Dom's Movies
as of 2/24/2006 1:00:45 PM
Title Format Genre Plot
101 Dalmatians DVD Animation; Disney; Family When a litter of dalmation puppies are abducted by the minions of Cruella De Vil, the parents must find them before she uses them for a diabolical fashion statement.
The 40 Year Old Virgin DVD Comedy Goaded by his buddies, a nerdy guy who's never "done the deed" only finds the pressure mounting when he meets a single mother.
Anchorman - The Legend of Ron Burgundy DVD Comedy Ron Burgundy is San Diego's top rated newsman in the male dominated broadcasting of the 1970's, but that's all about to change when a new female employee with ambition to burn arrives in his office.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire DVD Disney A young adventurer named Milo Thatch joins an intrepid group of explorers to find the mysterious lost continent of Atlantis.
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me DVD Comedy Dr. Evil is back...and has invented a new time machine that allows him to go back to the 60's and steal Austin Powers's mojo, inadvertently leaving him "shagless".
Baby Einstein: Baby MacDonald DVD Family The beauty of this entry in the Baby Einstein catalog is its integration of puppets, toys, and live farm footage to help babies and toddlers make the connection between their plastic play sets and stuffed animals with images of a real farm. As always, the spoken language is minimal, omitting the pesky verbs and adjectives that would confuse the very young. The 30-minute main program is divided into sections: barns and equipment, animals, planting crops, and harvesting. Background music ranges from "Old MacDonald" to Schumann, and DVD extras include a 6-minute puppet show and visual "discovery cards" identifying animals and farm paraphernalia with a single word. (Ages 6 months to 3 years) <I>--Kimberly Heinrichs</I>
Back to the Future DVD Sci-Fi Eccentric Doc Brown invents time travel; young Marty McFly goes back in time, stops his parents from meeting; they must, or he won't be born.
Back to the Future Part II DVD Sci-Fi Things have barely settled from the excitement and resolve of the original Back to the Future, when in pops that crazy inventor Dr. Emmett Brown ( Christopher Lloyd ) with news that in order to prevent a series of events that could ruin the McFly name for posterity, Marty McFly ( Michael J. Fox ) and his girlfriend are whisked into the future to the year 2015 where McFly must tangle with a teen rogue named Griff, who's obviously the descendant of Biff, the first Future film's bully. Marty foils Griff and his group when he jumps on an air-foil skateboard that flies him through town at rakish speeds with the loser bullies beaten again. McFly gets a money-making brainstorm before hopping in the time-traveling DeLorean and he purchases a sports almanac. He figures that back in 1985 he'll be able to place sure-fire bets using the published sports scores of the games that are yet to happen. Unfortunately for Marty, Dr. Brown disapproves of his betting scheme &mdash;(he feels too much messing with time is very dangerous &mdash; and he tosses the almanac. A hidden Biff overhears the discussion about the almanac, sees it get tossed out, and grabs it. Thus begins a time traveling swirl to make the head spin. Biff swipes the DeLorean, heads back to 1955, and with the help of the unerring almanac, bets his way to power. The now-altered "Biff world" has turned into a nightmarish scene with Biff the mogul, residing in a Vegas-styled pleasure palace and running everything. It's all our hero McFly can do to pull the pieces together this time, as he must jump between three generations of intertwined time travel. The end of Back to the Future, Part 2 introduces its sequel as the zany Professor has already time-dashed away to the Wild West of the late 1800s and invites Marty into a new adventure. &mdash; All Movie Guide
Back to the Future Part III DVD Sci-Fi The final installment in the Back to the Future trilogy picks up where the second film left off, but it casts off the dizzying time travel of the first two films for mostly routine comedy set in the Old West. Marty McFly ( Michael J. Fox ) receives a seventy-year-old letter from his inventor friend, Doc Brown ( Christopher Lloyd ), who tells Marty that he has retreated a century in time to live out a relatively quiet life in the Old West. Doc Brown reveals that he hid his DeLorean car/time machine in an abandoned mine outside town, and when Marty does some research and discovers that the Doc died shortly after writing the letter, he decides to find the car, travel back in time, and warn the Doc about his demise. Meanwhile, the Doc, who has fallen in love with a local woman ( Mary Steenburgen ), realizes he can't hide in the past from the problems he has caused to the timeflow in the previous two adventures. He reluctantly decides to return to the present with Marty, but first, they have to find a way to get the DeLorean up to time-travel velocity with a broken fuel line and no gasoline. &mdash; Don Kaye
The Bad News Bears DVD Comedy; Theme - Sports An aging, down-on-his-luck ex-minor leaguer coaches a team of misfits in an ultra-competitive California little league.
The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training DVD Comedy; Theme - Sports The Bears make a cross country trek to Houston for an exhibition game.
Bad Santa DVD Comedy; Holiday A miserable conman and his pint size partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper, only to rob department stores on Christmas Eve but run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid.
BASEketball DVD Comedy Two childhood friends are pro athletes of a national sport called BASEketball, a hybrid of baseball and basketball, and must deal with a greedy businessman scheming against their team.
Being John Malkovich DVD Drama A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of the movie star, John Malkovich.
Best in Show DVD Comedy A colorful array of characters competes at a national dog show.
Better Off Dead... DVD Comedy A teenager has to deal with his girlfriend dumping him among family crises, homicidal paper boys, and a rival skier.
Beverly Hills Cop DVD Comedy A freewheeling Detroit cop pursuing a murder investigation finds himself dealing with the very different culture of Beverly Hills.
Beyond the Sea DVD Musical A swooning study of "Mack the Knife" singer Bobby Darin (Spacey) specifically, and his relationship with his wife Sandra Dee (Bosworth).
The Big Blind DVD Drama
The Big Easy DVD Mystery Set in New Orleans. Remy McSwain, lieutenant in Homicide finds that he has two problems, the first of a series of gang killings and Ann Osborne...
Blackbeard's Ghost DVD Disney In this comedy, Peter Ustinov is the famous pirate's ghost that returns to our time. Blackbeard has...
Blazing Saddles DVD Comedy; Western To ruin a western town, a corrupt political boss appoints a black sheriff, who promptly becomes his most formidable adversary.
The Blues Brothers DVD Drama Jake Blues, just out from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and brother Elwood were raised.
Boogie Nights DVD Drama The story of a young man's adventures in the Californian pornography industry of the 1970s and 1980s.
The Breakfast Club DVD Drama Forced to spend a Saturday detention in school, five disparate high school kids find that they have more in common than they ever realized.
Brewster's Millions DVD Comedy; Theme - Urban A minor league baseball player has to waste $30m in 30 days in order to inherit $300m; however he's not allowed to tell anyone about the $300m deal.
The Brothers Grimm DVD Adventure Will and Jake Grimm are travelling con-artists who encounter a genuine fairy-tale curse which requires genuine courage instead of their usual bogus exorcisms.
Bubba Ho-Tep DVD Drama Don Coscarelli directs and Bruce Campbell stars as the King of Camp in this intentionally over-the-top schlockfest. <I>Bubba Ho-Tep</I> is partially about Elvis Presley and partially about the title character, an Egyptian cowboy zombie, but mostly it is about camp. The movie is equal parts story and back story. We learn through narration and flashback how Elvis didn't really die, ending up instead in a rest home in East Texas with JFK (played by Ossie Davis), who was dyed black and had his brain removed, presumably for reasons of national security. Campbell and Davis realize that something strange is going on when their rest-home compatriots start dropping off suspiciously. The whole movie leads up to a final showdown to the death with the Egyptian cowboy zombie who has been sucking the souls of their fellow residents because he thought no one would notice. The movie unfolds a bit slowly; it is, after all, a geriatrics-fight-Egyptian-cowboy-zombie movie. However, one wishes this self-conscious movie's pacing took its cue from the atypically fast-moving zombie instead of from the senior-citizen Elvis and JFK. In the end, though, Campbell is flawless as the aged King; his accent, intonations, glasses, and trademark karate are at the same time sincere and over the top. <I>--Brian Saltzman</I>
Bug's Life, A (Collector's Edition) - 2 Disc Collector's Edition DVD Animation; Disney; Family There was such a magic on the screen in 1995 when the people at Pixar came up with the first fully computer-animated film, Toy Story. Their second feature film, A Bug's Life, may miss the bull's-eye but Pixar's target is so lofty, it's hard to find the film anything less than irresistible. Brighter and more colorful than the other animated insect movie of 1998 (Antz), A Bug's Life is the sweetly told story of Flik (voiced by David Foley), an ant searching for better ways to be a bug. His colony unfortunately revolves around feeding and fearing the local grasshoppers (lead by Hopper, voiced with gleeful menace by Kevin Spacey). When Flik accidentally destroys the seasonal food supply for the grasshoppers he decides to look for help ("We need bigger bugs!"). The ants, led by Princess Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), are eager to dispose of the troublesome Flik. Yet he finds help--a hearty bunch of bug warriors--and brings them back to the colony. Unfortunately they are just traveling performers afraid of conflict. As with Toy Story, the ensemble of creatures and voices is remarkable and often inspired. Highlights include wiseacre comedian Denis Leary as an un-ladylike ladybug, Joe Ranft as the German-accented caterpillar, David Hyde Pierce as a stick bug, and Michael McShane as a pair of unintelligible pillbugs. The scene-stealer is Atta's squeaky-voiced sister, baby Dot (Hayden Panettiere), who has a big sweet spot for Flik. More gentle and kid-friendly than Antz, A Bug Life's still has some good suspense and a wonderful demise of the villain. However, the film--a giant worldwide hit--will be remembered for its most creative touch: "outtakes" over the end credits à la many live-action comedy films. These dozen or so scenes (both "editions" of outtakes are contained here) are brilliant and deserve a special place in film history right along with 1998's other most talked-about sequence: the opening Normandy invasion in Saving Private Ryan. The video also contains Pixar's delightful Oscar-winning short, Geri's Game. Box art varies. --Doug Thomas
Bye Bye Birdie DVD Musical; Family A rock singer travels to a small Ohio town to make his "farewell" television performance and kiss his biggest fan before he is drafted.
Caddyshack DVD Comedy; Theme - Sports An exclusive golf course has to deal with a brash new member.
Cadillac Man DVD Comedy; Theme - Urban Joe's a car salesman with a problem. He has two days to sell 12 cars or he loses his job. This would...
California Split DVD Comedy; Drama A down on his luck gambler (George Seagal) links up with free spirit Elliot Gould at first to have some fun on...
Cannibal! The Musical DVD Musical The sole survivor of an ill-fated mining expedition tells how his taste for gold was replaced by that of human flesh.
Cannonball Run DVD Comedy; Theme - Driving A wide variety of eccentric competitors participate in a wild and illegal cross-country car race.
Cannonball Run II DVD Comedy; Theme - Driving The original characters from the first Cannonball movie race across the country once more in various cars and trucks.
Captain Ron DVD Comedy; Theme - Beach A family in Chicago inherits the yacht formerly owned by Clark Gable. They decide to sail it from the island of Ste...
Carnivàle - The Complete First Season DVD Drama 1934, America. The Dustbowl. A fugitive named Ben Hawkins finds refuge within a traveling carnival comprised...
