personal force field" that’s growing so large and so fast that it will soon engulf the whole town, and maybe even the whole world; freaky weather that changes by the moment; and even an experiment to re-create the Big Bang inside a Global Dynamics lab, leading to some unexpected side effects.

These developments are all presented with enough cool special effects and scientific techno-babble to make Eureka a perfectly viable and sometimes quite dramatic science fiction diversion. But there’s more--much more. Sometimes this is a show about relationships: Jack and Zoe (custody becomes an issue when Jack’s ex, played by Olivia D’Abo, shows up in the early episodes); Jack and Allison Blake (Salli Richardson), Global Dynamics’ new boss (their growing attraction is complicated by the continued presence of her ex, a genius scientist type); Jack and his pal Henry (Joe Morton), who blames Jack for his girlfriend’s death but gradually learns there’s more to it than that. Much of the time it’s a comedy, heavy on the quirks; and, in a change from the first year, it’s also a serial, with several story arcs continuing over the course of the season. All of that can make Eureka a but convoluted and hard to get a handle on, but this show is a keeper. Extensive bonus features include deleted scenes, gag reels, podcast commentaries, and a good deal more. --Sam Graham
The Eye 2008 98 Horror; Thriller 2 Sydney Wells (Jessica Alba), blind since an incident with firecrackers at the age of five, will finally be able to see. She undergoes a cornea transplant, and her vision begins returning. It’s still very blurry, but she’s learning to distinguish the new images. Strange things start happening; Sydney begins having visions. Her therapist, Paul Faulkner (Alessandro Nivola) believes that the visions are a part of the therapy process, just a way for her brain to connect to the things she hasn’t been able to see. The visions are frightening images of fire and death. She sees the walls of her bedroom change to stone and back again, and the number 106. Sydney also believes the figures she sees are the ghosts of people around her. She starts to think the visions are of destructive events from the past, so she darkens her apartment and covers her eyes, refusing to see any more. Sydney will soon come to understand that the eye donor was also affected by the visions, and the eyes are possibly showing her more than she realizes.
Face/Off 1997 0 1 At his best, director John Woo turns action movies into ballets of blood and bullets grounded in character drama. Face/Off marks Woo's first American film to reach the pitched level of his best Hong Kong work (Hard-Boiled). He takes a patently absurd premise--hero and villain exchange identities by literally swapping faces in science-fiction plastic surgery--and creates a double-barreled revenge film driven by the split psyches of its newly redefined characters. FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) must play the villain to move through the underworld while psychotic terrorist Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) becomes a perversely paternal family man while using every tool at his disposal to destroy his nemesis. Travolta vamps Cage's tics and flamboyant excess with the grace of a dancer after his transformation from cop to criminal, while Cage plays the sullen, bottled-up agent excruciatingly trapped behind the face of the man who killed his son. His attempts to live up to the terrorist's reputation become cathartic explosions of violence that both thrill and terrify him. This is merely icing on the cake for action fans, the dramatic backbone for some of the most visceral action thrills ever. Woo fills the screen with one show-stopping set piece after another, bringing a poetic grace to the action freakout with sweeping camerawork and sophisticated editing. This marriage of melodrama and mayhem ups the ante from cops-and-robbers clich&eacute;s to a conflict of near-mythic levels. --Sean Axmaker
Fantastic Four 2005 105 1 Marvel Comics' first family of superherodom, the Fantastic Four, hits the big screen in a light-hearted and funny adventure. It begins when down-on-his-luck genius Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd, Horatio Hornblower) has to enlist the financial and intellectual help from former schoolmate and rival Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon, Nip/Tuck) in order to pursue outer-space research into human DNA. Also on the trip are Reed's best friend, Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis, The Shield); his former lover, Sue Storm (Jessica Alba, Dark Angel, Sin City), who's now Doom's employee and love interest; and her hotshot-pilot brother, Johnny Storm (Chris Evans, Cellular). Things don't go as planned, of course, and the quartet becomes blessed--or is it cursed?--with superhuman powers: flexibility, brute strength, invisibility and projecting force fields, and bursting into flame. Meanwhile, Doom himself is undergoing a transformation.

Among the many entries in the comic-book-movie frenzy, Fantastic Four is refreshing because it doesn't take itself too seriously. Characterization isn't too deep, and the action is a bit sparse until the final reel (like most "first" superhero movies, it has to go through the "how did we get these powers and what we will do with them" churn). But it's a good-looking cast, and original comic-book cocreator Stan Lee makes his most significant Marvel-movie cameo yet, in a speaking role as the FF's steadfast postal carrier, Willie Lumpkin. Newcomers to superhero movies might find the idea of a family with flexibility, strength, invisibility, and force fields a retread of The Incredibles, but Pixar's animated film was very much a tribute to the FF and other heroes of the last 40 years. The irony is that while Fantastic Four is an enjoyable B-grade movie, it's the tribute, The Incredibles, that turned out to be a film for the ages. --David Horiuchi

DVD features
The principal extra on the DVD is a spirited commentary track by Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, and Ioan Gruffudd. Self-avowed FF fan Chiklis explains why the Thing doesn't have a craggy brow, Alba recalls which things were "cool," and they all talk about looking forward to the sequel. There are three short deleted scenes (including a goofy Wolverine reference), 20 minutes of barely watchable hand-held video footage from the press tour, music videos, and some short featurettes including an appearance by FF creator Stan Lee. --David Horiuchi

The Fantastic Four at Amazon.com

Comics and Graphic Novels
Disney animated series
The classic comic book

Movie tie-in graphic novel
The Xbox game
Fantastic Four Soundtrack

The Fantastic Cast


Jessica Alba as Sue Storm
Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm

Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards
Chris Evans as Johnny Storm

Stills from Fantastic Four (click for larger images)




Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer 2007 92 Science Fiction; Action 2 Catch a wave of "terrific adventure" and "non-stop action" (CBS-TV) in this fun and fantastically entertaining smash-hit! "Invisible Woman: Sue Storm and "Mr. Fantastic" Dr. Reed Richards are about to be married when a mysterious alien... the Silver Surfer... crashes the proceedings and heralds Earth's impending destruction. With time running out, the Fantastic Four reluctantly teams up with the nefarious Dr. Doom in a thrilling effort to save our planet!
The Fast and the Furious 2001 107 1 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
2 Fast 2 Furious 2003 0 1 Like the high-revving imports and American muscle cars that roar down the streets of its south Florida setting, 2 Fast 2 Furious is tricked out to the max. While Vin Diesel opted for his XXX franchise, this obligatory sequel to The Fast and the Furious benefits from Diesel's absence, allowing returning star Paul Walker to shine while forging a lively partnership with rising star Tyrese, who fulfills his sidekick duties with more vitality than Diesel could ever muster. The Miami/Dade locations are another bonus, lending colorful backdrop to the most dazzling street-racing sequences (both real and digitally composited) ever committed to film. The plot is disposable--former cop Walker and jailbird Tyrese are recruited by the FBI to dethrone a thuggish kingpin (Cole Hauser)--but director John Singleton keeps the adrenalin pumping, enlisting a rainbow coalition of costars (including rapper Ludacris and Chanel supermodel Devon Aoki) to combine a hip-hop vibe with full-blown action while showcasing hot babes, edgy humor, and some of the coolest cars that ever burned rubber. Heed the movie's warning, kids: Let the stuntmen do the driving. --Jeff Shannon
FernGully: The Last Rainforest 1992 76 Family; Animation; Adventure; Fantasy 1 The Ferngully rainforest is endangered. Only Chrysta, a little fairy can save this magical world from the evil Hexxus.
Fierce Creatures 1997 93 Comedy 1 Zookeepers struggle to deal with the policies of changing directors.
The Fifth Element 1997 126 Action; Sci-Fi; Drama; Fantasy 2 In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr Zorg at bay.
Final Destination 2000 98 Horror; Thriller; Drama; Mystery 1 After having a vision of his friends crashing in a plane, he tells them not to get on only later his friends start getting killed one by one.
Final Destination 2 2003 90 Horror; Thriller; Fantasy 1 When Kimberly has a violent premonition of a highway pileup she blocks the freeway, keeping a few others meant to die, safe...Or are they? The survivors mysteriously start dying and it's up to Kimberly to stop it before she's next.
Final Destination 3 2006 93 2 Giddily gruesome and perversely entertaining, Final Destination 3 proves, yet again, that horror franchises will thrive as long as teenagers keep finding spectacular ways to die. A stand-alone sequel to the first two Final Destination thrillers, this one begins when a group of seven high-school graduates luckily escape from a deadly roller-coaster disaster, only to discover that their own deaths have been only temporarily avoided. Cute brunette Wendy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) spots clues of impending doom in digital photos of her soon-to-be-expiring classmates, and an ill wind follows her everywhere, suggesting the presence of a supernatural force that makes her a catalyst for gory events, as each of her friends is dispatched in the order they were meant to die. Returning to give their brainchild a suspenseful, low-budget makeover, franchise creators and former X-Files writers James Wong and Glen Morgan cleverly play on our collective fears (the roller coaster sequence is genuinely terrifying) with a knowing nod to violent urban legends, which explains their inclusion of the '70s hit "Love Roller Coaster" on the soundtrack when two stuck-up girlfriends pay an ill-fated visit to a tanning parlor. And that's just for starters: With Wong as director, FD3 serves up its grisly deaths with tight pacing and humor, and the cathartic carnage is discreetly edited yet gory enough to satisfy hardcore horror buffs. When morbid mayhem is this much fun, it's a safe bet that another sequel is just around the corner. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVD
As befits a horror franchise heavily invested in the idea of "fate," the Final Destination 3 disc carries a "Choose Their Fate" option. In other words, you can watch the movie with occasional choices offered; click on one of two alternatives, and see that version play out. This won't give you the power to let one character live or die; it's more like deciding whether somebody honks her horn twice in a scene, calls heads or tails on a coin flip, or pushes the thermostat to 72 degrees or 76. Not exactly life-changing, but it's kind of fun.

The bonus disc includes a 90-minute "making of" feature called Kill Shot, which covers the production of the movie in exhausting detail (honest detail, too: filmmakers James Wong and Glen Morgan are funny and blunt about the business they're in, including a section on how the original ending was scrapped in favor of a bloodier finale). It's everything you'd want to know about this movie--but who needs to know this much? A 7-minute cartoon, "It's All Around You," is an amusing meditation on bad luck and laws of probability, while a 25-minute featurette called Dead Teenager Movie spins off from Roger Ebert's theory about the rigid formula of a certain kind of horror film (Ebert weighs in on the subject himself). A few experts opine on the traditions of teenagers dying in horror films; some of them don't seem to be aware that the formula pre-dated the first Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Audio commentaries, special effects sidebars, and trailers fill out this needlessly authoritative disc. --Robert Horton
Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within 2001 106 Animation; Science Fiction; Fantasy 2 Earth is a desolate wasteland in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Humanity has been decimated by an invasion of Phantoms, insubstantial aliens that extract and devour the spirits of living things. The few remaining humans have retreated to a handful of cities that are protected by massive bio-energy shields. The beautiful Dr. Aki Ross (voiced by Ming-Na) and her mentor Dr. Sid (Donald Sutherland) have discovered that the energy signatures of eight key Earth spirits can cancel out and destroy the Phantoms. With the help of Captain Edwards (Alec Baldwin) and his band of marines, they must scour the globe for the last two remaining spirits before General Hein (James Woods) manipulates the refugee government into attacking the aliens with an orbital laser that may also destroy the Earth.

Hironobu Sakaguchi's film is taken from the popular Final Fantasy video game franchise, which is particularly well suited to film adaptation with its series of original stories, but the movie features entirely new characters and settings. And like Toy Story and Shrek, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is completely computer generated. Unlike those cartoon comedies, though, The Spirits Within is a serious science fiction drama with astonishingly human digital actors. Aki, the female lead, appeared in a full-page spread in Maxim magazine's Hot 100 list--and was indistinguishable from the real-life models. The setting and conflict make for incredible action, but it's the larger issues, character interaction, and human elements that really make the movie shine. The Spirits Within is not simply a science fiction movie, in the same way that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is not simply a kung fu flick. The result is a fantastic summer movie with better action and more emotion than Pearl Harbor, and actors more lifelike than those in that other video game movie, Tomb Raider. --Mike Fehlauer
Finding Nemo 2003 100 Adventure; Animation; Comedy; Family 1 A father-son underwater adventure featuring Nemo, a boy clownfish, stolen from his coral reef home. His timid father must then search the ocean to find him
Serenity 2005 119 1 Serenity offers perfect proof that Firefly deserved a better fate than premature TV cancellation. Joss Whedon's acclaimed sci-fi Western hybrid series was ideally suited (in Browncoats, of course) for a big-screen conversion, and this action-packed adventure allows Whedon to fill in the Firefly backstory, especially the history and mystery of the spaceship Serenity's volatile and traumatized stowaway, River Tam (Summer Glau). Her lethal skills as a programmed "weapon" makes her a coveted prize for the power-hungry planetary Alliance, represented here by an Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who'll stop at nothing to retrieve River from Serenity's protective crew. We still get all the quip-filled dialogue and ass-kicking action that we've come to expect from the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but Whedon goes a talented step further here, blessing his established ensemble cast with a more fully-developed dynamic of endearing relationships. Serenity's cast is led with well-balanced depth and humor by Nathan Fillion as Captain Mal Reynolds, whose maverick spirit is matched by his devotion to crewmates Wash (Alan Tudyk), Zoe (Gina Torres), fun-loving fighter Jayne (Adam Baldwin), engineer Kaylee (Jewel Staite), doctor Simon (Sean Maher), and Mal's former flame Inara (Morena Baccarin), who plays a pivotal role in Whedon's briskly-paced plot. As many critics agreed, Serenity offered all the fun and breezy excitement that was missing from George Lucas's latter-day Star Wars epics, and Whedon leaves an opening for a continuing franchise that never feels cheap or commercially opportunistic. With the mega-corporate mysteries of Blue Sun yet to be explored, it's a safe bet we haven't seen the last of the good ship Serenity. --Jeff Shannon
Firefly - The Complete Series 0 4 After you've seen all 14 episodes of Firefly contained in this smartly packaged DVD set, you'll be begging for more. The sad irony is, series creator Joss Whedon's ambitious science-fiction Western (Whedon's third series after Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel) was canceled after only eleven of these 14 produced episodes had aired on FOX, and its demise was woefully premature. Whedon's generic hybrid suffered an inaugural setback when network executives preferred an action-packed one-hour premiere ("The Train Job") over the intended two-hour pilot "Serenity" (oddly enough, the final episode aired), which provides a better introduction to the show's concept and splendid ensemble cast. Obsessive fans may debate the quirky, semi-fallible logic of combining spaceships with direct parallels to frontier America (it's 500 years in the future, and embattled humankind has expanded into the galaxy, where undeveloped "outer rim" planets struggle with the equivalent of Old West accommodations), but Whedon and his gifted co-writers and directors make it work, at least well enough to fashion a credible context from the incongruous culture-clashing of past, present, and future technologies, along with a polyglot language (the result of two dominant superpowers) that combines English with an abundance of Chinese slang.

