DVDpedia : Library : Title : N

Theatrical: 1991

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 251

Summary: Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 08/23/2005

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Independently Distributed

Duration: 95

Summary: Stills from Napolean Dynamite (Click for larger image)

 
 



 

Theatrical: 1978

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 109

Borrowed By: Shelly Marion

Summary: This is one of those movies that works for all the wrong reasons--disgusting, lowbrow, base humor that we are all far too sophisticated to find amusing. So, just don't tell anyone you still think it's a riot to watch John Belushi as the brutish Bluto slurp Jell-O or terrorize his less-aggressive fellow students. This crude parody of college life in the '60s spawned many imitations, but none could match the fresh-faced talent or bad taste of this huge box office success. (Remember all those toga parties in the '80s?) The first of the National Lampoon movies, this was originally released as "National Lampoon's Animal House". Keep an eye out for a very young Kevin Bacon in his first credited screen appearance. "--Rochelle O'Gorman"

Theatrical: 1989

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 97

Summary: You know exactly what you're getting in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation": another goofball, slapstick comedy of chaos and catastrophe with Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and family. This time, there's no traveling involved: Clark and Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) prepare for a nice Christmas with the kids (played by none other than Juliette Lewis and "Roseanne" star Johnny Galecki), when their home is invaded by backwoods cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) and his brood, along with assorted other crazy and/or stuffy relatives. Complications, of course, are inevitable. The film is preceded by "National Lampoon's Vacation" (1983) and "National Lampoon's European Vacation" (1985) and followed by "National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation" (1997). Directed by Jeremiah Chechik, who went on to do "Benny & Joon" and the Sharon Stone remake of "Diabolique". "--Jim Emerson"

Theatrical: 1985

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 95

Summary: After winning a tour package in a game show, the bickering Griswald family carve a trail of destruction through England (where they knock over Stonehenge), France, Germany, and Italy. Somehow Ellen (Bevery D'Angelo), the mom, gets kidnapped by gangsters, leading to a car chase that reunites the family, despite their differences. It's hard to believe that "National Lampoon's European Vacation" is only the second of the "Vacation" movies; it has the exhausted pallor of the last of a long series of sequels, drained of all zest or original ideas. The charmless smirk of Chevy Chase, mechanical in its idiocy, hangs over "European Vacation" like a death mask. It's hard to believe that this hack was once the funny and sexy hero of "Foul Play". D'Angelo keeps her chin up and gives the movie whatever class it may have; she deserves better. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1983

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 98

Summary: "Vacation" paved the way for the John Hughes movie dynasty of the 1980s. Written by Hughes (who would go on to write, direct, and/or produce "The Breakfast Club", "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", "Uncle Buck", "Home Alone", and so on) and directed by Harold Ramis ("Caddyshack", "Groundhog Day", "Stuart Saves His Family"), the first "Vacation" movie introduces us to the all-American Griswold family: father Clark (Chevy Chase), mother Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo), son Rusty (future Hughes staple Anthony Michael Hall), and daughter Audrey (Dana Barron). They all pile into the car for a cross-country road trip to Walley World, stopping along the way to view the world's biggest ball of twine. John Candy, Imogene Coca, and Randy Quaid (as yokel Cousin Eddie) pop up along the way. The movie was a big hit, and was followed by several sequels--"National Lampoon's European Vacation", "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation", and "National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation"--but this one is still probably the freshest and funniest of the bunch. "--Jim Emerson"

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 92

Summary: In a futile but ambitiously decadent attempt to revive the loony legacy of "National Lampoon" comedies, "Van Wilder" will make you laugh out loud, or vomit, or both. It's that kind of movie, in which the title character (played by sitcom survivor Ryan Reynolds) is the resident slacker of Coolidge College for seven years and running. Enjoying his party-animal supremacy and reluctant to fulfill his potential, he's got an idolizing assistant from India (Kal Penn, the movie's ethnic stereotype, desperate virgin, and comedic highlight), and a journalism major (Tara Reid) assigned to uncover the secret of Van's controlled anarchy. Unfortunately, the movie's more "Down to You" than "Animal House", opting for familiar teen romance over campus shenanigans, despite an abundance of flatulence, diarrhea, sicko sex jokes, gratuitous nudity, and one gag (involving a bulldog) that's disgusting by any standard. Keg-fueled frat-rats will surely elevate "Van Wilder" to semiclassic status; all others are urged to proceed with caution. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 88

Summary: Although it's enjoyable as a brainless diversion, "National Security" is one of those forgettable entertainments that denies its own considerable potential. It's a police action comedy in the mold of "Beverly Hills Cop", tailored to the buddy-flick formula and laced with racial tensions of the post-Rodney King era. It's set in Los Angeles, where dedicated cop Hank (Steve Zahn) does jail time for allegedly beating Earl (Martin Lawrence), whose only real assailant was an overzealous bumblebee. As fate and lazy screenwriting would have it, the two adversaries reunite as security guards, teaming up to crack a team of violent smugglers led by bleached-blonde Eric Roberts (further proof that this movie's got nothing new to offer). Routine stunts distract from the comedy's mostly untapped resource: Lawrence pointedly riffs on racial profiling, and his prolific ad-libs play well against Zahn's by-the-book straight man. If their partnership had been allowed to develop more believably, "National Security" might have been more than a blip on the box-office radar. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: WALT DISNEY VIDEO

