Library

Languages: English, French, Latin

Subtitles: English, French

Sound: AC-3

Comments: Seek The Truth

Summary: Critics and controversy aside, The Da Vinci Code is a verifiable blockbuster. Combine the film's huge worldwide box-office take with over 100 million copies of Dan Brown's book sold, and The Da Vinci Code has clearly made the leap from pop-culture hit to a certifiable franchise. The leap for any story making the move from book to big screen, however, is always more perilous. In the case of The Da Vinci Code, the plot is concocted of such a preposterous formula of elements that you wouldn’t envy screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, the man tasked with making this story filmable. The script follows Dan Brown’s book as closely as possible while incorporating a few needed changes, including a better ending. And if you’re like most of the world, by now you’ve read the book and know how it goes: while lecturing in Paris, noted Harvard Professor of Symbology Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is summoned to the Louvre by French police to help decipher a bizarre series of clues left at the scene of the murder of the chief curator. Enter Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), gifted cryptologist. Neveu and Langdon team up to solve the mystery, and from there the story is propelled across Europe, ballooning into a modern-day mini-quest for the Holy Grail, where secret societies are discovered, codes are broken, and murderous albino monks are thwarted… oh, and alternative theories about the life of Christ and the beginnings of Christianity are presented too, of course. It’s not the typical formula for a stock Hollywood thriller. In fact, taken solely as a mystery, the movie almost works--despite some gaping holes--mostly just because it keeps moving. Brown’s greatest trick was to have the entire story take place in one day, so the action is forced to keep moving, despite some necessary pauses for exposition. As a screen couple, Hanks and Tautou are just fine together but not exactly memorable; meanwhile Sir Ian McKellen’s scenery-chewing as pivotal character Sir Leigh Teabing is just what the film needed to keep it from taking itself too seriously. The whole thing is like a good roller-coaster ride: try not to think too much about it--just sit back and enjoy the trip. --Daniel Vancini


Stills from The Da Vinci Code (click for larger image)

Languages: English, French, Latin, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: AC-3

Comments: Seek The Truth

Summary: Critics and controversy aside, "The Da Vinci Code" is a verifiable blockbuster. Combine the film's huge worldwide box-office take with over 100 million copies of Dan Brown's book sold, and "The Da Vinci Code" has clearly made the leap from pop-culture hit to a certifiable franchise. The leap for any story making the move from book to big screen, however, is always more perilous. In the case of "The Da Vinci Code", the plot is concocted of such a preposterous formula of elements that you wouldn’t envy screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, the man tasked with making this story filmable. The script follows Dan Brown’s book as closely as possible while incorporating a few needed changes, including a better ending. And if you’re like most of the world, by now you’ve read the book and know how it goes: while lecturing in Paris, noted Harvard Professor of Symbology Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is summoned to the Louvre by French police to help decipher a bizarre series of clues left at the scene of the murder of the chief curator. Enter Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), gifted cryptologist. Neveu and Langdon team up to solve the mystery, and from there the story is propelled across Europe, ballooning into a modern-day mini-quest for the Holy Grail, where secret societies are discovered, codes are broken, and murderous albino monks are thwarted… oh, and alternative theories about the life of Christ and the beginnings of Christianity are presented too, of course. It’s not the typical formula for a stock Hollywood thriller. In fact, taken solely as a mystery, the movie almost works--despite some gaping holes--mostly just because it keeps moving. Brown’s greatest trick was to have the entire story take place in one day, so the action is forced to keep moving, despite some necessary pauses for exposition. As a screen couple, Hanks and Tautou are just fine together but not exactly memorable; meanwhile Sir Ian McKellen’s scenery-chewing as pivotal character Sir Leigh Teabing is just what the film needed to keep it from taking itself too seriously. The whole thing is like a good roller-coaster ride: try not to think too much about it--just sit back and enjoy the trip. "--Daniel Vancini"


Visit The Da Vinci Code Store On The DVD
The DVD extras on a film as popular as "The Da Vinci Code" should be plentiful, and this version doesn’t skimp. With over 90 minutes of special features, including ten behind-the-scenes featurettes, there’s a lot here to explore beyond the film itself. The question is, is there anything new here that we haven’t heard before, in all the hype, pseudo-documentaries, and controversy surrounding the movie, to make it worthwhile? For most viewers, the answer will be "yes." Essentially, if you like the movie, if you enjoyed the book, you will get a lot out of them.
Just as the movie is intended to make the book come to life, the DVD extras should make the film come to life by pointing the audience into the world of the filmmakers, connecting the dots between print and film, and for the most part they do just that. The extras here range from the typical look behind-the-scenes to more in-depth features on the supporting characters, the locations, and the "Mona Lisa" herself. "First Day on the Set with Ron Howard" features the director gushing about the opportunity to film in the Louvre and work with Tom Hanks again (the two worked together before on "Splash" and "Apollo 13"). It’s a short piece that doesn’t reveal much beyond making an attempt to share Howard’s excitement (with the "Gee, I really loved working with him/her on this project" that you hear in every such featurette), but viewers might enjoy seeing how the stage was set up in the famous museum, down to the spike tape on the floor showing actors where to hit their marks. "The Filmmaking Experience, Parts 1 and 2" further explores the creative and technical aspects of the filmmaking process. "A Conversation with Dan Brown" starts out feeling like a puff-piece (the man who wrote this book got started at age 5 with a story called "The Giraffe, The Pig, and the Pants on Fire". "It was a thriller," he says.) and unfortunately it doesn’t go very deep into much of anything of interest. But on the other hand, this isn’t "60 Minutes" here; it’s intended to give viewers a better sense of the man behind the franchise, which it does. Much of the footage from this interview is sprinkled throughout some of the other featurettes. Meanwhile, the character behind the franchise, Robert Langdon, is examined in his own featurette, as is Sophie Neveu. The cool thing here is getting under the skin of the actors to see how they approached the characters, knowing that most of the movie-going public already has formed their own ideas about the characters from the book.
The most interesting extras are the featurettes that focus on the history behind the mystery. Or is it the mystery behind the history? Either way, the first one on the "Mona Lisa", and the second featurette on the many codes and symbols that are hidden throughout the movie balance out the remainder of the extras nicely by demonstrating the sense of intrigue, mystery, and game-playing adventure that made "The Da Vinci Code" so popular in the first place. "--Daniel Vancini"
Beyond "The Da Vinci Code"

The Films of Tom Hanks
The Films of Ron Howard
The Da Vinci DVDs: Decoding "The Da Vinci Code"
More About The Artist
Stills from "The Da Vinci Code" (click for larger image)

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Summary: This exposes all the inaccuracies and falsehoods of the box office hit the da vinci code. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 05/30/2006 Run time: 60 minutes Rating: Nr

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby

Comments: Inside everyone is a frontier waiting to be discovered.

Summary: Kevin Costner's 1990 epic won a bundle of Oscars for a moving, engrossing story of a white soldier (Costner) who singlehandedly mans a post in the 1870 Dakotas, and becomes a part of the Lakota Sioux community who live nearby. The film may not be a masterpiece, but it is far more than the sum of good intentions. The characters are strong, the development of relationships is both ambitious and careful, the love story between Costner and Mary McDonnell's character is captivating. Only the third-act portrait of white intruders as morons feels overbearing, but even that leads to a terribly moving conclusion. Costner's direction is assured, the balance of action and intimacy is perfect--what more could anyone want outside of an unqualified masterpiece? "--Tom Keogh"

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

Comments: More than a wee bit of magical shenanigans!

Summary: Purportedly one of Walt Disney's most personal pet projects, "Darby O'Gill" shows the effort and care put into it. Even now the special effects hold up shockingly well. Darby O'Gill is an estate caretaker, but in his advanced years he's more fond of telling tall tales in the local pub about the wee folk than keeping the grounds. A new man (a very youthful Sean Connery) is sent in to take his place, and O'Gill doesn't know what will become of himself and his daughter. He snags three spectacular opportunities, however, when he catches the king of the leprechauns. This film is whimsical without being silly, supernatural without being outlandish, and all and all a treat for the whole family. "--Keith Simanton"

Languages: English, Greek, Italian, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Comments: A Guardian Devil.

Summary: Darker than its popular comic-book predecessor "Spider-Man", the $80 million extravaganza "Daredevil" was packaged for maximum global appeal, its juvenile plot beginning when 12-year-old Matt Murdock is accidentally blinded shortly before his father is murdered. Later an adult attorney in New York's Hell's Kitchen, Murdock (Ben Affleck) uses his remaining, superenhanced senses to battle crime as Daredevil, the masked and vengeful "man without fear," pitted against dominant criminal Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan) and the psychotic Bullseye (Colin Farrell), who can turn almost anything into a deadly projectile. Daredevil is well matched with the dynamic Elektra (Jennifer Garner), but their teaming is as shallow as the movie itself, which is peppered with Marvel trivia and cameo appearances (creator Stan Lee, "Clerks" director and "Daredevil" devotee Kevin Smith) and enough computer-assisted stuntwork to give Spidey a run for his money. This is Hollywood product at its most lavishly vacuous; die-hard fans will argue its merits while its red-leathered hero swoops and zooms toward a sequel. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Comments: A Guardian Devil.

Summary: Darker than its popular comic-book predecessor "Spider-Man", the $80 million extravaganza "Daredevil" was packaged for maximum global appeal, its juvenile plot beginning when 12-year-old Matt Murdock is accidentally blinded shortly before his father is murdered. Later an adult attorney in New York's Hell's Kitchen, Murdock (Ben Affleck) uses his remaining, superenhanced senses to battle crime as Daredevil, the masked and vengeful "man without fear," pitted against dominant criminal Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan) and the psychotic Bullseye (Colin Farrell), who can turn almost anything into a deadly projectile. Daredevil is well matched with the dynamic Elektra (Jennifer Garner), but their teaming is as shallow as the movie itself, which is peppered with Marvel trivia and cameo appearances (creator Stan Lee, "Clerks" director and "Daredevil" devotee Kevin Smith) and enough computer-assisted stuntwork to give Spidey a run for his money. This is Hollywood product at its most lavishly vacuous; die-hard fans will argue its merits while its red-leathered hero swoops and zooms toward a sequel. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Comments: Sworn to protect / Sworn to serve / Sworn to secrecy

Summary: The Rodney King riots of April 1992 hang like a keg of dynamite over "Dark Blue", a crackling tale of Los Angeles police corruption that gives Kurt Russell one of the best roles of his underrated career. Adapted by "Training Day" screenwriter David Ayer from a story by "L.A. Confidential" novelist James Ellroy, the plot finds Russell's rule-bending detective teamed with a promising young partner (Scott Speedman) whose ethics have yet to be tainted. Their boss (Brendan Gleeson) is a lawless maverick, maneuvering the unwitting detectives into covering up a lucrative robbery scam, while L.A.P.D.'s Deputy Chief (Ving Rhames) campaigns to bring them all down. While adhering to familiar cop-thriller formula, director Ron Shelton ("Bull Durham") escalates tension with forceful impact, drawing a climactic parallel between the King riots and the fallout from Russell's cynical behavior. It's a powerhouse combination, allowing Russell to find shades of complexity in a character who realizes, almost too late, that he's a devil in the hell of L.A. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English, Japanese

Subtitles: English, French, Japanese

Sound: AC-3

Summary: Jim Henson's fantasy epic "The Dark Crystal" doesn't take place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but like "Star Wars" it takes the audience to a place that exists only in the imagination and, for an hour and a half, on the screen. Recalling the worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien, Henson tells the story of a race of grotesque birdlike lizards called the Skeksis, gnomish dragons who rule their fantastic planet with an iron claw. A prophecy tells of a Gelfling (a small elfin being) who will topple their empire, so in their reign of terror they have exterminated the race, or so they think. The orphan Jen, raised in solitude by a race of peace-loving wizards called the Mystics, embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of the Dark Crystal (which gives the Skeksis their power) and restore the balance of the universe. Henson and codirector Frank Oz have pushed puppetry into a new direction: traditional puppets, marionettes, giant bodysuits, and mechanical constructions are mixed seamlessly in a fantasy world of towering castles, simple huts, dank caves, a giant clockwork observatory, and a magnificent landscape that seem to have leaped off the pages of a storybook. Muppet fans will recognize many of the voice actors--a few characters sound awfully close to familiar comic creations--but otherwise it's a completely alien world made familiar by a mythic quest that resonates through stories over the ages. "--Sean Axmaker"

