DVDpedia : Library : Title : B

Theatrical: 1994

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 968

Summary: A disappointment after the superb two previous seasons, the final run of "Babylon 5" found Claudia Christian departed and Ivanova replaced by Captain Elizabeth Lochley (Tracy Scoggins), who in a soap-opera twist turned out to be Sheridan's first wife. Sheridan was promoted to President of the Interstellar Alliance and the action moved to a group of telepaths seeking sanctuary from the PSI-Corp on "B5". Giving a prominent role to Patricia Tallman's Lyta Alexander, a love story for her was woven with the leader of the telepaths, Byron (Robin Atkin Downs). Meanwhile the aftermath of the Shadow War was explored as the origin of human telepaths became clear in "Secrets of the Soul," and the appearance of PSI-Corp's Bester (Walter Koenig) brought the plight of the refugees to a powerful close in "A Tragedy of Telepaths" and "Phoenix Rising."
This was immediately followed by a rare episode not written by J. Michael Straczynski. Much was expected of "Day of the Dead," penned by Neil Gaiman, the British creator of DC's landmark "Sandman" comic and graphic novel series. Yet despite a change of tone including a guest appearance by Penn & Teller as 23rd-century comedy favorites Rebo & Zooty, the story proved an incongruous side trip into an unexplained twilight zone of fantasy. As usual the season picked up toward the end, with a string of fine political episodes leading to "The Fall of Centauri Prime" and the haunting "Objects at Rest," in which Sheridan and Delenn leave "Babylon 5" for new quarters on Minbar.
The final episode, "Sleeping in Light," was directed by J. Michael Straczynski and made an epilogue to the series. Set 20 years later, after all the sound and fury this quiet, elegiac tale is the apotheosis of the love story that proved the balance to the tragedy of the preceding darkness. A personal story resolved against a background of the epic, at once transcendent, deeply human, and profoundly optimistic, "Sleeping in Light" is as moving as any hour in the history of television drama and a thoroughly satisfying conclusion to one of the greatest series ever made. "--Gary S. Dalkin"

Theatrical: 1994

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 956

Summary: The epic sci-fi series "Babylon 5" was a unique experiment in the history of television. It was effectively a novel for television in five seasons, consisting of 110 episodes with a clear beginning, middle, and end. The first season introduces the main characters, headed this year by Commander Jeffery Sinclair (Michael O'Hare) and Security Chief Michael Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle), and familiarizes the audience with the unique environment of a five-mile-long space station in the year 2257.
The first episode, "Midnight on the Firing Line," plays at a breathless pace, introducing Commander Susan Ivanova (Claudia Christian) and establishing the conflict between the Narn and Centauri races as represented by their ambassadors, G'Kar (Andreas Katsulas) and Londo Mollari (Peter Jurasik). Then follow several mediocre episodes that initially give the impression that "B5" is a "Star Trek" clone afflicted with "silly alien of the week" syndrome. With "And the Sky Full of Stars," "B5" really begins to hit its stride, Sinclair being forced to relive his mysterious experiences during the Earth-Minbari war. Filler shows such as "TKO" are notable only for being controversially violent, while the disappointing "Grail" points to writer-creator J. Michael Straczynski's fascination with Arthurian mythology. "Signs and Portents" introduces the sinister Mr. Morden (Ed Wasser) and offers the chilling first appearance of the Shadows, an ancient alien threat.
"B5" hits warp speed with a run of exceptional episodes building to the season finale. The two-part "Voice in the Wilderness" has Mars breaking into open revolt against Earth and the discovery of a "Great Machine" on the dead world Epsilon 3. Referencing 1950s sci-fi classic "Forbidden Planet", the story leads to the superb time-travel-based "Babylon Squared." Season finale "Chrysalis" proves more than just the usual television cliffhanger, placing Minbari ambassador Delenn in conflict with her ruling Grey Council and forcing on her a decision that laid the groundwork for "Babylon 5"'s eventually becoming a great love story. "--Gary S. Dalkin"

Theatrical: 1994

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 966

Summary: Season 4 began on a high point with the Centauri Prime in the grip of the insane Emperor Cartagia (Wortham Krimmer) and a run of six shows leading to the climax of the war against the Shadows in "Into the Fire." If this colossal narrative was resolved a little too easily and the ultimate aim of the Shadows turned out to be a tad disappointing, it still proved to be the most powerful slice of space opera to ever grace the small screen. In the aftermath the sheer scale dropped back a little but the pace never slowed as the rest of the season played out in one relentless cycle of conspiracy, betrayal and conflict, "Babylon 5" siding with the rebel Mars colony against the totalitarian Earth.
Meanwhile Delenn came increasingly into conflict with her own people and, paralleling her relationship with Sheridan, Garibaldi became involved with his ex-fiancée Lise Hampton (Denise Gentile), while an intense platonic love grew between Ivanova and Marcus Cole. On an unstoppable wave fuelled by roller-coaster plot twists and spectacular action shows from "No Surrender, No Retreat"--when Sheridan avows to overthrow EarthGov--to "Rising Star"--when the aim is realized--"Babylon 5" achieved a consistent excellence rare in television. Yet within that run "Intersections in Real Time" stood out as a bold experiment; essentially a two-hand drama taking place entirely within one dimly lit room. Beyond this a major character died and Sheridan and Delenn married before the season finale again broke with expectation. In "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars," a future descendant of humanity one million years hence reviews excerpts from the history of "Babylon 5". In one sequence set in 2762, a Brother is devoted to the preserving of history some time after the "Big Burn." A homage to Walter M. Miller's classic "A Canticle for Leibowitz", Sheridan and Delenn have themselves become the stuff of legend. "--Gary S. Dalkin"

Theatrical: 1994

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 960

Summary: Delenn's future love interest, Captain John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) arrived on "Babylon 5" in the first episode of season 2, "Points of Departure." The show marked the handing over of command of "B5" to Sheridan from Commander Jeffery Sinclair, actor Michael O'Hare becoming a victim of studio politicians who wanted a bigger star in the leading role. This excellent installment also revealed more about why the Minbari surrendered to Earth at the Battle of the Line when they were on the verge of victory. "Revelations" explains that Sheridan's wife, Anna, died during an archaeological survey of the world Z'ha'dum, the name being just one of many references to Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings (the bridge at Khazad-Dum). "The Geometry of Shadows" introduced the Technomages, characters who featured more significantly in the ill-fated spinoff series "Crusade" (1999), while "The Coming of Shadows" proved to be "Babylon 5"'s finest hour to date. The story of political intrigue foreshadowing the fate of two of the major characters beat "Apollo 13", "Toy Story", "12 Monkeys", and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode "The Visitor" to win the Hugo award for Best Dramatic Presentation at the 1996 World Science Fiction Convention and proved so powerful that J. Michael Straczynski included it in his "Complete Book of Scriptwriting".
"And Now for a Word" took the unusual step of presenting a day-in-the-life of "B5" seen through the eyes of a TV news crew, just as the Narn declared war on the Centauri. The inclusion of a PSI-Corps commercial paid homage to Paul Verhoeven's satirical ads in "Robocop" (1987), while his later "Starship Troopers" (1997) seemed at times like a spoof of "B5"'s earnest space opera. In "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum," Sheridan learns that Morden was on the ship on which Anna died; the episode sees the captain pushed to his limits by grief and determination to discover why Morden survived. Three exceptional shows conclude the season. The Narn-Centauri war escalates in "The Long, Twilight Struggle," Sheridan faces a most unusual ordeal in "Comes the Inquisitor," and in "The Fall of Night" all hope of peace is shattered as a nerve-racking assassination attempt reveals a startling secret about Ambassador Kosh. "--Gary S. Dalkin"

Theatrical: 1994

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 968

Borrowed By: Alberto Aldrete

Summary: "Matters of Honor" launched "Babylon 5"'s third season with the introduction of the "White Star", a spacecraft added to enable more of the action to take place away from the station. Also introduced was Marcus Cole (Jason Carter)--in another nod to "The Lord of the Rings", a Ranger not so far removed from Tolkien's Strider. In "Voices of Authority" the show finds an epic scale as Ivanova seeks the mysterious "First Ones" for allies against the Shadows, and evidence is discovered pointing to the truth behind President Santiago's assassination. A third of the way through the season "Messages from Earth," "Point of No Return," and "Severed Dreams" prove pivotal, changing the nature of the story in a way previously unimaginable on network TV. Earth slides into dictatorship, the fascistic Nightwatch takes control of off-world security, and Sheridan take decisive action by declaring Babylon 5 independent.
"Interludes and Examinations" presented the death of a major supporting character, while the two-part "War Without End" reached apocalyptic dimensions in a complex tale resolving the destiny of Sinclair and the fate of "Babylon 4" (dovetailing elegantly with the events of the first season's "Babylon Squared"), resolving a 1,000-year-old paradox and presenting a vision of a very dark future for Sheridan and Delenn. All this was trumped by the monumental "Z'ha'dum." In the preceding "Shadow Dancing" Anna Sheridan (Melissa Gilbert, Bruce Boxleitner's real-life wife) returned from the dead, no longer entirely human. In the mythologically resonant climax Anna invited Sheridan back to the Shadow homeworld with no hope of survival. Just as in "The Lord of the Rings" Gandalf fell into the abyss at Khazad-Dum, so Sheridan took a comparable leap into the unknown on an alien world. "--Gary S. Dalkin"

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: Warner Bros.

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 75

Summary: It'd be hard for any "Babylon 5" fan not to feel a surge of emotion when President Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) returns to the space station that was the setting of one of the monumental series in television history. "The Lost Tales" is a new direct-to-DVD series in an anthology format, the first installment of which, subtitled "Voices in the Dark," includes two stories centering on the return of Sheridan. The first involves Colonel Lochley (Tracy Scoggins) and a crewman (Bruce Ramsay) who appears to be possessed by a demon, to the bewilderment of the priest attempting an exorcism (Alan Scarfe). The second involves Sheridan himself, who upon returning to B5 is asked to pick up a delegate from the Centauri, prince Regent Vintari (Keegan MacIntosh), who's attending the 10th anniversary celebration of the Interstellar Alliance in the place of old Centauri friend Londo Molari. What Sheridan doesn't expect is a psychic visit by techno-mage Galen (Peter Woodward) urging him to kill the boy before he becomes a dictator. It's a treat to see Sheridan, Lochley, and Galen return from the original series (Woodward was also in the spin-off, "Crusade"), but "The Lost Tales" focuses on character-driven stories, and as such there's not a lot of action. The CGI effects are good, but sets are very limited and there are hardly any other cast members. (Sheridan even spends most of his time away from "B5".) Creator-writer J. Michael Straczynski has said that if "The Lost Tales" succeeds, future stories might focus on Delenn or Garbibaldi. While that would be welcome, it might be even better to get a feature film (a la "Serenity") that would presumably be on more of the epic scale that "Babylon 5" deserves. Bonus features are 17 minutes of off-the-cuff interviews held on the set with Boxleitner and Straczynski, Scoggins and the crew, and Straczynski with Woodward; memorials to late cast members Andreas Katsulas and Richard Biggs; and Straczynski's diaries and fireside chats, in which he recounts the show's production and answers fan questions. "--David Horiuchi" DVD features Interviews with J. Michael Straczynski, Bruce Boxleitner, Tracy Scoggins, and Peter Woodward Memorials: Andreas Katsulas and Richard Biggs The Straczynski Diaries: a multi-part series of vignettes as filmed by J. Michael Straczynski as he documents every phase of pre-production, production and post Fireside Chats: profiling the people of the B5 universe

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 471

Summary: The "Babylon 5" pilot movie "The Gathering" was originally broadcast in 1993 a full year ahead of the regular show. A somewhat dull tale of an attempt to assassinate Koch, the Vorlon ambassador to "B5", the feature served to introduce Commander Jeffery Sinclair (Michael O'Hare) and Security Chief Michael Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle) as well as familiarize the audience with the unique environment of a five-mile-long space station in the year 2257. Missing many of the main cast, and suffering from a leaden pace and mediocre music score, series creator J Michael Straczynski later improved "The Gathering" by tightening the cut for a special edition (the version released on DVD), adding some deleted character moments and commissioning a new score from series composer Christopher Franke.
Four new TV movies were part of the deal to syndicate "Babylon 5". "In the Beginning" is a prelude set 10 years before "Babylon 5", telling the story of the Earth-Minbari war. Told retrospectively, many of the mysteries revealed gradually in the main series are recounted, making the show a collection of spoilers for newcomers while adding little for established fans. It is effective to see events only previously talked about, and enjoyable to have most of the main cast playing younger versions of themselves. "River of Souls" is a self-contained adventure featuring a return of the Soul Hunters from Season One, while "Thirdspace" offers a spectacular Lovecraftian space opera which slots into the saga after the end of the Shadow War. "A Call to Arms" is the most important of the TV films, laying the ground for the future TV series "Crusade". Set five years after the Shadow War, it tells the story of a Drahk revenge attack on Earth. A final showcase for Bruce Boxleitner as Sheridan, the story fits between fifth-season episodes "Objects at Rest" and "Sleeping in Light." The cliffhanger ending sets the scene for new starship "Excalibur" to boldly go on a five-year mission to explore strange new worlds and find a cure for the Shadow virus infecting the Earth. "--Gary S. Dalkin"

Theatrical: 1993

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 185

Summary: In spring 1993, a year before the "Babylon 5" series was launched, the two-hour movie and series pilot "The Gathering" staked out the initial territory, introducing primary characters (some of whom would never appear again) and sketching the alliances and rifts in interplanetary diplomacy. The central story involves the attempted assassination of the newly arrived Vorlon, the mysterious Ambassador Kosh, at the hands of (perhaps) Commander Jeffrey Sinclair (Michael O'Hare). This is the reedited cut released on video, a stronger, more engaging film than the original, but still a broad first stab at characters that would be redefined through the course of the show's run.
"In the Beginning," produced between the fourth and fifth seasons, packs all the history alluded to in "The Gathering"--and more--into a prequel stuffed to the hatches with the epic doings of Earth, Minbar, Narn, and Centauri in the days before the "Babylon" stations were built. Infused with epic sweep and storytelling confidence by producer-writer Michael J. Straczynski and his cast and crew, it's an elegant, compelling addition to the "Babylon 5" universe and a dramatic highlight of the series. It's not an ideal introduction, though, as it gives away the shadowy history slowly revealed through the first three seasons. "--Sean Axmaker"

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 90

Summary: Beyond Babylon A.D.
Mirrors
Jumper
Shutter


Stills from Babylon A.D. (Click for larger image)

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 101

Summary: "The Bachelor" got critically slammed when it played in theaters, probably because reviewers couldn't help comparing it with the movie on which it's based, the brilliant Buster Keaton comedy "Seven Chances". But on its own terms, "The Bachelor" is a modest and enjoyable picture about Jimmie (Chris O'Donnell), a happily single young man who suddenly gets an ultimatum from his grandfather's will: marry by his 30th birthday or lose an inheritance of $100 million. This is revealed the day before that very birthday. Unfortunately, Jimmie had already proposed to his girlfriend Anne (Renee Zellweger) and been turned down; she can see in his eyes that he isn't ready to get married and refuses to accept him until he is. So Jimmie needs to find a bride--fast. Though the commitment-shy man is a hoary cliché, "The Bachelor" successfully exaggerates Jimmie's fears to comic proportions. O'Donnell is his usual affable self, but it's Zellweger who seizes every scene she's in and makes something really enjoyable out it. The movie's greatest weakness is that she's such a small part of the second half. Still, there's good supporting performances from Hal Holbrook, Ed Asner, James Cromwell, and Marley Shelton (as Zellweger's sister), and Peter Ustinov and Brooke Shields both have very funny scenes. "The Bachelor" skirts some dangerously chauvinistic territory at times, but by and large it's a pleasant comedy with some genuine good humor. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1985

