DVDpedia : Library : Title : S

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 117

Summary: Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell swagger through "S.W.A.T.", a guns-and-big-trucks macho extravaganza based on the 1970s TV show of the same name, about the police teams brought in to take care of extremely dangerous situations. Jackson plays a sergeant brought out of retirement to form a new squad, which includes rebellious Farrell ("The Recruit") and tough babe Michelle Rodriguez ("Girlfight", "Blue Crush"). After a lot of training and head-butting with a smarmy police captain, the squad gets assigned to transfer the head of a European crime cartel (Olivier Martinez, "Unfaithful") who's declared on television that he'll give $100 million to anyone who gets him out. Every scumbag in Los Angeles descends to claim the money, turning a routine transfer into a bullet-filled gauntlet. Despite some gaps in logic and a generic flavor, "S.W.A.T." will satisfy most action-movie junkies. Also featuring LL Cool J and Josh Charles. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 124

Summary: It took more than 25 years for another Clive Cussler novel to come to the screen after the financial and critical disaster of "Raise the Titanic". Based on Cussler's oddly landlocked adventure, "Sahara" finds the author's hero, Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey)--a sort of all-American, high seas variation of James Bond--in Africa looking for a Confederate ironclad ship that impossibly might have ended up there. Soon he and his faithful sidekick Al Giordino (Steve Zahn) are lost in another adventure, discovering a deadly contaminate being tracked by a beautiful doctor (Penelope Cruz). The results are checkered: there's no one outstanding sequence, but the action is enjoyably varied, while the thrills are mild yet not bombastic or gratuitous. The cast are all adept in their roles, yet the only one who sparkles is the scene-stealing Zahn, cast against type; McConaughey, who also produced, knows he might be starting a franchise character and plays it safe. He's never as dangerous as Cussler's hero is on the page (except in his introduction), and in fact, the whole movie plays towards comedy, infused by a soundtrack of 70s FM radio monsters. Cussler fanatics may not like this lighter fare, especially with the archeological portion (a Cussler strong point) not fully embraced, but with a very, very likable cast and colorful settings, "Sahara" is a kindler, gentler action film that has all the elements in place for a better, more memorable franchise if anyone cares to attempt it. "--Doug Thomas"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 116

Summary: Lightly enjoyable but a disappointment in the context of author Leslie Charteris's popular character, the Saint--who has been played by several actors, most notably George Sanders--this 1997 film is more in keeping with the requirements of high-octane contemporary action than it is the requirements of a particular legacy. Val Kilmer plays Simon Templar, the mercenary spy, who is hired to steal a fusion formula but falls in love with the scientist (Elisabeth Shue) who cooked it up. Kilmer's portrayal bears little resemblance to Charteris's rakish hero, and the film itself becomes increasingly improbable and ponderous the longer it goes on. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 2010

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 100

Summary: Angelina Jolie confirms her status as action-heroine supreme in the sinewy thriller "Salt". Evelyn Salt (Jolie) is a respected high-ranking CIA agent… until a defecting Russian operative declares that she's a Russian mole in deep cover, launching her on the most delicious chase sequence since the "Bourne" movies. When the film's over you'll realize the motivations for much of what happened didn't make much sense, but while the movie's going on the pell-mell pace will brush such concerns from your mind. Director Phillip Noyce ("Patriot Games", "Dead Calm") has a gift for staging action sequences you can actually follow moment to moment, which is infinitely more engaging than frenzied editing that blurs everything into cattle-prod jolts--the movie's first third is top-notch orchestration. Jolie's star magnetism provides the cool, calm axis around which everything else revolves; the sturdy supporting performances of Liev Schreiber ("The Manchurian Candidate") and Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Inside Man", "Dirty Pretty Things") give enough heft to the plot to keep you from questioning anything. "Salt" is an old-fashioned entertainment, a skillfully made mechanism with enough grace notes to let it breathe and catch you by surprise. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: E1 Entertainment

Genre: Mystery & Suspense

Duration: 585

Summary: Even Things That Go Bump in the Night Need Protection…
“with cutting-edge technology, "Sanctuary" creates a world teaming with mermaids, dinosaurs and monster mayhem” – TV Guide
Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) is a brilliant and enigmatic scientist who seeks out all manner of monstrous creatures. Aided by her protégé, forensic psychiatrist Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne), and her fearless daughter Ashley (Emilie Ullerup), the Sanctuary team tracks down, studies and protects the strange and often terrifying creatures that secretly populate our world.
As seen on Sci Fi Channel (Syfy), "Sanctuary" is one of the only series to shoot extensively on green screen using extraordinary visual effects and virtual sets. Helmed by some of the innovative talents behind "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate Atlantis", the series creative team includes executive producer, writer and creator Damian Kindler; executive producer and lead actor Amanda Tapping; and executive producer and director Martin Wood.
BONUS FEATURES:
Audio commentaries on all 13 episodes with cast and crew including Amanda Tapping, creator Damian Kindler, director Martin Wood and more
3 Making-of Featurettes: “Welcome to the Sanctuary”, “Sanctuary Residents”, “"Sanctuary" Visual Effects”
Sanctuary: The Original Webisodes
Bloopers, Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery
Season Two Sneak Peek

Stills from Sactuary: Season 1 (Click for larger image)

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Arista

Genre: Music Video & Concerts

Duration: 114

Summary: This video companion to the Canadian singer-songwriter's triumphant live album confirms in sight what that recording advanced in sound--Sarah McLachlan and her fine, flexible stage band have evolved into a superb live performing unit, breathing added fire and nuance into McLachlan songs that were already stunning in their original studio versions. Always a strong, charismatic singer, McLachlan now conjures a rare balance of delicacy and power, measured here in performances of signature songs that add a new, more muscular edge matching her band's rock firepower. Thus, "Possession" expands beyond its already sensual promise to touch on truly erotic abandon, while "Building a Mystery" focuses its portrait of a narcissistic poseur with a harder edge and a newly amended, R-rated lyric that's entirely appropriate.
Shot on McLachlan's 1998 headlining tour, the concert captures her in a more theatrical and frankly glamorous (if slightly funky) vein than her fabled Lilith Fair shows: in her floor-length blue gown, sparkling blue mascara, and bare feet, she evokes a more demure, Gen-X cousin to "Cabaret"'s Sally Bowles. With 23 featured songs, "Mirrorball" on video adds 9 tracks not heard on the CD. The audio mixing is generally excellent, especially on the DVD version, which provides some hall ambience but retains a front-array, proscenium placement to instruments. Shot on film, rather than videotape, the concert preserves the stunning, subtle lighting effects of McLachlan's touring production, albeit at slight visual sacrifice in lower-light segments in which the resolution is grainier. "--Sam Sutherland"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Nettwerk Int'l

Genre: Music Video & Concerts

Duration: 90

Summary: This updated compilation appends three of Sarah McLachlan's biggest "Surfacing" hits along with fan favorite "I Will Remember You" (from the "Brothers McMullen" soundtrack) to the 1994 video retrospective issued by Canadian label Nettwerk. It follows the Nova Scotian songstress from her days as a sentimental, round-faced youth through her breakthrough success on "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" to the explosion of fame, thanks to Lilith Fair and the multiplatinum sales of "Surfacing". The earliest of the collection clearly displays hints of great things to come, although viewing the pre-glory-days videos, half of which are alternating takes on Canadian and U.S. versions, is akin to checking out your coolest friend's high-school yearbook. Expecting the brilliance to which you are accustomed ("Building a Mystery," "Adia"), you instead learn that McLachlan herself struggled through some decidedly uncool artistic pretensions prior to connecting her vision to her work. A song from her 1988 album "Touch", "Vox," is rendered post-new-wave cheesy (Canadian version) and aimless (U.S. version), and "Solace"'s "The Path of Thorns (Terms)" features a nude McLachlan crooning in the shared space of a modern ballet couple. Despite a misguided turn at "Possession" (a nefarious mess of religious imagery), it is McLachlan who successfully guides the straight-ahead black and white performance of "Ben's Song" and also that of the Celtic-inspired "Drawn to the Rhythm," evoking Loreena McKennitt's smash hit "The Mummer's Dance." Yet it is the U.S. version of "Possession" on which we begin to see McLachlan as we have come to know her--dressed down, picking hard, and singing with eyes wide open. Fully connected to each other and the material, McLachlan and her band are filmed home-movie style in an otherwise empty theater space. As proven by McLachlan's magical turn on the "Surfacing" videos, those seats wouldn't stay vacant for long. "--Paige La Grone"

Theatrical: 1975

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 62

Summary: "The Best of Chris Farley" blasts through 68 minutes of the wildly hilarious characters the comic actor created while with "Saturday Night Live" in the early 1990s. Farley was a comedic gem--not only because he created such bizarre, repulsively funny characters, such as Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker, or Lori Davis, cosmetics infomercial queen, but because he lived completely inside the character, delivering lines with whatever fury, stupidity, hypertension, insecurity, or femininity the situation demanded. Clearly, Farley loved making people laugh and he wasn't afraid to use his big bulk to do it, whether it entailed stripping as a Chippendale's dancer, belly flopping on coffee tables, rolling around on a couch as Tom Arnold, or punching his forehead in dismay on the "Chris Farley Show." What's great about this collection is all of those characters appear; what's disappointing is that some don't linger long enough, while others appear a bit too long. The cafeteria-lady number could've been cut short in lieu of a longer Tom Arnold segment, or Herlihy Boy could've been removed altogether in favor of complete "Chris Farley Show" segments. Still, if you forgot how side-splitting Farley's portrayal of Dom DeLuise or the French-fry-stuffing Gap girl was, this video will happily jog your memory. "--Karen Karleski"

Theatrical: 1975

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 64

Summary: Comedian Chris Rock spent several seasons on "Saturday Night Live", and this compilation tape of his best moments showcases his considerable talents while unintentionally highlighting how uneven the show itself is. Even in a video selected to showcase Rock alone, he is all too often mired as the second or third banana in an "SNL" skit. But there are, thankfully, plenty of opportunities in this video for Rock to shine without being upstaged by other performers or left adrift by limp writing. When he appears behind the "Weekend Update" desk to deliver an editorial commentary or a news report, Rock put his considerable skills as a comedian to perfect use. And in the skits where the focus is on him, he proves himself to be adept at characterizations, such as when he dons a colossal Afro wig to become radical talk show host Nat X, host of "The Dark Side." One peculiar surprise about the video: some of the language in "Def Jam" parodies that was bleeped out for the broadcast of "SNL" is here presented uncensored, so while this is Chris Rock delivering perhaps his cleanest material, a few choice words are nonetheless delivered loud and clear. "--Robert J. McNamara"

Theatrical: 1975

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 89

Summary: The opening sequence of this video, a lively and hilarious parody of a contentious Ross Perot press conference, immediately makes one wonder whether the public, when recalling Perot's 1992 presidential campaign, remembers Perot himself or Dana Carvey's dead-on impression of the eccentric billionaire. From his position as a cast member on "Saturday Night Live", Carvey's skill as an impressionist was a national sensation, and this video captures him at his best, doing his Perot, his President George Bush (with the trademark fractured syntax and oddly disconnected hand gestures), and a devastating Carsenio, a diabolical amalgam of Johnny Carson and Arsenio Hall. Besides the great impressions, "The Best of Dana Carvey" also offers sketches featuring the insufferably conceited weightlifters Hans and Franz, Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth of "Wayne's World," and of course the Church Lady (who does her bizarre stiff-backed dance, rips into a mean drum solo, and of course makes her perennial sarcastic comment, "Isn't that special?"). Some sketches, such as one featuring the misbegotten character Massive Head Wound Harry, may make you wonder how it wound up on this tape, but for the most part this is very impressive collection of Carvey's best work. "--Robert J. McNamara"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 77

Summary: Perhaps one of the greatest lights ever to shine on late-night television, Eddie Murphy has gone on to well-deserved international superstardom. Check out his earliest television work on "Saturday Night Live: The Best of Eddie Murphy", a collection of his greatest roles, from Gumby to Stevie Wonder to Buckwheat. Of course, some would argue that his best role was as himself, and there is plenty of evidence for that--many of the skits feature Murphy au naturel and the opening sequence is taken from his monologue when he returned to the show triumphantly after leaving for Hollywood. Exploring the world around him and finding laughs everywhere, Murphy can take a simple idea (such as the "James Brown Hot Tub Party") and run wild with it, leaving the audience hysterically begging for more. You don't have to be a fan to enjoy this collection, but odds are you'll be one by the time you're finished. "--Rob Lightner"

Theatrical: 1975

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 90

Summary: From "Wayne's World" to the creepy hilarity of "Sprockets" and its slinky German host Dieter, this 16-sketch compilation showcases Mike Myers in his "Saturday Night Live" prime. Wayne Campbell and his sidekick Garth (Dana Carvey) are featured in two memorable sketches, jamming with Aerosmith and enjoying a sexy dream sequence with the babelicious Madonna. The Material Girl shows up again as the daughter of "Coffee Talk" hostess Linda Richman (who was inspired by Myers's mother-in-law), in a choice sketch with Roseanne, featuring a cameo by Barbra Streisand which is, as Linda would say, "like buttah."
More obscure sketches show Myers at his most bizarre, charming, and experimental. "Lothar of the Hill People" challenged network censors with not-so-subtle allusions to masturbation and female genitalia, while Myers's penchant for all things British is frequently indulged, including spot-on send-ups of Ron Wood and Mick Jagger. His portrayal of a hypoglycemic, hyperactive 6-year-old--complete with safety helmet and restraining harness--is both outrageously funny and more than a little dangerous. (It's a miracle that guest host Nicole Kidman keeps a straight face as she feeds the "kid" a chocolate bar, with the expected results.) And while other sketches such as "Middle Aged Man" were not likely to follow Wayne and Dieter to big-screen success, they show Myers doing what he does best: conceiving original characters and pushing them to comedic extremes. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Dreamworks Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 347

Summary: Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 05/25/2004

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 90

Summary: Darren (Jason Biggs of "American Pie") is convinced that he'll never know love, since his one true love moved away during high school. To cheer him up, Darren's best friends Wayne (Steve Zahn, "Out of Sight", "That Thing You Do") and J.D. (Jack Black, "High Fidelity") hook him up with Judith (Amanda Peet, "The Whole Nine Yards")--little suspecting that Judith will tear their friendship apart. Judith wastes no time in taking over Darren's life, exiling his friends, and burning his beloved Neil Diamond records. If only Wayne and J.D. can bring Darren back together with his high school sweetheart (Amanda Detmer), who's about to become a nun. "Saving Silverman" is unquestionably of the "There's Something About Mary" school of comedy, throwing together absurd characters and over-the-top gags (for example, a scene of Darren getting butt implants, per Judith's orders). It doesn't quite balance everything, but Black and Zahn are engaging comic talents. Also featuring R. Lee Ermey as the boy's deranged high school football coach, whose advice continues to guide their lives, as well as a surprise appearance by Neil Diamond himself. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Horror

Duration: 103

Summary: Adam (Leigh Whannell) wakes up in a dank room across from Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) and the body of a guy who has blown his own brains out. Not a happy place, obviously, and it gets worse when both men realize that they've been chained and pitted against one another by an unseen but apparently omniscient maniac who's screwing with their psyches as payment for past sins. Director James Wan, who concocted this grimy distraction with screenwriter Whannell, has seen "Seven" and any number of other arty existential-psycho-cat-and-mouse thrillers, so he's provided "Saw" with a little flash, a little blood, and a lot of ways to distract you from the fact that it doesn't make a whole hell of a lot of sense. Wan and Whannell (who's not the most accomplished actor, either) pile on the plot twists, which after some initially novel ideas become increasingly juvenile. Elwes works hard but looks embarrassed, and the estimable Danny Glover suffers as the obsessed detective on the case. The denouement will probably surprise you, but it won't get you back the previous 98 minutes."--Steve Wiecking"

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Lions Gate Films

Genre: Horror

Duration: 93

Summary: "Saw II" brings back many features of the original "Saw": elaborate sadistic scenarios designed to "test" the victims' will to live; Tobin Bell as the Machiavellian (yet doomed) serial killer Jigsaw; Shawnee Smith as Amanda, a survivor of one of Jigsaw's "games", forced to play again; Dina Meyer ("Starship Troopers"), whose role as a detective is considerably expanded; and the stunningly godawful dialogue of screenwriter Leigh Whannel. The set-up this time is even more preposterous than before, as a rough-and-tumble cop named Eric (Donnie Whalberg, "Band of Brothers") watches, on video monitors, his son trapped in a house filled with nerve gas and a handful of other victims, all of whom are mysteriously connected. Eric has captured Jigsaw, but the implacable killer refuses to reveal where the cop's son is being held... unless Eric will play by Jigsaw's rules. Fans of "Saw" will love "Saw II", as the tortures are more gruesome than before; viewers who found "Saw" either detestable or laughable won't like "Saw II" either, as the characters rarely behave like actual people (even when a moment's explanation would solve a conflict, no one bothers to communicate, even though their lives are on the line). It's a festival of body fluids, agonized grimaces, and shrieks of pain--and if that's your thing, this is your movie. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Lionsgate

Genre: Horror

Duration: 108

Summary: The first "Saw" picture actually had an idea behind it, to say nothing of the ingenuity of its low-budget production; making a silk purse out of a bloody, maggot-ridden human ear, as it were. With "Saw III", the franchise pretty much settles into gore for gore's sake, as it explores newer and better ways to traumatize the body--and the audience. Events from "Saw II" are sewn up at the beginning of the film, and a detective on the trail of mad killer Jigsaw is quickly trussed up and subjected to one of the villain's sadistic games (this one has escape possible only by means of a key sitting in the bottom of a beaker of acid). Then we catch up with Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) himself, as he awaits death from his debilitating illness; once again he's tended by helper Shawnee Smith. The movie follows parallel plots: Jigsaw blackmails a doctor (Bahar Soomekh) into keeping him alive, and tortures a vengeful soul (Angus Macfayden) into recognizing the futility of revenge. Original "Saw" creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell worked on the script of this one, and it fully buys into the series mythology, referring backwards to previous events and, for all we know, preparing us for future installments. But if future installments are as pointlessly repugnant as this one, there's not much to look forward to. "--Robert Horton"

Theatrical: 1989

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 100

Summary: Seven years after he earned his first screen credit as the writer of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High", former "Rolling Stone" writer Cameron Crowe made his directorial debut with this acclaimed romantic comedy starring John Cusack and Ione Skye as unlikely lovers on the cusp of adulthood. The casting is perfect, and Crowe's rookie direction is appropriately unobtrusive, no doubt influenced by his actor-loving, Oscar®-winning mentor, James L. Brooks. But the real strength of Crowe's work is his exceptional writing, his timely grasp of contemporary rhythms and language (he's frequently called "the voice of a generation"), and the rich humor and depth of his fully developed characters. In "Say Anything..." Cusack and Skye play recent high school graduates enjoying one final summer before leaping into a lifetime of adult responsibilities. Lloyd (Cusack) is an aspiring kickboxer with no definite plans; Diane (Skye) is a valedictorian with intentions to further her education in Europe. Together they find unlikely bliss, but there's also turbulence when Diane's father (John Mahoney)--who only wants what's best for his daughter--is charged with fraud and tax evasion. Favoring strong performances over obtrusive visual style, Crowe focuses on his unique characters and the ambitions and fears that define them; the movie's a treasure trove of quiet, often humorous revelations of personality. Lili Taylor and Eric Stoltz score high marks for memorable supporting roles, and Cusack's own sister Joan is perfect in scenes with her onscreen and offscreen brother. A rare romantic comedy that's as funny as it is dramatically honest, "Say Anything..." marked the arrival of a gifted writer-director who followed up with the underrated "Singles" before scoring his first box-office smash with "Jerry Maguire". "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1983