Languages: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish

Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish

Sound: AC-3

Summary: Jim Henson's fantasy epic "The Dark Crystal" doesn't take place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but like "Star Wars" it takes the audience to a place that exists only in the imagination and, for an hour and a half, on the screen. Recalling the worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien, Henson tells the story of a race of grotesque birdlike lizards called the Skeksis, gnomish dragons who rule their fantastic planet with an iron claw. A prophecy tells of a Gelfling (a small elfin being) who will topple their empire, so in their reign of terror they have exterminated the race, or so they think. The orphan Jen, raised in solitude by a race of peace-loving wizards called the Mystics, embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of the Dark Crystal (which gives the Skeksis their power) and restore the balance of the universe. Henson and codirector Frank Oz have pushed puppetry into a new direction: traditional puppets, marionettes, giant bodysuits, and mechanical constructions are mixed seamlessly in a fantasy world of towering castles, simple huts, dank caves, a giant clockwork observatory, and a magnificent landscape that seem to have leaped off the pages of a storybook. Muppet fans will recognize many of the voice actors--a few characters sound awfully close to familiar comic creations--but otherwise it's a completely alien world made familiar by a mythic quest that resonates through stories over the ages.
The DVD features the 50-minute documentary "The World of the Dark Crystal", with interviews and illuminating behind-the-scenes glimpses. The VHS edition includes a shortened 15-minute version of the documentary. "--Sean Axmaker"

Languages: English

Subtitles: Spanish, French

Sound: AC-3

Summary: Taking a page from "The Animatrix", "Dark Fury" is part of a new trend of bridging theatrical sequels. As an official product of a franchise, the 35-minute anime benefits from having the original actors voice the characters, including Vin Diesel as Riddick. This story opens with the new action hero and the two other survivors of "Pitch Black" already caught by a giant spaceship filled with dread. The sinewy leader has a unique--and creepy--jail for master villains and she has her sights set on Riddick. The film--indeed the series--is indebted to animator Peter Chung, who brings his techno style from his "Aeon Flux" series. His smooth animation for Riddick doesn't reinvent the character as much as give him a new, appealing fluidity. As anime goes, there's nothing really new here--plenty of action, cool killers, and dramatic spurts of blood--but it's a building block for how this genre might enliven movie series and sequels in the future. "--Doug Thomas"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, French

Sound: DTS Surround Sound

Comments: Serious writer or serial killer? George is in two minds.

Summary: Although it lacks the creepy subtleties of Stephen King's celebrated novel, George Romero's underrated adaptation of "The Dark Half" ranks among the best films based on King's fiction, with Romero taking care to honor King's central theme while serving up some gruesome gore in the film's much-criticized finale. Inspired by King's own admission that he wrote several novels under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, "The Dark Half" explores the duality of a writer's impulse, ranging from literary respectability to the viscerally cathartic thrills of exploitative pulp fiction.
Author and teacher Thad Beaumont (Timothy Hutton) finds himself torn between those extremes when he "kills" his profitable, pseudonymous alter ego George Stark (the bestselling "dark half" to Thad's light), who then assumes an evil, autonomous form (again played by Hutton) to lethally defend his role in Thad's creative endeavors. Forced to wrestle with this evil manifestation of his own unformed twin, Thad must fight to protect his wife (Amy Madigan), their twin babies, and his own survival as an artist. Romero skillfully develops the twin/duality theme to explore the writer's dilemma, and Hutton is outstanding in his dual roles, playing Stark (in subtly fiendish makeup) as a redneck rebel with a knack for slashing throats. Julie Harris adds class in a supporting role, and horror fans will relish Romero's climactic showdown, in which swarms of sparrows seal Stark's fate. It favors a pulp sensibility with clunky exposition to explain Stark's existence, but "The Dark Half" is a laudable effort from everyone involved. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English

Subtitles: Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Comments: Some secrets should never come to light

Summary: There's something in this house...Something ancient and dark that remains still, hidden and silent. It can only wait, having been concealed in the shadows for years. In fact, its milieu is darkness. Only in it can it show itself and move. It even takes its name: DARKNESS. It's lived here since someone tried to call it, more than forty years ago. Because this house hides a secret, a terrible past, an inconceivably evil act. Seven children, faceless people, a circle that must be completed. And blood, lots of blood... But something went wrong. One of the children got away. The circle wasn't completed. That's why what lives here isn't finished. It's just waiting...It tries to carry out what it couldn't before, making plans in the shadows, to become complete, to be, to exist. A new family has just moved into the house. A small child. An unstable father capable of losing his temper at any time. A perfect target. The right place at the right time. The pieces only have to be put in place. And then wait. Maybe the family's daughter will be able to discover the truth; the dark secret of the past, the sinister conspiracy, the truth about what threatens them. Why is the father getting worse? What is her little brother afraid of? Why doesn't her mother listen to her? And why do the lights keep going out? It could be that nothing happens by chance, that everything has been worked out from the start. A devilish plan, precise and exact like a time-bomb. Her father's illness, the house, the circles, the children. Perhaps she can foresee darkness' master stroke of play and the inevitable destiny that is closing in on her family. But maybe it's too late....

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo

Summary: "Let's get dangerous!" Indeed, Disney's delightful Darkwing Duck, a masked mallard superhero, can get very dangerous--though the biggest danger he presents, typically, is to himself. Darkwing (DW to his friends) is the well-meaning if flamboyant (and klutzy) protector of St. Canard, a city that looks suspiciously like San Francisco and even has a Golden Gate-like bridge in which the winged avenger has tucked away his secret headquarters. A publicity-seeking ham, DW doesn't possess any superpowers, but has some nifty gadgets and the determination to meddle with nefarious plans of high-profile villains. Among them are the fascinating Bushroot, a disillusioned scientist who turns himself into a plant and has the power to make flora do his bidding; Quackerjack, a cackling, Joker-like evildoer; Megavolt, a whining dog who controls electricity; and the Liquidator, another pooch who is made of, well, water.
DW fancies himself a lone wolf, so to speak, but unlike Batman, he doesn't have the knack for controlling every detail of his life. As a result, this would-be loner acquires a sidekick, a fawning pilot named Launchpad, and an adopted daughter, the headstrong Gosalyn, neither of whom he anticipated. All together they are a family of sorts, and DW needs them more than he cares to admit. This boxed set includes the series' two-part pilot and the first 25 episodes, including the very clever "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlatan," in which DW mistakes a sci-fi movie production on St. Canard's streets for a real alien invasion, and "Duck Blind," in which the temporarily sightless hero refuses to let a loss of vision stand in the way of his derring-do. "--Tom Keogh"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo

Summary: It’s time to "get dangerous" with everyone’s favorite feather-brained crime fighter, Darkwing Duck. The self-proclaimed "terror that flaps in the night" is back to keep the streets of St. Canard safe from the weirdest, wackiest flock of criminals ever assembled. Along with daughter Gosalyn and dim but loyal sidekick Launchpad McQuack, Darkwing faces angry Christmas trees, ancient pirates and mutant cabbages from outer space in his zaniest adventures yet. With three discs packed with hilarious adventures, DARKWING DUCK: VOLUME 2 packs a gaggle of giggles and thrills that fit the bill.

Languages: German, English, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: AC-3

Comments: No More Mr. Nice Guy

Summary: This is the restored, 209-minute director's cut of Wolfgang Petersen's harrowing and claustrophobic U-boat thriller, which was theatrically rereleased in 1997. Originally made as a five-hour miniseries, this version devotes more time to getting to know the crew before they and their stoic captain (Jürgen Prochnow) get aboard their U-boat and find themselves stranded at the bottom of the sea. "Das Boot" puts you inside that submerged vessel and explores the physical and emotional tensions of the situation with a vivid, terrifying realism that few movies can match. As Petersen tightens the screws and the submerged ship blows bolts, the pressure builds to such unbearable levels that you may be tempted to escape for a nice walk on solid land in the great outdoors--only you wouldn't dream of looking away from the screen. "--Jim Emerson"

Languages: English, German

Subtitles: English, French

Sound: AC-3

Comments: There's No Rest For The Wicked...

Summary: This 282-minute version of "Das Boot" is the full-length TV series, originally shown in six parts but here edited into a seamless whole. Director Wolfgang Petersen has since graduated to mega-budget Hollywood productions (2004's "Troy" for example), but has never managed to even come close to this, his German-language masterpiece. Petersen and his sterling cast (including Jürgen Prochnow in his best role as the U-boat Captain) went to great lengths to ensure that this claustrophobic depiction of life aboard the German sub U-97 while attacking British convoys in the Atlantic is thoroughly authentic, and totally convincing. Even the set itself, which is a replica of a U-boat interior, had no false walls, so all camera angles are necessarily from within its horribly narrow, overcrowded and sweaty confines. The result is certainly the finest submarine drama ever made, and one of the most compelling depictions of the physical, psychological and emotional effects of warfare.

This miniseries is rather longer than the movie version, which is also available on DVD in a director's cut version. The differences are not in matters of plot, but in the pacing: everything here takes longer to happen, while the crew must sit around, bicker, swear, and sweat it out--the agonizing searching for action, the tension of the attack, the terrible stress of hiding from enemy destroyers. Everything unfolds as if in real time, which is the great advantage a TV production has over a movie (contrast, for example, "Band of Brothers" with "Saving Private Ryan"). This, therefore, is the definitive presentation of a World War II classic. "--Mark Walker"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

Summary: Movie DVD

Languages: English

Summary: Have you ever felt like you were too little to do anything big? That's how a little shepherd boy named Dave feels when his big brothers head off to defend their country, leaving Dave behind with the sheep. "Big people do big things, and little people do little things," they tell him. They're in for a surprise, though, when they find out their foe is much bigger than they thought! Is anyone able to take on a nine-foot pickle? But wait! Who's that running out to challenge that mighty warrior? It kinda looks like ... could it be ... Dave?!? In this hilarious retelling of the classic Bible story of David and Goliath, Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber help kids learn that it makes no difference whether you're nine feet tall or two feet tall. With God's help, even little guys can do big things! Kids of all ages will love the songs, humor, and dazzling computer animation of VeggieTales!

Languages: English

Sound: DTS

Comments: Difference between dead and life

Summary: Socialites in the Hamptons paid up to $15,000 for the privilege of seeing this duo in action just a few weeks before the release of "Live at Radio City Music Hall". Not that it was any easier to get tickets to the April 22, 2007, concert in New York that produced this recording, available on CD or DVD with high-definition 5.1 surround sound and an additional 46-minute film of backstage footage. The acoustic set features the veteran musicians performing for nearly two-and-a-half hours--and you get the feeling they could have easily kept going. Reynolds gets his solo turn on "Betrayal" and "You Are My Sanity," but it's a chatty Matthews who seems to be relishing the occasion more, stripping down some of his band's most popular songs ("Lie in Our Graves," "Two Step") while giving the fans a sneak peek at a couple of its new ones ("Eh Hee," "Cornbread"). The guy's even thrown in a few covers for kicks, including Neil Young's "Down by the River" and Daniel Lanois' "The Maker." In terms of audio quality and packaging, it marks a vast improvement over the pair's first release, 1999's "Live at Luther College". And the best part is that it doesn't cost more than a yacht. --"Aidin Vaziri"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby

Summary: 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"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby Digital 1.0

Comments: This year, a sweater won't do.

Summary: Few American movies have dealt as graphically with nuclear holocaust as "The Day After", which accounted for the controversy that surrounded the telefilm at the time of its initial network broadcast. In previous films, nuclear warfare was a matter for crusading politicians or military might, but here, both are kept in the background (the airman played by William Allen Young is more concerned with returning to his new wife than his duties) and the focus is fixed firmly on middle America--literally so, as the setting is Lawrence, Kansas, the near-center of the country. Audiences are briefly introduced to a representative cross-section of American life, including a doctor (Jason Robards), a young bride-to-be (Lori Lethin), a graduate student (Steve Guttenberg), and an academic (John Lithgow), before the Bomb hits nearby Kansas City. The ensuing destruction is utterly horrific, but a few manage to survive to struggle vainly with rising radiation levels and the slow, inevitable collapse of society. As a protest vehicle, "The Day After" is a triumph--its scenes of nuclear devastation remain the most powerful statements against nuclear armament ever depicted. It's buoyed by strong direction from Nicholas Meyer, who previously specialized in fantasy ("Time After Time"), and a capable cast who weather the material with grim determination. Edward Hume's script occasionally stumbles into sudsy territory, but the end result compares with equally moving British efforts like "The War Game" and "Threads". The original network broadcast ran 120 minutes (edited from three hours); this is the 126-minute European theatrical cut. "--Paul Gaita"

Languages: English, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Comments: This year, a sweater won't do.