Casino DVD Drama; Theme - Gambling-Vegas Greed, deception, money, power, and murder occur between two mobster best friends and a trophy wife over a gambling empire.
The Cat in the Hat DVD Animation Two children left home alone for a short while one afternoon are visited by a very interesting yet troublesome cat wearing a tall striped hat...
Cheech & Chong: Still Smokin DVD Comedy Cheech & Chong are invited to a celebrity party/festival in Amsterdam. When they get there, however...
Cheech & Chong: Up in Smoke DVD Comedy Two stoners unknowingly smuggle a van - made entirely of marijuana - from Mexico to L.A., with incompetent Sgt. Stedenko on their trail.
Cheech & Chong's Next Movie DVD Comedy The two stoners and their friends go through another series of crazy, drug-influenced misadventures.
Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams DVD Comedy Disguised as ice cream vendors, Cheech and Chong make--and subsequently lose--millions of dollars selling a batch of marijuana with an unusual side effect.
Chicken Run DVD Animation; Family Chicken Run is a comedy escape drama with a touch of passion set on a sinister Yorks chicken farm in 1950's England
Chinatown DVD Drama A private detective investigating an adultery case stumbles on to a scheme of murder that has something to do with water.
Christmas Favorites (Rudolph, Frosty, Grinch) DVD Holiday Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty The Snowman, and How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Christmas in South Park DVD Animation; Holiday Howdy Ho! Mr. Hankey, everybody's favorite piece of poo, is here to show us his line up of holly jolly Christmas songs...
A Christmas Story DVD Comedy; Holiday Ralphie has to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun really is the perfect gift for the 1940's.
Christmas Vacation DVD Comedy; Holiday The Griswold family's plans for a big family Christmas predictably turn into a big disaster.
Clerks DVD Comedy A day in the life of two nowhere-bound convenience and video store clerks (Dante and Randal), and the two eccentric drug dealers (Jay and Silent Bob) who constantly hang out outside the stores.
A Clockwork Orange DVD Drama The adventures of a young man who loved a bit of the old ultra-violence, went to jail, was brainwashed and came out cured, or was he?
Club Dread DVD Comedy; Theme - Beach When a serial killer interrupts the fun at the swanky Coconut Pete's Coconut Beach Resort -- a hedonistic island paradise for swingers --- it's up to the club's staff to stop the violence ... or at least hide it!
Clue DVD Comedy Six guests are invited to a strange house and must cooperate with the staff to solve a murder mystery.
Columbo - The Complete First Season DVD TV detective fans rejoice: Peter Falk's rumpled and infallible Lt. Columbo joins the DVD precinct with a five-disc set that features the detective's first nine appearances for NBC. Though Falk as Columbo (no first name) made his TV debut in 1967, the detective had actually first appeared on an episode of the 1960-61 <I>Chevy Mystery Show</I> (Bert Freed played the role) written by veteran TV scribes Richard Levinson and William Link (<I>The Fugitive</I>, <I>Alfred Hitchcock Presents</I>). The pair turned the episode into a stage play titled <I>Prescription: Murder</I>, which was adapted into a TV movie in 1967 with Falk in the lead. NBC greenlit a two-hour Columbo pilot (<I>Ransom for a Dead Man</I>) in 1971, and the series was launched that fall as part of the <I>NBC Sunday Mystery Movie</I>, a rotating 90-minute program that alternated <I>Columbo</I> with episodes of <I>MacMillan and Wife</I> and <I>McCloud</I> (another Levinson/Link creation). Viewers were quickly won over by Falk's shrewd performance as he matched wits with a host of exceptional guest stars (including Gene Barry, Patrick McGoohan, and others), all of whom assumed that the disheveled detective would never figure out their "perfect crimes"; the popularity and quality of the original series allows Falk to continue to don the trenchcoat some 30 years later for occasional <I>Columbo</I> TV movies. <p> All seven 90-minute episodes of the 1971-72 debut season are included here, along with <I>Prescription: Murder</I> and <I>Ransom for a Dead Man</I>; unfortunately, as the lieutenant himself would say, "Oh, just one more thing"--no extras are included in the set, but having these fine TV mysteries in one set should be reward enough for armchair sleuths. <I>--Paul Gaita</I>
Columbo - The Complete Second Season DVD Armchair sleuths, get out your trenchcoats: Universal has released the sophomore season (1972-73) of the classic detective series <I>Columbo</I>, starring Peter Falk as the sage but rumpled police lieutenant. As with the first season, there's plenty of star power in front of and behind the camera to abet Falk in these eight 90- and 120-minute episodes: John Cassavetes stars in the season premiere, <I>Etude in Black</I>, as a philandering symphony conductor, with Blythe Danner and Hollywood legend Myrna Loy in support; Oscar winner Ray Milland is a scheming orchid grower in "The Greenhouse Jungle," co-starring Bradford Dillman and William Smith; Robert Culp and Dean Stockwell are a football team manager and owner, respectively, whose disagreements blossom into murder in "The Most Crucial Game"; and Jeanette Nolan offers stellar comic relief in "Double Shock," which features Martin Landau as identical twins--one of whom has murdered their uncle. Performances by Richard Basehart, Laurence Harvey, Leonard Nimoy, Anne Francis, Anne Baxter, and Mel Ferrer also highlight the season; direction by small-screen stalwarts like Boris Sagal, Jeremy Paul Kagan, and Nicholas Colasanto ("Coach" on <I>Cheers</I>) and scripts by Stephen Bochco also bring quality and style to the proceedings. Sadly, no extras are available in this five-disc set, but the stellar image and sound quality (and lack of commercials) should appeal to series fans and newcomers alike. <I>--Paul Gaita</I>
Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Second Season DVD Comedy It's more of the same for Larry David's sitcom from HBO, and for fans, that's a good thing. The show--largely extemporized--follows suit of David's former series, <I>Seinfeld</I>: it's a show about nothing, just the everyday life of the star going about his pseudo-real world. But David's show has far more edge (thanks, in part, to airing on cable TV) with all the bad luck, embarrassing situations, and dreadful behavior as its premiere season. The closest thing to an arc is David's season-long pitch to the networks for a new show starring former <I>Seinfeld</I> stars Jason Alexander and Julia-Louis Dreyfus. Each network is lampooned, especially HBO, which David has a bad history with in this alternate world. Sure to repel those with soft funny bones, <I>Curb's</I> acerbic comedy allows jokes where David is accidentally framed--if ever so briefly--as a child molester, wife abuser, or murderer. But for those who do love his shtick, there are big laughs, especially when we bump into characters as unbridled as David, like a fellow writer who is quite protective of his dad's invention, the Cobb salad. <p> Many comic actors pop up, some as "themselves" (Richard Lewis, Rob Reiner) and others as characters (Rita Wilson, Ed Asner) along with the delights of co-stars Cheryl Hines as David's wife and his affable manger, Jeff Garlin. There are several touchstone bits: what a thong brief can do to a relationship, a run-in with pro wrestler, Larry's first baptism, and one very collectible doll. To pick one episode to capture this second season--and its grandstanding nature--it would be "Shaq," in which the NBA star is accidentally tripped, changing David's usual bad luck with gut-busting results. <I>--Doug Thomas</I>
The Dark Crystal DVD Animation Another planet, another time. 1000 years ago the Dark Crystal was damaged by one of the Urskeks and an age of chaos began...
Davy Crockett, The Complete Televised Series - Walt Disney Treasures DVD Disney; Western Available uncut for the first time, the five episodes of <I>Davy Crockett</I> that aired on Walt Disney's "Disneyland" show (1954-55) launched one of the great pop culture crazes of the '50s. An estimated $300 million worth of Crockett merchandise was sold during the first eight months of the craze, including 10 million "coonskin" caps. Disney didn't spend a lot on the original episodes, but as host Leonard Maltin observes, the colorful location and matte shots distinguished <I>Davy Crockett</I> from the cheesy-looking westerns of the 1950s. The three original episodes were later recut into the theatrical feature <I>Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier</I> (1955); the more comic adventures from the second season that introduced the flamboyant riverman Mike Fink (Jeffrey Hunter) became <I>Davy Crockett and the River Pirates</I> (1956). Tall and ruggedly handsome, if somewhat limited as an actor, Fess Parker was effective as the laconic frontiersman. The more experienced Buddy Ebsen (playing sidekick Georgie Russel) carried many of their scenes. Fifty years later, <I>Davy Crockett</I> remains an engaging example of national myth making. Younger viewers may be surprised to find this straightforward hero retains much of his appeal in an uncertain time. <I>--Charles Solomon</I>
Death Race 2000 DVD Sci-Fi A champion of a brutal cross-country car race of the future where pedestrians are run down for points...
Die Hard DVD Action New York cop John McClane gives terrorists a dose of their own medicine as they hold hostages in an LA office building.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels DVD Comedy Lawrence and Freddie are con-men; big-time and small time respectively. They unsuccessfully attempt...
Disneyland USA - Walt Disney Treasures DVD Disney; Documentary To finance Disneyland he wanted to build, Walt Disney turned to the new medium of television. As host Leonard Maltin notes on this two- disc set of televised specials for the amusement park, Disney used the series to promote it, "and no one seemed to mind." ABC agreed to invest in return for a weekly one-hour program. The "Disneyland" TV show premiered on October 27, 1954: "Disneyland Story" introduced the park and its various lands, which would be the subject of future programs. The opening-day special, "Dateline Disneyland" (July 17, 1955), attracted an estimated audience of 90 million--virtually every television household in America. Hosted by Art Linkletter, Robert Cummings, and Ronald Reagan, the live broadcast includes such unplanned moments as Linkletter searching frantically for a microphone in Fantasyland. The Tenth Anniversary show (January 3, 1965) features cameos of Mary Blair and Marc Davis, two celebrated animation artists. Home movie footage of Walt pacing off distances at the barren site in Anaheim is intercut with peeks at forthcoming attractions. "Disneyland After Dark" (April 15, 1962) offers performances by Annette Funicello, Bobby Burgess, Bobby Rydell, Louis Armstrong, and a prepubescent quartet of Osmond Brothers. A must-have set for Disneyland buffs, Disney collectors, and nostalgic baby boomers. <I>--Charles Solomon</I>
Disorganized Crime DVD Drama This movie places some top thiefs, looking to steal money from a bank. The All-Star cast has many blunders on the way...
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story DVD Comedy A group of misfits enter a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament in order to save their cherished local gym from the onslaught of a corporate health fitness chain.
Dogma (Special Edition) DVD Drama 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 <I>Clerks</I> and <I>Chasing Amy</I>, 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 <I>Dogma</I>--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 <I>Chasing Amy</I>), his direction hasn't. It's too bad, because <I>Dogma</I> 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. <p> 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 <I>Dogma</I> 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... <I>subpar</I>. Credit Smith with being a daring writer but a less-than-stellar director. <I>--Mark Englehart</I>
Down and Out in Beverly Hills DVD Comedy; Theme - Urban Beverly Hills couple Barbara and Dave Whiteman are very rich but not happy Dave is a hard working business man...