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 131

Summary: Like a Hardy Boys mystery on steroids, "National Treasure" offers popcorn thrills and enough boyish charm to overcome its rampant silliness. Although it was roundly criticized as a poor man's rip-off of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "The Da Vinci Code", it's entertaining on its own ludicrous terms, and Nicolas Cage proves once again that one actor's infectious enthusiasm can compensate for a multitude of movie sins. The contrived plot involves Cage's present-day quest for the ancient treasure of the Knights Templar, kept secret through the ages by Freemasons past and present. Finding the treasure requires the theft of the Declaration of Independence (there are crucial treasure clues on the back, of course!), so you can add "caper comedy" to this Jerry Bruckheimer production's multi-genre appeal. Nobody will ever accuse director Jon Turtletaub of artistic ambition, but you've got to admit he serves up an enjoyable dose of PG-rated entertainment, full of musty clues, skeletons, deep tunnels, and harmless adventure in the old-school tradition. It's a load of hokum, but it's "fun" hokum, and that makes all the difference. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone

Genre: Mystery & Suspense

Duration: 124

Borrowed By: Shelly Marion

Summary: Less engrossing than its 2004 predecessor "National Treasure", Jon Turteltaub’s busy sequel "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" is nevertheless a colorful and witty adventure, another race against overwhelming odds for the answer to a historical riddle. Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage), the treasure hunter who feverishly sought, in the first film, the whereabouts of a war chest hidden by America’s forefathers, is now charged with protecting family honor. When a rival (Ed Harris) offers alleged proof that Gates’ ancestor, Thomas Gates, was not a Civil War-era hero but a participant in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Ben and his father (Jon Voight) and crew (Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger) hopscotch through Paris, London, Washington DC, and South Dakota to gather evidence refuting the claim. The film is most fun when the hunt, as in "National Treasure", squeezes Ben into such impossible situations as examining twin desks in the queen’s chambers in Buckingham Palace and the White House’s Oval Office, or kidnapping an American president (Bruce Greenwood) for a few minutes of frank talk. Helen Mirren, the previous year's Oscar winner for Best Actress, wisely joins the cast of a likely hit film as Ben’s archaeologist mother, long-estranged from Voight’s character but as feisty as the rest of the family. Returning director Turteltaub takes excellent advantage of his colorful backdrops in European capitals and the always-eerie Mount Rushmore, and oversees some wildly imaginative sets for this dramedy’s feverish third act in an audacious and completely unexpected, legendary setting. If "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" doesn’t feel quite as crisp and unique as its predecessor, it is still ingenious and wry enough to laugh a bit at itself. "--Tom Keogh"
Stills from "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" (click for larger image)

Theatrical: 1987

Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay

Genre: Cult Movies

Duration: 94

Summary: The word "vampire" is never mentioned in "Near Dark", but that doesn't stop this 1987 cult favorite from being one of the best modern-era vampire films. It put then-unknown director Kathryn Bigelow on Hollywood's radar and gave choice roles to "Aliens" costars favored by Bigelow's ex-husband James Cameron: Lance Henriksen is the leader of a makeshift family of renegade bloodsuckers, nocturnally seeking victims in rural Oklahoma; his immortal gal pal is "Aliens" and "Terminator 2" alumnus Jenette Goldstein; and Bill Paxton is the group's deadliest leather-clad ass kicker. Fellow traveler Jenny Wright lures Okie farm boy Adrian Pasdar into the group with a love bite, and he's soon turning toward vampirism with a combination of frightened revulsion and relentless desire. With Joshua Miller ("River's Edge") as the youngest vampire, "Near Dark" is Bigelow's masterpiece of low-budget ingenuity--a truck-stop thriller that begins well, gets better and better (aided by a fine Tangerine Dream score), and goes out in a blaze of glory. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 139

Summary: Although it eventually runs out of smart ideas and resorts to a typically explosive finale, this above-average thriller rises above its formulaic limitations on the strength of powerful performances by Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey. Both play Chicago police negotiators with hotshot reputations, but when Jackson's character finds himself falsely accused of embezzling funds from a police pension fund, he's so thoroughly framed that he must take extreme measures to prove his innocence. He takes hostages in police headquarters to buy time and plan his strategy, demanding that Spacey be brought in to mediate with him as an army of cops threatens to attack, and a media circus ensues. Both negotiators know how to get into the other man's thoughts, and this intellectual showdown allows both Spacey and Jackson to ignite the screen with a burst of volatile intensity. Director F. Gary Gray is disadvantaged by an otherwise predictable screenplay, but he has a knack for building suspense and is generous to a fine supporting cast, including Paul Giamatti as one of Jackson's high-strung hostages, and the late J.T. Walsh in what would sadly be his final big-screen role. The movie should have trusted its compelling characters a little more, probing their psyches more intensely to give the suspense a deeper dramatic foundation, but it's good enough to give two great actors a chance to strut their stuff. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 114

Summary: "The Net", the first of Hollywood's big cyberthrillers of the mid-1990s, was also the most successful, thanks in large part to the natural appeal of star Sandra Bullock. Still riding high from "Speed" and "While You Were Sleeping", Bullock plays a computer expert victimized by sinister cyberforces who steal her identity for reasons unknown. It's a clever combination of high-tech paranoia and Hitchcockian references (including Jeremy Northam as a romantic stranger named Devlin, after Cary Grant in "Notorious"). Film historians may look back someday on films like this--Roger Ebert calls them "hacksploitation"--to see what they reveal about our society's reaction to the increasing role of technology in our lives, just as we now study the fears of Communism and the atom bomb reflected in films of the 1950s. Dennis Miller and Diane Baker costar. "--Jim Emerson"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 107