What makes it work is Whedon's delightfully well-chosen cast and their nine subtly-developed characters (a typically Whedon-esque extended family), each providing a unique perspective on their adventures aboard Serenity, the junky but beloved "Firefly-class" starship they call home. As a veteran of the disadvantaged Independent faction's war against the all-powerful planetary Alliance (think of it as Underdogs vs. Overlords), Serenity captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) leads his compact crew on a quest for survival. They're renegades with an amoral agenda, taking any job that pays well, but Firefly's complex tapestry of right and wrong (and peace vs. violence) is richer and deeper than it first appears. By the time we've gathered tantalizing clues about Blue Sun (an insidious mega-corporation with an as-yet mysterious agenda), its ties to the Alliance, and the traumatizing use of Serenity's resident stowaway as a guinea pig in the development of advanced warfare, it's painfully clear that Firefly was heading for exciting revelations that never came to pass. Fortunately, Whedon was developing a Firefly movie as this DVD set was being released in January 2004, so the ultimate fate of Serenity's crew remains to be seen. In the meantime, these 14 episodes (and enjoyable bonus features) offer everything you'd expect from the creator of Buffy: action, drama, humor, hints of romance, suspense, fine acting, film-quality direction, dazzling special effects, and ample proof that Fox made a glaring mistake in canceling the series. --Jeff Shannon
A Fish Called Wanda 1988 108 Comedy; Crime 1 In London, four very different people team up to commit armed robbery, then try to doublecross each other for the loot.
Fists Of Bruce Lee / Image Of Bruce Lee 1978 178 1 Like Being At The Movies, Just Add Popcorn!

Fists Of Bruce Lee:
Famed Chinese kung-fu movie star Bruce Li stars and directs this action packed story and pays tribute to the spirit and power of martial arts master, Bruce Lee. Li plays a government agent who goes deep undercover to bust a gang of smugglers. There's plenty of explosive martial arts action and mayhem as the Bruce Lee look-alike uses his hands and feet as lethal weapons against the outlaw organization. Fists of Bruce Lee is high energy fighting at its very best, and pays homage to its inspiration, the one and only Bruce Lee.

Image Of Bruce Lee:
Bruce Lee clone Bruce Li stars in this action packed kung fu epic with close to the same fighting charisma as his similar sounding namesake. Li plays a cop trying to find the source of all the counterfeit money that's going around Hong Kong. All fingers point to the notorious and deadly Shanghai Knee, whose bodyguard is played by martial arts superstar Bolo Yeung (Enter the Dragon, Bloodsport). Image of Bruce Lee is presented in the collector's edition Letterbox format so that none of the incredible fighting action will be missed!
Flash Gordon 1980 111 Fantasy; Action; Sci-Fi 1 A football player and his friends travel to the planet Mongo and find themselves fighting the tyrant, Ming the Merciless, to save Earth.
The Flock : Widescreen Edition 2007 91 Thriller; Crime; Action 1 Richard Gere and Clare Danes star as Errol Babbage and Allison Lowry, both federal agents, in this taut psychological thriller. The main storyline is that a young girl goes missing and Babbage is certain that the perpetrator is a known sex offender that he has had prior encounters with in his job. Babbage becomes increasingly obsessed with the missing girl and with pinning down his suspect, aware that if he is correct in his suspicions then the girl’s life is in grave danger. The relationship between Babbage and his trainee (agent Lowry) develops and as well as the danger to the missing girl, Lowry becomes drawn into Babbage’s investigations and is ultimately herself put at risk in this high tension drama.
The Forbidden Kingdom 2008 104 Comedy; Adventure; Action 1 Getting martial-arts superstars Jet Li and Jackie Chan together in the same action film is like a fantasy come true, even if The Forbidden Kingdom is more of a children's movie than an instant kung-fu classic. Yes, Li and Chan square off in a lengthy, acrobatic fight scene that is a lot of fun, though it can't be what such a scene might have been even a decade ago: careful editing now compensates for the 54-year-old Chan's slower moves and reflexes. Still, Chan doesn't disappoint as Lu Yan, a drunken immortal in ancient China who mentors a modern-day American kid, Jason (Michael Angarano), the latter having slipped into the past while in possession of a magical staff that belongs to the imprisoned Monkey King (Li). In order to get back to his own time and help an old friend (also Chan) wounded by thugs, Jason accompanies Lu Yan and a lovely warrior, Golden Sparrow (Liu Yifei), on a journey to return the staff. Along the way, a (mostly) silent monk (Li, again), who has spent his life in search of the staff, joins their mission. He helps Lu Yan train Jason in fighting and adding more muscle to the party as it comes under siege from a violent witch (Li Bing Bing) and pathological warlord (Collin Chou). Screenwriter John Fusco (Hidalgo) and director Rob Minkoff (The Haunted Mansion) have made a slightly chintzy, Western version of a Chinese swords-and-sorcery tale. The gravity-defying, flying-through-the-air-while-fighting choreography looks pretty choppy and graceless compared to, say, the martial arts films of Zhang Yimou. But The Forbidden Kingdom is really aimed at kids, not aficionados of epic fight movies. On that score, the movie aims to please and does so for the right audience. -- Tom Keogh

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Freddy Vs. Jason 2003 97 Horror; Action; Fantasy 2 Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees return to terrorize the teenage population. Except this time, they're out to get each other, too.
Friday the 13th 1980 95 Horror; Mystery; Thriller 1 A young boy named Jason drowns in a camp lake. Eleven years later, counselors at the camp are systematically slaughtered. Could it be Jason back from his watery grave?
Friday the 13th Part 2 1981 87 Action; Horror; Mystery; Thriller 1 Mrs. Voorhees is dead, and Camp Crystal Lake is shut down, but a camp next to the imfamous place is stalked by an unknown assailant. Is it Mrs. Voorhee's son Jason who didn't drown in the lake some 30 years before?
Friday the 13th Part 3: 3D 1982 95 Horror 1 Having escaped in the last episode, Jason is back, hockey mask and all, to continue his murderous rampage across Crystal Lake.
Friday the 13th : The Final Chapter 1984 90 Horror 1 Having been revived at the hospital, Jason returns to Crystal Lake to meet more victims. However, this time has he met his match in Tommy Jarvis ?
Friday the 13th : A New Beginning 1985 92 Horror; Mystery 1 While Jason lies unconscious, a local man decides to use Jason's old M.O. and wreaks havoc at a halfway house for troubled teens.
Friday the 13th : Jason Lives 1986 86 Action; Horror; Thriller 1 Tommy returns to the grave to make sure Jason is dead and accidently brings him back to life. Now it's...
Friday the 13th : The New Blood 1988 90 Drama; Horror 1 Years after Tommy Jarvis chained him underwater at Camp Crystal Lake, the hulking killer Jason Vorhees returns to the camp grounds when he's released accidently by a teenager with psychic powers.
Friday the 13th : Jason Takes Manhattan 1989 100 Horror 1 A passing boat bound for New York pulls Jason along for the ride. Look out New York, here comes hell in a hockey mask.
Friday the 13th : Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday 1993 89 Action; Horror; Sci-Fi 1 Serial killer Jason's supernatural origins are revealed.
Friday the 13th : Jason X 2001 93 Action; Horror; Sci-Fi; Thriller 1 Jason Voorhees returns with a new look, a new machete, and his same murderous attitude as he is awakened on a spaceship in the 25th century.
Fright Night 1985 106 Comedy; Horror 1 When a teenager learns that his next door neighbour is a vampire, no one will believe him.
Fright Night Part II 1989 108 Horror; Comedy 1 Charlie Brewster and Peter Vincent from the original Fright Night must face more vampires out for revenge.
Frisky Dingo - Season 1 2008 144 Animation 1 One of the most curious animated series to come from the Adult Swim stable, Frisky Dingo might be best described as a cartoon superhero take on Seinfeld's formula: a show that's about nothing, but one that's also funny and fascinating all the same. The brainchild of Sealab 2021 creators Matt Thompson and Adam Reed, the premise of Frisky Dingo concerns millionaire playboy Xander Crews, who moonlights as costumed crime fighter Awesome-X. Having vanquished his last archvillain, Crews is urged by his employees to return to his office to sort out the financial mess created by his alter ego. But the arrival of the monstrous Killface and his Annihilatrix (which will pull the launch the Earth into the sun) lures him back into… well, not so much action as lots and lots of paperwork. The resulting episodes of Season 1 concern Crews and Killface's attempts to fund their respective projects while dealing with distractions like Simon, Killface's incorrigible son, and Crews' exasperated second in command Stan. To say that Frisky Dingo is unlike any other superhero series on television (and very few animated series in general) is a distinct understatement, but there's a method behind the madness: that the vagaries of life often get in the way of the loftiest of goals. Of course, that doesn't explain the show's endless non sequiters and moments of true surrealism, like Awesome-X's clueless henchmen, the X-tacles, or episodes like "Emergency Room," in which the entire cast of characters spends the full running time suffering from various horrible injuries. Maybe it's best to think of this as meta-superhero action. All 13 episodes of Frisky Dingo's debut season are compiled on this single disc (each episode runs just 11 minutes), but sadly, no supplemental features are included. That's unfortunate, if for no other reason than they might have provided some sort of explanation for the show's motives. -- Paul Gaita
Frisky Dingo - Season 2 2008 133 1 It's too bad that this second season set for Frisky Dingo also serves as its swan song (the show was canceled in 2009), because the animated series was among the drollest and most irreverent on television. And nowhere is that more evident than in this sophomore season, which adds a healthy layer of political satire to its warped take on superhero mythology. This time around, the traditional roles seem to have been reversed, with arch-villain Killface now a hero for accidentally saving the world from global warming (an unforeseen side effect of his planet-smashing device, the Annihilatrix), while billionaire good guy Xander Crews--a.k.a. Awesome X--now reduced to poverty. Killface takes advantage of this change in fortune by running for President on the Democratic ticket, which in turn spurs Crews to get his act together and become the Republican nominee. What follows is a blend of Dingo's typical absurdity--Crews seems more interested in getting Fred Dryer for his running mate than winning the election – and some pointed jabs at elements of the 2008, including calculated choices for VP (rapper Taq'uil becomes Killface's choice after assuring black voters that the alien will eventually be assassinated) and issues of patriotism and nationality (Killface's origins, which are revealed in this season, play a major factor in the race's outcome). Given the time, Frisky Dingo might've continued to layer more substantive humor like this onto its foundation of weird; as it stands, Season 2 remains a terrific suggestion of where 21st century TV animation can go. Extras are once again slim, with only a new short promoting the equally short-lived spin-off The Xtacles, based around the misadventures of Xander's hapless shock troops, serving as a reward for Frisky Dingo faithful. --Paul Gaita
From Beyond 1986 90 1 The production team responsible for the twisted cult classic Re-Animator — including director Stuart Gordon and producer Brian Yuzna — returned the following year with this equally depraved (perhaps more so) follow-up, based once again (and very loosely) on the pulp-horror fiction of H.P. Lovecraft. Also returning to the fray is Jeffrey Combs, here playing the mild-mannered Crawford Tillinghast, apprentice to the dangerously obsessed Dr. Pretorious (Ted Sorel) and co-inventor of an enigmatic and ominous-looking device known as "The Resonator" — a machine designed to stimulate the vestigial sensory apparatus contained within the human pineal gland. Such stimulation allows participants to "see" the slimy creatures which occupy a dimension parallel to our own, but with some chilling side effects — the first of which being that the interdimensional vision works both ways. When a powerful sentient force devours Pretorious and assumes his consciousness, Tillinghast panics and destroys the Resonator — soon to find himself in a padded cell, accused of his mentor's murder. Called to the case are Dr. McMichaels (Barbara Crampton, another Re-Animator alum) and amiable cop Bubba Brownlee (Dawn of the Dead's Ken Foree), who escort Tillinghast back to the shattered laboratory in an attempt to corroborate his deranged account by re-creating the experiment. Their attempts are all too successful, and the Pretorious-thing emerges to take control of the reactivated Resonator and draw the others into its hideous realm. Also called forth are the participants' darkest sexual desires — another interesting by-product of pineal stimulation — and, in Tillinghast's case, an uncontrollable urge to devour human brains. Just when it seems it can't get any weirder...it does. Gordon explores this demented scenario with relish, allowing nearly every scene to go completely over the top into surreal mayhem while retaining the dark brooding sense of menace characteristic of Lovecraft's work. (It's not likely, however, that the author's dignified upbringing would have explored the psychosexual dimensions of the premise — at least not in the kind of detail seen here.) All manners of perversities abound, accompanied by the wizardry of four dueling special-effects studios and the rich, creepy score by Richard H. Band, bringing the film to a literally explosive climax and a chillingly poetic final shot. — Cavett Binion
From Beyond 1986 86 Horror; Science Fiction 1 From Beyond is an adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft's horror. The plot revolves around two scientists: Dr. Edward Pretorius (Ted Sorel) and Crawford Tillinghast (Jefferey Combs). At the film's introduction, the two have just completed work on a machine which stimulates the pineal gland. The rest of the film revolves around the mysterious events which took place on the night of the machine's "malfunction", the true function of the device, and Pretorius obsession with delving into the depths of the unknown.
George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead 96 1 George Romero has always come up with new ways of treating his zombies, and Diary of the Dead is no exception: Romero keeps his dead fresh, with an original approach to the undying subject. This one purports to be the video record of a group of young people who are shooting a low-budget horror movie when the terror strikes: corpses begin re-animating, intent on chewing the living. Our heroes trek across Pennsylvania, encountering the staggering zombies as they go. Other pieces of video are incorporated, which gives Romero a chance at some great set-pieces, including the brilliant opening sequence, a live local-TV feed that goes horribly, horribly wrong, and a home-video tape from a family birthday party, where the party clown turns out to be a dead ringer. All of Romero's Dead films are political, and this one's no exception, with a stark view of the way things are today; it doesn't offer the Hawksian heroics of the survivors in Dawn of the Dead or Land of the Dead for comfort, just a group of bickering, shocked youths. There's too much talk about the detachment of watching things through a lens, but in general this is a bracing, intelligent movie. Plus, there's some excellent splatter. --Robert Horton
Get Shorty 1995 105 Comedy; Drama; Crime 1 A mobster travels to Hollywood to collect a debt and discovers that the movie business is much the same as his current job.
Be Cool (Widescreen Edition) 2005 0 1 Be Cool takes its own advice: It's slick, Hollywood entertainment that kills two amusing hours with relative ease and comfort. Better than leftovers but not as tasty as a full-course meal, this sequel to 1995's hit comedy Get Shorty (and based on Elmore Leonard's 1999 sequel novel) finds former loan shark Chili Palmer (John Travolta) itching to get out of the movie business, so he hooks up with a newly widowed music executive (Uma Thurman) to launch the career of an up-'n-coming Beyoncé-like singer (newcomer Christina Milian). A mock-black manager (Vince Vaughn), his sleazy boss (Harvey Keitel), and an upscale gangsta-rap executive (Cedric the Entertainer) all have a competing stake in the fast-rising pop diva's future, and this sets the plot rolling in a fun but rather hand-me-down fashion that lacks the savvy panache of Get Shorty but still provides plenty of lightweight humor. The Rock and Outkast's André Benjamin provide the best laughs in supporting roles that effortlessly relieve the movie from the symptoms of sequelitis. --Jeff Shannon
Get Smart 2008 110 Comedy; Crime; Action 1 Get Smart! is a film version of the popular 1965 television series of the same name. Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell), a bumbling analyst working for the spy agency CONTROL, could never quite receive the promotion to work in the field alongside the best spy in the agency, Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson). When a terrorist attack on CONTROL leaves all of their identities compromised, Smart is catapulted into the ranks of the spy agency alongside the beautiful Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), the only spy whose identity was protected. Now designated as Agent 86, Smart must overcome his error-prone, clumsy ways in order to prevent the terrorist organization KAOS and its diabolical leader Siegfried (Terence Stamp) from taking over the world.
Ghost in the Shell 1996 0 1 The skillful blending of drawn animation and computer-generated imagery excited anime fans when this science fiction mystery was released in 1995: many enthusiasts believe Ghost suggests what the future of anime will be, at least in the short term. The film is set in the not-too-distant future, when an unnamed government uses lifelike cyborgs or "enhanced" humans for undercover work. One of the key cyborgs is The Major, Motoko Kusanagi, who resembles a cross between The Terminator and a Playboy centerfold. She finds herself caught up in a tangled web of espionage and counterespionage as she searches for the mysterious superhacker known as "The Puppet Master."