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 342

Summary: Filmmaker Robert Zemeckis topped his breakaway hit "Romancing the Stone" with "Back to the Future", a joyous comedy with a dazzling hook: what would it be like to meet your parents in their youth? Billed as a special-effects comedy, the imaginative film (the top box-office smash of 1985) has staying power because of the heart behind Zemeckis and Bob Gale's script. High schooler Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox, during the height of his TV success) is catapulted back to the '50s where he sees his parents in their teens, and accidentally changes the history of how Mom and Dad met. Filled with the humorous ideology of the '50s, filtered through the knowledge of the '80s (actor Ronald Reagan is president, ha!), the film comes off as a "Twilight Zone" episode written by Preston Sturges. Filled with memorable effects and two wonderfully off-key, perfectly cast performances: Christopher Lloyd as the crazy scientist who builds the time machine (a DeLorean luxury car) and Crispin Glover as Marty's geeky dad. "--Doug Thomas"
Critics and audiences didn't seem too happy with "Back to the Future, Part II", the inventive, perhaps too clever sequel. Director Zemeckis and cast bent over backwards to add layers of time-travel complication, and while it surely exercises the brain it isn't necessarily funny in the same way that its predecessor was. It's well worth a visit, though, just to appreciate the imagination that went into it, particularly in a finale that has Marty watching his own actions from the first film. "--Tom Keogh"
Shot back-to-back with the second chapter in the trilogy, "Back to the Future, Part III" is less hectic than that film and has the same sweet spirit of the first, albeit in a whole new setting. This time, Marty ends up in the Old West of 1885, trying to prevent the death of mad scientist Christopher Lloyd at the hands of gunman Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson, who had a recurring role as the bully Biff). Director Zemeckis successfully blends exciting special effects with the traditions of a Western and comes up with something original and fun. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 118

Summary: Slick to a fault, this glossy action flick takes place in sunny Florida, where Martin Lawrence and Will Smith play two cops--one married with kids, the other a swinging bachelor. The two are forced to trade places to foil criminal mastermind Fouchet (Tchéky Karyo) who has stolen $100 million worth of heroin from a police lockup. Violent, illogical, and filled with wall-to-wall profanity, "Bad Boys" was the last film produced by the hit-making team of Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer before Simpson's untimely death, and marked the directorial debut of Michael Bay who followed up with "The Rock". "Bad Boys" will be of interest to action buffs and fans of Téa Leoni, who makes one of her early screen appearances in the central supporting role. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 147

Summary: No one goes to a movie directed by Michael Bay for delicacy and grace; you go because Michael Bay ("Armageddon", "The Rock") knows how to make your bones rattle during a high-speed chase when a car flips over, spins through the air, and smacks another car with a visceral crunch. "Bad Boys II" fulfills this expectation and then some. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence may be mere puppets amid all this burning rubber and shrieking metal, but they actually provide a human core to the endless cascade of car wrecks and gunfights. Their easy rapport makes their personal problems--a running joke is Lawrence's attempts at anger management--as engaging as the sheer visual hullabaloo of bullets and explosions. The plot is recycled nonsense about drug lords and dead bodies being used to smuggle drugs, but orchestration of violence is symphonic. If that's your thing, then this is for you. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Walt Disney Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 116

Summary: "Bad Company" boasts all the gloss one expects from A-list Hollywood talent, but you get a lot of chaff with the wheat. Pay attention to Anthony Hopkins as a weary CIA veteran, and you'll see the reliable work of an old pro giving his best in the absence of challenge. That sums up this movie, however: Hopkins and costar Chris Rock are already fighting clichés when Rock is recruited into the CIA after his identical twin brother (they'd been separated at birth) is killed in the line of duty. Rock and Hopkins must carry out a sting against nuclear terrorists, but apart from this coincidental similarity to "The Sum of All Fears", director Joel Schumacher seems asleep at the wheel, rotely crafting a thriller without thrills for "Pearl Harbor" producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Those expecting comedy from Rock will be disappointed; "Bad Company" reins him in, and that restraint affects the rest of the movie. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Miramax Home Entertainment

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 91

Summary: Instantly qualifying as a perennial cult favorite, "Bad Santa" is as nasty as it wants to be, and there's something to be said for comedy without compromise. The Coen brothers conceived the basic idea and served as executive producers, but it's director Terry Zwigoff ("Crumb", "Ghost World") who brings his unique affinity for losers and outcasts to the twisted tale of Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton), a hard-drinking, chain-smoking, foul-mouthed sexaholic safe-cracker who targets a different department store every holiday season, playing Santa while he cases the joint with his dwarf elf-partner Marcus (Tony Cox). With comedic support from Bernie Mac, Lauren Graham, Cloris Leachman, and John Ritter in his final film, Thornton milks the lowbrow laughs with a slovenly lack of sentiment, warming "Bad Santa"'s pickled heart just enough to please a chubby misfit (Brett Kelly, hilariously deadpan) who may or may not be mentally challenged. As dry as an arid martini and blacker than morning-after coffee, "Bad Santa" is an instant cure for yuletide schmaltz, and if you think this appropriately R-rated comedy is suitable for kids, your parenting skills are no better than Willie's. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 91

Summary: "Balls of Fury" will score points with anyone who ever wished that "Enter the Dragon" played out in the subterranean "underbelly of ping pong" instead of the world of martial arts. Tony Award-winner Dan Fogler ("The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"), joining the ranks of Jack Black, Seth Rogan, and Jonah Hill as a schlub (romantic?) hero, stars as Randy Daytona, a Def Leppard-loving ping-pong wizard who, as a 12-year-old, was disgraced at the 1988 Olympics. Nineteen years later and gone to seed, he is reduced to performing a novelty act in Reno until an FBI Agent (George Lopez, and yes, at one point, he will proclaim, "Say hello to my little friend" a la Al Pacino in "Scarface") recruits him to infiltrate an underground ping pong tournament run by Feng (Christopher Walken), the arch villain who killed Daytona's father. Co-written by "Reno 911" colleagues Robert Ben Garant (who also directed) and Thomas Lennon (who costars as Daytona's taunting East Berlin rival), "Balls of Fury" is hit and miss, but it fitfully kills with some ace performances, including Walken, bringing more cowbell, as Feng, resplendent in silks and red fingernails (his Christopher Walken impression, while perhaps not as uncanny as Kevin Spacey's or Jay Mohr's, is dead-on). James Hong puts a wicked spin on the clichéd role of mentor, and action babe Maggie Q rocks as his niece. Look quick for David Koechner as hopeless entertainer Rick the Birdmaster, Patton Oswalt as an obnoxious early opponent, Kerri Kenney-Silver as a showgirl, and Diedrich Bader as one of Feng's imprisoned sex slaves (don't ask). With less go-for-the-groin humor than the title might indicate, "Balls of Fury" brings its A-game with some subversive bits of business, such as an ominous moment that is undercut when a menacing character is forced to re-enter the scene to ask for directions back to the highway. "--Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: HBO

Genre: Military & War

Duration: 705

Summary: An impressively rigorous, unsentimental, and harrowing look at combat during World War II, "Band of Brothers" follows a company of airborne infantry--Easy Company--from boot camp through the end of the war. The brutality of training takes the audience by increments to the even greater brutality of the war; Easy Company took part in some of the most difficult battles, including the D-Day invasion of Normandy, the failed invasion of Holland, and the Battle of the Bulge, as well as the liberation of a concentration camp and the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest. But what makes these episodes work is not their historical sweep but their emphasis on riveting details (such as the rattle of a plane as the paratroopers wait to leap, or a flower in the buttonhole of a German soldier) and procedures (from military tactics to the workings of bureaucratic hierarchies). The scope of this miniseries (10 episodes, plus an actual documentary filled with interviews with surviving veterans) allows not only a thoroughness impossible in a two-hour movie, but also captures the wide range of responses to the stress and trauma of war--fear, cynicism, cruelty, compassion, and all-encompassing confusion. The result is a realism that makes both simplistic judgments and jingoistic enthusiasm impossible; the things these soldiers had to do are both terrible and understandable, and the psychological price they paid is made clear. The writing, directing, and acting are superb throughout. The cast is largely unknown, emphasizing the team of actors as a whole unit, much like the regiment; Damian Lewis and Ron Livingston play the central roles of two officers with grit and intelligence. "Band of Brothers" turns a vast historical event into a series of potent personal experiences; it's a deeply engrossing and affecting accomplishment. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 123

Summary: Chemistry and quirkiness--and a stellar cast--help make Barry Levinson's "Bandits" more than just another comedy about ill-matched outlaws. Levinson's deft touch in "Rain Man" is evident in the film's road-movie structure, which follows bank robbers Joe (Bruce Willis) and Terry (Billy Bob Thornton) on a crime spree from Oregon to California. They're eventually joined by an aspiring stuntman and getaway driver (Troy Garity, son of Jane Fonda) and a neglected housewife (Cate Blanchett) who falls in love with both Joe and Terry after escaping her boring marriage. As scripted by "Twin Peaks" alumnus Harley Peyton, "Bandits" shifts from character comedy to crime thriller with reckless abandon, and the humor (particularly Terry's multiple neuroses) is occasionally forced and flat. Levinson compensates with offbeat moments of unexpected tenderness, allowing his cast to express depths of character not necessarily found in the script. A twist ending won't surprise attentive viewers, but it gives "Bandits" the extra kick it needs. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: Lionsgate

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 111

Summary: A cheerful, energetic, and completely entertaining movie, "The Bank Job" follows some small-time hoods who think they've lucked into a big-time opportunity when they learn a bank's security system will be temporarily suspended--little suspecting that they're being manipulated by government agents for their own ends. The result is that the movie doubles its pleasures: While the robbery itself has the usual suspense of a heist film, when the robbery is over the hoods find themselves being hunted by the police, the government, and brutal criminal kingpins who were storing dangerous information in a safety deposit box. "The Bank Job" won't win any awards, but it's enormously fun. Director Roger Donaldson ("No Way Out, Species") propels the action along with vigor, editing zippily with perfect clarity among multiple storylines and various colorful characters. Jason Statham ("Snatch, The Transporter"), as the leader of the bank robbers, successfully steps away from his usual bone-crunching roles to a more human presence. The rest of the cast--including Saffron Burrows ("Deep Blue Sea"), Keeley Hawes ("Tipping the Velvet"), David Suchet ("Poirot"), and many faces familiar from British film and television--give their characters the right degree of personality and flavor without getting fussy or detracting from the headlong rush of the story. A little sex, a lot of action, a sly sense of humor, and a twisty plot; if more movies had these basic pleasures, the world would be a happier place. --"Bret Fetzer"

Stills from "Bank Job" (click for larger image)

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: African American Cinema

Duration: 102

Summary: With enough lively banter to keep its customers happy for years, "Barbershop" is a loose, lanky comedy with its heart--and its humor--in all the right places. Ice Cube plays Calvin, reluctant heir to his late father's barbershop on Chicago's South Side--a neighborhood institution that seems like a trap for a guy with bigger dreams. But Calvin is devoted to his employees and local customers, and when he makes an ill-considered deal with a loan shark (Keith David), the future of the barbershop hangs in the balance. There's a goofy subplot involving a stolen cash machine, but what gives "Barbershop" its abundant charm is its compassionate, feel-good vibe for its likable characters--not just scene-stealer Cedric the Entertainer (as Eddie the veteran barber, whose shaving lesson is a shining pearl of wisdom), but the entire well-chosen cast. It may seem like a lot of casual rap, but look and listen closely, and "Barbershop" will reward you with its danceable rhythms of life. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: African American Cinema

Duration: 106

Summary: Ice Cube triumphantly returns as Calvin Palmer, proud proprietor of a neighborhood barbershop in "Barbershop 2". The first "Barbershop" was a surprise smash; even more surprising is how good this sequel is. The plot isn't much--there's a corporate haircutting chain opening across the street, leading to the usual sentiments about the importance of small businesses and neighborhoods--but the well-conceived characters and the loose, genuine banter give this movie a striking richness of feeling. "Barbershop 2" cuts back and forth in time, flashing back to when Eddie (garrulous Cedric the Entertainer), the shop's oldest and most outspoken barber, first came to work for Calvin's father. Glimpses of black history give weight to the modern-day struggles; most impressively, this device doesn't feel forced or cynical. Also returning are Eve, Troy Garity, and Sean Patrick Thomas; Queen Latifah ("Bringing Down the House") is a new face on the block. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 103

Summary: Gross-out comedy reached its peak (or nadir, if you will) when this celebration of juvenile crudeness was released in the summer of 1998. "There's Something About Mary" was a surprise box-office smash at the same time, and it's a much funnier and (dare we say it?) more intelligently conceived comedy, but there's something to be said for a couple of dudes who blissfully embrace bad taste and improper decorum. As they proved with their popular cartoon series "South Park", Trey Parker and Matt Stone are shameless purveyors of scatological humor, and no bodily function escapes their baser instinct for gutter-level guffaws. Here they play a couple of guys who are fed up with the hyper-commercialism of professional sports, so they invent "baseketball"--a hybrid of baseball and basketball--and soon find themselves in the middle of a booming national craze. As baseketball leagues thrive, so does the movie's appetite for puerile shock-jokes and disgusting gags. There are some great throwaway lines and a lot of funny cameos by the likes of Bob Costas, Al Michaels, Jenny McCarthy, Robert Stack, Reggie Jackson, and others, but let's face it--a little of this stuff goes a long, long way. If you laugh a lot, you may be suffering (as Parker and Stone clearly do) from an acute case of arrested development. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Warner Bros.

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 140

Summary: "Batman Begins" discards the previous four films in the series and recasts the Caped Crusader as a fearsome avenging angel. That's good news, because the series, which had gotten off to a rousing start under Tim Burton, had gradually dissolved into self-parody by 1997's "Batman & Robin". As the title implies, "Batman Begins" tells the story anew, when Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) flees Western civilization following the murder of his parents. He is taken in by a mysterious instructor named Ducard (Liam Neeson in another mentor role) and urged to become a ninja in the League of Shadows, but he instead returns to his native Gotham City resolved to end the mob rule that is strangling it. But are there forces even more sinister at hand?
Co-written by the team of David S. Goyer (a veteran comic book writer) and director Christopher Nolan ("Memento"), "Batman Begins" is a welcome return to the grim and gritty version of the Dark Knight, owing a great debt to the graphic novels that preceded it. It doesn't have the razzle dazzle, or the mass appeal, of "Spider-Man 2" (though the Batmobile is cool), and retelling the origin means it starts slowly, like most "first" superhero movies. But it's certainly the best Bat-film since Burton's original, and one of the best superhero movies of its time. Bale cuts a good figure as Batman, intense and dangerous but with some of the lightheartedness Michael Keaton brought to the character. Michael Caine provides much of the film's humor as the family butler, Alfred, and as the love interest, Katie Holmes ("Dawson's Creek") is surprisingly believable in her first adult role. Also featuring Gary Oldman as the young police officer Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman as a Q-like gadgets expert, and Cillian Murphy as the vile Jonathan Crane. "--David Horiuchi"

Batman at Amazon.com
All "Batman" DVDs
"Batman Begins" 101: A Comic Book Primer
Where Have I Seen Christian Bale?
All "Batman" Comics and Graphic Novels
"Batman" Toys
"Batman Begins" Soundtrack
Stills from "Batman Begins" (click for larger images)

Theatrical: 1978

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Duration: 125

Summary: "Star Wars" meets "Wagon Train" as a futuristic flotilla of ragtag explorers search for a mysterious savior planet known only as "Earth," while being pursued by the dreaded Cylons (cybernetic tin-can baddies with vocal patterns that closely resemble a Speak & Spell game). This theatrical feature culled from the first and fourth episodes of the fondly remembered TV show is hilariously dated (the preponderance of polyester outfits and astrology motifs have the unfortunate effect of making the future look like an giant interstellar singles bar), but that only adds to the retro charm. An irresistibly cheesy blast from the past for Gen-X nostalgia-hounds, with impressive visuals by effects legend John Dykstra and a special appearance by teenybopper guru Rick Springfield. "--Andrew Wright"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 67

Summary: Now you can relive every action-packed moment of the epic story that Entertainment Weekly proclaims “Riveting”! Rejoin the fight to save the human race as a small but determined fleet quests for the fabled planet Earth while being hunted by their nemesis, the robot cylons. Presented uninterrupted, experience the phenomenon from beginning to end!