Summary: Let's get this straight: Drew Barrymore started a production company to develop original scripts outside of Hollywood and the first project she chose to produce was this, a romantic comedy written by USC grads Abby Kohn and Mark Silverstein about a nerdy, virginal woman who returns to high school as an undercover reporter, finally gets to be popular, and falls in love. And Barrymore decided, as producer, that the perfect actress to play this virtuous, clean-cut, and downright annoying geek would be... Drew Barrymore? It's hard to believe that after "The Wedding Singer" Barrymore's not getting enough dopey, formulaic, predictable romantic comedies coming across her desk. The complete inability to buy Barrymore as unattractive, awkward, and unpopular ruins "Never Been Kissed" from the start, but it's doubtful a better actress could have saved it. The jokes fall flat, the romance between Barrymore and her English teacher (played by Michael Vartan) lacks chemistry, and the portrayals of high school and the newspaper newsroom is clichéd and uninspired (big surprise here: the director, Raja Gosnell, previously made "Home Alone 3"). Gosnell can't even give the gifted character actor, John C. Reilly, anything to do. Only David Arquette, who plays Barrymore's out-of-control brother, brings any energy to the film. "--Dave McCoy"

Theatrical: 1991

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 97

Summary: Some pundits called it a flawed, exploitative action film that glamorized drug dealing and the luxury of a lucrative criminal lifestyle, spawning a trend of films that attracted youth gangs and provoked violence in theaters. Others hailed it as a breakthrough movie that depicted drug dealers as ruthless, corrupt, and evil, leading dead-end lives that no rational youth would want to emulate. However you interpret it, "New Jack City" is still one of the first and best films of the 1990s to crack open the underworld of cocaine and peer inside with its eyes wide open. It's also the film that established Wesley Snipes as an actor to watch, with enough charisma to bring an insidious quality of seduction to his role as coke-lord Nino Brown, and enough intelligence to portray a character deluded by his own sense of indestructible power. Director Mario Van Peebles stretched his otherwise-limited talent to bring vivid authenticity and urgency to this crime story, and subplots involving a pair of tenacious cops (Ice-T, Judd Nelson) and a recovering coke addict (Chris Rock) provide additional dramatic tension. Although some critics may hesitate to admit it, "New Jack City" deserves mention in any serious discussion about African American filmmakers and influential films. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 482

Summary: "We're not going be here forever together," billionaire and WNYX station owner Jimmy James (Stephen Root) says at one point to the cracked "NewsRadio" team. "Eventually, we're going to have to move on with our lives." That time came too soon for this endearingly goofy series, which could not overcome the shocking and tragic murder of perhaps its most beloved ensemble member, nor network indifference and low ratings. The fifth was "News Radio"'s last and least season, but only by this series' own high loopy standards. In fact, many years on, these episodes have aged surprisingly well. The heartbreaking season opener, which takes place following the funeral of news anchor Bill McNeal (said to be felled by a heart attack), honors the memory of the irreplaceable Phil Hartman with genuine affection and humor. Andy Dick, in particular, is movingly understated as Matthew, who idolized Bill and is in denial about his death. The second episode introduces Jon Lovitz, who costarred with Hartman on "Saturday Night Live", as the hapless Max Lewis, who has been fired from 37 different stations, but was a friend of McNeal's. "It's not about qualifications, it's about chemistry," James advises news director Dave (Dave Foley). "Maybe hiring a friend of [Bill's] will help us ease over this rough patch." It's true, as one character states, that "no one can replace Bill," but after a few episodes, Lovitz becomes a seamless member of the ensemble.
Some of this season's most memorable episodes subvert these singularly weird characters. In "Flowers for Matthew," a new "smart drink" transforms Matthew, the office's "silly little monkey," into "Smart Matthew" (or "Smathhew"). In "Noise," high-strung Dave mellows out after Joe (Joe Rogan) builds him a white-noise machine. A story arc that will reverberate throughout the season finds Jimmy James on the lam after the FBI accuses him of being the legendary hijacker D.B. Cooper. Patrick Warburton, who like Lovitz simply "sounds" funny, guest stars as James' arch nemesis, Johnny Johnson, who has designs on his business empire, and later, on reporter Lisa (Maura Tierney). Another memorable guest star is Tiffani-Amber Thiessen as Lisa's bombshell new assistant, who devastates brainy Dave and brawny Joe. "NewsRadio" deftly melded physical comedy, out-of-left-field situations, sparkling dialogue, and bizarre grace notes (the wacky outfits of Vicki Lewis's "red-haired temptress," Beth). What makes this set especially "News"-worthy are the extras, including 10 entertaining commentaries with cast and crew members and a generous gag reel. To quote Bill McNeal: "Salut!" "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 659