Mamoru Oshii directs with a staccato rhythm, alternating sequences of rapid-fire action (car chases, gun battles, explosions) with static dialogue scenes that allow the characters to sort out the vaguely mystical and rather convoluted plot. Kusanagi's final quote from I Corinthians suggests that electronic evolution may compliment and eventually supplant organic evolution. The minor nudity, profanity, and considerable violence would earn Ghost in the Shell at least a PG rating. --Charles Solomon
Ghost in the Shell 2 - Innocence 0 1 Mamoru Oshii's landmark Ghost in the Shell (1995) largely defined the cyberpunk genre and influenced the Matrix films in the U.S. The long-awaited sequel continues the adventures of Batou, Major Kusanagi's former assistant, who was left behind when she disappeared into the cyber-realm of the Net. With his new human partner, Togusa, Batou investigates a series of bloody murders involving gynoids, robots with sexual functions. The case leads them to the headquarters of the Locus Solus company, where Batou uncovers the evil secret behind the creation of the gynoids. Innocence includes some staggeringly beautiful CG images, especially a parade depicting characters from Chinese mythology. Oshii contrasts this glittering beauty with a Blade Runner-esque dystopia. But even his skill as a director can't disguise the fact that the underdeveloped story and flat characters are far less interesting than the opulent visuals. (Rated PG-13: graphic violence, violence against women, brief nudity, profanity, alcohol and tobacco use.) --Charles Solomon
Ghost Rider 2007 123 Action 2 Once intended as a feature for Johnny Depp, the long-germinating feature film adaptation of Marvel Comics' cult title Ghost Rider stars Nicolas Cage as motorcyclist Johnny Blaze, who transforms into a skull-faced angel of vengeance to battle the forces of evil. Though perhaps a bit too mature for the role, Cage brings a degree of humor to the outrageous proceedings; he's well matched by the Easy Rider himself Peter Fonda, amusingly cast as Mephistopheles, the demon with whom Blaze strikes a bargain to save his father, and in turn, causes his transformation into Ghost Rider. Wes Bentley is also fine as Blackheart, the rebellious offspring of Mephistopheles, and Blazes' chief opponent in the film. They're joined by a solid supporting cast which includes Donal Logue, Eva Mendes, and Sam Elliott, but their participation and a relentless barrage of CGI effects can't hide the fact that the story itself, though largely faithful to its comic origins, is rife with clichéd characterizations and glum B-movie dialogue. Fans of the venerable title may cry foul over this adaptation (as they did over helmer Mark Steven Johnson's previous comic-to-movie feature, Daredevil), but less stringent viewers may enjoy the fiery visuals and Cage's typically quirky performance. --Paul Gaita

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Ghostbusters Double Feature Gift Set 1989 213 Comedy; Science Fiction; Action 2 "Ghostbusters I & II" are two immensely successful comedy/science-fiction films starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, and Rick Moranis as a team of ghost specialists and victims. Dr. Venkman (Murray) and his team of paranormal professors comically battle Gozer, a strange Sumerian entity. In the sequel, our team returns to duke it out with Slimer, a green, egg-shaped creature. Rather than scary, Slimer is more of a pest who laughs at everything he does.
Ghosts of Mars 2001 98 Horror; Science Fiction 1 Ghosts of Mars may not be one of John Carpenter's finer efforts, but you can't knock the veteran director for staying true to his roots--it's clearly a Carpenter film, reveling in its B-movie blood lust, and fueled by the director's rock & roll rebellion as well as the sex appeal of star Natasha Henstridge. This rickety sci-fi/horror hybrid recalls Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13, with various connections from throughout the director's career--for better and worse. It's the year 2176, and human colonists on Mars are controlled by a political "matronage," with women (for reasons unexplained) holding court in the capitol city of Chryse. Mars Police Force Lt. Ballard (Henstridge) has been sent to retrieve James "Desolation" Williams (Ice Cube), the planet's most notorious criminal, from a remote mining-colony prison. With her ill-fated crew, Ballard discovers that the colonists have nearly all been possessed by ancient Martian spirits bent on reclaiming the planet, turning them into an army of self-mutilating freaks suggesting an unholy union of Marilyn Manson and the sadomasochistic Cenobites from the Hellraiser films. None of this makes much sense, and the shaky alliance between cops and criminals is a predictable excuse for rampant battle scenes between surviving humans and the ghost-possessed maniacs. Exotic weaponry abounds (along with cheap special effects and some laughable dialogue), resulting in the gruesome dispatch of expendable costars Pam Grier, Joanna Cassidy, Robert Carradine, and Clea Duvall. Driven by Carpenter's synth-metal score, this violent free-for-all has a few brief highlights, but it's suspenseless and ultimately absurd. It's not much, but for loyal fans it's probably enough. --Jeff Shannon
The Girl Next Door 2004 109 Comedy; Romance 1 A teenager's dreams come true when a former porn star moves in next door and they fall in love.
Godzilla 1998 140 Action; Sci-Fi; Thriller 1 Following the French atomic bomb tests in the South Pacific, an unknown creature is spotted passing eastward through the Panama Canal...
The Golden Compass 2007 113 Adventure; Fantasy; Action 2 In a parallel universe where witches rule the skies and armoured bears are the bravest warriors, young Lyra Belacqua journeys from her home among the scholars at Oxford to the far North to save her best friend. Based on the first book in the Carnegie Medal-winning series, His Dark Materials.
Gorillaz - Phase One - Celebrity Take Down 0 2
Grease 1978 110 Comedy; Musical; Romance 1 The friendships, romances, and adventures of a group of highschool kids in the 1950s.
The Great Muppet Caper 1981 95 Family; Comedy; Musical 1 Kermit, Gonzo and Fozzie are reporters who travel to Britain to interview a rich victim of jewel thieves and help her along with her secretary, Miss Piggy.
Gross Anatomy 1989 109 Drama 1 A smart first-year med student takes nothing seriously, except the pursuit of his Gross Anatomy (human dissection) lab partner...
Groundhog Day 1993 101 Fantasy; Comedy; Romance 1 A cynical weatherman is forced to continuously re-live the worst day of his life until he learns to become a better person.
Groundhog Day 1993 101 Fantasy; Comedy; Romance 1 A cynical weatherman is forced to continuously re-live the worst day of his life until he learns to become a better person.
GWAR : Blood-Bath and Beyond 0 1
H.R. Pufnstuf - The Complete Series 0 3 Once upon a time, during the tail end of the psychedelic sixties, a program appeared that captured the imagination of children as much as the tenor of the times. Not that H.R. Pufnstuf, which premiered on NBC in 1969, dealt with heavy topics like the Vietnam War. Instead, this colorful Sid and Marty Krofft creation mixed live action with puppetry and kept things groovy with song, dance, bad puns, trippy sets, and wacky sound effects. Like The Wizard of Oz and "Puff the Magic Dragon," its charming innocence appealed as much to kids as to the kinds of adults who flocked to Pee-wee's Playhouse and SpongeBob SquarePants in later years. The story begins when Jimmy (Oliver!'s Jack Wild) is tricked by Witchiepoo (Billie Hayes) into taking a boat ride on a sunny day. Next thing he knows he's stranded on Living Island, where everything--the houses, the trees--talks. And Witchiepoo is endlessly scheming to steal Freddie, his magical golden flute (or "Fweddie" as Wild pronounces it). Pufnstuf, the island's mayor, is Jimmy's Glinda the Good Witch--as a friendly dragon with an aw-shucks accent. Throughout these 17 episodes, Jimmy and Puf are joined by Dr. Blinky, Cling and Clang, and a host of other odd, but benevolent characters. Witchiepoo meanwhile, has Orson Vulture and Seymour Spider on her (dark) side. Standout episodes include "Mechanical Boy," in which Jimmy "does the robot"--years before the dawn of disco--and "Dinner for Two Please Orson," in which Blinky's Time Machine malfunctions and Jimmy is turned into an old man--who Witchiepoo plans to marry! With H.R. Pufnstuf, the Kroffts (Lidsville, The Bugaloos) combined the best qualities of the top shows of its time, like Laugh-In and The Monkees, and created something fresh and new that's just as relevant--and irreverent--today. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Hackers 1995 107 Thriller; Action 1 A young boy is arrested by the Secret Service for writing a virus, and banned from using a computer until his 18th birthday...
Halloween 1978 91 2
Halloween II 1981 93 1 "You can't kill the boogeyman," explains John Carpenter in Halloween, and to prove it he brings Michael Myers back in this handsome but grisly sequel. Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie Strode but spends most of her time cowering in a hospital gown, and Donald Pleasence runs around like a maniac as the panicky doctor desperate to hunt down Myers before he kills again. Carpenter writes and produces with partner Debra Hill, and together they replace the mystery and uncertainty of the original with an exponentially bigger body count and some strange tales about the Druids and pagan ceremonies, and the now-familiar family ties between Michael and Laurie. First-time director Rick Rosenthal (Bad Boys) paces the film at a brisk jog and directs it with a clean, crisp style, taking the murders out of the dark to display them in all their nasty detail. --Sean Axmaker
Halloween 4 - The Return of Michael Myers 1988 0 1 "You can't kill the bogeyman," the children insist to a terrorized Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) in the original Halloween. How right they are. Laurie is gone, but guess who's back in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers? Acting as if the third entry never existed, this installment picks up 10 years after the original, with mad maniac Myers in a coma and moved to a new facility. But wouldn't you know it that as soon as a loose-lipped orderly lets slip that Myers has a surviving niece he springs back into action, leaving a bloody trail of corpses on the road to Haddonfield. Donald Pleasance returns as Dr. Loomis, scarred and crippled from his last encounter with Myers and seething with a fanatical zeal to stop the freak from repeating his previous rampage. Pleasance is the best thing about the film as an aging hero seemingly on the verge of madness who drags a bum leg in his manic rush to save little orphan Jamie (Danielle Harris), the 10-year-old waif terrorized by her homicidal uncle. Director Dwight Little has managed a generic if professional slasher picture, rife with improbabilities and dominated by a killer whose superhuman powers reach near-mystical dimensions, but he delivers the goods: shocks, stabs, and cold, cruel killings. --Sean Axmaker
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers 1989 97 1 Starting around Halloween 4, that masked nut Michael Myers stopped chasing his sister (played by Jamie Lee Curtis in the first and second films, as well as Halloween H20) and went after his niece. Now he's chasing her around again in part 5, but it's a lot of other people who die in the process. Donald Pleasence continues his mad-doctor bit from the earlier movies, Danielle Harris is the unfortunate relation, and Donald L. Shanks plays the monster. The film is an improvement on parts 2 and 4 (part 3 having nothing to do with Michael Myers), but it still amounts to routine slaughter with none of John Carpenter's stylistic brilliance from the original movie. --Tom Keogh
Halloween - The Curse of Michael Myers 1995 88 1 The series premise continues to stretch so thin it could dissipate. This time, Michael Myers chases his unfortunate niece around, then goes after a family who happen to be living in his former home. This is slasher-ism at its most cynical, and a thoroughly unpleasant, unimaginative, and unredeeming movie. Donald Pleasence, the one holdover from the original film, looks like he'd rather be anywhere than in this thing. --Tom Keogh
Halloween H20 - Twenty Years Later 1998 86 1 Halloween is one of the great modern horror films, but as a franchise its track record has been spotty at best, painfully bad at worst. Halloween H2O: Twenty Years Later, directed by horror vet Steve Miner (Friday the 13th parts 2 and 3, House), won't displace John Carpenter's original but it might help you forget the films in between. Miner certainly has: the film begins as if sequels 3 through 6 never happened. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis, reprising her role for the first time in almost two decades) faked her death and is now a single mom and headmistress of an exclusive California private school. She's also a secret alcoholic who lives in fear of her homicidal brother-bogeyman Michael Myers. Guess who decides to show up for a family reunion? The film begins with classic horror-movie exposition (the deserted college campus, Michael's escape, Laurie's waking nightmares) accomplished with some humor and style, but it's all setup for the second half, a driving roller coaster of stalk-and-slash thrills. There's little of the self-conscious genre referencing of Scream and at times the film is a little far-fetched--it is a slasher movie about a knife-wielding homicidal maniac who won't stay dead, after all--but Curtis transforms Laurie from a shrieking victim into an empowered, determined horror-movie heroine who's learned a thing or two from the previous films. Adam Arkin, Josh Hartnett, and TV cutie Michelle Williams (Dawson's Creek) costar, and the script received uncredited polish from Scream writer Kevin Williamson; Curtis's mom, Janet Leigh, pops up in a cameo. --Sean Axmaker
Halloween - Resurrection 2002 94 1 Number 8 in the Halloween line maintains connections to John Carpenter's original. Resurrection picks up the thread of Halloween: H2O, with poor Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) now in a psychiatric hospital and determined to shut down homicidal Michael Myers once and for all. After this prologue, the story shifts to the old Myers house, where a TV reality show has enticed six teenagers to spend a single night in the spooky home. Needless to say, things are spoiled when Michael barges in: "I so did not sign up for this," sighs the young heroine, when the bloodletting begins. The mayhem is being broadcast live on the Internet, which makes the film a bit like Rear Window with Instant Messaging. The interesting premise is routinely handled, but that's enough to make this one of the better sequels in the series. Maybe they finally finished off Michael in this one, wink wink. --Robert Horton
Hancock 2008 92 Comedy; Fantasy; Action 1 Hancock turns the standard superhero movie inside-out: The title character (Will Smith) can fly, has superstrength, and is invulnerable, but he's also a sloppy, alcoholic jerk who causes millions of dollars in property damage whenever he bothers to fight crime. When he saves the life of a public-relations agent named Ray (Jason Bateman, Arrested Development), Ray decides to improve Hancock's image--starting by having Hancock surrender himself to the authorities and go to prison for his lawless behavior. The idea is that once he's in prison, the crime rate will go up, and people will start to realize Hancock might be of value after all. This is only the first act of Hancock--from there, the movie takes several clever turns that shouldn't be revealed. Hancock isn't a great movie (among other things, director Peter Berg overuses close-ups with a hand-held camera to a degree that may cause motion sickness), but it is an extremely entertaining one. The script, which holds together far better than most superhero movies, has a propulsive plot, good dialogue, some compassion for its characters, and even an actual idea or two. The spectacular action at least gestures towards obeying the laws of physics, which actually makes the special effects more vivid. The three leads (Smith, Bateman, and Charlize Theron as Ray's wife, Mary) deftly balance the movie's mixture of comedy, action, and drama. All in all, a smart subversive twist on a genre that all too often takes itself all too seriously. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Hancock (click for larger image)