Down with Love DVD Comedy Aaaah... it's New York City in 1963, and love is blooming between a journalist (McGregor) and a feminist advice author (Zellweger), who's falling head over heels despite her beau's playboy lifestyle.
Dragnet DVD Comedy; Theme - Urban The equally-straight-laced and "by the book" nephew of Joe Friday must work with his more laid-back partner to solve a mystery.
Dumb & Dumber DVD Comedy The cross-country adventures of two good-hearted but incredibly stupid friends.
E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial DVD Sci-Fi Steven Spielberg's 1982 hit about a stranded alien and his loving relationship with a fatherless boy (Henry Thomas) struck a chord with audiences everywhere, and it furthered Spielberg's reputation as a director of equally strong commercial sensibilities and classical leanings. Henry Thomas gives a strong, emotional performance as E.T.'s young friend, Robert MacNaughton and Drew Barrymore make a solid impression as his siblings, and Dee Wallace is lively as the kids' mother. The special effects almost look a bit quaint now with all the computer advancements that have occurred since, but they also have more heart behind them than a lot of what we see today. <I>--Tom Keogh</I>
Earthquake DVD Action Various stories of various people as an earthquake of un-imagineable magnitude hits Los Angeles.
Elf DVD Comedy; Holiday <I>Elf</I> is genuinely good. Not just <I>Saturday Night Live</I>-movie good, when the movie has some funny bits but is basically an insult to humanity; <I>Elf</I> is a smartly written, skillfully directed, and deftly acted story of a human being adopted by Christmas elves who returns to the human world to find his father. And because the writing, directing, and acting are all genuinely good, <I>Elf</I> is also genuinely funny. Will Ferrell, as Buddy the adopted elf, is hysterically sincere. James Caan, as his rediscovered father, executes his surly dumbfoundedness with perfect aplomb. Zooey Deschanel, as a department store worker with whom Buddy falls in love, is adorably sardonic. Director Jon Favreau (<I>Swingers</I>) shepherds the movie through all the obligatory Christmas cliches and focuses on material that's sometimes subtle and consistently surprising. Frankly, <I>Elf</I> feels miraculous. Also featuring Mary Steenburgen, Bob Newhart, Peter Dinklage, and Ed Asner as Santa Claus. <I>--Bret Fetzer</I>
Entourage - Season 1 DVD Comedy Film star Vince Chase navigates the vapid terrain of Los Angeles with a close circle of friends and his trusty agent.
Envy DVD Comedy A man becomes increasingly jealous of his friend's newfound success.
Escape from New York DVD Sci-Fi In 1997, when the US President crashes into Manhattan, now a giant max. security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in for a rescue.
Evita DVD Musical <i>The Most Anticipated Motion Picture Event of The Year</i><br><br> Few times in the history of Hollywood has a film been released with the scope and daring of Evita! Now, experience this landmark achievement megastar Madonna- in the role of a lifetime- joins handsome Antonio Banderas for the year's most talked-about motion picture event!<BR><BR> Evita is the riveting true-life story of Eva Peron, who rose above childhood poverty and a scandalous past to achieve unimaginable fortune and fame. Despite widespread controversy- her passion changed a nation forever! Winner of the coveted Academy Award for Best Song (1996) and 3 Golden Globe Awards (Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Song)- critics nationwide hailed Evita as a triumphant must-see masterpiece- and so will you!
Family Guy: Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story DVD Animation; Comedy Stewie, the maniacal baby genius, is distracted from his plans for world domination when he sees a man who looks just like him on television...
Fargo DVD Drama Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of pregnant Marge Gunderson.
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids - Vol. 1 DVD Animation The educational adventures of a group of Afro-American inner city kids.
Father of the Bride DVD Comedy In this remake of the Spencer Tracy classic, George and Nina Banks are the parents of young soon-to-be-wed Annie...
Father of the Bride Part II DVD Comedy In this sequel to "Father of the Bride", George Banks must accept the reality of what his daughter's ascension from daughter to wife...
Fawlty Towers - The Complete Collection DVD Comedy Hotel owner Basil Fawlty's incompetence, short fuse, and arrogance form a combination that ensures accidents and trouble are never far away.
Fear City DVD Drama Strippers in Manhattan are being stalked and murdered by a psycho. A police detective and a private eye hired by the strip clubs set out to get him. <a href="/rg/title-tease/trailers/title/tt0087247/trailers">(view trailer)</a>
Ferris Bueller's Day Off DVD Comedy A high school wise guy is determined to have a day off from school, despite of what the principal thinks of that.
The Fifth Element DVD Sci-Fi Two hundred and fifty years in the future, life as we know it is threatened by the arrival of Evil....
A Fine Mess DVD Comedy Two friends an actor and a chef discover a plot to fix a horse race and try to capitalize on it. But...
A Fish Called Wanda DVD Comedy In London, four very different people team up to commit armed robbery, then try to doublecross each other for the loot.
A Fistful of Dollars DVD Western <I>A Fistful of Dollars</I> launched the spaghetti Western and catapulted Clint Eastwood to stardom. Based on Akira Kurosawa's 1961 samurai picture <I>Yojimbo</I>, it scored a resounding success (in Italy in 1964 and the U.S. in 1967), as did its sequels, <I>For a Few Dollars More</I> and <I>The Good, the Bad and the Ugly</I>. The advertising campaign promoted Eastwood's character--laconic, amoral, dangerous--as the Man with No Name (though in the film he's clearly referred to as Joe), and audiences loved the movie's refreshing new take on the Western genre. Gone are the pieties about making the streets safe for women and children. Instead it's every man for himself. Striking, too, was a new emphasis on violence, with stylized, almost balletic gunfights and baroque touches such as Eastwood's armored breastplate. The <I>Dollars</I> films had a marked influence on the Hollywood Western--for example, Sam Peckinpah's <I>The Wild Bunch</I>--but their most enduring legacy is Clint Eastwood himself. <I>--Edward Buscombe</I>
Footloose DVD Drama A city boy comes to a small town where rock music and dancing have been banned.
For A Few Dollars More DVD Western A ringing instance of a sequel far outstripping its predecessor, Sergio Leone's <I>For a Few Dollars More</I> takes the lethal antihero from <I>A Fistful of Dollars</I>, gives him both a rival and an adversary worthy of sharing a gun-blazing corrida, and ratchets up the stylization to something approaching grandeur. This time the Man with No Name (Clint Eastwood) is a bounty hunter whose desert Southwest killing ground is suddenly crowded by the presence of an older, black-clad shootist (Lee Van Cleef). Individually and together, they terminate sundry grotesques while closing in on their biggest quarry, a memorably insane bandit called El Indio (Gian Maria Volonté is brilliant). There's just enough plot to imbue Van Cleef with genuine mystery, a dark avenging angel from a lost past whose pull would supply the emotional core of Leone's later masterworks <I>Once upon a Time in the West</I> and <I>Once upon a Time in America</I>. Leone's bravura widescreen compositions are breathtaking, and Ennio Morricone's music score--tinged with lunatic religiosity--is his first great one. <I>--Richard T. Jameson</I>
For Your Height Only DVD Comedy Mr. Giant has kidnapped the brilliant Dr. Van Kohler and is planning to use the Doctor's invention, the N-bomb...
Ghostbusters DVD Comedy Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis wrote the script, but Bill Murray gets all the best lines and moments in this 1984 comedy directed by Ivan Reitman (<I>Meatballs</I>). The three comics, plus Ernie Hudson, play the New York City-based team that provides supernatural pest control, and Sigourney Weaver is the love interest possessed by an ancient demon. Reitman and company are full of original ideas about hobgoblins--who knew they could "slime" people with green plasma goo?--but hovering above the plot is Murray's patented ironic view of all the action. Still a lot of fun, and an obvious model for sci-fi comedies such as <I>Men in Black</I>. <I>--Tom Keogh</I>
Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) DVD Documentary Documentary about the music group They Might Be Giants.
The Godfather DVD Drama The epic saga of how a younger son rises to take over the family business, his father's paternalistic, but violent and illegal empire.
The Godfather: Part II DVD Drama The early life & career of Vito Corleone is portrayed while his son expands and tightens his grip on his crime syndicate in the 1950's.
The Godfather: Part III DVD Crime; Drama In the midst of trying to legitimize his business dealings, aging mafia don Michael Corleone seeks to vow for his sins while taking a young protege under his wing.
The Godthumb DVD Comedy The Mafia used to sometimes be called "the Black Hand," but one particular part of that hand gets the spotlight in this parody by Steve Oedekerk of one of the all-time great organized crime films. The Godthumb is a comic send-up of The Godfather in which all the characters are played by dressed-up thumbs with animated faces, much in the manner of Oedekerk 's earlier comedy shorts Thumb Wars: The Phantom Cuticle , Thumbtanic , and Batthumb . When not busy giving a thumbs-up to film history, Oedekerk works as a screenwriter whose credits include Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and Kung Pow! Enter the Fist . &mdash; Mark Deming
GoodFellas DVD Drama Martin Scorsese scores again with his gritty, kinetic adaptation of Nicolas Pileggi 's best-selling Wiseguy , the true-life account of mobster and FBI informant Henry Hill. Set to a true-to-period rock soundtrack, the story details the rise and fall of Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian New York kid who grows up idolizing the "wise guys" in his impoverished Brooklyn neighborhood. He begins hanging around the mobsters, running errands, and doing odd jobs until he gains the notice of local chieftain Paulie Cicero ( Paul Sorvino ), who takes him in as a surrogate son. As he reaches his teens, Hill is inducted into the world of petty crime, where he distinguishes himself as a "stand-up guy" by choosing jail time over ratting on his accomplices. From that moment on, he is a part of the family. Along with his psychotic partner Tommy ( Joe Pesci ), he rises through the ranks to become Paulie's lieutenant; however, he quickly learns that, like his mentor Jimmy ( Robert DeNiro ), another half-Irish mobster, his ethnicity prevents him from ever becoming a "made guy," an actual member of the crime family. Soon he finds himself the target of both the feds and the mobsters, who feel that he has become a threat to their security with his reckless dealings. Goodfellas was rewarded with six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture; Pesci would walk away with Best Supporting Actor for his work. &mdash; Jeremy Beday
Groundhog Day DVD Comedy Phil, a sarcastic weather man, finds himself trapped in the identical February 2, but he's the only person that realizes it.
Gung Ho DVD Comedy When a Japanese car company buys an American plant, the American liason must mediate the clash of work attitudes between the foreign management and native labor.
The Happiest Baby on the Block DVD Documentary
Happy New Year DVD Comedy Small time crooksters Nick and Charlie have an elaborate plan to rob an exclusive jewelers store. Using...
Harlem Nights DVD Comedy; Theme - Urban "Sugar" Ray is the owner of an illegal casino, who contend with the pressures of vicious gangster and...
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle DVD Comedy Buttoned up Harold and laidback Kumar are stoners who want to get food at a White Castle Burgers joint, which becomes a perilous journey full of strange obstacles.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone DVD Family; Sci-Fi Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Head DVD Musical The Monkees are tossed about in a psychedelic, surrealist, plotless, circular bit of fun fluff.