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 170

Summary: This sprawling epic of bloodshed and excess, Brian De Palma's update of the classic 1932 crime drama by Howard Hawks, sparked controversy over its outrageous violence when released in 1983. "Scarface" is a wretched, fascinating car wreck of a movie, starring Al Pacino as a Cuban refugee who rises to the top of Miami's cocaine-driven underworld, only to fall hard into his own deadly trap of addiction and inevitable assassination. Scripted by Oliver Stone and running nearly three hours, it's the kind of film that can simultaneously disgust and amaze you (critic Pauline Kael wrote "this may be the only action picture that turns into an allegory of impotence"), with vivid supporting roles for Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Robert Loggia. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Dimension

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 88

Summary: If you've seen "Scream" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer", then you know the entire plot of "Scary Movie". That's okay, though, because this is a parody, and it helps to know the story in order to be able to get the jokes. No, the biggest surprise here is not the story as much as the amount of full-frontal male nudity. Really, in addition to all the dick jokes (and the ass jokes and fart jokes), there's a couple of shots of the male member, one of which is erect and used as a weapon. "Scary Movie" somehow ended up with an R rating, which in a sense is groundbreaking; perhaps our ratings board is loosening up after all.
But is it funny? That's the most important question, and the answer to that is yes. In the vein of "Airplane!", with a dash of the Farrelly brothers, "Scary Movie" keeps throwing jokes at you one after another. The law of averages says some of them have to hit, and enough of them do to keep the movie entertaining. Unlike the makers of "Airplane!", however, the Wayans brothers aren't making this movie out of a love of the genre, and unlike the Farrelly brothers, they don't make fun of retarded people with any sort of respect, so the humor throughout feels a lot uglier. Still, there are enough funny scenes in "Scary Movie" to make the viewing experience worthwhile. Special credit must go to Lochlyn Munro as Greg, the over-the-top jock, who steals the movie up until the time he's gotta die."--Andy Spletzer"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Dimension Films

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 83

Summary: The Wayans Brothers return with another horror-flick parody, this one taking shots at "The Exorcist", "Hannibal", and "House on Haunted Hill", along with non-horror fare like "Charlie's Angels". In addition to gags (and I do mean "gag") about innumerable bodily functions, there are slyer jabs at Thomas Jefferson and "Raging Bull". As in "Scary Movie", the strongest humor comes from making fun of the inane behavior of characters in horror movies. Assisting Shawn and Marlon Wayans are Anna Faris, Kathleen Robertson (in the Carmen Electra role, providing the T&A), and David Cross, as well as Tori Spelling, Chris Elliott, James Woods (as an exorcist with bowel trouble), Andy Richter, and poor Tim Curry, who probably never thought his career would come to this. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Miramax Home Entertainment

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 84

Summary: This freewheeling parody tosses horror movies, Eminem, "The Matrix", and much more into a cinematic blender. "Scary Movie 3" centers around Cindy (Anna Faris, "Lost in Translation"), a bubble-headed young newscaster who believes that a deadly videotape has some mysterious connection to the aliens who've been making crop circles in the cornfield of a local farmer (Charlie Sheen, "Young Guns"), whose brother (Simon Rex) hopes to win a local rap contest. Along for the ride are Queen Latifah, George Carlin, Anthony Anderson, Pamela Anderson, Jenny McCarthy, Jeremy Piven, Camryn Manheim, Ja Rule, dozens of rap stars, and Leslie Nielsen as the President of the U.S. No need to have seen the first two "Scary Movie" flicks--though a few of the characters recur, the movie leapfrogs from gag to goofy gag, plundering "The Ring", "Signs", and "The Others" as needed. Silly and slapdash, but with a decent dose of laughs. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Weinstein Company

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 83

Summary: Some comedy is like a scalpel; the "Scary Movie" series is a hand grenade, spewing bodily fluids and big-breasted women in all directions as they lampoon the latest horror. In "Scary Movie 4"'s case, the main targets are "War of the Worlds, The Village, The Grudge, Saw", and Tom Cruise jumping all over Oprah's couch (the scariest of the lot). Along the way, potshots get taken at non-horror fare like "Brokeback Mountain" and "Million Dollar Baby", as well as obvious targets like Michael Jackson and George W. Bush, among others. Anna Faris ("Lost in Translation") and Regina Hall ("The Honeymooners") return as the central characters wandering through a crazy quilt of horror scenarios, joined by Craig Bierko ("Cinderella Man") doing a dead-on parody of Cruise at his most manic. Cameos include everyone from Charlie Sheen to Shaquille O'Neal to Carmen Electra. Some of it's funny, some of it's not, but there's a generally buoyant zaniness that comes from director David Zucker, one of the creators of "Airplane!", which started the whole firehose-of-jokes aesthetic. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1992

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Drama

Duration: 157

Summary: Hoo-ah! After seven Oscar nominations for his outstanding work in films such as "The Godfather", "Serpico", and "Dog Day Afternoon", it's ironic that Al Pacino finally won the Oscar for his grandstanding lead performance in this 1992 crowd pleaser. As the blind, blunt, and ultimately benevolent retired Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, Pacino is both hammy and compelling, simultaneously subtle and grandly over-the-top when defending his new assistant and prep school student Charlie (Chris O'Donnell) at a disciplinary hearing. While the subplot involving Charlie's prep-school crisis plays like a sequel to "Dead Poets Society", Pacino's adventurous escapades in New York City provide comic relief, rich character development, and a memorable supporting role for Gabrielle Anwar as the young woman who accepts the colonel's invitation to dance the tango. "Scent of a Woman" is a remake of the 1972 Italian film "Profumo di donna". In addition to Pacino's award, the picture garnered Oscar nominations for director Martin Brest and for screenwriter Bo Goldman. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Weinstein Company

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 107

Summary: "School for Scoundrels" is the kind of stupid-fun comedy for which the phrase "Wait for the DVD" was invented. Like a lot of its jokes, it fell flat in its brief theatrical release, but there's enough funny stuff here to warrant a look, especially if you enjoyed writer-director Todd Phillips' previous films "Old School" and "Road Trip". Of course, Phillips also directed the comedy remake of "Starsky and Hutch", so you know there's going to be as many misses as hits in the movie's constant barrage of slapstick, insults, and tasteless gags. Loosely inspired by the 1960 British comedy directed by Robert Hamer, this crudely Americanized version finds a meek and geeky parking-meter reader named Roger ("Napoleon Dynamite"'s John Heder) looking for love and not getting any, so he enrolls in a confidence-building school led by Dr. P (Billy Bob Thornton), who turns out to be Roger's #1 rival in his quest to win the heart of Amanda (Jacinda Barrett), Roger's cute Australian neighbor and the would-be girl of his dreams. As an escalating war of one-upmanship in which Roger's quick learning provokes Dr. P's competitive instincts, "School for Scoundrels" isn't exactly a laff-riot, but it's got some aces up its sleeve that make it worthwhile, like a crazed appearance by Ben Stiller, a fun if not-always-funny supporting cast (Michael Clark Duncan, Horatio Sanz, Todd Louiso) and a pair of stars who work well together as comedic opposites in the game of love. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 124

Summary: Robert De Niro plays a weary thief tempted by wily old associate Marlon Brando into, yes, "one last job", a plan to rob a priceless scepter from Montreal's Customs House. Director Frank Oz's heist thriller partners De Niro with hotshot upstart Edward Norton, and you'd have to be determinedly grumpy not to get half a kick out of Brando, DeNiro, and Norton--more than holding his own--coolly bouncing off one another in a Method paradise. Brando may be enormous and breathing heavily with every move, but his technique is as agile as it ever was; he still seems spontaneously clever. Oz doesn't have the most crackling visual style in the world, as the film is far too smooth for tension, and keeps tapping Howard Shore's music score to do most of the work in that department; the divine Angela Bassett is once again totally wasted in a 10-minute throwaway role as De Niro's girlfriend. "The Score" isn't anything new, and there isn't a single surprise, but if you're into this sort of thing you do respond to its polished familiarity. "--Steve Wiecking"

Theatrical: 2010

Studio: Universal

Genre: Thrillers

Duration: 113

Summary: "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" is a finger-blistering time capsule of "right now", yet in a hundred years it will still be so crammed with charm, wit, brio, and exuberance it will still be irresistible. Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera, "Superbad") is an accidental heartbreaker, a Canadian slacker who obsesses over the girls who've dumped him but hardly realizes how he's dumped other girls. But everything else in his life (including playing bass in a band) fades to insignificance when he lays eyes on Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, "Live Free or Die Hard"), his deadpan pixie dream girl. Unfortunately, Ramona has some serious baggage: seven deadly exes, and Scott must battle them all if he wants to date Ramona. "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" is saturated in pop culture, particularly video games. Many events make almost no sense, but it doesn't matter--sheer narrative ferocity and glee of invention sweep the viewer along. Cera pushes his geek/dork dreamboat persona to new heights of sweet twee-ness; if this movie doesn't shoot him into the stratosphere, we live in a cold, unfeeling universe, bereft of justice. The whole supporting cast (including Kieran Culkin, Jason Schwartzman, Anna Kendrick, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, and a host of less familiar but excellent young actors) plays every moment for all it's worth. This movie is supremely uncool and passionate, which makes it essential viewing. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1996

Studio: Walt Disney Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 111

Summary: With the smash hit "Scream", novice screenwriter Kevin Williamson and veteran horror director Wes Craven ("A Nightmare on Elm Street") revived the moldering corpse of the teen horror picture, both creatively and commercially, by playfully acknowledging the exhausted clichés and then turning them inside out. "Scream" is a postmodern slasher movie, a horror film that cleverly deconstructs horror films, then reassembles the dead tissue, and (like Frankenstein's monster) creates new life. When a serial killer starts hacking up their fellow teens, the media-savvy youngsters of "Scream" realize that the smartest way of sticking around for the sequel is to avoid the terminal behaviors that inevitably doom supporting players in the movies. They've seen all the movies, and the rules of the genre are like second nature to them. One of the scariest/funniest setups features a kid watching John Carpenter's seminal "Halloween" on video. As Jamie Lee Curtis is shadowed by Michael Meyers and the kid on the couch yells at her to turn around, Craven reverses his camera and we see that the kid should be taking his own advice. The fresh-faced young cast (including Drew Barrymore, Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette) is fun to watch, and their tart dialogue is sprinkled with enough archly self-conscious pop-culture references to make Quentin Tarantino blush. "--Jim Emerson"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Walt Disney Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 120

Summary: Fully aware of its status as the sequel to the surprise hit thriller of 1996, this lively follow-up trades freshness for familiarity, playing on our affection for returning characters while obeying--and then subverting--the "rules" of sequels. Once again, movie references are cleverly employed to draw us into the story, which takes place two years after the events of "Scream", at a small Ohio college, where the "Scream" survivors reunite when another series of mysterious killings begins. Capitalizing on the guesswork involving a host of potential suspects, director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson have crafted a thriller that's more of a "Scream" clone than a genuinely inventive new story. But the shocks are just as effective, and escalating tension leads to a tautly staged climax that's simultaneously logical and giddily over the top. Background information for trivia buffs: to preserve the secrecy of plot twists, copies of the screenplay were heavily guarded during production and restricted to only the most crucial personnel. When an early draft was circulated on the Internet, screenwriter Kevin Williamson did rewrites, and subsequent drafts were printed with red ink on brown paper, eliminating the threat of photocopying. None of the cast members knew who the killer was until the final scenes were filmed! "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Dimension

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 116

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

Theatrical: 1993

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 1096

Summary: An enormously ambitious television series from executive producer Steven Spielberg and series creator Rockne S. O'Bannon ("Farscape", "Alien Nation"), "seaQuest DSV" made a valiant attempt to present a thoughtful and socially conscious science-fiction series on par with "Star Trek" to a '90s audience (which had already latched onto "Star Trek: The Next Generation"), but struggled with mediocre scripts and special effects for most of its three seasons (1993-96). The first season, however, embodies much of the ambition and scope its producers envisioned, starting with the two-hour television movie to introduces retired officer Cmdr. Nathan Bridger (a grim-faced Roy Scheider) to the crew of the underwater vessel seaQuest DSV. The pilot feature is well helmed by Scheider, and offers an agreeable mix of fiction and fact (oceanographer Dr. Robert Ballard served as technical advisor for the series), as well as considerable action and excitement for an expensive network series. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the cast (which included Stephanie Beacham as the ship's fetching doctor and the late Jonathan Brandis as a teen science whiz), the show's momentum faltered under the weight of corny embellishments such as its talking dolphin, Darwin (a genetically engineered human with gills would join the fray in the show's second season) and episodes like "Knight of Shadows," which offered a hoary possession storyline, or "Photon Bullet," which hinges on underwater computer hackers. The series would alternate between intriguing stories (like the suspenseful "Games") and ill-advised ones for much of its remaining seasons, which also saw cast changes (most notably, the departure of Scheider) in an attempt to revive audiences' flagging interest. All 23 episodes of the first season are included on this four-disc set, as well as a decent selection of deleted scenes from nine episodes, including the pilot. " -- Paul Gaita"

Theatrical: 1993

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 1012

Summary: Adventure resurfaces with the return of the spectacular Primetime Emmy® Award-winning SeaQuest DSV. Rejoin Captain Nathan Bridger (Roy Scheider) and his dedicated crew as they serve as guardians to Earth's undersea colonies and protect world peace from all threats—both above and below the water. This must-own 8-disc set is packed with all 21 thrilling Season Two episodes and features amazing guest stars Mark Hamill, Dom DeLuise, Kent McCord and others. Season Two of SeaQuest DSV continues the incredible, imaginative epic journey into the Earth's last frontier!

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 109

Summary: If you can get past its thick layer of syrup and molasses, "Secondhand Lions" reveals itself as a thoroughly decent family film that anyone can enjoy. It gets a little sappy sometimes, but there's something to be said for a movie in which Michael Caine and Robert Duvall play eccentric old brothers who take the easy approach to fishing: instead of a peaceful rod and reel, they use 12-gauge shotguns. When 14-year-old Walter (Haley Joel Osment, teetering on puberty) spends an eventful summer with his great-uncles on their vast Texas farmland (he's been dumped there by his delinquent mom, played by Kyra Sedgwick), he soon discovers they've lived lives full of adventure, excitement, passion, and mystery. Either that or they're old-time bank robbers with a long criminal record, and writer-director Tim McCanlies (who invested similar warmth into "The Iron Giant") does a nice job of concealing the truth until the very end. Full of enriching lessons and homespun humor, "Secondhand Lions" has more substance than most family films. If you enjoyed "Holes", you'll probably enjoy this movie, too. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1985

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 90

Summary: In the brief flower of his teen idolhood, C. Thomas Howell starred in this unexpectedly mature teen comedy. High school loser Michael (Howell) receives an unsigned love note and hopes it's from the queen of the social scene, Debbie (Kelly Preston). When Debbie brushes him off, his best friend Toni (Lori Loughlin) convinces him to send her an anonymous note of his own--only Toni, who's so in love with Michael that she wants him to be happy, rewrites his clumsy fumblings into romantic prose, and Debbie swoons. Meanwhile, the first note has fallen into other hands, setting off misguided passion among the kids' parents. "Secret Admirer" could have been familiar fluff, but the plot keeps taking unexpected turns, tweaking the clichés of the teen genre with a dose of reality. The characters reveal surprising sides, resulting in a unusually rich story that earns its happy ending. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1987

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 111

Summary: Derivative fluff from 1987, made tolerable by its bawdy exuberance and an appealing performance by Michael J. Fox, who was still enjoying TV stardom and the career momentum he earned by traveling "Back to the Future". Here he plays a Kansas farm boy who dreams of scoring big in New York City, but reality turns out to be brutal to his ambition. When his uncle (Richard Jordan) gives him a mail-room job in the high-rise headquarters of a major corporation, Fox occupies an empty office and poses as a young executive, winning the attention of a lovely young colleague (Helen Slater) and having an affair with his boss's wife (Margaret Whitton). Sporadically amusing as a yuppie comedy and rather off-putting as a wannabe sex farce, the movie's still recommendable for its lively cast and a breezy style that almost succeeds in updating the conventions of vintage screwball comedy. Whitton is a standout performer here, so you may wonder why her comedic talent has been underrated, apart from a good role in the first two "Major League" movies. This may be little more than a big-screen sitcom, but it's not without its charms. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1992

Studio: National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 505

Summary: For "Seinfeld", the third season's--for want of a better word--the charm. The show has found its misanthropic voice (by season's end, a fed-up Elaine tells herself, "I gotta get some new friends"), the ensemble has a firmer grasp of their characters, and the writers rise to the occasion with episodes that have entered the "Seinfeld" pantheon, including the "Seinfeld" equivalent of a Very Special Episode, "The Boyfriend," with Keith Hernandez and the "J.F.K." parody, "The Library," featuring Philip Baker Hall channeling Jack Webb as library bookhound Bookman, "The Pez Dispenser," and "The Keys," with an L.A.-bound Kramer winding up on "Murphy Brown". Michael Richards, especially, comes into his own this season as Kramer. The first two seasons built up the mystique of this "man-child"/"parasite." So while he was absent in season 2's "The Chinese Restaurant," he is now out and about with the close-knit, albeit dysfunctional, trio. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has some of her giddiest golden moments, zonked on painkillers in "The Pen," or, as a bored party guest in "The Stranded," telling an obnoxious bride-to-be that "Maybe the dingo ate your baby." And don't get us started on Jason Alexander as George, series co-creator Larry David's neurotic and angst-ridden alter-ego. To paraphrase what Julia Roberts said of Denzel Washington, we don't want to live in a world where Alexander doesn't have an Emmy.
But it's the extensive bonus features that give this four-disc set "hand" over other TV-on-DVD releases. The "Inside Look" episode intros, optional pop-up "Notes About Nothing," and candid, albeit a little too casual, commentaries offer a fount of information to even the most obsessive "Seinfeld" fans. We learn that even the most outrageous episodes, such as "The Pez Dispenser," were inspired by real-life events. Especially telling is Alexander's observation that Jerry never really socialized with the other ensemble members. This has extended to the commentaries: Seinfeld pairs with David on some episodes, while Alexander, Richards and Dreyfus team up on others. They are gracious to the guest stars and extras, and mostly mum on Jer. "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 1993

Studio: National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 552

Summary: It's hard to believe, but for the first three seasons nobody really knew that "Seinfeld" was about, well, you know. It wasn't until season 4--unleashed here in a four-disc set that's equal in scope, quality, and quantity of bonus material to its predecessors--that the show really became something. In a series which can claim every installment as classic, the two-parter on disc 1 titled "The Pitch/The Ticket" truly stands out as a defining episode and, in retrospect, marked "Seinfeld" 4 as the breakthrough season. It's the one where (fake) NBC executives express their interest in working with Jerry Seinfeld on a TV show, then moves to the who's-on-first shtick of George successfully pitching Jerry on creating "a show about nothing." Scattered throughout the discs in commentaries by cast and creators and in numerous "Inside Look" documentaries, nearly everyone expresses some anxiety about the season having a story "arc" depicting Jerry and his "real" life becoming a sitcom. The show had been only marginally successful up to that point anyway, and with the edict, "no hugging, no learning," still in place, maybe messing with nothing was a bad idea. What makes the arc so arch is the self-reflexive way it details the reality of Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David coming up with the concept and pitching it to (real) NBC executives as a show that really was about, well, you know. In one of the many informally informative interview segments, Jerry remembers hitting a stride during this time when a lot of crazy ideas started to make sense. "Everything was just a wild guess," he says, "and it takes a while to get confident that you're guessing pretty good. I think sometime in season 4 we realized we were guessing pretty good." Oh, that we could all be so good at nothing.
Season 4 also gave us the episodes "The Bubble Boy" ("He lives in a bubble!"), "The Pick" ("There was no pick!"), and, perhaps most memorably, "The Contest." Recalling how nervous he thought NBC might be about a show based on how long a person can remain--ahem--master of his domain, Larry David says that he kept the idea hidden for a long time. He may have had NBC sweating, but the episode goes by without anyone uttering the word that it's really about. The curmudgeonly David also observes that another famous season 4 episode, "The Outing," only made it on the air due to a network "note" about making sure it wouldn't be offensive to homosexuals. Hence we have the addition of another standard to the "Seinfeld" lexicon of American pop culture: "Not that there's anything wrong with that!" Not only wasn't there anything wrong with it, the episode won a GLAAD Media Award. Season 4 also brought "Seinfeld"its first Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. Stay tuned for season 5 (and a move to the coveted Thursday-at-9 slot) when the volcano we now know was always brewing really blew its comedic top. "--Ted Fry"""""