Summary: Supreme silliness doesn't stop "The Day After Tomorrow" from being lots of fun for connoisseurs of epic-scale disaster flicks. After the blockbuster profits of "Independence Day" and "Godzilla", you can't blame director Roland Emmerich for using global warming as a politically correct excuse for destroying most of the northern hemisphere. Like most of Emmerich's films, this one emphasizes special effects over such lesser priorities as well-drawn characters and plausible plotting, and his dialogue (cowritten by Jeffrey Nachmanoff) is so laughably trite that it could be entirely eliminated without harming the movie. It's the spectacle that's important here, not the lame, recycled plot about father and son (Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal) who endure an end-of-the-world scenario caused by the effects of global warming. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the awesome visions of tornado-ravaged Los Angeles, blizzards in New Delhi, Japan pummeled by grapefruit-sized hailstones, and Manhattan flooded by swelling oceans and then frozen by the onset of a modern ice age. It's all wildly impressive, and Emmerich obviously doesn't care if the science is flimsy, so why should you? "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English, Spanish, French

Subtitles: English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese

Sound: AC-3

Summary: Impressive special effects are the key selling point for this big-budget remake of Robert Wise's classic 1951 science fiction parable about an alien visitor who delivers a chilling ultimatum to the leaders of the world. Keanu Reeves, who seemed ideal at first blush but ultimately turns into another case of miscasting, steps in for Michael Rennie as intergalactic watchdog Klaatu, who with his robot Gort (now super-sized), promises global destruction unless the powers that be unless drastic measures are undertaken regarding the Earth's environmental issues (or so one assumes). Jennifer Connelly is largely wasted in the Patricia Neal role of scientist/single mom assigned to study Klaatu, who offers a somewhat chilly father figure to her son (a grating Jaden Smith). Connelly isn't the only fine actor in the cast left standing idle while director Scott Derrickson's effects team constructs eye-popping scenes of wholesale mayhem; Mad Men's Jon Hamm, Kathy Bates, John Cleese and Rob Knepper are all adrift in the aimless script by David Scarpa, which never even fully explains why Klaatu is so bent on blowing us to smithereens. That lack of focus, as well as the B-movie quality of the dialogue (say what you will about the effects in the Wise version, but the film was polished from top to bottom), all help to cement what science fiction fans have been muttering about the film since its inception; the original film needed no high-tech updating --Paul Gaita

Stills from The Day the Earth Stood Still (Click for larger image)

 
 

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: AC-3

Summary: Stills from Daybreakers (Click for larger image)

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround

Comments: These cops are on the biggest murder case of their lives... their own.

Summary: Stills from Dead Heat (Click for larger image)

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: He was their inspiration. He made their lives extraordinary.

Summary: Robin Williams stars as an English teacher who doesn't fit into the conservative prep school where he teaches, but whose charisma and love of poetry inspires several boys to revive a secret society with a bohemian bent. The script is well meaning but a little trite, though director Peter Weir ("The Truman Show") adds layers of emotional depth in scenes of conflict between the kids and adults. (A subplot involving one father's terrible pressure on his son--played by Robert Sean Leonard--to drop his interest in theater reaches heartbreaking proportions.) Williams is given plenty of latitude to work in his brand of improvisational humor, though it is all well-woven into his character's style of instruction. "--Tom Keogh"

Languages: English, French, Japanese

Subtitles: Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Summary: After the drudgery of "Sudden Impact", the fourth and worst sequel to "Dirty Harry", no one could have expected the fifth to have any signs of life. But "The Dead Pool" is fairly inspired, even playful--check out a "chase" scene between Clint Eastwood's Harry Callahan character and a remote-controlled toy car wielding a bomb--and it ended the long-running series on an unexpectedly positive note. This time, Callahan investigates a series of murders that appears to be on a "death list," while becoming romantically involved with a television reporter (Patricia Clarkson). Jim Carrey has a small but memorable part as a doped-up rock star, and Liam Neeson is on board, too. Directed by Eastwood surrogate Buddy Van Horn ("Any Which Way You Can"). "--Tom Keogh"

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby

Summary: From the Discovery Channel's hit series!Forty-foot waves, freezing temperatures, swinging 700-pound crab pots, a nearly 100% injury rate... but also the chance to earn enough money for a family to live on for a year with just a few days' work. Welcome to one of the world's deadliest jobs: the Alaskan crab fisherman. Deep in the frigid waters of the Bering Sea lurk the highly lucrative, yet often elusive, king and snow crabs. Each year, approximately 250 boats converge on Dutch Harbor, Alaska, where crewmembers regularly pull 20-hour shifts in freezing weather, exposed to the harshest elements on a slick deck. Now the hair-raising reality adventure comes to DVD in this thrilling 5-DVD set containing all 10 episodes: "Greenhorns," "Long Sleepless Nights," "Lady Luck," "Beat the Clock," "Dead of Winter," "Man Overboard," "High Hopes," "Good Fishing," "The Clock's Ticking," and "The Final Run."

Languages: English

Summary: Howling winds fierce enough to knock people off their feet, tossing waves, frigid temperatures. Swinging 700-pound crab pots for hours. Guaranteed injuries. That's the life of an Alaskan crab fisherman. He can earn enough money in a few months for a family to live on for a year or more. But it's also one of the deadliest, most backbreaking jobs there is. For these men, many second- and third-generation fishermen, working to the brink of exhaustion is more than just a job - it's a matter of pride. Crews continue to forge into the frigid Bering Sea to compete against not only Mother Nature, but also against each other as they struggle in an increasingly regulated and cut-throat world to maintain a family tradition that has lasted for generations.

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby

Summary: Venture into the dark waters of the Bering Sea with eight crab fishing boats and their crews through the world's two most difficult and dangerous fishing seasons. Captain Sig Hansen of the Northwestern returns to match his skills against his old rival, Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie, and a new challenger, rookie captain Blake Painter of the Maverick. With rough waters and fierce weather, the captains and their crews will be pushed to their limits of mental and physical endurance in their search for the elusive red king crab and opilio crab. Experience the extraordinary daring, skill and endurance required for this time-honored trade in these 11 episodes, and enjoy bonus behind-the-scenes footage capturing the difficulty of day-to-day filming on the rugged seas.

Languages: English

Sound: ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo

Summary: Experience one of the most dangerous professions in the world in Discovery Channel's top-rated, Emmy Award-winning hit series <i>Deadliest Catch</i>. Crab fishing this season on the turbulent, frigid Bering Sea proves to be exceptionally difficult as the injuries pile up. Two men get hurt by a loose picking hook, and a veteran fisherman is forced to end his fishing season early after a situation quickly turns life-threatening. Don't miss an exciting minute of these 16 episodes, and join us in <i>After the Catch</i> as the crews reflect on their adventures.

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby

Summary: The top-rated, Emmy®-winning hit series DEADLIEST CATCH takes viewers deep into the most brutal fishing seasons on the planet – red king crab and opilio crab. Brave the icy, black waters of the Bering Sea with Captains Sig Hansen, Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand, Phil Harris and Keith Colburn and their rugged crews daring to gamble high risk for high reward. Dirty Jobs’ Mike Rowe narrates as brutal storms, grueling hours, heavy injuries, violent tempers and fierce competition push these men over the edge.
Episodes: Everything on the Line, Red Skies in the Morning, Stay Focused or Die, Put up or Shut up, Long Haul Short, Fuses, Deadline, Down to the Wire , Payback Time, No Second Chances, Sea of Misery, Lockout, A Slap in the Face or a Kick in the Ass, End of the Earth, Bitter Tears, Multiple Mayday, Shipwrecked

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: AC-3

Summary: The remarkable first season of "Deadwood" represents one of those periodic, wholesale reinventions of the Western that is as different from, say, "Lonesome Dove" as that miniseries is from Howard Hawks's "Rio Bravo" or the latter is from Anthony Mann's "The Naked Spur". In many ways, HBO's "Deadwood" embraces the Western's unambiguous morality during the cinema's silent era through the 1930s while also blazing trails through a post-"NYPD Blue", post-"The West Wing" television age exalting dense and customized dialogue. On top of that, "Deadwood" has managed an original look and texture for a familiar genre: gritty, chaotic, and surging with both dark and hopeful energy. Yet the show's creator, erstwhile "NYPD Blue" head writer David Milch, never ridicules or condescends to his more grasping, futile characters or overstates the virtues of his heroic ones.
Set in an ungoverned stretch of South Dakota soon after the 1876 Custer massacre, "Deadwood" concerns a lawless, evolving town attracting fortune-seekers, drifters, tyrants, and burned-out adventurers searching for a card game and a place to die. Others, particularly women trapped in prostitution, sundry do-gooders, and hangers-on have nowhere else to go. Into this pool of aspiration and nightmare arrive former Montana lawman Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) and his friend Sol Starr (John Hawkes), determined to open a lucrative hardware business. Over time, their paths cross with a weary but still formidable Wild Bill Hickok (Keith Carradine) and his doting companion, the coarse angel Calamity Jane (Robin Weigert); an aristocratic, drug-addicted widow (Molly Parker) trying to salvage a gold mining claim; and a despondent hooker (Paula Malcomson) who cares, briefly, for an orphaned girl. Casting a giant shadow over all is a blood-soaked king, Gem Saloon owner Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), possibly the best, most complex, and mesmerizing villain seen on TV in years. Over 12 episodes, each of these characters, and many others, will forge alliances and feuds, cope with disasters (such as smallpox), and move--almost invisibly but inexorably--toward some semblance of order and common cause. Making it all worthwhile is Milch's masterful dialogue--often profane, sometimes courtly and civilized, never perfunctory--and the brilliant acting of the aforementioned performers plus Brad Dourif, Leon Rippy, Powers Boothe, and Kim Dickens. "--Tom Keogh"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Summary: Studio: Peace Arch Home Entertain Release Date: 01/20/2009 Run time: 100 minutes Rating: R

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Summary: If Robert Zemeckis's mega-hit "Forrest Gump" was too sweet for your taste, you may enjoy the undiluted bitterness of his previous movie, a cynical black comedy that was ahead of its time. "Death Becomes Her", an outlandish parable about America's obsession with youth and vanity, exposes the corrosive side of Zemeckis's comic sensibility, the sort of scathing satirical edge he gleefully flourished in his overlooked 1980 "Used Cars", which has developed a cult following. Meryl Streep has a ball as the deliciously vicious Madeline Ashton, a flamboyantly mannered actress who makes Bette Davis's formidable Margo Channing in "All About Eve" look like a wallflower. Goldie Hawn is also in razor-sharp comedic form as Madeline's long-time "best friend," Helen. Sensing a bargain she just can't resist, Madeline steals Helen's meek, plastic-surgeon husband Ernest (Bruce Willis) for her own convenience, and the two women become sworn enemies. But the real complications arise when the two are introduced to a secret anti-aging formula by a mysterious and exotic woman (Isabella Rossellini, delightfully ridiculous) that not only smoothes away wrinkles but actually guarantees immortality. As their undying bodies are twisted and mutilated by violent attacks on each other, both women grow increasingly dependent on Ernest for cosmetic repair. The pioneering digital effects inflicted on Streep and Hawn are as grotesque as they are imaginative and hilarious. Like James Cameron ("The Abyss", "Titanic"), Zemeckis loves a technical challenge, and the new visual tools developed for this movie made his later work (in "Forrest Gump" and "Contact") possible. "--Jim Emerson"

Languages: English, Spanish, French

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Sound: AC-3

Comments: Get ready for a killer ride.

Summary: 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)

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comments: Get ready for an unexpected hit.