Theatrical: 2009

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 112

Summary: The Cylons began as humanity's robot servants. They rebelled and evolved and now they look like us. Their plan is simple: destroy the race that enslaved them. But when their devastating attack leaves human survivors, the Cylons have to improvise. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan tells the story of two powerful Cylon leaders, working separately, and their determination to finish the task.

Theatrical:

Studio: Bovine Ignition Systems

Genre: Special Interests

Duration: 330

Summary: Before the Internet became the way to connect to the world through a computer, life had already started to move online. Throughout the planet, regular folks were taking their new home computers, connecting them to a modem and a phone line, and starting Bulletin Board Systems, or BBSes. Once numbering in the tens of thousands, these "Dial-up Bulletin Boards" have mostly disappeared and mostly been forgotten... except by the people who lived, loved and worked on them. Director Jason Scott travelled thousands of miles and filmed over 200 people about their stories of the BBS, resulting in this 8 episode, five and a half hour long mini-series. The three DVDs in the set are region free, copy protection free, and Creative Commons licensed. They're also a lot of fun as the various episodes cover different aspects of the BBS Story. Episode titles include BAUD, ARTSCENE, SYSOPS AND USERS, NO CARRIER and MAKE IT PAY. "BBS: The Documentary" covers the era of the BBS, one caller at a time.

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 120

Summary: "Be Cool" takes its own advice: It's slick, Hollywood entertainment that kills two amusing hours with relative ease and comfort. Better than leftovers but not as tasty as a full-course meal, this sequel to 1995's hit comedy "Get Shorty" (and based on Elmore Leonard's 1999 sequel novel) finds former loan shark Chili Palmer (John Travolta) itching to get out of the movie business, so he hooks up with a newly widowed music executive (Uma Thurman) to launch the career of an up-'n-coming Beyoncé-like singer (newcomer Christina Milian). A mock-black manager (Vince Vaughn), his sleazy boss (Harvey Keitel), and an upscale gangsta-rap executive (Cedric the Entertainer) all have a competing stake in the fast-rising pop diva's future, and this sets the plot rolling in a fun but rather hand-me-down fashion that lacks the savvy panache of "Get Shorty" but still provides plenty of lightweight humor. The Rock and Outkast's André Benjamin provide the best laughs in supporting roles that effortlessly relieve the movie from the symptoms of sequelitis. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 102

Summary: A daffy, adorable, and very funny celebration of DIY spirit, "Be Kind Rewind" stars Mos Def ("The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy") as Mike, a clerk at a failing video store in a rundown New Jersey neighborhood. When his friend Jerry (Jack Black), who's been magnetized in a power station accident, wipes all of the videotapes blank, the two of them decide to recreate the movies themselves rather than face the store's owner (Danny Glover). The pure charm of "Be Kind Rewind" can't be captured in that spare plot synopsis. The blend of the movie's great cast (which also includes Mia Farrow, Melonie Diaz of "American Son", and Sigourney Weaver) and pitch-perfect writing and direction from writer-director Michel Gondry (director of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", writer-director of "The Science of Sleep") culminates in a truly delightful movie--sweet without being saccharine, richly comic without irony or sarcasm (which, given the presence of Black, is surprising), sentimental without losing sight of the hard edges of life. Mos Def turns in a standout performance, deeply sympathetic without a moment of grandstanding. An absolutely winning film. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 119

Summary: Leonardo DiCaprio sought to distance himself from the purity of his character in "Titanic", and his role in "The Beach" is in many ways a polar opposite. As Richard, a young American seeking to "suck in the experience" of freestyle travel in Thailand, he's a chronic liar, a pot-smoking hedonist, an amoral lover, and ultimately an unstable snake in a doomed Garden of Eden. This crazy descent might be expected from the filmmakers of "Trainspotting", but "The Beach" is a movie without a rudder, venturing into fascinating territory, promising a stimulating adventure, and then careening out of control.
After receiving a not-so-secret map to a secluded island from a stoned-out loony (Robert Carlyle, full of dark portent and spittle), Richard sets out to find the hidden paradise with a young French couple (Virginie Ledoyen, Guillaume Canet). What they find is a tropical commune existing in delicate balance with Thai pot farmers, and before long--as always--there's trouble in paradise. There's trouble in the movie, too, as DiCaprio is reduced to histrionics when the plot turns into a muddled mix of "Lord of the Flies" and "Apocalypse Now", with shark attacks tossed in for shallow tension. Director Danny Boyle attempts perfunctory romance and a few audacious moves (notably DiCaprio's vision of life as a violent video game), but what's the point? Tilda Swinton registers strongly as the commune's charismatic leader, but her character--and the entire film--remains largely undeveloped, and pretty scenery is no guarantee of a laudable film. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Universal Home Video

Genre: Drama

Duration: 135

Summary: "A Beautiful Mind" manages to twist enough pathos out of John Nash's incredible life story to redeem an at-times goofy portrayal of schizophrenia. Russell Crowe tackles the role with characteristic fervor, playing the Nobel prize-winning mathematician from his days at Princeton, where he developed a groundbreaking economic theory, to his meteoric rise to the cover of "Forbes" magazine and an MIT professorship, and on through to his eventual dismissal due to schizophrenic delusions. Of course, it is the delusions that fascinate director Ron Howard and, predictably, go astray. Nash's other world, populated as it is by a maniacal Department of Defense agent (Ed Harris), an imagined college roommate who seems straight out of "Dead Poets Society", and an orphaned girl, is so fluid and scriptlike as to make the viewer wonder if schizophrenia is really as slick as depicted. Crowe's physical intensity drags us along as he works admirably to carry the film on his considerable shoulders. No doubt the story of Nash's amazing will to recover his life without the aid of medication is a worthy one, his eventual triumph heartening. Unfortunately, Howard's flashy style is unable to convey much of it. "--Fionn Meade"

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation (MGM)

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 105

Summary: With Queen Latifah holding court over a cast of sassy females, "Beauty Shop" continues the "Barbershop" franchise in entertaining style. Reprising her role from "Barbershop 2: Back in Business", Latifah plays Gina the big-booty stylist, now on her own (she's a widow) and moving from Chicago to Atlanta, where she gets sick of her flamboyantly bitchy boss (played by... Kevin Bacon?), inherits her two best clients (Andie MacDowell and Mena Suvari) and her popular formula for "hair crack" conditioner, and opens her own styling shop with a $30,000 loan and a rainbow coalition of hairdressers played by Golden Brooks, Sherri Shepherd, Alfre Woodard and Alicia Silverstone. While it lacks the frank, sharply observant racial humor of "Barbershop", this easygoing comedy moves along at an agreeable pace, with a supporting cast of beauty-shop customers (and a love interest, played by Djimon Hounsou) who play off Queen Latifah's effortless appeal with energy to spare. Sure it's conventional, and most of the characters are thinly developed, but "Beauty Shop" is a fun place to visit for 105 hassle-free minutes. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Time Life

Genre: Exercise & Fitness

Duration: 110

Summary:

Theatrical: 1996

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 80

Summary: Mike Judge, the creator and voice of MTV's insouciant Beavis and Butt-head characters, made his feature film directorial debut with this full-length B&B misadventure, which finds the boys going on a cross-country adventure after their all-important television set is stolen. Fans of the now-defunct TV show will obviously enjoy this film the most, though almost anyone with a passing awareness of the characters will find something to chuckle about. (The funniest recurring gag finds beleaguered B&B neighbor Tom Anderson constantly sabotaged by the guys while on vacation.) Celebrity voices are fun to pick out, particularly that of David Letterman, who rather appropriately plays Butt-head's long-lost father. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical:

Studio: Time-Life Video

Genre: Television

Duration: 85

Summary: 10 Episodes in total featuring: BUTT-O-WEEN: 'Tis the season for terrorizing your neighbors. And these classic Beavis and Butt-Head episodes have tricks and treats so sweet you'll get a stomachache. The hapless mischief-makers dress up for Halloween, hang out with a psychopathic murderer, screw up lame pranks, and go door to door selling candy. So, smash that pumpkin and turn off the lights. Beavis and Butt-Head are about to make you scream -- with laughter. BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD DO CHRISTMAS: 'Tis the season to be cool, as Beavis and Butt-Head star in their own twisted versions of two holiday classics. The ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future struggle to teach a scrooge-like Beavis the true meaning of Christmas, while Charlie the Angel comes down from heaven to show Butt-Head how much better life would be without him. Will Beavis and Butt-Head learn their lesson? Does a snowflake have a chance in hell?

Theatrical:

Studio: Time-Life

Genre: Television

Duration: 90

Summary: This one is a classic and it was offered at a good price. Thanks Amazon!

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 93

Summary: Brendan Fraser stars in "Bedazzled" as Elliot, a dweebish office worker who yearns for Alison (played by Frances O'Connor from "Mansfield Park"), a coworker who barely knows he exists. When he blithely says he'd give his soul for Alison, the Devil appears (Elizabeth Hurley, "Austin Powers") and says she'll give him seven wishes in exchange. Elliot is dubious at first, but agrees out of desperation. Unfortunately, his every wish always leaves the Devil a little wiggle room. When he asks to be rich and powerful, the Devil turns him into a drug lord beset on all sides. When he asks to be a successful, well-endowed writer, the Devil adds a male lover to the mix. The setup and situations are clever, though "Bedazzled" doesn't delve into any real moral or theological questions and has a little less bite than the original it's based on (from 1968, starring Dudley Moore and Peter Cook). But it does provide some better comic substance than Fraser has had in most of his previous roles ("George of the Jungle", "Encino Man"). Fraser demonstrated in "Gods and Monsters" that he could hold his own dramatically with the likes of Brit thespian Ian McKellen, and he's consistently been a charming presence in movies enjoyable ("The Mummy") and not so enjoyable ("Dudley Do Right"). "Bedazzled" may not give him any more movie-making clout, but it does give his fans something to enjoy. O'Connor is entirely pleasant in her largely straight role, and Hurley fills out her part by delectably filling out a number of revealing outfits. An enjoyable bit of froth. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 99

Borrowed By: Katie Ford

Summary: A fantastical tale about a man who makes up bedtime stories for his niece and nephew only to find that they magically come true the next day, Bedtime Stories is a funny and enjoyable film about finding happiness in unexpected places. Skeeter (Adam Sandler) grew up with his sister Wendy (Courteney Cox) in a small hotel run by his father Marty (Jonathan Pryce) which was eventually sold to Barry Nottingham (Richard Griffiths) with the caveat that Skeeter would someday assume a leadership role in the business. Expansion transformed the small hotel into the luxury Nottingham Hotel, but Skeeter is just a handyman with little hope of advancement. When his sister needs to leave the state for a job interview, Skeeter ends up sharing the responsibility of watching her two elementary-age children Bobbi (Laura Ann Kessling) and Patrick (Jonathan Morgan Heit), whom he hasn't seen for years, with Wendy's friend Jill (Keri Russell). Initially an awkward situation, Skeeter and the kids bond over bedtime stories which Skeeter and the children make up. When events in the story start coming true, Skeeter tries to spin the stories to benefit his life, but events take some unexpected turns thanks to the kids' wild imaginations and some strange translations between fiction and reality. New relationships flourish and in the end, Skeeter, Wendy, Mr. Nottingham, Bobbi, Patrick, and Jill each find happiness in a most unexpected place and discover what's really important in their own life. Also worth mentioning is the character Bugsy, a guinea pig with enormous eyes that's sure to have every child begging for their own pet guinea pig. Rated PG for mild rude humor and mild language, but appropriate for most ages 6 and older. --Tami Horiuchi

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: Dreamworks Animated

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 91

Summary: There aren't a lot of choices in a bee's life: a bee attends a few days of school, graduates from college, and chooses a job in the hive that he'll labor at for the rest of his life. Barry (Jerry Seinfeld) is different from his best friend Adam (Matthew Broderick) and all the other bees: he wants to see the world outside the hive and can't begin to contemplate doing the same job for his entire life. Naturally, the life of the "pollen jock" bees appeals to Barry because it's the only job that takes a bee outside the hive and into the larger human world. Once outside the hive, Barry breaks the most sacred bee law and speaks to a human named Vanessa (Renée Zellweger) in order to thank her for saving his life. A relationship quickly blossoms and leads Barry to the discovery that humans are stealing honey from the bees and selling it for their own profit. Vowing to hurt the humans the one place they’ll feel it, Barry brings a legal suit against the honey industry and the courtroom drama begins. There are some hysterical moments in the film, as one would expect from a Seinfeld production, and an abundance of one-liners, double-meanings, slapstick humor, and innuendo-laden dialogue that will keep adults guffawing throughout the show. Still, the whole concept of seeing the life of a common pest through non-human eyes is getting repetitive thanks to films like "Ratatouille", "Flushed Away", "Open Season", and "Over the Hedge". It should be noted, though, that this first foray into animation by Jerry Seinfeld was four years in production due to its collaborative nature, so its theme may actually have well predated all of the aforementioned films. Children ages 5 and older will love the bees' silly antics, though many of the jokes will go right over their heads and parents should be cautioned about some mildly suggestive humor. More than just a comical film about the life of one very different honeybee, "Bee Movie" is a social commentary that pokes fun at human behavior while stressing the importance of doing even the most menial job well and championing the power of working together toward a common goal. There's even a lesson to be learned from the bees about controlling one's temper. "--Tami Horiuchi"

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 116

Summary: While it didn't quite spark a trend in chug-a-lug brew comedies, "Beerfest" is the kind of zany time-killer that's a lot funnier if you're within reach of a six-pack and Doritos. In other words, this is yet another low-brow laff-a-thon from the Broken Lizard gang ("Super Troopers") that's likely to draw a bigger audience on DVD than it did in theaters, especially since there's a lot of duds (and flat suds) to sit through while waiting for the next big beer-belly-laugh. It's the kind of movie that thinks masturbating frogs are funny (OK, you decide), while serving up a gang of guzzling Americans (the aforementioned Broken Lizard troupe, who also write this stuff with director Jay Chandrasekhar) who compete in an epic beer-drinking contest against the nefarious German challenger Baron Wolfgang Von Wolfhausen (played by German actor Jurgen Prochnow, whose starring role in "Das Boot" inspires one of this movie's better jokes). When it's not trying to top itself in terms of sheer stupidity and juvenile humor, "Beerfest" satisfies its target audience (basically, frat-rats and party animals) with some gratuitously bare-breasted babes, rampant consumption of alcohol, and the welcomed appearance of Cloris Leachman, who sort-of reprises her "Frau Blucher" persona from "Young Frankenstein". So basically what you've got here is a dim-witted but energetic comedy called "Beerfest" that delivers exactly what you'd expect from a movie with that title. Who says truth in advertising is dead? "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1996