Herbie Goes Bananas DVD Disney This fourth Love Bug movie is a wooden story about Herbie's funny adventures heading toward a race in Brazil. Charles Martin Smith and Steven W. Burns try hard to bring some life into this project, but it just doesn't happen. There is one good laugh in the whole thing, in a scene where Herbie becomes a matador. Otherwise, even the picturesque, south-of-the-border stuff doesn't help. <I>--Tom Keogh</I>
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo DVD Disney; Theme - Driving Herbie, the Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own, is racing in the Monte Carlo Rally. Unbeknownst to Herbie's driver...
Herbie Rides Again DVD Disney; Theme - Driving The living Volkswagen Beetle helps a old lady protect her home from a corrupt developer.
Hero at Large DVD Comedy; Theme - Urban An idealistic but struggling actor finds his life unexpectedly complicated when he stops a robbery while wearing the costume of Captain Avenger...
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy DVD Sci-Fi Mere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, journeyman Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher penning a new edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
How the Grinch Stole Christmas DVD Family; Comedy; Holiday Big budget remake of the classic cartoon about a creature intent on stealing Christmas.
The Incredibles DVD Animation; Disney A family of undercover superheroes, while trying to live the quiet suburban life, are forced into action to save the world.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade DVD Action The daring archaeologist and his father search for the Holy Grail and fight the Nazis.
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark DVD Action Indiana Jones ( Harrison Ford ) is no ordinary archeologist. When we first see him, he is somewhere in the Peruvian jungle in 1936, running a booby-trapped gauntlet (complete with an over-sized rolling boulder) to fetch a solid gold idol. He loses this artifact to his chief rival, a French archeologist named Belloq ( Paul Freeman ), who then prepares to kill our hero. In the first of many serial-like escapes, Indy eludes Belloq by hopping into a convenient plane. So, then: Is Indiana Jones afraid of anything? Yes, snakes. The next time we see Jones, he's a soft-spoken, bespectacled professor. He is then summoned from his ivy-covered environs by Marcus Brody ( Denholm Elliott ) to find the long-lost Ark of the Covenant. The Nazis, it seems, are already searching for the Ark, which the mystical-minded Hitler hopes to use to make his stormtroopers invincible. But to find the Ark, Indy must first secure a medallion kept under the protection of Indy's old friend Abner Ravenwood, whose daughter Marion ( Karen Allen ) evidently has a "history" with Jones. Whatever their personal differences, Indy and Marion become partners in one action-packed adventure after another, ranging from wandering the snake pits of the Well of Souls to surviving the pyrotechnic unearthing of the sacred Ark. A joint project of Hollywood prodigies George Lucas and Steven Spielberg , with a script cowritten by Lawrence Kasdan and Philip Kaufman , among others, Raiders of the Lost Ark is not so much a movie as a 115-minute thrill ride. Costing $22 million (nearly three times the original estimate), Raiders of the Lost Ark reaped $200 million during its first run. It was followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1985) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), as well as a short-lived TV-series "prequel." &mdash; Hal Erickson
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom DVD Action In India, Indiana Jones agrees to look for a village's lost magic stone and in doing so, stumbles on to a secret massive Thuggee cult.
Indiana Jones: Bonus Material DVD Documentary <i>Spectacular Bonus Material From Deep Inside the Lucasfilm Archives</i><br><br> The adventures of <i>Indiana Jones</i>, the complete DVD movie collection! <BR><BR> The 4-disc set features all three films: <li>Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark <li>Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom <li>Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Plus, over 4 hours of <i>Indiana Jones</i> bonus material!
Insomniac Uncensored, The Best of - Volume 2 DVD Comedy Cities include: Key West, Austin, Miami, Boise, Anchorage, Kansas City, Charleston, Amsterdam, Las Vegas, New York. This time around, the ever-garrulous Attell visits nine U.S. cities for lowbrow fun after dark, as well as Amsterdam to commit each of the Seven Deadly Sins in a single evening. In addition to the usual bar-hopping, he also attends Miami's debauched FantasyFest, cruises with strippers in Las Vegas and deals with perpetual daylight in Alaska, all of which feature the nudity and strong language missing from the broadcast versions.
Insomniac Uncensored, The Best of - Volume 1 DVD Comedy Comedian Dave Attell, host of Comedy Central's <I>Insomniac</I>, knows how to turn wanderlust into an unbroken string of all-night partying. In this <I>Best of Insomniac</I> volume, Attel hits no fewer than five major North American cities using the same game plan: Stake out a comedy club, then prowl the streets for girls to chat up, guys to taunt, bars to close, and assorted weird, weird stuff to see, all inexplicably taking place while most of the continent is taking its beauty rest. The garrulous Attell insinuates his way into late-night karate lessons in New York, ice-fishing in Montreal, a geek-heavy sci-fi convention in Chicago, and the usual blur of human revelry on New Orleans's Bourbon Street. If a random encounter turns into a memory, great; if not, we just move on. Highlights include a dog-friendly pub, fishy initiation rites, and capricious nudity. <I>--Tom Keogh</I>
James Taylor: Pull Over Tour DVD Musical As much as he's known for his recordings, James Taylor has been perennially in-demand as one of the world's most popular live concert performers. Recorded during the summer of 2001, <I>Pull Over</I> - in 23 full length performances- what <I>Rolling Stone</I> called " ... a good natured evening of dependable, reassuring musicianship..."<br><Br> During his historic <I>Pull Over</I> tour of 2001, James Taylor treated his audiences to magical concerts comprised of greatest hits, personal favorites, live surprises, and new songs from his then upcoming <I>October Road</I> album, which the <I>Boston Herald</I> has called "Taylor's best in more than 20 years...." In addition to timeless classics from his career, <I>Pull Over</I> includes Taylor's <I>October Road</I> songs for the first time on DVD.<Br><br> "Taylor's voice is better than ever," wrote the <I>Los Angeles Times</I> of the <I>Pull Over</I> tour, "choirboy clear, as if filtered through stained glass."<br><br> Watch this winner of 40 gold, platinum and multi-platinum album awards at the peak of his craft.<br><Br> <b>Songs:</b><br> Everyday<br> That's Why I'm Here<br> Only One<br> Frozen Man<br> On the 4th of July<br> Whenever You're Ready<br> Raised Up Family<br> Mexico<br> Steamroller Blues<br> Carolina in My Mind<br> Millworker<br> Sun on the Moon<br> Junkie's Lament<br> Copperline<br> Shed a Little Light<br> Fire and Rain<br> You've Got a Friend<br> Your Smiling Face<br> How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)<br> Traffic Jam<br> Knock on Wood<br> You Can Close Your Eyes<br> Sweet Baby James
Jesus Christ Superstar DVD Musical Film version of the musical stage play, presenting the last few weeks of Christ's life, told in an anachronistic manner.
Just One of the Guys DVD Comedy Terry believes her teachers don't take her serious, just because she's a pretty girl. When she fails to win a journalism contest...
Kill Bill Vol. 1 DVD Action Perhaps the most highly anticipated film of 2003, Kill Bill Vol. 1 marked the return of renowned filmmaker Quentin Tarantino after a six-year hiatus. Re-teaming the director with Uma Thurman for the first time since 1994's Pulp Fiction, the film was originally the first half of what was to be a three-hour-plus movie before being split into two films. Thurman stars as The Bride, one-fifth of a team of assassins called DiVAS. When The Bride opts to leave the outfit for a life of marital bliss, it doesn't sit well with her boss, Bill (David Carradine), so he has her former cohorts, played by Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Daryl Hannah, and Michael Madsen, show up at the nuptials, leaving behind a blood bath. Miraculously, The Bride survives a bullet to the head and, four years later, she sets out for revenge against her four assassins and their employer. The story is concluded in Kill Bill Vol. 2, released six months later. — Matthew Tobey
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 DVD Action The Bride continues her vengeance quest against her ex-boss, Bill, and his associates.
The King of Comedy DVD Drama Aspiring comic Rupert Pupkin wants to achieve success in showbiz, by resorting to stalking his idol, a late night talk show host who craves his own privacy.
Last Dragon, The DVD Drama A young man searches for the "master" to obtain the final level of martial arts mastery known as the glow...
Last Starfighter, The DVD Sci-Fi <i>He Didn't Find His Dreams. . .His Dreams Found Him.</i><br><br> Millions of light-years ago, a great frontier was constructed in the universe to protect the star League of Planets from its enemy, the evil KO-DAN. But now a defector has given the key to the frontier to the KO-DAN, and Starfighters from throughout the galaxy are needed to defend the peace. One recruiter, the alien scalawag Centauri, visits Earth to fill his quota of recruits and finds Alex, an 18-year-old Earthling with an extraordinary talent for video game wizardry. Alex is quickly propelled into the regions of outer space to join others from planets throughout the Star League to fight a war to save the universe.
Let It Ride DVD Comedy; Theme - Sports An average kind of guy who has a slight problem with gambling goes to the track, and mystically, it seems as though he can't lose...
Lethal Weapon 4 DVD Action Riggs and Murtaugh are back in trouble. They're getting too old for this shit.
License to Drive DVD Comedy; Theme - Driving A teen decides to go for a night on the town with his friends despite flunking his driver's test.
The Lion King DVD Animation; Disney; Family Tricked into thinking he killed his father, a guilt ridden lion cub flees into exile and abandons his identity as the future King.
Live at Billy Bob's Texas DVD
Lost in Space DVD Sci-Fi The Robinson family was going into space to fight for a chance for humanity. Now they are fighting to live long enough to find a way home.
The Love Bug DVD Disney; Theme - Driving A race car driver becomes a champion with a Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own.
Loverboy DVD Comedy Randy Bodek works as a pizza delivery boy at Senor Pizza to make a few extra bucks. Some customers are special...