Summary: With its shaky five-season tenure (1995-99) including a dozen different time slots and only one major Emmy nomination, the outstanding "NewsRadio" is the atypical sitcom of its age. While most of the '90s sitcoms were based around a single big name talent (Jerry Seinfeld, Candice Bergen, Drew Carrey), "NewsRadio" came from the same stock from earlier shows "Taxi" and "Cheers": a relatively unknown cast that rarely ventured away from the place of business. These first 29 episodes (7 as a mid-season replacement the first year), deliver a consistently hilarious show about the day-to-day life with the eccentric staff of New York radio station WNYX. Creator Paul Simms ("The Larry Sanders Show") built a talented cast relying on expert delivery and character traits instead of goofy situations. The most famous cast member, "Saturday Night Live"'s Phil Hartman, went against the grain of most "SNL" veterans and gleefully took a supporting role, the pompous, silver-tongued anchor Bill McNeal. The lead--the glue--of the series is Kids in the Hall member Dave Foley as the earnest new station manager, Dave Nelson. Soft but eager, Nelson plays lion-tamer delicately maneuvering around staff to keep the station humming along. This is complicated from the get-go when he falls into a secret, but very cute affair with Lisa (Maura Tierney), the ace reporter.
The station, like Mary Tyler Moore's TV crew two decades earlier, has a good balance between funny folks and just plain whackos. The former includes Stephen Root as the rich yet time-crunched owner, Joe Rogan as the fix-it man, and Khandi Alexander as Bill's tart co-anchor. The latter is embodied in Andy Dick as the helpless Matthew, a sublime airhead whose comic highjinks are often the show's hardest laughs, and Vicki Lewis, continuing the famous TV tradition of the lovable ditzy secretary that knows all. But the legacy of the show belongs to Hartman who tragically died after the fourth season. His comic bravura is balanced with the ability to play the fool. In one perfect scene, Lisa walks by with only a bra on (don't ask) and Bill doesn't move, reading his newspaper. Lisa returns to slap him anyway, shocking him. "I didn't say anything." Lisa retorts, "You were thinking it" and walks away. Hartman eases into a juicy, soft smile and returns to reading, "Well, that's fair."
If you're not a fan of commentary tracks, you won't find the love and care that went into this DVD set. There are commentaries on 20 of the 27 episodes with the cast and crew rotating duties. The nice thing about a cast full of comics is that the commentaries are very funny and rewarding for fans. We hear about the casting of the show, Foley's uncanny ability to memorize a script, the art of the archaic reference, and how the fix-it man was--for the half the pilot--Ray Romano. But if you don't have time for the commentaries, watch and laugh hard at the 10-minute (!) gag reel. "--Doug Thomas"

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 480

Summary: With the departure of Khandi Alexander in the seventh episode, the radio-station sitcom became looser and wackier as the season went on. No new costar was immediately brought in, allowing other actors to do more, especially Phil Hartman as WNYX's blowhard anchor, Bill McNeil. Hartman rises to the challenge in his last season; he tragically died before the start of season 5. Bill gets to be boss for a day, works on his lounge act, interviews a jumper (fellow "SNL" alum Jon Lovitz, his second go-around on the show), tries to prove he can tell jokes, seeks adoption, and invents interviews with celebrities. The penultimate 22-epoisode fourth season starts off with a goody-two-shoes efficiency expert played by future "Gilmore Girl" Lauren Graham raising havoc: Matthew (Andy Dick) is fired (but still hangs around the station), Lisa (Maura Tierney) takes over as manager, and Dave (Dave Foley) winds up as Bill's producer. When the expert leaves, things return to relatively normal with episodes on the new security system, owner Mr. James's (Stephen Root) ballooning adventure, Joe (Joe Rogan) showing his Ultimate Fighting persona, Beth (Vicki Lewis) going British for a charity auction, and the annual fantasy-episode placing the station on the "Titanic". The show seemed ready to hit the mainstream by the end of the season, even introducing a new character, Mr. James's hunk nephew (Brad Rowe) who short circuits the office romances (Dave and Lisa are still apart, despite the "help" of others). Alexander certainly didn't have enough to do on the show, but her final episode is the season's best. When she quickly states she's leaving and runs out the door, everyone has a different version of what happened, played out with hilarious results. As before, the DVD set has commentary roundtables on a few key episodes and 20 minutes of knee-slapping bloopers. "--Doug Thomas"

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 563

Summary: The affable crew of WNYX is at it again in this painfully underseen sitcom. The 1996-97 season is more outlandish and escapes the clichés of the secret romance between reporter Lisa (Maura Tierney) and news director Dave (Dave Foley), the most continuous storyline of the first two seasons. Many of the season's episodes deal with the normalcy of the office environment: performance reviews, the complaint box, budget cuts, the annual Halloween party, and office feuds, most involving the wonderfully smug anchor Bill McNeal (Phil Hartman in what should have been his signature role) and daffy reporter Matthew (Andy Dick, certainly his signature role). However, "NewsRadio" creator Paul Simms and the writers push the envelope, including placing Bill in a mental ward (meeting patient Jon Lovitz who would fill in for Hartman later), Dave's obsession with an arcade game, Matt's compulsion with his "twin" brother (played by Jon Stewart), and eclectic owner Jimmy James's (Andy Root) brief run for the presidency. The fantasy elements kick in with an episode on daydreaming on an extremely hot day, one in which Jimmy falls into a coma, and an episode that takes place in space! At times, those odd elements don't work and there's not enough moments for Khandi Alexander (as Bill's on-air partner). But make no mistake, the show boasts some of the best moments in '90s sitcom-dom. Perhaps the highlight show has Dave and Bill stuck in a St. Louis airport (and swarmed by Midwest manners, to Bill's chagrin) while Lisa runs the station. Season 3 guest stars include Ben Stiller as a health club jerk, Norm McDonald as Jimmy's lawyer, and James Caan as himself wanting to learn for a role shadowing Bill (but ending up marveling how odd Matthew is). Jerry Seinfeld also stars as himself in a surprisingly unfunny episode, proving good comedies shouldn't have to stoop to stunt casting. "--Doug Thomas"