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Animation

Summary: Before making "Batman", director Tim Burton and star Michael Keaton teamed up for this popular black comedy about a young couple (Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin) whose premature death leads them to a series of wildly bizarre afterlife exploits. As ghosts in their own New England home, they're faced with the challenge of scaring off the pretentious new owners (Catherine O'Hara and Jeffrey Jones), whose daughter (Winona Ryder) has an affinity for all things morbid. Keaton plays the mischievous Beetlejuice, a freelance "bio-exorcist" who's got an evil agenda behind his plot to help the young undead newlyweds. The film is a perfect vehicle for Burton's visual style and twisted imagination, with clever ideas and gags packed into every scene. "Beetlejuice" is also a showcase for Keaton, who tackles his title role with maniacal relish and a dark edge of menace. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 106

Summary: Smart casting and sensible plotting make "Behind Enemy Lines" an above-average military thriller. Perfectly timed to bolster patriotism, the film is partly set (during a hypothetical "day after tomorrow") on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. "Carl Vinson", which was on alert status in the Persian Gulf when this film was released. Proving his versatility as an unconventional movie star, Owen Wilson plays a navy navigator who is shot down over Bosnia during a reconnaissance mission. Pursued by rebel Serbian forces, Wilson must fight for survival while his commanding officer (Gene Hackman) plots a daredevil rescue. After a successful career in TV commercials, Irish director John Moore makes a promising feature debut on Slovakian locations, borrowing a few techniques from "Saving Private Ryan" while adding impressive flourishes of his own. The gung-ho ending's a foregone conclusion, but it works like a charm after the movie's exciting game of cat and mouse. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Polygram USA Video

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 112

Summary: While too many movies suffer the fate of creative bankruptcy, "Being John Malkovich" is a refreshing study in contrast, so bracingly original that you'll want to send director Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman a thank-you note for restoring your faith in the enchantment of film. Even if it ultimately serves little purpose beyond the thrill of comedic invention, this demented romance is gloriously entertaining, spilling over with ideas that tickle the brain and even touch the heart. That's to be expected in a movie that dares to ponder the existential dilemma of a forlorn puppeteer (John Cusack) who discovers a metaphysical portal into the brain of actor John Malkovich.
The puppeteer's working as a file clerk on the seventh-and-a-half floor of a Manhattan office building; this idea alone might serve as the comedic basis for an entire film, but Jonze and Kaufman are just getting started. Add a devious coworker (Catherine Keener), Cusack's dowdy wife (a barely recognizable Cameron Diaz), and a business scheme to capitalize on the thrill of being John Malkovich, and you've got a movie that just gets crazier as it plays by its own outrageous rules. Malkovich himself is the film's pièce de résistance, riffing on his own persona with obvious delight and--when he enters his own brain via the portal--appearing with multiple versions of himself in a tour-de-force use of digital trickery. Does it add up to much? Not really. But for 112 liberating minutes, "Being John Malkovich" is a wild place to visit. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Genre: Animation

Duration: 105

Summary: Inspired by the vintage thrillers of Val Lewton and Jacques Tourneur, "Below" is a superbly crafted spookfest primed for cult-favorite status. As he did with "The Arrival" and "Pitch Black", director David Twohy revitalizes a B-movie staple--in this case, the World War II submarine thriller--by turning it into a nerve-wracking funhouse of smoke and mirrors, where chilling visions tease the brain and stir paranoia among a close-knit group of terrified characters. When a U.S. sub takes on three survivors from a sinking British ship, its captain (Bruce Greenwood) uncovers secrets while concealing his own. As the sub's recent history unfolds, its crew is increasingly haunted by ghostly images, fleeting and subliminal, while the threat of German attack looms ominously overhead. More of a mood piece than a truly satisfying thriller, "Below" favors tense atmosphere over cohesive plotting, but it's so visually captivating, and so tautly acted by a fine ensemble cast, that its narrative flaws are easily forgiven. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 80

Summary: Credit "The Benchwarmers" for achieving the impossible: It makes the 2005 remake of "The Bad News Bears" look like a masterpiece. They're essentially the same film, with the same lowbrow PG-13 humor (mostly involving bodily functions, broad slapstick, little people, nerds, geeks, and nose-picking), but this baseball comedy earns a few brownie points for its heart-warming message about including non-athletic kids (i.e. "benchwarmers") in Little League baseball, if only to boost their confidence and give them a moment of ball-field glory. It's a pleasant sentiment intended to encourage under-achievers to feel good about themselves, and that makes this loose-and-goofy vehicle for Rob Schneider, David Spade, and "Napoleon Dynamite"'s Jon Heder an easygoing time-killer. Parents with good taste should be warned that his movie has no taste at all (it's hopelessly mired in the swamp of fart jokes and juvenile sight-gags), and is there really a need for mild profanity in a movie like this? That said, there are a few laughs in the efforts of Schneider and his ultra-nerdy pals as they form a team of rejects and go to bat against an enemy squad of current and former school-bullies, led by former late-night talk-show host Craig Kilborn. In addition to Schneider and Spade, "Saturday Night Live" alumni Jon Lovitz and Tim Meadows show up for an easy paycheck, and director Dennis Dugan handles the dumb-and-dumber shtick as if he were on vacation, sipping margaritas and shamelessly going for the easy laughs. If that's what you're looking for, you've come to the right place."--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 112

Summary: "Bend It Like Beckham" is true girl power. This glorious comedy centers on Jess (Parminder Nagra), an Indian girl born in England whose only desire is to become a football--or, as we say on this side of the Atlantic, soccer--star like her idol, David Beckham; but her traditional family refuses to even consider it. With the help of her new friend Juliet (Keira Knightley), Jess secretly joins a girls' team under the guidance of a male coach (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). As the team starts to gain some attention, Jess's secret can't be kept forever. The story of "Bend It Like Beckham" is so genuine and detailed that it transcends all the sports-movie formulas that it also fulfills with cheeky exuberance. Wonderfully acted, and written and directed with loving care by Gurinder Chadha ("Bhaji on the Beach", "What's Cooking?"), this movie is pure delight from start to finish. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Dimension

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 93

Summary: "Beowulf" translates the ancient epic poem of the same name into a postapocalyptic "Road Warrior"-style future, in which a military outpost is being invaded by a monstrous, blood-thirsty creature. Drawn hither by the evil emanations comes Beowulf (Christopher Lambert from "Subway" and the "Highlander" series), a powerful warrior with dark secrets of his own. There he meets the beautiful Kyra (Rhona Mitra), a woman warrior with a couple of cleavage-revealing outfits. Her father Hrothgar, meanwhile, is haunted by dreams of a blond, seminaked succubus with crimped hair, who has some mysterious connection to the murdering monster. Everyone, even father and daughter, has a different accent. It's all pretty trashy--the script is full of bravura lines like, "The only thing that keeps me from becoming evil is fighting evil"--but the cinematography and special effects are capable, there are lots of cool-looking swords and weaponry, and there's some pleasantly cheesy techno-metal music that plays intermittently for no good reason. Christopher Lambert, with white hair and a full-length leather duster, looks a little bored, but he's still his competent brooding action-hero self. If you enjoyed "Mortal Kombat", this is right up your alley. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1985

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 97

Summary: Lane Myer (John Cusack) is stuck in a personal hell. A compulsive, adolescent Everyman growing up in Suburbia, USA, not only does he fail to make the prestigious high school ski team (again), but his beloved sweetheart, Beth, also leaves him for Roy, the team's popular, arrogant captain. If this isn't bad enough, he's stuck with a mother who frighteningly experiments--rather than cooks--with food, a brother who builds rockets out of models, and a best friend so desperate for drugs that he settles for snorting powdered snow. Faced with these prospects, Lane opts to end it all ... until he comes up with a ridiculous plan to gain acceptance and win Beth back. Director Savage Steve Holland warps this simple, clichéd premise, letting his wacky imagination twist it into a fairly original, slightly dark, and completely hilarious '80s teen comedy. Not as serious a "suicide-attempt" movie as, say, "Harold and Maude" but just as funny, the film's more a collection of screwball sketches than a narrative. Holland livens the high jinks with surrealistic fantasy touches, including Jell-O that crawls, a hamburger that sings Van Halen, drawings that mock its creator, Japanese race-car drivers who only speak Howard Cosell, and a psychotic paperboy seeking blood over a missing $2. Cusack puts the whole thing on his shoulders and carries the insanity with another one of his touching, obsessively romantic performances, which, along with "Say Anything", "The Sure Thing", and "One Crazy Summer", made him the quintessential (and appealing) personification of lovestruck adolescence and suffering. "--Dave McCoy"

Theatrical: 1987

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 311

Summary: The heat is on in this fast paced action-comedy starring Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street smart Detroit cop tracking down his best friend's killer in Beverly Hills. Axel quickly learns that his wild style doesn't fit in with the Beverly Hills Police Department, which assigns two officers (Judge Reinhold & John Ashton) to make sure things don't get out of hand. Dragging the stuffy detectives along for the ride, Axel smashes through a huge culture clash in his hilarious, high-speed pursuit of justice. Axel Foley (Murphy) is back-back where he doesn't belong! He's going "deep, deep, deep undercover" into the chic wilds of Southern California, unleashing his arsenal of blazing gunfire and rapid-fire gags against a gang of international munitions smugglers. Back, too, are Judge Reinhold and John Ashton as Murphy's crime-busting sidekicks. And Top Gun's director Tony Scott keeps the pace fast, furious and funny. This time, superstar Murphy comes up with the best showcase yet for Axel's comedic, rapid fire bravado. His determined pursuit of ruthless killers, with a little help from old pals Serge (Bronson Pinchot) and Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), leads him to LA's popular theme park, WonderWorld. Suddenly, Axel is the park's hottest new attraction, whether it's dangling from the giant Spider ride to rescue a child or going deep, deep, deep undercover as Okey Dokey, a seven-foot blue elephant.

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 102

Summary: As one of many in the ongoing trend of resurrecting old TV shows and turning them into contemporary Hollywood product, "Bewitched" tries awfully hard to distinguish itself. It succeeds in lots of surprising ways, not least of which is the star power brought by Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. Even if they don't create the kind of romantic chemistry that would have elevated the already high concept, they act as delightful foils to each other, but more often to themselves. The conceit of this "Bewitched" is that it's a self-reflexive look at the entertainment business, with Ferrell playing Jack Wyatt, an actor starring in an updated version of the classic TV show. Out of favor with the Hollywood elite and desperately in need of a hit, he insists on an unknown to play Samantha, as he wants the show to be about "him", since if something doesn't come his way soon, he's going to be hearing a lot of no's, despite the yes-men surrounding him. While his agent (Jason Schwartzman in hilarious high Hollywood sleaze mode) gets him the "unknown Samantha" deal, it's Jack himself who discovers his own leading lady in the delightful figure of Isabel Bigalow (Kidman), who possesses just the right nose wiggle, not to mention other wiggles.
But wouldn't you know it, Isabel really "is" a witch, and exactly the kind of "good" witch trying to rely less on her magical powers that Samantha Stevens was back in her "real" world. Instead of a cranky mother like Endora, Isabel has a distinguished father, Nigel (Michael Caine) who lurks around her as a constant reminder that she can't be who she's not (a mere mortal), and she certainly can't be the star of some zany TV show. As the plot thickens and the movie's reflexivity grows more convoluted, Nigel falls for the non-witch actress who plays Endora (Shirley MacLaine), and Jack and Isabel fall for each other. Here's where the Ferrell/Kidman gel doesn’t quite become aspic, but her perkiness (I mean, come on, it "is" Nicole Kidman, for crying out loud) and his goofiness (Ferrell is at his peak of intelligent bumbling) are more than enough to make the entirety of the proceedings a delectable trifle. Director Nora Ephron has fun skewering her own business in the script she co-wrote with her sister Delia, and her eye for quality craft makes everything sparkle as it should. Even if we have yet to see the definitive remake of an old TV show on the big screen, at least "Bewitched" is well more than run-of-the-mill as so many adaptations have been, and so many will be. "--Ted Fry"

Theatrical: 1988

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 104

Summary: Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 05/05/2009 Run time: 105 minutes Rating: Pg

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 355

Summary: University physicists Leonard and Sheldon know whether to use an integral or a differential to solve the area under a curve. But they don’t have a clue about girls. Or dating. Or clothes. Or parties. Or having fun. Or, basically, life. So when a pretty blonde named Penny moves in the apartment across the hall, the guys decide to get an education outside of the classroom. Boys, you have a lot to learn. With series creators Chuck Lorre ("Two and a Half Men") and Bill Prady ("The Gilmore Girls") concocting the right mix of logic and lunacy and stars Johnny Galecki ("Roseanne") and Jim Parsons ("Judging Amy") turning geekdom into Phi Beta fun, "The Big Bang Theory" is big on laughs. And life.

Theatrical: 2009

Studio: Warner

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 481

Summary: Early in the second season of "The Big Bang Theory", Sheldon (Emmy nominee Jim Parsons) asks Penny (Kaley Cuoco), "When did we become friends?" For a smart guy, Sheldon misses a lot. But for the record, season 1 answered the question of whether or not an adorkable group of geniuses can become friends with the hot girl next door (yes!). Season 2 shows us what that friendship looks like, and it's awesome, especially when it includes a rousing game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock." Sheldon's roommate Leonard (Johnny Galecki) wants to be more than friends with Penny, but the richest relationship of the show is that of Penny and Sheldon. He uses the "covenant of friendship" to get Penny to give him rides, he engages in an over-caffeinated business venture with her, and in the excellent Christmas episode, they exchange gifts and share a surprisingly touching moment. (Sheldon's midseason efforts to befriend a colleague can't compare.) Penny is forever changed by the guys, even telling a date about Schrodinger's cat and delving into online gaming. The extras, including a gag reel and interviews with the cast and crew, reveal the stars to be as appealing and connected to each other as their characters. "--Stephanie Reid-Simons"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 88

Summary: There really can't be enough movies adapted from Elmore Leonard novels; his sinuous storylines and fluid, surprising dialogue give any movie a boost from the start. In "The Big Bounce", laid-back Owen Wilson ("The Royal Tenenbaums", "Shanghai Noon") plays Jack, a small-time crook trying to lead an easier life in Hawaii. Trouble is, he can't keep out of trouble, and when he does stay clean, trouble finds him--in this case, in the bikini-clad form of Nancy (Sara Foster), the mistress of a local developer who gets turned on by the whiff criminal activity. She lures Jack into a scheme that ultimately involves a solid cast including Morgan Freeman, Charlie Sheen, Gary Sinise, Bebe Neuwirth, Willie Nelson, and more. Foster doesn't bring much to movie besides her alarmingly sculpted body and the ending peters out, but "The Big Bounce" has enough snap and crackle that you don't miss the pop. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 93

Summary: Gosh--kids. You gotta love 'em, right? Well, not necessarily-- particularly if you're Adam Sandler. But "Big Daddy" is about paternal devotion in its own oblique way. Sandler plays Sonny Koufax, a law-school grad who has been milking an accident settlement to cover his living expenses, while he continues to slack his way through life. But when his girlfriend threatens to dump him, he decides to show her he's serious about their relationship and pretends to adopt a little boy (in fact, his roommate's son from a one-night stand several years earlier, who shows up on their doorstep just after the roommate leaves town on a job). But after taking care of the tyke for a couple of days, Sonny finds that it's a little like feeding that stray dog that followed you home: Before you know it, you've grown attached to the little fella--and then what are you going to do? By turns crude and maudlin, "Big Daddy" has its share of laughs and will certainly entertain fans who like Adam Sandler best when he plays the case of arrested development with a smart-aleck retort for everything. "--Marshall Fine"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 125

Summary: After a string of mediocre movies, director Tim Burton regains his footing as he shifts from macabre fairy tales to Southern tall tales. "Big Fish" twines in and out of the oversized stories of Edward Bloom, played as a young man by Ewan McGregor ("Moulin Rouge, Down with Love") and as a dying father by Albert Finney (Tom Jones). Edward's son Will (Billy Crudup, "Almost Famous") sits by his father's bedside but has little patience with the old man's fables, because he feels these stories have kept him from knowing who his father really is. Burton dives into Bloom's imagination with zest, sending the determined young man into haunted woods, an idealized Southern town, a traveling circus, and much more. The result is sweet but--thanks to the director's dark and clever sensibility--never saccharine. Also featuring Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito, and Steve Buscemi. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Universal/DVD

Genre: Comedy, Crime

Duration: 117

Summary: When "The Dude" Lebowski is mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, two thugs urinate on his rug to coerce him into paying a debt he knows nothing about. While attempting to gain recompense for the ruined rug from his wealthy counterpart, he accepts a one-time job with high pay-off. He enlists the help of his bowling buddy, Walter, a gun-toting Jewish-convert with anger issues. Deception leads to more trouble, and it soon seems that everyone from porn empire tycoons to nihilists want something from The Dude.