Summary: Guaranteed to please anyone who thinks Barney is Satan's spawn, "Death to Smoochy" mines comedy gold by skewering children's television. Adam Resnick's easy-target satire blossoms under the demented influence of director-costar Danny DeVito, who honors his legacy of venom-laced humor with the raucous rivalry of scandalized former kid-show host Rainbow Randolph (Robin Williams) and his squeaky-clean replacement, Sheldon Mopes, a.k.a. Smoochy the Rhino (Edward Norton). Randolph is insanely obsessed with getting his job back, but Smoochy's a smash, and their war for kid-vid supremacy places a jaded "KidNet" producer (Catherine Keener) in the middle of a Rainbow/Rhino smackdown. A few lulls are easily forgiven since much of "Death to Smoochy" is laugh-out-loud hilarious, with DeVito, Robert Prosky, Jon Stewart, and Harvey Fierstein in choice supporting roles. It's no wonder DeVito's taboo-busting drew fire from family groups and actual kid-show producers; only the humorless would fail to laugh at "Smoochy"'s uncompromised irreverence. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

Comments: Vigilante, city style -- Judge, Jury, and Executioner

Summary: This controversial, 1974 drama exploits urban paranoia and presents vigilantism as cathartic release. But it is also a captivating, Everyman-ish story of a New Yorker who goes through a sea change after crime depletes his family, and who runs afoul of the law while taking it into his own hands. Charles Bronson stars as the vengeance-seeking urban warrior who goes on a punk-killing spree after his wife and daughter are attacked by intruders. Director Michael Winner ("The Wicked Lady") shamelessly builds upon audience identification with Bronson's rage, but he also makes an interesting story out of the latter's tug-of-war with disapproving police. It's an unpleasant film all around, but not nearly as bad as its horrifying, numerous sequels. Watch for a very young Jeff Goldblum--in this, his second movie--as one of the assailants of Bronson's loved ones. "--Tom Keogh"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: AC-3

Comments: The trap is set. The game is on.

Summary: With its attractive cast and "stylish thriller" vibe, "Deception" is a much better movie than a raft of negative reviews might suggest--provided that you can suspend (if not completely discard) your disbelief and go along for the ride. The first feature by veteran commercial director Marcel Langenegger, it stars Ewan McGregor as Jonathan McQuarry, a mousy freelance tax auditor who’s taken under the wing of one Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman), a slick, ultra-confident Manhattan lawyer. We know from jump that Jonathan’s new best friend isn’t all, or even any, that he seems, and sure enough, when the pair "accidentally" switch cell phones, a series of credibility-defying events destined to turn Jonathan’s bleak, lonely life upside down is set in motion. At first, it’s all good, as the wide-eyed young CPA finds himself joining "The List," a Wall Street sex club that brings together lawyers, stockbrokers, and other professionals whose lives are too busy for anything more than brief, anonymous assignations at various high-rent hotels (exchanging real names is verboten is this world). But apparently spending nights with the likes of Natasha Henstridge and Charlotte Rampling isn’t enough; when he meets the blonde beauty known only as "S" (Michelle Williams), the club’s credo of "intimacy without intricacy" goes out the window, lust turns to love, and Jonathan is drawn into a protracted cat-and-mouse game that leads to murder, big-time corporate embezzlement, identity switches, and other nefarious activity. One needn’t be Nostradamus to predict where all of this is headed, but that’s hardly the point. Even if you don’t buy a single moment of it, "Deception" is fun, flashy, and entertaining--and since when is pure escapism a bad thing? "--Sam Graham"
Beyond "Deception " on DVD
"Street Kings" on DVD
"What Happens in Vegasi> on DVD
"Jumper" on DVD


Stills from "Deception" (Click for larger image)

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby

Comments: Best Picture 1978

Summary: Winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, "The Deer Hunter" is simultaneously an audacious directorial conceit and one of the greatest films ever made about friendship and the personal impact of war. Like "Apocalypse Now", it's hardly a conventional battle film--the soldier's experience was handled with greater authenticity in "Platoon"--but its depiction of war on an intimate scale packs a devastatingly dramatic punch. Director Michael Cimino may be manipulating our emotions with masterful skill, but he does it in a way that stirs the soul and pinches our collective nerves with graphic, high-intensity scenes of men under life-threatening duress. Although Russian-roulette gambling games were not a common occurrence during the Vietnam war, they're used here as a metaphor for the futility of the war itself. To the viewer, they become unforgettably intense rites of passage for the best friends--Pennsylvania steelworkers played by Robert De Niro, John Savage, and Oscar winner Christopher Walken--who may survive or perish during their tour through a tropical landscape of hell. Back home, their loved ones must cope with the war's domestic impact, and in doing so they allow "The Deer Hunter" to achieve a rare combination of epic storytelling and intimate, heart-rending drama. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Sound: AC-3

Comments: Freedom begins with an act of defiance!

Summary: Three ferociously committed actors fill the roles of the Bielski brothers, Jewish partisans who escaped into the forests of Eastern Europe during the Second World War. Daniel Craig (taking a break from 007 duty) is Tuvia, the leader of a group of refugees who eventually number over a thousand; Liev Schreiber is Zus, the antagonistic warrior; and Jamie Bell is Asael, a peacemaker no less devoted to the survival of the community. The three performers give life to director Edward Zwick's account of this little-known chapter of Jewish resistance to the Holocaust, which otherwise plays more like a history lesson than a full-blooded movie. The film's best achievement is its strong location work, in Lithuania--as the community makes its home in the forest, the landscape becomes an important player in the drama at hand, and the changing of the seasons is charted with bone-chilling detail. Schreiber manages to get a little wry humor into this otherwise sober enterprise, and Daniel Craig creates an unusual character: a sort of anti-Bond, a hero whose body is all too fallible and whose decision-making is sometimes hesitant or morally compromised. It's a rare hero in a World War II movie that tends to withdraw from scenes rather than stride into them, but that's what Craig does. More than likely, the movie's main achievement will be sending the curious to read the histories of the Bielski brothers and why they matter in the chronicles of the Holocaust. --Robert Horton

Stills from Defiance (Click for larger image)

Languages: English

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Summary: In his most effective thriller since "Enemy of the State", Tony Scott makes time travel seem plausible. It helps that his New Orleans hero, ATF agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington in his third go-round with the director), spends more time in the present than the past. In order to catch a terrorist, FBI Agent Pryzwarra (Val Kilmer) invites Carlin to join forces. They have the technology to see the past. He has the expertise to interpret the data. Unfortunately, the bomb has already gone off and hundreds of ferry passengers have died. Then there's the body of a beautiful woman, Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton, "Idlewild"), that turns up in the vicinity of the blast. Evidence indicates she was killed beforehand. Since the FBI enables him to observe Claire prior to her murder, Carlin gets to know what she was like and finds himself falling in love. He becomes convinced that the only way to solve the case--and prove her innocence--is to travel to the past. But as Pryzwarra's colleague, Denny (Adam Goldberg), argues, "You cannot go back in time. It's physically impossible." Or so he says. "Déjà Vu" is constructed around a clever script and executed by a top-notch cast, notably Washington, Patton, and an eerie Jim Caviezel (miles away from "Passion of the Christ"). In shedding the excesses of recent years--the sadism of "Man on Fire" and weirdness of Tarantino favorite "Domino"--Scott re-affirms his rep as one of the action movie's finest practitioners. "--Kathleen C. Fennessy"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Summary: Martin Scorsese makes a welcome return to the mean streets (of Boston, in this case) with "The Departed", hailed by many as Scorsese's best film since "Casino". Since this crackling crime thriller is essentially a Scorsese-stamped remake of the acclaimed 2002 Hong Kong thriller "Infernal Affairs", the film was intensely scrutinized by devoted critics and cinephiles, and while Scorsese's intense filmmaking and all-star cast deserve ample acclaim, "The Departed" is also worthy of serious re-assessment, especially with regard to what some attentive viewers described as sloppy craftsmanship (!), notably in terms of mismatched shots and jagged continuity. But no matter where you fall on the Scorsese appreciation scale, there's no denying that "The Departed" is a signature piece of work from one of America's finest directors, designed for maximum impact with a breathtaking series of twists, turns, and violent surprises. It's an intricate cat-and-mouse game, but this time the cat and mouse are both moles: Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is an ambitious cop on the rise, planted in the Boston police force by criminal kingpin Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a hot-tempered police cadet who's been artificially disgraced and then planted into Costello's crime operation as a seemingly trustworthy soldier. As the multilayered plot unfolds (courtesy of a scorching adaptation by "Kingdom of Heaven" screenwriter William Monahan), Costigan and Sullivan conduct a volatile search for each other (they're essentially looking for "themselves") while simultaneously wooing the psychiatrist (Vera Farmiga) assigned to treat their crime-driven anxieties.
Such convenient coincidences might sink a lesser film, but "The Departed" is so electrifying that you barely notice the plot-holes. And while Nicholson's profane swagger is too much "Jack" and not enough "Costello," he's still a joy to watch, especially in a film that's additionally energized by memorable (and frequently hilarious) supporting roles for Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, and a host of other big-name performers. "The Departed" also makes clever and plot-dependent use of cell-phones, to the extent that it couldn't exist without them. Powered by Scorsese's trademark use of well-chosen soundtrack songs (from vintage rock to Puccini's operas), "The Departed" may not be perfect, but it's one helluva ride for moviegoers, proving popular enough to become the biggest box-office hit of Scorsese's commercially rocky career. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Georgian, Chinese, Thai

Sound: Dolby

Summary: It's Sergio Leone meets Sam Peckinpah meets Quentin Tarantino in this ultraviolent, mythological shoot-'em-up by auteur Robert Rodriguez. In "Desperado", Rodriguez creates larger-than-life, genre-tweaking stock characters and puts them through their paces. As they stride bravely through an Old West lightly dusted with camp humor, they're periodically called upon to nimbly dodge bullets and fireballs through outrageously choreographed displays of Hollywood pyrotechnics. In this bigger-budget semi-remake/semi-sequel to Rodriguez's indie sensation, "El Mariachi" (made, famously, for $7,000), Antonio Banderas is the darkly charismatic El Mariachi, the Mysterious Stranger in town; Steve Buscemi is perfectly cast as his weasely, motor-mouth Comic Sidekick, laying the groundwork for El Mariachi's entrance by spinning saloon stories to build up his legend; Cheech Marin is a standout as the Bartender, who really knows how to handle a toothpick; and gorgeous Salma Hayek is, well, the Girl--treated to the kind of full-blown, slow-mo introduction the movies traditionally lavish on beautiful new stars. It doesn't add up to much, but it's a kick. Be careful not to blow out your speakers with the DVD's Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. "--Jim Emerson"

Languages: English, Spanish, French

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby

Summary: Call it "Desperate Movie," because this ludicrous thriller deteriorates into unintentional comedy. For reasons that are never explained, a sociopathic killer (Michael Keaton) is the only available bone marrow donor for the cancer-stricken son of a San Francisco cop (Andy Garcia), who must capture the killer alive after a laughable escape in a labyrinthine hospital. The ensuing manhunt relies on plentiful plot holes and ridiculous shortcuts (like Keaton's use of a surgical laser to cut leg irons, or accessing hospital schematics from a prison computer). Self-consciously shot in film noir style, the cat-and-mouse routine leads to a briefly impressive car chase, but the premise (which even the movie's original press notes described as "intriguing, if unlikely") is based on "moral ambiguity" that doesn't translate from script to screen. Instead of forcing Keaton's typically "sick genius" to prove his ingenuity, the film pits him against a squad of cops who couldn't find a beer in a crowded pub. "--Jeff Shannon"