Theatrical: 1990

Studio: National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 498

Summary: The fifth season of "Seinfeld" is without a doubt the series' best. By their fifth year, the "Seinfeld" gang had ironed out the bumps from the first two seasons, further developing characters. The loyal fan base that had been accumulating over the years was now more or less the entire nation’s viewing audience. The pressure was on to give this new, mega fan base a high dose of their unique, misanthropic comedy, and Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), George (Jason Alexander), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Kramer (Michael Richards) delivered in spades. Yes, other seasons may have funnier individual episodes, but as a whole season five consistently delivers the goods, including many of the show's all-time classic episodes. In the season opener, Jerry discovers the secret, sexual power of "The Mango." While vacationing in "The Hamptons" we not only learn that George’s date likes to sunbathe topless in front of his friends, but also that cold water has the power to shrink. In "The Stall’ Elaine is rejected while trying to share toilet paper only to learn that the selfish neighbor is Jerry’s girlfriend. In order to really make a life change, George decides to do "The Opposite" of all his instincts and surprisingly everything in his life falls perfectly into place. And of course, who can forget the ridiculous puffy shirt Kramer’s low-talking girlfriend talks Jerry into wearing on "The Today Show". This box set also includes the featurette "Jason+Larry=George" explaining how Jason Alexander embodied Larry David’s alter ego to create George Costanza, plus deleted and behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive stand up footage of Jerry Seinfeld. "--Rob Bracco"

Theatrical: 1990

Studio: National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 551

Summary: By Season Six, the "Seinfeld" crew had their formula and character development down pat making it easy to churn out one classic episode after another. Not only do we learn a lot about Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), George (Jason Alexander), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Kramer (Michael Richards) in Season Six, but we also learn wealth of life lessons. For instance, just because you wear a toupee doesn’t mean you won't be rejected by bald women ("The Beard"). If you think everyone is giving you the finger, they probably are ("The Pledge Drive"). As ridicurous as is sounds, just because a woman has a Chinese name doesn't make her Chinese ("The Chinese Woman"). Eating out of trash is AOK, as long as your girlfriend's mother doesn't catch you ("The Gymnast"). If you try to make the "switch" and date your girlfriend's room mate, you just may get more than you bargained for ("The Switch"). If someone offers you an Armani suit in exchange for a meal, make sure you tell them that soup is indeed a meal ("The Soup"). Just because you are a "beard," doesn't mean you are dating ("The Beard"). Bringing crib notes in the bedroom may not be the best idea ("The Fusilli Jerry"). And just because Mel Torme sings to you, doesn't make you "special" ("The Jimmy"). We also learn phrases such as "re-gifting," and are introduced to new characters like Elaine's new boss J. Peterman (John O'Hurley) and boyfriend, and face painter, David Puddy (Patrick Warburton). In addition to being able to watch these original network versions (1-2 minutes longer then on syndication) and cast member commentaries, this set includes three of Eric Yahnker "Sein-Imation" - classic Seinfeld scenes reimagined in animation. "--Rob Bracco"

Theatrical: 1993

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 437

Summary: Nothing? "Seinfeld" 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. "TV Guide" ranked "Seinfeld" 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.
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 "Seinfeld" 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!" "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 108

Summary: Clint Eastwood may be a little too old (plus he kind of already did his own version of this movie in 1993's "In the Line of Fire"), but Harrison Ford could have been "The Sentinel"'s lead and lent the same kind of top-flight Hollywood superstar craft that Michael Douglas brings as a superstar secret service agent fighting a frame-up in a panicky countdown to peril. That the marquee name could have belonged to anyone with the same chops as Douglas is no slam to him, Ford, Eastwood, or anyone else of their ilk. "The Sentinel" is a crackling good thriller because everyone involved is working at the top of their game. Pete Garrison (Douglas) is on the presidential protection detail when another agent is murdered. A creepy informer tells Garrison about an elaborate assassination conspiracy that's related and well underway. Garrison also happens to be having an affair with the First Lady (Kim Basinger), the stress of which causes him to flunk a lie detector test when word of the plot to kill the president becomes more than just paranoia. Garrison is soon on the run, being hunted by his protege David Breckinridge (Kiefer Sutherland, whose "24" experience gives his performance an extra edge). But Garrison is the best, using all his secret service wiles (and there are plenty, the details of which give added tension and authenticity to the taut script) to evade his former comrades as the clock ticks. You can often see the plot thickening a mile away, and as much as the movie wants to keep us guessing, the real bad guy is an easy mark for the audience. But the energy and kinetic skill which propel the action are always spot on and enough to keep us from caring about the giveaways. Co-star Eva Longoria is miles away from her "Desperate Housewives" role and miles away from any real import of character in the movie. But the rest of the cast and the whooshing forward momentum of style and anxiety are plenty to keep "The Sentinel" in full-tilt suspense mode from beginning to end."--Ted Fry"

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 119

Summary: "Serenity" offers perfect proof that "Firefly" deserved a better fate than premature TV cancellation. Joss Whedon's acclaimed sci-fi Western hybrid series was ideally suited (in Browncoats, of course) for a big-screen conversion, and this action-packed adventure allows Whedon to fill in the "Firefly" backstory, especially the history and mystery of the spaceship Serenity's volatile and traumatized stowaway, River Tam (Summer Glau). Her lethal skills as a programmed "weapon" makes her a coveted prize for the power-hungry planetary Alliance, represented here by an Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who'll stop at nothing to retrieve River from Serenity's protective crew. We still get all the quip-filled dialogue and ass-kicking action that we've come to expect from the creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", but Whedon goes a talented step further here, blessing his established ensemble cast with a more fully-developed dynamic of endearing relationships. "Serenity"'s cast is led with well-balanced depth and humor by Nathan Fillion as Captain Mal Reynolds, whose maverick spirit is matched by his devotion to crewmates Wash (Alan Tudyk), Zoe (Gina Torres), fun-loving fighter Jayne (Adam Baldwin), engineer Kaylee (Jewel Staite), doctor Simon (Sean Maher), and Mal's former flame Inara (Morena Baccarin), who plays a pivotal role in Whedon's briskly-paced plot. As many critics agreed, "Serenity" offered all the fun and breezy excitement that was missing from George Lucas's latter-day "Star Wars" epics, and Whedon leaves an opening for a continuing franchise that never feels cheap or commercially opportunistic. With the mega-corporate mysteries of Blue Sun yet to be explored, it's a safe bet we haven't seen the last of the good ship Serenity. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1988

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Horror

Duration: 98

Summary: Eight years before he scored a phenomenal hit with "Scream", horror master Wes Craven made a worthy effort to "legitimize" horror with this chilling supernatural thriller, based on the best-selling book by Wade Davis. More ambitious than most horror films, this one allowed Craven to generate compelling plausibility with the fact-based story of a Harvard researcher (Bill Pullman) who travels to Haiti to procure a secret voodoo powder that places people into a state of simulated death. His investigation into the hidden world of black magic grows increasingly dangerous until he's caught in a living nightmare--a potentially deadly predicament that inspired the film's advertising tag line: "Don't bury me... I'm not dead!" Craven pays particular attention to authentic details of Haitian society and the role voodoo plays in Haitian culture, and the film gains additional atmosphere from location shooting in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Craven would, of course, continue to thrive by making more "conventional" horror films including "Scream", but this remains a fascinating departure for one of the genre's most celebrated directors. "- -Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 99

Summary: Matthew Perry is a gifted comic actor whose style works nicely on TV but somehow hasn't translated into movie success. To change the formula a bit, "Serving Sara" puts Perry in a slightly scruffier mode, and pairs him with an actress whose sexiness and comic aplomb should be a good counterpart to his wonderfully shticky style: Elizabeth Hurley. And it still doesn't work. This one is set in the exciting world of process-serving, where Perry teams up with jilted wife Hurley to sting her rich husband (reliable goof Bruce Campbell). This screwball plot might have worked if the two stars evinced any chemistry together, and if director Reginald Hudlin knew how to set up a scene. Bright spot: Cedric the Entertainer, as Perry's boss, gets laughs just from doing the tiniest bits of business while seated behind his desk. No small thing in a movie that otherwise labors. "--Robert Horton"

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 127

Summary: The most viscerally frightening and disturbing homicidal maniac picture since "The Silence of the Lambs", "Seven" is based on an idea that's both gruesome and ingenious. A serial killer forces each of his victims to die by acting out one of the seven deadly sins. The murder scene is then artfully arranged into a grotesque tableau, a graphic illustration of each mortal vice. From the jittery opening credits to the horrifying (and seemingly inescapable) concluding twist, director David Fincher immerses us in a murky urban twilight where everything seems to be rotting, rusting, or molding; the air is cold and heavy with dread. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are the detectives who skillfully track down the killer--all the while unaware that he has been closing in on them, as well. Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey are also featured, but it is director Fincher and the ominous, overwhelmingly oppressive atmosphere of doom that he creates that are the real stars of the film. It's a terrific date movie--for vampires. "--Jim Emerson"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: TriStar Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 136

Summary: If it hadn't been for Brad Pitt signing on to play the lead role of obsessive Austrian mountain climber Heinrich Harrer, there's a good chance this lavish $70 million film would not have been made. It was one of two films from 1997 (the other being Martin Scorsese's exquisite "Kundun") to view the turmoil between China and Tibet through the eyes of the young Dalai Lama. But with Pitt onboard, this adaptation of Harrer's acclaimed book focuses more on Harrer, a Nazi party member whose life was changed by his experiences in Tibet with the Dalai Lama. Having survived a treacherous climb on the challenging peak of Nanga Parbat and a stint in a British POW camp, Harrer and climbing guide Peter Aufschnaiter (nicely played by David Thewlis) arrive at the Tibetan city of Lhasa, where the 14-year-old Dalai Lama lives as ruler of Tibet. Their stay is longer than either could have expected (the "seven years" of the title), and their lives are forever transformed by their proximity to the Tibetan leader and the peaceful ways of the Buddhist people. China looms over the land as a constant invasive threat, but "Seven Years in Tibet" is more concerned with viewing Tibetan history through the eyes of a visitor. The film is filled with stunning images and delightful moments of discovery and soothing, lighthearted spirituality, and although he is somewhat miscast, Pitt brings the requisite integrity to his central role. What's missing here is a greater understanding of the young Dalai Lama and the culture of Tibet. Whereas "Kundun" tells its story purely from the Dalai Lama's point of view, "Seven Years in Tibet" is essentially an outsider's tale. The result is the feeling that only part of the story's been told here--or maybe just the wrong story. But Harrer's memoir is moving and heartfelt, and director Jean-Jacques Annaud has effectively captured both sincerity and splendor in this flawed but worthwhile film. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical:

Studio: MGM Home Entertainment

Genre: Science Fiction

Duration: 874

Summary: If it isn't already apparent that "Stargate Universe" (a.k.a. "SGU") is not your big brother's "Stargate", all doubt disappears when a Nick Drake sound-alike song called "Don't Forget to Breathe" makes its way onto the soundtrack near the end of "Air," the three-episode pilot that unveils this new series. The stargate itself--an artificially created "wormhole" through which one can instantly travel to different worlds light-years away--is still around, but much else has changed. Gone, for the most part, are the rough-and-tumble adventures that were the specialty of "SG-1" and "Stargate Atlantis", "SGU"'s popular predecessors. Gone, too, are insouciant but charismatic and intrepid leaders like "SG-1"'s Col. Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson does make several cameo appearances in that role in the course of these 20 episodes, offered here on six discs) and "Atlantis"'s Col. John Sheppard, along with such memorable and monstrous alien nemeses as the Goa'uld, the Wraith, and the Replicators. In their places, in addition to a new ongoing story line, is a rather less conventional approach, featuring a more minimalist vibe and an entirely fresh cast of earnest, intense, mostly youthful characters battling personal demons and complex interpersonal relationships (including some involving, gasp, gay couples), along with a myriad of technical issues more typical of sci-fi shows. Sprinkle in a few more sensitive tunes of the kind you'd encounter on a nighttime soap opera, and you've got what might be called the emo "Stargate".
If this all sounds very serious, well, these folks have a lot to be serious about. Very early on, the "Icarus Base" is under alien attack, forcing military and civilian personnel alike to escape through the stargate. They end up aboard "Destiny", a massive ship that's millions of years old and was once the property of the omniscient master race known as the Ancients. Not only do our characters barely know how to operate the ship, they also have no idea where they are, except that it's billions of light-years from Earth. It's the responsibility of the two main men, Col. Everett Young (Justin Louis) and scientist Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle), to figure out how to get everyone home safely, a task that dominates the series' overall arc. That dicey proposition is complicated considerably by ceaseless internecine conflict on the ship, much of it between soldiers and civilians (typified by Young and Rush, both of whom are self-righteous, utterly humorless, and not especially likable). Much of the action takes place on "Destiny", but there are occasional excursions to various planets in search of water and other supplies; there are also trips to Earth made possible by magical "communication stones" that allow users to exchange bodies with folks on the other end. As is the case with many new programs, "SGU" takes a while to hit its stride, but when that happens about a third of the way into the season, the results are often quite exciting; "SGU" may not be as much fun as the earlier shows, but it's still well written and entertaining, with excellent production values, good special effects, and some two hours' worth of bonus material. "--Sam Graham"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 99

Summary: Samuel L. Jackson makes a gleefully updated John Shaft in John Singleton's homage to ("not" remake of) the early '70s action classic, picking up where Richard Roundtree's legendary Shaft left off. The Manhattan-set film is highlighted by excellent performances, dynamic action scenes, and witty one-liners (Jackson's Shaft: "It's my duty to please the booty"--although the line's deceptive: there's a surprising lack of sex in the film). Unfortunately, it's offset by a surprisingly uninspired, predictable, one-dimensional story, penned by Singleton, Richard Price, and Shane Salerno. The story, in which Shaft investigates the murder of a young African American, is without suspense, since from the start the audience knows that rich white boy Walter Wade (Christian Bale) did the deed, and that Shaft is going to kick his ass, big time. That said, charismatic performances--from Jackson (who, in keeping with the times, is more volatile and fiery than his predecessor), Toni Collette (as a frightened witness), the villainous Bale, and the utterly amazing Jeffrey Wright ("Basquiat")--make the film enticing and watchable. Look for a cameo by the original "Shaft"'s director, the legendary Gordon Parks, and fans of the original should note that a still stunningly handsome Roundtree briefly appears as Jackson's uncle. "--N.F. Mendoza"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Walt Disney Video

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 123

Summary: One of the most winning and intelligent romantic comedies of the '90s, "Shakespeare in Love" is filled with such good will, sunny romance, snappy one-liners, and devilish cleverness that it's absolutely irresistible. At the 1999 Academy Awards, this dark-horse costume comedy sneaked off with seven Oscars, besting the highly favored "Saving Private Ryan" for Best Picture. With tongue placed firmly in cheek, at its outset the film tracks young Will Shakespeare's overwrought battle with writer's block and the efforts of theater owner Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush, in rare form) to stage Will's latest comedy, "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter". Most of the jokes in the first one-third of the film are along these lines: Will's anachronistic therapist session, a mug inscribed "A Souvenir from Stratford-Upon-Avon," Henslowe's battles to pay off his debts, and the backstage high jinks of pre-production. However, once Will sets his eyes on the beautiful Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), joking takes a backseat to ravishing romance. Well, almost--turns out Viola wants to break into the world of male-only theater, and disguises herself as a young man to wangle herself an audition. She wins the part of Romeo and, after much misunderstanding, the playwright's heart. Soon enough, Will's pirate comedy becomes a beautiful, tragic romance, and Ethel is shoved aside for a woman named Juliet. Will and Viola's romance, however, is equal parts comedy and tragedy--he's married, and she's betrothed to the slimy Lord Wessex (Colin Firth), and it doesn't take an English major to figure out that it's not all's well that ends well.
Like Shakespeare's work itself, the film is instantly accessible to everyone, from the raucous groundlings looking for low comedy to the aesthetes hankering for some intellectual bite behind their entertainment. The way that Oscar-winning screenwriters Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard enfold their story within the parameters of "Romeo and Juliet" (and even "Twelfth Night") is nothing short of brilliant--it would take a Shakespearean scholar to dissect the innumerable parallels, oft-quoted lines, plot developments, and thematic borrowings. And most amazingly, Norman and Stoppard haven't forgotten to entertain their audience in addition to riding a Shakespearean roller coaster. Director John Madden ("Mrs. Brown") reigns in his huge ensemble with a rollicking energy that keeps the film's momentum going at top speed for its entire two hours. Along the way there are small gems to be found: Ben Affleck's riotous egotistical actor, Imelda Staunton's nimble nurse, and of course Judi Dench's eight-minute, Oscar-winning turn as a "truly" regal Queen Elizabeth. However, the key element of "Shakespeare in Love"'s success rests on the milky-white shoulders of its two stars. Fiennes, inexplicably overlooked at Oscar time, is a dashing Will as we might expect him at the early stage of his career, bundled full of comedy and tragedy but unsure of how to harness his talent. And as for Best Actress winner Paltrow... well, "nothing" she'd done before could have prepared viewers for how amazing she is here. Breathtakingly beautiful, fiercely intelligent, strong-willed, and lovestruck--it's a performance worthy of Shakespeare in more ways than one. By the film's end, you'll be thoroughly won over--and brushing up your Shakespeare with newfound ardor. "--Mark Englehart"

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 92

Summary: The first feature from director Danny Boyle, producer Andrew MacDonald, and screenwriter John Hodge (who went on to make the enormously popular "Trainspotting", the not-so-well-received "A Life Less Ordinary", and "The Beach"), "Shallow Grave" begins with three obnoxious roommates mockingly interrogating applicants who want to share their spacious flat. The guy they finally choose doesn't last long--they find him dead from a drug overdose along with a suitcase full of money that he no longer needs. They decide to keep the money; this of course requires that they discreetly dispose of the body, which proves to be a gruesome, traumatic business. They begin to suspect each other of betrayal and become increasingly deranged. The movie wants to be a satirical comment on the greed of British yuppies but is more an exercise in stylish paranoia, where the color of the walls matters more than why the characters behave the way they do. The clever cinematography and macabre humor make "Shallow Grave" worth watching, just don't expect to like anyone in it. Starring the very hip trio of Kerry Fox ("An Angel at My Table", "The Last Days of Chez Nous"), Ewan McGregor ("Trainspotting", "Velvet Goldmine", "Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace"), and Christopher Eccleston ("Jude", "Elizabeth"). "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 113

Summary: Coming from the creators of "Dumb & Dumber" and "There's Something About Mary", the sensitivity of "Shallow Hal" seems like a minor miracle. The codirecting Farrelly brothers haven't forsaken their lowbrow inclinations, but this clever romantic fantasy offers unexpected substance with the same comedic effrontery that made the Farrellys famous. Their antihero is Hal (Jack Black), whose fixation on beautiful women is reversed (after an encounter with self-help guru Tony Robbins) so he can see only the "inner" beauty of "undesirables" like his new girlfriend Rosemary (Gwyneth Paltrow), now gorgeous in Hal's eyes despite being grossly obese. The movie's handling of this conundrum is sweetly sincere, poking fun at social prejudices while validating those (overweight, homely, disabled) who are often heartbroken by Hal's brand of shallowness. The concept won't hold up to scrutiny (i.e., the movie trades one set of stereotypes for another), but "Shallow Hal" works as an often hilarious reminder that "physical" beauty is only skin deep. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Walt Disney Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 114