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 98

Summary: No one tries very hard in "Big Momma's House", so your enjoyment of this Martin Lawrence vehicle pretty much depends on how much amusement you're able to derive from a guy dressed up as a very ample woman. The setup is of the eye-rolling, only-in-Hollywood nature: Lawrence, as detective Malcolm Turner, is after a killer, and apparently the only way to capture him is to pose as the bad guy's ex-girlfriend's grandmother, who--the film cannot stress this point too much--is quite large.
Apparently, Sherry (Nia Long), the young woman in question--she's as attractive as Big Momma is, well, you know--is none too bright, for she falls for Malcolm's ruse, which of course ostensibly amuses mainly because it's so transparent. She at least has an excuse--she hasn't seen Big Momma in two years--but Big Momma's oblivious friends must be functional morons. Screenwriters Darryl Quarles and Don Rhymer didn't tax themselves very much, as they have Malcolm-as-Big-Momma going through fairly predictable motions--botching a meal and delivering a baby unconventionally (Big Momma's a midwife), but ruling at basketball and self- defense and protecting Sherry while trying vainly not to flirt with her. Paul Giamatti is wasted as Malcolm's partner; director Raja Gosnell's clunky sense of comic rhythm is bewildering, because he used to be an editor (he brought a similar lack of magic to "Home Alone 3").
Lawrence won't have anyone forgetting Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in "Some Like It Hot", Dustin Hoffman in "Tootsie", or Robin Williams in "Mrs. Doubtfire" anytime soon. "Big Momma's House" benefits mainly by being first to the marketplace ahead of Eddie Murphy's "The Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps"; Murphy's work in prosthetics is far more accomplished, versatile, and funny. "--David Kronke"

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Walt Disney Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 85

Summary: The frantic pacing of "Big Trouble" is surely intentional, but the movie leaves you wanting more of... "something". Not more characters--it's got plenty of those--but more room for them to breathe in a top-heavy plot that recalls "Get Shorty" (also directed by Barry Sonnenfeld) without reaching those heights of ingenuity. Based on the bestseller by syndicated "Miami Herald" columnist Dave Barry, this Miami-based mayhem bears the distinct imprint of Barry's humor, in which absurdities pile up like rush-hour traffic, involving a former journalist (Tim Allen) connected by circumstance to a wealthy schemer (Stanley Tucci), his bored wife (Rene Russo), Russian mobsters, mismatched cops (Janeane Garofalo, Patrick Warburton), power-crazed FBI agents (Heavy D, Omar Epps), a Frito-loving drifter (Jason Lee), cretinous criminals (Tom Sizemore, Johnny Knoxville), and a gigantic toad that shoots hallucinogenic saliva. Culminating in an airport bomb smuggling (prompting the film's delayed release after the tragedy of September 11, 2001), "Big Trouble" needs the brilliant cohesion of "Dr. Strangelove"; what it gets is Sonnenfeld's knack for sustained chaos, and a few decent belly laughs. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1991

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 93

Summary: It is the future. Society has at last solved all its major problems, thanks to amiable lunkheads Bill and Ted and the inspiring music of their band, Wyld Stallyns. Only one man is dissatisfied with the way things have turned out, the evil De Nomolos. In an effort to change the future, De Nomolos sends evil Bill and Ted robots back in time to prevent the real Bill and Ted from winning a pivotal Battle of the Bands. What follows is a spirited journey through the afterlife as Bill and Ted try to rescue their girlfriends, save the future, and, oh, yeah, learn how to play the guitar. "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" swings easily between childish and clever humor, and is good at both: a Bergman reference is quickly followed by an equally funny bit about Death's stinky feet. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter seem happy to be reprising their roles and even manage to add funny spins on Evil Robot Bill and Ted. William Sadler very nearly steals the movie as Death, playing both his wounded dignity and budding desire to be funky to a T. As if that weren't enough, George Carlin returns as Rufus and Pam Grier does a cameo just for the hell of it. "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" is ample proof that not all sequels suck. Sometimes they're even better than the original. "--Ali Davis"

Theatrical: 1989

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 90

Summary: Like, radical, dude--but not nearly as funny as it should be, even though it was a box-office hit. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are a pair of dim Valley boys, whose life is made heinous by a school history project. Enter George Carlin as a futuristic dude with a time-traveling phone booth. So Bill and Ted go back in time to round up a gang of historical figures (Socrates, Joan of Arc) to bring back for their presentation. Abe Lincoln at the mall? That's about as witty as it gets, rendering this the kind of comedy that gives teenaged audiences a bad name. "--Marshall Fine"

Theatrical: 1996

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 117

Summary: The great improvisational comedy team of Mike Nichols and Elaine May reunited to (respectively) direct and write this update of the French comedy "La Cage Aux Folles". Robin Williams stars as a gay Miami nightclub owner who is forced to play it straight and ask his drag-queen partner (Nathan Lane) to hide out when Williams's son invites his prospective--and highly conservative--in-laws and fiancée to a meet-and-greet dinner party. Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest play the straight-laced senator and his wife, and Calista Flockhart (from television's "Ally McBeal") plays their daughter in a culture-clash with outrageous consequences. May's witty screenplay incorporates some pointed observations about the political landscape of the 1990s and takes a sensitive approach to the comedy's underlying drama. Topping off the action is Hank Azaria in a scene-stealing role as Williams's and Lane's flamboyant housekeeper, "Agador Spartacus." "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 144

Summary: Ridley Scott's "Black Hawk Down" conveys the raw, chaotic urgency of ground-force battle in a worst-case scenario. With exacting detail, the film re-creates the American siege of the Somalian city of Mogadishu in October 1993, when a 45-minute mission turned into a 16-hour ordeal of bloody urban warfare. Helicopter-borne U.S. Rangers were assigned to capture key lieutenants of Somali warlord Muhammad Farrah Aidid, but when two Black Hawk choppers were felled by rocket-propelled grenades, the U.S. soldiers were forced to fend for themselves in the battle-torn streets of Mogadishu, attacked from all sides by armed Aidid supporters. Based on author Mark Bowden's bestselling account of the battle, Scott's riveting, action-packed film follows a sharp ensemble cast in some of the most authentic battle sequences ever filmed. The loss of 18 soldiers turned American opinion against further involvement in Somalia, but "Black Hawk Down" makes it clear that the men involved were undeniably heroic. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1979

Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 98

Summary: Disney's foray into big-budget science fiction, close on the heels of "Star Wars", had some of the most impressive special effects to grace theater screens in the 1970s. Graced by handsome production design--most notably a glass and latticework interstellar craft that looks like a battleship crossed with a modern skyscraper--"The Black Hole" is in many ways the most beautiful science fiction film of its era. Unfortunately, the graceful and gorgeous picture is jarred by dialogue that wouldn't pass muster in a comic book and a silly conclusion that plays like a murky, dime-store knockoff of "2001". Too bad, because the visual realization of the film is a veritable haunted house of futuristic phenomena, from the cloaked zombie-like drones shuffling through corridors to the devilish, crimson robot Maximillian, the strong arm of the mad scientist played by Maximilian Schell (a kind of wild man Captain Nemo with an even more ruthless temperament). Only the way-too-cute robot V.I.N.CENT (voiced by Roddy McDowall), a merchandising gimmick that looks like a Fisher-Price toy, mars the technological landscape. Robert Forster is the quietly authoritative captain of an exploration ship that stumbles across the seemingly derelict ship, and Anthony Perkins, Yvette Mimieux, Ernest Borgnine, and Joseph Bottoms fill out his crew. This is one case of a triumph of art direction and special effects over story--it's worth sitting through it to see the magnificent scene of the fireball rolling through the ship's enormous hull alone. The rest is just atmospheric gravy. "--Sean Axmaker"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 95

Summary: In "Black Knight", Martin Lawrence plays an amusement park employee who is magically transported back to medieval times and helps return a queen to her rightful throne (while learning some valuable lessons along the way). Despite the script's lack of logic and originality, Lawrence is an engaging performer, with a loose-limbed amiability that makes him most enjoyable company, even if he's not necessarily a better actor than most comedians. If Lawrence ever does a movie with a decent script, he might really have something; as it is we'll have to settle right now for the cheesy yet funny sight of Lawrence teaching a medieval band to play some Sly and Family Stone. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1996

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 87

Summary: Chris Farley plays the disaster-prone brother of a gubernatorial candidate in Washington State. Though he is well meaning, the havoc he creates on the campaign trail is drawing press attention, so a snotty aide (David Spade) to the politician is dispatched to keep the big lug under control. Spade's character initially insults his charge as often as possible, but over time, the two bond and end up becoming a part of the final election push. Farley and Spade have some very funny moments, but overall the film feels rushed and poorly planned. Constant changes in character and script happen recklessly and randomly so that nothing ever really makes sense; the film keeps changing the rules by which it plays. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 120

Summary: The recipe for "Blade" is quite simple; you take one part "Batman", one part horror flick, and two parts kung fu and frost it all over with some truly campy acting. What do you get? An action flick that will reaffirm your belief that the superhero action genre did not die in the fluorescent hands of Joel Schumacher. "Blade" is the story of a ruthless and supreme vampire slayer (Wesley Snipes) who makes other contemporary slayers (Buffy "et al.") look like amateurs. Armed with a samurai sword made of silver and guns that shoot silver bullets, he lives to hunt and kill "Sucker Heads." Pitted against our hero is a cast of villains led by Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff), a crafty and charismatic vampire who believes that his people should be ruling the world, and that the human race is merely the food source they prey on. Born half-human and half-vampire after his mother had been attacked by a blood-sucker, Blade is brought to life by a very buff-looking Snipes in his best action performance to date. Apparent throughout the film is the fluid grace and admirable skill that Snipes brings to the many breathtaking action sequences that lift this movie into a league of its own. The influence of Hong Kong action cinema is clear, and you may even notice vague impressions of Japanese "anime" sprinkled innovatively throughout. Dorff holds his own against Snipes as the menacing nemesis Frost, and the grizzly Kris Kristofferson brings a tough, cynical edge to his role as Whistler, Blade's mentor and friend. Ample credit should also go to director Stephen Norrington and screenwriter David S. Goyer, who prove it is possible to adapt comic book characters to the big screen without making them look absurd. Indeed, quite the reverse happens here: Blade comes vividly to life from the moment you first see him, in an outstanding opening sequence that sets the tone for the action-packed film that follows. From that moment onward you are pulled into the world of Blade and his perpetual battle against the vampire race. "--Jeremy Storey"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 113

Summary: Even skeptical fans of the "Blade" franchise will enjoy sinking their teeth into "Blade: Trinity". The law of diminishing returns is in full effect here, and the franchise is wearing out its welcome, but let's face it: any movie that features Jessica Biel as an ass-kicking vampire slayer and Parker Posey--yes, Parker Posey!--as a vamping vampire villainess can't be all bad, right? Those lovely ladies bring equal measures of relief and grief to Blade, the half-human, half-vampire once again played, with tongue more firmly in stone-cold cheek, by Wesley Snipes. With series writer David S. Goyer in the director's chair, the film is calculated for mainstream appeal, trading suspenseful horror for campy humor and choppy, nonsensical action. The franchise still offers some intriguing ideas, however, including Drake (Dominic Purcell), the original vampire, whose blood contains the secret that could destroy all blood-suckers in a plot that incorporates a sinister "blood farm" where humans are held--and drained--in suspended animation. And Biel's wise-cracking sidekick (Ryan Reynolds) in her cadre of "Nightstalkers" provides comic relief in a series that's grown increasingly dour. All of which makes "Blade: Trinity" a love-it-or-hate-it sequel... supposedly the last in a trilogy, but the ending suggests otherwise. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: New Line Home Entertainment

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 117

Summary: Aptly described by critic Roger Ebert as "a vomitorium of viscera," "Blade II" takes the express route to sequel success. So if you enjoyed "Blade", you'll probably drool over this monster mash, which is anything but boring. Set (and filmed) in Prague, the plot finds a new crop of "Reaper" vampires threatening to implement a viral breeding program, and they're nearly impervious to attacks by Blade (Wesley Snipes), his now-revived mentor Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), and a small army of "normal" vampires who routinely combust in a constant conflagration of spectacular special effects. It's up to Blade to conquer the "über"-vamps, and both Snipes and director Guillermo del Toro ("Mimic") serve up a nonstop smorgasbord of intensely choreographed action, creepy makeup, and graphic ultraviolence. It's sadistic, juvenile, numbing, and--for those who dig this kind of thing--undeniably impressive. With the ever-imposing Ron Perlman as a vampire villain. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: Warner Brothers

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 578

Summary: Visually spectacular, intensely action-packed and powerfully prophetic since its debut, Blade Runner returns in Ridley Scott's definitive Final Cut, including extended scenes and never-before-seen special effects, now seen in sepcatacular hi-definition! In a signature role as 21st- century detective Rick Deckard, Harrison Ford brings his masculine-yet- vulnerable presence to this stylish noir thriller. In a future of high- tech possibility soured by urban and social decay, Deckard hunts for fugitive, muderous replicants - and is drawn to a mystery woman whose secrets may undermine his soul. This spectacular 5-Disc Set features all of the content of the standard definition Ultimate Collector's Edition. All five version of the legendary Sci-Fi film from Director Ridley Scott with all new 5.1 audio - the definitive Final Cut, three additional versions of the film, and the rare Work Print version - in addition to the in-depth feature length documentary "Dangerous Days", and one complete disc of bonus content including over 80-minutes of never- before-seen deleted scenes.