Hannibal 2001 131 Horror; Thriller; Crime 2 Hannibal returns to America and attempts to make contact with disgraced Agent Starling and survive a vengeful victim's plan.
Happy Feet 2006 108 Animation; Comedy; Family; Musical 1 For anyone who thought the Oscar-winning documentary March of the Penguins was the most marvelous cinematic moment for these nomads of the south, you haven't seen nothing yet. Happy Feet is an animated wonder about a penguin named Mumble who can't sing, but can dance up a storm. George Miller, the driving force behind the Babe (and Mad Max) movies, takes another creative step in family entertainment with this big, beautiful, music-fueled film that will have kids and their parents dancing in the streets. From his first moment alive, Mumble (voiced Elijah Woods) feels the beat and can't stop dancing. Unfortunately, emperor penguins are all about finding their own heart song, and the dancing youngster--as cute as he is--is a misfit. Luckily, he bumps into little blue penguins and a Spanish-infused group (led by Robin Williams) and begins a series of adventures. Miller has an exceptional variety of entertainment: Busby Berkley musical numbers, amusement-park thrills, exciting chase sequences (seals and orca lovers might like think otherwise), and even an environmental message that doesn't weigh you down. Best of all, you don't know where the movie is going in the last act, a rare occurrence these days in family entertainment. A fusion of rock songs, mashed-up and otherwise, are featured; this movie is as much a musical as a comedy. Mumble's solo dance to a new version of Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" by Fantasia, Patti, and Yolanda may be the most joyful moment on camera in 2006. --Doug Thomas

On the DVD
There are two new animated sequences, which aren't incorporated into the film. One's a half-minute hackysack-themed bit, but the other is a good-looking, two-minute scene featuring the late Steve Irwin as an albatross, who, with Mumble, encounters a blue whale. "Dance Like a Penguin: Stomp to the Beat" is hosted by Savion Glover, whose dancing was motion-captured for the film, but other than a couple basic tips, it's pretty much a demonstration rather than a lesson. In addition to the two music videos (Gia's "Hit Me Up" and Prince's "The Song of the Heart"), "I Love to Singa" is an appropriately matched 1936 Merrie Melodies cartoon in which a young owl ruffles feathers by wanting to sing jazz for his classical-music-loving family. --David Horiuchi

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 2001 152 Adventure; Family; Fantasy 2 Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 2002 161 Adventure; Family; Fantasy; Mystery 2 Harry ignores warnings not to return to Hogwarts, only to find the school plagued by a series of mysterious attacks and a strange voice haunting him.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2004 141 Adventure; Family; Fantasy 1 It's Harry's third year at Hogwarts; not only does he have a new "Defense Against the Dark Arts" teacher, but there is also trouble brewing. Convicted murderer Sirius Black has escaped the Wizards' Prison and is coming after Harry.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005 157 2 The fourth entry in the Harry Potter saga could be retitled Fast Times at Hogwarts, where finding a date to the winter ball is nearly as terrifying as worrying about Lord Voldemort's return. Thus, the young wizards' entry into puberty (and discovery of the opposite sex) opens up a rich mining field to balance out the dark content in the fourth movie (and the stories are only going to get darker). Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral) handily takes the directing reins and eases his young cast through awkward growth spurts into true young actors. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe, more sure of himself) has his first girl crush on fellow student Cho Chang (Katie Leung), and has his first big fight with best bud Ron (Rupert Grint). Meanwhile, Ron's underlying romantic tension with Hermione (Emma Watson) comes to a head over the winter ball, and when she makes one of those girl-into-woman Cinderella entrances, the boys' reactions indicate they've all crossed a threshold.

But don't worry, there's plenty of wizardry and action in Goblet of Fire. When the deadly Triwizard Tournament is hosted by Hogwarts, Harry finds his name mysteriously submitted (and chosen) to compete against wizards from two neighboring academies, as well as another Hogwarts student. The competition scenes are magnificently shot, with much-improved CGI effects (particularly the underwater challenge). And the climactic confrontation with Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes, in a brilliant bit of casting) is the most thrilling yet. Goblet, the first installment to get a PG-13 rating, contains some violence as well as disturbing images for kids and some barely shrouded references at sexual awakening (Harry's bath scene in particular). The 2 1/2-hour film, lean considering it came from a 734-page book, trims out subplots about house-elves (they're not missed) and gives little screen time to the standard crew of the other Potter films, but adds in more of Britain's finest actors to the cast, such as Brendan Gleeson as Mad-Eye Moody and Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter. Michael Gambon, in his second round as Professor Dumbledore, still hasn't brought audiences around to his interpretation of the role he took over after Richard Harris died, but it's a small smudge in an otherwise spotless adaptation. --Ellen A. Kim

On the DVD
The highlight of the two-disc set is a half-hour conversation with actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. They discuss their reactions to the film and other topics with British writer Richard Curtis . Then they answer questions from contest-winning fans, such as what are their favorite kids' books (Watson bypasses the obvious answer in favor of Roald Dahl and Philip Pullman) and what scenes are they looking forward to in upcoming films. More routine extras include the "Reflections on the Fourth Film" featurette (14 min.), though it has comments from some of the other young cast members, and "Preparing for the Yule Ball" (9 min.). The 10 minutes of additional scenes are mostly skulking and skullduggery, plus a long musical number from the ball. The remaining material is grouped along the lines of the Triwizard Tournament, with behind-the-scenes looks at each of the competitions (about 22 min. total), two longer featurettes on He Who Must Not Be Named (11 min.) and the workday of the other contestants (Robert Pattinson, Stanislav Ianevski, and Clémence Poésy, 13 min.), and four games, playable with the directional arrows on the remote control, that can be frustrating to figure out. --David Horiuchi
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 139 2 Lord Voldemort has returned, but few want to believe it. In fact, the Ministry of Magic is doing everything it can to keep the wizarding world from knowing the truth - including appointing Ministry official Dolores Umbridge as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. When Professor Umbridge refuses to train her students in practical defensive magic, a select group of students decides to learn on their own. With Harry Potter as their leader, these students (who call themselves "Dumbledore's Army") meet secretly in a hidden room at Hogwarts to hone their wizarding skills in preparation for battle with the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. . New adventure - more dangerous , more thrilling than ever - is yours in this enthralling film version of the fifth novel in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. A terrifying showdown between good and evil awaits. Prepare for battle!

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The Haunted Mansion 2003 99 Comedy; Horror; Family; Fantasy 1 When a workaholic visits a haunted house with his family during a job interview, he meets a ghost that teaches him a lesson about the importance of the family that he has neglected.
Heavy Metal 1981 86 Action; Adventure; Animation; Horror; Sci-Fi; Fantasy; Musical 1 A glowing orb terrorizes a young girl with a collection of stories of dark fantasy, eroticism and horror.
Heavy Metal - Louder Than Life 252 1 Since it arrived in the 70's Metal has been the most enduring form of popular music culture the world has known. Rumored to have died it is of course undead, and continues to mutate and infiltrate . . . This documentary is a considered look at the continuing story of Metal, in the words of the people that make it, live it, breathe it and keep it vital. What makes it tick, why nothing else can touch it for power, emotion and longevity, why it's misunderstood, why it doesn't care, how it continues to upset the establishment, how it manipulates the media, the positivity, and the way it has forced its iconography and ethos deep into an unsuspecting and unwilling mainstream. Created by award winning duo Director Dick Carruthers (Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, The White Stipes) and Producer Jim Parsons (MTV Headbangers' Ball. New Kings of Rock `n' Roll, Re:covered) Heavy Metal is a long overdue film that unravels the music, the myths and the madness..
Hellboy 2004 122 Adventure; Horror; Sci-Fi; Action; Comedy 2 A demon, raised from infancy after being conjured by and rescued from the Nazis, grows up to become a defender against the forces of darkness.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army 2008 120 Comedy; Adventure; Action 3 The feverish Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a very busy sequel that might have looked unhinged in the hands of a less visionary director than Guillermo del Toro. Ron Perlman returns as Hellboy, aka "Red," the Dark Horse Comics demon-hero with roots in the mythical world but personal ties in the human realm. Still working, as he was in Hellboy, for a secret department of the federal government that deals (as in "Men In Black") with forces of the fantastic, Red and his colleagues take on a royal elf (Luke Goss) determined to smash a longtime truce between mankind and the forces of magic. Meanwhile, Red's relationship with girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), who can burst into flames at will, is going through a rocky stage observed by Red's fishy friend Abe (Doug Jones), himself struck by love in this film. Del Toro brilliantly integrates the ordinary and extraordinary, diving into an extended scene set in a troll market barely hidden behind the façade of typical city streets. He also unleashes a forest monster that devastates an urban neighborhood, but then--interestingly--brings a luminous beauty to the same area as the creature (an "elemental") succumbs to a terrible death. Del Toro's art direction proves masterful, too, in a climactic battle set in a clockworks-like stronghold tucked away in rugged Irish landscape. But it's really the juxtaposition of visual marvels with not-so-unusual relationship issues that gives Hellboy II a certain jaunty appeal hard to find in other superhero movies. --Tom Keogh




Stills from Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Click for larger image)











Hellraiser 1987 94 Fantasy; Horror 1 An unfaithful wife encounters the zombie of her dead lover, who's being chased by demons after he tampered with one of their gateways to Hell.
Hellraiser II : Hellbound 1988 97 Horror; Thriller 1 Doctor Channard is sent a new patient, a girl warning of the terrible creatures that have destroyed her family...
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth 1992 93 Horror 1 Pinhead is stuck in a block after the Big Confrontation in "Hellbound," The block containing Pinhead...
Hellraiser: Bloodline 1996 86 Horror; Sci-Fi 1 It's the year 2127. Pinhead, the evil cenobite of the series, has found himself on board a space station in outer space...
Hellraiser: Inferno 2000 99 Crime; Drama; Horror; Mystery 1 A detective (named Joseph) is in hell...but doesn't know it yet.
Hellraiser: Hellseeker 2002 86 Horror 1 A very credible entry in the Hellraiser series, Hellraiser: Hellseeker presents a nifty puzzle for gore fans, plus plenty of philosophical musings from the ineffable Pinhead ("Personally, I prefer pain"). A smoldering Dean Winters plays a man who survives a car accident in which his wife was apparently killed; because of a head injury, his memory is mixed up, and he can't distinguish between reality and fantasy. The borrowings from Memento are obvious, and the fragmented story pieces may not all fit together, but the mystery does become tantalizing. Within the low-budget constraints, veteran cinematographer Rick Bota (making his directing debut) keeps the atmosphere clipped and gloomy. The film also brings back Ashley Laurence, who appeared in the original installments of Clive Barker's franchise. One question: with Pinhead in the house, is visiting an acupuncturist really a good idea? --Robert Horton
Hellraiser - Deader 2005 0 1
Hellraiser - Hellworld 2005 0 1 Clive Barker's Gothic ghoul Pinhead is pitted against online gamers out for kicks in Hellraiser: Hellworld, the eighth entry in the popular horror franchise. A group of young computer-game enthusiasts crack the secret of Hellworld, a virtual-reality game based on the Hellraiser mythos, and earn themselves an invite to an exclusive party at a secluded and spooky mansion. There, the host (Lance Henriksen, always a welcome sight) reveals his elaborate collection of Hellraiser-related artifacts, as well as a hidden agenda regarding one of the gamers' friends, who died under sinister circumstances. Naturally, this fresh assortment of attractive young souls with an insatiable curiosity for the forbidden summons up Pinhead (Doug Bradley, natch) and his Cenobite friends to unleash their own brand of hell on Earth. Hellraiser devotees won't find any fresh ideas in the script, but veteran cinematographer Rick Bota (who helmed the two previous films in the franchise) provides attractive visuals, and the gore is plentiful and unpleasant. --Paul Gaita
Hero 2004 99 Drama; Adventure; Action 1 Master filmmaker Quentin Tarantino presents HERO -- starring martial arts legend Jet Li in a visually stunning martial arts epic where a fearless warrior rises up to defy an empire and unite a nation! With supernatural skill ... and no fear ... a nameless soldier (Jet Li) embarks on a mission of revenge against the fearsome army that massacred his people. Now, to achieve the justice he seeks, he must take on the empire's most ruthless assassins and reach the enemy he has sworn to defeat! Acclaimed by critics and honored with numerous awards, HERO was nominated for both an Oscar® (2002 Best Foreign Language Film)and Golden Globe!
Heroes - Season 1 2006 1035 Action; Fantasy 7 Discover the phenomenon that is sweeping audiences everywhere as Heroes: Season 1 comes to DVD! Experience the suspense, mystery, and electrifying twists as this astonishing series follows seemingly unconnected, ordinary people around the globe who discover they have extraordinary powers. As they come to terms with their unique abilities, their risky decisions will affect the futures of everyone around them
Heroes: Season 2 2006 484 Science Fiction; Fantasy; Action 4 Rejoin the epic and suspenseful phenomenon as Heroes: Season 2 arrives on DVD. Experience all the new and exciting twists of the astonishing series in this 4-disc set that includes every gripping Season 2 episode. Plus, see what could have been with exclusive bonus features that reveal the untold stories that never aired and an alternate ending to the season finale, where the fate of humanity takes an ominous turn when Peter fails to catch the vial containing the deadly virus.

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Hex - Season 1 465 3 Billed as U.K. TV's answer to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed, the supernatural drama Hex plays more like a coming-of-age story dressed in Gothic trappings. Christina Cole stars as Cassie Hughes, a young girl enrolled at Medenham Hall, a private school that once housed a coven of witches. Cassie, who struggles to fit in with her elitist and over-sexed classmates, discovers that she's even less like them than she thought when she develops telekinetic powers. The onset of these powers attracts the attention of Azazeal (Michael Fassbinder), leader of the Nephilim (the fallen angels of the Bible). What follows is a broad and frequently stylish soap opera that pits Cassie and her roommate Thelma (Jemima Rooper, who steals many scenes), who happens to be a ghost, against Azazeal as he attempts to control Cassie's body and soul--quite literally, as his plan is to impregnate her in order to allow the other Nephilim to invade the corporeal world. Cutting dialogue a la Buffy and a hip soundtrack should hook American viewers, as will a smattering of nudity and violence and surprisingly solid special effects. The three-disc set features the first six episodes of the first season and four from the second, and includes include a 23-minute documentary on the making of the series with interviews with the cast and creators, as well as a small collection of deleted scenes. -- Paul Gaita
Highlander: The Final Dimension 1994 0 1 One must assume that Christopher Lambert signed a contract forcing him to make this second sequel to the 1986 cult film Highlander. Unless he was paid an enormous amount of money, there is no explanation for his appearance in this abysmal movie. The original feature, which was graced with the presence of Sean Connery, was a critical yawn but attracted a cult following on the strength of its supernatural story line. An overproduced and muddled sequel followed, as well as a syndicated TV series and a video flick spliced together from the series. One would think audiences had had enough of this clansman who can die only if decapitated. This installment begins 400 years ago, when Lambert is in Japan perfecting his swordsmanship with the aid of another immortal, a wizard who soon loses his head to a scenery-chewing Mario Van Peebles. The ebb and flow of warring energies cause the wizard's cave to close in on itself, sealing the evil Peebles inside a mountain for four centuries. Flash to the present: Peebles escapes his rocky prison and immediately goes in search of the lethargic Lambert. Though shot on location in Canada, France, Morocco, and Scotland, this has all the production value of a student film. Under the helm of music-video director Andy Morahan, the movie is jumpy and jumbled, leaping from one ridiculous scene to another. --Rochelle O'Gorman
History of the World: Part I 1981 92 Comedy 1 From the dawn of man to the distant future, mankind's evolution (or lack thereof) is traced. Often ridiculous but never serious...
Hitch (Widescreen Edition) 2005 0 1 Will Smith's easygoing charm makes Hitch the kind of pleasant, uplifting romantic comedy that you could recommend to almost anyone--especially if there's romance in the air. As suave Manhattan dating consultant Alex "Hitch" Hitchens, Smith plays up the smoother, sophisticated side of his established screen persona as he mentors a pudgy accountant (Kevin James) on the lessons of love. The joke, of course, is that Hitch's own love life is a mess, and as he coaches James toward romance with a rich, powerful, and seemingly inaccessible beauty named Allegra (Amber Valetta), he's trying too hard to impress a savvy gossip columnist (Eva Mendes) with whom he's fallen in love. Through mistaken identities and mismatched couples, director Andy Tennant brings the same light touch that made Drew Barrymore's Ever After so effortlessly engaging. As romantic comedies go, Hitch doesn't offer any big surprises, but as a date movie it gets the job done with amiable ease and style. --Jeff Shannon
Hitman 2007 93 1 It's hard not to feel like one has entered a certain dimension of video-game logic while watching Hitman, a lightly enjoyable action-suspense movie indeed based on a popular and bloody game about a mysterious hired gun with a bar-code tattoo on his bald head and a number (47) in lieu of a name. Living like a chaste monk while slipping past borders to kill his targets, 47 (Timothy Olyphant of Deadwood) moves like a determined shark and speaks softly to his contact at the enigmatic "the Organization," which raises cast-off children to become well-paid assassins. Fruitlessly pursued by an Interpol cop (Dougray Scott) who can never get sovereign governments to cooperate, 47 has no trouble slipping in and out of countries to ply his trade. Until, that is, he's set up to take a fall in Russia by shooting a national leader who is promptly replaced by a lookalike double. Suddenly on the run, 47 has to retrace his steps and formulate a lethal plan for extricating himself from a trap. Caught in the chaos is the lovely Nika (Olga Kurylenko), forced into sex slavery by 47's new enemies and the one person who seems uniquely qualified to break through 47's many personal barriers. Directed by France's Xavier Gens, Hitman features loads of bloody mayhem and unabashed moments of pulp absurdity, such as a scene in which 47 and three other Organization killers agree to fight one another respectfully, then proceed to pulverize each other with swords and fists. As fodder for gamers, however, Hitman is packed with visuals and dramatic moments that seem so odd on the big screen until one realizes they are basically placemarkers for the video-game edition. --Tom Keogh