Summary: Better than your average sequel, "Shanghai Knights" almost defies the law of diminishing returns. Lacking the freshness of "Shanghai Noon", it compensates with a looser, disposable plot that plays to the strengths of costars Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson. It's 1887, and odd-couple heroes Chon Wang (Chan) and Roy O'Bannon (Wilson) are in London to retrieve the Imperial Seal of China, stolen by an English lord (Aidan Gillen) who killed Wang's father in his quest for the British throne. Wang's lithe and lovely sister (Fann Wong) joins the battle with high-kicking force, appealing to Roy's roguish charm and surfer-dude anachronisms. While Chan continues his transition to safer stunts and good-natured homage to Buster Keaton, Gene Kelly, and other Hollywood legends, Wilson indulges the party vibe to good effect, maintaining the anything-goes approach that allows silly encounters with Jack the Ripper, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and a Dickensian urchin named Charlie Chaplin. (Chaplin wasn't born until 1889, but if the filmmakers didn't care, why should you?) "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Walt Disney Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 110

Summary: Story? What story? All a movie like "Shanghai Noon" needs is the amazing stunt set pieces featuring kung fu superstar Jackie Chan and the drolly caffeinated ramblings of Owen Wilson (and to be sure, that's all it gets). It's a buddy comedy about Roy O'Bannon (Wilson), a minor, borderline incompetent desperado, and Chon Wang (Chan)--Roy thinks he hears (and scoffs at) the name "John Wayne"--a member of the Chinese Imperial Guard searching for a kidnapped princess (Lucy Liu). They become reluctant partners in the Old West (Roy, who considers Chon his sidekick, is hurt to discover that the bounty on Wang's head is more than his own), brawling, drinking, bathing, and bonding and in general having mildly amusing adventures together, while eluding a posse and other random enemies.
There's not a lot of focus to the plot or much motivation for characters to turn up where and when they do--just what was achieved by the much-discussed trek to Carson City, anyway? But Chan's inventively staged battle sequences (particularly an early one in which he uses flexible, resilient trees to best some Crow Indians) are predictable highlights. You'll wish there were more to some of them, but as with his many of other films, you'll want them on video to watch in slow-motion to see how he pulls them off. And in a potentially star- making role, Wilson's loquacious, hyper-self-conscious meanderings--he's funny even when his lines aren't--make him seem less like a character than a very amusing deconstruction of one. Chan and Wilson are entertaining together, even though they're both off in their own little worlds. Think of it as "Butch Cassidy and the Shanghai Kid", and you won't be too far off. "--David Kronke"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Dreamworks Animated

Genre: Animation

Duration: 90

Summary: When a shark accidentally clobbers himself, a small fish named Oscar (voiced by Will Smith, "I, Robot") just happens to be around, prompting everyone to believe that he killed the shark himself. This lie soon makes Oscar a celebrity, worshipped by the general mass of fish, wooed by a glittering golddigger (Angelina Jolie, "Girl, Interrupted"), missed by his best friend (Renee Zellweger, "Cold Mountain")--and hunted by the godfather of great whites (Robert De Niro, "Goodfellas"). Can a vegetarian shark named Lenny (Jack Black, "School of Rock") get Oscar out of this mess? The formulaic story of "Shark Tale" never reaches the giddy heights of Pixar's output ("Finding Nemo", "Monsters Inc.", "Toy Story") or the freewheeling comedy of "Shrek", but it's capably told and impeccably animated--the sheer technical skill is stunning. Kids won't get the mobster jokes or the other pop-culture references, but they'll enjoy it nonetheless. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 99

Summary: British horror/comedy "Shaun of the Dead" is a scream in all senses of the word. Brain-hungry zombies shamble through the streets of London, but all unambitious electronics salesman Shaun (Simon Pegg) cares about is his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield), who just dumped him. With the help of his slacker roommate Ed (Nick Frost), Shaun fights his way across town to rescue Liz, but the petty concerns of life keep getting in the way: When they're trying to use vinyl records to decapitate a pair of zombies, Shaun and Ed bicker about which bands deserve preservation--New Order they keep, but Sade becomes a lethal frisbee. Many zombie movies are comedies by accident, but "Shaun of the Dead" is deliberately and brilliantly funny, while still delivering a few delicious jolts of fear. Also featuring the stealthy comic presence of Bill Nighy ("Love Actually") and some familar faces from "The Office". "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1994

Studio: Castle Rock

Genre: Drama

Duration: 142

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

Theatrical: 2010

Studio: Dreamworks Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 104

Summary: A gorgeous girl takes an interest in an ordinary guy in "She's Out of My League", only to find their relationship questioned, criticized, and outright scoffed at by their friends and families. When airport security guard Kirk (Jay Baruchel, best known from supporting roles in "Knocked Up" and "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist") recovers the cell phone of knockout Molly (Alice Eve, "Crossing Over"), she asks him out to a hockey game as thanks. When a romance blossoms, Kirk is amazed--but not half as amazed as his buddies, who explain at length why Kirk is inferior in every way to this "perfect girl." This emphasis on the social ripples of the romance separates "She's Out of My League" from the usual average-guy-beautiful-girl romance; the web of admiration, envy, insecurity, and social anxiety is the real topic of the movie, not bland morals like "love is blind" or "true beauty is within." Well, that and a lot of embarrassing comic bits involving shaving, premature ejaculation, and more--some bits wouldn't be out of place in "There's Something About Mary". It's not a great movie (Molly's role is underdeveloped, though not as badly here as in most boy-centered sex comedies), but Baruchel's puppy-dog charm, the better-than-average dialogue, and a strong supporting cast (particularly T.J. Miller, "Cloverfield", and Krysten Ritter, "Confessions of a Shopaholic") lift "She's Out of My League" above the ordinary. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1996

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 96

Summary: Following the success of his spunky, 1995 directorial debut, "The Brothers McMullen", Edward Burns suffers a little sophomore slump with this comedy about a pair of rivalrous brothers who get into bizarre relationships with women in a fierce but immature pursuit of happiness. When they find they both have a complicated interest in the same woman (Cameron Diaz), things come to a head. The film is a little overwritten, undershot, bulky, slow, and static, but it is also funny and inventive--further proof that Burns knows his New York City beat as well as Woody Allen does. With Jennifer Aniston, Maxine Bahns, and John Mahoney. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 2009

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 128

Summary: Guy Ritchie ("Snatch", "RocknRolla") attempts to reinvent one of the world's most iconic literary figures as an action hero in this brawny, visually arresting period adventure. Robert Downey Jr. is an intriguing choice for the Great Detective, and if he occasionally murmurs his lines a pitch or two out of hearing range, his trademark bristling energy and off-kilter humor do much to sell Ritchie's notion of Holmes. Jude Law is equally well-equipped as a more active Dr. Watson--he's closer to Robert Duvall's vigorous portrayal in "The Seven Per-Cent Solution" than to Nigel Bruce--and together, they make for an engaging team. Too bad the plot they're thrust into is such a mess--a bustling and disorganized flurry of martial arts, black magic, and overwhelming set pieces centered around Mark Strong's Crowley-esque cult leader (no Professor Moriarty, he), who returns from the grave to exact revenge. Downey and Law's amped-up Holmes and Watson are built for the challenge of riding this roller coaster with the audience; however, Rachel McAdams as Holmes's love interest, Irene Adler (here a markedly different character than the one in Arthur Conan Doyle's "A Scandal in Bohemia"), and Kelly Reilly as Mary Morstan, the future Mrs. Watson, are cast to the wind in the wake of Ritchie's hurricane pace. One can imagine this not sitting well with ardent Sherlockians; all others may find this "Sherlock Holmes" marvelous if calorie-free popcorn entertainment, with the CGI rendering of Victorian-era London particularly appealing eye candy. "--Paul Gaita"

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 86

Summary: Every action movie has a moment so over the top you have to laugh; "Shoot 'Em Up" consists of nothing but these moments. A carrot-eating, lone wolf kind of guy named Smith (Clive Owen, "Children of Men", "Inside Man") steps in to protect a pregnant woman from a gunman--and finds himself, with the aid of a lactating prostitute (Monica Belluci, "The Matrix Revisited"), defending the newborn child from a sleazy contract killer Mr. Hertz (Paul Giamatti, "American Splendor", "Sideways") and his army of thugs. That's pretty much the plot, but story is beside the point. Writer/director Michael Davis ("Monster Man") has a keen sense of what matters in an action movie. The rapid-fire editing is scrupulously coherent; you always grasp what happened in every shoot-out, even if it flagrantly violates the laws of physics or basic plausibility. Explaining how Smith survives a four-story fall--even if that explanation is beyond ridiculous--demonstrates both a sense of wit and a winking respect for the audience's imagination. As a result, "Shoot 'Em Up" is ten times more entertaining than the likes of "Transformers" or "Rush Hour 3", movies so self-satisfied with special effects or movie stars that they forgot to be fun. ("Shoot 'Em Up"'s only weakness is a sliver of misogyny, the one action movie cliche that it's not clever enough to transcend.) "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 95

Summary: Can a buddy-cop parody still qualify as a good buddy-cop movie? "Showtime" struggles to prove it's possible, and with a few solid laughs it "almost" succeeds. No movie starring Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro could be a total turkey, and their pairing--as (respectively) a brash patrol cop/wannabe actor and a seasoned detective with zero tolerance for showmanship--yields a few choice moments of slick, professional comedy. Still, most of "Showtime" represents a missed opportunity, squandering Rene Russo's talent as a TV producer who casts Murphy and De Niro in a buddy-cop reality show that turns them into overnight celebrities. In an effort to repeat the modest success of "Shanghai Noon", director Tom Dey capitalizes on the casual chemistry of his leads (especially Murphy, who outshines his costars) until parody succumbs to routine action involving big guns and bad guys. With a sharper sense of satire, this passable entertainment could have been a comedy juggernaut. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Dreamworks Animated

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 90

Summary: William Steig's delightfully fractured fairy tale is the right stuff for this computer-animated adaptation full of verve and wit. Our title character (voiced by Mike Myers) is an agreeable enough ogre who wants to live his days in peace. When the diminutive Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) evicts local fairy-tale creatures (including the now-famous Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, and the Gingerbread Man), they settle in the ogre's swamp and Shrek wants answers from Farquaad. A quest of sorts starts for Shrek and his new pal, a talking donkey (Eddie Murphy), where battles have to be won and a princess (Cameron Diaz) must be rescued from a dragon lair in a thrilling action sequence. The story is stronger than most animated fare, but it's the humor that makes "Shrek" a winner. The PG rating is stretched when Murphy and Myers hit their strides. The mild potty humor is fun enough for 10-year-olds but will never embarrass their parents. "Shrek" is never as warm and inspired as the "Toy Story" films, but the realistic computer animation and a rollicking soundtrack keep the entertainment in fine form. Produced by DreamWorks, the film also takes several delicious stabs at its crosstown rival, Disney. "--Doug Thomas"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Dreamworks Animated

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 93

Summary: The lovably ugly green ogre returns with his green bride and furry, hooved friend in "Shrek 2". The newlywed Shrek and Princess Fiona are invited to Fiona's former kingdom, Far Far Away, to have the marriage blessed by Fiona's parents--which Shrek thinks is a bad, bad idea, and he's proved right: The parents are horrified by their daughter's transformation into an ogress, a fairy godmother wants her son Prince Charming to win Fiona, and a feline assassin is hired to get Shrek out of the way. The computer animation is more detailed than ever, but it's the acting that make the comedy work--in addition to the return of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz, "Shrek 2" features the flexible voices of Julie Andrews ("Mary Poppins"), John Cleese ("Monty Python's Flying Circus"), Antonio Banderas ("Desperado"), and Jennifer Saunders ("Absolutely Fabulous") as the gleefully wicked fairy godmother. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2010

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Genre: Kids & Family

Duration: 93

Summary: "Shrek Forever After" delivers laughs, life lessons, and a striking picture of the realities of parenthood in this surprisingly good, fourth "Shrek" film. Like the original film, this fractured fairytale works because of the humor--it pokes fun at the whole fairytale genre on a multitude of intellectual levels while simultaneously offering visual humor that's appealing to all ages. After a frantic flip through a tongue-in-cheek fairytale book of the first three "Shrek" films, the scene opens on a beaming Shrek and Fiona as they awaken to a chorus of their noisy children standing at the foot of the bed, and it follows them through a typically hectic day of feeding, diapering, and caring for their children until they collapse into a satisfied heap at the end of the day. One of the funniest bits in the film, at least for adults, is how this scene repeats, faster and faster and in smaller and smaller excerpts, until Shrek's look of bliss slowly turns into a pained, midlife-crisis expression that screams "Help me, I'm trapped in this domestic purgatory and there's no escape in sight." As in any good fairytale, the protagonist's chance for escape comes in the form of a deal with the devil, in this case Rumpelstiltskin. Following in the footsteps of the classic film "It's a Wonderful Life", Shrek is granted the opportunity to spend a day in an alternate reality in which he is the independent, terrifying ogre he once was. Of course, the deal carries some very serious, unintended consequences, and Shrek's day of freedom may just cost him Fiona, the children, and even his very existence. Mike Meyers and Cameron Diaz are once again stellar as the voices of Shrek and Fiona; Antonio Banderas is still all swagger despite Puss-in-Boots' now-portly figure and thoroughly domesticated ways; Eddie Murphy remains just as hilarious as in the first film as Donkey, who in this story doesn't recognize Shrek and can't fathom the possibility of a donkey and an ogre becoming friends; and Walt Dohrn is an extremely effective newcomer as the voice of Rumpelstiltskin. Other key players are the Pied Piper, with his new, tricked-out flute; a mob of broom-riding, jack-o'-lantern-throwing witches; an overgrown white goose; and a whole resistance movement of ogres under the command of a most unexpected leader. The battles are fierce and the lesson powerful: learn to appreciate what you've got. While 3-D digital is always nice, most viewers will completely forget that the film is in 3-D after the initial scene, and it will view just as well in the traditional format. (Rated PG, but appropriate for most ages 6 and older) "--Tami Horiuchi"

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: Paramount Home Video / Dreamworks

Genre: Animation

Duration: 93

Summary: It's not easy being an ogre, but Shrek finds it doubly difficult for an ogre like himself to fill in for a king when his father-in-law King Harold of Far, Far Away falls ill in this third "Shrek" movie. Shrek's attempts to fulfill his kingly duties play like a blooper reel, with boat christenings and knighting ceremonies gone terribly wrong, and to say that Shrek (Mike Myers) is insecure about his new role is a gross understatement. When King Harold (John Cleese) passes away, Shrek sets out with Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss-in-Boots (Antonio Banderas) to find Arthur (Justin Timberlake), the only heir in line for the throne besides himself. Just as Shrek sets sail to find Artie (as Arthur is more commonly known), Fiona (Cameron Diaz) shocks Shrek with the news that she's pregnant. Soon after, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) sends Captain Hook (Ian McShane) in pursuit of Shrek and imprisons Fiona and her fellow Princesses as part of his plan to install himself as King of Far, Far Away. Shrek finds an awkward Artie jousting with his high school classmate Lancelot (John Krasinski) and, while Artie is certainly no picture of kingliness, Shrek is determined to drag him back to Far, Far Away to assume the throne. Mishaps and comedy abound, including a spell gone wrong that locks Donkey and Puss-in-Boots inside one another's bodies. While Fiona and the other Princesses prove they're anything but helpless women, Artie and Shrek battle their own fears of inadequacy in a struggle to discover their own self-worth. In the end, Shrek, Artie, and Fiona each learn a lot about their individual strengths and what truly makes each of them happy. Of course, it's the pervasive humor and wit that make "Shrek the Third" so side-splittingly appealing. Rated PG for some crude and suggestive humor, but appropriate for most families with children ages 6 and older. --"Tami Horiuchi"

Beyond "Shrek The Third"
The "Shrek Trilogy"
The Soundtrack
Visit the Dreamworks Store
Stills from "Shrek The Third" (click for larger image)

Theatrical: 1990

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 87

Summary: Carl Reiner, who paired with Steve Martin in "The Jerk", takes another rewarding gamble in "Sibling Rivalry", matching comic actress Kirstie Alley with a screwball tale of mistaken identities, three sets of siblings, and a pesky corpse. Alley plays a neglected wife encouraged by her sister (Jami Gertz) to have a fling; when she does precisely that with a handsome stranger (Sam Elliott), he not only dies in bed but turns out to be a long-lost brother-in-law. Further complicating matters is a salesman (Bill Pullman) who thinks he inadvertently killed Elliott's character, plus a lot of doctor jokes (Carrie Fisher plays a bullying gynecologist married to a protologist) and a deadpan cop (Ed O'Neill). The screenplay's comic complications take a little too long to reach critical mass, but when they do, Reiner masterfully controls the essential screwball timing and Alley, Pullman, Gertz, and screen veterans John Randolph and Frances Sternhagen thoroughly deliver. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 126

Summary: With Sideways, Paul Giamatti (American Splendor, Storytelling) has become an unlikely but engaging romantic lead. Struggling novelist and wine connoisseur Miles (Giamatti) takes his best friend Jack (Thomas Haden Church, Wings) on a wine-tasting tour of California vineyards for a kind of extended bachelor party. Almost immediately, Jack's insatiable need to sow some wild oats before his marriage leads them in into double-dates with a rambunctious wine pourer (Sandra Oh, Under the Tuscan Sun) and a recently divorce waitress (Virginia Madsen, The Hot Spot)--and Miles discovers a little hope that he hasn't let himself feel in a long time. Sideways is a modest but finely tuned film; with gentle compassion, it explores the failures, struggles, and lowered expectations of mid-life. Giamatti makes regret and self-loathing sympathetic, almost sweet. From the director of Election and About Schmidt. --Bret Fetzer

On the DVD
Stars Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church have an absolute blast on their commentary track, gleefully ripping themselves, fawning over "La Madsen," and recalling "that bad fake wine we had to drink a lot of." Director Alexander Payne dismisses the seven deleted scenes (about 17 minutes total) as "meager offerings," and it's true that there are no gems. But even better than the scenes themselves might be Payne's text introductions, which offer insight into his editing process. Each scene is surrounded by brief bits from the finished film to provide context, which should be done more often. The 6-minute making-of featurette is better than most because it spends less time on self-promotion and plot summary. --David Horiuchi



Stills from Sideways (Click for larger image)

 
 

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 116

Summary: A high-profile action/exploitation thriller set in the present, "The Siege" is really a fantasy that extrapolates from major terrorist attacks. Denzel Washington is FBI special agent Hubbard, "Hub" to his friends, whose anti-terrorist task force must track down the terrorist cells responsible for a spate of bombings in New York. His partner is an FBI agent of Arabian extraction (played convincingly by Tony Shalhoub), proving not all Arabs are bad guys--a point the film should be lauded for making again and again. Thrown into the mix is a CIA spy (played almost kittenish at times by Annette Bening), whose ties to the terrorists appear to be at the center of the conflicts. When the bombings escalate out of control, the President institutes martial law, sending in General Devereaux (played with impenetrable countenance by Bruce Willis) with tanks and troops to ferret out the terrorists. Echoes of Japanese-Americans in internment camps ring out as Arabs, including the son of the Arab-American FBI agent, are herded into a stadium. Periodic audio-montages of "man in the street" sentiments anchor the material in the present and show how serious and relevant the material is. But finally what we have is a taut and entertaining popcorn movie, giving itself the humanistic nod when it can. "--Jim Gay"

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Touchstone Pictures

Genre: Drama

Duration: 106

Summary: This B movie with noble aspirations is the work of a gifted filmmaker whose storytelling falls short of his considerable stylistic flair. While addressing crises of faith in the framework of an alien-invasion thriller, M. Night Shyamalan (in his follow-up to "The Sixth Sense" and "Unbreakable") favors atmospheric tension over explanatory plotting. He injects subtle humor into expertly spooky scenes, but the story suffers from too many lapses in logic. The film's faults are greatly compensated by the performance of Mel Gibson as a widower whose own crisis of faith coincides with the appearance of mysterious crop circles in his Pennsylvania cornfield... and hundreds of UFOs around the globe. With his brother (Joaquin Phoenix) and two young children (Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin), the lapsed minister perceives this phenomenal occurrence as a series of signs and portents, while Shyamalan pursues a spookfest with "War of the Worlds" overtones. It's effective to a point, but vaguely hollow at its core. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1985