Madagascar DVD Animation; Family Spoiled by their upbringing with no idea what wild life is really like, four animals from New York Central Zoo escape, unwittingly assisted by four absconding penguins, and find themselves in Madagascar, among a bunch of merry lemurs
Madonna - The Immaculate Collection DVD Musical
Magnum, P.I. - The Complete First Season DVD A ratings hit for eight seasons on CBS, the action-mystery series <I>Magnum, P.I.</I> makes its DVD boxed set debut in an impressive five-disc package that offers not only the entire first season, but some rarely seen episodes. Positioned in the old <I>Hawaii Five-O</I> time slot (Thursdays at 9) in December of 1980, <I>Magnum</I> quickly became a hit, thanks to the combination of smart and witty scripting, gorgeous locations, and the considerable charm of lead Tom Selleck as former Naval Intelligence officer Thomas Magnum, who gives up his position to become a private investigator on Oahu with the help of fellow Vietnam vets T.C. (Roger E. Mosley) and Rick (Larry Manetti). Magnum also provided security for the lavish estate of wealthy (and never-seen) mystery writer Robin Masters, which gave him access to the author's expensive vehicles (including a prized Ferrari), much to the disapproval of Masters's manservant Higgins (Jonathan Hillerman). <p> A rare series that skillfully blended action, humor, drama, and suspense, <I>Magnum, P.I.</I>'s first season gets the boxed set treatment its fans have been hoping for, with all 18 first-season episodes (including the two-part pilot, "Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii") included on four discs. The fifth disc contains four rarely shown bonus episodes, including season 3's "Ki'ls Don't Lie," which featured a crossover plot with <I>Simon and Simon</I>, as well as its conclusion ("Emeralds Are Not a Girl's Best Friend"), which kicked off <I>S&S</I>'s second season; the latter episode has never been aired as part of <I>Magnum</I>'s syndicated package, which is another reason for fans to pick up and enjoy this long-awaited set. <I>--Paul Gaita</I>
Magnum, P.I. - The Complete Second Season DVD Return to the Big Island for more adventure with Tom Selleck?s charmingly roguish detective hero, Thomas Magnum, courtesy of this three-disc set, which compiles the entire second season (1981-1982) of <I>Magnum, P.I.</I>. The 22 episodes included here (among them the two-part "Memories Are Forever") crystallize the key to the series? success: an appealing blend of action, drama, mystery, and comedy, cemented by Selleck and his likable castmates, especially John Hillerman, who would earn a Golden Globe for his work on <I>Magnum</I> in ?82. Highlights of the season include Magnum?s attempt to stop an international assassin ("The Jororo Kill," with Tyne Daly), the arrival of Hemingway-esque author Mad Buck Gibson (Darren McGavin) in the episode of the same name, and the aforementioned two-parter, which reunites Magnum with a woman he thought to have died after marrying her while serving in Vietnam. The usual array of classy guest stars are also on hand for this season; in addition to the aforementioned actors, there are turns by Mimi Rogers, Vic Morrow, Vera Miles, Jill St. John, and Elisha Cook Jr. (who plays a much different character than his recurring role as "Ice Pick" in future seasons). And <I>Magnum</I> obsessives should note early appearances by Gillian Dobb, who played Agatha Chumley in numerous subsequent episodes, as well as one of Higgins?s colorful, estranged half-brothers in "The Elmo Ziller Story." It?s unfortunate that the set itself doesn?t match the quality of the Episodes--extras are limited to second-season episodes from <I>Knight Rider</I> and <I>The A-Team</I>--but <I>Magnum</I> fans should be pleased to have all the episodes in a single set, and best of all, commercial-free. <I>--Paul Gaita</I>
Mallrats DVD Comedy Both dumped by their girlfriends, two best friends seek refuge in the local mall.
Mary Poppins DVD Family; Disney A magic nanny comes to work for a cold banker's family and is determined to strengthen his relationship with it.
The Matrix DVD Sci-Fi A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against the controllers of it.
Meet the Parents DVD Comedy Male nurse Greg Focker meets his girlfriend's parents before proposing, but her suspicious father is every date's worst nightmare.
Mickey Mouse in Living Color - Walt Disney Treasures DVD Animation; Disney During the mid-'30s, Mickey Mouse's fans ranged from the more than one million children who were members of the Mickey Mouse Club to Franklin Roosevelt, Mary Pickford, and the Nizam of Hyderabad; theater marquees announced "A Mickey Mouse Cartoon" with the feature titles. These wonderful shorts, many of which have never been released to the home market, remind viewers just how charming Mickey was before his popularity and role as a corporate symbol restricted his behavior. In these cartoons Mickey's personality was boyish, appealing, and slightly mischievous. The superb animation emphasizes that impish appeal. When Mickey dances with a deck of cards in "Thru the Mirror," he displays a stylish grace Fred Astaire might envy; in "Brave Little Tailor," his expressions and body language reveal his thoughts as he outwits Willie the Giant. It's virtually impossible to watch him without smiling. These shorts overflow with color and motion, and their lavish visuals pack an increased impact in an era of minimal television animation. Only Walt Disney would spend the money to animate a full deck of cards, a band flying through the air in a tornado, or a clutch of semitransparent ghosts, and only his animators could make those characters live on the screen. The prints have been lovingly restored without pumping up the color too much: the nuances of the delicate watercolor backgrounds still come through. Parents, Disney buffs, and animation fans will want this superb collection in their home libraries. Unrated: suitable for all ages. <I>--Charles Solomon</I>
Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas DVD Animation; Disney; Holiday Sequel to Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas
Midnight Run DVD Comedy An accountant is chased by bounty hunters, the FBI, and the Mafia after jumping bail.
A Mighty Wind DVD Comedy Mockumentary captures the reunion of 1960s folk trio the Folksmen (Guest, McKean, Shearer) as they prepare for a show at The Town Hall to memorialize a recently deceased concert promoter.
Monsters, Inc. DVD Animation; Family; Disney Monsters generate their city's power by scaring children, but they are terribly afraid themselves of being contaminated by children, so when one enters Monstropolis, top scarer Sulley find his world disrupted.
Mr. Baseball DVD Comedy A fading baseball player is traded to a Japanese team and has trouble fitting into the society.
Mr. Mom DVD Comedy Jack and Caroline are a couple struggling to make ends meet. When Jack loses his job, they agree that...
The Muppet Christmas Carol DVD Family; Holiday The Muppet character tell their version of the classic tale of an old and bitter miser's redemption on Christmas Eve.
The Muppet Show, Best of - Elton John / Julie Andrews / Gene Kelly DVD Family
My Blue Heaven DVD Comedy An all too uptight FBI agent must protect a larger than life mobster with a heart of gold, currently under witness protection in the suburbs.
Napoleon Dynamite DVD Comedy The directorial debut of filmmaker Jared Hess, who also co-wrote the screenplay, Napoleon Dynamite is a quirky, offbeat comedy set in the small Idaho town of Preston. Jon Heder stars in the titular role, a carrot-topped oddball with a decidedly eccentric family that includes his llama-loving, dune-buggy enthusiast grandmother. The story centers on the local high school's race for class president. Using some nontraditional means, Napoleon is determined to help his pal Pedro (Efrem Ramirez) run a winning campaign and defeat popular girl Summer (Haylie Duff). Also starring The Drew Carey Show's Diedrich Bader, Napoleon Dynamite premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. — Matthew Tobey
Nero Wolfe - Complete First Season DVD Drama Complete first season includes: 1) The Doorbell Rang, 2) Champagne For One, 3) Prisoner's Base, 4) Eeny Meeny Murder Moe, 5) Disguise for Murder, 6) Door to Death, 7) Christmas Party, 8) Over my Dead Body
Nero Wolfe - The Complete Second Season DVD Mystery
O Brother, Where Art Thou? DVD Drama The writing, directing, and producing team of Joel Coen and Ethan Coen created this picaresque comedy (inspired in part by Homer's The Odyssey ) set in the Deep South during the Depression. Suave and fancy-talking Everett Ulysses McGill ( George Clooney ), dim-witted Delmar ( Tim Blake Nelson ), and easily-excitable Pete ( John Turturro ) are serving time together on a prison chain gang. Everett knows where $1.2 million is hidden that's theirs for the taking, and the three manage to escape; however, a stranger soon warns them that they'll find treasure, but not the sort they're looking for. As Everett and his partners hit the road, they happen upon a gluttonous bible salesman, Big Dan Teague ( John Goodman ); meet up with Baby Face Nelson ( Michael Badalucco ) as he robs a bank; encounter three Sirens doing their washing; run into Everett's estranged wife Penny ( Holly Hunter ), who has told everyone her husband was killed in a train wreck; find themselves in the middle of a heated campaign between political boss Pappy O'Daniel ( Charles Durning ), and reformist candidate Homer Stokes ( Wayne Duvall ); and even find time to make a hit record as The Soggy Bottom Boys. Noted songwriter T-Bone Burnett helped compile the songs (combining vintage country blues tunes with originals in the same style), while Carter Burwell composed the background score. Incidentally, the title O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a reference to the classic Preston Sturges comedy Sullivan's Travels , in which a director plans to make a serious "message picture" with that name. &mdash; Mark Deming
Ocean's Eleven (1960) DVD Drama; Theme - Gambling-Vegas Eleven friends who know each other from World War II service plan to rob five of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas in one night...
Ocean's Eleven (2001) DVD Drama; Theme - Gambling-Vegas A rag-tag group of con artists and ex-cons team up for the heist to end all heists in this high-profile remake of the 1960 Rat Pack favorite. As with its predecessor, Ocean's Eleven opens with its titular hero Danny Ocean ( George Clooney stepping into the Frank Sinatra role) eager for a new challenge. The similarities to the original end there, as Ocean conspires with his old pal Rusty Ryan ( Brad Pitt ) to rob 150 million dollars from an underground vault that serves three of Las Vegas' biggest casinos. Between the two of them, they recruit nine other men, each with his own criminal specialty, to assist in the mission: moneyman Reuben Tishkoff ( Elliot Gould ), card dealer Frank ( Bernie Mac ), pickpocket Linus ( Matt Damon ), aging con artist Saul ( Carl Reiner ), British explosives pro Basher ( Don Cheadle ), techie Dell ( Eddie Jemison ), rude-boy brothers Virgil ( Casey Affleck ) and Turk ( Scott Caan ), and professional acrobat Yen ( Shaobo Qin ). What Ocean doesn't tell the group is that there's another reason he's coordinating the heist: the three casinos they're robbing are all owned by ruthless gambling mogul Terry Benedict ( Andy Garcia ), who just happens to be married to Ocean's former love Tess ( Julia Roberts ). Ocean's Eleven was updated by scribe Ted Griffin and marked the third feature shot by director Steven Soderbergh under the alias Peter Andrews . &mdash; Michael Hastings
Old School DVD Comedy; Theme - College Three men are disenchanted with life and try to recapture their college days.
On the Beach DVD Drama The residents of Australia after a global nuclear war must come to terms with the fact that all life will be destroyed in a matter of months.
Once Upon a Time in Mexico DVD Action Hitman "El Mariachi" becomes involved in international espionage involving a psychotic CIA agent and a corrupt Mexican general.
Orgazmo DVD Comedy Naive young Mormon Joe Young is recruited to act in porn movies.
Pennies from Heaven DVD Comedy It's the depression era and Chicago. Sheet music salesman Arthur Parker is trying to sell his products...
Pete's Dragon - Gold Collection DVD Family; Disney An orphan boy and his magical dragon come to town with his abusive adoptive parents in pursuit.
Pinocchio DVD Animation; Family; Disney A living puppet, with the help of a cricket as his conscience, must prove himself worthy to become a real boy.
Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl DVD Action; Disney You won't need a bottle of rum to enjoy <I>Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl</I>, especially if you've experienced the Disneyland theme-park ride that inspired it. There's a galleon's worth of fun in watching Johnny Depp's androgynous performance as Captain Jack Sparrow, a roguish pirate who could pass for the illegitimate spawn of rockers Keith Richards and Chrissie Hynde. Depp gets all the good lines and steals the show, recruiting Orlando Bloom (a blacksmith and expert swordsman) and Keira Knightley (a lovely governor's daughter) on an adventurous quest to recapture the notorious <I>Black Pearl</I>, a ghost ship commandeered by Jack's nemesis Capt. Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), a mutineer desperate to reverse the curse that left him and his (literally) skeleton crew in a state of eternal, undead damnation. Director Gore Verbinski (<I>The Ring</I>) repeats the redundant mayhem that marred his debut film <I>Mouse Hunt</I>, but with the writers of <I>Shrek</I> he's made <I>Pirates</I> into a special-effects thrill-ride that plays like a Halloween party on the open seas. Aye, matey, we've come a long way since <I>Jason and the Argonauts</I>! <I>--Jeff Shannon</I>
Planes, Trains & Automobiles DVD Comedy A man must struggle to travel home for Thanksgiving, with an obnoxious slob of a shower ring salesman his only companion.