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House Of Flying Daggers 2004 119 Drama; Romance; Action; Martial Arts 2 House of Flying Daggers is set in China in the Tang Dynasty. The House of Flying Daggers is an underground organization which rebels against the government. A government official, Leo, played by Andy Lau, sends another official, Jin, played by Takeshi Kaneshiro, to investigate a suspected member of the House of Flying Daggers, a blind dancer named Mei, played by Zhang Ziyi. However, an investigation into an enemy organization turns into romance and love. However, a love between two rivals ends up in disaster between Leo and Jin. With many plot twists and stylized martial arts, House of Flying Daggers is an emotional and breathtaking movie with a great cinematography and story, and the suspense in the plot twists only contribute more to what should seem a simple investigation.
House, M.D. - Season 1 972 3 He pops pills, watches soaps, and always, always says what's on his mind. He's Dr. Gregory House (Emmy nominee Hugh Laurie, Blackadder). Producers David Shore, Bryan Singer, Katie Jacobs, and Paul Attanasio haven't rewritten the hospital drama--at heart, it's a cross between St. Elsewhere, ER, and C.S.I.--but they've infused a moribund genre with new life and created one of TV's most compelling characters. More than any previous medical procedural, it resembles Attanasio?s underrated Gideon's Crossing, but House is lighter on its feet. As fascinating as he is, the show wouldn't work as well if it were all House all the time (that would be like Sherlock Holmes without Watson or Moriarty). Fortunately, he's joined by an intriguing cast of characters, portrayed by a combination of experienced vets (Omar Epps, Lisa Edelstein, Tony winner Robert Sean Leonard) and new faces (Jennifer Morrison, Jesse Spencer). Aside from the complicated cases they tackle each week, the sparks really fly when House's brilliant, if naïve charges are put to the test--and as the head of a teaching hospital, it's his job to test them (although his tough love approach is constantly landing him in hot water with Edelstein's administrator). From the first episode, House attracted a talented array of guests, including Robin Tunney ("Pilot"), Joe Morton ("Role Model"), and Patrick Bauchau ("Cursed") as Spencer?s father. In addition, Chi McBride and Sela Ward appear frequently (with Ward returning for the second season). Viewers who first watched these 22 episodes on Fox will be gratified to note that the music has survived the transition to disc, such as the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want," as featured in both the pilot and season finale ("Honeymoon"). The only apparent omission is the credit theme (Massive Attack's "Teardrop") from the pilot. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
House, M.D. - Season 2 2004 0 6 The overall strength of the second season of House, M.D. proves that its first-year success wasn't a fluke. This season starts with Dr. House (Golden Globe winner Hugh Laurie) pursuing his ex-wife Stacy (Sela Ward) and ending with a tragedy that could potentially be deadly for himself and two colleagues. The premise of each show follows a set routine--a patient is brought in with unusual symptoms; House challenges his trio of underlings to diagnose the problem; they treat the patient, usually incorrectly the first few tries; and then at the very last minute--through a revelation that often has little to do with the patient--House figures out what's wrong and saves the day. It would be easy for this set up to grow old fast. But because of the smart writing, nuanced acting, and believability of the characters (who're often dealing with unbelievable scenarios), the formula works on each of the 24 episodes that aired on Fox during the 2005-2006 season. Viewers have been conditioned by the Marcus Welbys of the TV world to think of doctors as saviors. Even on ER, the most narcissistic physician was selfless at heart. But House is a different breed. When he's at an off-track betting parlor and a woman collapses, he doesn't miss a beat. Still eying his race on television, he asks, "Is anybody here a doctor?" He'll mock a sick patient's complaints with a sarcastic, "Boo hoo!" And, if there happens to be a dead body around, he has no qualms about shooting it if he believes that could help diagnose another gun-shot victim.

Not that he's any more reasonable or compassionate to his boss Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), his oncologist best friend Wilson (Tony winner Robert Sean Leonard), or his young charges Foreman (Omar Epps), Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), and Chase (Jesse Spencer). He instructs his doctors to break into patients' homes as if they're cat burglars. He does not know the meaning of the phrase "politically correct." But because he spits out insults (as if he has a mild case of Tourette's) equally to both his patients and colleagues, the latter never flinch at his constant stream of inappropriateness. When his three young doctors storm into his office to report the declining condition of a patient by blurting out, "We have rectal bleeding," House says, "What? All three of you?" To sensitive Wilson, who is trying to get some work done without being interrupted, House says, "I know you're in there. I can hear you caring." And when Foreman's father says, "My son says you're a manipulative bastard," House replies, "It's a pet name. I call him Dr. Bling." Of course House actually does care about his patients, but he views a good bedside manner as the luxury of a doctor who has a healthy patient. But dying patients with seemingly incurable diseases need something more. They need House. --Jae-Ha Kim
House, M.D. - Season 3 2004 1049 5
House, M.D. - Season 4 2004 660 Comedy; Mystery 4
The Hunt for Red October 1990 134 Action; Adventure; Thriller 1 In 1984, the USSR's best submarine captain in their newest sub violates orders and heads for the USA. Is he trying to defect, or to start a war?
Hyperspace 180 1 If the scholarly tone and historical depth of Cosmos made that science miniseries akin to National Geographic magazine, then Hyperspace is like the National Enquirer. Each episode centers around a dramatic question (Will asteroids destroy the Earth? Could a black hole suck up our sun?) that is examined with slick computer-generated eye candy but fairly shallow content--for example, one episode argues that human beings need to colonize other planets because the sun will one day expand and burn the Earth to a cinder, but never mentions that the expansion of the sun won't happen for millions of years. Still, Hyperspace does present a variety of exciting ideas and may prompt viewers to learn more. The graphics are beautiful, host Sam Neill projects an engaging intelligence, and you have to love a television show that treats scientists like rock stars. Young science fiction fans will enjoy it enormously. --Bret Fetzer
I, Robot 2004 115 Action; Sci-Fi; Thriller 1 In the year 2035 a techno-phobic cop investigates a crime that may have been perpetrated by a robot, which leads to a larger threat to humanity.
I Spit on Your Grave 1978 100 1 Writer-director Meir Zarchi's controversial story of rape and revenge has lost none of its ability to shock viewers since it first gained notoriety in the late '70s. Camille Keaton (grand-niece of Buster Keaton and, later, Zarchi's wife) stars as a young woman who is terrorized and then brutally assaulted by four men while on vacation. After slowly pulling herself together, she methodically tracks down and butchers each of the perpetrators. Zarchi's film has been consistently accused of celebrating violence against women, and while the rape scenes are graphic, they also lack the voyeuristic qualities that earmark other similarly plotted exploitation films. If anything, Zarchi is guilty of awkward scripting; the dialogue is leaden, and Keaton's transformation from victim to avenger is too swift. But to label him a pornographer is wrong, and while the film is challenging--perhaps more than most audiences can bear--its depiction of the psychology of violence is undeniably powerful. --Paul Gaita
Ice Age 2002 81 Animation; Comedy; Adventure; Family 2 "Ice Age" is about a group of prehistoric animals - Manny the Mammoth, Sid the Sloth and Diego the Saber-tooth Tiger who are traveling to warmer lands, in preparation for the coming ice age. They were originally traveling with their own species groups before circumstances lead to their making the journey together. Along the way they pick up a human child and, at Manny’s insistence, are attempting to return it to its family. The only problem is that Diego’s leader, Soto, wants the baby, and a plan is hatched in which Diego will deliver the child, and his traveling companions, to the rest of the pack. The mismatched traveling party, including the baby, known only as “Pinky”, has trouble getting along a first, but through a series of adventures, end up becoming, first reluctant, then accepting, friends. They eventually have a showdown with Soto and his minions, and Diego must decide whether his loyalties lie with his old or new pack.
Ice Age - The Meltdown 2006 90 1 The love life of a woolly mammoth--handled with G-rated delicacy--drives this sequel to the first computer-animated romp in the age of prehistoric mammals. While the first Ice Age took a delightful premise and suffocated it with a formulaic plot--in which a mammoth named Manfred (voiced by Ray Romano, Everyone Loves Raymond), a sloth named Sid (John Leguizamo, Moulin Rouge!), and a sabre-tooth tiger named Diego (Denis Leary, Rescue Me) helped an abandoned human infant return to its tribe (basically, Three Mammals and a Baby)--the sequel takes the now-familiar setting, gives it a shapeless, episodic storyline, and yet somehow becomes pretty darn entertaining. Faced with the threat of a flood from melting ice, our heroic trio are on the run to escape from their blossoming valley. On the way, they meet a female mammoth (Queen Latifah, Bringing Down the House) who thinks she's an opossum and get menaced by some freshly defrosted carnivo! rous fish. Add into the mix a herd of lava-worshipping mini-sloths, some Busby Berkeley-style vultures, and more ingenious slapstick featuring the acorn-crazed Scrat, and Ice Age: The Meltdown will amuse even jaded adults. -- Bret Fetzer

Beyond Ice Age: The Meltdown

Ice Age - Super Cool Edition
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Funtastic Adventures Collection Box Set (Ice Age / Robots / Fern Gully / Once Upon a Rainforest)
Stills from Ice Age: The Meltdown (click for larger image)







Incredible Hulk 2008 113 Science Fiction; Thriller; Action 1 A more accessible and less heavy-handed movie than Ang Lee's 2003 HulkLouis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk is a purely popcorn love affair with Marvel's raging, green superhero, as well as the old television series starring Bill Bixby as Dr. David Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the beast within him. Edward Norton takes up where Eric Bana left off in Lee's version, playing Bruce (that's the character's original name) Banner, a haunted scientist always on the move. Trying to eliminate the effects of a military experiment that turns him into the Hulk whenever his emotions get the better of him, Banner is hiding out in Brazil at the film's beginning. Working in a bottling plant and communicating via email with an unidentified professor who thinks he can help, Banner goes postal when General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross and a small army turn up to grab him. Intent on developing whatever causes Banner's metamorphoses into a weapon, Ross brings along a quietly der! anged soldier named Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), who wants Ross to turn him into a supersoldier who can take on the Hulk. The adventure spreads to the U.S., where Banner hooks up with his old lover (and Ross' daughter), Betty (Liv Tyler), and where the Hulk takes on several armed assaults, including one in a pretty unusual location: a college campus. The film's action is impressive, though the computer-generated creature is disappointingly cartoonish, and a second monster turning up late in the movie looks even cheesier. Norton is largely wasted in the film--he's essentially a bridge between sequences where he disappears and the Hulk rampages around. As good an actor as he is, Norton doesn't have the charisma here to carry those scenes in which one waits impatiently for the real show to begin. --Tom Keogh


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The Incredible Mr. Limpet 1964 102 Animation; Comedy; Family; War; Fantasy 1 Milquetoast Henry Limpet experiences his fondest wish and is transformed into a fish. As a talking fish...
The Incredibles 2004 121 Animation; Family; Adventure; Action; Comedy; Sci-Fi 2 A family of undercover superheroes, while trying to live the quiet suburban life, are forced into action to save the world.
Independence Day (Double Digipack) 1996 0 2
Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981 115 Action; Adventure 1 Archeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the US government to find the Ark of the Covenant, before the Nazis...
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 1984 118 Action; Adventure; Comedy 1 In India, Indiana Jones agrees to look for a village's lost magic stone and in doing so, stumbles on to a secret massive Thuggee cult.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1989 127 Action; Adventure 1 The daring archaeologist and his father search for the Holy Grail and fight the Nazis.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 2008 122 Action; Adventure; Thriller 2 Nearly 20 years after riding his last Crusade, Harrison Ford makes a welcome return as archaeologist/relic hunter Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, an action-packed fourth installment that's, in a nutshell, less memorable than the first three but great nostalgia for fans of the series. Producer George Lucas and screenwriter David Koepp (War of the Worlds) set the film during the cold war, as the Soviets--replacing Nazis as Indy's villains of choice and led by a sword-wielding Cate Blanchett with black bob and sunglasses--are in pursuit of a crystal skull, which has mystical powers related to a city of gold. After escaping from them in a spectacular opening action sequence, Indy is coerced to head to Peru at the behest of a young greaser (Shia LaBeouf) whose friend--and Indy's colleague--Professor Oxley (John Hurt) has been captured for his knowledge of the skull's whereabouts. Whatever secrets the skull holds are tertiary; its reveal is the weakest part of the movie, as the CGI effects that inevitably accompany it feel jarring next to the boulder-rolling world of Indy audiences knew and loved. There's plenty of comedy, delightful stunts--ants play a deadly role here--and the return of Raiders love interest Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, once shrill but now softened, giving her ex-love bemused glances and eye-rolls as he huffs his way to save the day. Which brings us to Ford: bullwhip still in hand, he's a little creakier, a lot grayer, but still twice the action hero of anyone in film today. With all the anticipation and hype leading up to the film's release, perhaps no reunion is sweeter than that of Ford with the role that fits him as snugly as that fedora hat. --Ellen A. Kim




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The Best of Insomniac Uncensored (Vol. 1) 2001 107 1 Comedy Central Presents