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 96

Summary: The weirdness of actor Nicolas Cage and the weirdness of science-fiction author Philip K. Dick seem like a natural fit. The premise, taken from a short story by Dick, is a good one: A mediocre Las Vegas magician named Chris Johnson (Cage) can see into the future--but only about two minutes at the most. Just enough to pull off his act and to make some money at the gambling tables, so long as he's discreet. Unfortunately, he hasn't been discreet enough; a government agent (Julianne Moore) has sussed out his precognitive talent and wants to use him to track down terrorists. But all Johnson cares about is a beautiful young woman (Jessica Biel, "The Illusionist") that he can see in his future--much further in his future than he's ever seen before. "Next" has flashes that point to a much, much better movie than it turned out to be. A sequence in which Johnson, clairvoyantly explores all the different permutations of how he might approach his mystery woman is both funny and thought-provoking, and when Johnson avoids pursuers by knowing just the right moment to turn a corner or duck his head, it's smart and suspenseful. Unfortunately, the terrorist part of the plot is utterly perfunctory and precognition is reduced to an action movie gimmick. Somewhere in there is the kernel of a romantic comedy about precognition that's just waiting to be made. Cage gives a solid if unsurprising performance, Moore is basically earning a paycheck, but Biel is unexpectedly good (and her part is considerably better-written than your usual romantic interest); her performance suggests a better future than anyone might have predicted. "--Bret Fetzer"

Beyond "Next"
More Nick Cage on DVD
The Author that Inspired the Movie
The Soundtrack Stills from "Next" (click for larger image)

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: African American Cinema

Duration: 98

Summary: Ice Cube wrote and stars as Craig in this sequel to "Friday", which he also wrote. His nemesis from that film, neighborhood bully Debo (Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.), has just escaped from county jail and is out to get revenge. To protect Craig, Craig's father (John Witherspoon) sends his son to stay with his Uncle Elroy (Don "DC" Curry), who won the lottery and bought a house in Rancho Cucamonga. Craig expects the suburbs to be dull, but no sooner has he arrived than conflicts arise: The neighbors are hostile hoods, his cousin's girlfriend is out for blood and child support, and the house is about to be seized because of unpaid taxes. It's up to Craig and his cousin Day-Day (Mike Epps) to solve these problems before the day is over. It's a rambling, loose movie, but a genuinely entertaining one. Ice Cube doesn't write punch lines--though funny lines abound. He writes richly comic characters that speak in virtual arias of bragging, complaining, and scamming. Sure, some of the characters are stereotypes and many of the jokes are about drugs and scatology--but that's been the basis of humor since Plautus and Molière. The rhythmic energy of Ice Cube's dialogue and the easy charisma of his performance make "Next Friday" thoroughly enjoyable. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 110

Summary: An irresistible concept meets computer-generated wonders in Night at the Museum, inspired by a 1993 children's book by Milan Trenc. Ben Stiller stars as Larry Daley, an underachieving inventor waiting for his ship to come in while getting evicted from one apartment after another for lack of funds. Larry's son needs some stability, so the well-meaning ne'er-do-well takes a job as night watchman at New York City's Museum of Natural History. What the soon-to-retire guards (Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs) don't tell him is that an ancient pharaoh's tablet in the museum causes everything on display to come to life at night. Thus, Larry meets representations of Teddy Roosevelt, Attila the Hun, fire-worshipping cavemen, and Roman Empire soldiers, and learns to cope with an excitable T-Rex and man-eating, ancient animals. The film might have left things at that, but an added story element gives Night at the Museum some extra urgency and excitement, especially for kids: Larry becomes responsible for keeping this nightly miracle going and preventing anything in the museum from dying due to exposure to sunrise. Computer effects, as well as wildly imaginative costumes and makeup, help make the film appeal to the 8-year-old in everyone. Director Shawn Levy (The Pink Panther) works with a hugely talented cast, including Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais, Carla Gugino, and Steve Coogan. --"Tom Keogh"
"Night at the Museum" Extras
Ben Stiller on Director Shawn Levy

Ricky Gervais on the size of his trailer and eating cheese.


Beyond "Night at the Museum"
See What DVDs Meant Special Effects to Amazon DVD Editors As Kids
More Adventure Films for Kids & Family
"The Night at the Museum" Paperback Book


Stills from "Night at the Museum"

Theatrical: 2009

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Television

Duration: 105

Summary: Ben Stiller wrestles with extinct beasts, historical figures, and meddling monkeys in "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian", the sequel to the popular 2006 special-effects extravaganza. This time, the ancient Egyptian tablet (the one that brings all the exhibits at New York's Museum of Natural History to life at night) is being shipped off to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.--which, as the movie diligently tells us, is the largest museum in the world. Naturally, former museum guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) heads down to rescue it (and, by extension, keep his magical museum friends alive). He ends up fighting with a nasty pharaoh who talks like Boris Karloff (Hank Azaria, "The Simpsons") and falling in love with Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams, "Enchanted"). All the old gang are along for the ride, including Dexter the monkey; much face-slapping and special effects ensue. There aren't many surprises, but "Battle of the Smithsonian" is cheerful enough to entertain everyone who enjoyed the first movie. Extras include commentaries by the director and the writers, the usual self-congratulatory making-of featurette, deleted scenes that are actually as good as the rest of the movie, an alternate ending, and an entirely pointless second disc about Crystal, the capuchin monkey who plays Dexter (the monkey disc has less than a half-hour of material, including two mediocre games). The great supporting cast from the first movie returns, including Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, and Robin Williams. "--Bret Fetzer"

Stills from Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Click for larger image)


 