Sound: AC-3

Summary: "Despicable Me" is a compelling animated comedy about an aging supervillain's falling popularity at the hands of a younger supervillain and three young orphan girls. Gru is a true, bad-to-the-core evildoer who's earned the title of the world's No. 1 supervillain. But when young upstart Vector steals the Pyramid of Giza, Gru's status suddenly sinks to No. 2. Gru counters his fall by speeding up his plan to shrink and steal the moon, enlisting the help of his army of minions and the elderly Dr. Nefario, but a lack of funding and the difficulties involved in stealing the needed shrink-ray gun threaten to derail everything. Adopting three young orphan girls is an unlikely, but seemingly effective means to further Gru's evil mission, but Gru quickly discovers that caring for three young girls is more work, and distraction, than he could ever have anticipated. What unfolds is an unexpected shift in attitude that will forever change the lives of Gru, Vector, and all three young girls. A visually appealing film produced by Chris Meledandri ("Ice Age", "Ice Age 2: The Meltdown", and "Horton Hears a Who"), "Despicable Me" is full of weirdly shaped characters and settings that are somehow a perfect fit for Sergio Pablos's story. What's especially refreshing is that in this film, 3-D effects are used skillfully and effectively: even when the effects are exploited for comic reasons, they don't become a distraction, as is all too common in many recent movies. The film is full of corny banter and silly antics that inspire plenty of spontaneous laughter, and the minions, while not the best-developed characters, sure are comical. Ultimately, there's also a wholesome message about following one's heart. Steve Carell is the perfect villain-gone-soft in his role as Gru, Jason Segal is quite funny as Vector, and Julie Andrews makes a surprising appearance as Gru's very un-motherly mom. The story isn't new, the humor is relatively juvenile and somewhat forgettable, and it's no "Toy Story 3", but "Despicable Me" celebrates silliness in a way that's satisfying and highly entertaining. (Ages 6 and older) "--Tami Horiuchi"

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: French

Sound: AC-3

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

Languages: English, German, Italian, Spanish

Summary: Too old for Hamlet and too young for Lear--what's an ambitious actor to do? Play the Devil, of course. Jack Nicholson did it in "The Witches of Eastwick"; Robert De Niro did it in "Angel Heart" (as Louis Cyphre--get it?). In "The Devil's Advocate" Al Pacino takes his turn as the great Satan, and clearly relishes his chance to raise hell. He's a New York lawyer, of course, by the name of John Milton, who recruits a hotshot young Florida attorney (Keanu Reeves) to his firm and seduces him with tempting offers of power, sex, and money. Think of the story as a twist on John Grisham's "The Firm", with the corporate evil made even more explicit. Reeves is wooden, and therefore doesn't seem to have much of a soul to lose, but he's really just our excuse to meet the devil. Pacino's the main attraction, gleefully showing off his--and the Antichrist's--chops at perpetrating menace and mayhem. The film was directed by Taylor Hackford ("Against All Odds", "Dolores Claiborne"), who provides alternate-track commentary for the movie itself, plus a dozen deleted scenes. Also note: due to a settlement with artist Frederick Hart over the movie's use of a sculpture resembling his "Ex Nihilo" in Washington's National Cathedral, future releases of the film will be altered. "--Jim Emerson"

Languages: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Dutch, Korean

Sound: AC-3

Summary: Any movie starring Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford has got to be worth seeing, right? That's as close to a guarantee as this well-meaning thriller ever gets, however, and the talents of Pitt and Ford are absolutely vital in making any sense out of this dramatically muddled scenario. Ostensibly the movie's about an IRA terrorist (Pitt) who escapes from British troops in Belfast and travels to New York City, where he stays in the home of a seasoned cop (Ford) who has no idea of the terrorist's true identity. (Why a veteran cop would host a complete stranger in his home is one of those shaky details you're better off not thinking about.) But while Pitt's passionate character waits to make an arms deal for his IRA compatriots back in Ireland, "The Devil's Own" conveniently avoids any detailed understanding of the Northern Ireland conflict, focusing instead on the cop's moral dilemma when he discovers that his young guest is a terrorist. The film is superbly acted, and overall it's quite worthwhile, but don't look to it for an abundance of plot logic or an in-depth understanding of Protestant-Catholic tensions in Northern Ireland. (For that, take a look at "In the Name of the Father" or the underrated historical biopic "Michael Collins".) "--Jeff Shannon".

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Summary: Homicidal maniacs have a field day in Rob Zombie's "The Devil's Rejects", an ultraviolent spin-off from Zombie's critically reviled 2003 debut, "House of 1,000 Corpses". As Zombie continues to cultivate his name-brand variety of extreme horror and splatter-film homage, he definitely takes his place among connoisseurs of carnage. In the case of "The Devil's Rejects", several characters from "1,000 Corpses" return for another marathon of mayhem, as the murderous Firefly family (led by Sid Haig as the maniacal "Captain Spaulding") turn their bloody wrath against hostages in a fleabag motel, while the local sheriff (William Forsythe) plots revenge against them for the killing of his brother. Before their inevitable showdown, Zombie has plenty of fun--perhaps a little too much fun--indulging his penchant for sick, sadistic humor and gruesome atrocity. Clearly, Zombie fancies himself as horror's answer to Quentin Tarantino, but he lacks Tarantino's gift for riveting plots and escalating tension. Instead, "The Devil's Rejects" is just raw, rampant excess from start to finish, paying visual tribute to gruesome classics from the '70s and guaranteed to earn the cult status that Zombie is all too obviously aiming for. He's an unabashed horror buff who's carving a niche in the genre he loves, shamelessly satisfying a small but loyal audience of sicko-phants. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English

Sound: AC-3

Summary: 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
More from Showtime Stills from "Dexter: The First Season" (click for larger image)

Languages: English, Spanish

Sound: AC-3

Summary: 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"

Languages: English, Spanish

Sound: AC-3

Summary: Showtime's breakout hit series "Dexter", about a lovable psychopath, a serial killer who targets only the scummiest of the scum, hits its stride in season 3. Dexter Morgan, played with nuance and glee by the outstanding Michael C. Hall, begins the season somewhat chastened by the events of the previous season--where whiffs of his secret life became known to others and he was nearly found out. "I need to find out what it's like just to be normal. If that's something that's even possible for me," he muses, as he tries to settle in to domestic life with girlfriend Rita (the baby-voiced Julie Benz) and her kids.
Yet Dexter is soon back to his compulsion for seeking out criminals who've somehow escaped traditional justice. Hall, one of TV's most talented actors, manages to make Dexter's off-kilter moral compass totally believable, if not quite sympathetic. The rest of the cast is stellar, including Dex's sister, Debra, played by Jennifer Carpenter as the seemingly more combustible Morgan--a hot-tempered Miami detective in the same division where Dexter toils in the background as a blood-spatter specialist. Deb wears her heart on her sleeve, as a cop and a sister, and her deep love for her brother is a key part of what makes "Dexter" so human. (And Carpenter's chemistry with Hall is amped by the fact that in real life, the actors are married.)
Season 3's breakout guest star is the amazing Jimmy Smits, who plays District Attorney Miguel Prado, a polished pillar of the community, an ambitious politician--and a guy with a secret every bit as dark as Dexter's. As Miguel and Dexter peel away each other's unsavory layers, Dexter tries to tamp down Miguel's blistering desire for revenge, and Miguel begins leading a double life--one that could threaten Dexter's life and family as much as the growing list of bad guys in Miguel's crosshairs. The other main star of "Dexter" is the city of Miami, its teeming beauty and corruption celebrated in equal measure, and its blistering sun shot without tempering. The city is so integral, visually and viscerally, that it's impossible to think of "Dexter" being shot anywhere else. The set's best extras--engaging interviews with cast members Hall, Benz, Carpenter, Lauren Vélez (Lt. Maria Laguerta) and David Zayas (Det. Angel Batista)--must be watched on a computer, for reasons that are unclear. Still, the interviews are must-sees for all "Dexter" fans. It's a killer season. --"A.T. Hurley"

Languages: English

Subtitles: Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0

Summary: Sean Connery retired from the 007 franchise after "You Only Live Twice" (replaced by George Lazenby in the underrated and underperforming "On Her Majesty's Secret Service") but was lured back for one last official appearance as James Bond in "Diamonds Are Forever". He's in fine form--cool but ruthless--in a sharp precredits sequence hunting the unkillable Blofeld (a suavely menacing Charles Gray in this incarnation), but the MacGuffin of a story (involving diamond smuggling, a superlaser on a satellite, and Blofeld's latest plot to rule the world ) is full of the groaning tongue-in-cheek gags that Roger Moore would make his signature. "Goldfinger" director Guy Hamilton keeps the film zipping along gamely from one entertaining set piece to another, including a terrific car chase in a parking lot, a battle with a pair of bikini-clad killer gymnasts named Bambi and Thumper, and a deadly game with a bizarre pair of fey, sardonic killers who dispatch their victims with elaborate invention. Jill St. John is the brassy but not too bright American smuggler Tiffany Case, and country singer and pork sausage king Jimmy Dean costars as a reclusive billionaire with not-so-subtle parallels to Howard Hughes. Shirley Bassey belts out the memorable theme song, one of the series' best. Connery retired again after this one but he returned once more, for "Never Say Never Again" 15 years later for a rival production company. "--Sean Axmaker"

Languages: English, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Summary: A flawed but stylish adaptation of the Chester Gould comic strip by director Warren Beatty, who also stars in the title role. The minimalist plot involves a battalion of baddies who confront the intrepid detective in a series of strung-together vignettes. Al Pacino is a comedic if overblown standout as Big Boy Caprice, and Madonna simply smolders as aggressive blonde bombshell Breathless Mahoney. It matters not that the plot is Spartan, as this dazzling eye candy is much enhanced by Stephen Sondheim's songs, including the Academy Award-winning ditty, "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)." Beatty took his cue from the source material and concentrated on the relationships between these people, whether strained, romantic, or hateful. The performances are subtle and more amusing than you would expect from such a visually bold picture. Shot in bright, primary colors, this also won Oscars for Best Art/Set Direction and Makeup (for those inventively hideous criminals). Watch for well-known names, such as Dustin Hoffman and Dick Van Dyke, in cameo appearances and supporting roles. "--Rochelle O'Gorman"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby

Summary: The 20th James Bond adventure, "Die Another Day" succeeds on three important fronts: it avoids comparison to "Austin Powers" by keeping its cheesy humor in check, allows Halle Berry to be sexy "and" worthy of a spinoff franchise, and keeps pace with the technical wizardry that modern action films demand. Pierce Brosnan's got style "and" staying power as James Bond, now bearing little resemblance to Ian Fleming's original British super-spy, but able to hold his own at the box office. He's paired with American agent Jinx (Berry) in chasing a genetically altered North Korean villain (Rick Yune) armed with a satellite capable of destroying just about anything. John Cleese and Judi Dench reprise their recurring roles (as "Q" and "M," respectively); they're accompanied by weapons-laden sports cars, a hokey cameo by Madonna (who sings the techno-pulsed theme song), and enough double-entendres to keep Bond-philes adequately shaken and stirred. With clever nods to 007's cinematic legacy, "Die Another Day" makes you welcome the familiar end-credits promise: James Bond "will" return. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English

Subtitles: Spanish

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround

Summary: Christmas is not a good time of year in the McClane family. Especially for John McClane, who always happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But if it weren't for the heroics of this rugged, resourceful cop, many lives would be lost and megalomaniacal terrorists with various European accents would be having their evil way. In 1988, director John McTiernan and the phenomenal hit "Die Hard" introduced the world to maverick Sgt. John McClane (Bruce Willis) of the New York Police Department, and in the course of this film and two blockbuster sequels McClane was frantically saving lives, buildings, airports, schools, cities, and even his marriage from the threat of international terrorists, psychopaths, and cagey mercenaries. Now you can watch antihero McClane blast his way through all three movies. Witness his transition from a happy-go-lucky, slightly cranky cop to extremely burnt-out, partially alcoholic cop with a propensity to attract extreme violence and catastrophe. Yet the one thing that always overshadows his character flaws is his uncanny ability to spoil the schemes of stylish villains with slick names such as Hans Gruber (the nasty terrorist from the first film, played to perfection by Alan Rickman). Sit down, pop some corn, grab a bottle of Coca-Cola, and get ready to watch (in any order you please) the "Die Hard Trilogy"--a must for any action buff or fan of Bruce Willis, who owes his film career to the enduring appeal of these global box-office hits. "--Jeremy Storey"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Summary: "Die Hard" is the movie franchise that made a movie star out of TV star Bruce Willis, and created an entire action-movie genre of its own. In the original 1988 film, Willis plays wisecracking New York cop John McClane, who arrives at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles to meet up with his estranged wife, Holly (Bonny Bedelia), at her office Christmas party. As luck would have it, the company ends up in the middle of a terrorist plot led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his gang of expert killers, and with little help coming from outside, McClane has to pick off his enemies one by one. Thus was born the ""Die Hard" genre," epitomized by such films as "Under Siege" (""Die Hard" on a ship"), "Passenger 57" (""Die Hard" on a plane"), "Speed" (""Die Hard" on a bus"), and "Cliffhanger" (""Die Hard" on a mountain"). But few measure up to the explosive brilliance of "Die Hard". Director John McTiernan develops the action at a fast and furious pace, culminating in some fantastic set-pieces on the top of the building, in the elevator shaft, and in the building's outer plaza. Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza's script, based on Roderick Thorp's novel "Nothing Lasts Forever", is smart, funny, and full of memorable lines (among them "Welcome to the party, pal!" and of course "Yippee ki-ay, motherf*****"), and the cast is perfection, especially Rickman as the cunningly evil villain, and Willis, whose McClane character--bloodied, beaten, bruised, and barely breathing, as he battles both bad guys and bureaucrats--is someone audiences could genuinely cheer for. Directed by Renny Harlin, the 1990 sequel, "Die Hard 2" (unofficially referred to as Die Harder), doesn't match the level of the original, but it's still an exciting thrill ride with some terrific action sequences. One year after the Nakatomi incident, McClane (Willis) is awaiting his wife's (Bedelia) plane to arrive at Dulles Airport when he stumbles onto a plot to paralyze the entire airport, including all the planes trying to land. It's up to McClane to take on the cadre of bad guys despite all the bureaucrats standing in his way, and before the planes run out of fuel and crash to the ground. The cast includes William Sadler as rogue military man Col. Stuart, Dennis Franz as the latest bureaucratic cop to get in McClane's way, Richard Thornburg as the annoying reporter from the original movie, John Amos as a special-forces commander, early-in-their-career John Leguizamo and Robert Patrick as terrorists, and future politician and "Law and Order" actor Fred Thompson as the head of air traffic control. The third film in the series, "Die Hard with a Vengeance" (1995), was again directed by John McTiernan and uses a different concept. The villain (played by Jeremy Irons) claims to have planted bombs all over New York City and gives John McClane (Willis), now alchoholic and separated, a series of clues to try to track them down. Along the way, he's aided by, and eventually teams up with, a Harlem shopkeeper named Zeus Carver (Samuel L. Jackson). The interplay between Willis and Jackson is engaging, but better suited to the "Lethal Weapon" franchise it was previously considered for, and not till the end does the movie return to the familiar McClane-vs.-villains-showdown format. Twelve years after "Die Hard with a Vengeance", the third and previous film in the "Die Hard" franchise, "Live Free or Die Hard" finds John McClane (Bruce Willis) a few years older, not any happier, and just as kick-ass as ever. Right after he has a fight with his college-age daughter (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a call comes in to pick up a hacker (Justin Long, a.k.a. the "Apple guy") who might help the FBI learn something about a brief security blip in their systems. Now any "Die Hard" fan knows that this is when the assassins with foreign accents and high-powered weaponry show up, telling McClane that once again he's stumbled into an assignment that's anything but routine. Once that wreckage has cleared, it is revealed that the hacker is only one of many hackers who are being targeted for extermination after they helped set up a "fire sale," a three-pronged cyberattack designed to bring down the entire country by crippling its transportation, finances, and utilities. That plan is now being put into action by a mysterious team (Timothy Olyphant, "Deadwood", and Maggie Q, "Mission: Impossible 3") that seems to be operating under the government's noses. "Live Free or Die Hard" uses some of the cat-and-mouse elements of "Die Hard with a Vengeance" along with some of the pick-'em-off-one-by-one elements of the now-classic original movie. And it's the most consistently enjoyable installment of the franchise since the original, with eye-popping stunts (directed by Len Wiseman of the "Underworld" franchise), good humor, and Willis's ability to toss off a quip while barely alive. There was some controversy over the film's PG-13 rating--there might be less blood than usual, and McClane's famous tag line is somewhat obscured--but there's still has plenty of action and a high body count. Yippee-ki-ay! "--David Horiuchi"

Languages: English

Summary: Created by home theater industry legend Joe Kane, HD Basics is the
definitive High Definition home theater calibration tool. It promises to
improve your picture and give you an understanding of the concepts that
are vital to getting the most out of your HDTV.

Easy to use menu system
25 minute 'quick set-up" option including an in depth description and explanation of how to use specific test patterns to calibrate your display
Audio calibration test signals
Descriptive text in the menu to help navigate each option
A 90 minute overview of the basics of HDTV
Introduction to the world of creating HDTV programs
Audio commentary by Cinematographer Allen Daviau and Joe Kane.

Languages: English, French

Sound: DTS Surround Sound

Summary: "Dinosaurs" come alive like never before in this costly computer-animated film from Disney. After a breathtaking opening (a dino egg is kidnapped), the film changes style; realistic dinosaurs are given human characteristics and voices. The kidnapped egg grows into an iguanodon named Aladar (voiced by D.B. Sweeney), who is raised by lemurs (shades of Tarzan) on a lush island void of other dinosaurs. When a meteorite destroys their island home in a thrilling sequence, the lemur family and Aladar become part of a dinosaur troop roaming the mainland deserts looking for the lush nesting grounds (shades of the fourth installment of the "Land Before Time" series and "Fantasia"). Disney's usual mix of modern language (one lemur calls himself "a love monkey") is present, as is its typical capital punishment law: anyone against our forward-thinking hero (or even disagreeing with him) ends up dead. Curiously, the meanies, a pair of carnotaurs following the group, are nameless and voiceless. This more realistic approach might have been a bigger wow, as in the BBC's "Walking with Dinosaurs", which looked extraordinary with only a fraction of the budget. The complexity and scope of "Dinosaur"'s visual scale is impressive, and group shots and a point-of-view angle are stunning. Rated PG for general intensity, the film should be a favorite for the 6- to 11-year-old set. "--Doug Thomas"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby

Summary: "Dinosaurs" come alive like never before in this costly computer-animated film from Disney. After a breathtaking opening (a dino egg is kidnapped), the film changes style; realistic dinosaurs are given human characteristics and voices. The kidnapped egg grows into an iguanodon named Aladar (voiced by D.B. Sweeney), who is raised by lemurs (shades of Tarzan) on a lush island void of other dinosaurs. When a meteorite destroys their island home in a thrilling sequence, the lemur family and Aladar become part of a dinosaur troop roaming the mainland deserts looking for the lush nesting grounds (shades of the fourth installment of the "Land Before Time" series and "Fantasia"). Disney's usual mix of modern language (one lemur calls himself "a love monkey") is present, as is its typical capital punishment law: anyone against our forward-thinking hero (or even disagreeing with him) ends up dead. Curiously, the meanies, a pair of carnotaurs following the group, are nameless and voiceless. This more realistic approach might have been a bigger wow, as in the BBC's "Walking with Dinosaurs", which looked extraordinary with only a fraction of the budget. The complexity and scope of "Dinosaur"'s visual scale is impressive, and group shots and a point-of-view angle are stunning. Rated PG for general intensity, the film should be a favorite for the 6- to 11-year-old set. "--Doug Thomas"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo

Summary: Created before the days of computer animation, "Dinosaurs" is an early 1990s television comedy series featuring impressive anthropomorphic, animatronic creatures created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. The story lines challenge some of society's most basic assumptions and explore some of the most universally troublesome aspects of "civilized" life. Set in six million three BC, the Sinclairs are your "typical" blue-collar dinosaur family attempting to adjust to the relatively new concept of communal living. The adjustments of moving from a nomadic lifestyle to one of domestication and social interaction are many, and challenging issues like the concepts of right and wrong, faith, and the intricacies of family relationships are forever besieging this every-man's family. Naturally, the Sinclair family approach is to address each obstacle with an abundance of slapstick comedy. The "Dinosaurs" episodes regularly function on dual levels: the puppetry and silly antics like Baby Sinclair's penchant for hitting her father over the head with a pan while hollering "Not the Mama" appeal to even the youngest children, but the often pointed social commentary and sometimes mature themes are squarely aimed at an adult audience. As a result, parental discretion and guidance are key in determining whether this series is appropriate for children under 9 or 10 years old. "--Tami Horiuchi"

Languages: English

Sound: Dolby

Summary: Families and civilizations are, on the most fundamental level, built on relationships. The third and fourth (final) seasons of the 1991 television series "Dinosaurs" delve deeply into the relationships between the individual members of the Sinclair dinosaur family while simultaneously tackling huge societal issues like sexism, rising medical costs, the negative influence of television and advertising, environmentalism and conservationism, and the modern relevance of faith and ritual to everyday life with fervency and an abundance of slapstick humor. Parents can't help but relate to the extreme characterization of Baby Sinclair as completely possessed by evil upon entering his "Terrible Twos" and will laugh hysterically at Baby's response to the ineffective "solutions" of Dr. Piaget, the babysitter, and his parents. Teenage rebellion and the angst of growing up are just as outrageously satirized in episodes like "The Son Also Rises" and "Charlene's Flat World" and "Dinosaur" writers poke fun at the debate about the effects of television and advertising on young children and society in virtually every episode. The complex issue of conservationism becomes all too personal to Earl in "If You Were a Tree" when he and a tree inadvertantly switch bodies and environmentalism becomes an intergalactic issue in "We Are Not Alone." Bonus features include seven never-before-seen-on-television episodes that deal with everything from the rituals of growing up to family bonding and the perils of materialism; optional audio commentary for the "Nature Calls" and "Into the Woods" episodes; a look at the incredibly funny, self-absorbed character of Baby with writer Kirk Thatcher, executive producer Brian Henson, and actor/puppeteer Kevin Clash; and a discussion about some of the causes behind the "Dinosaurs" series and how the program's format made it possible to address such far-reaching issues. Because "Dinosaurs" functions on dual levels, appealing both to children with its silly puppet antics and adults with its pointed social commentary, some parental guidance may be in order for children under 9 years. "--Tami Horiuchi"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

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

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Summary: The sinuous world of 1950s Cuban dance halls provides the setting for "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights", a "reimagining" that shares with the original movie a deep love of sexy young people pressed tightly together on the dance floor. Fresh from New England, bookish and lovely Katey (Romola Garai, adorable in the charming but little-seen "I Capture the Castle") meets a fiery young busboy named Javier (Diego Luna, "Y Tu Mama Tambien") at a snooty hotel. Before you can say Tito Puente, the two have found a common language in the sensual swaying of their limbs, despite the resistance of Katey's mother (Sela Ward). It's all ridiculous, of course--the dialogue is atrocious, the characters tortilla-thin, and the politics embarrassing--but that's hardly the point. Luna is dreamy, there's lots of sweaty dancing, and Patrick Swayze makes an appearance--what more can you ask from a movie called "Dirty Dancing"? "--Bret Fetzer"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby

Summary: Whether or not you can sympathize with its fascistic/vigilante approach to law enforcement, "Dirty Harry" (directed by star Clint Eastwood's longtime friend and directorial mentor, Don Siegel) is one hell of a cop thriller. The movie makes evocative use of its San Francisco locations as cop Harry Callahan (Eastwood) tracks the elusive "Scorpio killer" who has been terrorizing the city by the Bay. As the psychopath's trail grows hotter, Harry becomes increasingly impatient and intolerant of the frustrating obstacles (departmental red tape, individuals' civil rights) that he feels are keeping him from doing his job. A characteristically taut and tense piece of filmmaking from Siegel ("Invasion of the Body Snatchers", "The Shootist", "Escape from Alcatraz"), it also remains a fascinating slice of American pop culture. It was a big hit (followed by four sequels) that obviously reflected--or exploited--the almost obsessive or paranoid fears and frustrations many Americans felt about crime in the streets. At a time when "law and order" was a familiar slogan for political candidates, Harry Callahan may have represented neither, but from his point of view his job was simple: stop criminals. To him that end justified any means he deemed necessary. "--Jim Emerson"

Languages: English

Summary: Includes all five Dirty Harry films: all special features on the Dirty Harry Special Edition and Deluxe Editions, plus additional special features and contents specific to the Ultimate Collector's Edition. Bonus Feature-Length documentary Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows; a 40+ page hardcover book; Wallet w/metal badge and removable laminated I.D. card; Five 5"x 7" Reproduction Lobby Poster Cards plus an exclusive UCE card; Scorpio Portrait of a Killer Poster-Sized (19" x 27") map of San Francisco detailing Harry’s hunt for the killer; Never-Before-Seen Production Correspondence

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: English, French

Sound: Dolby

Summary: Life's not so great for Mitch Weaver (Macdonald). He's just lost his girlfriend, his job and now his best friend's dad (Warden) needs a new heart! But the only way to arrange the transplant is to cut a deal with a surgeon (Chase) with a gambling problem in other words, find $50,000 or the old man dies! Out of work and out of options, all Mitch and his friend have to rely on is their one natural talent, revenge! Whether planting phony hookers in cars or stinking up houses with rotting fish, these "Revenge Specialists for Hire" are sick, dirty and good! But when a rich client refuses to pay up after a job well done, they make him realize exactly who he's messing with after all, getting even is their business!