Comedy Central Presents The Best Of Insomniac With Dave Attell Uncensored Volume One, a video travelogue of after-hours experiences in North America. Comedian and host Dave Attell heads out into the night in New York, Montreal, New Orleans, Houston and Chicago for an uncensored look at the eccentric mix of people who work and play long past the midnight hour. Insomniac spotlights the local nightlife in all its raw and gritty glory, as Dave checks out area hot spots, neighborhood bars and the twisted activities that keep people from getting a decent nights of sleep!
The Best of Insomniac Uncensored (Vol. 2) 2001 0 2 Fans of comedian Dave Attell's charmingly seedy TV series Insomniac will be pleased by this two-disc set, which features twice the episodes included in the previous set as well as some amusing extras. This time around, the ever-garrulous Attell visits nine U.S. cities for lowbrow fun after dark, as well as Amsterdam to commit each of the Seven Deadly Sins in a single evening. In addition to the usual bar-hopping, he also attends Miami's debauched FantasyFest, cruises with strippers in Las Vegas and deals with perpetual daylight in Alaska, all of which feature the nudity and strong language missing from the broadcast versions. However, the show's highlights remain Attell's repartee with people on the street, where his quick and salty wit takes center stage. Comedy Central's DVD set includes audio commentary by Attell and his producers on several episodes, a handful of inconsequential deleted scenes, and clips from some of the network's other programs, including Crank Yankers. --Paul Gaita
The Interpreter 2005 128 1 Academy Award winners Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn star in the action-packed thriller, The Interpreter. In one of the hidden corridors of power at United Nations headquarters, translator Silvia Broome (Kidman) overhears a potentially explosive secret about a planned assassination attempt. But when federal agent Tobin Keller (Penn) investigates her claim and digs deeper into Silvia's dangerous past, he begins to question whether she is a victim - or a suspect. From Oscar-winning director Sydney Pollack comes the riveting, edge-of-your-seat story of international intrigue that Ebert & Roeper give "Two thumbs up!"
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles 1994 123 Drama; Horror; Fantasy 1 A vampire tells his epic life story: love, betrayal, loneliness, and hunger.
Iron Man 2008 125 Adventure; Science Fiction; Action 2 You know you're going to get a different kind of superhero when you cast Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role. And Iron Man is different, in welcome ways. Cleverly updated from Marvel Comics' longstanding series, Iron Man puts billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (that's Downey) in the path of some Middle Eastern terrorists; in a brilliantly paced section, Stark invents an indestructible suit that allows him to escape. If the rest of the movie never quit hits that precise rhythm again, it nevertheless offers plenty of pleasure, as the renewed Stark swears off his past as a weapons manufacturer, develops his new Iron Man suit, and puzzles both his business partner (Jeff Bridges in great form) and executive assistant (Gwyneth Paltrow). Director Jon Favreau geeks out in fun ways with the hardware, but never lets it overpower the movie, and there's always a goofy one-liner or a slapstick pratfall around to break the tension. As for Downey, he doesn't get to jitterbug around too much in his improv way, but he brings enough of his unpredictable personality to keep the thing fresh. And listen up, hardcore Marvel mavens: even if you know the Stan Lee cameo is coming, you won't be able to guess it until it's on the screen. It all builds to a splendid final scene, with a concluding line delivery by Downey that just feels absolutely right. --Robert Horton
Iron Monkey 1993 85 Adventure; Action 1 With sensational, nonstop martial arts excitment supplied by the acclaimed choreopgraher of THE MATRIX and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, IRON MONKEY is the spirited tale of a mysterious and mythical Chinese legend. In a desperate and unjust land, where government corruption rules the day, only one man -- known as the Iron Monkey -- has the courage to challenge the system and fight back. Under the shadow of night, in the silence before dawn, he fights to give hope to the poor and oppressed. Although no one knows his name or where he comes from, his heroism makes him a living legend to the people ... and a wanted man to the powers that be! Presented by Quentin Tarantino -- don't miss the exhilarating action adventure that critics everywhere have called one of the greatest martial arts films of all time!
J.R.R. Tolkien Animated Films Set (The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings/The Return of the King) 0 3 The Hobbit
The J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy classic set in Middle-earth was adapted into this excellent 1978 animated feature first broadcast on television. Codirectors Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr., working from a script by Romeo Muller, are faithful to Tolkien's story and for that alone they get big points. The vocal cast can't be improved upon: Orson Bean is perfect as Bilbo Baggins, the timorous hobbit who grows brave on his adventure with the wizard Gandalf (John Huston). Otto Preminger is the voice of Elvenking, Richard Boone is Smaug, Hans Conried is Thorin, and Brother Theodore is very effective as the weird Gollum. Terrific for kids and adults alike. --Tom Keogh

The Lord of the Rings
Although it was ultimately overshadowed by Peter Jackson's live-action Lord of the Rings trilogy, Ralph Bakshi's animated adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy classic is not without charms of its own. A target of derision from intolerant fans, this ambitious 1978 production is nevertheless a respectably loyal attempt to animate the first half of Tolkien's trilogy, beginning with the hobbit Frodo's inheritance of the One Ring of power from Bilbo Baggins, and ending with the wizard Gandalf's triumph over the evil army of Orcs. While the dialogue is literate and superbly voiced by a prestigious cast (including John Hurt as Aragorn), Leonard Roseman's accomplished score effectively matches the ominous atmosphere that Bakshi's animation creates and sustains. Bakshi's lamentable decision to combine traditional cel animation with "rotoscoped" (i.e., meticulously traced) live-action footage is jarringly distracting and aesthetically disastrous, but when judged by its narrative content, this Lord of the Rings deserves more credit than it typically receives. --Jeff Shannon

The Return of the King
The creative team behind 1978's impressive animation feature based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit returns with this 1980 entry drawn from Tolkien's famous Lord of the Rings trilogy. It's good work all around, and not at all the kind of feature-length cartoon that reduces good books to treacle. Orson Bean returns as the voice of Bilbo Baggins as well as that of the trilogy's hero, Frodo. John Huston is commanding again as the voice of the wizard Gandalf, and also in the vocal cast are William Conrad, Paul Frees, and Roddy McDowall. --Tom Keogh
Casino Royale 2006 144 Action; Adventure; Thriller 2 The most successful invigoration of a cinematic franchise since Batman Begins, Casino Royale offers a new Bond identity. Based on the Ian Fleming novel that introduced Agent 007 into a Cold War world, Casino Royale is the most brutal and viscerally exciting James Bond film since Sean Connery left Her Majesty's Secret Service. Meet the new Bond; not the same as the old Bond. Daniel Craig gives a galvanizing performance as the freshly minted double-0 agent. Suave, yes, but also a "blunt instrument," reckless, and possessed with an ego that compromises his judgment during his first mission to root out the mastermind behind an operation that funds international terrorists. In classic Bond film tradition, his global itinerary takes him to far-flung locales, including Uganda, Madagascar, the Bahamas (that's more like it), and Montenegro, where he is pitted against his nemesis in a poker game, with hundreds of millions in the pot. The stakes get even higher when Bond lets down his "armor" and falls in love with Vesper (Eva Green), the ravishing banker's representative fronting him the money.


For longtime fans of the franchise, Casino Royale offers some retro kicks. Bond wins his iconic Astin-Martin at the gaming table, and when a bartender asks if he wants his martini "shaken or stirred," he disdainfully replies, "Do I look like I give a damn?" There's no Moneypenny or "Q," but Dame Judi Dench is back as the exasperated M, who one senses, admires Bond's "bloody cheek." A Bond film is only as good as its villain, and Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre, who weeps blood, is a sinister dandy. From its punishing violence and virtuoso action sequences to its romance, Casino Royale is a Bond film that, in the words of one character, makes you feel it, particularly during an excruciating torture sequence. Double-0s, Bond observes early on, "have a short life expectancy." But with Craig, there is new life in the old franchise yet, as well as genuine anticipation for the next one when, at last, the signature James Bond theme kicks in following the best last line ever in any Bond film. To quote Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin, now I know what I've been faking all these years. --Donald Liebenson


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James Bond : Casino Royale 1967 131 Action; Adventure; Comedy 1 In an early spy spoof, aging Sir James Bond (David Niven) comes out of retirement to take on SMERSH.
James Bond : Dr. No 1962 110 Action; Adventure; Thriller 1 In the first James Bond movie, Bond pursues the villainous Dr. No to his secret installation on a Caribbean island.
James Bond : From Russia with Love 1963 115 Action; Adventure; Drama; Thriller 1 Agent 007 is sent into Turkey to confiscate an encryption device which is actually a trap for him contrived by SPECTRE.
James Bond : Goldfinger 1964 112 Action; Adventure; Thriller 1 Investigating a gold magnate's gold smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve.
James Bond : Thunderball 1965 130 Action; Adventure; Thriller 1 When SPECTRE steals two nuclear bombs for a massive extortion scheme, agent 007 is sent in to find them before they can be used.
James Bond : You Only Live Twice 1967 117 Action; Adventure; Sci-Fi; Thriller 1 Agent 007 and the Japanese secret service ninja force must find and stop the true culprit of a series of spacejackings before nuclear war is provoked.
James Bond : On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1969 0 1
James Bond : Diamonds Are Forever 1971 120 Action; Adventure; Sci-Fi; Thriller 1 Agent 007 goes to Las Vegas to investigate the disapperance of diamonds in transit and discovers the involvement of his archenemy, Blofeld.
James Bond : Live and Let Die 1973 121 Action; Adventure; Thriller 1 007 is sent to stop a diabolically brilliant heroin magnate armed with a complex organization and a reliable psychic tarot card reader.
James Bond : The Man with the Golden Gun 1974 125 Action; Adventure; Drama; Thriller 1 Bond is led to believe that he is targeted by the world's most expensive assassin and must hunt him down to stop him.
James Bond : The Spy Who Loved Me 1977 125 Action; Adventure; Sci-Fi; Thriller 1 Agent 007 must work with his female Soviet counterpart to find the answer to the disappearance of nuclear missile carrying submarines.
James Bond : Moonraker 1979 126 Action; Adventure; Romance; Sci-Fi; Thriller 1 James Bond investigates the mid-air theft of a space shuttle and discovers a plot to commit global genocide.
James Bond : For Your Eyes Only 1981 127 Action; Adventure; Thriller 1 Agent 007 is assigned to hunt for a lost British encryption device and prevent it from falling into enemy hands.
James Bond : Never Say Never Again 1983 134 Action; Adventure; Thriller 1 A SPECTRE agent has stolen two American nuclear warheads, and James Bond must find their targets before they are detonated.
James Bond : Octopussy 1983 131 Action; Adventure; Thriller 1 A Faberge Egg found with a murdered British agent puts Bond on the trail that leads to a plot to kill thousands to weaken NATO defences in Europe.
James Bond : A View to a Kill 1985 126 Action; Adventure; Thriller 1 James Bond is faced up against a mad industrialist who plans to destroy Silicon Valley. It is up to 007 to stop him and his ally May Day.
James Bond : The Living Daylights 1987 130 Action; Adventure; Thriller 1 James Bond is living on the edge to stop an evil arms dealer from starting another world war. Bond crosses all seven continents in order to stop the evil Whitaker and General Koskov.
James Bond : Licence to Kill 1989 133 Action; Thriller 1 James Bond leaves Her Majesty's Secret Service to stop an evil drug lord and avenge his best friend, Felix Leiter.
James Bond : GoldenEye 1995 130 Action; Adventure; Crime; Thriller 1 Bond is back, this time with Pierce Brosnan as the British superspy. Now that the Cold War is over, Bond has new enemies to contend with.
James Bond : Tomorrow Never Dies 1997 119 Action; Adventure; Thriller 1 When an egotistical media baron is tied to the disappearance of a British battleship, James Bond is sent to investigate.
James Bond : The World Is Not Enough 1999 128 Action; Adventure; Thriller 1 Feeling responsbile for the death of a British oil tycoon and a friend, who died in an explosion in MI6 headquarters, James Bond takes position as bodyguard to the tycoon's daughter, Elektra,
James Bond : Die Another Day 2002 133 Action; Adventure; Thriller 2 It's up to James Bond to discover the connection between a North Korean terrorist and an adventurous diamond broker whose looks may be deceiving.
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back 2001 104 Adventure; Comedy 2 The comic 'Bluntman and Chronic' is based on real-life stoners Jay and Silent Bob, so when they get no profit from a big-screen adaptation they set out to wreck the movie.
Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity 80 1
Jesus Christ Superstar 2001 112 Drama; Musical 1 A brand-new production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice classic musical, "Jesus Christ Superstar" tells the story of the last seven days in the life of Jesus. It describes his entry into Jerusalem, the enmity that his preaching and his popularity causes among the Jewish religious leaders, his betrayal by Judas, mocking contempt of Herod, and the trial in front of Pontius Pilate, who despite his sympathy towards Jesus as a person, bows to the demands of Caiaphas, the Chief Priest, and has him crucified.
Johnny Mnemonic 1995 98 Science Fiction; Thriller; Action 1 You might be tempted to call it "Johnny Moronic" after you've seen this illogical and derivative adaptation of William Gibson's cyberpunk short story (available in his book Burning Chrome), which is all the more depressing since Gibson himself wrote the screenplay. First you have to ask yourself why valuable top-secret electronic data would be stored in the "wet-wired" brain of a human courier (played by Keanu Reeves), who then transports the data from China to New Jersey as part of his last, most dangerous assignment. Surely there are better ways to transmit sensitive information, but since this is really just a conventional thriller with near-future design and spiffy special effects, Gibson and New York artist Robert Longo (making his directorial debut) are more interested in surface gloss and cyberpunk atmosphere. On that level the movie's fairly engaging, and Japanese film star Takeshi Kitano makes a pretty good villain, tracking Reeves down for the information in his data-packed brain. The movie also boasts an eclectic gallery of supporting players including rapper Ice-T, performance artist and rocker Henry Rollins, beefcake actor Dolph Lundgren, and transcontinental oddball Udo Kier. They can't stop this trip through virtual reality from being botched up, but sci-fi fans will certainly enjoy the echo of Gibson's fiction that remains on the screen. --Jeff Shannon
Journey Into Amazing Caves 80 2 Directed by Stephen Judson (Everest, the Oscar®-nominated short Dolphins) and narrated by Liam Neeson (the voice behind Everest and The Endurance), Journey into Amazing Caves centers around the work of "cavers" Nancy Aulenbach and Dr. Hazel Barton. Aulenbach is a teacher from Georgia, and Barton, a microbiologist from England. During the course of the 38-minute documentary, they travel from Arizona to Greenland to Mexico, exploring remote caves all the way. All are difficult to get to; some can only be reached by rock climbing (the cave in the Grand Canyon), others can only be reached by rappelling down slick sheets of ice (the one in Greenland). As a result, there's something for everyone in this popular IMAX feature, including a dramatic score from the Moody Blues (reworked versions of old hits, plus new songs "Water" and "We Can Fly") and a revealing "making of" documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Journey to the Center of the Earth 2008 92 Adventure; Family; Action 1 Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D is full of whizz-bang demonstrations of how far 3D technology has come--trilobite antennae quivering towards the audience, a T-rex lunging out of the frame, even affable star Brendan Fraser spitting on us--as well as a half-dozen action sequences clearly destined to become videogames or theme park rides. The plot is incidental: When a seismic geologist (Fraser) discovers his lost brother's notes in a copy of the titular Jules Verne novel, he and his nephew (Josh Hutcherson, Bridge to Terabithia, Zathura) head to Iceland. There, joined by a fetching mountain guide (played by Icelandic actress Anita Briem), they get trapped in a cavern and go down, down, down, finally arriving in a primeval underworld full of prehistoric beasts and carnivorous plants. It would be pointless to complain about the empty-headedness of it all; Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D aspires to be a kinesthetic experience. It wants to engage your adrenal glands, not your brain or your heart (the dialogue and characters are so generic, the script may have been cut-and-pasted from previous versions of Verne's book). Fraser, with his goofy handsomeness and accessible presence, provides a reasonably human axis around which all the frantic flying and swooping CGI effects revolve. The movie is as hollow as the world it depicts, but as mindless action movies go, you could do a lot worse. --Bret Fetzer
Judge Dredd 1995 96 Action; Crime; Sci-Fi 1 In a dystopic future, Dredd, the most famous judge (a cop with instant field judiciary powers) is convicted for a crime he did not commit while his murderous counterpart escapes.
Jumper 2008 88 Adventure; Science Fiction; Thriller 1 As preposterous action movies go, Jumper is pleasantly unpretentious and breezily entertaining. A young man named David (Hayden Christensen) discovers he has the power to teleport (or "jump") anywhere he can visualize. After using this power to steal and make a comfortable life for himself, he pursues the girl he longed for in school (Rachel Bilson, The O. C.). But as he does so, another jumper (Jamie Bell, Billy Elliot) and a pack of fanatical jumper-hunters called paladins (led by a white-haired Samuel L. Jackson) crashes into David's freewheeling life. Jumper wastes no time trying to explain how jumping works or delving into the hows and whys of the paladins; this is an alluring fantasy of power directed at a pell-mell pace by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Go). There's a brief moment when it feels like the movie will bog down in romance and vague gestures towards character development--happily, that's the moment when Bell appears and the whole movie shifts into overdrive. You might wish that Bell and Christensen had swapped roles; Bell has a far more engaging personality, and Christensen's bland good looks might better suit a more aggressive character. Nonetheless, Jumper has oodles of dynamism and nifty visual effects to propel its comic-book storyline forward. A variety of recognizable actors in bit parts (such as Diane Lane and Kristen Stewart, Panic Room) suggest that the filmmakers are laying the groundwork for sequels. Based on a critically-acclaimed science-fiction novel by Steven Gould. --Bret Fetzer