Police Academy DVD Comedy A group of good-hearted but incompotent misfits enter the police academy, but the instructors there are not going to put up with their pranks.
Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment DVD Comedy When a new gang moves into town it's up to the screwball police team to stop them.
Pray TV DVD Comedy A failing television station is bought out by a slick TV evangelist and starts making mountains of money in the guise of religious programming, but which is actually just an excuse to sell merchandise.
The Princess Bride DVD Comedy; Family A classic fairy tale, with swordplay, giants, an evil king, a beautiful princess, and yes, some kissing (as read by a kindly grandfather).
Private Eyes, The DVD Comedy Don Knotts and Tim Conway star in <I>The Private Eyes</I>, a 1980 comedy about two bumbling detectives solving a murder. It's an impressively incompetent affair. Every ancient joke falls with a muffled thud as Knotts and Conway ham their way through the pointless story: The lord and lady of a capacious manor are killed, and the lord's ghost seems to have returned to knock off the staff one by one. There's an austere housekeeper, a snooty butler with compulsive twitches, a sexy upstairs maid, a deformed groomsman, and a buxom young heir to the estate, who of course is going to be in some state of undress before the movie is over. People get killed, their bodies disappear, Knotts and Conway wander aimlessly through secret passageways, dimly seeking some way out of this movie. Conway cowrote the script, so he gets most of the blame; Knotts was probably just happy to have the work. <I>--Bret Fetzer</I>
Pulp Fiction DVD Action Outrageously violent, time-twisting, and in love with language, Pulp Fiction was widely considered the most influential American movie of the 1990s. Director and co-screenwriter Quentin Tarantino synthesized such seemingly disparate traditions as the syncopated language of David Mamet ; the serious violence of American gangster movies, crime movies, and films noirs mixed up with the wacky violence of cartoons, video games, and Japanese animation; and the fragmented story-telling structures of such experimental classics as Citizen Kane , Rashomon , and La jetée . The Oscar-winning script by Tarantino and Roger Avary intertwines three stories, featuring Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta , in the role that single-handedly reignited his career, as hit men who have philosophical interchanges on such topics as the French names for American fast food products; Bruce Willis as a boxer out of a 1940s B-movie; and such other stalwarts as Harvey Keitel , Tim Roth , Christopher Walken , Eric Stoltz , Ving Rhames , and Uma Thurman , whose dance sequence with Travolta proved an instant classic. &mdash; Leo Charney
Ray DVD Drama The life and career of the legendary popular music pianist, Ray Charles.
Reservoir Dogs DVD Action They were perfect strangers, assembled to pull off the perfect crime. Their simple robbery explodes into a bloody ambush, and the ruthless killers realise one of them is a police informer. But which one?
Road Trip DVD Comedy Four friends (Meyer, Qualls, Scott, Costanzo) take off on an 1800 mile road trip to retrieve an illicit tape mistakenly mailed to a girl friend.
RoboCop DVD Action In a dystopic & crime ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg with submerged memories haunting him.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show - 25th Anniversary Edition DVD Musical If a musical sci-fi satire about an alien transvestite named Frank-n-Furter, who is building the perfect man while playing sexual games with his virginal visitors, sounds like an intriguing premise for a movie, then you're in for a treat. Not only is <I>The Rocky Horror Picture</I> all this and more, but it stars the surprising cast of Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick (as the demure Janet and uptight Brad, who get lost in a storm and find themselves stranded at Frank-n-Furter's mansion), Meat Loaf (as the rebel Eddie), Charles Gray (as our criminologist and narrator), and, of course, the inimitable Tim Curry as our "sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania." <p> Upon its release in 1975, the film was an astounding flop. But a few devotees persuaded a New York theater to show it at midnight, and thus was born one of the ultimate cult films of all time. The songs are addictive (just try getting "The Time Warp" or "Toucha Toucha Touch Me" out of your head), the raunchiness amusing, and the plot line utterly ridiculous--in other words, this film is simply tremendous good fun. The downfall, however, is that much of the amusement is found in the audience participation that is obviously missing from a video version (viewers in theaters shout lines at the screen and use props--such as holding up newspapers and shooting water guns during the storm, and throwing rice during a wedding scene). Watched alone as a straight movie, <I>Rocky Horror</I> loses a tremendous amount of its charm. Yet, for those who wish to perfect their lip-synching techniques for movie theater performances or for those who want to gather a crowd around the TV at home for some good, old-fashioned, rowdy fun, this film can't be beat. <I>--Jenny Brown</I>
Rounders DVD Drama; Theme - Gambling-Vegas A young man (Matt Damon) is a reformed gambler who must return to playing big stakes poker to help a friend pay off loan sharks.
Scrooged DVD Comedy; Holiday A cynically selfish TV executive gets haunted by three spirits bearing lessons on Christmas Eve.
SCTV, Volume 1 - Network 90 DVD Comedy At long last, <I>SCTV</I> is on the air... or at least on DVD! While it never reached the ratings heights or pop culture cachet of <I>Saturday Night Live</I>, <I>SCTV</I> did garner critical buzz and a devoted cult following. As with the Python boys, the ensemble members, and the characters they created to populate the fictional Melonville TV network, are revered in hipper comedy circles. In this respect, <I>SCTV</I> is Letterman to <I>SNL</I>'s Leno. This essential five-disc set collects the first nine episodes of the series' <I>Network 90</I> incarnation, which brightened NBC's Friday late-night lineup in 1981. While original cast member Harold Ramis had since left the show, and Martin Short would join the following year, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara, and Dave Thomas were <I>SCTV</I>'s definitive ensemble (<I>SNL</I>-bound Robin Duke and Tony Rosato, we hardly knew ye). These inaugural episodes are comprised mostly of "the golden classics" (so dubbed by Flahrety's wheelchair-bound station manager Guy Caballero) linked by some new material. Included are such series benchmarks as "The Great White North" segments, featuring Moranis and Thomas as the stereotypically Canadian, parka-wearing, beer-swilling McKenzie brothers; "Play It Again, Bob," starring Moranis as Woody Allen and Thomas as Bob Hope; the ill-fated made-for-SCTV "Polynesiantown" starring Candy's Johnny LaRue; "The Sammy Maudlin Show," starring Joe Flahrety as the most sincerely insincere talk show host, with O'Hara as Lola "I want to bear your children" Heatherton, and "Indira," with Andrea Martin in her signature <I>Evita</I> spoof. <p> And that's just on disc 1! <I>SCTV</I> could parody <I>Leave It to Beaver</I> and <I>Fantasy Island</I> with the best of them, but anticipating the future <I>Ben Stiller Show</I>, its genius lay in its show business savvy to subvert television and movie convention. When Levy's comedian Bobby Bittman arrives on a talk show, he brings "bloopers" from his congressional testimony. And you don't need to have seen <I>The Oscar</I> to appreciate <I>The Nobel</I>, but it certainly helps. The price is steep, but don't be a hoser. This is the comedy release of the year. And it blows up real good. <I>--Donald Liebenson</I>
Seinfeld - Seasons 1 & 2 DVD Comedy Nothing? <I>Seinfeld</I> is a show about everything! It's about the appeal of the posse and coma etiquette. It's about importing and exporting. It's about sneaking a peek, and seeing the baby. It's about this, that, and the other. <I>TV Guide</I> ranked <I>Seinfeld</I> the best TV series of all time. It has become the master of its syndication domain. Its most devoted fans can quote each episode chapter and verse; their absorption of each scene's minutiae anything but a trivial pursuit. With such fervent devotion to the show, and demand for its DVD release, series creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David could have easily just OK'd a bare-bones set containing nothing but the episodes. Not that there would have been anything wrong with that, but instead, the creative team came together to create extensive and encyclopedic features that make this four-disc set buy-worthy. The candid and revealing audio commentaries and interviews, deleted scenes and original episode promos, and optional "Notes About Nothing" pop-ups are as irresistible as a Drake's coffee cake. <p> It's always fun and instructive to return to the humble beginnings of a series that became a pop culture benchmark. Here are Kramer's first not-so-grand entrance, Jerry's first contemptuous "Hello, Newman," and Elaine's first "Get Out!" shove. But what is most revelatory about these episodes from the first two seasons is what Jason Alexander, during his commentary for the episode "The Revenge," calls a "sweet quality" that somehow redeems these characters' more base instincts. Consider the scene in which Jerry gives a freshly unemployed George some career guidance, or Jerry and Elaine's palpably affectionate banter throughout. The "Inside Look" episode intros offer fascinating insights into this singular show that subverted sitcom convention with such now-classic episodes as "The Chinese Restaurant," in which Jerry, George, and Elaine wait in vain for a table. We learn, for example, why movie tough guy Lawrence Tierney, who guest starred in "The Jacket," never reprised his role as Elaine's father. All of this, of course, is yadda yadda yadda to <I>Seinfeld</I> fans, whose patience for the show's DVD debut has been amply rewarded. As Elaine screams in the third-season episode, "The Subway," "It's not nothing, it's something!" <I>--Donald Liebenson</I>
Sharky's Machine DVD Action Sharky is a narcotics cop in Atlanta who, while chasing a dealer, gets involved in a shootout that doesn't please the top brass...
Shrek DVD Animation; Family; Comedy A reclusive ogre and a chatterbox donkey go on a quest to rescue a princess for a tyrannical midget lord.
Shrek 2 DVD Animation; Family Princess Fiona's parents invite her and Shrek to dinner to celebrate her marriage. If only they knew the newlyweds were both ogres.