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 114

Summary: "Night Watch" is that rare film that--like "The Matrix"--is not only visually dazzling but creates an intriguing, seductive, and thrilling alternative world. A young man named Anton, after dabbling in black magic to bring back the wife who left him, discovers that the world is populated by fantastical Others (vampires, shape-shifters, witches, and more) who have chosen sides--Light or Dark--in an epic battle. A truce has been declared; both sides watch the other to ensure the truce is maintained. But a prophecy has predicted that a powerful Other will tilt the balance, and Anton--who is himself an Other--finds himself crucial to the prophecy's fulfillment. There's no question that "Night Watch" has weaknesses. Numerous plot holes get glossed over by pell-mell pacing, the visual conception of the apocalyptic battle between Light and Dark is curiously pedestrian (a bunch of knights fighting a bunch of guys in fur with swords--what happened to their various powers?), and more--but, much like similar problems with "The Matrix", it doesn't matter.
The alternative world "Night Watch" presents is so rich with possibilities that it takes on a life of its own, both as an imaginative universe and as a vivid metaphor for the moral complexities of our own lives--for example, though the forces of Light claim to be good, their often brutal actions call their virtue into question, and the forces of Dark make some compelling moral arguments on the topic. The movie is so overstuffed with ideas that many don't get fleshed out, but that only contributes to the sense of vitality and unexplored dimensions. Even the subtitles are used creatively. The impending sequels (this is the first film of a trilogy) may--like "The Matrix"--take all the stimulating possibilities "Night Watch" raises and drag them into the toilet, but for the moment, this is the sort of electric excitement that blockbuster movies promise but so rarely deliver. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: New Concorde

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 85

Summary: Isaac Asimov's classic science fiction story "Nightfall" posited a world bathed in perpetual sunlight because of its six suns, which are all in constant orbit so one is always shining. But once every 2,000 years or so there is an eclipse that throws the plant into darkness and drives people mad. Asimov is after a comparison of religious superstition and scientific knowledge here, centered on the poetic sense of awe evoked when darkness falls and the stars are visible for the first time. The present filmed version loses all the poetry, exacting science, and subtlety of its inspiration and adds instead the wooden, uncommitted acting of David Carradine ("Kung Fu") as a scientist, hordes of Indian extras (it seems to have been filmed in Bombay), and some botched pyrotechnic battle sequences. Clearly the filmmakers lost their way from story to screen, opting instead for a "Raiders of the Lost Ark" feeling, with lots of lame action and adventure usurping the story's core concept. The Asimov story has garnered top honors in poll after poll, including one done by the Science Fiction Writers of America, and the packaging tries to capitalize on that cachet. Understandable, since this movie has nothing else going for it. "--Jim Gay"

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: Dreamworks Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 102

Summary: Eddie Murphy stars and stars in this very broad and raucous comedy that finds the Oscar-nominated "Dreamgirls" actor revisiting the multiple-character shtick that worked so well for him in "Coming to America" and "The Nutty Professor". The latter's makeup-effects artist, Rick Baker, once again transforms Murphy into a variety of grotesques and caricatures, including the hugely fat, monstrous Rasputia, the Asian Mr. Wong, and the timorous Norbit, a nervous orphan raised by Wong and married to Rasputia. The latter, a member of a construction family with a plan to turn Wong's orphanage into a strip club, is a relentlessly narcissistic shrew who puts the screws on Norbit at every turn, especially when he rediscovers his love for an old friend, Kate (Thandie Newton). Kate's wish to buy and maintain the orphanage herself is secretly compromised by her fiancé (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), who is in cahoots with Rasputia's family and using Norbit to further their agenda.
Extraordinarily silly, frequently crude and mean-spirited to an extreme, "Norbit" is far more sour than "The Nutty Professor". But there are moments of inspiration, especially a wedding interrupted by wannabe pimps who launch a profane gospel groove, and a dog that talks to Norbit while he is semi-conscious. For the most part, though, "Norbit" impresses as a technical marvel utilizing careful shot design and skillful editing. Murphy participates in several remarkable, three-character scenes in which he happens to be all three characters, and those moments move so briskly it's easy to forget one is looking at a comic stunt. "--Tom Keogh"
Stills from " Norbit " (click for larger image)

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 89

Summary: Speaking as a long-time fan of teen movies, I was quite impressed by the scope and quality of this motion picture. I don't generally go for gross-out humor, but this film takes a slightly higher road than, say, Scary Movie, actually striving to encapsulate all of the bits and pieces of years of other movies into a coherent plot. Sure, there are a few aspects of real raunchiness included here, with two scenes in particular being pretty disgusting, but the movie never sunk to the level of becoming distasteful to my eyes. I also have to admire the verve with which the filmmakers went about their tasks; if you are going to do a full-fledged parody, I say don't hold back, and Not Another Teen Movie does not hold back at all, especially in terms of the language. This movie is brash and unafraid, and that is a real factor in its success.
I was amazed by the vast number of movies that found themselves ridiculed and incorporated into this film; I was expecting send-ups of teen comedies from the past ten years, but this movie draws heavily from a number of classic 80s films and even snatches a few things from 1970 classics such as Grease. Even a number of films I wouldn't consider teen movies (but which do feature teens) are pulled into this satirical universe - e.g., American Beauty. This could almost be a weakness because today's teens may be unfamiliar with a lot of the parodies involved in this production; having come of age in the 80s, I easily spotted the references to classics such as Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, etc., but I wonder how many of today's teens pick up on little things such as the name of the high school (John Hughes High), understand the origins of a character such as Ricky, or see the significance of the prom dress Janey Briggs wears. Of course, the most obvious nod to 80s teen movies comes in the form of Molly Ringwald's unusual cameo appearance and the impressive homage to The Breakfast Club, which I admit left me feeling a little older than I would like to be. I think it is safe to say that those unfamiliar with teen movies of the last twenty years will get little enjoyment out of Not Another Teen Movie; you have to know the source of the parodies in order to really "get" them, and the mere task of trying to count the number of different movie reference can be a source of amusement in and of itself.
The DVD comes loaded with extras. If you have only a limited knowledge of teen movies, you may want to start by taking the Teen Movie I.Q. Quiz; if you score less than 50% on the quiz, you would do well to bone up on your teen movie knowledge before taking the step of actually watching Not Another Teen Movie. The list of additional special features, I must say, is legion: commentaries by both filmmakers and cast, 18 deleted scenes including the original ending, three behind-the-scenes featurettes, cast promos, an illuminating yearbook montage featuring the class of John Hughes High, a collection of cast member auditions, movie trailers, Meet the Cast promos, and a track of teen movie factoids. But wait, there's even more. First-time feature film director Joel Gallen's first short film is thrown into the mix, alongside a Behind the Video look at the unrated version of Marilyn Manson's Tainted Love video. If you think the likes of Mia Kirshner, Chyler Leigh, and Jaime Pressly are hot in the movie (and I don't know how you could think otherwise), you really want to see this video.

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Walt Disney Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 98

Summary: With a story that's too flimsy to support its running time, this road-movie comedy has plenty of problems, but at its best it's a surprisingly inspired vehicle for the clever teaming of Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence. Robbins plays an addled advertising executive who comes home early one day and discovers his wife in bed with his boss. To make matters worse, he's later carjacked by a struggling, unemployed family-man-turned-petty-thief (Lawrence), and that's when he loses his cool completely. He takes the carjacker hostage and recruits him on a road-trip scheme of revenge against his wife and boss. Plotting to break into his boss's high-security vault, Robbins gets a criminal assist from Lawrence, but they're also on the run from another pair of would-be thieves who trail them to the vault's location. The routine plot is occasionally limp and sluggish, but writer-director Steve Oedekerk (who makes a wacky cameo appearance as a security guard) mines comedy gold during several scenes that detour from the plot for the sake of sheer lunacy. Robbins and Lawrence have great comedic chemistry (if you can tolerate Lawrence's constant profanity), and although the movie ends on a false note with some unlikely turns of fate, it's definitely good for more than a few solid laughs. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 124

Summary: They don't really make many romantic comedies like "Notting Hill" anymore--blissfully romantic, sincerely sweet, and not grounded in any reality whatsoever. Pure fairy tale, and with a huge debt to "Roman Holiday", "Notting Hill" ponders what would happen if a beautiful, world-famous person were to suddenly drop into your life unannounced and promptly fall in love with you. That's the crux of the situation for William Thacker (Hugh Grant), who owns a travel bookshop in London's fashionable Notting Hill district. Hopelessly ordinary (well, as ordinary as you can be when you're Hugh Grant), William is going about his life when renowned movie star Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) walks into his bookstore and into his heart. After another contrived meet-cute involving spilled orange juice, William and Anna share a spontaneous kiss (big suspension of disbelief required here), and soon both are smitten. The question is, of course, can William and Anna reconcile his decidedly commonplace bookseller existence and her lifestyle as a jet-setting, paparazzi-stalked celebrity? (Take a wild guess at the answer.) Smartly scripted by Richard Curtis ("Four Weddings and a Funeral") and directed by Roger Michell ("Persuasion"), "Notting Hill" is hardly realistic, but as wish fulfillment and a romantic comedy, it's irresistible. True, Roberts doesn't really have to stretch very far to play a big-time actress who makes $15 million per movie, but she's more winning and relaxed than she's been in years, and Grant is sweetly understated as a man blindsided by love. Together, in moments of quiet, they're a charming couple, and you can feel her craving for real love and his awe and amazement at the wonderful person for whom he has fallen. The only blight on the film is its overbearing pop soundtrack, though Elvis Costello's heart-wrenching version of "She" gets poignant exposure. With Rhys Ifans as Grant's scene-stealing, slovenly housemate and Alec Baldwin in a sly, perfectly cast cameo. "--Mark Englehart"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 95

Summary: A screwball noir comedy that marks a promising directorial debut by first-timer David Atkins, "Novocaine" has a knack for the offbeat, beginning with the casting of Steve Martin as Frank, a dentist who traps himself in an escalating series of secrets and lies. Frank likens his dilemma to the insidious rot of tooth decay, personified by quirky drug addict Susan (Helena Bonham Carter), who enters his office, steals his narcotics, and draws him into an unexpected flirtation with disaster. Frank's brother (Elias Koteas) complicates matters almost as much as Susan's psycho brother (Scott Caan), but it's Frank's fiancée and hygienist (Laura Dern) who shotguns the movie to its outrageous and gruesomely off-putting conclusion. Erratic in tone and briefly amusing, "Novocaine" offers a few surprises (including an unbilled appearance by Kevin Bacon), but the movie never really finds its groove, and its curiously numbing effect makes the title just a bit too apropos. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Weinstein Company

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 102

Summary: "Now You Know" is a New Jersey comedy ushered into the world, appropriately enough, by Kevin Smith. Smith, however, didn't direct it and makes only a fleeting appearance as a favor to actor-director Jeff Anderson (Randall Graves in Smith's "Clerks" comedies for film and television). Anderson, who also wrote the script, tells the tale here of Jeremy (Jeremy Sisto) and Kerri (Rashida Jones), who are supposed to be married one weekend until Kerri calls the whole thing off. Jeremy has no idea why, but he does know how difficult it is to tell all the revelers who have come to Jersey for the celebration. Meanwhile, Kerri's best friend Marty (Heather Paige Kent) offers great support to the former bride-to-be while struggling with an unexpected pregnancy. Jeremy's support, however, comes in the "Clerks" tradition of paired losers, in this case inseparable buddies Gil (Anderson) and Biscuit (Trevor Fehrman from "Clerks II"). The film skips along as a succession of comic situations, some of which are inspired (Marty and Kerri visit a gay bar; Biscuit and Gil, who mow lawns for a living, moonlight as break-in pranksters who rearrange their victims' furniture), but others less so. Anderson's script rises from comic banality (the film opens on a mindless bachelor party) to wisdom (peace between the sexes). Not bad for a directorial debut. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 98

Summary: Jim Carrey as a schizophrenic murderer isn't convincing, in this melodramatic film about a man obsessed by the "Number 23". Joel Schumacher ("Batman Forever, St. Elmo's Fire") has unintentionally managed to make a comedy of horrors that really is quite humorous in parts. Walter Sparrow (Carrey) becomes engrossed in a homespun novel about Detective Fingerling, whose life degrades into mayhem because of his obsession with 23's esoteric numerical puzzles. Sparrow's preoccupation with the book follows his botched attempt to catch a nasty dog that bites him, leading one to believe that Sparrow's contraction of rabies might be the cause for his mental degradation. As the story progresses, Sparrow retreats further into Fingerling's world, rife with suicidal sexpots and hardboiled detective sleuthing. His wife, Agatha (Virginia Madsen), also plays Fingerling's girlfriend, sex-crazed Fabrizia, who taunts Fingerling until he stabs her. Back in reality, Walter aims to solve the unresolved crimes in the book, taking it as a murderer's diary rather than as an imagined work. The story is half-baked, though Carrey's portrayal of a mentally disturbed person is what makes "The Number 23" comedic. Long, contemplative stares, and over-dramatized acting renders Sparrow a clichéd character, rather than one odd enough to engage viewers. For a better version of almost the exact plot but with a terrorist's twist, see "Thr3e" instead. "--Trinie Dalton"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Polygram USA Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 110

Summary: A frenzied, screwball comedy with a lighter-than-light touch, "Nurse Betty" is a radical departure for director Neil LaBute, who helmed the vitriolic "In the Company of Men" and "Your Friends and Neighbors". Betty (Renée Zellweger) is a perky Kansas waitress whose sole happiness comes from her obsession with the television soap "A Reason to Love", starring dreamboat doctor David Ravell (Greg Kinnear). When her slimy car-dealer husband (Aaron Eckhart) enters into a drug transaction that goes horribly awry, Betty inadvertently witnesses the carnage and, in shock, becomes Nurse Betty, determined to reunite with her long-lost love, Dr. Ravell. Tailed by two hit men (Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock), Betty heads to L.A. a determined woman, unaware she has their huge drug stash in tow. Though it takes a good half-hour to get going, once LaBute and the movie hit top speed, it's a surreal, often brilliant ride, as Betty's fantasy and reality collide, with unexpected ("really" unexpected) developments. The screenplay (by John C. Richards and James Flamberg) is wickedly inventive, and like his previous films, LaBute has assembled a peerless cast. Zellweger is charming and daffy in her best performance since "Jerry Maguire", and Freeman is by turns menacing and touchingly romantic in his obsession with Betty. Kinnear is the epitome of self-serving shallowness (and makes us love him all the more for it), and Rock finally shakes his standup persona and emerges as a great comic actor. Look also for a scene-stealing Allison Janney as the producer of Kinnear's soap. Most movies rarely get such talent operating at full capacity, and "Nurse Betty" soars because of it. "--Mark Englehart"

Theatrical: 1996

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: African American Cinema

Duration: 95

Summary: Lucky for Eddie Murphy he got ahold of the rights to this 1963 Jerry Lewis classic before Jim Carrey did. Murphy had a comeback of sorts with his Jeckyll-and-Hyde-derived fable of awkward chemistry professor Sherman Klump (Murphy), who discovers a potion that transforms him into the suave, cocky lady-killer Buddy Love (also Murphy). The big difference between the two versions is that Murphy's Sherman is not only a nerdy intellectual but is also grossly obese, which provides the opportunity for some hilarious digital transformation effects, as well as some gentle satire of our culture's attitudes toward fat people. As he did in the hit "Coming to America", Murphy plays multiple roles, and the scenes at the Klump family dinner table, in which he plays everybody, are brilliantly funny. (Murphy won the National Society of Film Critics' award for best actor of 1996 for these performances.) Lewis based his Buddy Love on the 1960s ideal of cool exemplified by Sinatra and the Rat Pack; Murphy stumbles a bit by playing up the oily phoniness of his latter-day Love a little too soon, but for the most part "The Nutty Professor" represents a welcome return to form for Eddie Murphy. "--Jim Emerson"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: African American Cinema

Duration: 106

Summary: Eddie Murphy's remake of "The Nutty Professor" used the good professor's alter ego, Buddy Love, in much the same way that Jerry Lewis did in his brilliant original: a representation of the id out of control that plays like an admission of the actor's off-screen sins. In the sequel, Murphy expands on his Klump family from the first film and makes them major characters. Consequently, his dark side has plenty more places to express itself, particularly through the oversexed grandmother, Sherman's aggressively impotent father, and his just plain surly uncle, as well as Buddy Love (all played by Murphy). The movie opens with professor Sherman Klump barely holding onto his sanity as his internal Buddy Love makes him say inappropriate things. He decides to extract his mutant Buddy Love gene (a sort of genetic version of electroshock therapy), but afterward is unable to maintain his original personality and intelligence. Sherman is the most bland character of the bunch, and the audience gets stuck with his boring romance with fellow professor Janet Jackson, his struggle to be nice, and generic intrigue surrounding a Fountain of Youth formula he developed. When it's not trying too hard to be nice--heck, one character is anally raped by a giant hamster--the movie works. The moral of the story is that Sherman needs to reconnect with their inner Buddy Love. That goes for Murphy, too. "--Andy Spletzer"