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The Jungle Book 1994 111 Family; Adventure; Romance 1 A faithful adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's classic tale of Moglie the jungle boy who is raised by wolves...
Jurassic Park 1993 127 Action; Adventure; Horror; Sci-Fi 1 Scientists clone dinosaurs to populate a theme park which suffers a major security breakdown and releases the dinosaurs.
The Lost World 1997 129 Action; Adventure; Horror; Sci-Fi; Thriller 1 A research team is sent to the Jurassic Park Site B island to study the dinosaurs there while another team approaches with another agenda.
Jurassic Park III 2001 92 Action; Adventure; Horror; Sci-Fi; Thriller 1 A decidedly odd couple with ulterior motives convince Dr. Alan Grant to go to Isla Sorna (the second InGen dinosaur lab.), resulting in an unexpected landing...and unexpected new inhabitants on the island.
Kiki's Delivery Service 1989 0 2
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 2003 111 Action; Crime; Thriller; Drama 1 A female assassin attacked on her wedding day by her group leader, Bill, wakes up from a coma and seeks revenge.
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 2004 136 Action; Thriller; Drama; Crime 1 The Bride continues her vengeance quest against her ex-boss, Bill, and his associates.
Killadelphia 2005 0 2
Kindred: The Embraced 1996 60 Drama; Fantasy; Horror; Romance 2 Series based on the White Wolf role-playing game, Vampire: the Masquerade. Julian Luna, the undead Prince of the City, leads the Vampire Clans as he falls in love with Caitlin, a human reporter.
Kingdom Hospital 2004 40 Horror; Mystery 4 Stephen King's take on the masterpiece series by Lars von Triers. The story takes place in a hospital in Lewiston, Maine, built on the site of a Civil War-era mill fire in which many children died.
Kiss - Kissology - Volume 1: 1974-1977 2006 409 3
Kiss - Kissology - Volume 2: 1978-1991 2007 407 4 KISS have always had an approach to their fans that on the one hand could be seen as ridiculously crass and on the other as truly generous. And this release, with its three expertly mastered and crammed DVDs--issued with three separate bonus discs--could easily support either view. The second installment in KISS's Kissology DVD series will sort out the casual fans from the true members of the KISS Army. The material included here, after all, begins in 1978, when the band released four separate solo albums at once and their massive popularity began to wane. It continues on through the controversial makeup-free period and ends in '91, as KISS struggled to cope with the ascendancy of grunge over the hair metal style they'd experienced a second boom with. The concert films are pretty great, but the full-length Tom Snyder Tomorrow show appearance is flat-out brilliant, as is their live performance on the short-lived sketch comedy show Fridays. And the highlight of the set has to be the "European theatrical version" of their made-for-TV film KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park. All those who've suffered through poorly degenerated video bootlegs will glory at this wonderfully restored piece of rock and roll camp. --Mike McGonigal
Kiss - Kissology - Volume 3: 1992-2000 2007 0 5
Kiss - Rock the Nation Live 2005 0 2 The rock band Kiss--four guys in full face makeup, black spandex, and six-inch platform shoes--achieve a kind of sublime ridiculousness that other rock bands can only dream of. Kiss--Rock the Nation Live! mixes lavish concert footage with brief but entertaining backstage clips of the band members putting on their makeup, cavorting with their fans, and going bowling. Though only two of the founding members remain--Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons--Kiss is exactly the same as ever: The most shamelessly pandering band in the history of rock, a heavy metal/pop confection marketed as ruthlessly as any boy-band. All the trademarks--fire-breathing, blood-spitting, pyrotechnics, etc.--are presented with impressive zest, particularly since Stanley and Simmons are in their fifties (one of the advantages of full face makeup is that your audience can't see how old you are). The topics of their lyrics are sex, partying, and sex--which, nowadays, is kind of refreshing. Kiss eschews the narcissistic morbidity that marks so much contemporary hard rock; this band will never whine about how hard life is or how depressed they are. The way they aggressively woo their fans has contributed to their success at least as much as their music. By the end of the show, the riffs and exhortations to "Let me hear you!" start to blur, but the audience enthusiasm never wanes--and the camera spends a lot of time ogling big-breasted young women in "Kiss Army" t-shirts (and thongs). The dvd features several songs in "Kiss Powervision", which allows you to focus on your favorite band member (a bit of technology developed, appropriately enough, for porn dvds). --Bret Fetzer
Kung Fu Hustle (Widescreen Edition) 2005 0 1 Movie-kinetics genius. Kung Fu Hustle takes the gleeful mayhem of Hong Kong action movies, the deadpan physical humor of silent comedies, and the sheer elasticity of Wile E. Coyote cartoons and fuses them into a spectacle that is simple in its joys and mind-boggling in its orchestration. A run-down slum has been poor but peaceful until a bunch of black-suited gangsters called the Axe Gang show up to cause trouble--and discover that, hidden among the humble poor, are three kung fu masters trying to live an ordinary life. But after these martial artists repulse the gang with their flying fists and feet, the gang leader hires a pair of assassins, whose arrival leads to the unveiling of more secrets, until both the screen and the audience are dizzy with hyperbolic fight artistry (choreographed by Yuen Wo Ping, who also choreographed The Matrix). Weaving through this escalating fury is a loudmouthed loser (writer/director/actor Stephen Chow) who suddenly finds himself having to live up to his bragging. Kung Fu Hustle more than lives up to the promise of Chow's previous film, Shaolin Soccer--it's a movie made by an imagination unfettered by the laws of physics. Hugely entertaining. --Bret Fetzer
Kung Fu Panda 2008 60 1 What's a panda to do when his dreams of kung-fu awesomeness awake to the cold reality of noodle-making? Clumsy, overweight Po (Jack Black) dreams of becoming a kung fu master like China's revered "furious five," but instead seems destined to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in the restaurant business. When great leader Oogway has a vision that the imprisoned kung fu warrior Tai Lung (Ian McShane) will soon escape, he declares it time to choose China's dragon warrior--one kung fu master deemed worthy of possessing the dragon's scroll and its secret to limitless power. Po and all the townspeople rush to the Jade Palace atop the highest mountain to witness the contest between Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogan), Crane (David Cross) and Viper (Lucy Liu), but Po is locked outside the palace. After a miracle of sorts, Po lands inside the palace gates, where he is chosen as the dragon warrior and placed under the tutelage of the decidedly non-plussed master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). An unconventional student to say the least, hilarity reigns as Shifu tries desperately to make Po into some semblance of a kung fu warrior. Can Po possibly fulfill his destiny as dragon warrior, or was Oogway's final decision a critical mistake? A film rich with hilarious moments, superior animation, and an important message about believing in oneself and the power that comes from within, Kung Fu Panda is great entertainment that will have the whole family laughing and begging for more. (Ages 3 and older) --Tami Horiuchi




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Labyrinth 1986 101 Family; Fantasy; Adventure; Musical 1 A young girl must solve a giant labyrinth to rescue her baby brother from the Goblin King.
The Lair of the White Worm 1988 93 Horror 1 Scottish archaelogist Angus Flint discovers an odd skull amid the ruins of a convent which he is excavating...
Land of the Dead 2005 93 Horror; Thriller; Action 1 Bolstered by the success of 28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead, the Resident Evil movies and the hit remake of his own Dawn of the Dead, George A. Romero returns to the horror subgenre he invented with Land of the Dead. The fourth installment in Romero's zombie cycle (and the first since 1985's Day of the Dead) presents a logical progression of events since 1968's horror classic Night of the Living Dead: Zombies (also known as "stenches" for their rotting odor) are the dominant population, and they've begun to show signs of undead intelligence and gathering power. The wealthiest survivors live comfortably in a luxury high-rise within a barricaded safe zone, ignoring the horrors of the outside world while armed scavengers stage raids in the zombie-zone to gather much-needed food and supplies. Simon Baker and John Leguizamo play mercenaries-for-hire; Dennis Hopper is their nefarious boss; and horror favorite Asia Argento (daughter of Suspiria director Dario Argento) plays a former hooker recruited into Baker's scavenger squad. While none of this seems particularly fresh or inspired, Land of the Dead benefits from hints of the social satire that made Romero's earlier zombie films so memorable. Not so much funny as gruesomely peculiar, Romero's plot isn't as inventive as it could've been, but as a big-scale B-movie, Land of the Dead delivers a handful of shocks and horror-celebrity cameos (including gore-masters Tom Savini and Greg Nicotero) that should keep horror buffs happy until the next zombie opus comes along. --Jeff Shannon
Land of the Lost - The Complete First Season 0 3
Land of the Lost - The Complete Second Season 0 3
Land of the Lost - The Complete Third Season 1974 0 2
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider 2001 100 Action; Adventure; Fantasy 1 Video game adventurer Lara Croft comes to life in a movie where she races against time and villains to recover powerful ancient artifacts.
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life 2003 117 Action; Adventure; Fantasy 1 Lara Croft is on a quest to save Pandoras box.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 2003 110 Action; Sci-Fi; Fantasy 1 In an alternate Victorian Age world, a group of famous contemporary fantasy, SF and adventure characters team up on a secret mission.
Lensman 1984 107 Action; Adventure; Animation; Comedy; Drama; Sci-Fi 1 Kimball Kinnison, a young man from the agricultural planet Mquie and his Valerian companinon, Buscirk...
Lethal Weapon - The Complete Series 0 4
Lidsville - Complete Series 0 3
Logan's Run 118 1 Based on the 1976 science-fiction movie of a hedonistic society living in a huge bubble and taking for granted there is no life outside of it.
Looney Tunes - Golden Collection, Volume 1 2003 411 4 For years, animation buffs have waited impatiently for the Warner Bros. cartoons to appear on DVD. The Warner shorts never commanded the budgets and prestige of the Disney and MGM films, and won fewer Oscars than they deserved. But decades after the best ones were created, they remain the quintessential Hollywood cartoons: brash, fast-paced, aggressively funny and uniquely American. Virtually everyone in the U.S. under the age of 60 grew up on these films, in theaters and on TV. The 56 cartoons in the set (out of a studio output of over 1,000) were transferred from good prints--which means the viewer can see dust, scratches, and occasional mistakes by the cel painters. The films are all presented uncut, in defiance of the killjoys who have insisted on censoring alleged "violence" in the versions shown on television. Warner Bros. is obviously testing consumer response with this set. Although the erratic selection includes many classics, purists will argue (correctly) that it offers neither a fair representation of the directors' oeuvres, nor anything approaching a coherent history of the characters or studio style. (Nearly half the films were directed by Chuck Jones; only three are by Bob Clampett, and there's nothing by Tex Avery or Frank Tashlin.) But it seems petty to carp about omissions and biases when the discs offer excellent, uncensored prints of some of the funniest films ever made in the U.S.--or anywhere else. (Rated G, suitable for all ages: cartoon violence) --Charles Solomon
Looney Tunes - Golden Collection, Volume 2 320 4 Brash, fast-paced, and hysterically funny, the Warner Brothers cartoons rank among the undisputed treasures of American animation and American comedy. This second collection, a follow-up to Looney Tunes: Golden Collection, includes such gems as "Porky in Wackyland," "A Bear for Punishment," "Gee Whiz-z-z," The Great Piggy Bank Robbery," and "I Love to Singa." A short documentary about director Bob Clampett features several cartoon historians, animator Eric Goldberg, Shawshank Redemption director Frank Darabont, and Ren and Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi (enthusiastic but over the top). But Warners continues its scattergun approach to selecting films. There are only eight cartoons by Clampett in the set, plus three by Tex Avery and one by Frank Tashlin. "Rabbit Fire" and "Rabbit Seasoning" appear on the first set, but the third cartoon in Jones's trilogy, "Duck! Rabbit! Duck!" isn't on either. More than two-thirds of the films are by Friz Freleng and Chuck Jones. That's not necessarily a bad thing. "Show Biz Bugs," "Bugs Bunny Rides Again," and the Oscar-winning "Tweety Pie" showcase Freleng's razor-sharp timing. "What's Opera, Doc," "The Dover Boys," and the justly celebrated "One Froggy Evening" rank among Jones's boldest experiments and most brilliant successes.

Volume Two includes some genuine rarities, among them, "Sinkin' in the Bathtub" (1930), the first Looney Tune, and the Oscar-winning documentary "So Much for So Little." With 60-plus cartoons, transferred from good prints Looney Tunes: Golden Collection, Volume 2 is a collection to treasure. (Rated G, suitable for all ages: cartoon violence) --Charles Solomon
Looney Tunes - Golden Collection, Volume 3 1944 442 4 Like the previous entries in the Looney Tunes Golden Collection series, volume 3 confirms how brilliant the Warner Bros. artists were and how durable their creations have proven. The set includes classics that every cartoon buff will recognize: "Duck! Rabbit! Duck!," "Robin Hood Daffy," "Birds Anonymous." Other selections are less familiar but significant in the development of the studio: "Sinkin' in the Bathtub," the first Looney Tune; "I Haven't Got a Hat," the earliest Warners cartoon viewers can watch for fun, rather than as an historic curiosity; "Porky's Romance," in which director Frank Tashlin introduced rapid cutting to cartoons. Some of the caricature films have aged less gracefully. Younger audiences will recognize the drawn versions of W.C. Fields, the Marx Brothers, Katharine Hepburn, and Charlie Chaplin. But will anyone under the age of 60 remember Edna Mae Oliver, George Arliss, or Ned Sparks?