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 132

Summary: Director Lawrence Kasdan ("The Big Chill") clearly set out to make an old-fashioned Western, but he couldn't help bringing a hip, self-conscious attitude to the proceedings. "Silverado" thus finds its own funky tone--sometimes rousing, sometimes winking. Four cowpokes converge on a little Western burg called Silverado; they're played by Kevin Kline (a distinctly modern kind of Western hero), Scott Glenn, Danny Glover, and the rowdy young Kevin Costner. Kasdan peppers the somewhat generic action with smart dialogue and a parade of quirky supporting players, including John Cleese as a sheriff who seems to have stepped straight from a Monty Python sketch into an Old West saloon. Bruce Broughton supplies the music, a real throwback to the glory days of thundering Western themes. One thing's for sure: "Silverado"'s a lot more fun than the later Kasdan-Costner Western, "Wyatt Earp". "--Robert Horton"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Drama

Duration: 121

Summary: An endless white landscape of rolling hills and snow-blanketed forests. A lonely acoustic score (by Danny Elfman) playing in the background. A vision of rural simplicity portrayed in hushed tones. The stillness is about to shatter. Brothers Hank (Bill Paxton), an accountant at a small-town feed store, and Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton), an unemployed, hygienically challenged dim bulb, accompanied by Jacob's oafish pal Lou (Brent Briscoe), stumble across a downed plane in the brush containing a corpse and a sack containing millions of dollars--surely the aftermath of a drug deal, they conclude. Greed overcomes good sense, and the three agree to hide the money for a year and keep the secret to themselves. A simple plan indeed, and it doesn't take long for it to go all to hell as the lure of wealth tears at kinship and friendship, and the ruthless machinations of impetuous partners leave a body count in its wake. Bridget Fonda costars as Hank's wife, whose initial hesitation gives way to cold-blooded plotting. Sam Raimi, best known for wowing audiences with stylistic gymnastics and manic mayhem, directs this quietly desperate thriller with chilly restraint, finding its cold, tragic heart in the estranged relationship between Hank and Jacob: the college boy blind to the truth of his own family and the town loser whose tortured soul reveals a humanity lost on his brother (a brilliant performance by Thornton). Adapted by Scott B. Smith from his acclaimed novel. "--Sean Axmaker"

Theatrical: 1989

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Animation

Duration: 570

Summary: Most TV shows never make it eight seasons, but then "The Simpsons" is not most TV shows. At a point where other shows would generally become stale and repetitive, Matt Groening & Co. pull out the stops to come up with one of the most creative and hilarious seasons in the whole series. Cases in point for season eight (1996-1997) include "Treehouse of Horror VII," in which aliens Kang and Kodos make a bizarre run for President having taken on the appearances of Bill Clinton and Bob Dole; "Bart After Dark," in which Bart gets a job at The Maison Derriere (featuring one of their most popular songs, "The Spring in Springfield"); and one of the great all-time episodes, "The Simpsons Spin-off Showcase," a trilogy of Simpsons spin-offs that never made it to prime-time (the final segment--"The Simpson Family Smile-Time Variety Hour"--is about the best six minutes of parody in the entire "Simpsons" canon). Season eight also features some of the most notable guest appearances: Rodney Dangerfield as Mr. Burns’s long lost son; Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny as Scully and Mulder from "X-Files" in "The Springfield Files;" "The Brother from Another Series" which brilliantly pairs up Kelsey Grammar as Sideshow Bob with his brother Cecil (David Hyde Pierce) in a parallel of their "Frasier" characters; and in a major casting coup, Johnny Cash shows up in the form of a red fox as Homer’s spirit guide in "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer" (also known as "The Chili Pepper episode"). Other notable episodes include "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show," a fun wink to the audience from the writers about keeping the show fresh without ruining it, and the send up of "Mary Poppins" "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(annoyed grunt)cious," which has one of their most memorable endings when Shary Bobbins floats off under her umbrella ("So long Superman," Barney cries)... only to get sucked into a jet engine from a passing airplane. That’s the thanks she gets for offering her help. Good to see that, eight seasons in, "The Simpsons" still don’t need it. "--Daniel Vancini"

Theatrical: 1993

Studio: Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Animation

Duration: 506

Summary: Sixteen seasons (and counting) of pop culture-rocking brilliance, the first four of which have already been gloriously archived on DVD. But in the words of Krusty the Clown: What has "The Simpsons" done for me lately? Well, how about all 22 episodes of season 5, each accompanied by commentary, deleted scenes, and other encyclopedic extras that hopelessly devoted "Simpsons" fans crave, no, demand? Season 5 is perhaps not as classics-packed as the third and fourth seasons, but no self-respecting "Simpsons" fan should be without the episodes "Homer's Barbershop Quartet," featuring George Harrison, "Cape Feare," one of Sideshow Bob's (and guest voice Kelsey Grammer's) finest half-hours, "Rosebud," "Springfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)," and "Bart Gets Famous," with the Springfield-sweeping catchphrase "I didn't do it." Plus, the star power this season is impressive: Michelle Pfeiffer as Homer's comely, donut-loving co-worker in "The Last Temptation of Homer," Albert Brooks as a self-help guru who unleashes "Bart's Inner Child," Kathleen Turner as the creator of Malibu Stacy in "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy," and, as themselves, the Ramones ("Rosebud"), James Woods ("Homer and Apu"), Buzz Aldrin ("Deep Space Homer"), and even Robert Goulet ("Springfield").
But it is the writers and the core ensemble cast who exhibit, to quote "Deep Space Homer," "the right... What's that stuff?" Series milestones include the first appearance of yokel Cletus in "Bart Gets an Elephant," and Maggie's infant nemesis, The Baby with One Eyebrow in "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Badasssss Song," which also happens to be "The Simpsons"' 100th episode. Add in a very good "Treehouse of Horror" episode, (which outs Ned Flanders as the Devil and Marge as the head vampire), and one Emmy-nominated musical extravaganza ("Who Needs the Quick-E-Mart" from "Homer and Apu"), and you have a "Simpsons" season that's not just great, it's DVD-box-set great. "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 1992

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Animation

Duration: 506

Summary: By its fourth season, "The Simpsons" had come far enough where Lisa could make a self-referential joke about Dustin Hoffman and Michael Jackson's pseudonymous guest voice appearances in seasons 2 and 3, respectively. In this season, no less than Elizabeth Taylor (in two episodes), Bette Midler, and even the reclusive Johnny Carson blessed "The Simpsons" with their iconic presences. Awhile back, "Entertainment Weekly" ranked "The Simpsons"' Top 25 best episodes ever. Five gems from season 4 cracked the top 12, including the (debatable) choice for No. 1, "Last Exit to Springfield." Other episodes that loom large in the "Simpsons" legend are "Mr. Plow" (you know the jingle: "Call Mr. Plow / That's my name / That name again is Mr. Plow"), "Marge vs. the Monorail," featuring a "Music Man"-style extravaganza, and "A Streetcar Named Marge," the episode that outraged New Orleans residents, who heard their fair metropolis referred to as "a city that the damned call home."
"The Simpsons" smartly subverts traditional family sitcom convention, but anyone who thinks the show doesn't have a heart is advised to watch "I Love Lisa" and "New Kid on the Block," two fourth-season gems that absolutely nail the agony and ecstasy of unrequited crushes ("You won't be needing this," a heartbroken Bart fantasizes his babysitter saying while dropkicking his heart into a wastebasket in "New Kid"). While the "Simpsons"' celebrated ensemble gets all the glory, we must pause now to praise the peerless writing staff, among them, George Meyer, Al Jean, Jon Vitti, John Swartzwelder, David Silverman, and Conan O'Brien. One can only marvel in astonishment at the alchemy that went into creating, week after week, such essential episodes as "Kamp Krusty," "Streetcar," the profane and profound "Homer the Heretic," and "Lisa the Beauty Queen" (And that's just disc 1!). The animators, too, rose to the occasion, particularly in "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie," with its dead-on, ultra-violent sinking of the seminal Disney cartoon, "Steamboat Willie." And another benchmark in "The Simpsons"' rise to the TV pantheon: Its very first clip show. What Homer says about donuts in "Monorail" holds true as well for "The Simpsons" itself: Is there anything this show can't do? "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Animation

Duration: 570

Summary: Season 9 is an important one in "The Simpsons"' run because, to many fans, it represents the top of the rainbow. At this point, the show is still at the top of its game, flinging clever jokes and social satire with such ease, especially compared to later seasons, that it's hard not to see this as the peak of its run, leaving open the question of whether or not subsequent seasons measure up. Be that as it may, there's hardly any question that the writing this season is among the series' best. This is the season that brought us "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson," where Homer illegally parks his car in front of the World Trade Center, and heralds the introduction of Duff Man ("Oh Yeah!), "The Treehouse of Horror VIII," where Bart's body gets switched with that of a fly and Marge turns into a witch, and "The Trouble with Trillions," which finds Mr. Burns hiding a trillion dollar bill from the federal government. Apu gets plenty of face time in an excellent episode where he meets his bride ("The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons"), and the town's kids get their chance at some screen time when they all get stranded on an island together a la "Lord of the Flies" in "Das Bus" ("We'll be like Swiss Family Robinson, only with more cursing," proclaims Bart). Definitely the show is still going strong by this point, and the 25 episodes of this season should still delight fans who've stayed with it through the years, in addition to the hours of commentaries and special features that come standard with every season of "The Simpsons". "--Daniel Vancini"

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Television

Duration: 571

Summary: One of the hallmark seasons of "The Simpsons", season 7 features some of the strongest episodes produced during the show's run. Considering that this is "The Simpsons" we're talking about here, that's saying a lot, but this collection deserves the accolades.
Broadcast in 1995, season seven features several signature episodes, including Part II of "Who Shot Mr. Burns," "Bart Sells His Soul," and "Two Bad Neighbors" where former President George Herbert Walker Bush moves into the neighborhood (an episode gamely playing on the former President's open dislike for the show). One of "The Simpsons"'s most definitive episodes, "Treehouse of Horror VI" famously broke the third wall by using the then-groundbreaking CGI technology to render Homer first in a 3-D world, then in real life, (despite the evolution in his form, he naturally ends up in an erotic cake shop). As the producers openly note on the commentary, it was a big deal at the time, and super expensive, which is why they could only do a few minutes of footage in CGI (some fans will particularly enjoy the revealing commentary on this one, as the producers explain the many visual puns and math jokes appearing in the background of the 3-D world). It's a great example of how "The Simpsons" continued to play with its visual style and take creative risks years into its run. In fact, one of the best episodes on this collection, "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" proves just how far the look and style of the show really came during that time. Hosted by actor Troy McClure (voiced by the late comic great Phil Hartman), it presents never-before-seen outtakes and original footage from the show's debut days on "The Tracey Ullman Show", while taking a few self-referential digs at show creators Matt Groening, James Brooks, and Sam Simon. Other gems include "Homerpalooza" where Homer thanks guests The Smashing Pumpkins for their gloomy music because it has made his kids "stop wishing for a future I can't possibly provide," and "Bart the Fink" where Bart inadvertently gets Krusty the Klown busted for tax "avoision."
Along with the 25 episodes there are extensive commentaries, featurettes, and deleted scenes all of which add immense value to the set and will give die-hard fans another excuse to spend more hours in front of the TV. It's another benchmark collection from a show that, up to this point, doesn't seem to know its own limits. "--Dan Vancini"

Theatrical: 1994

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Animation

Duration: 565

Summary: The classic to clunker ratio is still extraordinarily high, though "The Simpsons"' sixth season could give some devoted viewers pause. The show that takes cheeky delight in mooning television convention gives us "Another Simpsons Clip Show" and its first season-ending cliffhanger, "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" And, as does Bart in "A Star Is Burns," we should all feel a little dirty at the "cheap cartoon crossover" appearance of Jay Sherman (Jon Lovitz), designed to give a boost to the ill-fated animated series "The Critic". But this is just beard-stroking tongue-clucking regarding a season that delivered episodes that rank in the hallowed "The Simpsons" pantheon, among them, "Homer Badman," in which lust for a gummy Venus de Milo, peeled from the behind of an unwitting babysitter, makes Homer the object of feminist protest and tabloid TV fodder, and "Homer the Great," in which Homer is discovered to be the Chosen One to lead the secret society, "The Stonecutters" ("Who holds back the electric car/Who made Steve Guttenberg a star?/We do!"). Several episodes take their inspiration from classic films and books: Hitchcock's "Rear Window" ("Bart of Darkness"); Michael Crichton's "Westworld" and "Jurassic Park" ("Itchy and Scratchy Land"); and Stephen King and Ray Bradbury ("Treehouse of Horror V").
This season's roster of guest voices is also especially impressive, including Winona Ryder as "Lisa's Rival," Meryl Streep as Rev. Lovejoy's bad-seed daughter ("She's like a Milk Dud," a smitten Bart laments. "Sweet on the outside, poison on the inside"), the late Anne Bancroft in "Fear of Flying"; Patrick Stewart in "Homer the Great"; Mel Brooks and Susan Sarandon in "Homer vs. Patty and Selma," and Mandy Patinkin as Lisa's future fiancée in the surprisingly moving "Lisa's Wedding." There has, of late, been a feud a-brewin' between fans of "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy". Which show is funnier? Has "The Simpsons" lost it? Is "Family Guy" a "Simpsons"-wannabe? Hey; Can't we all just laugh along? Best to just marvel at another exemplary "Simpsons" season that, to quote Homer in "Lisa's Rival," delivers it all: "The terrifying lows, the dizzying highs, the creamy middles." "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 1989

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Animation

Duration: 550

Summary: No Description Available.
Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 7-AUG-2007
Media Type: DVD

Theatrical: 1991

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Animation

Duration: 551

Summary: Broadcast in 1991, the third season of "The Simpsons" contains a host of candidates for "Best "Simpsons" 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 "The Simpsons" 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 "Ace in the Hole". 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 "The Simpsons" is quite simply, and by a large margin, the greatest television show ever. "--David Stubbs"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 484

Summary: Simpsons Season 11 includes all 22 episodes from the 11th season and bonus material on all 4 discs.

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 87

Summary: "The Simpsons" had already ruled TV land for many years by the time they finally attempted to conquer the movie world as well. It was never any big secret that a "Simpsons" movie was in the works: Fox registered the domain name "Simpsonsmovie.com" in 1997, a full nine years before the film was finally greenlighted. When creator/producer Matt Groening’s creation finally made it to the big screen in 2007, it only turned out to be the biggest hit of the summer, raking in over $100 million gross in box-office receipts in its first week, before heading on to do over $500 million worldwide, proving that the best joke in the movie was actually played on the audience: "Why pay for something when you can see it for free?" asks Homer at the movie’s start. Naturally, all the trouble starts with him. When he adopts a pig ("Sir Oinks-A-Lot") destined for Krusty’s slaughterhouse, it triggers an environmental catastrophe, forcing the government to seal Springfield into a dome and destroy the city. While the family manages to escape and flee to Alaska, they eventually decide to return and help save the city in more-or-less classic Simpson fashion. As Homer’s joke about the audience shows, Groening and producer Al Jean are keenly aware that their franchise is first and foremost a TV show. Maybe a little too aware, as the movie fails to ever rise above anything more than an extended episode, and not even one of its best episodes at that. True, there are plenty of good jokes; the animation has been kicked up a notch to be particularly sharp and detailed; and there are some truly memorable moments such as Bart’s nude skateboard ride and the "Spider-Pig" song. But when the film finally materialized, the payoff for long years of anticipation turned out to be small as the movie failed to live up to its potential; it’s amusing but not truly funny. "The Simpsons Movie" leaves the impression that maybe the show’s writers and producers had already spent their best ideas on the best years of the TV show. Had it been made years earlier… well, we can only wonder what could have been. "--Daniel Vancini"

Get to Know "The Simpsons"
"Oh, so they have internet on computers now!" -- Homer Simpson
"I'd like to visit that Long Island Place, if only it were real." -- Marge Simpson (drinking a Long Island Iced Tea)
"Aren't we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas? You know, the birth of Santa." -- Bart Simpson
"If cartoons were meant for adults, they'd put them on in prime time." -- Lisa Simpson
"Daddy" -- Maggie Simpson
> More Simpsons Characters Beyond "The Simpsons Movie"
"The Simpsons" Toys & Games
"The Simpsons" Video Games
"The Simpsons" Books & Comics Store
"The Simpsons" Automotive

More of the "The Simpsons" on DVD
"The Simpsons" TV Series
"The Simpsons Movie" on DVD
"The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror"
"The Simpsons Christmas"
"The Simpsons Gone Wild"
"The Simpsons Kiss and Tell: The True Story of Their Love"


Stills from "The Simpsons Movie"

Theatrical:

Studio: TCFHE

Genre: Comedy

Summary: Movie DVD

Theatrical:

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 298

Summary: Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 11/30/2007

Theatrical:

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox

Genre: Animation

Duration: 473

Summary: Stills from The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season (Click for larger image)



   

Theatrical:

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre:

Duration: 482

Summary: Kang and Kodos invite you to add this Emmy Award winning season to your collection filled with your favorite guest stars (Mick Jagger, Lenny Kravitz, Tony Hawk, Blink 182, and more) and exclusive features that will satisfy your hunger. The Simpsons Season 14 is available on Blu-ray and DVD.

Theatrical:

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Television

Duration: 484

Summary: Talk about lucky! Season 13 of "The Simpsons" arrives on Blu-ray and DVD with 22 hilarious episodes and tons of fun-filled extras, including audio commentaries, animation showcases, and featurettes. So grab a donut and pull up a couch to see Lisa becoming a Buddhist, Bart living in a plastic bubble, Homer doing community service (which lands him in the electric chair), and the Simpsons offending the entire nation of Brazil, plus your favorite couch gags and a slew of celebrity guest voices.

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Dimension

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 124

Summary: Brutal and breathtaking, "Sin City" is Robert Rodriguez's stunningly realized vision of Frank Miller's pulpy comic books. In the first of three separate but loosely related stories, Marv (Mickey Rourke in heavy makeup) tries to track down the killers of a woman who ended up dead in his bed. In the second story, Dwight's (Clive Owen) attempt to defend a woman from a brutal abuser goes horribly wrong, and threatens to destroy the uneasy truce among the police, the mob, and the women of Old Town. Finally, an aging cop on his last day on the job (Bruce Willis) rescues a young girl from a kidnapper, but is himself thrown in jail. Years later, he has a chance to save her again.