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Horror

Duration: 87

Summary: "The Blair Witch Project"
Anyone who has even the slightest trouble with insomnia after seeing a horror movie should stay away from "The Blair Witch Project"--this film will creep under your skin and stay there for days. Credit for the effectiveness of this mock documentary goes to filmmakers Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, who armed three actors (Heather Donahue, Michael Williams, and Josh Leonard) with video equipment, camping supplies, and rough plot outlines. They then let the trio loose into the Maryland woods to improvise and shoot the entire film themselves as the filmmakers attempted to scare the crap out of them. Gimmicky, yes, but it worked--to the wildly successful tune of $130 million at the box office upon its initial release (the budget was a mere $40,000).
For those of you who were under a rock when it first hit the theaters, "The Blair Witch Project" tracks the doomed quest of three film students shooting a documentary on the Burkittsville, Maryland, legend of the Blair Witch. After filming some local yokels (and providing only scant background on the witch herself), the three, led by Heather (something of a witch herself), head into the woods for some on-location shooting. They're never seen again. What we see is a reconstruction of their "found" footage, edited to make a barely coherent narrative. After losing their way in the forest, whining soon gives way to real terror as the three find themselves stalked by unknown forces that leave piles of rocks outside their campsite and stick-figure art projects in the woods. (As Michael succinctly puts it, "No redneck is this clever!") The masterstroke of the film is that you never actually "see" what's menacing them; everything is implied, and there's no terror worse than that of the unknown. If you can wade through the tedious arguing--and the shaky, motion-sickness-inducing camerawork--you'll be rewarded with an oppressively sinister atmosphere and one of the most frightening denouements in horror-film history. Even after you take away the monstrous hype, "The Blair Witch Project" remains a genuine, effective original. "--Mark Englehart"
"Curse of the Blair Witch"
Are you wondering just exactly who the Blair Witch was? What the Burkittsville, Maryland, legend was all about? Or what exactly fascinated student filmmaker Heather and what possibly took her, Mike, and Josh from this earth? Get all your background questions answered by "Curse of the Blair Witch", a one-stop-shopping "documentary" originally produced for the Sci-Fi Channel as a tie-in marketing tool. Entirely fictionalized, "Curse of the Blair Witch" focuses both on the past and the present, with copious info on the Blair Witch myth as well as on the disappearance of Heather, Josh, and Mike. As it turns out, the original witch was one Elly Kedward, who was accused in 1785 of taking blood from several children; she was subsequently banished to the harsh winter woods and left for dead. Her grisly and bloody legacy involves missing children, polluted water, disemboweled men, and a serial killer of children who claims to have been haunted by "an old woman ghost." Aside from some ineffective "newsreel" footage of the serial killer, all this intriguing information is presented convincingly and chillingly. "Curse" may in fact freak you out more than the movie, and it evokes the great, pulpy "In Search Of" series of the '70s, one of the prime inspirations for filmmakers Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez. News clips of the search for Heather, Josh, and Mike lend a vérité atmosphere to the proceedings, but shed little light on their mysterious disappearance or their characters. Basically, it's a tease to go see the movie. Still, "The Blair Witch Project" provided only ever-so-slight information on the legend that haunted the forest, so you'll want this cleverly constructed mock documentary to supplement your knowledge of the film. "--Mark Englehart"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: New Line Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 112

Summary: Coasting on the successes of "Gods and Monsters" and "George of the Jungle", Brendan Fraser turns in yet another winning performance in this fish-out-of-water comedy in which Pleasantville meets modern-day Los Angeles, with predictably funny results. Fraser stars as Adam, who was born in the bomb shelter of his paranoid inventor dad (a less-manic-than-usual Christopher Walken), who spirited his pregnant wife (Sissy Spacek, in fine comic form) underground when he thought the Communists dropped the bomb (actually, it was a plane crash). Armed with enough supplies to last 35 years, the parents bring up Adam in "Leave It to Beaver" style with nary any exposure to the outside world. When the supplies run out, and dad suffers a heart attack, Fraser goes up to modern-day L.A. for some shopping and long-awaited culture shock. More of a cute premise with lots of clever ideas attached than a fully fleshed out story, "Blast from the Past" is also supposed to be part romantic comedy, as the hunky Adam hooks up with his jaded Eve (Alicia Silverstone) and tries to convince her to marry him and go underground. The sparks don't fly, though, because Silverstone is saddled with the triple whammy of being miscast, playing an underwritten character, and suffering a very bad hairdo. Fraser, however, carries the film lightly and easily on his broad, goofy shoulders, mixing Adam's gee-whiz innocence with genuine emotion and curiosity; only Fraser could pull off Adam's first glimpse of a sunrise or the ocean with both humor and pathos. Also winning is Dave Foley as Silverstone's gay best friend, who manages to make the most innocuous statements sound like comic gems. "--Mark Englehart"

Theatrical: 1974

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 93

Summary: Mel Brooks scored his first commercial hit with this raucous Western spoof starring the late Cleavon Little as the newly hired (and conspicuously black) sheriff of Rock Ridge. Sheriff Bart teams up with deputy Jim (Gene Wilder) to foil the railroad-building scheme of the nefarious Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman). The simple plot is just an excuse for a steady stream of gags, many of them unabashedly tasteless, that Brooks and his wacky cast pull off with side-splitting success. The humor is so juvenile and crude that you just have to surrender to it; highlights abound, from the lunkheaded Alex Karras as the ox-riding Mongo to Madeline Kahn's uproarious send-up of Marlene Dietrich as saloon songstress Lili Von Shtupp. Adding to the comedic excess is the infamous campfire scene involving a bunch of hungry cowboys, heaping servings of baked beans and, well, you get the idea. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 110

Summary: Clint Eastwood's "Blood Work" is a refreshing reminder that Hollywood's young Turks can still learn a lesson from good old-fashioned craftsmanship. Settling into an easygoing groove that recalls his early work in "Play Misty for Me", the 72-year-old producer-director-star acknowledges his age by playing a retired FBI profiler and recent heart-transplant recipient. He's recruited by his heart donor's grieving sister (Wanda De Jesus) to find her dead sibling's killer, and personal obligation compels his dutiful but health-risking investigation. From a sharp, sensible script by "L.A. Confidential" Oscar® winner Brian Helgeland (from Michael Connelly's novel), "Blood Work" consistently plays to Eastwood's no-nonsense approach, elevating the mystery while giving Jeff Daniels (as Eastwood's neighbor and amateur sidekick) a substantial role in the suspenseful proceedings. Some may chuckle at a brief Eastwood-De Jesus love scene, but there's ample proof here that Clint's still got all the right moves. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1994

Studio: MGM

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 121

Summary:

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 93

Summary: Martin Lawrence can certainly talk a blue streak (witness his concert film, "You So Crazy"), but he tones it down to PG-13 for this by-the-book action comedy. Lawrence stars as Logan, a bank robber and jewel thief (nice role model we're supposed to cheer for) who, just before he is arrested, manages to stash the $20 million diamond he has just heisted at a construction site. When he is released from prison two years later, he returns to the scene of the crime only to find that the completed building houses a police station. To get inside and retrieve the precious gem he secures a fake ID and passes himself off as LAPD's newest, and most unorthodox, detective. As he demonstrated on his TV series, Lawrence has a knack for characterization second to Eddie Murphy. But he's no Beverly Hills Cop. Indulgent sequences where Martin has seemingly been given free reign to ad-lib are the film's weakest. Early on, Logan cases the police station outlandishly disguised as a snaggle-toothed, Geri-curled pizza deliveryman. You'd think the last thing his character would want to do is call attention to himself. Lawrence is at his best in the scenes in which, thanks to all those years of breaking and entering, his formerly lawless character proves to be a natural at cracking burglary cases. Logan is paired with the requisite white partner, Carlson (Luke Wilson), a buttoned-up rookie. Departing from the "Lethal Weapon", buddy-movie playbook, they are not antagonists; theirs is more a teacher-mentor relationship. "Don't we need a warrant to do that?" Carlson asks Logan at one point. "We don't even need a key," Logan responds, picking a lock. There is little in "Blue" that is remotely fresh, but Lawrence fans, who watched him play it straight opposite Murphy in "Life", will relish the opportunity to see him get down with his bad self. --"Donald Liebenson"

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Lions Gate

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 94

Summary: Cuba Gooding Jr. still has the exuberant energy that won him an Academy Award for "Jerry Maguire"--though his subsequent career choices have not been so golden. Still, he's a charming fellow, and his charisma makes "Boat Trip" surprisingly inoffensive, despite its plot: After being dumped by his girlfriend, Jerry (Gooding) sinks into a depressive funk until his buddy Nick (Horatio Sanz) drags him to a singles cruise--not realizing they've been sent on a gay singles cruise by a vengeful travel agent. But Jerry meets Gabrielle (Roselyn Sanchez), a sexy dance instructor, and falls head over heels--but to maintain her trust, he has to pretend to be just another gay guy out for a little sea air. Though thick with gay stereotypes, "Boat Trip" actually has a modest gay-men-are-people-too theme that makes the movie innocuous fluff. Also featuring Vivica A. Fox, Roger Moore, Will Farrell, and Playboy playmate Victoria Silvstedt. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Drama

Duration: 118

Summary: Released in late 1999, "The Bone Collector" was originally promoted as a thriller in the tradition of "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Seven", suggesting that it would earn a place among those earlier, better films. Nice try, but no cigar. "The Bone Collector" settles instead for mere competence and the modest rewards of a well-handled formula. With a terrific cast at his service, director Phillip Noyce ("Dead Calm", "Patriot Games") turns the pulpy indulgence of Jeffery Deaver's novel into a slick potboiler that is grisly fun only if you don't pick it apart.
Noyce expertly builds palpable tension around a series of gruesome murders that lead us into the darkest nooks of New York City. Now a bedridden quadriplegic prone to life-threatening seizures and suicidal depression, forensics detective Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington) gets a new lease on life with a sharp young beat cop (Angelina Jolie) who's a wizard at analyzing crime scenes. She does field work while he deciphers clues from his high-tech Manhattan loft, and as they narrow the search their lives are increasingly endangered. As this formulaic plot grows moldy, Noyce resorts to narrative shortcuts, using perfunctory scenes to manipulate the viewer and taking morbid pleasure in his revelation of the murder scenes. And yet it all works, to a point, and the cast (including Queen Latifah and Luiz Guzmán) is much better than the material. If you're looking for a few good thrills, "The Bone Collector" is a pretty safe bet. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Drama

Duration: 946

Summary: A taut series filled with drama as well as great chemistry between its two lead stars, "Bones" is a strong addition to Fox's television lineup. Debuting in 2005 to favorable critical reviews, the series shares an audience of fans with the "CSI" franchise. Smartly written and well-acted, the first season of "Bones" focuses on the collaborations between FBI special agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz, "Angel", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), whom Booth somewhat sarcastically nicknames "Bones." Each of the 22 episodes follows a premise well-known to regular viewers of crime dramas--a murder has been committed and a body found. The team's job is to figure out who the victim is, how he or she was killed, and how it was done; that part doesn't differ from other shows on television. What sets the show apart is the humor injected into the episodes (Boreanaz is particularly good at delivering wry lines). There's some wicked humor in the episode focusing on Brennan's attempts at dating, which is nicely offset by the horrific crimes she has to deal with. And for a show with such attractive leads, "Bones" doesn't make a huge point of dwelling on any possible attraction between the pair. Rather, it takes advantage of their playful bantering, which is more akin to that of bickering siblings than repressed lovers--for this season, anyhow. The series is inspired by real-life forensic anthropologist and author Kathy Reichs (who stars in one of the featurettes on the four-disc set). In a nice play on art imitating reality, Kathy Reichs also is the name of the heroine in the murder mysteries that Dr. Brennan writes on the side. By the end of the season, viewers will learn enough about the characters to care, but not enough to completely understand why they are the way they are. That is an ongoing mystery. "--Jae-Ha Kim"
Beyond "Bones: The Complete First Season"
More "Edge-of-your-Seat" TV DVDs
"Break No Bones: A Novel (Temperance Brennan Novels)"
"24: Season 5"

Meet the Characters of "Bones: The Complete First Season" (click for larger image)


Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz)is a former Army sniper who mistrusts science and scientists – the "squints," as he calls them, who pore over the physical evidence.

Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel)is a highly skilled forensic anthropologist who works at the Jeffersonian Institution and writes novels as a sideline.
Angela Montenegro (Michaela Conlin), earthy and bawdy, is Brennan’s friend and fellow scientist.

Zach Addy (Eric Millegan), is a young prodigy whose genius IQ actually gets in the way of his finishing the several doctorates he has begun.

Dr. Jack Hodgins (J Thyne), is an expert on insects, spores and minerals, but conspiracy is his hobby.
Stills from "Bones: The Complete First Season" (click for larger image)

Theatrical: 2010

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 118

Summary: With unflappable cool and surprising gentleness, Denzel Washington strides a bleak and barren world in "The Book of Eli". Eli is headed west, but on the way, he passes devastation and squalor, and occasionally he must mete out some devastation of his own with a sharp blade. But when he arrives in what passes for a town in this dust-and-ash future, the power-hungry owner of the town's bar, Carnegie (Gary Oldman, looking a million years old), covets his one important possession. (Spoiler alert, sort of: it becomes apparent pretty quickly that it's a King James Bible.) Conflict ensues! Though the plot is simple and the "mystery" of the book doesn't last long, "The Book of Eli" is carried along effortlessly by its star. Washington has always had a compelling mixture of authority and tenderness, and it's this latter quality that makes this contribution to the testosterone-and-violence-drenched post-apocalyptic subgenre unexpectedly human. The script, while not particularly original, has effective dialogue and is smart enough not to explain too much. The supporting actors--including Mila Kunis ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall"), Jennifer Beals (who hasn't aged a day since "Flashdance"), and Ray Stevenson ("Rome")--are all capable and easy on the eyes. The movie's bleached-out, sepia-tone look isn't new either, but it suits the subject matter. Anyone who wants to be offended by the movie's spiritual conclusion would be wiser to enjoy the subversive insinuation that religion can enslave as much as save. All in all, a competent action movie with some enjoyably atypical elements. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1992

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 116

Summary: Eddie Murphy makes a graceless debut as a romantic lead in this comedy from Reginald Hudlin. Murphy stars as a ladies man for whom the tables turn when he suddenly finds himself taken for granted by a lover (Robin Givens). Meanwhile, the platonic friend (Halle Berry) whom Murphy regularly visits is obviously--to the viewer, anyway--the woman he's supposed to be with. The absurdly long film is filled out with some fairly crude humor, such as the sight of Geoffrey Holder taking a whiff of Grace Jones's underwear. Yet Hudlin and Murphy also strain for a veneer of elegance and sophistication. Wanting to play it both ways, they end up with nothing. But there are several good sequences where Murphy is quite funny just being Murphy, such as his explanation to Berry of how you can tell which characters in an old episode of "Star Trek" are destined to die. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 110

Summary: Charismatic young stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus play two Irish brothers, Connor and Murphy, who believe themselves ordained by God to rid the world of evil men. Their first killing is in self-defense; but after that, they start killing with devotion, gunning down a summit of the Russian mafia. Willem Dafoe plays a gay FBI agent (he listens to opera while examining crime scenes) who knows what the boys are doing but feels that their vigilante tactics are necessary. There's not much plot to "The Boondock Saints"--it's mostly a series of violent scenes in which the boys are partially ingenious and partially lucky. The movie seems to want to provoke debate about vigilantism, but the scenario is too implausible to stir any real controversy. The peculiar mix of earnestness and machismo will not appeal to everyone, but it's certainly unique and may acquire a cult following. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2009

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 118

Summary: A cult phenomenon returns with "The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day". The vigilante MacManus brothers (Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus, reprising their roles from the first movie) have retired to Ireland, but a copycat killing of a Boston priest brings them back to dish out their unique brand of quasi-spiritual justice. The story line doesn't differ much from the first movie; the brothers have a new sidekick (Clifton Collins Jr., "Capote") and a new pursuer, FBI agent Eunice Bloom (Julie Benz of "Dexter", striving to take the place of Willem Dafoe from the original), but it's basically a series of shootouts in which the brothers pop up "unexpectedly" and blast a bunch of cartoonish criminals to pieces. "The Boondock Saints" was not a good movie, but it had a weird, unique energy--you couldn't tell if the movie took itself so seriously that it was ludicrous or if it was mocking itself while reveling in its absurd extravagances. "All Saints Day" has the same ridiculous swagger and baroque macho dialogue, but this time the spark is missing (with the exception of Collins, who brings all his dependable live-wire energy). Some cult fans will be disappointed, but others will still find things to enjoy. Also featuring Scottish comedian Billy Connolly (reprising his role as the elder MacManus), Judd Nelson ("The Breakfast Club"), and Peter Fonda ("Easy Rider"). "--Bret Fetzer"


Stills from "Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day" (Click for larger image)

Theatrical:

Studio:

Genre: Action & Adventure

Summary: Winner of the Golden Globes Best Actor award. Sacha Baron Cohen, the star and creator of HBO's wildly popular Da All G Show, brings his truly original Kazakh character Borat to the big screen for the first time. With a camera crew in tow and armed with a jar of gypsy tears "for protection", Kazakhstan's fourth most famous celebrity travels to the US an A to make a documentary. As he zigzags across the country, lovable Borat meets real people in real situations--with hilarious consequences.