The producers have once again loaded the discs with supplemental material, including "Point Food Rationing," a unseen short explaining wartime ration books; a BBC documentary on Chuck Jones; and interstitial animated sequences for The Bugs Bunny Show. "Philbert" ranks as the oddest of the extras: an unsold (and leaden) pilot from 1963, featuring live actors and an animated title character. Whoopi Goldberg introduces the set, explaining that some of the ethnic gags would no longer be considered appropriate. But she correctly adds that to remove them would falsify both the history of animation and American popular culture. It all adds up to a set every cartoon fan will want. (Unrated, suitable for all ages: cartoon violence) --Charles Solomon
Looney Tunes - Golden Collection, Volume 4 1938 0 4
Lord of War 2005 121 Drama; Thriller; Action 2 The lethal business of arms dealers provides an electrifying context for the black-as-coal humor of Andrew Niccol's Lord of War. Having proven his ingenuity as the writer of The Truman Show, and writer-director of Gattaca and the under-appreciated Simone, Niccol is clearly striving for Strangelovian relevance here as he chronicles the rise and inevitable fall of Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage), a Ukrainian immigrant to America who makes his fortune selling every kind of ordnance he can get his amoral hands on. With a trophy wife (Bridget Moynahan) who's initially clueless about his hidden career, and a younger brother (Jared Leto) whose drug-addled sense of decency makes him an ill-chosen accomplice, Yuri traffics in death the way other salesman might push vacuum cleaners (he likes to say that alcohol and tobacco are deadlier products than his), but even he can't deny the sheer ruthlessness of the Liberian dictator (a scene-stealing Eamonn Walker) who purchases Orlov's "products" to expand his oppressive regime. Niccol's themes are even bigger than Yuri's arms deals, and he drives them home with a blunt-force lack of subtlety, but Cage gives the film the kind of insanely dark humor it needs to have. To understand this monster named Yuri, we have to see at least a glimpse of his humanity, which Cage provides as only he can. Otherwise, this epic tale of gunrunnng would be as morally unbearable as the black market trade it illuminates. --Jeff Shannon
The Lost Boys 1987 97 Comedy; Horror 1 After moving to a new town, two brothers are convinced that the area is frequented by vampires.
Lost Boys: The Tribe 2008 94 Comedy; Horror; Thriller 1
Lost Room 2006 284 Science Fiction 2 If you're a fan of NBC's 2006 hit show Heroes, chances are you'll get a similar kick out of The Lost Room, a three-part, 4.5-hour Sci-Fi Channel miniseries originally broadcast in December 2006. It's pure hokum (especially when compared to Heroes, which rises from the same creative zeitgeist), and not nearly as clever at it initially seems to be, but there's something undeniably compelling about its premise, which turns everyday objects from the Kennedy era into powerful talismans of supernatural force. The present-day story is rooted in a dark, terrible, and cosmically reverberant incident that occurred in a remote motel room in 1961. Now it's 45 years later, and Detective Joe Miller (Six Feet Under's Peter Krause) has acquired a motel-room key that turns any door into a portal to "the lost room," a kind of alternate-reality no-man's-land, where his young daughter Anna (Elle Fanning, a look-alike for her older sister Dakota) soon goes missing. In his quest to retrieve her, Miller attracts the dangerous attention of various secret factions (with names like The Order, The Legion, and The Collectors) in heated competition to locate the many objects that hold strange powers and could, when gathered together, yield amazing benefits or tear reality apart.

Beginning with Krause, superb casting makes The Lost Room constantly engaging, even when its logic borders on nonsensical. Clearly intended as a potential series, it leads to a let-down ending where too many questions remain unanswered, but getting there is a blast. And while the smart, beautiful Julianna Margulies seems cast adrift as Miller's bland love interest (and a member of the object-seeking underground), the story grows increasingly intriguing with the introduction of a wealthy father (Kevin Pollak) obsessed with curing his cancerous son with the objects; an unstable nebbish (Peter Jacobsen) who's been driven nearly mad by his visits to the lost room; a devious doctor (Dennis Christopher) who falls in with a group of religious zealots convinced that the lost room leads to God; and various supporting characters (including comedian/monologist Margaret Cho) and subplots that lead you to believe this is all leading to something fantastic. That The Lost Room fails to deliver on its early promise doesn't mean it's a waste of time; it's got the same clever appeal as Heroes and Lost, and one can easily see how it might've made a more rewarding long-form series. Individual reactions will vary, but fans of supernatural sci-fi will want to check it out for themselves. --Jeff Shannon
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2001 178 Action; Adventure; Fantasy 2 In a small village in the Shire a young Hobbit named Frodo has been entrusted with an ancient Ring. Now he must embark on an Epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 2002 179 Action; Adventure; Fantasy 2 Frodo and Sam continue on to Mordor in their mission to destroy the One Ring. Whilst their former companions make new allies and launch an assault on Isengard.
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King 2003 0 Action; Adventure; Animation; Fantasy 2
The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition) 2001 208 4 In every aspect, the extended-edition DVD of Peter Jackson's epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring blows away the theatrical-version DVD. No one who cares at all about the film should ever need to watch the original version again. Well, maybe the impatient and the squeamish will still prefer the theatrical version, because the extended edition makes a long film 30 minutes longer and there's a bit more violence (though both versions are rated PG-13). But the changes--sometimes whole scenes, sometimes merely a few seconds--make for a richer film. There's more of the spirit of J.R.R. Tolkien, embodied in more songs and a longer opening focusing on Hobbiton. There's more character development, and more background into what is to come in the two subsequent films, such as Galadriel's gifts to the Fellowship and Aragorn's burden of lineage. And some additions make more sense to the plot, or are merely worth seeing, such as the wood elves leaving Middle-earth or the view of Caras Galadhon (but sorry, there's still no Tom Bombadil). Extremely useful are the chapter menus that indicate which scenes are new or extended.

Of the four commentary tracks, the ones with the greatest general appeal are the one by Jackson and cowriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, and the one by 10 cast members, but the more technically oriented commentaries by the creative and production staff are also worth hearing. The bonus features (encompassing two complete DVDs) are far superior to the largely promotional materials included on the theatrical release, delving into such matters as script development, casting, and visual effects. The only drawback is that the film is now spread over two discs, with a somewhat abrupt break following the council at Rivendell, due to the storage capacity required for the longer running time, the added DTS ES 6.1 audio, and the commentary tracks. But that's a minor inconvenience. Whether in this four-disc set or in the collector's gift set (which adds Argonath bookends and a DVD of National Geographic Beyond the Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring), the extended-edition DVD is the Fellowship DVD to rule them all. --David Horiuchi
The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition) 2002 223 4 The extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was perhaps the most comprehensive DVD release to date, and its follow-up proves a similarly colossal achievement, with significant extra footage and a multitude of worthwhile bonus features. The extended version of The Two Towers adds 43 minutes to the theatrical version's 179-minute running time, and there are valuable additions to the film. Two new scenes might appease those who feel that the characterization of Faramir was the film's most egregious departure from the book, and fans will appreciate an appearance of the Huorns at Helm's Deep plus a nod to the absence of Tom Bombadil. Seeing a little more interplay between the gorgeous Eowyn and Aragorn is welcome, as is a grim introduction to Eomer and Theoden's son. And among the many other additions, there's an extended epilogue that might not have worked in the theater, but is more effective here in setting up The Return of the King. While the 30 minutes added to The Fellowship of the Ring felt just right in enriching the film, the extra footage in The Two Towers at times seems a bit extraneous--we see moments that in the theatrical version we had been told about, and some fleshed-out conversations and incidents are rather minor. But director Peter Jackson's vision of J.R.R. Tolkien's world is so marvelous that it's hard to complain about any extra time we can spend there.

While it may seem that there would be nothing left to say after the bevy of features on the extended Fellowship, the four commentary tracks and two discs of supplements on The Two Towers remain informative, fascinating, and funny, far surpassing the recycled materials on the two-disc theatrical version. Highlights of the 6.5 hours' worth of documentaries offer insight on the stunts, the design work, the locations, and the creation of Gollum, and--most intriguing for rabid fans--the film's writers (including Jackson) discuss why they created events that weren't in the book. Providing variety are animatics, rough footage, countless sketches, and a sound-mixing demonstration. Again, the most interesting commentary tracks are by Jackson and writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens and by 16 members of the cast (eight of whom didn't appear in the first film, and even including John Noble, whose Denethor character only appears in this extended cut). The first two installments of Peter Jackson's trilogy have established themselves as the best fantasy films of all time, and among the best film trilogies of all time, and their extended-edition DVD sets have set a new standard for expanding on the already-epic films and providing comprehensive bonus features. --David Horiuchi
The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition) 2003 250 4 The greatest trilogy in film history, presented in the most ambitious sets in DVD history, comes to a grand conclusion with the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Not only is the third and final installment of Peter Jackson's adaptation of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien the longest of the three, but a full 50 minutes of new material pushes the running time to a whopping 4 hours and 10 minutes. The new scenes are welcome, and the bonus features maintain the high bar set by the first two films, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers.

What's New?
One of the scenes cut from the theatrical release but included here, the resolution of the Saruman storyline, generated a lot of publicity when the movie opened, as actor Christopher Lee complained in the press about losing his only appearance. It's an excellent scene, one Jackson calls "pure Tolkien," and provides better context for Pippin to find the wizard's palantir in the water, but it's not critical to the film. In fact, "valuable but not critical" might sum up the ROTK extended edition. It's evident that Jackson made the right cuts for the theatrical run, but the extra material provides depth and ties up a number of loose ends, and for those sorry to see the trilogy end (and who isn't?) it's a welcome chance to spend another hour in Middle-earth. Some choice moments are Gandalf's (Ian McKellen) confrontation with the Witch King (we find out what happened to the wizard's staff), the chilling Mouth of Sauron at the gates of Mordor, and Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) being mistaken for Orc soldiers. We get to see more of Éowyn (Miranda Otto), both with Aragorn and on the battlefield, even fighting the hideously deformed Orc lieutenant, Gothmog. We also see her in one of the most anticipated new scenes, the Houses of Healing after the battle of the Pelennor Fields. It doesn't present Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) as a savior as the book did, but it shows the initial meeting between Éowyn and Faramir (David Wenham), a relationship that received only a meaningful glance in the theatrical cut.

If you want to completely immerse yourself in Peter Jackson's marvelous and massive achievement, only the extended edition will do.
And for those who complained, no, there are no new endings, not even the scouring of the Shire, which many fans were hoping to see. Nor is there a scene of Denethor (John Noble) with the palantir, which would have better explained both his foresight and his madness. As Jackson notes, when cuts are made, the secondary characters are the first to go, so there is a new scene of Aragorn finding the palantir in Denethor's robes. Another big difference is Aragorn's confrontation with the King of the Dead. In the theatrical version, we didn't know whether the King had accepted Aragorn's offer when the pirate ships pulled into the harbor; here Jackson assumes that viewers have already experienced that tension, and instead has the army of the dead join the battle in an earlier scene (an extended cameo for Jackson). One can debate which is more effective, but that's why the film is available in both versions. If you feel like watching the relatively shorter version you saw in the theaters, you can. If you want to completely immerse yourself in Peter Jackson's marvelous and massive achievement, only the extended edition will do.

How Are the Bonus Features?
To complete the experience, The Return of the King provides the same sprawling set of features as the previous extended editions: four commentary tracks, sharp picture and thrilling sound, and two discs of excellent documentary material far superior to the recycled material in the theatrical edition. Those who have listened to the seven hours of commentary for the first two extended editions may wonder if they need to hear more, but there was no commentary for the earlier ROTK DVD, so it's still entertaining to hear him break down the film (he says the beacon scene is one of his favorites), discuss differences from the book, point out cameos, and poke fun at himself and the extended-edition concept ("So this is the complete full strangulation, never seen before, here exclusively on DVD!"). The documentaries (some lasting 30 minutes or longer) are of their usual outstanding quality, and there's a riveting storyboard/animatic sequence of the climactic scene, which includes a one-on-one battle between Aragorn and Sauron.

One DVD Set to Rule Them All
Peter Jackson's trilogy has set the standard for fantasy films by adapting the Holy Grail of fantasy stories with a combination of fidelity to the original source and his own vision, supplemented by outstanding writing, near-perfect casting, glorious special effects, and evocative New Zealand locales. The extended editions without exception have set the standard for the DVD medium by providing a richer film experience that pulls the three films together and further embraces Tolkien's world, a reference-quality home theater experience, and generous, intelligent, and engrossing bonus features. --David Horiuchi
Love Actually 2003 135 Comedy; Romance; Drama 1 Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.
Luray Caverns 52 1
Mad Max 1979 93 Action; Adventure; Crime; Drama; Sci-Fi 1 In a dystopic future Australia, a vicious biker gang murder a cop's family and make his fight with them personal.
The Road Warrior 1982 95 1 A strong candidate for the designation of most thrilling action movie ever made (the turbo-charged exhilaration of its full-throttle highway chases has never been equaled), the second part of George Miller's post-apocalyptic trilogy is also a magnificently imagined movie myth. Like the Star Wars trilogy (by that other George) the Mad Max films draw their inspiration from the works of mythologist Joseph Campbell. In the 1979 original, Max (Mel Gibson) is a policeman, the last guardian of civilization and order in a devastated world reduced to chaos. But when a leather-clad gang of sadomasochistic speed demons mows down Max's family, his remaining connections to humanity are also permanently severed. After brutally exacting his revenge, Max wanders off into the wasteland alone, "a burned out shell of a man" who (to paraphrase The Searchers) is destined to wander forever between the winds. In The Road Warrior, Max rediscovers a sliver of his shattered humanity, and a spark of redemption, when he helps an embattled colony of pioneers fight off the savages who are after that most precious of all commodities: "guzzline." Max is transformed into a legendary hero, just as Mel Gibson was catapulted to international movie stardom. With its final stirring images, The Road Warrior transcends its genre (whatever that may be--science fiction? Western? action adventure?) and becomes something timeless. It's a great movie. --Jim Emerson
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome 1985 107 Action; Adventure; Sci-Fi 1 Mad Max becomes a pawn in a decadent oasis of technological society, and when exiled, becomes the deliverer of a colony of children.
Madagascar 2005 86 1 The penguins steal the show. In the sprightly Madagascar, a mid-life crisis inspires Marty the Zebra (voiced by Chris Rock) to escape from his lifelong home, a New York zoo. His equally pampered friends--Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith), and Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer)--then escape to bring him back. Unfortunately, their attempt at damage control persuades zoo officials that the animals are unhappy, so all four get shipped to an animal preserve in Kenya...only a squad of maniacal penguins change the destination to Antarctica. The quartet end up on an island where, in addition to meeting some hedonistic lemurs, they learn about the food chain--and that Alex is a different link on the chain from the other three. Madagascar doesn't achieve the snappy perfection of a Pixar movie, but it tops most other computer-animated efforts; the collision of friendship and predator instincts makes for an unusually gripping conflict. The vocal performances of the central characters is serviceable, but Sacha Baron Cohen (Da Ali G Show) provides topnotch lunacy as the lemur king, and the penguins--voiced mostly by the animators themselves--are the best thing in the movie. --Bret Fetzer
Madagascar - Escape 2 Africa/Nick Penguins 2-Disc Move It, Move It, Double DVD Pack 89 2 The sequel to the animated movie Madagascar gives more of everything audiences loved in the first movie: More of the penguins; more of Julian, king of the lemurs; more musical bits of classic rock; and many, many more lions, zebras, hippos, and giraffes. In the first film, a quartet of coddled zoo animals found themselves shipwrecked on the island of Madagascar in a misguided effort to return them to the wild. InMadagascar: Escape 2 Africa, a failed attempt to fly back to New York maroons Alex the lion (voiced by Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith), and Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) in an animal preserve on the African continent, accompanied by the four deranged penguins and the lunatic lemur king (deliriously voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat). By wild coincidence, this is where Alex was born--and where his father is still the alpha lion, and where his malevolent uncle seeks to take over (let's call this an homage to The Lion King). The other beasts have their own story arcs, but really it's all an excuse for daffy comic bits. Though the result is disposable, it's also entirely entertaining. The action sequences pop with dizzying spectacle; though some jokes are mainstream fodder, more often they're surprisingly quirky and engagingly oddball. This is the best kind of cotton candy filmmaking--it dissolves into nothing, but it's oh-so-sweet to the taste. --Bret Fetzer
Mallrats 1995 94 Comedy 1 Both dumped by their girlfriends, two best friends seek refuge in the local mall.
Mammoth Cave 75 1
El Mariachi 1992