Read our interview with Frank Miller. Based on three of Miller's immensely popular and immensely gritty books ("The Hard Goodbye", "The Big Fat Kill", and "That Yellow Bastard"), "Sin City" is unquestionably the most faithful comic-book-based movie ever made. Each shot looks like a panel from its source material, and director Rodriguez (who refers to it as a "translation" rather than an adaptation) resigned from the Directors Guild so that Miller could share a directing credit. Like the books, it's almost entirely in stark black and white with some occasional bursts of color (a woman's red lips, a villain's yellow face). The backgrounds are entirely digitally generated, yet not self-consciously so, and perfectly capture Miller's gritty cityscape. And though most of Miller's copious nudity is absent, the violence is unrelentingly present. That may be the biggest obstacle to viewers who aren't already fans of the books and who may have been turned off by "Kill Bill" (whose director, Quentin Tarantino, helmed one scene of "Sin City"). In addition, it's a bleak, desperate world in which the heroes are killers, corruption rules, and the women are almost all prostitutes or strippers. But Miller's stories are riveting, and the huge cast--which also includes Jessica Alba, Jaime King, Brittany Murphy, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, Elijah Wood, Nick Stahl, Michael Clarke Duncan, Devin Aoki, Carla Gugino, and Josh Hartnett--is just about perfect. (Only Bruce Willis and Michael Madsen, while very well-suited to their roles, seem hard to separate from their established screen personas.) In what Rodriguez hopes is the first of a series, "Sin City" is a spectacular achievement. "--David Horiuchi"
More "Sin City" at Amazon.com
The Graphic Novels and Books
Films by Robert Rodriguez
From Graphic Novel to Big Screen
The Soundtrack
Films by guest director Quentin Tarantino
Crime on DVD

Theatrical: 1992

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 99

Summary: A romantic comedy set against the background of the Seattle grunge scene of the late '80s and early '90s, "Singles" contains music and/or cameo appearances by the music groups who defined the movement, including Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Mudhoney, Screaming Trees, Mother Love Bone, and others. (For a definitive documentary treatment of the same pop-music phenomenon, see "Hype!") The plot is really a series of interconnected stories about various Seattle singles--some of who are part of a couple, at least temporarily. Matt Dillon plays a longhaired rocker whose girlfriend (Bridget Fonda) is considering breast enlargement surgery. As Steve and Linda, Campbell Scott and Kyra Sedgwick are going through the awkward stages of a relationship--that point when quirky little traits that may have seemed attractive initially can evolve into major annoyances. It's a funny, sweet, enjoyable picture that captures some of the flavor of the Northwest, where writer-director Cameron Crowe relocated after marrying Seattle native Nancy Wilson of Heart. (The Wilson sisters also appear on the soundtrack as members of "The Lovemongers".) Ten years before the release of "Singles" in 1992, Crowe was the "boy wonder" reporter for "Rolling Stone" magazine who went back to high school in order to research and write what became "Fast Times at Ridgemont High". His other work includes "Jerry Maguire" (1996) and "Say Anything" (1989). "--Jim Emerson"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Walt Disney Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 98

Summary: "The African Queen" meets "Swept Away " in this sometimes labored romantic comedy by director Ivan Reitman. Fortunately, he cast an old pro in Harrison Ford, as Quinn Harris, a South Seas charter pilot who must ferry New York fashion editor Robin Monroe (Anne Heche) from one island to another--a hop that falls flat when they fly into a mammoth storm that causes them to crash on a deserted island. The pair resent and resist each other, until they are forced to team up to escape from the island--and some modern pirates who want their heads. If that part of the story is unconvincing, you can always focus on the smoldering comic chemistry between Heche, who displays strong comic instincts, and the ever-reliable Ford. The script is just an excuse for these two flinty characters to strike increasingly romantic sparks off each other, which is always enjoyable to watch. "--Marshall Fine"

Theatrical: 1984

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 93

Summary: Molly Ringwald established herself as the teen queen of the '80s in this fresh comedy. The movie is a day in the life of Samantha, whose 16th birthday is turning out to be anything but sweet. All the traumas of teendom come down on one long day, which sees Samantha surrounded by dithery relatives, mooning over a high school hunk, and pursued by a sawed-off Lothario. "Sixteen Candles" marked the directing debut of John Hughes, and its goofy energy displayed a promising talent with a great ear for high school lingo ... a promise neglected since Hughes became, after "Home Alone", a one-man entertainment industry. There are some pretty crass moments (Why the stereotype of the foreign-exchange student from Asia?), but Ringwald's steady appeal smoothes over the rough spots. As the pubescent, self-styled lady-killer, Anthony Michael Hall turns in a hilarious portrait of a young swinger; he and Ringwald would reteam with Hughes for "The Breakfast Club", another key teen picture of the decade. "--Robert Horton"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Walt Disney Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 106

Summary: "I see dead people," whispers little Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), scared to affirm what is to him now a daily occurrence. This peaked 9-year old, already hypersensitive to begin with, is now being haunted by seemingly malevolent spirits. Child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is trying to find out what's triggering Cole's visions, but what appears to be a psychological manifestation turns out to be frighteningly real. It might be enough to scare off a lesser man, but for Malcolm it's personal--several months before, he was accosted and shot by an unhinged patient, who then turned the gun on himself. Since then, Malcolm has been in turmoil--he and his wife (Olivia Williams) are barely speaking, and his life has taken an aimless turn. Having failed his loved ones and himself, he's not about to give up on Cole.
This third feature by M. Night Shyamalan sets itself up as a thriller, poised on the brink of delivering monstrous scares, but gradually evolves into more of a psychological drama with supernatural undertones. Many critics faulted the film for being mawkish and New Age-y, but no matter how you slice it, this is one mightily effective piece of filmmaking. The bare bones of the story are basic enough, but the moody atmosphere created by Shyamalan and cinematographer Tak Fujimoto made this one of the creepiest pictures of 1999, forsaking excessive gore for a sinisterly simple feeling of chilly otherworldliness. Willis is in his strong, silent type mode here, and gives the film wholly over to Osment, whose crumpled face and big eyes convey a child too wise for his years; his scenes with his mother (Toni Collette) are small, heartbreaking marvels. And even if you figure out the film's surprise ending, it packs an amazingly emotional wallop when it comes, and will have you racing to watch the movie again with a new perspective. You may be able to shake off the sentimentality of "The Sixth Sense", but its craftsmanship and atmosphere will stay with you for days. "--Mark Englehart"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 106

Summary: While setting a milestone in the progress of digital filmmaking, "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" resurrects a nostalgic fantasy world derived from a wide variety of vintage inspirations. It's a dazzling dream for anyone who appreciates the look and feel of golden-age sci-fi pulp magazines, drawing its unique, all-digital design from such diverse sources as Howard Hawks adventures, Fritz Lang's "Metropolis", "Buck Rogers", "Blackhawk" comics, "The Third Man", cliffhanger serials, and the action-packed Indiana Jones franchise. Writer-director Kerry Conran's feature debut is also guaranteed to inspire digital dreamers everywhere, suggesting a paradigm shift in the way CGI-dominated movies are made. It's a giddy adventure for the young and young-at-heart, in which ace pilot "Sky Captain" Joe Sullivan (Jude Law) and intrepid reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) must save the world from a mad scientist whose vision of the future has tragic implications for all humankind. Angelina Jolie drops in for a glorified cameo, but it's the ultra-fortunate neophyte Conran who's the star here. His clever riff on "The Wizard of Oz" is a marvel to behold, and the method of its creation is nothing less than revolutionary. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Horror

Duration: 105

Summary: The films of Tim Burton shine through the muck like a jack-o-lantern on a foggy October night. After such successes as "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Edward Scissorhands", it should come as no surprise that "Sleepy Hollow" is a dazzling film, a delicious reworking of Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". Dark and moody, the film is a thrilling ride back to the turn of the 19th century. Johnny Depp stars as Ichabod Crane, a seemingly hapless constable from New York City who is sent to the small town of Sleepy Hollow to solve the mystery of the decapitations that are plaguing the town. Crane is a bumbling sort, with a tremendous faith in science over mysticism, and he comes up against town secrets, bewitching women, and a number of bodies missing heads. Christina Ricci, as beautiful as ever, is Katrina Van Tassel, the offbeat love interest who alternately charms and frightens Crane. The film, while occasionally gory (as one should expect from a movie about a headless horseman), is not terribly frightening, although it is suspenseful. Both Depp and Ricci are convincing, and the art direction and production values give the village its harsh feel. Toward the end, once the secrets are revealed, the film does slow down; however, this stylistic horror film provides many tricks and even more treats. "--Jenny Brown"

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: Fox Network

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 1019

Summary: Though often and unfairly dismissed as a "Quantum Leap" clone, the Fox TV series "Sliders" earned a substantial fan base thanks to its intriguing central premise--the existence of multiple alternate realities--and impressive special effects, both of which get a fine showcase in this six-disc DVD set. Jerry O'Connell leads the appealing cast as a college student who accidentally discovers a portal into alternate dimensions; with the help of his professor ("Lord of the Rings"' John Rhys-Davies), a spunky Girl Friday (Sabrina Lloyd), and a soul crooner (Cleavant Derricks), O'Connell encounters a host of strange parallel Earths, including a British-ruled United States and one where dinosaurs roam a national park. All nine episodes of the 1995 debut season and the 12-episode second season from '96, as well as the pilot from '95, are included in the aesthetically impressive set; extras, however, are limited to commentary by creators Tracy Torme and Robert K. Weiss on the pilot episode, and a making-of featurette with O'Connell and Derricks. "--Paul Gaita"

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: Fox Network

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 1122

Summary: Mastermind Quinn Mallory (Jerry O'Connell) returns for more fantastical adventures as he continues traveling from universe to universe in the complete Third Season of Sliders. Along with comrade Wade (Sabrina Lloyd), physics professor Arturo (John Rhys-Davies), and Rembrandt "Crying Man" Brown (Cleavant Derricks), Quinn explores new and mysterious Earths and along the way encounters tornadoes, droughts, wizards, warlocks and even his own younger self. Featuring TV's hottest guest stars, including Apollonia Kotero, Corey Feldman and Danny Masterson, Sliders will rock your world. All 25 thrilling episodes of season three are here in this 4-disc set and available for the first time on DVD! Sliders: The Third Season. Will they ever make it home?

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Dreamworks Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 110

Summary: Here's the pitch: "It's like "Toy Story" but these toys that come to life really kick butt!" That's essentially it for this breezy popcorn flick. In a very smart first 10 minutes, new toy-company owner Denis Leary tells his crew he wants toys "that play back." Hence the small soldiers land in Anytown, U.S.A., and the loner kid Alan (Gregory Smith) opens them up before they are supposed to be on the shelves. Those military-grade chips sure make them smart and give the toys plenty of pithy retorts to boot. Plenty of violence, er, action, most of it fun enough. The vocal talents, including Tommy Lee Jones, Frank Langella, and cast members of "The Dirty Dozen" are inspired characters, the humans less so. With "Gremlins" director Joe Dante at the helm, it plays like a sequel to that '80s fantasy. Amazing visual effects, of course. "--Doug Thomas"

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 917

Summary: Picking up where its fifth season left off, "Smallville"'s sixth season begins with Metropolis in ruins, Clark (Tom Welling) trapped in the Phantom Zone, and General Zod inhabiting the body of Lex (Michael Rosenbaum). Even when that situation, dubbed "Black Thursday," is over, Clark still has to capture the criminals who escaped from the Phantom Zone. Meanwhile, having driven away Lana (Kristin Kreuk), she finds comfort in the home and arms of Lex, driving further anxiety into that romantic triangle that has expanded to include Chloe (Allison Mack, still with a smile that lights up the orb on top of the Daily Planet) and her new beau, photographer Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore). And Lois (Erica Durance)? We see hints of her inevitable future in her becoming a reporter for the tabloid rag "The Inquisitor" ("The thrill of discovery, the clack of the keys, the scent of fresh ink… I think I've finally found my calling!") and flashing some sparks with Clark especially in a Valentine's Day episode called "Crimson."
She also finds a new boyfriend in Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley), a tycoon who moves from Star City to Metropolis and revives a boarding-school rivalry with Lex. But Queen is also a superhero, the Green Arrow, and he's out to thwart Lex's project called 33.1, which runs tests on meteor-powered humans. And in an awesome episode called "Justice," the Green Arrow gathers his team--Bart Allen (Kyle Gallner), a.k.a. Impulse (a change after he was first called the Flash); Arthur "AC" Curry (Alan Ritchson), a.k.a. Aquaman; and Victor Stone (Lee Thompson Young), a.k.a. Cyborg (who had all appeared in the series before)--with Clark to shut down Lex. Yet another hero from the comic books--an interplanetary detective (Phil Morris)--helps Clark fight rogue Kryptonians. It all ends in a slam-bang finale with a number of surprises. Even though the Lana drama went on too long, Green Arrow and some choice episodes stuff made this one of "Smallville"'s best seasons. Guest stars include Tori Spelling as a nosy gossip reporter and Lynda "Wonder Woman" Carter as Chloe's mom. "--David Horiuchi"

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: Miramax

Genre: Independently Distributed

Duration: 95

Summary: Much in the manner of Curtis Hanson’s "Wonder Boys", the very funny and bracingly intelligent "Smart People" concerns a college instructor meandering through life until unexpected developments force a cascade of personal changes. Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid), a recently widowed literature professor, is a numb and chilly intellectual who rebuffs his students, ignores his all-but-emancipated teen kids (Ashton Holmes and "Juno"’s Ellen Page), and spurns cries for financial assistance from his ne'er-do-well but rather soulful adopted brother, Chuck (Thomas Haden Church). After an accident lands Lawrence in the hospital and deprives him of the right to drive, someone else falls into his bleak sphere: Janet (Sarah Jessica Parker), a physician and former student of Lawrence who remembers her disappointment in him as a teacher and role model. Against all logic, Janet and Lawrence become a romantic item, a choice for which neither of them is entirely prepared. Meanwhile, Chuck and Vanessa (Page) enter an awkward phase in their relationship as niece and uncle, just another sign that the Wetherhold clan has become too insular and self-referential. Screenwriter Mark Poirier's inspired and literate story sets up lots of chaos, attitude, and cross-conflict, then hangs back and lets the characters verbally spar, much to our great amusement. What's happening, however, are deep changes in relationships and destinies that Lawrence and the others naturally resist, until they can't. Director Noam Murro knows one of his most important contributions to the film is to stay out of the characters' way and provide Poirier's barbed humor a supportive setting. Quaid is outstanding as the pivotal figure in this tale, a man who looks creaky and washed up beyond his years, but who is not entirely past redemption. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 98

Summary: Brian De Palma's 1998 thriller is largely an exercise in airing out his orchestral, oversized visual style (think of his "Blowout", "Body Double", or "Raising Cain") for the heck of it. The far-fetched story features Nicolas Cage as a crooked police detective attending a championship boxing match at which the Secretary of Defense is assassinated. The unfortunate Secretary's right-hand man (Gary Sinise) happens to be Cage's old friend, a fact that complicates the cop's efforts to reconstruct the crime from conflicting accounts--a directorial strategy bearing similarities to Kurosawa's "Rashomon". The outrageousness of the scenario essentially gives De Palma permission to construct a baroque cathedral of spectacular camera stunts, which (he well knows) are inevitably more interesting than the hoary conspiracy plot. (The opening scene alone, which runs on for a number of minutes and consists of one, unbroken shot that moves in from the street, following Cage up and down stairs, and in and out of rooms until finally ending ringside at the match, is breathtaking.) The shifting points of view--based on the contradictory statements of witnesses--also give De Palma license to get creative with camera angles and scene rearrangements. The script bogs down in the third act, but De Palma is just revving up for a big, operatic finish that is absolutely gratuitous but undeniably impressive. Yes, it's style over substance in "Snake Eyes", but what style we're talking about.--Tom Keogh

Theatrical: 1993

Studio: Miramax

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 95

Summary: "The Snapper" may be the funniest film ever made about an unexpected pregnancy. In adapting the second novel of his popular Barrytown Trilogy, Irish author Roddy Doyle brilliantly captures the hilarious dynamics of a working-class family, the virulent gossip of their nosy Dublin neighbors, and the mixed emotions of a young woman on the verge of single motherhood. Sharon (Tina Kellegher) is the 20-year-old daughter of Dessie (Colm Meaney), and her refusal to name the father of her unborn child turns into an escalating crisis that's as traumatic (especially for Dessie) as it is delightfully amusing. The film was directed for British television by Stephen Frears, but its flawless blend of comedy and drama made it worthy of a theatrical release, landing it on many critics' top 10 lists for 1993. Best known as Chief O'Brien on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine", Meaney mines gold from the role of his career, and his fatherly love turns "The Snapper" into a heartwarming charmer with universal appeal. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 102

Summary: Usually it might seem a tad unfair to begin a review by referring to the director's missis. But then the missis in question wouldn't usually be Madonna--a woman whose ability to reinvent herself several times before breakfast seems in marked contrast to that of hubby Guy Ritchie. Certainly, this follow-up to the filmmaker's breakthrough film--the high-energy, expletive-strewn cockney-gangster movie "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels"--hardly breaks new ground being, well, "another" high-energy, expletive-strewn cockney-gangster movie. OK, so there are some differences. This time around our low-rent hoodlums are battling over dodgy fights and stolen diamonds rather than dodgy card games and stolen drugs. There has been some minor reshuffling of the cast too, with Sting and Dexter Fletcher making way for the more bankable Benicio Del Toro and Brad Pitt, the latter pretty much stealing the whole shebang as an incomprehensible Irish gypsy. And, sure, people who really, really liked "Lock, Stock"--or have the memory of a goldfish--will really, really like this. The suspicion lingers, however, that if the director doesn't do something very different next time around then his career may prove to be considerably shorter than that of his missis. "--Clark Collis"

Theatrical: 1992

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 126

Summary: This enjoyable thriller, written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson (the screenwriter of "Field of Dreams"), follows a raggedy group of corporate security experts who get in over their heads when they accept an assignment poaching some hot hardware for the National Security Agency. Robert Redford plays the group's guru, an aging techno-anarchist who has been hiding from the feds since the early 1970s; his companionable gang of freaks includes Dan Aykroyd, David Strathairn, Mary McDonnell, the late River Phoenix, and Sidney Poitier, as a veteran CIA operative turned "sneaker." The technological black box that everybody is after, an array of computer chips that can decode any encrypted message, isn't a very plausible invention, but it's a serviceable McGuffin, and the megalomania of the master plotter played by Ben Kingsley has more resonance than most. Modest inferences can be drawn about the very latest high-tech threats to civil liberties. "--David Chute"

Theatrical: 1993

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 93

Summary: Mike Myers's first feature role without his "Wayne's World" wig is a performance at odds with the best interests of the movie. Myers plays a single guy who always manages to find something seriously wrong with each of his girlfriends. His new love (Nancy Travis), a butcher, may be the perfect woman, except for one thing: she might be a "black-widow" killer who prefers dispatching husbands with a sharp instrument. Robbie Fox's original script has a fine shape and strong, black-comedy material within it. But Myers creates unnecessary dissonance by playing a variety of characters (including an irascible Scotsman like the one he often played on "Saturday Night Live") and accenting his skills as an improvisational comic (such as impersonating the soothing cadences of a massage therapist). It's not that Myers isn't funny doing all that, but it has nothing to do with the movie. Directed by Thomas Schlamme ("Miss Firecracker"). "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 99

Summary: A curious mix of science fiction and metaphysical love story, "Solaris" centers around Chris Kelvin (George Clooney), a psychologist sent to investigate why a space station orbiting an alien planet has stopped communications. The planet has the power to delve into human psyches and re-create lost loved ones--in Kelvin's case, his dead wife (Natascha McElhone), whom he then wants to bring back to Earth. Director Steven Soderbergh ("Traffic", "Erin Brockovich") fills almost every shot with faces and bodies, as if to emphasize the human soul rather than outer space as the movie's true subject. Unfortunately, the vagueness of the environment--combined with a script that implies more than it shows--serves to dislocate our ability to engage with the characters, rendering "Solaris" emotionally inert. Jeremy Davies, as a lingering crew member, brings a hint of humor to the otherwise serious-minded proceedings. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 99

Summary: Kurt Russell hits new heights in laconic action heroes with his portrayal of Sergeant Todd, born and bred to be a soldier in a futuristic army. Raised to kill mercilessly, living only for battle, he finds himself at the twilight of his career (and so-called life) when a regiment of genetically enhanced warriors threatens to make his brand of soldiering obsolete. Despite his extensive skills, he is no match for the best of breed of the new order, and he's left for dead on a planet that serves only as a junk heap. There he encounters a ragtag group of castaways, and in his own strange and silent way slowly begins to learn how to be less a killer and more a human. All is disrupted, though, when the genetic regiment arrives on the trash planet and decides to eradicate the local human "trespassers." Though Todd had been overmatched before, this time he has more than ever to fight for--a home, and friends. "Soldier" is one of those rare sci fi movies that relies more on plot and action than special effects (though the trash planet is effectively wrought). The pace of action in the last half of the film is relentless and exciting, and Russell's portrayal of the old warrior as he warms to human emotions relies more on expression than words--in fact, he barely utters more than a half-dozen lines. "--Tod Nelson"

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 128

Summary: As upscale sitcoms go, "Something's Gotta Give" has more to offer than most romantic comedies. Obviously working through some semi-autobiographical issues regarding "women of a certain age," writer-director Nancy Meyers brings adequate credibility and above-average intelligence to what is essentially (but not exclusively) a fantasy premise, in which an aging lothario who's always dated younger women (Jack Nicholson, more or less playing himself) falls for a successful middle-aged playwright (Diane Keaton) who's convinced she's past the age of romance, much less sexual re-awakening. As long as old pals Nicholson and Keaton are on screen discussing their dilemma or discovering their mutual desire, "Something's Gotta Give" is terrific, proving (in case anyone had forgotten) that Hollywood can and should aim for an older demographic. Myers falls short with the sitcom device of a younger lover (Keanu Reeves) who wants Keaton as much as Nicholson does; it's believable but shallow and too easily dismissed. Myers also skimps on supporting roles for Frances McDormand, Amanda Peet, and Jon Favreau, but thankfully this is one romantic comedy that doesn't pander to youth. Mature viewers, rejoice! "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: HBO Home Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 800

Summary: Carmela to Tony: "Everything comes to an end." True enough, Mrs. Sope, but on "The Sopranos", the end comes sooner for some than others. Though for some the widely debated fourth season contained too much yakking instead of whacking, and an emphasis on domestic family over business Family, what critic James Agee once said of the Marx Brothers applies to "The Sopranos": "The worst thing they might ever make would be better worth seeing than most other things I can think of." And in most respects, "The Sopranos" remains television's gold standard. The fourth season garnered 13 Emmy nominations, and subsequent best actor and actress wins for James Gandolfini and Edie Falco as Tony and Carmela, whose estrangement provides the season with its most powerful drama, as well as a win for Joe Pantoliano's psychopath Ralph. The season finale, "Whitecaps," was a long-time-coming episode, in which Carmela at last stands up to "toxic" Tony, and "Whoever Did This" was the season's--and one of the series'--most shocking episodes.
Other narrative threads include Christopher's (Emmy nominee Michael Imperioli) descent into heroin addiction, Uncle Junior's (Dominic Chianese) trial, an unrequited and potentially fatal attraction between Carmela and Tony's driver Furio, and a rude joke about Johnny Sack's wife that has potentially fatal implications. Other indelible moments include Christopher's girlfriend Adriana's projectile reaction to discovering that her new best friend is an undercover FBI agent in the episode "No Show," Janice giving Ralph a shove out of their relationship in "Christopher," and the classic "Quasimodo/Nostradamus" exchange in the season-opener, which garnered HBO's highest ratings to date. Freed from the understandably high expectations for the fourth season, heightened by the 16-month hiatus, these episodes can be better appreciated on their own considerable merits. They are pivotal chapters in television's most novel saga. "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: HBO Home Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 680

Summary: "The Sopranos", writer-producer-director David Chase's extraordinary television series, is nominally an urban gangster drama, but its true impact strikes closer to home: Like 1999's other screen touchstone, "American Beauty", the HBO series chronicles a dysfunctional, suburban American family in bold relief. And for protagonist Tony Soprano, there's the added complexity posed by heading twin families, his collegial mob clan and his own, nouveau riche brood.
The series' brilliant first season is built around what Tony learns when, whipsawed between those two worlds, he finds himself plunged into depression and seeks psychotherapy--a gesture at odds with his midlevel capo's machismo, yet instantly recognizable as a modern emotional test. With analysis built into the very spine of the show's elaborate episodic structure, creator Chase and his formidable corps of directors, writers, and actors weave an unpredictable series of parallel and intersecting plot arcs that twist from tragedy to farce to social realism. While creating for a smaller screen, they enjoy a far larger canvas than a single movie would afford, and the results, like the very best episodic television, attain a richness and scope far closer to a novel than movies normally get.
Unlike Francis Coppola's operatic dramatization of Mario Puzo's "Godfather" epic, "The Sopranos" sustains a poignant, even mundane intimacy in its focus on Tony, brought to vivid life by James Gandolfini's mercurial performance. Alternately seductive, exasperated, fearful, and murderous, Gandolfini is utterly convincing even when executing brutal shifts between domestic comedy and dramatic violence. Both he and the superb team of Italian-American actors recruited as his loyal (and, sometimes, not-so-loyal) henchmen and their various "associates" make this mob as credible as the evocative Bronx and New Jersey locations where the episodes were filmed.
The first season's other life force is Livia Soprano, Tony's monstrous, meddlesome mother. As Livia, the late Nancy Marchand eclipses her long career of patrician performances to create an indelibly earthy, calculating matriarch who shakes up both families; Livia also serves as foil and rival to Tony's loyal, usually level-headed wife, Carmela (Edie Falco). Lorraine Bracco makes Tony's therapist, Dr. Melfi, a convincing confidante, by turns "professional," perceptive, and sexy; the duo's therapeutic relationship is also depicted with uncommon accuracy. Such grace notes only enrich what's not merely an aesthetic high point for commercial television, but an absorbing film masterwork that deepens with subsequent screenings. "--Sam Sutherland"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: HBO Home Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 696

Summary: In its second season, "The Sopranos" sustains the edgy intelligence and unpredictable, genre-warping narrative momentum that made this modern mob saga the most critically acclaimed series of the late 1990s. Creator-producer David Chase repeatedly defies formula to let the narrative turn as a direct consequence of the characters' behavior, letting everyone in this rogue's gallery of Mafiosi, friends, and family evolve and deepen.
That gamble is most apparent in the rupture of the relationship that formed the spine of the first season, the tangled ties between capo Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and monstrous matriarch Livia (Nancy Marchand), whose betrayal makes Tony's estrangement a logical response. Filling that vacuum, however, is prodigal sister Janice (Aida Turturro), whose New Age flakiness never successfully conceals her underlying calculation and opportunism. Soprano's relationship with therapist Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) also frays during early episodes, as she struggles with escalating doubts about her mobbed-up patient. At home, Tony contends with wife Carmela's ruthless ambitions on behalf of college-bound Meadow, as well as son Anthony Jr.'s sullen adolescent flirtation with existentialism--the sort of touch that the show handles with a smart mix of sympathy and amusement.
Without spoiling the surprise of the season's climactic last episode, it's worth noting that only on "The Sopranos" could we expect a scene that sets up a mob hit with a perversely funny touch of magic realism--a talking fish, lying on a fishmonger's iced display, speaking with the voice of the victim. It's a touch at once morbid and goofy, and consistent with the show's undimmed brilliance. "--Sam Sutherland"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: HBO Home Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 780

Summary: "So," Tony Soprano asks analyst Dr. Melfi in the wake of not-so-dearly-departed Livia's death, "we're probably done here, right?" Sorry, Tone, not by a long shot. Unresolved mother issues are the least of the Family man's troubles in the brutal and controversial third season of "The Sopranos". Ranked by "TV Guide" among the top five greatest series ever, "The Sopranos" justified its eleven-month hiatus with some of its best, and most hotly debated, episodes that continue the saga of the New Jersey mob boss juggling the pressures of his often intersecting personal and professional lives. The third season garnered 22 Emmy nominations, earning Lead Actor and Actress honors for James Gandolfini and Edie Falco for their now-signature roles as Tony and his increasingly conflicted wife, Carmela.
"The Sopranos" continued to upend convention and defy audience expectations with a deliberately paced, calm-before-the-storm season opener that revolves around the FBI's attempts to bug the Soprano household, and a season finale that (for some) frustratingly leaves several plot lines unresolved. The second episode, "Proshai, Livushka," confronts the death of the venerable Nancy Marchand, who capped her career with perhaps her greatest role as malignant matriarch Livia. A jarring scene between Tony and Livia that uses pre-existing footage is a distraction, but Carmela's unsparing smackdown of Livia at the wake redeems the episode. "Employee of the Month," in which Dr. Melfi is raped and considers whether to exact revenge by telling Tony of her attack, earned Emmys for its writers, and is perhaps Emmy nominee Lorraine Bracco's finest hour. The darkly comic "Pine Barrens"--another memorable episode, directed by Steve Buscemi--strands Paulie (Tony Sirico) and Christopher (Michael Imperioli) in the forest with a runaway corpse. Other story arcs concern the rise of the seriously unstable Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) and Tony's affair with "full-blown loop-de-loo" Gloria (Emmy nominee Annabella Sciorra). Plus, there is Tony's estrangement from daughter Meadow (Jamie Lynn Sigler), his wayward delinquent son Anthony, Jr. (Robert Iler), Carmela's crisis of conscience, bad seed Jackie Jr., and the FBI--which, as the season ends, assigns an undercover agent to befriend an unwitting figure in the Soprano family's orbit. Stay tuned for season four. "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 2010

Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 169

Summary: Who doesn't wish they could unleash fire from their fingertips and make mops come to life? "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" enjoyably captures this fantasy as a young physics student named Dave (Jay Baruchel, "She's Out of My League") learns that he's the inheritor of the powers of Merlin--and suddenly finds himself in the middle of a war between two of Merlin's protégés, Balthazar (Nicolas Cage) and Horvath (Alfred Molina, "Spider-Man 2"). "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is a special-effects blockbuster--but it's a pretty good one, not reaching the charmed heights of "Pirates of the Caribbean" but so much better than "Prince of Persia". It runs out of air toward the end, but before that it's jauntily entertaining, with capable dialogue, clever curlicues of plot, and most importantly delightful performances: Cage maintains a light touch, with enough eccentricity to be interesting but not so much that it derails the momentum; Baruchel continues his nerdy hero streak; supporting performances from Toby Kebbell ("RocknRolla") and Alice Krige (best known as the Borg Queen from "Star Trek") are comic and creepy respectively; Monica Bellucci ("Shoot 'Em Up") and Teresa Palmer ("Bedtime Stories") are mostly eye-candy but likable nonetheless; and Molina, as ever, is the best thing in the movie, playing silky villainy with effortless aplomb. All in all, good fun. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical:

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Animation

Duration: 124

Summary: Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo and Charlie Manson host two touching holiday episodes: with them and your favorite "South Park" characters you'll rediscover what Christmas is really all about. First, sing along with "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classic," a hilarious collection of carols--including Kyle and his family doing a particularly irreverent, a cappella version of "Dreidl Dreidl Dreidl," and there's nothing like Satan's "Christmastime in Hell"--surprising who you'll see down there. And Mr. Hankey definitely leaves his mark on his finale, too. The next episode is "Merry Christmas, Charlie Manson": Stan joins a trip to Cartman's grandma's house where the Cartmans are happily surprised that Uncle Howard is able to show up, having broken out of jail with his cellmate Charlie Manson.
The tape has a bonus third program: the "outrageous British documentary" "Goin' Down to South Park", a half-serious, half-tongue-in-cheek look at the creators and production crew who animate "South Park". Trey Parker and Matt Stone, from their hot tub, discuss the origin of "South Park" and how the merchandising, money, and fame have made their lives so much easier. "--Erik Macki"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Animation

Duration: 30

Summary: Four foul-mouthed tykes in parkas and wool caps navigate the treacherous snows of adolescence such as puppy love, sibling jealousy, and alien abduction in the cartoon that celebrates the American art of bad taste with crude, cut-out animation and construction-paper color. The pilot episode, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe," establishes the tone and style of all episodes to come: gentle homilies and childhood innocence arising from a twisted plot with grotesque and bizarre twists, in this case involving UFOs, flaming flatulence, and a 20-foot antenna array that springs out of Cartman's butt. In "Volcano" the boys learn the masculine art of hunting endangered species and meet the mythic wilderness monster Scuzzlebutt while oozing lava threatens their town. In "Weight Gain 4000," "big boned" Cartman decides he must slam dietary supplements to beef up for a TV appearance with Kathy Lee Gifford, while Mr. Garrison (egged on by insidious hand puppet Mr. Hat) plots his revenge. Finally, Stan learns tolerance in "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" while his elementary school struggles to beat the 72-point spread in the big homecoming game--a major event in a town where many citizens never got past the fifth grade. Sweater-garbed creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone introduce each episode in bizarre fireside chats in which they proclaim every episode their "very favorite" as they exchange longing, moon-eyed glances and their dog Old Scratch changes size and breed from shot to shot. "--Sean Axmaker"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Animation

Duration: 30

Summary: Four more episodes from Comedy Central's animated sitcom "South Park" are included in the second volume of this series. In "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig," a crazy, raunchy look at genetic cloning (as well as a parody of Marlon Brando's embarrassing performance in "The Island of Dr. Moreau"), the boys try to win a science fair by mating Kyle's pet elephant with Cartman's pot-bellied pig. "Death" addresses both euthanasia and, self-consciously, offensive television. As Stan's 102-year-old grandfather tries to get someone to off him, South Park parents try to get their kids' favorite TV show--starring the farting, swearing duo Terrence and Phillip--tossed off the air. In "Pinkeye," the town finds itself in the midst of an epidemic of zombie-ism spawned by the mix of embalming fluid and Worcestershire sauce in the cadaver of the bundled, mumbling Kenny--who, for a change, dies at the beginning of the show. "Damien" has the makings of a classic, both for its boxing match between Jesus (of the public access, call-in show "Jesus and Pals") and the 350-pound red Beelzebub as well as for the twisted and excessive celebration of Cartman's birthday. Viewers will find some of the funniest Cartman lines here. He basks in the attention his birthday brings by assigning out gifts to party invitees and stuffing himself with pie, cake, and ice cream, all provided by the eerily pleasant Mrs. Cartman, of course. "--Karen Karleski"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Genre: Animation

Duration: 81

Summary: OK, let's get all the disclaimers out of the way first. Despite its colorful (if crude) animation, "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut" 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 "meisters" 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.
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 "Beauty and the Beast" to "Les Misérables". And in advocating free speech and satirizing well-meaning but misguided parental censorship groups (with a special nod to the MPAA), "Bigger, Longer & Uncut" 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. "--Mark Englehart"

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 60

Summary: The science fiction series "Space Above and Beyond", which enjoyed a brief run in the 1995-96 season, was created by "X-Files" producers Glen Morgan and James Wong as a revision of the classic war series "Combat!". Set in the not-too-distant future, "Space Above and Beyond" follows the adventures of five inexperienced Marines of the 58th Squadron, who are involved in a war against the Chigs, a race of aliens bent on conquering the Earth. Morgan and Wong gave their main characters intriguing personalities--Nathan West (Morgan Weisser) has joined the Marines to save a girlfriend captured by the aliens, while Rodney Rowland's Cooper is an artificially created human whose service is inspired by a desire to escape the violent prejudice he faces on Earth. The action and stories are gritty and dramatic, and put a fresh spin on traditional wartime stories--highlights include "The Enemy," in which the 58th is stranded behind enemy lines; "Toy Soldiers," in which West's younger brother is serving under a dangerously reckless lieutenant; and the two-part "If They Lay Us Down to Rest…" and "Tell Our Moms We Done Our Best," which brought the series to a close with the Earth on the verge of peace talks with the aliens as the military launches a perilous operation. Commentary by Morgan and Wong and the cast would have been welcome, especially if the plans for the unseen second season could've been revealed, but unfortunately, no supplemental features are included in this slickly produced, no-frills set. "--Paul Gaita"

Theatrical: 1986

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 107

Summary: Zero gravity meets zero fear in this cosmic comedy-adventure about a summer camp where regular kidscheck in and real astronauts check out! Starring Kate Capshaw, Lea Thompson, Kelly Preston, Larry B. Scott, Leaf Phoenix and Tate Donovan, SpaceCamp is a wild and wonderful thrill-ride packed with 'special effects'spectacular moments (Film Journal) and a gripping climax (Time Out) that's out of this world! For five typical teens, NASA's space camp promises to be a fun wayto blow off the summer. But when a space shuttle exercise misfires, they find themselves launched into orbit, facing the adventure of a lifetime. Now, the only way back to Earth is to take command ofthe ship and control of their destinies, before timeand oxygenrun out!

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 130

Summary: This slice of cornball Americana is so much fun you'll be tempted to stand up and salute. Director and costar Clint Eastwood manages to turn what might have been ludicrous into a jubilant tribute to age and experience, and "Space Cowboys" succeeds as two movies in one--a comedy about retired pilots given one last shot at glory and an "Apollo 13"-like thriller with all the requisite heroics. With a dream cast of Hollywood vets playing old farts described in tabloids as "The Ripe Stuff," the movie jumps from a 1958 prologue (establishing their lost bid for space travel) to 40-plus years later, when the retired Air Force aces (Eastwood, James Garner, Donald Sutherland, Tommy Lee Jones) volunteer to rescue a falling Russian satellite that only Eastwood's character can repair.
It turns out that Russky bird is a cold war leftover equipped with live nuclear warheads, and "Space Cowboys" revs up to a rousing climax in which our heroes prove their mettle. But first the comedy: watching these codgers struggle to pass NASA's physical tests is a total hoot, with running gags about wrinkles, dentures, and oysters for sagging libidos. (Sutherland is the scene-stealer, but they're all having a blast.) Once in space, the movie gets down to business, and the visual-effects wizards at Industrial Light and Magic provide stunning vistas from Earth's orbit; a shot looking down at the boot of Italy is particularly beautiful. A subplot involving a weasely NASA administrator (James Cromwell) is rather perfunctory, but it hardly matters. "Space Cowboys" earns its wings, once again demonstrating Eastwood's comfort with any genre he chooses. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1987

Studio: Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 96

Summary: Studio: Tcfhe/mgm Release Date: 06/16/2009 Rating: Pg

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: BBC Warner

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 350

Summary: It only takes one episode to become very protective of this 1999 British Comedy Award-winning series that put comedy soul mates Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson (now Hynes), as well as Nick Frost, and director Edgar Wright ("Shaun of the Dead", "Hot Fuzz") on the map. One can only hope a threatened American version is never produced. This is one of those brilliant, off-center, lightning-in-a-bottle creations that gets you so jazzed, you want to turn all your friends on to it. "Spaced" (actually, "Friends" might have been a better title; too bad it was taken) stars Pegg and Stevenson as strangers Tim and Daisy, "amiable 20-somethings" who pose as a "professional couple" to rent an apartment. He is a recently-dumped aspiring comic book artist. She is an easily distracted writer. As the series unfolds, their apartment becomes an "island of calm in the ocean of life" as Tim and Daisy form a kind of 21st century family with their similarly misfit friends, including soused landlord Marsha (Julia Deakin), who lives with her teenager daughter (aka "the devil in a A cup," who is heard, but never quite seen), Brian (Mark Heap), an artist who deals in anger, fear, and aggression, Simon's best friend Mark (Frost), a militaristic gun nut, and Daisy's best friend, Twist (Katy Carmichael), a fashion poseur (in the series' penultimate episode, look for a pre-"Office" Ricky Gervais). "Spaced" is not so much interested in Tim and Daisy's charade as it is in cramming each episode with pop culture references and obscure in-jokes, and brilliantly realized film and TV homages, ranging from Woody Allen's "Manhattan" to "Pulp Fiction" and "The Empire Strikes Back" ("Star Wars", especially, looms large in Tim's slacker universe). As with "Arrested Development", "Spaced" benefits from repeat viewings to catch missed bits of business and gags that fly by at a "Simpsons"-esque rate. This "Complete Series" set is everything "Spaced"'s fervent following would demand. Each episode is complemented by the original commentaries as well as newly-recorded gabfests that also feature American friends of the show, including Kevin Smith, Patton Oswalt, Quentin Taratinto, Matt Stone, Diablo Cody, and Bill Hader. There are deleted scenes and outtakes, and, best of all, an hour-long 2007 Q&A with Wright and the cast, in which Pegg allows that, had there been a third series (and we can still dream), it would have provided viewers hoping that Tim and Daisy would ultimately get together with "a moment to make every hair of your body stand on end." You will see such a moment if you "skip to the end" of the essential near two-hour series retrospective. "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 131

Summary: Anyone familiar with writer/director James L. Brooks ("Broadcast News", "As Good As It Gets") knows the man has a real feel for interesting women and a disarming way with a one-liner. The main women in "Spanglish" are Deborah Clasky (Téa Leoni), a moneyed SoCal mom, and non-English speaking Flor Moreno (Paz Vega), the beautiful Latina whom Deborah hires as a housekeeper. The one-liners, some of them amusing, are everywhere. Brooks provides an intriguing set-up for the two women to butt heads--Deborah's pudgy daughter Bernice (Sarah Steele) needs the affection at which Flor excels, while Flor's clever, bi-lingual daughter Cristina (Shelbie Bruce) is enamored of the financial advantages Deborah can provide--then proceeds to make Deborah so hatefully ignorant you can't imagine why her neuroses are the main thrust of the film. And Deborah's celebrated chef husband John (Adam Sandler, way over his head) is such a perfect parent he doesn't seem human--what happened to the Brooks who had "Terms of Endearment" mom Debra Winger turn to her scowling little boy and grunt "Don't make me hit you in the street"? Cloris Leachman has a nifty supporting role as Deborah's boozy, ex-jazz singer mother, but it's only one offbeat chord in an earnest film that hits all the wrong notes. "--Steve Wiecking"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 106

Summary: Writer-director David Mamet ("House of Games", "The Spanish Prisoner") applies his gift for con games to the world of politics with "Spartan". A super-duper Secret Service agent (Val Kilmer, "Wonderland") is assigned to find the kidnapped daughter of the President of the United States; was she kidnapped because of who she is, or as part of white slavery ring? Is she dead or alive? To find out the answers, Kilmer puts on disguises, engages in elaborate ruses, and kills ruthlessly--only to discover that he himself may be the one being fooled. Mamet pushes his macho/cryptic dialogue into laughably bad territory and some plot twists seriously test one's suspension of disbelief, but that's part of the game; like any con artist, Mamet knows how to hook you and reel you in, no matter how absurd things get. Also featuring Derek Luke, William H. Macy, and Ed O'Neill. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Geneon [Pioneer]

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 82

Summary: "How do you get to be a Special? You go to a special school." The jibes one endures when a part of the "sixth or seventh best superhero team in the world." The Strobe (Thomas Haden Church) has become vain and self-absorbed, his frustrated wife Ms. Indestructible (Paget Brewster) has gone looking for love in the arms of the Weevil (Rob Lowe), and sex-mad, blue-faced punk Amok (Jamie Kennedy) is getting bored with being a good guy and longs for his supervillain days, when he could sneak a cigarette without publicity fallout. The team is like a bored group of kids stuck indoors on a rainy day, and inaction and frustration has led to backbiting, infighting, love affairs, and long-held grudges. The hilariously disastrous unveiling of their action figures (with such absurd accessories as "a giant meat thermometer") is the final straw: the Specials are no more.
On the surface "The Specials" looks like a sitcom version of "Mystery Men" with a droller sense of humor ("Remember the time we caught and drained the Blister?"). The sly script drops the misfit bunch into a suburban world where superheroes are just another part of the media and marketing landscape. First-time director Craig Mazin is a little clumsy putting it all together and perhaps too effectively captures the bland, everyday-ness of the setting, but he tweaks familiar clichés with straight-faced absurdity. The underplayed performances and deadpan gags soon catch up to the concept, and by the end it emerges as the funniest, smartest superhero parody in ages. "--Sean Axmaker"

Theatrical: 1994

Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 116

Summary: Everything clicked in this 1994 action hit, from the premise (a city bus has to keep moving at 50 mph or blow up) to the two leads (the usually inscrutable Keanu Reeves and the cute-as-a-button Sandra Bullock) to the villain (Dennis Hopper in psycho mode) to the director (Jan De Bont, who made this film hit the ground running with an edge-of-your-seat opening sequence on a broken elevator). This is the sort of movie that becomes a prototype for a thousand lesser films (including De Bont's lousy sequel, "Speed 2: Cruise Control"), but "Speed" really is a one-of-a-kind experience almost anyone can enjoy. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 134

Summary: From yet another derivative science fiction novel by Michael Crichton comes this equally derivative and flaccid movie, in which three top Hollywood stars struggle to squeeze tension and excitement out of material that doesn't match their talents. You're supposed to find awe and mystery in Crichton's story about a team of scientists and scholars who discover a 300-year-old alien spacecraft deep on the ocean floor, but mostly you feel that this is all much ado about nothing. The exploration team consists of a psychologist (Dustin Hoffman), mathematician (Samuel L. Jackson), biochemist (Sharon Stone), and an astrophysicist (Liev Schreiber), and when they enter the alien ship they discover a mysterious sphere inside. What they don't know is that the sphere has the power to manipulate their thoughts and perceptions, and before long the scientists' undersea habitat is a veritable haunted house of frightening visions and creeping paranoia. Who can be trusted? What is the sphere's purpose, and why is it on the ocean floor? "Sphere" makes some attempt to answer these questions, but the film is a mess, and it leads to one of the most anticlimactic endings of any science fiction film ever made. There are moments of high intensity and psychological suspense, and the stellar cast works hard to boost the talky screenplay. But it's clear that this was a hurried production (Hoffman and director Barry Levinson made "Wag the Dog" during an extended production delay), and as a result "Sphere" looks and feels like a film that wasn't quite ready for the cameras. Though it's by no means a waste of time, it's undeniably disappointing. The special edition DVD includes audio commentary by Hoffman and Jackson and a behind-the-scenes featurette, "Shaping the Sphere: The Art of the Special Effects Supervisor," exploring the alien ship's design and creation by special effects technicians. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical:

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 396

Summary: "Spider-Man 3"
How does "Spider-Man 3" follow on the heels of its predecessor, which was widely considered the best superhero movie ever? For starters, you pick up the loose threads from that movie, then add some key elements of the Spidey comic-book mythos (including fan-favorite villain Venom), the black costume, and the characters of Gwen Stacy and her police-captain father. In the beginning, things have never looked better for Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire): He's doing well in school; his alter ego, Spider-Man, is loved and respected around New York City. And his girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), has just taken a starring role in a Broadway musical. But nothing good can last for Spidey. Mary Jane's career quickly goes downhill; she's bothered by Peter's attractive new classmate, Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard); and the new "Daily Bugle" photographer, Eddie Brock (Topher Grace), is trying to steal his thunder. Enter a new villain, the Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), who can transform his body into various forms and shapes of sand and who may be connected to Peter's past in an unexpected way. There's also the son of an old villain, Harry Osborne (James Franco), who unmasked Spidey in the previous movie and still has revenge on his mind. And a new black costume seems to boost Spidey's powers, but transforms mild-mannered Peter into a mean and obnoxious boor (Maguire has some fun here).
If that sounds like a lot to pack into one 140-minute movie, it is. While director Sam Raimi keeps things flowing, assisted on the screenplay by his brother Ivan and Alvin Sargent, there's a little too much going on, and it's inevitable that one of the villains (there are three or four, depending on how you count) gets significantly short-changed. Still, the cast is excellent, the effects are fantastic, and the action is fast and furious. Even if "Spider-Man 3" isn't the match of "Spider-Man 2", it's a worthy addition to the megamillion-dollar franchise. "--David Horiuchi"
"Spider-Man 2"
More than a few critics hailed "Spider-Man 2" as "the best superhero movie ever," and there's no compelling reason to argue--thanks to a bigger budget, better special effects, and a dynamic, character-driven plot, it's a notch above Spider-Man in terms of emotional depth and rich comic-book sensibility. Ordinary People Oscar-winner Alvin Sargent received screenplay credit, and celebrated author and comic-book expert Michael Chabon worked on the story, but it's director Sam Raimi's affinity for the material that brings "Spidey 2" to vivid life. When a fusion experiment goes terribly wrong, a brilliant physicist (Alfred Molina) is turned into Spidey's newest nemesis, the deranged, mechanically tentacled "Doctor Octopus," obsessed with completing his experiment and killing Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) in the process. Even more compelling is Peter Parker's urgent dilemma: continue his burdensome, lonely life of crime-fighting as Spider-Man, or pursue love and happiness with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst)? Molina's outstanding as a tragic villain controlled by his own invention, and the action sequences are nothing less than breathtaking, but the real success of Spider-Man 2 is its sense of priorities. With all of Hollywood's biggest and best toys at his disposal, Raimi and his writers stay true to the Marvel mythology, honoring Spider-Man creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and setting the bar impressively high for the challenge of "Spider-Man 3"1. "--Jeff Shannon"

DVD Features:
The first commentary track is by director Sam Raimi and a self-deprecating Tobey Maguire speaking in tandem, and producer (and Marvel CEO) Avi Arad and coproducer Grant Curtis speaking in tandem. They discuss a number of topics, including Raimi's memory of his excitement over Richard Donner's Superman and how the character of Black Cat had to be dropped from the film. The second commentary is by six members of the Oscar-nominated effects team, and one of their primary focuses is how Doc Ock's arms were achieved by a combination of puppetry and CGI.
The centerpiece of the second disc is a massive two-hour documentary that can be viewed all at once or in 12 separate pieces. It covers the development of the story, the visual effects, costumes, stunts, and sound and music. Three shorter featurettes cover Peter Parker's struggle between his personal and hero lives, Doc Ock, and the women in Spider-Man's life, and what's interesting is how they discuss those topics not just in relation to the movies but to the comic books as well. (For example, Betty Brant and Gwen Stacy had a much greater impact in the comics.) There's a scene in which you can toggle among three different camera angles, and a gallery of 17 paintings Alex Ross created for the opening sequence. The sound and picture are spectacular, though only the Superbit edition has DTS. "--David Horiuchi"

"Spider-Man"
For devoted fans and nonfans alike, "Spider-Man" offers nothing less--and nothing more--than what you'd expect from a superhero blockbuster. Having proven his comic-book savvy with the original "Darkman", director Sam Raimi brings ample energy and enthusiasm to Spidey's origin story, nicely establishing high-school nebbish Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) as a brainy outcast who reacts with appropriate euphoria--and well-tempered maturity--when a "super-spider" bite transforms him into the amazingly agile, web-shooting Spider-Man. That's all well and good, and so is Kirsten Dunst as Parker's girl-next-door sweetheart. Where "Spider-Man" falls short is in its hyperactive CGI action sequences, which play like a video game instead of the gravity-defying exploits of a flesh-and-blood superhero. Willem Dafoe is perfectly cast as Spidey's schizoid nemesis, the Green Goblin, and the movie's a lot of fun overall. It's no match for Superman and Batman in bringing a beloved character to the screen, but it places a respectable third. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1985

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 102

Summary: Yet another bad movie in a lengthy string of losers for all three of the principals involved here: director John Landis and stars Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase. Chase and Aykroyd play a pair of bumbling would-be CIA agents who are spotted cheating on the entrance exam. So the CIA decides to use them as bait in a mission to flummox the Russians. Lots of pointless slapstick and mugging, but Landis hasn't made a genuinely funny film since "Trading Places". Aykroyd and Chase seem smug and self-satisfied (don't they always?), as though they can rest forever on laurels earned during the 1975 season of "Saturday Night Live". Look for a gaggle of film directors (Terry Gilliam, Joel Coen, Costa-Gavras) in cameo roles: that's the closest this film comes to cleverness. "--Marshall Fine"

Theatrical: 1997

Studio: SlingShot

Genre: Animation

Duration: 100

Summary: Titles Include: Scotty Opener; No Neck Joe; No Neck Joe II; Dumb, Big, Fat, Stupid Baby; Baby's New Formula; How to Make Love to a Woman; Rick the Dick in "Tie-Dyed Dick;" Shindler's Fist; Jurassic Fart; Dogpile; Horndog; Brian's Brain; The Cat, Cow and Beautiful Fish; Finger Food; Slaughter Day; Petey's Wake; Dogpile II; Oh, Crappy Day; Triassic Parking Lot; Spaghetti Snot; Chainsaw Bob in a Cult Classic; Stubbs; Lloyd's Lunchbox; Wrong Hole; Gun; Zipper; Snot; Empty Roll; Hut Sluts; Rick the Dick in "Hospital Hell;" Wastes Away; Phull Phrontal Phingers; The Birth of Brian; Home Honey I'm High; Lloyd Loses His Lunch; Illusion of Life; Lloyd's Lunchbox III

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 127

Summary: When a top-secret, unauthorized mission goes awry, CIA agent Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt) is captured—and sentenced to die. With just 24 hours to get him out alive, Bishop’s boss, Nathan Muir (Robert Redford), must battle enemies abroad and the system inside the CIA to save his friend. Now the clock is ticking and the race is on … as the deadliest game of all explodes into the spectacular, adrenaline-fueled thriller that ABC Radio says “sizzles with suspense!”

Theatrical: 1987

Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 117

Summary: Acclaimed director John Badham delivers a winning combination of action, suspense, comedy, and romance! Convinced that a dangerous escaped convict (Aidan Quinn) is headed for his ex-girlfriend's (Madeleine Stowe), a pair of Seattle detectives (Richard Dreyfuss, Emilio Estevez) stakeout her apartment. The watch remains routine until one of the detectives begins a high-risk romance with the woman under surveillance -- jeopardizing not only the partners' careers ... But also their lives!

Theatrical: 1974

Studio: Voyager

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 598

Summary: The first animated work from Leiji Matsumoto, who would create the popular "Captain Harlock" saga, "Star Blazers" ("Uchu Senkan Yamato" or "Space Cruiser Yamato", 1974) was a landmark program in Japan and America. When it aired in syndication in the U.S. in 1979, the character names were anglicized (Susumu Kodai became Derek Wildstar; Admiral Okita, Captain Avatar, etc.), the violence and drinking were heavily censored, and the World War II connections of the "Yamato" were tactfully downplayed. "The Quest for Iscandar" comprises the first 26-episode continuity; two additional TV series and several features would follow. In the year 2199, the war with the planet Gamilon has turned the Earth's surface into a radioactive desert. The radiation will penetrate the bedrock protecting humanity's underground cities in another year, destroying all remaining life. A message arrives from Queen Starsha of the planet Iscandar, offering a way to eliminate the deadly radiation and providing plans for an engine that can power a ship across the 148,000 light-year gap. Scientists convert the ruined shell of the battleship "Yamato" into a starship in a desperate attempt to save the planet, and the perilous voyage begins. The animation and character designs look very dated, but Gen-Xers who grew up watching it remember "Star Blazers" vividly. The bonus materials include a virtual tour of the "Argo", an interactive map of the journey to Iscandar, and some footage deleted from the American broadcast version. Unrated; suitable for ages 8 and up: Violence largely restricted to spaceship and robot attacks. "--Charles Solomon"

Theatrical: 2009

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 126

Summary: J.J. Abrams' 2009 feature film was billed as "not your father's Star Trek," but your father will probably love it anyway. And what's not to love? It has enough action, emotional impact, humor, and sheer fun for any moviegoer, and Trekkers will enjoy plenty of insider references and a cast that seems ideally suited to portray the characters we know they'll become later. Both a prequel and a reboot, Star Trek introduces us to James T. Kirk (Chris Pine of The Princess Diaries 2), a sharp but aimless young man who's prodded by a Starfleet captain, Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), to enlist and make a difference. At the Academy, Kirk runs afoul of a Vulcan commander named Spock (Zachary Quinto of Heroes), but their conflict has to take a back seat when Starfleet, including its new ship, the Enterprise, has to answer an emergency call from Vulcan. What follows is a stirring tale of genocide and revenge launched by a Romulan (Eric Bana) with a particular interest in Spock, and we get to see the familiar crew come together, including McCoy (Karl Urban), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Sulu (John Cho), Chekhov (Anton Yelchin), and Scottie (Simon Pegg).
The action and visuals make for a spectacular Big-Screen Movie, though the plot by Abrams and his writers, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (who worked together on Transformers and with Abrams on Alias and Mission Impossible III), and his producers (fellow Losties Damon Lindeloff and Bryan Burk) can be a bit of a mind-bender (no surprise there for Lost fans). Hardcore fans with a bone to pick may find faults, but resistance is futile when you can watch Kirk take on the Kobayashi Maru scenario or hear McCoy bark, "Damnit, man, I'm a doctor, not a physicist!" An appearance by Leonard Nimoy and hearing the late Majel Barrett Roddenberry as the voice of the computer simply sweeten the pot. Now comes the hard part: waiting for some sequels to this terrific prequel. --David Horiuchi

Stills from Star Trek (Click for larger image)

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Paramount Home Video

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 1147

Summary: Under intense scrutiny, the debut season of "Enterprise" earned a passing grade from critics and "Star Trek" fans alike. "Voyager" ended its seven-season run just four months earlier, and fans were skeptical when "Enterprise" premiered (on Sept. 26, 2001, on UPN) with a theme song ("Where My Heart Will Take Me," composed by Diane Warren and performed by Russell Watson) that defied "Trek"'s revered theme-music tradition. This and other early reservations were dispelled when "Broken Bow" got the series off to a satisfying start, beginning in the year 2151 and establishing a pre-Federation focus on humanity's delicate relationship with the Vulcans, the controversial launch of the NX-01 "Enterprise" on an exploratory mission, and the potentially devastating consequences of the mysterious Temporal Cold War involving a time-traveling splinter group of the Suliban, a nomadic alien race. While establishing a testy relationship between "Enterprise" Capt. Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and his smart-and-sexy Vulcan Sub-Commander, T'Pol (Jolene Blalock, in a short-banged wig and form-fitting "catsuit" that were later redesigned), the series introduced engineer "Trip" Tucker (Connor Trineer), whose surprise development in "Unexpected" made him a fan favorite; communications officer Hoshi Sato (Linda Park); helmsman Travis Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery); weapons expert Lt. Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating), and chief surgeon Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley), a well-mannered Denobulan recruit from Earth's Interspecies Medical Exchange. As a "prequel' series that predates the original "Star Trek" by 150 years, "Enterprise" built upon established "Trek" lore with episodes involving Vulcans ("Breaking the Ice"), Klingons ("Sleeping Dogs"), the blue-skinned Andorians ("The Andorian Incident," "Shadows of P'Jem"), and the Ferengi ("Acquisition") while offering stand-alone episodes (notably "Dear Doctor," "Fortunate Son," and "Shuttlepod One") that further acquainted fans with the "Enterprise" regulars. Early "Trek" technology is also introduced (including "phase pistols" and the rarely used, still-risky transporter), and the series drew strength from what many felt would be its primary weakness: unwritten history and the initial indecisiveness of Archer's bold foray into the unknown. Ending with a dazzling "Shock Wave" cliffhanger that leaves Archer stranded in a decimated Temporal Cold War future, "Enterprise" set a strong foundation for the events of season 2.
The bonus features included on the "Enterprise: Season One" DVDs are almost worth the price of the set, if only to see nearly nine minutes of hilarious outtakes, maintaining a beloved tradition of "Star Trek" bloopers. The sight (and sound) of Jolene Blalock laughing out of character is pure gold, and it shouldn't surprise anyone that Blalock is just as smart as she is sexy, as proven by her astute observations (along with the rest of the "Enterprise" cast) in the "Cast Impressions" featurette. It's the usual complimentary fluff included with all "Trek" sets, but it's obviously sincere, confirming fans' conviction that "Enterprise" should have lasted beyond four seasons with this close-knit ensemble. Series creators Brannon Braga and Rick Berman deliver a typically dry commentary on "Broken Bow," setting the record straight on debate over the show's "not retro enough" production design (as Braga notes, "you can never please everyone") while defining their concept of ""The Right Stuff" of "Star Trek"." As always, Mike Okuda's text commentaries offer a wealth of "Trek" trivia and detail from "Trek"'s historical canon.
Fans will love the "Enterprise Secrets" revealing low-tech solutions to lighting the warp core and dispensing "replicator" beverages, along with an entertaining profile of Vaughan "Admiral Forrest" Armstrong, who holds the record for "Trek" guest appearances. The other featurettes are perfunctory, but "Creating "Enterprise"" provides valuable first-season perspective, and the "Time Travel" feature offers a handy reference for the many time-travel episodes from every "Trek" series. As usual, Easter eggs (three of them, titled "NX-01 Files") are hidden on the special-features menu, offering short interview clips culled from the primary featurettes. The deleted scenes demonstrate how non-essential material can be sacrificed, and because they don't include post-production sound or visual effects, fans can see and hear the actual soundstage atmosphere of "Enterprise"'s principal photography. "--Jeff Shannon"