Silly Symphonies - Walt Disney Treasures DVD Animation; Disney In 1928, when Walt Disney's artists completed "The Skeleton Dance," the distributor of the Mickey Mouse shorts rejected the first "Silly Symphony" with a two-word telegram: "MORE MICE." Disney arranged to screen "Skeleton Dance" at the Carthay Circle Theater in Los Angeles, where it received an enthusiastic response, and the series took off. Seven "Silly Symphonies" won Academy Awards, beginning with "Flowers and Trees." Disney used these musically themed shorts to train young artists and test new styles, effects, and technologies: every film represented an innovation of some sort. In "Three Little Pigs," characters who looked alike demonstrated different personalities through the way they moved. "The Old Mill" showcased the newly invented Multiplane camera. The Sugar Cookie Girl in "Cookie Carnival" was one of several female characters the artists created while learning to animate a believable heroine for <I>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</I>. The well-chosen selections in this set demonstrate how quickly Disney advanced the art of animation during the '30s. Only eight years separate the crude black-and-white version of "The Ugly Duckling" (1931) from the moving Technicolor Oscar-winner of 1939. Over 60 years later, these films have lost none of their charm. The jazz-dancing insects in "Woodland Caf&#233;," the wonderfully animated caricature of Mae West in "Who Killed Cock Robin," and the instrument-characters in "Music Land" remain as delightful as ever. Leonard Maltin makes a genial host, and two hidden cartoons include Walt's introductions from the old <I>Disneyland</I> program. <I>--Charles Solomon</I>
Simpsons - The Complete First Season DVD Animation; Comedy America's first family of dysfunction, the Simpsons, appear in all their depraved glory in this wonderful DVD compilation of their show's premiere season. Fans accustomed to the slick appearance of the later episodes will be delighted by the rougher nature of these earlier episodes, when the characters weren't as well defined (Homer isn't quite as dumb as he is in later seasons) and the animation was still evolving. This only adds to the charm of these 13 episodes, which begin with "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," the December 1989 Christmas special in which a down-and-out Simpson family adopt Santa's Little Helper. Throughout the season, familiar faces are introduced, as we catch first glimpses of Smithers, Mr. Burns, the Flanderses, and Patty and Selma. Highlights of the season include "The Crepes of Wrath," in which Bart is sent to France as an exchange student ("Don't mess up France the way you messed up your room"); "Bart the Genius," in which Bart ends up in a school for the gifted; and "Krusty Gets Busted," in which Bart's lifelong animosity with Sideshow Bob begins. <I>--Jenny Brown</I>
Simpsons - The Complete Second Season DVD Animation; Comedy "A Simpson on a T-shirt. I never thought I'd see the day." So remarks Marge Simpson in "Dancin' Homer," just one of 22 mostly classic episodes that comprise this series' brilliant second season. <I>The Simpsons</I> by that time was already a pop culture phenomenon, but instead of suffering a sophomore slump, this iconoclastic animated series was just hitting its stride. Series milestones include: first Oscar&#174;-winning guest voice (an unbilled Dustin Hoffman in "Lisa's Substitute"), first Beatle guest voice (Ringo in "Brush with Greatness"), first "Treehouse of Horror" Halloween episode, first flashback episode ("The Way We Was," in which Homer meets Marge), and the first episode to make me cry (Bart's last frolic with obedience school washout Santa's Little Helper in "Bart's Dog Gets an F"). It's in this season the <I>The Simpsons</I> really finds its voice. The writing is sharper, and the upending of sitcom convention more subversive. "Perhaps there is no moral to this story," observes Lisa at the end of "Blood Feud." "Exactly," agrees Homer. "Just a bunch of stuff that happens." <p> In the first season, Bart was the series' breakout star, but in the second, <I>The Simpsons</I> established itself as a true ensemble series. Each character came into their own with career-best episodes. Marge, the family's long-suffering voice of reason, crusades against cartoon violence in "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge." Lisa, the heart and tortured soul of the series, develops an ill-fated crush on her new teacher in "Lisa's Substitute." Bart desperately tries to raise the money to buy Radioactive Man No. 1 in "Three Men and a Comic Book." Homer's stock rises when he grows hair in "Simpson and Delilah." Joining the <I>Simpsons</I> roster of scene-stealing supporting characters are Dr. Hibbert ("Bart the Daredevil"), shyster lawyer Lionel Hutz (voiced by the late, great Phil Hartman in "Bart Gets Hit by a Car"), the Ahnold-esque action hero McBain ("The Way We Was"), slobbering aliens Kang and Kodos ("Treehouse of Horror"), and "nutty professor" Frink ("Old Money"). This essential, extras-laden DVD set is illustrative of why <I>The Simpsons</I> is, in the parlance of Comic Book Guy, funniest show ever. <I>--Donald Liebenson</I>
Simpsons - The Complete Third Season DVD Animation; Comedy Broadcast in 1991, the third season of <I>The Simpsons</I> contains a host of candidates for "Best <I>Simpsons</I> Episode Ever." Homer is in such good form throughout that a reasonable case can be made that he has superseded the importance of his Greek namesake in the annals of culture and civilization. The opener, "Stark Raving Dad," for instance, features a guest appearance by an uncredited Michael Jackson, who plays an obese white inmate whom Homer meets while confined to a mental institution. Other standout episodes include "Like Father, Like Clown," in which Krusty reveals he is estranged from his Rabbi father; this is <I>The Simpsons</I> at the height of its powers, mature, ironic, erudite, and touching while bristling with slapstick and Bart-inspired cheek. "Flaming Moe's" features Aerosmith and sees Homer invent a cocktail that desperate, sleazy bartender Moe steals from him. "Radio Bart" is another demonstration of the series' knack for cultural references, parodying the Billy Wilder movie <I>Ace in the Hole</I>. Finally, there's "Brother Can You Spare Two Dimes," in which Danny DeVito reprises his role as Homer's brother, regaining the fortune Homer lost him by inventing a Baby Translator. Immensely enjoyable at any level, this third year demonstrates conclusively that <I>The Simpsons</I> is quite simply, and by a large margin, the greatest television show ever. <I>--David Stubbs</I>
Sin City DVD Action An adaptation of Frank Miller's stories based in the fictional town of Sin City. Chief amongst the town's residents is Marv, who trawls the darkest areas of town looking for the person who killed his one true love, Goldie.
Six Days Seven Nights DVD Action Robin Monroe, a New York magazine editor, and the gruff pilot Quinn Harris must put aside their mutual dislike if they are to survive after crash landing on a deserted South Seas island.
Smokey and the Bandit DVD Comedy; Theme - Driving The Bandit is hired on to run a tractor trailer full of beer over county lines in hot pursuit by a pesky sheriff.
Smokey and the Bandit II DVD Comedy; Theme - Driving The Bandit goes on another cross-country run, transporting an elephant from Florida to Texas. And, once again, Sheriff Buford T. Justice is on his tail.
Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 DVD Comedy; Theme - Driving Big and Little Enos are opening a sea food restaurant. They bet Sheriff Buford T. Justice that he cannot drive from Miami to the Enos ranch in Texas in a given amount of time. If Buford loses he has to give up his badge.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs DVD Animation; Family; Disney Snow, pursued by a jealous queen, hides with the Dwarfs; the queen feeds her a poison apple, but Prince Charming awakens her with a kiss.
Snowball Express DVD Comedy; Family; Disney; Theme - Snow-Winter When John Baxter inherits a ski resort in the Rocky Mountains, he quits his job in New York and moves the family west to run it...
South Park - The Complete First Season DVD Animation; Comedy <I>South Park</I> exploded on the pop culture landscape like a dirty bomb in 1997, and the 13 episodes that comprise the groundbreaking first season have lost none of their subversive impact. If <I>Seinfeld</I> was a show about nothing, then <I>South Park</I> is a show about everything, from important moral lessons in compassion and tolerance to good old-fashioned animated character assassination (Kathie Lee Gifford in "Weight Gain 4000" and Barbra Streisand in "Mecha-Streisand"). Like an After School Special gone quite mad, profanity-spewing third-graders Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and the ill-fated Kenny navigate childhood in their mountain town. Nothing in <I>South Park</I> is sacred, and each episode has something to offend, from "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" (featuring George Clooney as the voice of Sparky, the homosexual dog), to the Halloween episode "Pink Eye," in which Cartman dresses up as Adolph Hitler. Best not to even get started on Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Pooh, or the season finale cliffhanger, "Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut." <p> Each episode is preceded by a faux introduction by creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who proclaim every episode to be their favorite. Their incarnations as Rootin'-Tootin' Trey Parker and Pistol-Slingin' Matt Stone indicate that after <I>South Park</I> runs its course, they'd be great hosts of their own children's show, which--and this cannot be stressed strongly enough--<I>South Park</I> is <I>not</I>. Other extras include the <I>South Park</I> boys' appearance on the CableAce awards and "A South Park Thanksgiving," featuring Jay Leno, which aired exclusively on <I>The Tonight Show</I>. A minor annoyance is the slapdash packaging that mislabels the episodes ("Damien," for example, is on disc 3, not 2 as indicated). <I>--Donald Liebenson</I>
South Park - The Complete Fourth Season - Season 04 DVD Comedy
South Park - The Complete Second Season DVD Animation; Comedy Now that enough time has lapsed, we can all have a good laugh over <I>South Park</I> creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone's amusing little April Fools prank, in which they kicked off the show's second season not with the conclusion to season one's cliffhanger that would reveal the identity of Cartman's father, but with an all-Terrance, all-Phillip, all-farting episode, "Not Without My Anus." The ensuing outcry illustrated just how seriously its devoted fans take <I>South Park</I>. There is little evidence of sophomore slump in this three-disc collection of 18 episodes that continue the coming-of-age trials of third graders Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny. There is considerable shock value just in the episode titles alone, among them "Cojoined Fetus Lady," "Merry Christmas, Charlie Manson," and the infamous "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut." But mostly, the episodes are just--in Cartman's words--hella funny. "Spookyfish" is a creepfest about a killer fish, possessed animals, and alien alter egos (in which the so-called Evil Cartman is much nicer than the real Cartman) presented in Spookyvision, with pictures of Barbra Streisand framing the screen. "Chef's Salty Chocolate Balls" is a hilarious send-up of the Sundance Film Festival and the indie film scene that marks the return of Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo, and ends with the burial of Robert Redford in excrement. <p> As always, hard-earned life lessons provide <I>South Park</I> with fertile territory for skewed and subversive social commentary. In "Chicken Lover," Ayn Rand's <I>Atlas Shrugged</I> is an argument against literacy. "Underwear Gnomes" makes a strong case for corporate takeover of local family business. It is difficult to respect Warner Bros.' "authoritah" with the scant DVD extras. There are no commentaries, but Parker and Stone are present to introduce most of the episodes, each of which they proclaim to be their favorite. But their incarnations as abusive retirement center entertainers and as the hosts of an all-bacon cooking show fall flat. Bring back Rootin'-Tootin' Trey Parker and Pistol-Slingin' Matt Stone from the <I>Season One</I> set! <I>--Donald Liebenson</I>
South Park - The Complete Third Season - Season 03 DVD Comedy The third time's the, for want of a better word, charm for <I>South Park</I> on DVD. Instead of mere episode intros as on the first two boxed sets, Trey Parker and Matt Stone finally oblige us with actual episode commentary, or, as they call it, "commentary-mini." On this optional audio track, Trey and Matt goof for about five minutes or so at the top of each episode, certifying some as favorites ("Tweek vs. Craig," "Jewbilee," and "Worldwide Recorder Concert," which is described as "a reverse after-school special from hell"), championing others popularly dismissed by <I>South Park</I>'s otherwise loyal fans ("Jakovasaurs," "Sexual Harassment Panda"), and provocatively dismissing all of season 2. <p> The third season was frantically produced simultaneously with the feature film, <I>South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut</I>. This was the season, Trey proclaims, "where <I>South Park</I> turned the corner... and became good (as far as we were concerned)." Among their most inspired conceits is the so-called "Meteor Shower Party" trilogy, three episodes that unfold over the course of one night, each focusing on a different kid. "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery" pays homage to Hanna-Barbera-style animation and <I>Scooby-Doo</I>, recasting Korn as the Mystery Inc gang. "Rainforest Shmainforest," featuring a game Jennifer Aniston, cuts rainforest crusaders down to size. "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" takes its irreverent cue from the album of the same name, and contains an outrageously obscure reference to the 1978 made-for-TV <I>Star Wars Holiday Special</I>. Throughout the season, <I>South Park</I> is, as usual, a gleeful equal-opportunity offender, but the show's true gonzo spirit is truly illustrated in such surreal touches as the employment of live action in "Tweek vs. Craig," the singing of "The Morning After" backwards to save Chef from the spell of "The Succubus," and the <I>Seinfeld</I>-worthy argument over whether the term should be "pirate ghosts" or "ghost pirates" in "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery." <I>--Donald Liebenson</I>
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut DVD Animation; Comedy OK, let's get all the disclaimers out of the way first. Despite its colorful (if crude) animation, <I>South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut</I> is in no way meant for kids. It is chock full of profanity that might even make Quentin Tarantino blanch and has blasphemous references to God, Satan, Saddam Hussein (who's sleeping with Satan, literally), and Canada. It's rife with scatological humor, suggestive sexual situations, political incorrectness, and gleeful, rampant vulgarity. And it's probably one of the most brilliant satires ever made. The plot: flatulent Canadian gross <i>meisters</i> Terrance and Philip hit the big screen, and the South Park quartet of third graders--Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman--begin repeating their profane one-liners ad infinitum. The parents of South Park, led by Kyle's overbearing mom, form "Mothers Against Canada," blaming their neighbors to the north for their children's corruption and taking Terrance and Philip as war prisoners. It's up to the kids then to rescue their heroes from execution, not mention a brooding Satan, who's planning to take over the world. <p> To give away any more of the plot would destroy the fun, but this feature-length version of Trey Parker and Matt Stone's Comedy Central hit is a dead-on and hilarious send-up of pop culture. And did we mention it's a musical? From the opening production number "Mountain Town" to the cheerful antiprofanity sing-along "It's Easy, MMMKay" to Satan's faux-Disney ballad "Up There," Parker (who wrote or cowrote all the songs) brilliantly shoots down every earnest musical from <I>Beauty and the Beast</I> to <I>Les Mis&eacute;rables</I>. And in advocating free speech and satirizing well-meaning but misguided parental censorship groups (with a special nod to the MPAA), <I>Bigger, Longer & Uncut</I> hits home against adult paranoia and hypocrisy with a vengeance. And the jokes, while indeed vulgar and gross, are hysterical; we can't repeat them here, especially the lyrics to Terrance and Philip's hit song, but you'll be rolling on the floor. Don't worry, though--to paraphrase Cartman, this movie won't warp your fragile little mind. Unless you have something against the First Amendment. <I>--Mark Englehart</I>
Spaceballs DVD Comedy Planet Spaceball's President Scroob sends Lord Dark Helmet to steal Planet Druidia's abundant supply of air to replenish their own, and only Lone Starr can stop them.