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby

Summary: Michael Crichton's bestselling novel was both a high-tech thriller and source of controversy with its hot-button plot about a man's charge of sexual harassment against a female colleague and former lover. The movie, directed by Barry Levinson, turned these issues into a prurient thriller gussied up in glossy production values, virtual reality computer graphics, and steamy sex between Michael Douglas and Demi Moore. Having cornered the market on roles for men whose brains are located south of their waistline, Douglas is well cast as the computer-industry guy who loses a plush promotion to the opportunistic Moore, and he's perfected the expression of paranoid panic. If you don't think about it too much, this is one of those films that can draw you into its manipulative web and really grab your attention. "Disclosure" is more entertaining than thought provoking (because the filmmakers basically danced around the story's potential controversy), but there's enough star power and visual glitz to make this an enjoyable ride. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English

Summary: The legendary tale of "The Prince And The Pauper" gets a magical Disney makeover in tis adventure-filled DISNEY ANIMATION COLLECTION DVD, part of a series of beloved classic short films! In a faraway kingdom, two boys who look exactly alike meet by chance and decide to switch places: a pauper named Mickey, who dreams about a life of luxury, and the Crown Prince, who wishes he could be as free as his subjects. Each boy faces extraordinary challenges in his new role, and together they must figure out how to save the kingdom from an evil Captain who wants the throne for himself!

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Sound: AC-3

Summary: A nature documentary compiled from the vast footage of the BBC's and The Discovery Channel's "Planet Earth " series and produced by award-winning British producer and director Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield, "Earth" is the first nature film from the newly formed Disneynature--a Disney independent film label dedicated to bringing high impact wildlife and environmental films to theaters. James Earl Jones narrates this US version of the 96-minute documentary film (the English and German version are narrated by Patrick Stewart and Ulrich Tukur, respectively) which follows families of arctic polar bears, African elephants, and humpback whales for an entire year. The film tracks the animals' migrations across the globe and through some of the harshest terrains and climates on earth, pointing out in a factual and remarkably non-political way the negative effects of global warming and habitat destruction on these animals and the planet as a whole. Selected from the over 4,000 days of cinematography that went into the making of "Planet Earth", every image is breathtakingly spectacular (especially the first-ever aerial footage of Mount Everest) and Jones' concise narration is engaging and packed with information. What makes this film different from "Planet Earth", besides the obvious shorter run-time, is the sense of story that permeates this film. While children and others disinclined toward factual documentaries or nature films might find "Planet Earth" overly long and somewhat dry, "Earth" views more like an entertainingly touching story about several animal families. The first story begins with an adorable look at two 2-month-old polar bears and their first encounter with the snow and ice outside their den. Viewers of all ages will raptly follow their long trek with their mother across the ice to the water's edge to find food. Danger looms in many places and the polar bears' father's desperate attempts to find food on the ice turn perilous when he ends up stranded in the icy water and is forced to swim to shore where he's outnumbered by fiercely protective walruses. Footage of over 42 kinds of strange and beautiful New Guinea birds of paradise is rich with their breathtaking sounds and colors as well as the trees, fungi, flowers, and plants of tropical rainforest they inhabit. In stark contrast to the moisture-rich tropical rainforests that cover a mere 3% of the earth's surface, but support about 50% of the planet's animals and plants, are the dry lands of the Kalahari desert of South Africa where we meet the African elephants. The elephants' epic quest for food and water leads a mother elephant and her baby across vast prairies, savannahs, grasslands, and barren desert to inland deltas and water holes where they are forced into a tense and fragile alliance with a variety of other animals including their natural predators. Frighteningly real (though not gory) footage of lions attacking the elephants may well scare or disturb young children and the faint of heart, but it serves as a poignant reminder of the natural circle of life. The humpback whales' long migration across half the globe is similarly fraught with danger, yet full of underwater beauty, just as the Adélie penguins' life in one of the earths' most inhospitable lands also features the unexpected beauty of the striking Aurora Australis lightshow. What tracking a year in the life of all these amazing animals demonstrates is not only the exceptional beauty and strikingly harsh realities of life in the wild, but also the resilience of earth's creatures. (Ages 5 and older) "--Tami Horiuchi"

Summary: Join Uncle Scrooge and the colorful cast of characters from the popular DuckTales series in this action-packed wing-slapping, feather-raising treasure hunt.

With his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and his niece Webbigail Vanderquack at his side, everyone's favorite rich uncle, Scrooge McDuck, treks from his mansion home in Duckburg in search of the long-lost loot of the legendary thief Collie Baba. But finding the goods isn't quite what it's "quacked" up to be! Their thrilling adventure leads to comical chaos, magical mayhem and a lesson about what is far more valuable than money, gold and jewels.

Languages: English

Summary: These five classic, time-honored stories, carefully chosen from the Disney vault, are sure to delight and entertain your child for years to come. You'll laugh as Mickey plays both roles in "The Prince And The Pauper," and similarly enjoy the two Academy Award(R)-winning shorts "Three Little Pigs" and "The Tortoise And The Hare" (Best Short Subject, Cartoon, 1932-33 and 1934). With beautiful animation, unforgettable music, and ageless themes about liking yourself for who you are and the value of preparing for the future, this collection of Timeless Tales is a must-own for every family.

Languages: English

Summary: Some of the most endearing stories the world has ever known are contained here in Walt Disney's TIMELESS TALES VOLUME TWO. You'll fall in love with the title characters in the two Academy Award(R)-winning shorts "Ugly Duckling" and "The Country Cousin" (Best Short Subject, Cartoons, 1939 and 1936) and revel in the hilarious antics of Mr. Toad in "The Wind In The Willows." With dazzling animation, unforgettable music, and time-honored themes about facing responsibilities and liking yourself for who you are, this collection of four stories is a must-have for every child's video collection.

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: English, French

Sound: AC-3

Summary: A provocative science fiction drama, "District 9" boasts an original story that gets a little lost in blow-'em-up mayhem. Set in Johannesburg, South Africa, "District 9" begins as a mock documentary about the imminent eviction of extraterrestrials from a pathetic shantytown (called District 9). The creatures, it turns out, have been on Earth for years, having arrived sickly and starving. Initially received by humans with compassion and care, the aliens are now mired in blighted conditions typical of long-term refugee camps unwanted by a hostile, host society. With the creatures' care contracted out to a for-profit corporation, the shantytown has become a violent slum. The aliens sift through massive piles of junk while their minders secretly research weapons technology that arrived on the visitors' spacecraft.
Against this backdrop is a more personal story about a bureaucrat named Wikus (Sharlto Copley) who is accidentally exposed to a DNA-altering substance. As he begins metamorphosing into one of the creatures, Wikus goes on the run from scientists who want to harvest his evolving, new parts and aliens who see him as a threat. When he pairs up with an extraterrestrial secretly planning an escape from Earth, however, what should be a fascinating relationship story becomes a series of firefights and explosions. Nuance is lost to numbing violence, and the more interesting potential of the film is obscured. Yet, for a while "District 9" is a powerful movie with a unique tale to tell. Seamless special effects alone are worth seeing: the (often brutal) exchanges between alien and human are breathtaking. "--Tom Keogh"



"District 9" downloadables (Click for pdf file)

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: Cantonese, English, French, Korean, Spanish

Sound: AC-3

Summary: A provocative science fiction drama, "District 9" boasts an original story that gets a little lost in blow-'em-up mayhem. Set in Johannesburg, South Africa, "District 9" begins as a mock documentary about the imminent eviction of extraterrestrials from a pathetic shantytown (called District 9). The creatures, it turns out, have been on Earth for years, having arrived sickly and starving. Initially received by humans with compassion and care, the aliens are now mired in blighted conditions typical of long-term refugee camps unwanted by a hostile, host society. With the creatures' care contracted out to a for-profit corporation, the shantytown has become a violent slum. The aliens sift through massive piles of junk while their minders secretly research weapons technology that arrived on the visitors' spacecraft.
Against this backdrop is a more personal story about a bureaucrat named Wikus (Sharlto Copley) who is accidentally exposed to a DNA-altering substance. As he begins metamorphosing into one of the creatures, Wikus goes on the run from scientists who want to harvest his evolving, new parts and aliens who see him as a threat. When he pairs up with an extraterrestrial secretly planning an escape from Earth, however, what should be a fascinating relationship story becomes a series of firefights and explosions. Nuance is lost to numbing violence, and the more interesting potential of the film is obscured. Yet, for a while "District 9" is a powerful movie with a unique tale to tell. Seamless special effects alone are worth seeing: the (often brutal) exchanges between alien and human are breathtaking. "--Tom Keogh"



"District 9" downloadables (Click for pdf file)

Languages: English, Spanish

Sound: AC-3

Summary: Peel back the layers of reality and behold a stunning realm hidden beneath. One of magic and wonder. Of sorcery and enchantment. Of ancient spells, secret doors and remarkable heroes who protect us from evil. Because this is also a world of dark mysticism, malevolent forces and unspeakable horrors. And within the shadows around us, a supernatural war is waged. But the balance is shifting. Darkness is winning. Yet there is hope... Join us as Dr. Stephen Strange embarks on a wondrous journey to the heights of a Tibetan mountain, where he seeks healing at the feet of the mysterious Ancient One. But before his wounds can mend, Strange must first let go of his painful past and awaken a gift granted to very few. The gift of magic. Empowered as the new Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Strange now tests his limits, rising up against monsters that push at the gates, facing the most terrifying entity humankind has ever known.

Summary: Ben Stiller/Vince Vaughn classic!
Widescreen

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

Summary: A gripping true crime yarn, a juicy slice of overheated New York atmosphere, and a splendid showcase for its young actors, "Dog Day Afternoon" is a minor classic of the 1970s. The opening montage of New York street life (set to Elton John's lazy "Amoreena") establishes the oppressive mood of a scorching afternoon in the city with such immediacy that you can almost smell the garbage baking in the sun and the water from the hydrants evaporating from the sizzling pavement. Al Pacino plays Sonny, who, along with his rather slow-witted accomplice Sal (John Cazale, familiar as Pacino's "Godfather" brother Fredo), holds hostages after a botched a bank robbery. Sonny finds himself transformed into a rebel celebrity when his standoff with police (including lead negotiator Charles Durning) is covered live on local television. The movie doesn't appear to be about anything in particular, but it really conveys the feel of wild and unpredictable events unfolding before your eyes, and the whole picture is so convincing and involving that you're glued to the screen. An Oscar winner for original screenplay, "Dog Day Afternoon" was also nominated for best picture, actor, supporting actor (Chris Sarandon, as a surprise figure from Sonny's past), editing, and director (Sidney Lumet of "Serpico", "Prince of the City", "The Verdict", and "Running on Empty"). "--Jim Emerson"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby

Summary: Kevin Smith is a conundrum of a filmmaker: he's a writer with brilliant, clever ideas who can't set up a simple shot to save his life. It was fine back when Smith was making low-budget films like "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy", both of which had an amiable, grungy feel to them, but now that he's a rising director who's attracting top talent and tackling bigger themes, it might behoove him to polish his filmmaking. That's the main problem with "Dogma"--it's an ambitious, funny, aggressively intelligent film about modern-day religion, but while Smith's writing has matured significantly (anyone who thinks he's not topnotch should take a look at "Chasing Amy"), his direction hasn't. It's too bad, because "Dogma" is ripe for near-classic status in its theological satire, which is hardly as blasphemous as the protests that greeted the movie would lead you to believe.
Two banished angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) have discovered a loophole that would allow them back into heaven; problem is, they'd destroy civilization in the process by proving God fallible. It's up to Bethany (Linda Fiorentino), a lapsed Catholic who works in an abortion clinic, to save the day, with some help from two so-called prophets (Smith and Jason Mewes, as their perennial characters Jay and Silent Bob), the heretofore unknown 13th apostle (Chris Rock), and a sexy, heavenly muse (the sublime Salma Hayek, who almost single-handedly steals the film). In some ways "Dogma" is a shaggy dog of a road movie--which hits a comic peak when Affleck and Fiorentino banter drunkenly on a train to New Jersey, not realizing they're mortal enemies--and segues into a comedy-action flick as the vengeful angels (who have a taste for blood) try to make their way into heaven. Smith's cast is exceptional--with Fiorentino lending a sardonic gravity to the proceedings, and Jason Lee smirking evilly as the horned devil Azrael--and the film shuffles good-naturedly to its climax (featuring Alanis Morissette as a beatifically silent God), but it just looks so unrelentingly... "subpar". Credit Smith with being a daring writer but a less-than-stellar director. "--Mark Englehart"

Languages: English, French

Summary: If you focus on the effective casting of John Travolta and Vince Vaughan, "Domestic Disturbance" may grab your attention as a thriller that hits too close to home. After playing a greasy villain in "Swordfish", Travolta ably serves up the good-guy charm as a divorced father who must rescue his teenage son from a murderous new stepfather, played by Vaughan with bad-tempered relish. Director Harold Becker is worthy of better material (like his earlier hit "Sea of Love"), but he handles this B-movie potboiler with professional flair, particularly in the setup involving an accomplice (the ever-reliable Steve Buscemi) who threatens to destroy Vaughan's small-town respectability. The plot's about as plausible as Britney Spears in a remake of "Sophie's Choice", relying heavily on lame-brained cops and vast chasms in logic, but by the time Travolta and Vaughan engage in their inevitable showdown, even childless viewers may feel a twinge of parental instinct. "--Jeff Shannon"

Summary:

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, French

Sound: AC-3

Summary: Based on a memoir by former undercover cop Joe Pistone (whose daring and unprecedented infiltration of the New York Mob scene earned him a place in the federal witness protection program), Donnie Brasco is like a de-romanticized, de-mythologized version of "The Godfather". It offers an uncommonly detailed, privileged glimpse inside the world of organized crime from the perspective of the little guys at the bottom of Mafia hierarchy rather than from the kingpins at the top. Donnie Brasco is not only one of the great modern-day gangster movies to put in the company of "The Godfather" films and "GoodFellas", but it is also one of the great undercover police movies--arguably surpassing "Serpico" and "Prince of the City" in richness of character, detail, and moral complexity. Donnie (Johnny Depp, a splendid actor) is practically adopted by Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino), a gregarious, low-level "made" man who grows to love his young protégé like a son. (Pacino really sinks into this guy's skin and polyester slacks, and creates his freshest, most fully realized character since his 1970s heyday.) As Donnie acclimates himself to Lefty's world, he distances himself from his wife (a terrific Anne Heche) and family for their own protection. Almost imperceptibly his sense of identity slips away from him. Questioning his own confused loyalties, unable to trust anybody else because he himself is an imposter, Donnie loses his way in a murky and treacherous no-man's land. The film is directed by Mike Newell, who also headed up "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and the gritty, true crime melodrama "Dance with a Stranger". "--Jim Emerson"

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby

Summary: Based on a memoir by former undercover cop Joe Pistone (whose daring and unprecedented infiltration of the New York Mob scene earned him a place in the federal witness protection program), "Donnie Brasco" is like a de- romanticized, de-mythologized version of "The Godfather". It offers an uncommonly detailed, privileged glimpse inside the world of organized crime from the perspective of the little guys at the bottom of Mafia hierarchy rather than from the kingpins at the top. "Donnie Brasco" is not only one of the great modern-day gangster movies to put in the company of "The Godfather" films and"GoodFellas", but it is also one of the great undercover police movies--arguably surpassing "Serpico" and "Prince of the City" in richness of character, detail, and moral complexity. Donnie (Johnny Depp, a splendid actor) is practically adopted by Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino), a gregarious, low-level "made" man who grows to love his young protégé like a son. (Pacino really sinks into this guy's skin and polyester slacks, and creates his freshest, most fully realized character since his 1970s heyday.) As Donnie acclimates himself to Lefty's world, he distances himself from his wife (a terrific Anne Heche) and family for their own protection. Almost imperceptibly his sense of identity slips away from him. Questioning his own confused loyalties, unable to trust anybody else because he himself is an imposter, Donnie loses his way in a murky and treacherous no-man's land. The film is directed by Mike Newell, who also headed up "Four Weddings and a Funeral " and the gritty, true crime melodrama "Dance with a Stranger". -"-Jim Emerson "













Stills from "Donnie Brasco" (click for larger image)

























































Beyond " Donnie Brasco " on Amazon.com










DVDs starring Al Pacino





More Gangster Movies








The Memoir

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: AC-3

Summary: 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"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: AC-3

Summary: Thanks in large part to its meticulous re-creation of the late-1960s and early-'70s rock scene and the uncannily authentic performance by Val Kilmer as legendary Doors frontman Jim Morrison, Oliver Stone's hypnotic film biography is standing the test of time. Capturing the carefree mood of the Age of Aquarius, the film charts the meteoric rise of the Doors on the California club circuit (including a memorable scene showing the creation of the hit "Light My Fire"), and chronicles the band's exploits with hallucinogenics and Morrison's battles against charges of public indecency on stage. Kilmer's performance is hauntingly perfect, and performances by Meg Ryan, Kathleen Quinlan, and Kyle MacLachlan are similarly impressive. The movie doesn't fully probe the depths of Morrison's character, but as a portrait of excess it is vividly true to the spirit of the self-destructive poet known to his fans as "The Lizard King." "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English, French

Summary:

Languages: English, Spanish, French

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby

Summary: The bright, glossy world of Doris Day and Rock Hudson sex comedies gets a self-aware brush-up in "Down with Love". Pillow-lipped Renée Zellweger ("Chicago") plays Barbara Novak, the author of a bestselling book called "Down with Love" that advises women to focus on their careers and have sex "à la carte"--just like a man would. Determined to prove that Novak is just as vulnerable to love as any woman, dashingly chauvinist magazine writer Catcher Block (ever-charming Ewan McGregor, "Moulin Rouge") pretends to be a courtly astronaut who wouldn't dream of putting his hand on a woman's knee. This piffle of a story seems like nothing more than an excuse for ironic double-entendres and dazzling production design, until a sneaky plot twist suddenly raises the stakes for the movie's end. As he always does, the brilliant David Hyde Pierce ("Frasier") scores the most comic points as Block's fussy editor. "--Bret Fetzer"

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Summary: It's only a marginal improvement, but "Dr. Dolittle 2" defies the odds by rising above its popular 1998 predecessor (and once again, let's not confuse these movies with the earlier Rex Harrison musical). Eddie Murphy cakewalks through his title role with the confident professionalism of a comedian who knows when to share the spotlight--especially when he's being upstaged by a bunch of animals who steal all the punch lines. And once again the movie's aimed at a preteen audience, so many of those punch lines involve flatulence, bodily functions, and frequent use of the word "butt".
The difference this time: Dr. Dolittle has settled into his talk-to-the-animals routine; his 16-year-old daughter (Raven-Symone) is getting to be a feisty handful (it turns out she's coping with a hereditary gift); and his lawyer wife (Kristen Wilson) is representing him in a trial against corporate villains who want to clear-cut a local forest. Naturally, the local critter mafia (their Don is a beaver... fugeddaboutit!) want Dolittle to fight for their cause, and this involves the successful mating of an endangered bear and a domesticated circus bear who's forgotten all the bear necessities of life in the wild. The bears are voiced by Lisa Kudrow and Steve Zahn, and they almost steal the show, but the whole menagerie (with digitally animated "talking") is equally amusing. Adults might wish that the filmmakers had tried harder to make a truly memorable sequel, but this is a movie for kids, and they're going to love it without quibbling. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English, French

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround

Summary: There's something intrinsically funny about tactlessly truth-telling talking animals. And there are plenty of those--and laughs to go with them--in this 1998 reimagining of Hugh Lofting's children's story. Murphy plays the doctor in question, a modern-day San Francisco physician who discovers that he can understand what animals have to say. Director Betty Thomas makes the most of an amazing voice cast for the animals, led by Norm McDonald and including everyone from Garry Shandling to Julie Kavner to Albert Brooks. The story itself is pretty slim--will the conscientious doctor sign his soul away to a greedy HMO?--but Murphy makes the most of it, often providing priceless reactions to animal voices only he can hear. "--Marshall Fine"

Languages: English, Spanish

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

Summary: Released in 1962, this first James Bond movie remains one of the best, and serves as an entertaining reminder that the Bond series began (in keeping with Ian Fleming's novels) with a surprising lack of gadgetry and big-budget fireworks. Sean Connery was just 32 years old when he won the role of Agent 007. In his first adventure James Bond is called to Jamaica where a colleague and secretary have been mysteriously killed. With an American CIA agent (Jack Lord, pre-"Hawaii Five-O"), they discover that the nefarious Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman) is scheming to blackmail the U.S. government with a device capable of deflecting and destroying U.S. rockets launched from Cape Canaveral. Of course, Bond takes time off from his exploits to enjoy the company of a few gorgeous women, including the bikini-clad Ursula Andress. She gloriously kicks off the long-standing tradition of Bond women who know how to please their favorite secret agent. A sexist anachronism? Maybe, but this is Bond at his purest, kicking off a series of movies that shows no sign of slowing down. "--Jeff Shannon"

Languages: English

Subtitles: Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby

Summary: Green Eggs and Ham and Other Favorites introduces you to Sam-I-Am, who insists that EVERYONE sample the dish he loves best! Plus, you'll encounter some very narrow-minded Sneetches and packs of Zax on the prairie of Prax! Also, in the Emmy Award-winning Grinch Night, a young Who-boy sets out to save Whoville from the foul-tempered Grinch! Brimming with fun, each story also offers a gentle life lesson for young imaginations! 20

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Sound: Unknown

Summary: This all-time classic now has "Horton Hears a Who!" on the same video for a great double bill.
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
To heck with the kids--this is one of the best holiday presents you can give yourself. Adapted from the children's book by Dr. Seuss, this charming story is one to watch every holiday season. It is just edgy enough to help you forget the more cloying aspects of Christmas, yet it is also sweet enough to remind you of the reason for all that holiday cheer. Animation genius Chuck Jones directed this 1966 television production featuring the voice of Boris Karloff as the mean greenie. Bitter and selfish, the Grinch decides to steal Christmas away from the Whos, the sweet little folk who live at the bottom of his mountain home. When little Cindy Loo Who returns his hateful act with kindness, she melts the old miser's heart. There are many reasons to watch this: inventive wordplay, Karloff's impressive narration, and a very memorable soundtrack. "--Rochelle O'Gorman"
"Horton Hears a Who!"
Chuck Jones was chief animator on this lively adaptation of the famous book by Dr. Seuss. The story of a friendly elephant named Horton who discovers--deep inside a daisy--a tiny city called Whoville with tiny, intelligent residents--this film (fleshed out a bit from the source) is strong on character and has striking, appealing visuals. The little folks of Whoville, with their natural air of aristocracy, are a kick, and when they come to see Horton as a hero for his democratic view of all life big and small, the effect is quite touching. This should be a real treat for kids already familiar with the book, and just might inspire those who haven't read it to pick it up. "--Tom Keogh"

Languages: English

Subtitles: Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

Summary: In a marvelously animated version of one of the most beloved of all Dr. Seuss tales, two youngsters find themselves at home with nothing to do on a rainy afternoon. But when the magical, mischievous Cat in the Hat arrives on the scene, they're all cat-apulted into a day of rousing, romping, outlandish antics they - and you - will never forget!

Languages: English

Subtitles: Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby

Summary: In the Emmy Award-winning tale of the The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss's two most popular characters square off in a whimsical, Seuss-style showdown as the ever-clever Cat puts the gloomy Grinch in his place! Then, in the Emmy-nominated Hoober Bloob Highway, you'll visit a magical floating island, where the kindly Mr. Hoober Bloob sends little babies to earth in his own musical, comical way!