Theatrical: 2000

Studio: Miramax

Genre: Drama

Duration: 106

Summary: "Bounce" has all the deft charm and breezy good looks you'd expect from a romance starring Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow, but under the surface beats the poisoned heart of an independent film just going through the motions. Affleck plays Buddy Amaral, a successful ad exec with an empty life. In a Chicago airport, he meets Greg Janello (Tony Goldwyn), a failed playwright going home to his family and a corrupt job as a TV writer. Buddy, angling for a one-night stand with a fellow passenger, gives Greg his ticket, but feels bad when he discovers the plane crashed and the guy died. He feels so bad, in fact, that when he gets out of rehab a year or so later, he decides to give the guy's widow, real estate agent Abby (Paltrow), commission on the sale of a building for his business, a sale she's not qualified to make. They start dating. She quickly forgets her initial impression of him as a creepy stalker. Near the end of the movie, she finds out her first impression was correct and she dumps him. It's the right decision but one that the movie won't allow her to make. Instead her best friend and her kids convince her to stay with the guy. Eeeesh. Affleck is good at playing privileged and shallow, Paltrow does what she can with the prepackaged grief of a widow, Joe Morton has very little to do as Buddy's business partner (but he does it well), and Johnny Galecki shines in a very small part as Buddy's assistant. Good performances in a rather creepy film by the guy who made "The Opposite of Sex". "--Andy Spletzer"

Theatrical: 1984

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 132

Summary: Director Roger Donaldson ("Thirteen Days") has breathed vibrant new life into the classic story of the mutiny on the "Bounty". With a dream cast--Mel Gibson, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir Laurence Olivier, Liam Neeson, and Daniel Day-Lewis--and a script by Robert Bolt ("Doctor Zhivago", "Lawrence of Arabia"), "The Bounty" takes a revisionist tack through the well-charted waters of an oft-told tale. Hopkins's Captain Bligh is no raving sadist in the Charles Laughton mode. (Laughton played Bligh in the first "Mutiny on the Bounty", 1935.) Instead, Sir Anthony plays Bligh as a hard-nosed imperialist explorer simply trying to get the job done in the time-honored manner: on the backs of the poor gobs under his command. Still, when Bligh's suppressed powder keg of rage finally blows, Hopkins is formidable indeed. Mel Gibson gives one of the most soulful performances of his career as mutiny leader Fletcher Christian. He's also at the height of his blue-eyed, buff good looks, and his romance with Tahitian maiden Mauatua (lovely Tevaite Vernette) is decidedly erotic. Liam Neeson is a veritable force of nature as the scrappy seaman Charles Churchill, and Daniel Day-Lewis is sublimely hateful as Master John Fryer, a pompous toady. With special effects to rival those of "The Perfect Storm", the alluring eye candy of a tall-masted schooner under full sail, lush tropical greenery, and bevies of bodacious South Sea Islands babes, plus a gripping story line, "The Bounty" deserves a rescue from undeserved obscurity. "--Laura Mirsky"

Theatrical:

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 344

Summary: The Bourne Identity
Freely adapted from Robert Ludlum's 1980 bestseller, The Bourne Identity starts fast and never slows down. The twisting plot revs up in Zurich, where amnesiac CIA assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), with no memory of his name, profession, or recent activities, recruits a penniless German traveler (Run Lola Run's Franka Potente) to assist in solving the puzzle of his missing identity. While his CIA superior (Chris Cooper) dispatches assassins to kill Bourne and thus cover up his failed mission, Bourne exercises his lethal training to leave a trail of bodies from Switzerland to Paris. Director Doug Liman (Go) infuses Ludlum's intricate plotting with a maverick's eye for character detail, matching breathtaking action with the humorous, thrill-seeking chemistry of Damon and Potente. Previously made as a 1988 TV movie starring Richard Chamberlain, The Bourne Identity benefits from the sharp talent of rising stars, offering intelligent, crowd-pleasing excitement from start to finish. --Jeff Shannon

The Bourne Supremacy
Good enough to suggest long-term franchise potential, The Bourne Supremacy is a thriller fans will appreciate for its well-crafted suspense, and for its triumph of competence over logic (or lack thereof). Picking up where The Bourne Identity left off, the action begins when CIA assassin and partial amnesiac Jason Bourne (a role reprised with efficient intensity by Matt Damon) is framed for a murder in Berlin, setting off a chain reaction of pursuits involving CIA handlers (led by Joan Allen and the duplicitous Brian Cox, with Julia Stiles returning from the previous film) and a shadowy Russian oil magnate. The fast-paced action hurtles from India to Berlin, Moscow, and Italy, and as he did with the critically acclaimed Bloody Sunday, director Paul Greengrass puts you right in the thick of it with split-second editing (too much of it, actually) and a knack for well-sustained tension. It doesn't all make sense, and bears little resemblance to Robert Ludlum's novel, but with Damon proving to be an appealingly unconventional action hero, there's plenty to look forward to. --Jeff Shannon

The Bourne Ultimatum
The often breathtaking, final installment in the Bourne trilogy finds the titular assassin with no memory closing in on his past, finally answering his own questions about his real identity and how he came to be a seemingly unstoppable killing machine. Matt Damon returns for another intensely physical performance as Jason Bourne, the rogue operative at war with the CIA, which made him who and what he is and managed to kill his girlfriend in the series' second film, The Bourne Supremacy. Now looking for payback, Bourne goes in search for the renegade chief of CIA operations in Europe and North Africa, partnering for a time with a mysterious woman from his past (Julia Stiles) and constantly--constantly--on the run from assassins, intelligence foot soldiers, and cops. Directed by Paul Greengrass (United 93) with the director’s thrilling, trademark textures and shaky, documentary style, The Bourne Ultimatum is largely a succession of action scenes that reveal a lot about the story’s characters while they’re under duress. Joan Allen, Albert Finney, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, and Paddy Considine comprise the film’s terrific supporting cast, and the well-traveled movie leads viewers through Turin, Madrid, Tangiers, Paris, London, and New York. Overall, this is a satisfying conclusion to Bourne’s exciting and protracted mystery. --Tom Keogh
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Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 97

Summary: Filmmakers often remark that it's just so hard to make a bad picture that few would take on the challenge if they weren't so naive. Steve Martin's Bobby Bowfinger is cut from that pattern, one of those sweet, indomitable operators of Hollywood who seem to be descended directly from Ed Wood (of "Plan 9 from Outer Space" infamy). To resurrect his ramshackle existence, Bowfinger opts to film his accountant's sci-fi spectacular, "Chubby Rain", about aliens invading in raindrops. The snag is he needs to attach action megastar Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy), an actor so paranoid he counts the "K"'s in scripts to uncover possible Ku Klux Klan influences. When his effort fails, Bowfinger hits on an ingenious scheme to film Ramsey without his knowledge, throwing his actors at the hapless star whenever he appears in public. Only Kit begins to believe he's being hounded by aliens for real, and runs hysterically to his guru (Terence Stamp) at a Scientology-clone group called MindHead, where people walk around in fine suits wearing white pyramids on their heads. Deprived of his star, yet not to be undone, Bowfinger hires a look-alike, Jiff (also Eddie Murphy), to fill in. The tone of the picture is sometimes flat, rather than deadpan, but that's nitpicking. The farce is quick and engrossing, and populated with terrific performances, especially by Eddie Murphy, whose dual role as Kit and Jiff showcases his character-building gift, and by Martin, whose Bowfinger, part con man and part would-be visionary, manages to capture your sympathies. Heather Graham's would-be actress cheerfully sleeps her way to the top like she knows she's supposed to, and Christine Baranski plays her shopworn method actor with myopic self-absorption. "--Jim Gay"

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 177

Summary: Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning 1995 "Braveheart" is an impassioned epic about William Wallace, the 13th-century Scottish leader of a popular revolt against England's tyrannical Edward I (Patrick McGoohan). Gibson cannily plays Wallace as a man trying to stay out of history's way until events force his hand, an attribute that instantly resonates with several of the actor's best-known roles, especially "Mad Max". The subsequent camaraderie and courage Wallace shares in the field with fellow warriors is pure enough and inspiring enough to bring envy to a viewer, and even as things go wrong for Wallace in the second half, the film does not easily cave in to a somber tone. One of the most impressive elements is the originality with which Gibson films battle scenes, featuring hundreds of extras wielding medieval weapons. After Eisenstein's "Alexander Nevsky", Orson Welles's "Chimes at Midnight", and even Kenneth Branagh's "Henry V", you might think there is little new that could be done in creating scenes of ancient combat; yet Gibson does it. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 106

Summary: The combined star power of Vince Vaughn ("Wedding Crashers", "Swingers") and Jennifer Aniston ("Bruce Almighty", "The Good Girl") makes "The Break-Up" a high-profile romantic comedy. Gary (Vaughn) and Brooke (Aniston) find that their brittle relationship may have reached the breaking point--but neither is willing to give up the condo they co-own. As their fighting grows increasingly bitter, neither is sure if they're fighting to get out of the relationship or to save it. "The Break-Up" is an odd combination of realistic scenes that capture the harsh yet human ways that lovers can hurt each other, and broad comic scenes with a more farcical edge. Both types of scenes are entertaining on their own terms--the movie is never boring--but they don't fully mesh, and as a result it's hard to engage emotionally with either Gary or Brooke. But the sterling supporting cast--including Jon Favreau ("Wimbledon"), Cole Hauser ("The Cave"), Joey Lauren Adams ("Chasing Amy"), John Michael Higgins ("A Mighty Wind"), Justin Long ("Dodgeball"), Jason Bateman ("Arrested Development"), Vincent D'Onofrio ("Happy Accidents"), and the ever-delirious Judy Davis ("Husbands and Wives")--give every scene they're in a boost of comic energy. An uneven but enjoyable movie that may suffer from viewers having overly high expectations due to Vaughn and Aniston's celebrity. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1985

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 97

Summary: John Hughes's popular 1985 teen drama finds a diverse group of high school students--a jock (Emilio Estevez), a metalhead (Judd Nelson), a weirdo (Ally Sheedy), a princess (Molly Ringwald), and a nerd (Anthony Michael Hall)--sharing a Saturday in detention at their high school for one minor infraction or another. Over the course of a day, they talk through the social barriers that ordinarily keep them apart, and new alliances are born, though not without a lot of pain first. Hughes ("Sixteen Candles"), who wrote and directed, is heavy on dialogue but he also thoughtfully refreshes the look of the film every few minutes with different settings and original viewpoints on action. The movie deals with such fundamentals as the human tendency toward bias and hurting the weak, and because the characters are caught somewhere between childhood and adulthood, it's easy to get emotionally involved in hope for their redemption. Preteen and teenage kids love this film, incidentally. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 108

Summary: Although it's been three years since we last saw Bridget (Renée Zellweger), only a few weeks have passed in her world. She is, as you'll remember, no longer a "singleton," having snagged stuffy but gallant Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) at the end of the 2001 film. Now she's fallen deeply in love and out of her neurotic mind with paranoia: Is Mark cheating on her with that slim, bright young thing from the law office? Will the reappearance of dashing cad Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) further spell the end of her self-confidence when they're shoved off to Thailand together for a TV travel story? If such questions also seem pressing to you, this sequel will be fairly painless, but you shouldn't expect anything fresh. Director Beeban Kidron and her screenwriters--all four of them!--are content to sink matters into slapstick, with chunky Zellweger (who's unflatteringly photographed) the literal butt of all jokes. Though the star still has her charms, and some of Bridget's social gaffes are amusing, the film is mired in low comedy--a sequence in a Thai women's prison is more offensive than outrageous--with only Grant's rakish mischief to pull it out of the swamp. "--Steve Wiecking"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Miramax

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 97

Summary: Featuring a blowzy, winningly inept size-12 heroine, "Bridget Jones's Diary" is a fetching adaptation of Helen Fielding's runaway bestseller, grittier than "Ally McBeal" but sweeter than "Sex and the City". The normally sylphlike Renée Zellweger ("Nurse Betty", "Me, Myself and Irene") wolfed pasta to gain poundage to play "singleton" Bridget, a London-based publicist who divides her free time between binge eating in front of the TV, downing Chardonnay with her friends, and updating the diary in which she records her negligible weight fluctuations and romantic misadventures of the year. Things start off badly at Christmas when her mother tries to set her up with seemingly standoffish lawyer Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), whom Bridget accidentally overhears dissing her. Instead she embarks on a disastrous liaison with her raffish boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant, infinitely more likeable when he's playing a baddie instead of his patented tongue-tied fops). Eventually, Bridget comes to wonder if she's let her pride prejudice her against the surprisingly attractive Mr. Darcy.
If the plot sounds familiar, that's because Fielding's novel was itself a retelling of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", whose romantic male lead is also named Mr. Darcy. An extra ironic poke in the ribs is added by the casting of Firth, who played Austen's haughty hero in the acclaimed BBC adaptation of Austen's novel. First-time director Sharon Maguire directs with confident comic zest, while Zellweger twinkles charmingly, fearlessly baring her cellulite and pulling off a spot-on English accent. Like "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Notting Hill" (both of which were written by this film's coscreenwriter, Richard Curtis), "Bridget Jones"'s stock-in-trade is a very English self-deprecating sense of humor, a mild suspicion of Americans (especially if they're thin and successful), and a subtly expressed analysis of thirtysomething fears about growing up and becoming a "smug married." The whole is, as Bridget would say, v. good. "--Leslie Felperin"

Theatrical: 1986

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 110

Summary: Gene Saks, an old hand at directing Neil Simon's work on film ("The Odd Couple", "Barefoot in the Park"), here takes a stab at Simon's most autobiographical work, which stars Jonathan Silverman as an aspiring writer living with two families under one roof in 1937 Brooklyn. Following his old working formula, Saks keeps an eye on the cast's energy and timing but otherwise stays out of the way and lets Simon's story and dialogue tumble wonderfully from the mouths of good actors. Cast in the lead in this 1986 film, the young Silverman (later the star of NBC's "Single Guy") makes a very good impression, as does Bob Dishy as his narrator-father. The DVD release has a full-screen presentation. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: Walt Disney Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 105

Summary: The pleasingly contrasting comic styles of Queen Latifah and Steve Martin bring some energy to "Bringing Down the House", a hopelessly formulaic comedy. Martin plays Peter, an uptight lawyer too obsessed with work to spend quality time with his kids. Into his life comes Queen Latifah as Charlene, an escaped convict who threatens to wreck his relationship with a wealthy but arch-conservative client (Joan Plowright, in high dudgeon) if Peter won't take up her case. Of course, Latifah's exuberant ways enchant his kids and bring out a looser, livelier side of Peter, all in a series of scenes so standard they hardly register. Thank goodness for Eugene Levy; as one of Peter's law partners with a taste for Charlene's bodacious brand of sexy, Levy's ingenious transformation from nebbish to loverman is the movie's secret weapon, stealthily planting comic explosions amidst the modest rice-krispie-crackle of the stale plot. "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1996

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 108

Summary: John Travolta is Vic Deakins, a bomber pilot who launches a devilish plan to hijack two nuclear missiles for big-time extortion. Vic never sweats, spews out great one-liners, knocks off money men with glee, toys with killing half a million people... he even smokes!
If you giggled at his "Ain't it cool" line from the trailer, you're in the right frame of mind for this comedic action film. Never as gritty or semi-realistic--or for that matter as heart-thumping--as the original "Die Hard", "Broken Arrow" still delivers. If Travolta is cast against type, everyone else is by the numbers; Christian Slater as Hale, the earnest copilot looking to foil the plot, Samantha Mathis as the brave park ranger caught in the middle, Frank Whaley as an eager diplomat, Delroy Lindo as a right-minded colonel. As with his previous script (the superior "Speed"), writer Graham Yost moves everything quickly along as Hale and the ranger try to cut off Deakins's plan over a variety of terrains. We have plane crashes, car chases, a pursuit through an abandoned mine, a helicopter-train shootout, and lots of fighting between boys. Each time Hale finds himself perfectly in place to foil Deakins. You're suppose to laugh at the unbelievable situations. That's where "Arrow" is deceptive: its tone is right for the laughter compared to the mean-spirited Schwarzenegger and Stallone action films with labored jokes. Hong Kong master director John Woo ("The Killer", "Hard Target") pulls out all the stops--slow motion of Hale and Deakins's gymnastic gun play, nifty stunts, countdowns to doomsday. Woo may know action, but he needs more guidance in creating unique and stunning special effects. This is action entertainment at its cheesiest. Travolta and Woo later reteamed for "Face/Off". "--Doug Thomas"

Theatrical: 2005

Studio: Miramax Home Entertainment

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 118

Summary: Fairy tales come vividly to life in "The Brothers Grimm", a long-delayed fantasy/horror comedy that greatly benefits from the ingenuity of director Terry Gilliam. In lesser hands, the ambitious screenplay by prolific horror specialist Ehren Kruger (who wrote the American versions of "The Ring" and "The Ring 2") might have turned into an erratic monster mash like "Van Helsing". But Gilliam's maverick sensibility makes the film more closely comparable to Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" and Neil Jordan's "The Company of Wolves", with the added benefit of impressive CGI effects and lavish (though cost-efficient) production design, making the most of a challenging $75 million budget. Kruger's clever conceit is to turn "folklore collectors" Wilhem and Jacob Grimm (Matt Damon and Heath Ledger, respectively) into 19th-century con artists who perform bogus exorcisms of "evil enchantments" while traveling from village to village in French-occupied Germany. The two soon find themselves ensnared in a genuinely supernatural crisis involving the curse of the Mirror Queen (Monica Bellucci) and such fantastical marvels as the Big Bad Wolf, the Gingerbread Man, and a host of other truly enchanted (and not altogether friendly) flora and fauna. It's kind of a mess, switching from over-the-top humor (mostly from Peter Stormare as a manic villain) to serious fantasy involving the beautiful Angelika (Lena Headey), who proves to be the Grimm Brothers' most reliable ally. And like many of Gilliam's films, "Grimm" suffered from production delays (during which Gilliam filmed "Tideland"), distributor fallout, and several changes in its theatrical release date, but none of these issues prevent the film from being a welcomed addition to Gilliam's remarkable list of credits. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1995

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 98

Summary: Edward Burns's debut film as an actor-director makes a virtue of its limited budget in the same way John Sayles's "The Return of the Secaucus 7" did in 1980. Stuck with limited technical means, Burns wisely puts his energies into a sophisticated story, knowing an audience couldn't care less about lighting problems if they're caught up in a terrific, character-driven movie with good actors. The tale concerns three adult brothers (Burns, Jack Mulcahy, Mike McGlone) whose complications in love and problems with commitment are rooted in their common experiences in a violent, loveless family. Burns has a hang- loose style that keeps the film from getting drunk on intense drama. He sets up the emotional backdrop and lets the characters' lives speak for themselves. Moreover, this is a filmmaker who enjoys life too much to spread any more misery; Burns delights as much in the things that aren't necessarily good for people--illicit lovers, castration anxiety, too much time with one's family, too much beer--as those things that are. The results are frequently very funny. "--Tom Keogh"

Theatrical: 2002

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 92

Summary: Don Coscarelli directs and Bruce Campbell stars as the King of Camp in this intentionally over-the-top schlockfest. "Bubba Ho-Tep" is partially about Elvis Presley and partially about the title character, an Egyptian cowboy zombie, but mostly it is about camp. The movie is equal parts story and back story. We learn through narration and flashback how Elvis didn't really die, ending up instead in a rest home in East Texas with JFK (played by Ossie Davis), who was dyed black and had his brain removed, presumably for reasons of national security. Campbell and Davis realize that something strange is going on when their rest-home compatriots start dropping off suspiciously. The whole movie leads up to a final showdown to the death with the Egyptian cowboy zombie who has been sucking the souls of their fellow residents because he thought no one would notice. The movie unfolds a bit slowly; it is, after all, a geriatrics-fight-Egyptian-cowboy-zombie movie. However, one wishes this self-conscious movie's pacing took its cue from the atypically fast-moving zombie instead of from the senior-citizen Elvis and JFK. In the end, though, Campbell is flawless as the aged King; his accent, intonations, glasses, and trademark karate are at the same time sincere and over the top. "--Brian Saltzman"

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: Walt Disney Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 84

Summary: Innocuous, innocent, and somewhat idiotic, Disney's bubbleheaded road-movie comedy plays as a farcical remake of the 1976 cult TV-movie melodrama "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble". Jake Gyllenhaal is the goodhearted innocent raised in a sort of human Habitrail of plastic rooms and rubber tunnels. To win back the girl of his dreams (Marley Shelton), he steps out of his indoor greenhouse and into a homemade Ziplock bubble suit. It's the usual story: naive innocent bounces down the highway like a beach ball with legs and wins over the wacky supporting cast of soft-hearted bikers, zombielike teenage cultists, and orphaned "freaks" through purity and pluck. The premise wears thin after a while, but Gyllenhaal keeps the film bounding along with goofy innocence and energetic eagerness. Swoosie Kurtz costars as his religious-zealot clinging mom. Watch for Fabio in an inspired cameo. "--Sean Axmaker"

Theatrical: 1979

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 1799

Summary: With its campy combination of lightweight adventure and Spandex disco chic, "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" is a nostalgic throwback to post-"Star Wars" opportunism. Series co-creator Glen A. Larson was incapable of originality, and former soap star Gil Gerard (in the title role) was a bland incarnation of the comic-strip hero, so the much-anticipated series premiered on September 20, 1979, with serious disadvantages. Although the two-hour pilot "Awakening" had tested successfully as a theatrical release, Gerard and the show's producers could never agree on a stable tone for the series, which presents Capt. William "Buck" Rogers as a jovial space cowboy who is accidentally time-warped from 1987 to 2491. Earth is engaged in interplanetary war following a global holocaust, and Buck's piloting skills make him an ideal starfighter recruit for the Earth Defense Directorate, where his closest colleagues are Dr. Huer (Tim O'Connor), squadron leader Col. Wilma Deering (former model Erin Gray, looking oh-so-foxy), the wisecracking robot Twiki (voiced by cartoon legend Mel Blanc), and a portable computer-brain named Dr. Theopolis, who's carried by Twiki like oversized bling-bling.
The series struggled through an awkward first season, with routine plots elevated by decent special effects and noteworthy guest stars including Jamie Lee Curtis, ill-fated "Playboy" Playmate Dorothy Stratten (appearing, with her voice dubbed over, less than a year before her tragic murder), "Batman" alumnus Julie Newmar, Buster Crabbe (veteran of vintage "Buck Rogers" movie serials), and several others in a show that favored vamps and vixens over credible science fiction. A full-scale overhaul resulted in a disastrous second season, but devoted fans still gravitate to Hawk (Thom Christopher), the charismatic alien "birdman" who was introduced with new characters and a new, space-faring search for lost tribes from Earth (with echoes of Larson's own "Battlestar Galactica"). Behind-the-scenes squabbles continued, and by mid-season of 1981, NBC pulled the plug on a breezy, still-engaging series that suffered from uneasy chemistry and never realized its full potential. Existing somewhere between "Galactica" and "Lost in Space" in the TV sci-fi food chain, this "Buck"--with a dearth of DVD extras--now functions as a cheesy stroll down memory lane. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Disney/Pixar

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 96

Summary: There was such a magic on the screen in 1995 when the people at Pixar came up with the first fully computer-animated film, "Toy Story". Their second feature film, "A Bug's Life", may miss the bull's-eye but Pixar's target is so lofty, it's hard to find the film anything less than irresistible.
Brighter and more colorful than the other animated insect movie of 1998 ("Antz"), "A Bug's Life" is the sweetly told story of Flik (voiced by David Foley), an ant searching for better ways to be a bug. His colony unfortunately revolves around feeding and fearing the local grasshoppers (lead by Hopper, voiced with gleeful menace by Kevin Spacey). When Flik accidentally destroys the seasonal food supply for the grasshoppers he decides to look for help ("We need bigger bugs!"). The ants, led by Princess Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), are eager to dispose of the troublesome Flik. Yet he finds help--a hearty bunch of bug warriors--and brings them back to the colony. Unfortunately they are just traveling performers afraid of conflict.
As with "Toy Story", the ensemble of creatures and voices is remarkable and often inspired. Highlights include wiseacre comedian Denis Leary as an un-ladylike ladybug, Joe Ranft as the German-accented caterpillar, David Hyde Pierce as a stick bug, and Michael McShane as a pair of unintelligible pillbugs. The scene-stealer is Atta's squeaky-voiced sister, baby Dot (Hayden Panettiere), who has a big sweet spot for Flik.
More gentle and kid-friendly than "Antz", "A Bug Life's" still has some good suspense and a wonderful demise of the villain. However, the film--a giant worldwide hit--will be remembered for its most creative touch: "outtakes" over the end credits à la many live-action comedy films. These dozen or so scenes (both "editions" of outtakes are contained here) are brilliant and deserve a special place in film history right along with 1998's other most talked-about sequence: the opening Normandy invasion in "Saving Private Ryan".
The video and DVD also contain Pixar's delightful Oscar-winning short, "Geri's Game". "--Doug Thomas"

Theatrical: 2003

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 104

Summary: The tremendous charisma of Chow Yun-fat anchors this entertaining comic-book romp. "Bulletproof Monk" centers around a monk with no name (Chow) dedicated to protecting a sacred scroll that can give world-manipulating power to anyone who reads it. A hidden Nazi has been pursuing the scroll for 60 years and has finally caught up with the monk in present-day New York City; meanwhile, the monk suspects he may have found a disciple in a petty thief (Seann William Scott, "Dude, Where's My Car?", "American Pie") who's learned kung fu from watching double-feature chopsocky flicks. Don't let the presence of Chow Yun-fat lead you to expect much substance--this doesn't have the emotional scope of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" or the visual panache of "Hard-Boiled". But "Bulletproof Monk" is a cheerful, tightly edited, unpretentious action flick with flashes of humor, good for a mindless evening's entertainment. Also featuring Jaime (a.k.a. James) King ("Blow"). "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 1987

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 103

Summary: "Burglar" may not be one of Whoopi Goldberg's best outings, but it does offer her several opportunities to cut loose as a comedian. She plays a bookshop owner with a shady past who is being blackmailed by a crooked cop and must perform one last heist. Naturally, everything goes wrong and a handsome lothario winds up dead. Whoopi must find his murderer before the police find her. There are a couple of unexpected twists to this formulaic tale though Hugh ("First Wives Club") Wilson's direction can't always navigate the tonal shifts between comedy and murder mystery. But Whoopi holds it all together with strong assistance from a stellar cast including Bob Goldthwait, John Goodman, Anne DeSalvo, and Lesley Ann Warren. Goldthwait, who plays a dog groomer and Whoopi's wacked-out best friend, has several priceless moments featuring his squeaky-door crazy-man vocal delivery. Goodman and DeSalvo, both crackerjack comic actors, don't have nearly enough to do while Warren plays a curvaceous dentist and the ex-wife of the murder victim who seems to have suspect written all over her. "--Richard Natale"

Theatrical: 2008

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Independently Distributed

Duration: 96

Summary: After the dark brilliance of No Country for Old Men, Burn After Reading may seem like a trifle, but few filmmakers elevate the trivial to art quite like Joel and Ethan Coen. Inspired by Stansfield Turner's Burn Before Reading, the comically convoluted plot clicks into gear when the CIA gives analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) the boot. Little does Cox know his wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton, riffing on her Michael Clayton character), is seeing married federal marshal Harry (George Clooney, Swinton's Clayton co-star, playing off his Syriana role). To get back at the Agency, Cox works on his memoirs. Through a twist of fate, fitness club workers Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt in a pompadour that recalls Johnny Suede) find the disc and try to wrangle a "Samaratin tax" out of the surly alcoholic. An avid Internet dater, Linda plans to use the money for plastic surgery, oblivious that her manager, Ted (The Visitor's Richard Jenkins), likes her just the way she is. Though it sounds like a Beltway remake of The Big Lebowski, the Coen entry it most closely resembles, this time the brothers concentrate their energies on the myriad insecurities endemic to the mid-life crisis--with the exception of Chad, who's too dense to share such concerns, leading to the funniest performance of Pitt's career. If Lebowski represented the Coen's unique approach to film noir, Burn sees them putting their irresistibly absurdist stamp on paranoid thrillers from Enemy of the State to The Bourne Identity. --Kathleen C. Fennessy


Stills from Burn After Reading (Click for larger image)

Theatrical: 1990

Studio: Hbo Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 100

Summary: AS THE U.S. AND THE SOVIET UNION ENTER AN ERA OF FRIENDLY RELATIONS, A FANATICAL OPPOSITION GROUP DETONATES A NUCLEAR MISSLE OVER A RUSSIAN CITY. SUDDENLY, A CHAIN REACTION OF ACCUSATIONS AND ACTIONS BEGIN THE GROUNDWORK FOR WORLD WAR III, AND TWO AIR FORCE PILOTS ARE POISED TO STRIKE.