Spies Like Us DVD Comedy Two bumbling government employees think they are U.S. spies, only to discover that they are actually decoys.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace DVD Sci-Fi Two Jedi knights and an outcast must help a queen save her world, and along the way discover a boy who has the potential to be a powerful Jedi himself.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones DVD Sci-Fi Anakin Skywalker shares a forbidden romance with Padmé Amidala even while his teacher's investigation of a separatist assassination attempt leads to the discovery of a secret Republican clone army.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith DVD Sci-Fi After three years of fighting in the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker concludes his journey towards the Dark Side of the Force, putting his friendship with Obi Wan Kenobi and his marriage at risk.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope DVD Sci-Fi Luke Skywalker leaves his home planet, teams up with other rebels, and tries to save Princess Leia from the evil clutches of Darth Vader.
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back DVD Sci-Fi While Luke takes advanced Jedi training from Yoda, his friends are relentlessly pursued by Darth Vader as part of his plan to capture Luke.
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi DVD Sci-Fi After rescuing Han Solo from the palace of Jabba the Hutt, the Rebels attempt to destroy the Second Death Star, while Luke Skywalker tries to bring his father back to the Light Side of the Force.
Stargate DVD Sci-Fi An interstellar teleportation device, found in Egypt, leads to a planet with humans resembling ancient Egyptians who worship the god Ra.
Stark Raving Mad DVD Drama A crook quietly plots his revenge against the boss who murdered his brother while working for him.
Starsky & Hutch DVD Comedy
Stepmom DVD Drama Anna and Ben, the two children of Jackie and Luke, have to cope with the fact that their parents divorced...
The Sting DVD Drama In 1930s Chicago, a young con man seeking revenge for his murdered partner teams up with a master of the big con to win a fortune from a criminal banker.
Stir Crazy DVD Comedy Skip and Harry are framed for a bank robery and end up in a western prison. The two eastern boys are...
Strange Brew - The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie DVD Comedy Canada's most famous hosers, Bob and Doug McKenzie, get jobs at the Elsinore Brewery, only to learn that something is rotten with the state of it.
Stripes DVD Comedy Two friends who are dissatisfied with their jobs decide to join the army for a bit of fun.
Stroker Ace DVD Comedy; Theme - Driving The title character, a popular NASCAR driver, clashes with the fried-chicken mogul that sponsors his racing team.
Super Troopers DVD Comedy Five Vermont state troopers, avid pranksters with a knack for screwing up, try to save their jobs and out-do the local police department by solving a crime.
Taking Care of Business DVD Comedy An uptight advertising exec has his entire life in a filofax organizer which mistakenly ends up in the hands of a friendly convict who poses as him.
Tapeheads DVD Comedy A couple of creative losers accidently become big shots in the video music industry.
Team America: World Police DVD Comedy Marionette superheroes fight to end terrorism and put tired celebrities out of their misery.
This Is Spinal Tap DVD Documentary Spinal Tap, the world's loudest band, is chronicled by hack documentarian Marti DeBergi on what proves to be a fateful tour.
Tombstone DVD Drama; Western After success cleaning up Dodge City, Wyatt Earp moves to Tombstone, Arizona, and wishes to get rich in obscurity...
Total Recall DVD Sci-Fi When a man goes for virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real, or does he?
The Toy DVD Comedy An underemployed reporter finds himself literally purchased as a toy for a rich spoiled brat.
Toy Story DVD Animation; Family; Disney A cowboy toy is profoundly threatened and jealous when a fancy spaceman toy supplants him as top toy in a boy's room.
Toy Story 2 DVD Animation; Family; Disney When Woody is stolen by a toy collector, Buzz and his friends vow to rescue him, but Woody finds the idea of immortality in a museum tempting.
Toy Story Supplemental Material DVD Disney; Documentary
The Transporter DVD Action This film is about a man (Statham) whose job is to deliver packages without asking any questions. Complications arise when he breaks those rules.
Tron - 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition DVD Sci-Fi The surprising truth about Disney's 1982 computer-game fantasy is that it's still visually impressive (though technologically quaint by later high-definition standards) and a lot of fun. It's about a computer wizard named Flynn (Jeff Bridges) who is digitally broken down into a data stream by a villainous software pirate (David Warner) and reconstituted into the internal, 3-D graphical world of computers. It is there, in the blazingly colorful, geometrically intense landscapes of cyberspace, that Flynn joins forces with Tron (Bruce Boxleitner) to outmaneuver the Master Control program that holds them captive in the equivalent of a gigantic, infinitely challenging computer game. Disney's wizards used a variety of cinematic techniques and early-'80s state-of-the-art computer-generated graphics to accomplish their dynamic visual goals, and the result was a milestone in cyberentertainment, catering to technogeeks while providing a dazzling adventure for hackers and nonhackers alike. Appearing just in time to celebrate the nascent cyberpunk movement in science fiction, <I>Tron</I> received a decidedly mixed reaction when originally released, but has since become a high-tech favorite and a landmark in special effects, with a loyal following of fans. DVD is a perfect format for the movie's neon-glow color scheme, and the musical score by synthesizer pioneer Wendy Carlos is faithfully preserved on the digitally remastered soundtrack. <I>--Jeff Shannon</I>
Up the Academy DVD Comedy This puber-comedy is a kind of mixture between 'Animal House' and 'Police Academy'. Four boys are sent...
Vacation DVD Comedy; Theme - Driving The Griswold family's cross-country drive to the WallyWorld theme park proves to be much more arduous than they ever anticipated.
Vacations: Disneyland - June 2000 DVD Home Movie
Vacations: Thanksgiving-Holiday 2003 DVD Home Movie
Vegas Vacation DVD Comedy; Theme - Gambling-Vegas The Griswolds head off for Las Vegas, as Clark got an extra bonus for developing a food preservative...
Vulgar DVD Drama A poor clown gains celebrity status after rescuing a girl from her father, but being famous brings the skeletons out of his very dark closet.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit DVD Animation; Family Wallace and his loyal dog, Gromit, set out to discover the mystery behind the garden sabotage that plagues their village and threatens the annual giant vegetable growing contest.
Wallace & Gromit: The First Three Adventures (1990-1995) DVD Animation; Family The perfect gift set for the Wallace and Gromit fan. All three of animator Nick Park's first adventures featuring the dotty inventor and his loyal but laconic dog--<i>The Wrong Trousers</i>, <i>A Close Shave</i>, and <i>A Grand Day Out</i>--come wrapped together and ready for multiple viewings. This is truly one of the rare gift sets that will entertain the entire family. <i>--Doug Thomas --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title</i>.
Walt: The Man Behind the Myth DVD Documentary; Biography Dick Van Dyke (<I>Mary Poppins</I>) narrates this made-for-TV special, which focuses on the high points in Walt Disney's life and career. Over 70 friends, relatives, and associates were interviewed. Critics, however, weren't given much of a chance to have their say, which prevents <I>Walt</I> from presenting a fully rounded picture. Fortunately, this two-hour story of the great man's rise--and rise--makes for compelling viewing anyway. It doesn't merely cover his work, but personal life, as well. Milestones, such as his marriage, are brought to life using footage from a copious home movie collection. Furthermore, a few Disney animators do mention some of the great man's more negative traits, such as his legendary toughness, but such criticisms are passed over quickly. Smaller viewers may find it boring, but Disney fans 10 and older are sure to be riveted by this fascinating man's life story. <I>--Kathleen C. Fennessy</I>
West Side Story DVD Musical Musical about two youngsters from rival NYC gangs who fall in love.
Where the Buffalo Roam DVD Comedy Semi-biographical film based on the experiences of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.
Who's Harry Crumb? DVD Comedy Harry is the latest generation of the Crumbs, famous and extremely talented detectives. Unfortunately...
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory DVD Family; Drama A poor boy wins the oppurtunity to tour the most eccentric and wonderful candy factory of all.
Winning Strategies: Texas Hold 'em Poker - Mike Caro DVD Theme - Gambling-Vegas
The World's Greatest Athlete DVD Comedy; Disney In this Disney comedy, a down on his luck coach travels to Africa where he spots the world's greatest athlete - a white Tarzan-type...
Zoolander DVD Comedy At the end of his career, a clueless fashion model is brainwashed to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia.